Chapter 327: The Headache-Inducing Depp

Chapter 327: Chapter 327: The Headache-Inducing Depp

Irene looked at the confirmation letter on the table, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface. A clear realization suddenly dawned on her: without noticing it, she was no longer that fledgling rookie director who had to bump into walls at every turn.

The halo of the Oscars, the boost from blockbuster IPs, and the successful integration of Future World had caused her influence in Hollywood to grow by the day. Now, she could secure resources that others fought tooth and nail for based on her personal reputation alone.

"Well done." A smile curled at the corner of Irene’s mouth. "Put more effort into the Cannes side. Focus on promoting the innovative narrative of Saw to strive for awards or distribution intent. For Venice, emphasize the emotional resonance of Little Miss Sunshine to attract arthouse distributors. Regarding the schedule, have the marketing team start the warm-up three months in advance. Also, remember to collaborate with Facebook. Saw could definitely host a horror challenge check-in event. I’ve even thought of a title like ’The Terrifying Death Challenge: Come If You Dare’—the more exaggerated the writing, the better."

"Understood!" Robert nodded immediately. "I’ve already had the marketing team start preparing materials. The first trailer for Saw will premiere at Cannes, and the posters for Little Miss Sunshine will be released on social media simultaneously."

The two chatted about more details, such as the film festival itinerary, negotiation strategies with distributors, and the subsequent distribution budget allocation. Before they knew it, it was late at night.

Irene looked at the city night view outside the window, her heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. The filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was going smoothly, the writing of the Twilight and Taken novels was progressing steadily, and Saw and Little Miss Sunshine were about to hit the film festivals and land in prime slots. The territory of Echo Pictures was expanding step by step.

"Oh, right," Irene suddenly remembered something and said to Robert, "The premiere of Hulk is on June 20th, don’t forget to remind me. Also, have Lisa continue to follow Marvel’s movements, especially the box office forecasts for Hulk and their subsequent plans."

Robert noted it down: "Don’t worry, it’s all arranged."

...

Afterward, Irene continued her role as director. Once filming was on track, some problems that hadn’t had time to surface earlier began to emerge. For instance, Johnny Depp, whose popularity had skyrocketed due to the massive success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was increasingly acting like a diva.

Being late was the most common issue, along with changing lines at will and making last-minute demands to alter scenes. For example, there was a scene where Captain Jack Sparrow had to jump ship to escape.

This scene required Depp to personally perform a simple diving motion. Despite professional safety measures, he suddenly proposed using a stunt double, citing that he was "worried this area of the sea isn’t clean enough, and impurities in the seawater might damage his skin."

Irene patiently communicated with him, explaining that the close-up shot for this scene had to be done by him and that using a stunt double would affect the realism of the footage. However, Depp was completely unreceptive, sitting under a parasol playing with his phone, leaving hundreds of crew members waiting in the scorching sun.

In the end, Irene simply deleted the scene. Since the actor wouldn’t cooperate and she couldn’t replace him, couldn’t she just change the plot?

Seeing that Irene wasn’t buying it, Johnny Depp also feared offending the director too deeply. After all, if news of him acting like a diva was reported on a large scale, it would damage his image, and he was currently in the most important rising stage of an actor’s career.

So that evening, he had his agent come over to apologize, saying that the recent filming pressure had caused a skin condition, and hesitating to enter the water was out of fear that the condition would worsen and delay the crew’s progress.

Such words were obviously excuses, but Irene didn’t want to fall out with Johnny Depp either, as there were still several months of filming ahead. However, she secretly resolved that if she ever worked with Johnny Depp again after these two sequels were finished, she’d be a dog.

The day after the scene was deleted, Johnny Depp indeed showed up on time. His head no longer ached, his back no longer hurt, and it was as if he had returned to the professional state of the first film.

But this situation didn’t even last a month. Today, he was nowhere to be seen again. Everyone was supposed to be present by 8 AM, but it was now 11 AM and not even a corner of the male lead’s clothing was in sight. Irene decided to move all filming involving Johnny to the afternoon from now on. It would save everyone the trouble.

She remembered the Depp from the first film. Although he had the minor temperamental quirks of an artist, his level of professionalism was acceptable.

Back then, he would arrive at the set half an hour early to familiarize himself with the lines, discuss the details of Captain Jack’s accessories with the props team, and even proactively lose ten pounds to fit the character’s image. The number of NGs was negligible.

But now, the fame and fortune brought by his explosive success seemed to have gone to his head. The focus and humility he once had were replaced by vanity and arrogance.

She could understand this transformation to some extent. After all, becoming a globally high-profile superstar overnight, surrounded by flowers and applause wherever one goes, makes it hard to avoid falling into the whirlpool of self-inflation.

But understanding didn’t mean indulgence. The filming schedule had already been delayed by half a month due to his repeated "diva behavior." If this continued, it would not only affect their scenes at sea but also pose a major challenge to production costs.

Irene took a deep breath and turned to the executive director. "Call Depp’s assistant again and ask them where exactly they are. If I don’t see him by 12 o’clock, I will pursue his liability for breach of contract according to the terms. Additionally, reschedule the filming for the next three days to prioritize crowd scenes and empty shots that don’t require him. We can’t let the whole crew be dragged down by him."

The executive director immediately went to the side to make the call. The conclusion was that they had set out long ago and were on the way, but traffic was too heavy, so it would take a bit longer.

Irene couldn’t help but laugh out loud. How could they not know whether there was traffic in Los Angeles? Besides, being three hours late—with that much time, one could drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Such excuses were only good for a laugh.

The midday sun made the glass windows of the dressing room hot to the touch. When Johnny Depp pushed the door open, he still carried a faint scent of whiskey and the lingering notes of a cigar.

There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messily stuck to his forehead—clearly the look of someone who hadn’t slept off a hangover. However, he uncharacteristically didn’t put on airs, walking straight to the vanity mirror to sit down and mumbling "Let’s start" to the makeup artist, his tone lacking its usual pickiness.

The makeup artist breathed a secret sigh of relief and began applying makeup with nimble hands.

In the past, every time he got his makeup done, Depp would always nitpick about the shade of the foundation or the thickness of the eyeliner. He would even make last-minute demands to replace the entire set of cosmetics brought by the artist with a niche French organic brand he specified, and even the cotton pads had to be made of Egyptian long-staple cotton.

But today, he just leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed to rest, letting the makeup artist outline Captain Jack’s smoky eye look without even raising an objection to the curve of his brow.

The afternoon filming went unexpectedly smoothly.

The scene was a negotiation between Captain Jack and Admiral James Norrington, played by Jack Davenport. The moment Depp stepped onto the set, his hungover lethargy instantly switched to the character’s manic cunning.

He tilted his head while listening to Norrington’s lines, then suddenly leaned aside to dodge the wine glass the other handed over. He flicked his finger lightly in front of his nose and improvised a line

It fit the character perfectly and was wonderfully witty. Even Irene couldn’t help but nod behind the monitor.

Throughout the entire scene, he had no more than three NGs. His grasp of the eyes, movements, and lines remained precise. That innate compatibility with the character was the core reason Irene had always chosen to be tolerant.

In all of Hollywood, one could not find another person who could interpret Captain Jack’s madness and charm so naturally.