Chương 235: Chapter 235: Seattle
[Chapter 235: Seattle]
After saying a hasty goodbye to Jennifer Aniston and the others, Eric led Nicole and Elisabeth along with several other crew members toward the boarding gate. The massive Boeing jet slid down the long runway, leaping into the clouds. Once the plane stabilized, Eric unbuckled his seatbelt and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Elisabeth, who always seemed to glance over at Eric, scoffed, "This is what happens to greedy men, huh."
Eric wasn't in the mood to discuss this with Elisabeth. She clearly had some jealousy issues, and anything he said would only make her tease more. So, he opted for silence instead.
After four hours of flying, they arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Through the plane window, the runway appeared moist, and the sky was overcast, indicating that it had recently rained.
In stark contrast to Los Angeles, which basked in sunshine over three hundred days a year, Seattle's weather represented a completely different extreme. Due to its temperate maritime climate, Seattle remained perpetually damp throughout the year; even when it wasn't raining, there was always a lingering feeling of humidity. It was rumored that the line about "Seattle being rainy for nine months of the year" in the original script was actually a complaint from director Nora Ephron, stemming from frequent delays due to unexpected downpours during filming.
With a gentle reminder from the flight attendant, Eric and the others put on extra layers before stepping off the plane. However, once they exited the airport, a chilly breeze greeted them.
In Los Angeles, temperatures in September could still reach thirty degrees. But Seattle already had the refreshing chill of autumn, with temperatures around fifteen degrees.
...
"Hey, Eric," Jeffrey greeted as he approached and shared a brief hug with Eric.
After a quick nod, Eric released Jeffrey and asked, "How's Seattle treated you recently?"
"Awful. I really hate the weather here," Jeffrey shook his head.
Eric chuckled reassuringly, "Just hang tight for a few days. Once I get things rolling, you can head to New York."
"I know. Let's go, the car's outside," Jeffrey said, greeting the others as they exited the airport and piled into a few vans.
After half an hour of travel, they finally arrived at the film's shooting location in Seattle -- the Alki Beach. This beach lay on the southwestern side of the city, about twenty kilometers from downtown. Being somewhat remote, the crew's living conditions were rather modest.
Elisabeth stood in her room, eyes wide with horror at the simple bed, basic furniture, and the vintage boxy TV that resembled a small container. She complained to Eric, who had been forcefully dragged along, "Eric, is the budget so tight that the crew has to stay in a place like this?"
"Of course not," Eric chuckled at her expressive face and joked, "But we're not at the level of building a five-star hotel just for the crew either."
"But, I..." Elisabeth grimaced as she gestured around the room.
"Liz, you need to understand. We're here to make a movie, not to enjoy a vacation. To save time, we had to choose accommodations nearby. We can't have dozens of people commuting from downtown every day just for a more comfortable stay, can we? This area is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, and you can imagine the congestion caused by people driving to work downtown--it would waste so much time."
Elisabeth frowned, "But it looks... so dirty here."
"If you can't handle it, then feel free to book a hotel downtown. There are other inns, but this one's considered the best in the area. Besides, look--there's a TV," Eric laughed, pointing at the antiquated wooden TV, secretly contemplating whether he should toss it; after all, anything that old could become a quirky antique and enhance the room's postmodern, artistic vibe.
Elisabeth rolled her eyes at Eric as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"
After joking around, Eric gave her shoulder a comforting pat and said, "Liz, aren't you aiming to be a producer? If you can't handle this little bit, I suggest you rethink your choices. When you make movies in the future, you'll likely face far worse conditions than here. Camping out in the wild will become inevitable; what will you do then?"
"I..." she bit her lip but couldn't help asking, "Um, does everyone in the crew stay in places like this?"
"Of course," Eric replied, "I'm just diagonally across from you, and Nicole's facing you. And we can't accommodate everyone in one inn, so like I said, this is the best one we found. The crew's production assistants and props team are in a place across the street; their conditions are even worse."
Elisabeth paused for a moment, and finally turned silently to drag in her suitcase.
...
