Hollywood’s Broken Prince (3)

Budapest, Hungary. Early November. It was the second filming location for Bad Contract, reached just as production was heading into its midway point.

The hotel exuded a heavy Eastern European atmosphere, almost as if it had drawn inspiration from the Russian imperial court. The weather was brutally, dreadfully cold.

While people had recognized Sion everywhere he went in Monaco, that tendency was far less pronounced here.

Sion picked up the international call on the lobby phone and listened to the latest news from Hollywood.

"Oh, that's much better than expected," Sion replied. "What's above it?"

"Hmm, Independence Day just won't die. It's already been four months since its release."

"A shame. By the time I go to knock it down, it'll already be on its way out."

"True. What goes around comes around in this industry."

Sion smiled and recalled the major films scheduled for release next year. First, there was Batman & Robin, which he had to pass on because of Titanic and Bad Contract.

In his past life, it was remembered as the movie that killed the Batman franchise. But in this life, its predecessor, Batman Forever, had maintained its original tone while succeeding in a new way, so many things would change.

Including that, there are three major competitors.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the sequel to Jurassic Park. And Men in Black, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

He felt proud of himself for rising to a level where he could compete with these three legendary films... but also felt a bit anxious.

What if I lose?

The voice of the insecure boy inside him whispered in worry. But the regressor within him answered confidently.

No, I'll win.

If he got scared and backed down before the fight even started, would that put shackles on his opponents' feet? Think positive. He had to focus on good, pleasant thoughts while filming to make a great movie.

"Ah, ah. Sorry. What was that? Did you say I look fantastically beautiful today?"

"O, OK..."

Sion was always weak in front of the blunt Chloe.

The call disconnected. Sion stretched and groaned. His body was covered in bruises. Filming an action movie meant getting hurt here and there. Fortunately, his face hadn't been hit, but since they were filming the most intense sequences of the movie, he honestly dreaded going to "work" a bit.

If today's shoot had been an early morning call instead of a night shoot, the brat inside him would have thrown a tantrum, demanded they halt production, and insisted everyone just grab a beer.

But what could he do? He had to do it.

Because the vibe is good.

His intuition as a regressor who had watched countless movies in the future told him so. At this timing, in this era, this movie would work.

People ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loved the actor "Sion Lee," and they would definitely watch an action movie featuring a character that capitalized on that exact personality over and over again. He had a handsome, sophisticated image, but at the same time, his acting in various films gave off the impression of being somewhat "broken."

Therefore, "Alex" would be the exact type of hero the current era craved. If the 1980s was an era of macho heroes straight out of Greek and Roman mythology, the 1990s was the opposite—dominated by flawed, human protagonists, epitomized by John McClane in Die Hard.

If he could deliver a visually handsomer, more playful version of that, audiences would surely embrace it.

Of course, that doesn't mean winning against those other films will be easy.

As he pondered, an idea flashed through his mind.

Should I try it?

Depending on the mood, if it wasn't too serious, he thought it might be fun to pull "that" off.

Sion arrived on set, psyching himself up to play his part on the stage of reality. The stylist greeted him first.

"Good morning, Sion."

Sion checked his surroundings while getting his hair styled and special effects makeup applied. The shoot in Budapest was taking place in a panel-style apartment building with few residents, secured with the cooperation of the Hungarian National Film Office.

Built during the communist era, the apartment—now abandoned by most, leaving only a few impoverished residents—was the perfect location to portray a Russian mafia hideout.

It's a history Budapest wants to erase, but it's useful to us right now.

With these thoughts, he checked today's script. Alex, dragged into a "bad contract" and forced to save America against his will. While conducting a recovery operation in the Middle East, he discovers something suspicious in a biochemical weapon sample case and pursues it. Eventually, he infiltrates the hideout of the Russian mafia, who have contracted with "someone" to transport it.

Alex struggles between his original PMC employer and the CIA, with whom he has suddenly allied via radio. Just as he discovers in the Russian mafia's hideout that the sample is linked to a multinational defense corporation... the Russian mafia floods into the office.

Today we're shooting that chase scene.

As the shoot was busily prepared, he understood exactly why the scene was framed this way. Countless hulking brutes stood before him.

"..."

"..."

They were local extras.

Are Hungarian men normally this massive?

A cold sweat broke out on his back.

When their eyes met, a menacing-looking, bald man leading the group stepped forward.

"Do you... need something?" Sion asked casually.

The man's rugged Eastern European face flushed red. Then, in a deep, rumbling voice, he spoke in broken English:

"Si... Sion... autograph, please..."

"...I'll do it after we finish."

What was this? Why did he look so cute?

The man scurried back to his spot and whispered something in Hungarian to the other giants. They immediately cheered like a pack of gorillas that had just found a banana tree.

It seemed like it would be a fun shoot, especially today.

The Bad Contract set revolved entirely around Sion Lee's one-man show, just as planned. He appeared in almost every scene, showcasing flashy action, rough banter, and even a touch of vulnerability.

A handsome, capable, yet flawed hero.

Director Tony Scott believed the true charm of this hero lay not in his obvious strengths, but in the subtle, unexpected vulnerability revealed from the very bottom.

I thought he might be too handsome to play an action hero.

But seeing Sion's acting on set changed his mind. It wasn't just the action; it was his delicate psychological acting.

Today's shoot began. After the office scene, Alex hides in a liquor cellar to escape the mafia. He has a minor gunshot wound to his arm. In a rush, he rummages through the cellar, finds a bottle of Spirytus (over 90% alcohol), pops the cap, takes a swig, and spits it onto his wound.

"Argh..."

A groan of pain. He slightly turns his head.

Good.

Tony signaled the camera operator to zoom in. As the camera captured his face up close, it perfectly caught his deep eyes, filled with anguish and melancholy.

