[Chapter 985: Subtle Moves]
During some casual chatter, the filming of a scene featuring Elizabeth Perkins as Bree Van De Kamp wrapped up, and the director announced a ten-minute break for the crew.
Having spotted Eric's arrival, Elizabeth Perkins smiled as she walked over to greet him. Eric got up and embraced her, taking in her meticulously tailored skirt suit. He said, "Liz, you look absolutely beautiful today."
"Thank you, Eric," Elizabeth replied, nodding. She took a chair from the stagehand and sat down next to him. "What brings you by today?"
The others had casually scattered, maintaining some distance, but seeing Elizabeth Perkins sit next to Eric, their expressions displayed subtle shifts.
Eric raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "I just happened to have a break this afternoon, so I came to check things out."
Elizabeth picked up on the nonchalance in Eric's tone, her eyes reflecting a hint of mischief. She teased, "You sure seem to have a lot of free time; it's Monday, you know."
Feigning displeasure, Eric replied, "Women shouldn't be so smart; be careful or I might just put you in your place."
"Ha ha," Elizabeth was unfazed by Eric's playful threat, laughing lightly.
Even the most oblivious person could sense the unusual comfort between them. John Calley, being perceptive, rose up and said, "Eric, I've got work to handle back at the company. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Oh, see you later," Eric stood and shook hands again with John Calley.
John Calley waved off Eric's offer to walk him out, taking his assistant and heading outside. With John Calley gone, Marc Cherry and others also took the hint and left. In no time, Eric noticed that only he and Elizabeth Perkins remained in the break area, along with another actress, Terri Hatcher, who played a housewife.
Feeling a mix of jealousy and unwillingness under the gaze of Eric and Elizabeth Perkins, Terri Hatcher smiled and said, "I need to touch up my makeup, Eric, and Liz, see you in a bit."
As the crew busying themselves in another house nearby seemed to purposely distance themselves, Eric turned to the woman beside him and asked, "So, care to explain what's going on?"
Elizabeth Perkins nervously adjusted the hem of her blazer, admitting, "I didn't expect them to react that way. I just thought it would make things easier down the line."
From what he had observed when Terri Hatcher left, Eric guessed that there could be underlying tensions within the Desperate Housewives crew. He was initially a bit miffed, but seeing the almost guilty demeanor of Elizabeth Perkins made his irritation fade. He had already slept with her; a bit of playful intimidation hardly mattered.
After a pause, Eric softened his tone and asked, "Did someone, um, bully you?"
"No, no, everyone is pretty good," Elizabeth Perkins quickly shook her head. She regretted being so friendly with Eric, realizing that such situations could backfire. The inner workings of the crew weren't hard to understand if Eric paid a little attention, but Elizabeth Perkins had no intention of divulging any information; she was well aware that no man liked a woman who gossiped.
Eric, disinterested in such trivial matters, thought no one would dare to cause trouble knowing the situation he just witnessed. With Firefly working on multiple projects simultaneously, he couldn't spend his entire day dealing with petty internal disputes.
Since everyone had left, Eric didn't want to stay idle, so he said to Elizabeth Perkins, "Since we're here, why don't you show me the set? I'd love to see your home."
Elizabeth Perkins blinked for a moment but quickly nodded, smiling, "Sure!"
...
Even though it was just a soap opera, the crew had put considerable effort into the set design.
The cul-de-sac was meticulously set up to represent a typical American middle-class neighborhood, complete with life-sized houses, transplanted trees and flowers, and a fully paved road -- costing over ten million dollars, nearly half the show's production budget.
Of course, since Desperate Housewives was already a success and next season was all but confirmed, the initial set cost would eventually seem more justified.
The layout of the typical middle-class American home usually consisted of a front yard lawn, the main house, and a backyard with a swimming pool. Due to limited space at the studio, the housewives' residences didn't have backyards, and such settings were hardly seen in Desperate Housewives either.
Bree's house reflected her meticulous nature, impeccably tidy and flawless.
Eric and Elizabeth Perkins walked into the house and casually strolled around before settling down on the living room sofa.
"The fridge has beer and juice. Eric, do you want some?"
Eric nodded, replying, "Sure, juice sounds good."
As Elizabeth Perkins headed to the kitchen, she teased, "I thought you'd want beer."
Eric admired her graceful figure and asked, "Why would you say that?"
"Well, you're a man; how can you choose something other than alcohol?"
"Sounds reasonable, but I usually don't drink to prove anything."
"That does seem to be true," Elizabeth Perkins chuckled, returning with two cartons of apple juice. She handed one to him and settled down on the opposite sofa. "I heard you're a bit of a neat freak, so I figured I wouldn't use the glasses here."
Eric casually inserted the straw and took a sip. "How did you know that?"
"I read it in a newspaper," Elizabeth Perkins thought for a moment and then shook her head, saying, "I forget which one, though."
Not wanting to linger on that topic, Eric shifted to another question. "How's it feel to shoot this series?"
"It's interesting. I think Bree is like a demon, relentlessly tormenting everyone around her with her extreme perfectionism until they all go crazy. Thankfully, I'm not like that; we don't share much in common, or I might even lose my mind getting too deep into the role." Elizabeth Perkins smoothed her blazer and added, "Like my outfit -- there's hardly a housewife who dresses this formally in daily life; I definitely wouldn't."
"I actually think it's beautiful," Eric said, looking at the woman across from him. He patted the space beside him. "Come sit here."
Elizabeth Perkins instinctively glanced at the doorway before giving Eric a skeptical look. "Eric, this is the set."
