At Warner Bros. Studios, Chicago was filming its final scene.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Chicago Theatre is honored to present, for the first time ever, not just one, but two sensational performers.
You've read about them in the papers, and now, here they are—the Chicago Murderesses, the Sinful Sisters, Roxie and Velma…"
As the actor playing the announcer delivered his enthusiastic introduction, dazzling lights illuminated the stage built inside the soundstage.
Facing the camera, the blonde Roxie and the dark-haired Velma appeared and began their performance.
Since he lacked professional experience in musical theater, Gilbert had entrusted Broadway choreographer John Meyer with the entire design of this scene.
He structured the sequence into two parts: the jazz number Nowadays and the high-energy dance Hot Honey Rag.
Aside from re-orchestrating and choreographing the numbers, they remained largely faithful to the original Broadway musical.
The scene was spectacular, and both actresses gave it their all, performing brilliantly. But as Gilbert watched them, he frowned.
These two actresses were secretly competing, each trying to outshine the other.
This led to an odd imbalance—during the Nowadays section, Naomi Watts took the upper hand.
Nowadays was a classic, lazy, sultry jazz piece that suited Roxie's character far better than Velma's wild, untamed energy, so Naomi's performance stood out.
However, when they transitioned into the dance section, Hot Honey Rag, the situation flipped, and Catherine Zeta-Jones completely overpowered Naomi.
Even though Gilbert had advised Naomi to prepare well in advance and she had trained extensively, she was still no match for Catherine.
Catherine, after all, had a background in musical theater and had even won the All-England Dance Championship. She was undeniably talented, so it wasn't surprising that Naomi struggled against her.
Perhaps this was exactly why, in his past life, Catherine's performance had overshadowed Renée Zellweger's in the final cut.
Back then, Catherine had already given birth. But in this timeline, she hadn't yet. And it was obvious—without childbirth's effects, she was even more stunning.
Gilbert was always strictly professional when working, even with Naomi, despite their personal closeness.
After several takes with neither actress backing down, he finally halted the shoot.
"Your performances are too unbalanced between the two sections. I need you both to adjust. Understand?" Gilbert said sternly.
Naomi, familiar with Gilbert's work ethic, wisely kept silent and nodded. Catherine, who seemed ready to argue, hesitated when she saw Naomi stay quiet and also chose to hold her tongue.
Naomi was an A-list star and had an exceptionally close relationship with the director, but that didn't intimidate Catherine.
If she could outshine Naomi in this performance, it would be a huge boost to her career.
Of course, there was also an element of jealousy.
Why should she be an A-lister? Just because she got into Gilbert's bed earlier? If I had that opportunity, I'd be an A-lister too.
With that mindset, Catherine refused to hold back in the next take.
Seeing her go all out, Naomi naturally wasn't going to give an inch either. The scene once again devolved into their subtle battle for dominance.
Gilbert was getting annoyed. But he had seen plenty of this kind of rivalry among actresses in Hollywood—it was nothing new.
Suppressing his irritation, he called both of them over again. "Go to the dressing room and have a chat. Don't come back until you've worked things out."
"Gilbert, I—" Naomi started, but as soon as Gilbert waved his hand, she shut up and headed to the dressing room with Catherine.
Gilbert rubbed his temples, feeling slightly exasperated.
The assistant director, Annie, spoke the truth: "Director, if you weren't here, those two women would probably be throwing punches by now."
James Gunn, trying to lighten the mood, joked, "I was half-expecting them to stop dancing mid-performance, slip into tight leather outfits, and pull out Chicago typewriters to start a shootout."
Annie rolled her eyes. "James, do you think this is some musical version of The Matrix?"
Their playful banter eased the tension on set, and Gilbert's expression softened a little. He called over John Meyer to discuss adjustments to the choreography.
"The performance was too imbalanced earlier. There's too much of a disconnect between the two sections. I need the leads to reach a delicate equilibrium—where it looks like they're competing, but it still feels harmonious."
John Meyer thought for a moment and said, "We could add some movements to bridge the two numbers, tailored to Roxie and Velma's respective styles.
Give me a little time, Director."
Once Gilbert nodded in agreement, Meyer immediately gathered two of his team members and began designing adjustments. Before long, they had a practical solution.
About an hour and a half later, Naomi and Catherine finally emerged from the dressing room.
Naomi discreetly glanced at Gilbert.
When Gilbert met her gaze, Naomi made a gesture—she pointed at Catherine, formed a circle with her left hand, then inserted her right index finger into it, moving it back and forth.
As if that wasn't enough, she stuck out her little tongue and slowly traced it around her lips—just like a golden-haired Persian cat, sultry, lazy, and irresistibly seductive.