In modern action films, the hero must never be perfect. They had to be 'just a little' more special and outstanding, yet relatable, to win the audience's empathy.

Thus, Sion's performance in portraying Alex falling from 'hero' to 'human' at this moment was truly exquisite.

"Ha... I never thought I'd be drinking alcohol through another hole."

Alex tears his clothes, stuffs them into the wound to stop the bleeding, and stands up. Right then, a gunfight erupts with the Russian mafia pouring into the cellar. After a series of action sequences, he barely escapes.

Satisfied with the footage captured from various angles using multiple cameras and techniques, Tony Scott moved on to rehearsing the escape scene, the highlight of the day. For the actor's safety, a window made of sugar glass and scored wood was installed on the opposite building. A wire rig was set up to simulate him sliding down a clothesline.

"We'll shoot the angle right before you get caught first, then we'll put on the harness and do the jump. Got the feel of it?"

"Yeah, I think I got it."

"Just a little more hard work. We're packing up after we shoot this."

"Huh? We can shoot more if you want."

Tony raised an eyebrow at Sion's words.

"...Aren't you in pain? You took a beating during the fight scene yesterday."

"Well... I did land awkwardly on my back and it feels like I'm dying a little, but..."

Despite his groaning, he quickly laughed it off with a rugged, manly grin.

"Maybe keeping this pain will make the acting better."

"...Alright."

Tony decided to trust this actor, who exuded a mature charm despite his youth. Seeing Tony's reaction, Sion turned away and made a cold calculation.

He really trusts me now.

Well, it was only natural since he had never complained or backed out of a single scene, always working diligently. Believing today was the perfect opportunity, he went through a few wire takes. Finally, the perfect moment to execute 'it' arrived.

I'm sorry. It's for the movie.

Unbuckling his harness and standing up, Sion... intentionally let his legs give out and collapsed.

"Sion?!"

"Si-Sion...!"

Watching the staff rush over in a panic, he pretended to force himself up, only to collapse again.

"Huh? That's weird. My... my legs... I can't feel them..."

To beat Batman & Robin, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Men in Black, Sion was willing to use any means necessary. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ultimate weapon he chose... was faking an injury.

"A-Are you okay? What... what's wrong?"

"Ah, my legs just won't move... I'm fine. Just let me rest a bit... Argh?!"

Why would this help? Because Hollywood was a place where even this could be turned into a profitable news story.

"Chief! Shouldn't we take him to the hospital?"

"...Hey, call the director, quick!"

"Director! Sion collapsed and can't get up! I think... I think he's paralyzed from the waist down...!"

The staff panicked and radioed the director directly. In front of them, Sion lay there peacefully, pretending to be in pain while thinking:

Once I go to the hospital, someone will take a picture and tip off the Hollywood tabloids, right?

To beat the legendary masterpieces of Hollywood, Sion was already launching his viral marketing campaign.

A few days later.

Since he had been filming abroad, his name hadn't been in the gossip columns for a while. The fit of his shirt at the Rainbow Road premiere had gone a bit viral recently, but it quickly died down. In this situation, this sudden news was a bombshell. It was only natural that all of Hollywood was suddenly buzzing over Sion Lee.

The public, reacting to the sensational keyword "accident during filming," bought newspapers like possessed souls. The newspaper editors cheered, determined to milk this story for a few more days.

"S-Sion...! Oh no...!"

"He was filming an action movie?"

The articles featured blurry photos of unknown origin. On-set photos of him in his costume. A shot of him hanging from a wire, receiving direction from the director. And even a photo of Sion getting out of an ambulance.

The year was 1996. It was highly unusual for behind-the-scenes photos to leak and go viral before a movie's release, which made it an even bigger sensation.

"What kind of movie is he even shooting...?"

"Oh, Sion is doing an action movie? That sounds awesome."

"His body got so hot... Nice. Very manly."

Many showed interest in the "Broken Prince's" new project. Sensing this trend, media outlets used every means possible to dig up information on the movie Sion Lee was filming. They dispatched any available reporters to Budapest and wrote articles based on whatever scraps they could find.

...But by then, Sion Lee and the crew had already moved on to their next filming location. The moment they realized internal information had leaked, they knew the hyenas would come sniffing around, so they had rushed to finish the remaining schedule.

"Is it pure luck... or was this all calculated?"

Though he doubted it was the latter, Warner Bros. Pictures President Terry Semel couldn't be entirely sure, simply because the person behind it was the highly esteemed 'Sion Lee.'

Thus, the hype around Sion began to burn hot. Rumors of the new action blockbuster starring the 'Broken Prince' naturally spread. By the time the reporters' frenzy began to cool down from writing articles based on wild imagination, the Bad Contract crew finished their overseas shoot and returned to the US.

"Phew. I'm stiff."

Los Angeles International Airport.

"Ah, this warm air... there's no place like home."

Though his actual hometown was Chicago, this place had somehow become home to Sion. Stepping off the plane, Sion shed the heavy puffer jacket he had worn to survive the Budapest cold and walked through the arrival gate in light clothing.

Immediately, reporters who had caught wind of his arrival through various channels began snapping photos like mad. Of course, this information had also been leaked by CK Agency on Sion's orders.

"Sion! Just a word, please!"

"We heard you suffered lower-body paralysis...!"

"We heard you're filming an action blockbuster!"

"Can you tell us about the shoot?!"

Flashes went off relentlessly. Reporters shoved voice recorders forward from a distance, desperate to catch even a single word. Before any official information about the movie had even been released, Sion and his film had already set the industry ablaze.

Facing them, Sion raised both hands, spreading them wide, and muttered:

"Prince is back."

As the brilliant 'star' ascended to the cusp of the highest peak, the moment for Hollywood to tremble once again had arrived.