Chapter 331: Indulgence
Chapter 331: Indulgence
“Hamlet? That’s pretty good. As long as it doesn’t interfere with filming, you can arrange your private time however you want,” Eric nodded noncommittally without offering much opinion. Then he asked, “How’s preparation for the next scene going?”
Hearing Eric say that, Bridget Fonda was obviously somewhat disappointed.
Although Cage was already quite outstanding now, he still fell far short compared to Eric.
When Bridget Fonda first got this role, she had assumed that, given Eric’s rumored personality, something would definitely happen during filming. After all, she was still very confident in her appearance.
Unfortunately, things had not gone as she expected. Filming had already been underway for over half a month, yet Eric had never shown the slightest sign of interest in her. A woman’s natural tendency to resent being ignored inevitably left Bridget Fonda feeling somewhat unwilling to accept it.
Seeing Bridget Fonda stop speaking, Cage quickly said, “We’re already prepared. Brij and I have rehearsed several times during our free time. There definitely won’t be any problems.”
“Rehearsed?” Eric subconsciously repeated the word.
After all, following the pottery wheel scene came more than two minutes of intimate scenes.
Cage also realized his answer sounded somewhat ambiguous and awkwardly explained, “Just simple rehearsals. Nothing else.”
Eric had no interest in prying into such details. He simply nodded. “Alright, continue preparing a bit more. I’ll go check the set.”
The moment Eric left, Bridget Fonda immediately punched Cage rather fiercely. “Who rehearsed with you? We only casually discussed it.”
Cage said helplessly, “Did you expect me to honestly tell the director we hadn’t prepared much at all?”
“But you still shouldn’t have said it like that. You clearly know what kind of scene comes next.”
“Alright, my mistake,” Cage shrugged. “But, Brij, you don’t stand a chance. Everyone can tell Eric is very close with that life assistant of his, Joanna Pakula. Let me tell you, a few mornings ago when I got up to go jogging, I even saw that woman coming out of Eric’s room.”
Bridget Fonda had not expected Cage to see through her little thoughts so easily and instinctively retorted, “What does that have to do with me?”
“Fine then, pretend I never said anything,” Cage replied before lowering his head and resuming reading the script.
Bridget Fonda also raised the script in her hands to cover her face, though she could not help remaining distracted.
The camera lingered quietly on the peaceful corridor for a moment before slowly moving, finally settling once more on Molly, who was intently shaping a vase.
The vertical orange-tinted lighting shining upon the woman dressed in a simple sleeveless blouse created a faint, indescribable beauty.
During her spare time these past few days, Bridget Fonda had been learning pottery wheel techniques from the ceramic instructor hired by the crew. The shelves nearby were filled with pieces she had personally completed over the past days.
At this moment in the shot, Bridget Fonda handled the process convincingly enough. A vase gradually took shape beneath her hands.
The silence lasted for a moment before Sam, bare-chested and looking half-asleep, emerged from behind Molly with his arms folded across his chest.
“What are you doing?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Molly replied, turning her head to glance at him.
Sam pulled over a stool and sat behind his lover, apologetically saying, “I must’ve fallen asleep. What time is it now?”
“Two in the morning,” Molly said, leaning over to lightly peck him on the lips.
After quietly watching Molly’s movements for a while, Sam suddenly poked her lightly at the waist while she bent forward. The clay vase in Molly’s hands immediately lost its shape.
Molly twisted her waist slightly without any annoyance, forcing her boyfriend to let go. He then reached out and lightly touched the clay, instantly ruining the entire piece.
“Oh no. I hope that wasn’t your masterpiece,” Sam said with utterly insincere amusement.
Molly helplessly pursed her lips. “Now it isn’t anymore.”
Removing the ruined clay from the wheel, Molly prepared to start over. Sam cautiously asked, “Can I help?”
“Of course. Put your hands here and let the clay flow between your fingers,” Molly guided his movements.
But Sam remained far from well-behaved, constantly teasing her. Gradually, Molly also became aroused, and the two naturally kissed.
“Cut,” Eric called out at the perfect moment.
The two actors stopped immediately and walked over to him under his instructions.
Eric gave a brief order, and the prop crew quickly moved into action, replacing the clay on the pottery wheel with another identical piece.
Although this was already the sixth take, Eric still calmly replayed the scene they had just filmed, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of both actors’ performances without revealing even the slightest impatience.
Because Eric understood very well that once he displayed impatience, the actors would inevitably be infected by his mood and become anxious as well.
Thus, his tone always carried faint encouragement.
“Nick, your performance just now was nearly perfect, but there’s still one thing you need to pay attention to. Look at this shot. Your smile here feels too deliberate. Relax a little more and it’ll be even better. And Brij, you only need to firmly hold onto one emotion: indulgence. Even though your lover is messing things up for you, you can never show displeasure from beginning to end. Instead, you should indulge your boyfriend the way a mother indulgently tolerates a mischievous child.”
“Like… a mother?” Bridget Fonda asked doubtfully.
Eric nodded. “Right. Think about when you were little and your mother was making dinner in the kitchen while you ran in to make trouble helping. Back then, your mother might’ve glared at you pretending to be angry, but there definitely would’ve been a doting smile on her face. That’s the kind of indulgent emotion I need you to express.”
After hearing Eric’s explanation, Bridget Fonda’s gaze instead became somewhat vacant.
Eric resisted the urge to cover his forehead helplessly.
Looks like another pitiful kid from an unhappy family.
“In short, indulgence. Take five minutes. Let makeup touch you up and really think about what I just said. Don’t rush. As long as we can finish this scene today, that’ll be enough,” Eric said again.
Bridget Fonda and Cage nodded together and headed toward the rest area.
Eric, meanwhile, walked toward the automatic record player, inserted the record for Unchained Melody, and pressed play.
The familiar melody instantly spread throughout the set.
Bridget Fonda and Cage, currently getting touch-ups from the makeup artists, both glanced over, understanding that Eric had deliberately played the song for them, and quietly began listening.