America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Louisiana, New Orleans.

At Michoud production factory, dawn had just broken, and the sun hadn't risen yet when several trailers drove in, parking near the largest soundstage.

At 7:30 a.m., Martin appeared on set promptly and entered the largest trailer to get his makeup done.

Seeing that the stylist was the same one from the audition, Bruce followed directly into the trailer, watching him closely.

Under Old Cloth's wolfish gaze, the stylist's effeminacy dissipated at lightning speed, returning to that of a normal man.

Bruce simply sat in the corner and watched. He had said he would keep a close eye on Martin, and he intended to do just that.

The other two assistants also diligently worked on Martin's styling.

The makeup process lasted an hour and a half; just before going out, the stylist took a blue hat and carefully placed it on Martin's head, covering all his hair.

Martin stood up, picked up his cane, and took a few steps.

The stylist clapped his hands: "Perfect."

Bruce opened the trailer door, and Martin stepped out with his cane.

Entering the soundstage, various behind-the-scenes staff were bustling about.

Martin naturally slipped into his role, shuffling onto the set with his cane like an old man in his twilight years.

David Fincher was directing a blonde girl with either her mother or tutor standing by.

"Director, you don't need to communicate with my mom for me," Elle Fanning said earnestly, lifting her little face to David Fincher. "I've acted in many movies and can understand the scenes you explain."

David Fincher laughed, "Alright, from now on I'll talk directly to you about the scenes."

He turned to the trembling Martin approaching and examined him closely. Everything from his demeanor and gait to the look of age and innocence in his eyes was indistinguishable from that of an old man at the end of his life.

Martin slowly made his way over.

David Fincher was not only unhurried but praised him, "Indeed, my judgment was not mistaken."

Elle Fanning's eyes were full of curiosity as she asked, "This grandfather with the blue hat, is he going to act in this scene with me?"

Martin's voice was hoarse, "You are Daisy."

The barely ten-year-old Elle Fanning tried her best to appear mature, "Hello, I'm Elle Fanning, playing Daisy."

Martin remembered she also had a sister named Dakota, a pair of sisters who were particularly gifted child actors.

Because of the makeup, the smile he produced looked somewhat awkward, "I'm Martin, playing the role of Benjamin."

Elle Fanning circled Martin, "You don't look at all like Martin. You look more like my grandpa... but no, you're even older than my grandpa."

David Fincher didn't interrupt the interaction between the lead actors. He believed it was beneficial to the filming: after all, old is old, young is young.

Martin asked, "How old are you? Not even ten yet, right?"

Elle Fanning exaggerated a bit, "I'm almost ten."

Martin curiously asked, "I remember Daisy has quite a few scenes around the age of fourteen or fifteen. It won't be your sister playing them, will it?"

Elle Fanning stopped, "You know my sister?"

"Dakota Fanning," Martin stated truthfully, "I've seen several movies she's been in, like 'War of the Worlds'."

Elle Fanning shook her head, "Dakota won't be playing this role, her schedule is much tighter than mine, always with endless movies to shoot."

She enviously added, "It seems she's more popular than me."

Martin had seen quite a few of Dakota Fanning's movies; her performances as a child actress were exceptionally memorable, but as she grew up, he hardly remembered what she acted in anymore.

David Fincher looked around, clapped his hands, and announced, "Guys, we're about to start shooting."

Before leaving the set, he came up to Martin, "Maintain your good condition."

Martin nodded slightly and walked through the actor's lineup against a backdrop panel with Elle Fanning twice to get familiar with their positions.

As the clapperboard snapped, the shooting began.

Martin was well-prepared and slipped into character quickly; Elle Fanning was also very intuitive, and the first take with the two of them holding hands and talking in the nursing home was quickly approved.

Although there were occasional interruptions in the takes that followed, the overall progress was smooth.

Normally, children and animal actors were considered the two most uncontrollable elements on a set, but with Elle Fanning, none of these troubles were apparent.

Martin felt that there was good reason the Fanning sisters were getting so many roles.

During the break, Martin returned to the rest area, discarded his cane, and slumped into a chair. Having played an aged man all morning was actually very exhausting.

The stylist hurried over to touch up his makeup.

Bruce brought Martin a water cup with a straw.

After the stylist and two assistants left, a young man with what seemed to be tics sat down in the seat next to Martin.

Shia LaBeouf took the initiative and said, "Cool old man, I heard you formed a Trio of Scoundrels with Nicholson and Leonardo?" Discover hidden tales at empire

This was hardly a secret in the industry, and Martin replied, "That's right, just fooling around."

Shia LaBeouf said seriously, "I want to meet Nicholson, could you introduce me?"

