Chapter 99: Professional Idol

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Professional Idol

"Listening to your tone, have you taken her as an idol?" Depp asked, a hint of gossip in his voice.

"Of course she’s an idol. As long as I follow the boss’s footsteps, I’ll never be short of roles," Edward said frankly. He might not reach leading-man status in a big-budget production, but he figured landing a third or fourth lead wouldn’t be a problem.

Depp couldn’t help but nod. He agreed with that point of view. Wasn’t it because he had a good relationship with director Tim Burton that his career had gone so smoothly?

Although he always told the public he only filmed art films, he wasn’t without envy when he saw some of his contemporaries landing 2+2 deals. But meeting and befriending a commercial director wasn’t easy.

After all, there weren’t many big commercial directors in Hollywood, and each liked to work with actors they already knew. Someone like him, with such a distinct personal style, wasn’t exactly favored by commercial filmmakers.

He had only wanted to give it a try when he came to audition for The Italian Job.

The guitar music never stopped, and the two chatted sporadically. Suddenly, Edward pointed to the shore. "Looks like someone’s waving at us over there."

Johnny stopped strumming and looked in the direction he pointed. Two teenage girls stood on the stone path across the canal, waving notebooks and pens, standing on tiptoe and shouting toward the yacht. "Johnny! Is that Johnny Depp?"

The afterglow of the sunset fell across Johnny’s face. After the girls got a clear look, their screams rose higher.

Johnny set down the guitar, stood, and waved gently at them, his signature faint smile on his lips. "They seem to want an autograph," he said to Edward, without a trace of impatience.

Edward blinked, then smiled and started the yacht. "All right, I’ll bring the boat over, but you have to be quick. If more people gather, we won’t be able to leave." The yacht glided slowly toward the shore.

The girls excitedly grabbed the stone railing by the river, hurriedly passing over their notebooks and pens.

Johnny took the pen, lowered his head, and signed the notebooks carefully, even adding To my cute little fans. When he looked up and saw the girls’ reddened eyes, he opened his arms. "Do you want a hug?" The girls rushed forward in surprise and gave him a light hug. Edward stood to the side, smiling as he raised his camera to take a group photo for them.

"Thank you! We love Edward Scissorhands so much!" The girls clutched their signed notebooks, incoherent with excitement. Johnny smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your love. Enjoy your night in Venice."

Until the yacht pulled away from the shore again, the girls kept waving, their figures gradually disappearing into the twilight.

"I didn’t expect you to be so good with fans. A professional idol. I need to learn from you," Edward teased.

Johnny sat back on the cushion, picked up the guitar, and strummed it lightly. "They like my work, so I should respond to that sentiment."

Meanwhile, outside the temporary office area not far from the shore, Irene stood under a streetlamp, holding a folder.

She had just finished reviewing the day’s footage and wanted some fresh air, just in time to see the entire interaction as the yacht docked and Johnny greeted the fans. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The evening breeze stirred her long hair, and as she watched the yacht sail away, a faint smile tugged at her lips. A flicker of emotion rose in her heart.

Johnny could still interact with fans freely and cruise leisurely through the canals of Venice now. But once Pirates of the Caribbean finished filming and was released, and the character of Jack Sparrow exploded in popularity, his life would change completely.

By then, if he wanted to walk down the street unburdened, he would probably be surrounded by enthusiastic fans at the sight of a corner of his clothing—let alone sit quietly on a yacht playing guitar with a friend, as he was now.

The next day, while the lights were being adjusted, the sky suddenly darkened, and a peal of thunder seemed to explode overhead.

Irene stared at the gray image on the monitor, her brows locked tight. She spoke into the walkie-talkie in a low voice. "Vera, call the local weather bureau immediately and ask how long until it rains."

"Moderate to heavy rain is expected within half an hour, lasting at least two hours." Vera was fast. She finished communicating in less than two minutes, and the set fell into brief panic.

The camera crew scrambled to dismantle lenses, and Edward steered the yacht slowly toward shore. Everyone’s eyes turned to Irene.

She took a deep breath, walked quickly to the temporary command desk, and spread out the shooting schedule. "Martin," she said, looking up at the director of photography, "get people moving the aerial equipment to the shed on the shore immediately. Lenses and film must be strictly protected. They can’t get damp at all. Props team, go to the nearby hardware store now and buy tarps. Cover everything that can be covered."

After that, Irene took out her phone and sent a message to Loren, telling him their afternoon tea would be postponed. Her fingertip lingered on the screen for a moment before she added, Take care to avoid the rain.

"Director, the light will definitely be different after the rain stops, and the reflection on the canal will weaken. Should we adjust the shooting order?" Vera’s voice came from behind. She was still holding a raincoat, clearly having just run back from outside.

Irene looked down at the schedule, her brows slightly furrowed. The chase scene had extremely high requirements for light. Once the light changed, matching the previous and subsequent shots would be very difficult.

"Move tomorrow’s indoor scenes to this afternoon. Contact a temporary studio in Venice and have the actors go to the dressing room to change costumes now." She paused, then added into the walkie-talkie,

"Heads of all departments, meet at the command desk in five minutes for a short meeting to confirm the temporary shooting process. Move fast."

Fortunately, all the location scouting had been completed in advance. Although it was a day early, renting a studio wasn’t impossible.

The lighting team lead frowned and raised a concern. "There aren’t enough fill lights in the temporary studio. If we shoot close-ups of the leads, the light might be insufficient." Irene didn’t hesitate and looked straight at him.

"Transfer half of the usable fill lights from the location. Prioritize the leads’ scenes. If it’s still not enough, use natural light combined with reflectors and refine it in post-production color grading. We’ll achieve the effect." She spoke quickly, but clearly and logically, without hesitation.

The temporary meeting wrapped in twenty minutes, and everyone moved to carry out their orders. Only then did Irene lean back in her chair and rub her temples. Uncontrollable weather was what she feared most during a shoot, but it was unavoidable for anyone. Now she just hoped the rain wouldn’t last until tomorrow.

Half an hour later, the indoor studio was ready. Irene stood in front of the monitor, watching Matt Damon and Johnny Depp perform the scene with full commitment, and her tense shoulders gradually relaxed.

"Very good, keep this state. Let’s try two more takes. Watch the layering in your eyes. Don’t be too direct."

The sound of rain gradually diminished, and sunlight broke through the gaps in the clouds, casting mottled light on the ground.

Although the sudden downpour had disrupted Irene’s rhythm, everyone present was a professional. They quickly returned to work without being affected by the environment.