"I doubt anyone would dare come over right now."
Seeing Eric's persistent attitude, Elizabeth Perkins reluctantly stood and moved to sit beside him, reminding him, "Eric, this is designer wear by Chanel -- can't let it get wrinkled. Maybe we can grab dinner after we wrap."
Eric didn't respond, letting the juice carton slip from his hand as he leaned onto her lap, savoring her lovely scent as he found a cozy position and closed his eyes. "Wake me at five."
It was just a little past two...
She still had more filming to do...
This was going to be hard to explain...
Her legs were going to go numb...
This little nuisance...
A train of thoughts raced through Elizabeth Perkins' mind, but all she could do was shift a bit, leaning backward as she looked down at Eric resting on her lap. She noticed a stray fiber sticking to the back of his head and carefully plucked it away, finding herself in a daze.
After a moment, she gently leaned forward, noticing Eric had closed his eyes, his breathing calm. With a woman's intuition, she thought Eric resembled a young boy who had done something wrong and was hiding at his friend's place, afraid to go home and face his parents.
Hmm, what a strange feeling.
She shook her head at her own absurd thoughts.
Glancing toward the doorway, rays of sunlight streamed through the windows into the living room, and the surrounding area felt eerily quiet. Timing her thoughts, the next scene should start preparing soon, but outside, there wasn't a sound. Clearly, just as Eric said, no one dared to interrupt them.
With that realization, she relaxed. After all, she was a single woman -- not worried about what others might say.
Even if she was slightly older than him, it only demonstrated her charm. Remembering Terri Hatcher's envious looks earlier, Elizabeth Perkins couldn't help but feel a glimmer of pride.
Since the show began airing, her character Bree and Terri Hatcher's Susan were considered the most popular housewives among the four leads. Discussions about who was the "first housewife" between the two swirled among audiences and media alike.
Elizabeth Perkins had no desire to engage in such debates, but Terri Hatcher clearly didn't feel the same way. The other actress's disposition wasn't very likable, which kept their relationship somewhat strained.
As her mood gradually lightened, she stopped overthinking and glanced around cautiously, extending her hand to grab a magazine from the small table beside the sofa. She started flipping through it quietly.
...
Though everyone had kept their distance, quite a few people secretly observed Eric, the boss, as he led Elizabeth Perkins into Bree's house. Most couldn't help but conjure up some romantic notions.
Then thirty minutes passed -- no one came out. An hour went by, and still, no one emerged. Two hours elapsed, and it was still the same.
No one dared to mention the filming schedule for the afternoon; they merely stayed clear of that house.
The production manager David Grossman had already issued a private warning. It was straightforward and severe: "Whoever spills today's events can forget about making it in Hollywood for the rest of their lives."
In truth, even without that warning, no one would dare to gossip about it. There were simply too many secrets in Hollywood that no one discussed openly, and everyone understood how the game was played.
Even though the scheduled wrap-up time was five o'clock, crews usually began wrapping up by four-thirty. But today, four-thirty had passed, and a few of the heads of production saw that Eric and Elizabeth Perkins had yet to come out of the house. After a brief discussion, they decided to continue filming until the big boss left.
What other option was there? They couldn't just abandon the two and leave.
Send everyone else off early while they stayed outside? That was even more ridiculous.
Asking someone to shout in? Well, that seemed too bold.
Thankfully, just as the clock struck five, Eric and Elizabeth Perkins walked out of the house.
...
Looking at the crew still going about their business nonchalantly, Eric wondered, "Did the crew schedule overtime for today?"
Elizabeth Perkins smiled slightly, nodding, "Yes, it's the last episode, and things are a bit rushed."
Eric, not one to be fooled, quickly connected the dots and chuckled, "I won't go over to greet them. I have things to do today; let's plan for dinner another time."
Not questioning him, Elizabeth Perkins nodded, "I'll walk you out."
As they approached his vehicle, Eric suggested, "Why not let me drop you off at home first?"
Elizabeth Perkins shook her head, responding, "Not right now; I need to remove my makeup and change out of this costume."
Next to his luxurious car, Eric gently embraced her again, saying, "Okay, then I'll be off. Oh, here's my business card; if you need anything, feel free to call."
He pulled out a professional card and handed it over. Elizabeth Perkins cautiously accepted it, saying, "I don't have any cards on me. Can you jot my number down?"
"No need," Eric shook his head. "Finding you won't be a problem."
They exchanged goodbyes, and Eric climbed into his car.
...
As Elizabeth Perkins watched him leave, she turned back toward the set.
The production manager David Grossman and writer Marc Cherry approached Elizabeth Perkins as she walked by. Aside from executives from MGM, these two were by far the most powerful figures in the crew.
David Grossman, glancing back at the recently departed black luxury car, offered a friendly smile. "Liz, does Mr. Williams need anything?"
Elizabeth Perkins shook her head, smiling, "Eric asked me to say goodbye. He had to leave early."
"Oh, of course," David Grossman acknowledged. "We're finished for the day, so hurry and take off that makeup. By the way, your scenes tomorrow are a bit rushed, so I hope you can arrive early."
Elizabeth Perkins nodded, "Of course, I won't delay the shooting."
Marc Cherry chimed in to flatter her, "Liz, if you have any suggestions regarding the script for the second season, feel free to reach out."
"Oh, thank you, Marc, but I think your script is wonderful as is," Elizabeth Perkins politely responded. While Marc Cherry made his offer, she didn't intend to push for any revisions just for her sake. She merely hoped this somewhat petty writer wouldn't give her any trouble in the future; peaceful relations would be ideal.
*****
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