บท 302: Chapter 303: What Are You Doing Here
[Chapter 303: What Are You Doing Here]
In an old-fashioned prison on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a man and a woman were facing each other through a glass door.
"...So, take the test!" the woman urged, wearing a frumpy brown striped jacket but with an exceptionally pretty face.
"No, but I will make you happy. I'll give you a great opportunity."
"What?" the woman asked, puzzled.
The man, clad in prison garb, interrupted her. "It's a promotion! Listen, Chris Starling, you need to reflect on yourself and find my former patient, Miss Murphy..."
The woman tried to take control of the conversation, even managing to squeeze out a comment. However, her efforts felt insignificant and were completely overshadowed by the imposing figure of the man on the other side of the glass door.
"...I believe Miles won't snap that quickly, even though he is a madman," the man raised his voice suddenly and shouted, "Now, go!"
The woman flinched slightly, her neck retracting in fear. Amid the chaotic shouts of other inmates echoing through the prison, she hurriedly made her escape.
...
"Cut! That was great, simply flawless!" Jonathan Demme, standing behind the monitor with headphones on, shouted enthusiastically as he watched Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins deliver their lines.
The crew members around them applauded energetically.
"Mr. Hopkins, your performance was just outstanding," Elisabeth Murdoch complimented as Anthony Hopkins stepped out of the room, still clapping her hands.
"Thank you, Miss Murdoch. Actually, Miss Foster's performance was exceptional as well. Without her collaboration, I doubt I could have found my rhythm so quickly," Hopkins replied.
"Mr. Hopkins, I have to admit, I wasn't quite as good in this scene," Jodie Foster said with a smile as she wiped sweat from her face with a towel handed to her by an assistant.
"Okay, you all did great, so I think we should stop the mutual compliments," Drew Barrymore chimed in with a grin from beside Elisabeth. Then, turning to Jonathan Demme, she asked, "Mr. Demme, shall we call it a day for filming?"
"Yes, Miss Barrymore, we're done with this segment. Although we still have over an hour left, there wouldn't be enough time to prepare for the next scene," Jonathan Demme stated while instructing his assistants to prepare for the wrap-up.
Drew glanced at her watch and said, "Julia and I will leave first. Our flight to Los Angeles is at four-thirty."
"Of course, no problem. I'll have a driver take you to the airport," Jonathan Demme immediately replied.
...
This was already the fourth day of filming The Silence of the Lambs in Pennsylvania, and as the first feature from TG Films, Elisabeth, Drew, and Julia took it very seriously. They had arrived well ahead of the shoot and had been in Pittsburgh for a week.
Since the three women were the film's producers, Jonathan Demme initially worried they might meddle in the filming. However, those concerns quickly dissipated after shooting began.
First, Elisabeth and Drew both seemed to be running around with a learning attitude, not causing any trouble, and even helping out occasionally. Surprisingly, among the three, it was the biggest name, Julia, who was the easiest to work with, as she didn't micromanage at all.
As a rising Hollywood star, Julia still had her own work to manage while Drew wanted to stay close to Elisabeth on set. However, being underage, nobody dared to let her linger on set too long. Plus, Eric was still unaware that Drew was one of the producers of The Silence of the Lambs. Hearing about her presence, he even called to remind her not to "have too much fun" and to return to Los Angeles soon.
Thus, Drew and Julia booked tickets to fly back to Los Angeles that day, while Elisabeth, being the primary producer, would stay with the crew until they wrapped.
...
In the airport lobby of Pittsburgh, Elisabeth hugged Drew, then wrapped her arms around Julia. With a raised eyebrow from Drew, she kissed Julia softly on the cheek and said, "Goodbye, Jules, and Drew, have a safe trip."
"Goodbye," the two women waved at Elisabeth before heading toward the boarding gate with their assistants.
After the Boeing aircraft rose into the cruising altitude, Drew unbuckled her seatbelt and glanced at Julia, who was flipping through a fashion magazine looking bored. "Jules, you and Liz are..."
Julia, not entirely paying attention, suddenly looked a bit flustered at Drew's words. "What... what do you mean?"
The girl pouted and replied, "You two have been sharing a hotel room these past few days. Don't forget, I'm next door and heard quite a few sounds."
"We just..." Julia struggled to find a reason, but Drew quickly patted her on the shoulder to soothe her and jokingly said, "Don't worry, I won't judge you."
