[Warning: There's gay scene here. so bewareeeeeee]
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"How about you imagine me as Bar Refaeli?"
Martin's suggestion made Leonardo freeze for a moment before he said, "I'll give it a try."
Ang Lee agreed, "That's actually a good idea. Just transfer your feelings for your girlfriend onto Martin. Right now, he is your girlfriend."
"No, your boyfriend," Martin corrected.
"Childish," Leonardo muttered, picking up his hat from the ground. "Let's go again."
"…Action…"
"November?"
"Yes."
"What about our August meeting?"
"Cut!" Ang Lee interrupted again, his voice rising in frustration. "It's still not right, still not right! Damn it, Leo, I need emotion from you!"
It seemed that no matter how gentle a person was, once they became a director, they inevitably turned into a tyrant.
"I'll try again!" Leonardo admitted it was his own issue and raised his hand apologetically.
The third take.
"November?"
"Yes."
"What about our August meeting?"
"Cut!"
The fourth take.
"November?"
"Yes."
"What about our August meeting?"
"Cut!"
…
By the sixteenth take.
"November?"
"Yes."
"What about our August meeting?"
This time, Ang Lee didn't call for a cut. Instead, he let out a sigh of relief—Leonardo seemed to have found the right emotion.
Pacing beside the car in frustration, Leonardo questioned, "You had a whole week to tell me this, damn it, and you didn't say anything."
Then he turned angrily and walked toward the lake. "Fuck, why do we always end up in these cold places? We should go somewhere warm, like Mexico…"
As he spoke, the anger on his face gradually faded into bitterness and helplessness.
Martin followed him toward the lake, sensing his reluctance. His tone became almost playful, his expression caught between a smile and hesitation as he said, "Mexico? You know I've never been that far."
Leonardo stopped in his tracks, staring at the mountains across the lake, silent.
Martin's playful expression turned anxious. "Come on, Jack, don't push me! We can go hunting in November—bag a big elk. I'll try to borrow Don's cabin. We had a good time there, didn't we?"
The camera focused on Leonardo's face as "Jack Twist" fell into nostalgia.
Something clicked inside Leonardo. Suddenly, he felt himself getting into character, an intense need to express the moment surging through him.
He slightly lowered his head and, with a wistful tone, said, "Good times are never enough."
Then he turned around, hands on his hips, and asked, "Man, you've been acting weird this time. You used to be so relaxed when you came. Now it's like you're meeting the Pope or something."
Martin hesitated before spreading his hands. "Jack, I have to work. Before, I could just quit my job to see you… You… You've forgotten what being poor feels like, haven't you? Ever heard of child support?"
Leonardo turned away, and Martin shook his head. "Listen, I can't quit my job. I can't take time off either. I'm lucky to even be here now. I've got business to take care of in August."
This scene required Martin to convey three emotions—first, Ennis Del Mar's frustration at Jack Twist for not understanding his struggles; second, guilt over keeping Jack waiting for so long; and third, a sense of hesitation, not wanting to argue with Jack.
Ang Lee had expected to shoot this scene several more times before getting it right, but Martin's subtle micro-expressions and small physical gestures captured every nuance perfectly in one take.
"Brilliant!" Ang Lee silently praised.
As soon as the scene wrapped, Leonardo excitedly ran toward Martin. "Fuck, I finally found the feeling! My dear honey!"
With his arms wide open, he went in for a hug.
"Get lost!"
Martin flipped him over with a shoulder throw.
"Good, keep that feeling! That's exactly the restrained love I need—something more than friendship but not quite passionate romance. Tomorrow, we'll shoot Jack and Ennis meeting for the first time," Ang Lee laughed.
That evening, back in his lodging, Ang Lee received a call from his wife, Jane Lin.
He chuckled into the phone, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Martin and Leo aren't the type to throw diva tantrums. I can control the set. Honestly, it feels much better than working on 'Hulk.'"
Indeed, the "Brokeback Mountain" set was a far more pleasant experience for Ang Lee. Once production got rolling, everything flowed smoothly. This was definitely the type of film he was best at making.
Meanwhile, Martin and Leonardo went into town for coffee.
"By the way, you really nailed it on that last take," Martin remarked. "Who were you thinking of?"
Leonardo smirked. "You don't want to know."
"No, I do."
"Really? I was channeling my feelings toward my dad—that mix of love and resentment. It was weirdly fitting. Hahaha!"
He shot Martin a playful look, expecting him to react with irritation.
Instead, Martin casually responded, "Oh? Then call me Daddy."
"Fuck you!"
"Excuse me, am I interrupting something?" A clear, feminine voice cut in.
Martin and Leonardo turned to see Drew Barrymore and Anne Hathaway approaching together.
Martin grinned and gestured to the seats beside him. "Of course not. In fact, we were just talking about how we needed some female company—otherwise, I was afraid this guy would fall too deeply in love with me."
"Fuck off. Never. Not in a million years," Leonardo retorted.
Drew and Anne took the seats on either side of Martin.
Drew's hand immediately wandered somewhere inappropriate, only to be swatted away by Martin.
Anne, on the other hand, scooted her chair closer, practically leaning against him.
Leonardo scowled at the trio. "You bastards, are you doing this on purpose? Trying to provoke me?"
The thought that he had been avoiding bringing Bar Refaeli to set to stay in character, while Martin was shamelessly enjoying both work and play, made his blood boil.
But what puzzled him even more was how effortlessly Martin slipped into the emotions of a gay romance.
Could it be… that this guy was secretly bi?
Leonardo shivered at the thought.
He abruptly decided to excuse himself, retreating to his hotel room to turn on the pay-per-view channels for a very heterosexual night of entertainment.