[Chapter 967: Surprise]
In the dimly lit bedroom, the alarm clock on the nightstand beeped twice before a hand reached out gently to silence it, plunging the room back into tranquility.
Turning on the bedside lamp, the beautiful woman retracted her delicate hand and lightly tapped the sleeping man beside her on the shoulder. "Eric, it's two o'clock. We need to get to the set," she said.
Being roused from a deep slumber invariably brought some morning grumpiness. Eric, with a slightly rude touch, pulled Natasha Henstridge closer, nuzzling his face against her chest and inhaling her captivating scent, relishing the moment before finally opening his eyes. "You know, I should really throw a diva moment and show up thirty or forty minutes late," he joked.
This marked the third day since the crew had arrived in Las Vegas. The previous day, they completed the banquet scene where Colonel Rhodes presented Tony Stark with the Pinnacle Award.
The outdoor scene for a Vanity Fair interview with Tony Stark was scheduled from two in the morning to six in the morning. Caesar's Palace only allowed the crew to clear and shoot on site for four hours during this time frame. Simultaneously, they had been allocated just three hours -- six to nine in the morning -- for interior shots of the casino, as the 24-hour establishment would only be somewhat quiet during these hours.
Since they needed to work non-stop from two in the morning until nine, Eric had gone to bed early the night before to conserve his energy.
Natasha, waiting for Eric to release her, leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips before sitting up, grabbing a bra from the side. "You know, maybe everyone would be quite happy if you threw a diva fit. It would give them a few more days in Vegas," she teased.
Eric's fingers glided over Natasha's smooth back, tracing the curve slowly until he reached the edge of her underwear, and paused. "You look so awake, you must not have slept at all, right?"
"Yeah, this is my first movie, and I just couldn't sleep," Natasha replied, slipping on a fitted tank top. She playfully twisted her waist, shaking off Eric's wandering hand before tossing the covers aside and getting out of bed. "I'm going to wash up. Hurry and get dressed, too."
As he watched her slender legs disappear into the bathroom, Eric stretched his arms and sat up.
...
Outside Caesar's Palace, the small square bustled with activity.
Filming had never been an easy task; seemingly simple seconds of footage could take the crew several days to complete. Some grand scenes required a preparation time of up to ten days or even longer.
Eric and Natasha's scene together was under two minutes long. On their first night in Las Vegas, Joss Whedon had brought his team to the location to repeatedly review the shooting plans, mapping out everything from camera angles to lighting techniques, and arranging the background actors meticulously. In the movie, when Tony Stark was interviewed by Christine, the surrounding vehicles and pedestrians were anything but genuine passersby; coordinating those extras was no easy feat.
Therefore, Joss Whedon was feeling particularly anxious now; four hours simply did not seem sufficient. The thought of Natasha Henstridge's involvement only added to his stress.
He had seen her audition tape -- being a Victoria's Secret angel, her on-screen presence was undoubtedly stellar. However, she was still a novice in the film industry, and if it hadn't been for Eric personally advocating for her, Joss certainly wouldn't have allowed her to take this role.
Originally, he hoped to spend the next couple of days doing some rehearsal with her, but given her close relationship with Eric, he felt like it was a far-fetched idea. Unfortunately, she hadn't shown up at all in the two days leading up to this -- so that plan was out the window.
As for her receiving Eric's personal guidance at his place -- well, everyone understood the unspoken implications there, and they were just better off not mentioning it.
Despite being pessimistic about the shoot ahead, Joss still put in every effort to secure as much filming time as possible.
...
With the time at Caesar's Palace limited from two to six AM, the crew had to clear the set and leave promptly before six. However, starting at one-thirty, a few trucks loaded with shooting equipment hovered nearby, and after two o'clock they hurried to clear the area and secure the filming zone.
By two-thirty, Eric and Natasha arrived on set. The square was already lit up with bright spotlights, and crew members were positioning the extras.
Noticing Eric, Joss swiftly approached him. "Eric, we start shooting at three. Are you all set on your end?"
Joss couldn't help but cast a glance at Natasha standing beside Eric, and his meaning was clear.
With a smile, Eric nodded, "Don't worry, Joss."
Little did Eric know that Joss felt nothing but concern.
Joss, internally grumbling, realized he had no other choice but to say, "Okay, you both go get your makeup done."
He instructed his assistant director, who gestured for Eric and Natasha to follow him into a makeup trailer. Larry Ellison was already there at the makeup station, letting the artist style his hair. Upon seeing Eric and Natasha, he enthusiastically called out a greeting, but awkwardly flinched back when he noticed the makeup artist's frantic movements.
The makeup needs were limited to Eric, Larry, and Natasha. Eric cheerfully responded and took a seat beside Larry, while Natasha stepped into the back compartment, designated as the ladies' makeup area, since she would have to change outfits later.
Larry's styling was simple, while Eric had to deal with glueing on a fake beard, which took a bit more time.