"Uh..." Julia opened her mouth, looking at Drew's serious demeanor and couldn't help but ask, "Don't you find that strange?"
As Julia asked that, Drew immediately made a peculiar expression. "You all... did you really not feel strange at all?"
Julia nodded honestly.
"Since it feels strange, why are you still being like that with Liz?" Drew asked curiously.
"I don't know, I just feel, um, being with Liz is quite nice. Liz thinks so too, and that's just how it is."
Drew didn't quite understand what Julia was trying to express but realized that Julia hadn't completely changed her orientation. She just didn't know why things had turned out the way they did, temporarily pairing up with Elisabeth in what felt like a faux relationship.
This just wouldn't do; it needed to change!
Ideally, it would be to the point of feeling sick at the sight of a particular someone... oh no, I mean, at the sight of men.
Thinking of this, Drew rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Julia, this is just an innate mindset you've developed over the years. There are countless people in Hollywood who are gay, so you completely shouldn't feel any psychological burden. I think you and Liz make a great pair. She's very caring toward you, isn't she?"
Hearing Drew casually drop the word "gay" sent Julia's gaze flickering with panic. How could she understand the little secrets in Drew's heart? Believing that Drew was genuinely considering her feelings, she pondered over Drew's words, found some truth to them, and breathed a sigh of relief, slightly nodding in agreement.
Perhaps the little girl felt that the fire needed to be stoked even more, as she continued to stir the pot, "Julia, you might not know, but Jodie Foster is also gay."
This time, Julia was genuinely surprised, turning to look at the girl with disbelief and asking, "No... no way?"
Drew nodded affirmatively. "It's absolutely true, just that Jodie prefers to keep it low-key. But many people know she's gay. They say it's because of that time when Hinckley tried to kill the president for her. It made her completely lose hope in men and changed her orientation."
Julia lightly hummed in acknowledgment and went quiet again, returning her gaze to the magazine in front of her.
...
A few hours later, the plane landed at Los Angeles airport. Due to the time difference, it was still evening in Los Angeles.
Drew and Julia, parting ways with their respective groups, jumped into two different cars. After dropping off their assistants in the downtown area, Drew instructed her driver to head towards the Malibu estate.
"Hey, Ron, it's me, open the door," Drew called out directly to the security guard at the entrance of the estate.
The guard, having heard Drew's voice, quickly opened the gate and approached her. "Miss Barrymore, you're back!"
"Uh-huh, is Eric home?"
"Yes, Mr. Williams has been at home these past few days," Ron, the security guard, replied, glancing at the suitcase Drew was pulling. He eagerly asked, "Miss Barrymore, do you want me to help with your luggage?"
"No, it's fine. Oh, by the way, why is it just you here? Where's the other one?" Drew glanced suspiciously at the empty security booth behind Ron and warned, "Don't tell me the other one isn't here."
"No, no, Miss Barrymore, George went to the restroom. He'll be back soon," Ron quickly clarified for his colleague, then pointed to a figure returning in the distance. "You see? He's coming back."
Drew nodded after seeing the other guard, not saying anything more. She pulled her small suitcase toward the villa, greeting the staff managing the estate along the way. Since Eric didn't bother with trivial matters, most of the staff was chosen by Drew herself. Hence, even though she hadn't stayed here in a while, they still treated her like the lady of the house when she returned, which delighted her immensely.
...
As she entered the living room of the villa, Drew looked around before calling out, "Eric, I'm back."
Moments later, Nicole, with her hair pulled up and wearing a little apron in a homey outfit, walked out from the kitchen.
"Hi, Drew," Nicole greeted her and moved forward to take Drew's luggage.
Drew finally looked her over, an immediate sense of hostility arising within her. "What are you doing here?"
Nicole, having spent a few months with Drew, could easily sense the girl's animosity. However, she didn't seem bothered, brushing her hair back idly and replied, "I just happened to have some time, so I came to stay for a few days."
"Hmph, this is about the leading lady role in Ghost, isn't it? You're really devoted."
"I can't help it; I don't want to be one of those who gets everything easily granted. I have to fight for it myself."
Drew scoffed again, but with a hint of pride on her face, said, "Since Eric didn't bring it up, it means you're not the leading lady he wants."
*****
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