Martin asked, "Why?"

"Last time, at Paramount Pictures, you saw it too, I tried to help Blanchett and she yelled at me." The anger was evident on Shia LaBeouf's face: "Nicholson did great, he ventilated some of my anger for me."

Martin nodded, "You want to express your gratitude?"

Shia LaBeouf shook his head, "No, it's not that, I want Nicholson to be my teacher, for real! Look, the main creatives in this crew are all somewhat abnormal, only me... no, you too, Martin, are normal. There are too many people like Blanchett."

His thought processes were clearly not on the same wavelength as ordinary people: "The working and living environments are too harsh, I want to learn from Nicholson how to protect myself."

Martin looked at Shia LaBeouf in astonishment, making sure he wasn't joking.

Suddenly, Shia LaBeouf said, "I really wish my Bumblebee could follow me around all the time."

Martin didn't respond to this nonsensical chatter, but simply said, "Nicholson might come to visit the set after a while, I'll introduce you then."

Shia LaBeouf scratched his head as he got up, "I need to think about what special way to welcome Nicholson to shock him."

Martin felt that Old Jack might find common ground with Shia LaBeouf, but he himself was definitely not on the same wavelength.

As he was leaving, Shia LaBeouf suddenly remembered something; he still had a kiss scene with Blanchett.

Thinking about it, he felt a cramp in his stomach, wanting to vomit but unable to.

Martin reached for his cane, shakily stood up, and slowly entered the set, continuing the shooting of his scenes with the child Daisy.

Scene after scene went by successfully, the good condition of the actors ensuring the smooth progress of the shoot.

In the middle of it all, David Fincher called Martin over to the director's monitor.

Martin put on the headset and watched all the shots from the morning with Fincher.

After watching them, Martin realized the issue: "The sound of my voice when I speak the lines."

"Exactly. You're making an effort to change, and you've done your best." David Fincher pointed out an unavoidable fact: "But your vocal cords are, after all, those of a young person. It's not hard to impersonate a middle-aged person, but for someone on the cusp of meeting their maker, they're still too young."

Martin had no choice, nor would he consider surgery on his vocal cords for such a role, and asked, "Can this be fixed in post-production?"

David Fincher had called Martin over to resolve this exact issue and said, "I've asked the technical department, and they can solve it with voice-changing technology during post-production. You'll need to re-dub the voice for young Benjamin afterwards."

Martin replied, "I have no problem with that."

The crew took a break at noon, with two hours of rest time.

Martin couldn't remove his makeup, and it was impossible to go to the restaurant for lunch in costume, so he simply had Bruce bring the meals back to the trailer.

In November in New Orleans, the temperature at noon just reached 68°F, and the natural breeze was especially comforting.

Martin and Bruce simply set up a table and sun umbrella next to the trailer and ate leisurely.

The environment here was good, and it had become Hollywood's third largest filming base in the U.S. outside of New York and Georgia, with the highest tax rebate rate reaching up to 42%.

The impact of the film industry on local branding and tourist industry was all too clear.

The most famous attraction in New Orleans, the Oak Alley Plantation, gained fame from "Interview with the Vampire" and has been bustling with visitors for over a decade.

Bruce mentioned, "I just heard several producers from the crew discussing how New Orleans now prefers war films or those with a lot of action."

Martin, hindered by his makeup, ate particularly slowly and asked, "Why?"

"Like Atlanta, there are too many old, decrepit buildings and industrial parks," Bruce had inquired in detail, "The local area pays a lot to demolish them, time-consuming and expensive. If Hollywood crews want to blow them up, the locals just charge a waste clearance fee, the rest is up to the crew."

Martin couldn't help but say, "That's a very profitable deal."

Bruce nodded, "Without spending a dime, they can clear out abandoned buildings."

Suddenly, Martin saw a familiar figure passing by the main path beside the trailer.

"You! Come here!" he called out to that person.

It was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with golden-brown hair tied into a ponytail behind her head, and a camera hanging around her neck, as if she was about to enter the studio to shoot.

A stranger with a camera wouldn't ever be allowed into the studio.

Saoirse Ronan heard the voice, turned around, and saw a somewhat familiar yet strange old man.

The old man's costume was comical, his blue hat covering all his hair.

But recognizing the person next to the old man, Saoirse Ronan realized whom she had encountered.

At Pine Forest Film Studio, she had interacted with Bruce several times and even had been caught by him.

Saoirse quickly took her hands off the camera, not wanting to be misunderstood, although somewhat reluctantly, she still moved closer and said, "Hello, Martin, your makeup is really distinctive today."