I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 434: Beast (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Day 7.
Kang Woojin was on the move in a van. His destination was the filming site of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. It was just another morning routine, but today, the atmosphere inside his van was a bit different. How should one put it? Woojin’s stylist and team members were making a fuss.
“Whoa! This is insane! Why is this blowing up now?!”
“Right?! I had totally forgotten about it! But there are so many articles coming out!”
“Wow- seeing it now brings back memories! That was seriously intense! Look at this, there’s even a photo!”
“A photo? They took pictures back then??”
“There’s even a video, apparently! A video!”
Choi Sung-gun was also staring at his phone with a serious expression. Actually, everyone in the van was the same. All of them were glued to their phones, buzzing with excitement. Of course, Kang Woojin was also looking at his phone.
“……”
However, while he maintained a solemn expression, inwardly, he was tilting his head in curiosity.
‘What is this?? Why is this suddenly blowing up now?’
The foreign news articles they were looking at read:
『LA TIMES / Last year, Miley Cara nearly died on a music video set. The man who saved her life at that time was none other than Kang Woojin, who is at the center of controversy.』
It was the heroic tale of Kang Woojin saving Miley Cara’s life last year.
During the production of her new album last year, when a woman attempted to harm Miley Cara on the music video set, Woojin had saved her. It was an incident that had somewhat faded from Woojin’s memory, but out of nowhere, foreign media were now covering it like crazy.
News outlets from Hollywood and various international media were churning out articles nonstop.
Of course, this was just the beginning.
This wave would soon turn into a frenzy, completely engulfing Hollywood.
Whatever the case, neither Choi Sung-gun nor Kang Woojin had leaked this story.
Later on.
Kang Woojin arrived at the ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ filming set at ‘Columbia Studios’. The moment he stepped in, over a hundred foreign staff members erupted into thunderous applause.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
The energy was like that of an awards ceremony, with many key staff members giving Woojin a thumbs-up.
“Hahaha, Woojin! You did something incredible, didn’t you?!”
“You brought ‘Beneficial Evil’ to life in reality?? Why did you keep this hidden until now?!”
“That’s what I’m saying! If you saved Miley, you would’ve been treated like a hero in Hollywood from the start!”
“At least it’s finally being recognized now!”
“From what I saw, all the hate comments that were flooding in until yesterday are completely gone? That’s a relief! But damn, your guts are seriously impressive!”
“A ‘Joker’ saving someone? That’s strange.”
In the midst of the uproar, Kang Woojin made an effort to maintain his composure.
‘Ahh- my ears hurt. But, well, this was somewhat expected.’
He had experience with situations like this. And the one who brought it up was Director Ahn Ga-bok, who quietly approached him.
“You keep carrying that ‘Issue King’ image, whether it’s in Korea or Hollywood. It’s almost uncanny. But didn’t something similar happen in Korea? I feel like I remember something.”
“…Before, with Hwalin-ssi.”
“Ah, right. That’s true, haha. Seriously, all sorts of things happen around you. Anyway, be careful. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Understood.”
It was a strange day where ‘Joker’ had become a hero, , but Woojin, who had entered and exited the void space, once again summoned the necessary twisted emotions for his role, focusing entirely on the shoot. Thanks to him, the noisy atmosphere on set quickly settled.
“Action.”
And that night.
After wrapping up a day of filming, the ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ team was busy cleaning up and preparing for the next day’s shoot. Equipment was being moved to the necessary sets according to the shooting continuity, and key staff were engaged in discussions. Amidst all this, Kang Woojin, his wet hair falling to his jawline, clad in a vibrantly colored ‘Joker’ costume.
-Swish.
Stealthily approached Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was with several foreign staff members, including Executive Producer Nora Foster. When Woojin, now without his makeup, drew near, the wrinkled face of Director Ahn Ga-bok turned toward him.
“Woojin-gun.”
In his hand, he held the script and the shooting continuity sheets, densely packed with countless handwritten notes scribbled in pen. As Ahn Ga-bok flipped to another continuity sheet, he pointed at it with his index finger.
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll be filming solo shots only. From noon onward, the afternoon shoot will focus on two-shots.”
Kang Woojin gave a calm nod.