Once Larry finished his hair, he left the trailer dressed in a sleek black suit, and shortly after, Natasha emerged in a professional outfit, standing behind Eric with a bright smile as she admired his transformation into Tony Stark.
She noted that just a slight hair change and adding a beard gave him a completely different aura.
Gazing into the mirror at the woman standing behind him, Eric suddenly spoke. "Miss Everhart, do you think I look even more handsome this time?"
After being schooled repeatedly over the past two days, Natasha instantly fell into her character, Christine Everhart, upon hearing his familiar tone and address. "Mr. Stark, I've always believed that only shallow men care about their looks," she shot back defiantly.
"Well, it seems today is your lucky day, because you've met an exception."
"Oh, why am I not surprised?"
"You just haven't realized it yet. Let's grab a meal afterward; we can chat more, and you'll see just how profound I really am."
The makeup artists beside Eric couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this bizarre exchange, their expressions contorting as they shared a knowing glance, before they resumed their work, pretending not to hear.
...
The banter between Eric and Natasha was cut short when the trailer door swung open, and Caroline and Melanie walked in, carefully holding a suit. Recognizing Natasha behind Eric, Caroline politely greeted her, while Melanie merely nodded her head slightly.
Natasha exchanged pleasantries with the two before stepping outside. She sensed Eric had a particular demeanor towards his two female assistants, especially the petite Caroline.
Though she wished to build a rapport, it was clear the two women weren't fond of her, so she opted to avoid any further awkwardness with them.
After chatting casually with Caroline and Melanie while the makeup artists finalized their work, Eric took the suit from Caroline and retreated to the back to change.
Interestingly, the Italian Kiton suit valued at fifty thousand dollars was a rental.
As a top billionaire, the crew wanted no detail overlooked in Tony Stark's wardrobe. Eric's costumes in the film were all sourced from exclusive luxury brands -- this Kiton suit was among the more affordable options.
Even more amusing was that these suits actually belonged to Eric himself.
That meant the crew was spending money to rent suits that were already Eric's, and later, when they shot scenes inside Tony Stark's mansion, the extravagant furniture that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars would likewise be transported from Eric's estate.
If the crew was short on funds, Eric would have no qualms lending his own wardrobe props.
However, the expense of luxury rentals had already been accounted for in the film's budget. The crew had originally planned to rent high-end costumes and related props, but the thought of wearing someone else's secondhand clothes made Eric uncomfortable, regardless of their price tag, so the situation evolved into what it currently was.
Although Eric didn't mind spending money, he cared greatly about maintaining a professional demeanor that kept work and personal life distinct.
After changing clothes and leaving the trailer, the setup for shooting was already complete.
...
Joss Whedon held the script in hand, gesturing animatedly as he meticulously guided Natasha on her next set of movements as if he were teaching a child to walk.
Seeing Eric emerge, Joss quickly came over to discuss things with him. Once Eric, Larry Ellison, and the extra bodyguards took their positions, Joss grabbed a walkie-talkie and coordinated with all departments to prepare for filming, then hurried to the monitor.
As a series of "ready" confirmations came through the walkie-talkie, Joss gave an "OK" sign to his assistant director, who took up a megaphone and announced to the entire square, "All departments, ready... Action!"
...
As his words echoed, Eric walked toward his vehicle, flanked by the extra bodyguards, and at that moment, Natasha stepped into view next to a sculpture.
This was to be a seamless scene; perhaps some clips would be spliced together later during editing, but for now, Joss had no intention of breaking it down. Once Natasha entered the frame, he immediately focused on another angle.
Two bodyguards blocked Natasha's path, and she leaned forward slightly to introduce herself.
Joss nodded subtly. Up to this moment, Natasha Henstridge had been performing reasonably well, showing a lot of potential -- far more than he'd anticipated.
However, he was acutely aware that the interaction between the two leads was the real crux of the scene and would present the true challenge, so he continued to watch closely.
When Christine Everhart was intercepted by the bodyguards, Larry Ellison's character, Happy Hogan, raised his eyebrows, whispering to Tony Stark that she was a knockout. Only then did Stark seem to notice her and turned with a practiced smile, gesturing for the guards to allow her through.
Joss immediately shifted his gaze to another angle; he had already judged this sequence to be doomed. Larry Ellison's reaction had seemed a bit over the top, and Eric's response, while somewhat in line with Tony Stark's character, was still not flawless. Even from a technical standpoint, there were numerous areas ripe for improvement in these takes.
Still, Joss refrained from calling cut; he hadn't expected to capture a perfect take in one go, and he was curious to see how Natasha Henstridge would handle herself.
As the monitor showed the action continuing, the crackling chemistry between the two sparked Joss's growing astonishment.
From Natasha's current performance, he sensed that it was beyond mere advantage that she had gained from her time with Eric in private rehearsals.
*****
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