Chapter 551 - 358: Just Making a Living

Chapter 551: Chapter 358: Just Making a Living

"Good, cut! Moving on!" Director Del Toro said with a satisfied smile.

It was 11 PM at the outdoor forest set of the Warner Bros. Burbank Studio. This was a massive indoor stage artificially divided into landscapes like forests, grasslands, and deserts. While it couldn’t accommodate the grand scale of massive on-location shoots, it was more than enough for smaller scenes.

The scenes they shot during the day involved the Kingdom’s Speaker sending the protagonist Lovi and Thief Tucker to find an elf and ask if there was a way to slay the dragon. Tonight’s shoot continued that storyline.

Under the Knight Commander’s supervision, Lovi and the thief ventured into the forest and successfully met the elf. However, the annoying reality of filmmaking was that protagonists couldn’t just assemble their party that easily; they had to be given a side quest first. The hero’s journey could never be smooth sailing.

So the elf spoke up, claiming he did have a way to kill the dragon, but he couldn’t leave. A brutal Ogre lurked within the woods, threatening to kill the other elves if left unchecked. Thus, at the end of this scene, the Knight Commander, Lovi, and Thief Tucker had to go dispatch the Ogre before returning to recruit the elf.

After the shoot, Del Toro stood up from behind the monitors, walked over to Li Wei, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Li Wei, that’s a wrap for your scenes today," he said. "The animatronics for the Ogre are still being calibrated, so we won’t be able to shoot the follow-up scenes until next week. You can come back then."

"No problem," Li Wei said, taking off the Mask of the Deceiver. "When next week?"

"Wednesday," Del Toro said after a moment of thought. "Monday and Tuesday are for the scenes between Depp and the Speaker."

"I have a question," Li Wei whispered. "Why did you cast a black actor to play the elf?"

Del Toro’s expression shifted slightly at the question. "Of course a black person can play an elf. No one ever said black people can’t be elves."

Li Wei glanced around. It was just the two of them. "Be honest, Director Del Toro."

Del Toro also checked their surroundings before replying. "For diversity, equity, and inclusion, of course. You’re Asian, the elf is black—see how equal that is?"

"Aren’t elves usually beautiful and wh—"

"If you want to make a living in Hollywood..." Del Toro waved his hand dismissively. "This was mandated by Netflix. Nothing we can do about it."

Alright then. Li Wei shrugged. As long as it didn’t affect him grinding for attribute points, it was fine. He checked his system panel again.

[Dragon’s Heart (3) Mission Updated]

[Resolve the Elf Mage’s dilemma and get him to join your party.]

[You have gathered (2/3) companions.]

It seemed he would have to wait until next week to progress.

On the way back to Bel Air, Li Wei was sitting in his Cadillac Escalade when he suddenly received a call from Depp.

"Are you done for the day?" Depp asked.

"Just finished. How about you?" Li Wei replied.

"Things are wrapping up on my end too," Johnny Depp said. "Are you busy tonight? Want to come out and smoke some cigars?"

Li Wei thought for a moment before suggesting, "I just moved to a new place. Why don’t you come over and hang out?"

"Sure," Depp said, his interest piqued. "We could have a barbecue at your place?"

"Come on over. I’ll have someone prep the ingredients."

The hilltop villa in Bel Air was incredibly quiet under the night sky. One of the perks of living in a wealthy neighborhood was the absolute isolation from unnecessary noise. The daytime clamor of Hollywood and the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles were completely shut out up here. There weren’t even any mosquitoes.

The surface of the infinity pool reflected the city lights, while the distant Los Angeles skyline looked like a glittering necklace resting quietly on a bed of black velvet.

Chen Haisheng took two large bags of groceries from the housekeeping manager. Steaks, lamb chops, prepped lobsters, charcoal, grill pans, and a whole host of other supplies had been packed up and delivered.

"The equipment you ordered will arrive in a couple of days," Don Quixote said to Li Wei while lounging in the small garden. "The force plates, speed radars, and all that."

Li Wei nodded.

"When is Johnny Depp getting here?" Don Quixote asked as he opened the grill. "I’ll get the fire going first."

"He should be here any min—"

DING DONG.

The doorbell rang, and Li Wei shrugged. "He should be here now."

The front gates opened, and a very low-key Porsche Cayenne pulled into the villa’s private driveway. Assistant Stephen and Johnny Depp stepped out of the car. It was easy to see why Depp was a long-established superstar—he was wearing sunglasses even in the dead of night.

"Welcome to Los Angeles," Depp said, holding up a large box. "This is a housewarming gift for you."

Li Wei took it, peered inside, and chuckled. "1980 Moutai? What made you think of giving me this?"

"They say Celestial Dynasty People love drinking Moutai," Depp said. "I specifically had someone track this down. Give it a try."

"Sounds great," Li Wei said. "We can taste it later while we eat."

Johnny Depp, a notorious alcoholic, visibly swallowed hard. However, he paused for a moment before quickly waving his hands in refusal. "Never mind, never mind. I’ve quit drinking."