“Yes, Director.”
“Hmm- there will probably be a lot of scenes with Chris.”
For reference, although Woojin was working on the same project, he hadn’t had many encounters with Chris Hartnett recently. That was natural. Even in Korea, there were plenty of actors he met only once during script readings and then only again at the wrap-up party. This was mostly the case with supporting or minor actors. However, in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, Woojin had quite a few scenes with Chris.
It was about time their two-shot scenes started rolling.
“I understand.”
Just as Woojin gave a small nod, a man with deep brown eyes, wearing a cap pulled low, approached him. It was Chris Hartnett. His scene had ended about two hours ago, yet he hadn’t left the set.
“Director.”
As Chris approached, Director Ahn Ga-bok gave him the same explanation. Chris smiled and turned his gaze to Kang Woojin.
“We finally meet.”
Until now, Chris had only appeared in Woojin’s Henry Gordon or ‘Joker’ scenes like a visual extra caught by the camera. They had never shared a conversation in any scene. That was about to change tomorrow for the first time. As Chris grinned, Woojin silently observed him.
‘Why is this ridiculously handsome guy so excited?’
Outwardly, he responded with utmost indifference.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“The same goes for me.”
Chris didn’t say it out loud, but his eyes conveyed a clear message.
‘The day has come to fulfill the promise we made in the trailer. As a challenger, I’m ready.’
Of course, Kang Woojin had no way of knowing this. He simply thought, Why is he staring so much? and refused to look away. However, to Chris, Woojin’s expressionless gaze carried an entirely different meaning.
‘Come at me anytime.’
At that moment, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been reviewing the shooting continuity, interjected.
“Tomorrow’s scene between the two of you is sensitive. It’s when the first true believer of Joker’s madness appears, embodying the core theme of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. So-”
In a composed tone, he made a request to both actors.
“As I mentioned before, ad-libs based on the script are welcome. I expect creative and free-spirited performances.”
At that moment.
“……Director.”
Executive Producer Nora Foster, who had been silently watching the conversation, her brows slightly furrowed, whispered to Ahn Ga-bok.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
A few moments later.
Leading Director Ahn Ga-bok a short distance away, Nora lowered her voice.
“It would be better to start limiting creative and free-spirited performances.”
She had just challenged Ahn Ga-bok’s direction.
Better to limit them? The deeply wrinkled face of Director Ahn Ga-bok remained still as he gazed at Nora Foster, who stood before him with a strong, authoritative presence. Her expression was deadly serious. The opposition she had just voiced was no casual remark, it was her firm stance.
‘Hmm-’
Ahn Ga-bok let out a small sigh internally.
‘As expected, we’re clashing. Well, sparks have been flying from the start.’
Nora Foster was one of Hollywood’s top producers.
Unlike Joseph Felton, who managed multiple projects simultaneously, Nora was focused solely on ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ and other ‘Columbia Studios’ productions. In other words, she was responsible for overseeing the ‘Cinematic Universe’ as a whole. Of course, she wasn’t doing it alone, but regardless, she had been deeply invested in the ‘Cinematic Universe’ for a long time.
It was only natural, ‘Columbia Studios’ had staked everything on it.
Because of this, expectations and interest in ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ were immense. Nora Foster, along with other ‘Columbia Studios’ executives, frequently appeared on set. In fact, Nora was practically on-site every day. Right now, she seemed to be acting as the bridge between the production and ‘Columbia Studios’, taking on the role of keeping the set running smoothly.
And now, she was openly pushing back against Director Ahn Ga-bok’s approach.
It wasn’t frequent, but there were occasional disagreements between her and Director Ahn Ga-bok. Since they weren’t major issues, they had always managed to work around them. However, this time, Nora seemed determined, handling things with considerable seriousness.
If this were Korea, no one would dare challenge Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was practically the strongest force in the industry’s universe.
But this was the vast expanse of Hollywood.
‘This is getting a bit annoying.’
No matter how great Director Ahn Ga-bok was, here, he was just another hired director. Unlike Korea, where directors held supreme authority, in Hollywood, producers wielded far greater power. When a director’s vision clashed with that of a producer, finding a middle ground was necessary.
“You’re asking to limit ad-libs and free, creative performances. Nora, why do you think that’s necessary?”