After spending so many nights together, how could Gilbert not understand what Naomi Watts was implying? He shot her a glare.
Seeing his reaction, Naomi Watts was reassured. Smiling mischievously, she went off to prepare.
Once John Meyer handed the revised choreography to the two actresses, filming resumed.
On this take, the chemistry between the two actresses improved significantly. From the camera's perspective, the performance appeared much more balanced. However, they still had to reshoot more than ten times before finally nailing the scene.
Dancing in high heels while singing was an exhausting task. Both Naomi Watts and Catherine developed blisters on their feet during filming.
But neither of them complained, nor did they take a break. They remained fully committed to the shoot.
In Hollywood, nothing comes for free. Even if you climb into the director's bed, roles don't just fall into your lap. At best, it increases your chances of landing a part.
If you don't put in the necessary effort and assume everything will come easily, you won't be far from being eliminated by Hollywood.
Take Tom Cruise, for example. Despite his massive fanbase, he still practiced dancing diligently for three months for his role as Billy, without a single complaint.
The ever-dedicated Tom Cruise worked so hard that even John Meyer, a seasoned Broadway choreographer, was thoroughly impressed.
After wrapping up for the day, Gilbert and Naomi Watts shared a car back to the hotel where the crew was staying.
"Wait a moment," Naomi Watts signaled. "Catherine…"
Catherine approached with two bags in hand and sat beside Naomi Watts, flashing a sweet smile at Gilbert.
"Everything ready?" Naomi Watts asked.
"Of course," Catherine pulled out two outfits from her bag—the very costumes they had just performed in. "I sneaked them out without anyone noticing."
"I can't believe you two are stealing the crew's costumes," Gilbert remarked at the right moment.
"Ugh, don't make it sound so bad. I'm just borrowing them. You'll see soon—this is for your enjoyment," Naomi Watts threw him a flirtatious wink.
These two women…
But he had to admit, Gilbert rather liked this way of resolving conflicts.
That night, in the hotel room, transformed into Roxie and Velma, the two women performed a fiery dance, giving Gilbert a rather unique experience. That night, a story spanning sixty thousand words unfolded.
The next day, the costume department discovered that the lead actresses' costumes had been damaged and immediately reported it to Gilbert, expecting to be scolded.
Strangely enough, the director simply smiled and kindly told them to repair or remake the costumes without reprimanding them.
Little did the costume team know—the damage had been caused by Gilbert himself from being too rough the night before. Naturally, he couldn't blame them for it.
Thanks to solid preparation, the filming progress for Chicago was remarkably fast.
The movie started shooting in early September and was set to wrap in mid-November, completing production in just two and a half months.
To stay on schedule, Gilbert worked on post-production while still filming, pushing himself to the limit. However, for Gilbert, this was fulfilling work.
Meanwhile, The Matrix finally ended its North American theatrical run in mid-October, closing with a domestic box office total of $291 million.
That was $121 million more than its previous lifetime gross of $170 million—an undeniable commercial triumph.
The film also performed well overseas. With new markets still rolling out, The Matrix had already raked in $312 million internationally, bringing its global box office to an impressive $603 million.
The film's massive box office success, coupled with its outstanding reception, made The Matrix the defining blockbuster of the 1998 summer season, ensuring its place in cinematic history.
Michael Bay's Armageddon had a ratings advantage but still couldn't surpass The Matrix. However, that didn't stop it from becoming a massive commercial success.
The film had already wrapped up its North American run a few weeks earlier than The Matrix, finishing with a domestic total of $208 million.
Overseas, it was still playing in a few markets, accumulating $263 million in international earnings, bringing its global total to $471 million—second only to The Matrix.
If The Matrix hadn't existed, Armageddon would have been the year's highest-grossing movie.
Even so, its success made Michael Bay a household name, solidifying his status as one of Hollywood's hottest new directors—even though he was older than Gilbert.
With Michael Bay as his ace, Michael Ovitz was feeling ambitious.
He had already convinced Universal Pictures to greenlight a major World War II film, with Michael Bay set to direct. News quickly spread, and many people took notice.
Gilbert knew that unless something changed, this World War II project was likely to be Pearl Harbor.
But he wasn't worried. If things played out as expected, Pearl Harbor would be facing off against his own project—The Lord of the Rings.
He just hoped Michael Bay wouldn't get cold feet and back out. Gilbert was prepared to give him a painful lesson with The Lord of the Rings.
With both The Matrix and Armageddon wrapping up their North American runs, their missions in the summer box office season had concluded. However, one film was still playing, approaching a full year in theaters.
That film was Titanic, which had been showing in North America for over fifty weeks and was still pulling in over a hundred thousand dollars per week.