King of Hollywood-Chapter 65 - : Without Stopping
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Without Stopping
“Scent of a Woman” began filming in early October at Weldell Boys’ High School. Although Al Pacino only had a few short exterior scenes at the school, he still reported to the set early. His arrival drew a large crowd of students. If it weren’t for the school’s staff maintaining order, who knows how chaotic it might have gotten. Even so, it took an entire afternoon to shoot just a few panoramic shots of the campus because of the commotion caused by Pacino’s presence.
“You see that? That’s the Corleone Godfather charisma,” Adrian joked during a break.
“If I knew it would be like this, I would’ve waited until you finished shooting to come over,” Pacino said, feeling somewhat apologetic.
“No worries, every film crew runs into these issues. Don’t fret over it too much,” Adrian didn’t take it to heart.
After wrapping up the shots and most of the onlookers had dispersed, Pacino checked the time and prepared to leave. There were still many scenes to shoot today, but most of them were scheduled for the evening, so Adrian walked him to the school’s entrance.
Unexpectedly, upon reaching the school’s entrance, they found several journalists already waiting there, who immediately swarmed Pacino with questions once he appeared. These guys really had a keen sense of smell.
“Pacino, are you at Weldell Boys’ High School today to shoot a new movie?”
“It’s said that you’re collaborating with the genius director Adrian Cowell, is that correct?”
“What role are you playing? Can you talk about it, Al?”
The journalists bombarded him with queries and shoved their recording devices in front of him at the earliest opportunity. Pacino furrowed his brow but didn’t show any displeasure, maintaining a smile as he answered, “Yes, I am indeed working on a new movie with Adrian. Although it’s our first time, and I don’t know much about him, his outstanding script moved me, and I like the role very much. However, I’m sorry I can’t reveal anything about the storyline, gentlemen, as I have an agreement with the production team. Speaking of which, Adrian is right here; you could ask him directly.”
Saying so, he pulled Adrian, who was just about to step back, to his side. Adrian shook his head with bemused resignation and waved to the journalists. The reporters were momentarily taken aback; even though the genius director had gained some renown over the past year, his photo had rarely appeared in the media, and not many had interviewed him, so they were initially dumbstruck.
No wonder, the public was always more interested in the glamorous gossip of big stars, and aside from dedicated film fans, few paid attention to film directors, resulting in limited press coverage of directors by entertainment journalists.
Professionalism quickly kicked in, and some reporters immediately turned their microphones towards Adrian. Everyone knew Adrian was only 23, but they were still surprised by his youth when they saw him in person.
“As far as I know, your first two works were very successful, and the third one is about to be released. Why are you in such a hurry to produce the fourth one, Mr. Adrian?”
“Could you tell us how you managed to produce two excellent works in just over a year, Mr. Adrian? I hear your soon-to-be-released third film is also receiving high praise. What do you think about this?”
“Why did you decide to invite Al for the new movie? Could you share your thoughts, Mr. Adrian?”
Faced with these questions, Adrian quickly made a ‘calm down’ gesture: “I’ve wanted to work with Al for a very long time. His performance in ‘The Godfather’ series has always been my favorite. It’s truly exciting to have him on board. Although the new movie is a remake of a European film, I promise it will be just as thrilling as the original. As for why I started planning the fourth film before the third is released, well you know, inspiration doesn’t just sit around waiting in your mind.”
Although Adrian hadn’t dealt much with the media while busying himself with film productions over the past year, he wasn’t afraid of such situations and spoke freely. However, he felt a bit petty, especially seeing Pacino still surrounded by most of the journalists and being questioned as he got into his car.
But when Adrian turned to walk back to the school, any petty feelings he had dissipated. Rather than living a life like a major star, being chased by paparazzi, having control behind the scenes was what he truly wanted.
Soon night fell, and the crew started shooting the evening scenes, specifically a group of students preparing to prank the principal the next day, with the male supporting character Charlie just happening to witness the scene.
“Alright, let’s do it one more time, and be careful not to make mistakes, Caspar,” Adrian confirmed from behind the camera before loudly asking the cast to shoot the scene once more as a backup.
The actor playing Charlie was a young man named Caspar Jager, in his early 20s, recommended by the casting department. He had bit parts in several low-budget productions and had, to some extent, decent acting experience. However, the main reason he was chosen was because of his good looks, which made him appear somewhat like a pretty boy.
Since the character was a student, it naturally made sense to look for a handsome and good-looking actor. Whether he would be labeled as someone who relied on his looks was not Adrian’s concern.