After a brief silence, Director Ahn Ga-bok posed his question. As if she had been waiting for it, Nora Foster immediately responded.
“…You said something similar to Chris Hartnett and the other actors, including Kang Woojin, didn’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“It sounds like a good idea at first, but if you loosen the reins too much, things can spiral in unexpected directions. Creativity and freedom from actors are great. But I still believe the script must remain as the firm foundation. If we deviate from it, the whole project could lose its essence.”
She was advocating for strict adherence to the script. To this, Director Ahn Ga-bok replied.
“Of course, I agree with that. Naturally, any free performance from the actors should be based on the script, and my directing is also grounded in the script.”
“I know. But it’s happening too frequently. If this continues to pile up, it could become uncontrollable.”
This wasn’t just baseless nitpicking.
As a producer, Nora was expressing legitimate concerns. The scale of the ‘Cinematic Universe’ currently in motion was enormous, and ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was the opening act of that massive endeavor. It was only natural for her to be more cautious than usual, several times more, in fact.
More than anything, with over a decade of experience, Nora had seen plenty of productions fail because too much freedom was given on set.
“The existing script is already of high enough quality to capture the audience’s attention. So I don’t think we need to deviate from it.”
She wasn’t wrong. But Director Ahn Ga-bok had a different perspective.
“I also accepted this project after reading the script for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’. However, if we stick too rigidly to the framework, the impact of the film will weaken. We need to let the actors express things we hadn’t considered.”
“I understand. That’s why I acknowledged Kang Woojin’s free-spirited performances. I’m not dismissing your opinion, Director. I’m simply saying we need to control the pace properly.”
The director and producer were at a stalemate. Normally, the executive producer would have the upper hand. This was Hollywood, after all.
However, Director Ahn Ga-bok was a veteran among veterans, with experience filming over a hundred movies.
The seasoned director, Ahn Ga-bok.
“……Nora.”
Chose negotiation over stubborn resistance.
“How about we do this?”
He had placed significant meaning on ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, and both his experience and instincts were telling him that now was the time to push forward.
“The two-shot scene between Kang Woojin and Chris, let’s leave it to their creativity and freedom, based on the script. However, if their performance doesn’t stand out compared to the script or seems unsatisfactory, we’ll shoot it again according to your terms.”
“……Director. Not everyone, but there are people at ‘Columbia Studios’ who don’t fully support your directing style. Do we really need to go this far?”
“Of course. Even if it means replacing me with another director, I will stick to this.”
It was a clear dare, if they wanted to fire him, they could try.
Director Ahn Ga-bok’s determination was fiercer than ever.
And as she stared at him.
“…Alright.”
Nora finally relented.
She took a step back. The director’s resolve was firm, and if their confrontation escalated any further, it would kill the atmosphere on set. Rumors could also spread among the actors.
‘For now, it’s best to let the filming proceed.’
She decided it would be better to observe the shoot first before taking any action.
Soon, Nora let out a short sigh and slowly nodded.
“I’ll watch the filming first. However, there’s a chance that ‘Columbia Studios’ executives might be on set tomorrow.”
Director Ahn Ga-bok, looking entirely unfazed, gave a small smile.
“That’s fine.”
With that response, he moved away from Nora and approached the two waiting actors, Kang Woojin and Chris. Woojin kept his usual indifferent expression, but internally, he was wondering.
‘They looked like they were arguing. Is everything okay?’
Of course, Ahn Ga-bok had no way of knowing what Woojin was thinking. Instead, he simply told both actors.
“Tomorrow, give it your all.”
The next morning, July 8th.
Inside a large van.
Among the various foreigners seated inside, one man sitting by the window stood out. It was Chris Hartnett, wearing his cap pulled low. His deep brown eyes were gazing out the window.
By now, the van carrying Chris had passed through the vast entrance of ‘Columbia Studios’ and was heading toward the set where filming would take place.
Then.
-Swish.
Chris closed his eyes.
It wasn’t because he was tired.
He was steadying his emotions, clearing his mind. Regulating his breathing. Calming his slightly racing heart that had been pounding since earlier.
‘Calm down, today I have to face the ‘Joker’.’