After lunch, Eric spent the afternoon reviewing previous location choices with Jeffrey and the others before the crew held a simple kickoff party that evening. The next day, filming for Sleepless in Seattle officially began.
"Hey, Victor, how's it been hanging out with Uncle Hanks?" Eric asked as the crew set up the camera tracks.
The little boy named Victor Morris looked up at his mother standing nearby. After receiving her encouraging nod, he said, "Uncle Hanks is a really nice guy. He bought me lots of gifts!" Victor then pulled out a small Transformer toy resembling Optimus Prime from his pocket and waved it at Eric.
Eric smiled, "Well, if you perform well later, I'll get you a gift too. How about the whole set of Transformers?"
The boy glanced at his mother and then shook his head. "No thank you, Mr. Director. Mom said you've already paid me, so even without gifts, I'll do a great job."
Eric patted the boy's head and chatted with him for a bit before standing and turning to Tom Hanks. "What do you think?"
"Victor's very obedient. He's smart too, but I wonder if he can capture that cleverness you need. To be honest, I think there's another boy who's perfect for the character Jonah."
Eric knew Hanks was referring to Stuart Ronkel. However, that seemed unlikely; even as a supporting actor, Stuart's pay was in the million-dollar range, while this little boy was only making a hundred thousand. Firefly Films certainly had plenty of cash, but they wouldn't waste it unnecessarily. While the character of Jonah held potential, he was ultimately a supporting role. The leads would always be Sam and Jenny.
"Just give him more tries. The reason I chose this kid is because he was very cooperative. The shooting schedule for Sleepless in Seattle is tight, and if we end up with a disobedient young actor, it could really delay filming, and that would be a disaster for the crew."
"Got it," Tom Hanks chuckled.
...
Before long, the tracks were ready, and after a brief discussion with Eric, Tom Hanks led the little boy toward the beach for their first scene.
The first shoot was simple; it mainly showed Sam and Jonah rowing a boat and playing by the shore. Since the shots were all wide angle, and didn't require much acting, Eric felt free to let them improvise. He briefed the cinematographer and assistant director to capture as much footage as possible and then headed toward a nearby trailer.
...
With the trailer door open, Eric walked inside where a makeup artist was touching up Nicole. Once Hanks and the boy finished their playful scenes, Nicole would begin her first shoot -- watching the two play from afar, which would also mark Jenny and Sam's first interaction.
Even though the main characters didn't speak until an hour into the movie, Eric decided to shoot this scene right away.
"Mr. Williams," the two female makeup artists quickly greeted him upon noticing his presence.
"Continue," Eric assured them, calming Nicole, who was about to rise. He stepped behind her, gazing at the beautiful woman in the makeup mirror.
After a moment, the makeup artist expertly touched up Nicole's face and asked, "Mr. Williams, how does this look?"
Nicole stood up, showcasing her look and spinning around playfully in front of Eric.
At that moment, she wore a white blazer and pencil skirt, coupled with white high heels, topped with an oversized gray hooded coat -- looks reminiscent of Meg Ryan's style in Eric's memory. Though both were beautiful, they exuded completely different vibes, while Eric needed a sweet and naive protagonist.
"Nicole, imagine you're Annie Reed and give me a smile," Eric leaned against a table, instructing her.
Nicole hesitated for a moment, then tilted her head and cracked a goofy smile while gazing at Eric dreamily. In an instant, a refreshingly silly yet somewhat sweet aura enveloped the room. Eric was momentarily taken aback and snapped his fingers in approval: "Perfect. Just like that."
Once Eric acknowledged her, Nicole quickly settled back into her poised demeanor, turning back into the stylish and cool Nicole Kidman, waiting for Eric's next command.
Eric didn't mind her shifting expressions; he was just glad Nicole could transition quickly during performance.
"By the way, you've practiced how Annie walks, right?"
"Of course," Nicole nodded, glancing around before casually slinging a handbag over her shoulder as if it might fall at any moment and then strutted outside the trailer in a distinctly lazy gait quite different from her norm.
"That's fantastic," Eric praised again. Nicole's performance was exceeding his expectations.
*****
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