Li Wei looked surprised. "You quit drinking?"

"That’s one of the reasons I came to see you," Depp said, rubbing his hands together. "Let’s talk about it privately later."

Li Wei and Don Quixote had quite impressive grilling skills. The high-grade Wagyu beef and New Zealand lamb chops had Depp showering them with praise. Judging by the sheer volume of food the five of them consumed, Depp was genuinely enjoying himself and wasn’t just being polite.

During the meal, Li Wei opened two bottles of liquor and drank with Don Quixote and the others. Johnny Depp was true to his word—he really had quit drinking, relying solely on ice water throughout the night to suppress his cravings.

It wasn’t until midnight, after Chen Haisheng, Don Quixote, and Depp’s assistant had all gone to rest, that only Li Wei and Depp remained in the garden.

Depp pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and glanced at Li Wei. "Mind if I smoke?"

"Let’s go to the lawn," Li Wei said, tilting his head. "We can take a walk to digest."

"Sure."

With a cigarette hanging from his lips, Depp strolled through the garden with Li Wei. He pulled out a lighter, lit it, and took a deep drag. The smoke was quickly carried away by the night breeze sweeping through the Bel Air hills.

Watching him, Li Wei couldn’t help but think, "As expected of Captain Jack Sparrow, he even looks cool smoking."

"Let’s start with the good news," Depp said, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Thanks to you, I’ve already gotten some of my money back."

"All of it?" Li Wei asked.

"Just a portion of it," Depp replied. "Of the money those bastards scammed out of me and the shady investments they tricked me into, I managed to successfully pull out of three of them.

"Plus, some random insurance policies I bought years ago—which I had completely forgotten about—actually came in handy.

"All in all, I’ve recovered about twenty million. Add the ten-million-dollar paycheck from this movie, and I’m barely scraping by financially now." He let out a self-deprecating chuckle and shrugged.

"That’s great," Li Wei said.

"It is great," Depp agreed, though his voice suddenly dropped low. "But now I have another problem."

Li Wei looked at him, remaining silent.

Depp stayed quiet for a few seconds. He took one last hard drag before crushing the cigarette butt into a nearby trash can.

"I don’t know how to act anymore, kid," he confessed.

He sounded so utterly serious that the statement almost bordered on comical. Johnny Depp—a man who had been acting his entire life and held three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor—was claiming he had forgotten how to act.

"I drank too much," he said, staring out at the Los Angeles nightscape. "I spent years fighting lawsuits. The last time I shot *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* was six years ago."

He walked over to a railing and leaned his back against it, looking at Li Wei.

"This morning, I was shooting a scene where the King summons the Speaker. I ruined seven takes on the very first shot.

"Back when I was filming *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*, *Pirates of the Caribbean*, or *Edward Scissorhands*, I could knock out over a dozen flawless shots in a single day when I was in the zone.

"But now? It takes me forever to get into character, and if there’s even the slightest distraction...

"Any distraction—the lighting, a crew member walking by, or even someone just coughing!

"I instantly snap out of character. I feel like the strings in my brain have become incredibly fragile.

"I’m like a virgin who’s never been laid. I finally manage to get it up, but the slightest rustle in the wind makes me go soft again."

Li Wei listened to him but didn’t rush to reply.

"Next Monday and Tuesday, I’m shooting scenes opposite the actor playing the Speaker," Depp continued. "You’ve read the full script, right?"

"I have," Li Wei nodded. "The Speaker is the final villain. He secretly raised the dragon to use its power to rule the world, but the dragon broke free and went on a rampage to destroy humanity. The King discovers his plot, and the Speaker decides to—"

"Exactly," Depp interjected. "The Speaker has to kill the King."

His fingers fished out another cigarette.

"It’s one of the Old King’s most crucial scenes in the entire movie," he said, holding the unlit cigarette between his lips. "From discovering the truth, to the interrogation, the realization, and finally getting murdered—it’s over ten minutes of pure dramatic dialogue.

"But that’s not my strong suit. And for me, trying to tap into the state of mind I want right now... is incredibly difficult."

Looking at Depp, Li Wei suddenly felt the urge to offer some comforting words. But right at that moment, a mission panel popped up before his eyes.

[Side Mission: The Old King’s Request]

[The King was once a valiant warrior, but age and alcohol have eroded his body and soul, leaving him unable to fulfill his destiny as he did in his youth.]

[Mission Objective: Help the Old King regain his form.]

[Mission Reward: free attribute points +0.1]

Li Wei swallowed the words he was about to say. After all, this was 0.1 free attribute points on the line.

"Have you talked to Director Del Toro about this?" Li Wei asked.

Depp shook his head. "I can’t," he said, his tone resolute. "I finally managed to land a major production. If the director finds out I can’t get into character, he could replace me at any moment.

"You’re the only one I can trust right now." He looked at Li Wei with a trace of deep sadness.

Li Wei understood his predicament. Hollywood had never been a place that cared about sentimentality or past glory, even if you were Johnny Depp. Besides, the Depp of today was no longer the man Disney once relentlessly threw money at.