It took roughly two workdays to finish shooting the school exteriors, and another two to complete the indoor scenes with Colonel Frank at home. The crew then moved straight to New York to prepare for the location shoots. The plan had initially been to shoot the interior scenes first and save the location shoots in New York for last, but after discussing it with his assistant and the assistant director, Adrian realized this wasn’t optimal. If they waited until after Thanksgiving, the first snowfall would have already arrived, which wouldn’t match the season depicted in the script. After much thought, Adrian decided to go to New York first.
Fortunately, all the locations had been arranged before filming started; they just needed to adjust the schedule a bit. The management department handled everything down to the last detail. Nonetheless, shooting was still fraught with issues. For instance, the Waldorf Hotel insisted that filming could only take place at night so as not to disrupt their business.
This was actually no big deal since there weren’t many exterior shots at the Waldorf Hotel. But then, applying to block off streets for the car chase scene ran into trouble. One moment a community organization raised objections, and the next, a charity found issues. It took nearly a full day to smooth things over. Adrian heaved a sigh of relief afterward. Dealing with these people was truly unpleasant.
As there had been no instances during the shooting of “The Shawshank Redemption” where TAHA had requested real maggots for props, Adrian hadn’t taken such public service organizations seriously. But in New York, he witnessed their influence firsthand, fortunately without delaying the shooting by the riverside in Brooklyn’s Hudson area.
“Who’s this?” the officer standing in front of the red Ferrari asked Charlie, looking at Colonel Frank who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
“My boy Charlie,” said the Colonel, shaking his head and moving his eyes about, not at all behaving like a blind person. “He’s been wanting me to take the car out. Could I let him down?”
The young officer smiled, thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll let you off the hook this time, but one condition—you need to take the car straight back to the dealership, okay?”
After a bit more conversation, with the Colonel’s deliberate guidance, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Soon, the officer left. After the police car had gone, the previously energetic Colonel suddenly became gloomy as if something had left his body.
“Fantastic!” Adrian couldn’t help but yell out, while clapping his hands enthusiastically.
Al Pacino was indeed a seasoned actor. After spending over a week in a blind center, he quickly devised a technique for his performance—never focus his eyes on anything. Moreover, he immersed himself into the character rapidly. When he started to become irate, there was no trace of any other character in him; he was Colonel Frank, the tempestuous former aide to General Patton. Sometimes during breaks, he would still be absorbed in his character; for instance, he’d walk with a foldable walking stick or talk to others while looking away.
Such professionalism was undoubtedly worthy of admiration, so when Adrian started clapping, the rest of the crew followed suit. Pacino, on top of the Ferrari, wiped his face, regaining some of his composure, smiled at everyone, and then stepped out of the car, although a slight hint of abstraction in his expression indicated he hadn’t completely detached himself from his character yet.
Adrian didn’t say much more; after patting his shoulder, he let everyone rest for about half an hour before continuing. The main focus in New York was the car chase scene, followed by various scattered scenes, such as street strolls with Charlie or disputes. During the dispute scene, Adrian deliberately shot a frame where the Colonel, after a minor altercation with Charlie, accidentally fell into a flower bush—an unplanned event in the original “Scent of a Woman,” which left Adrian secretly amused.
Due to the chaotic sequence of shots, both actors had to constantly change outfits and film on different street corners. This soon drew crowds of fans and journalists—the fans were manageable, willing to listen to crew members’ advice, but the reporters were troublesome, always scheming to unearth some news. Apart from Pacino, Adrian was also their target.
After an interview outside the school was published, many were surprised by Adrian; his third film was still being promoted and not yet released, and yet he was already working on a new movie, collaborating with the renowned Al Pacino—profoundly unbelievable. More importantly, despite being a newcomer to the entertainment industry for less than two years, he had already received awards at two major European film festivals.
Public curiosity about him had therefore increased, and naturally, the fervor among entertainment reporters had grown. So, in order to complete the New York shots in the shortest time, Adrian simply drew all attention to himself.
“This is a nearly perfect film—not that I’m saying my work here is beyond criticism. What I mean is, initially, the movie makes you feel oppressed and frustrated. However, when that feeling builds to a climax, it explosively releases, leaving the audience incredibly exhilarated. On this note, I believe I have done exceedingly well in this film.”
(Please recommend and add to favorites. Starting tomorrow, three updates a day, each with 2000 words. The big gap in the first chapter is finally being filled. Ura~)
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
