[Chapter 185: On-Set Visit]
Happy Death Day had been shooting since July 16; it had been almost ten days.
As a co-producer, Linton hadn't yet visited the set, which felt a bit off. Besides, the film's three leading ladies were his choice; so from both a professional and personal perspective, he should check in on them.
The party with the ladies didn't wind down until 9 AM. After breakfast, Linton told the restless ladies, "You all enjoy the estate during the day, relax and entertain yourselves. I'm heading over to the Happy Death Day set."
Madonna, playing the mistress role, linked her arm with his and spoke the group's mood: "Then you better come back early; we're all waiting for you."
Linton hesitated; he couldn't guarantee he'd be back that night. After all, the set had three women, and they might not easily let him leave.
"If you can't make it back, just bring Cristiana and the others here. You can't just leave so many of your women alone; we're counting on you to keep the party going tonight," Madonna added, reading his thoughts, and gave Jennifer a signal.
Jennifer quickly stepped forward, took his other arm and placed his hand on her chest. "Honey, come back tonight. Your precious babies misses you."
"Darling, we'll even do a sexy uniform show for you tonight, okay?" Madonna, seeing his hesitation, offered more.
"Alright, you have fun during the day, I'll be back tonight," Linton said, feeling for the first time the trouble of having too many women around.
---
Pasadena, Los Angeles, Gessent High School.
The Happy Death Day crew was filming on location here. Since it was summer break, the school was closed, so filming could go on nonstop.
Director Ryan had been nearly overwhelmed before shooting began when the three stunning beauties joined the crew.
He'd heard that having one beauty in a Hollywood crew was a good thing -- even if they did nothing, just looking at them lifted everyone's spirits.
But when there were two beauties, instead of doubling the effect, it often meant disaster. Like two lions in one den, they'd compete, undermine, even fight, making the set chaotic.
Now there were not two, but three top-tier beauties, all recommended by the big boss. Ryan dreaded the thought of diva tantrums and princess syndrome, potentially clashing on set.
Such a scenario was too tragic to imagine, and as a new director, he wondered how he'd handle it.
But he couldn't refuse them. Feeling doomed, he prepared to ask Linton for help anytime -- even if it meant being looked down on by the boss. After all, the three women were arranged by Linton himself.
To his surprise, none of his worries came true. The three beauties didn't quarrel but acted like good friends, laughing and chatting daily, even discussing the script together.
More importantly, they fully respected Ryan's authority as director, showing no diva behavior.
Ryan was puzzled -- had the Hollywood culture changed? Was the sun rising in the west?
Whatever the case, it was excellent for the production. He truly enjoyed the authority of the director on set, and filming progressed smoothly.
...
Linton, of course, saw no need for any undercover visits. Kenneth and Ryan already knew he would come today.
Not only those two, but Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko Sakai also knew.
When he arrived, filming was in progress. He saw Monica handing a cake to Cristiana and then a take where Cristiana tossed away the uneaten cake.
Because it was a time-loop horror film, this scene required multiple takes with different expressions for various timeline segments in the movie.
With his professional eye, Linton noticed both actresses were somewhat inexperienced in their acting. But since it was a horror, not an art film aiming for awards, their performances were sufficient.
He didn't interfere but quietly watched beside Kenneth.
The crew was professional; the director didn't stop filming because of Linton's arrival. Interrupting would waste too much time as lighting, camera, and acting were all at the right moment.
...
After an hour, with the scene fully shot, Ryan called a 20-minute break and hurried to Linton.
"Boss, sorry about earlier. We were filming and couldn't greet you sooner."
"It's fine. It's as the saying goes -- there's no business like show business. As director, everything on set revolves around filming."
Actors also came over to greet him. Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko Sakai couldn't show too much affection publicly, but their eyes gleamed with unspoken feelings.
"Linton, glad to see you here," said the male lead, who to Linton's surprise was Matt Damon.
In just two years, Matt had landed a leading role. Truly, stars who make it big aren't ordinary.
Considering his acting and looks, Matt was perfect for the role. His current pay was likely still modest, and with his previous role in Step Up, it made sense to cast him.
At noon, Linton personally increased the crew's meal allowance by $30 each. Being the boss and co-producer, he wanted them to feel his appreciation.
The crew was small -- just over a hundred -- so it wasn't a big expense.
...
However, during lunch, Linton didn't join Kenneth and Ryan. Instead, he went into Cristiana's trailer to eat with the three ladies.
Of course, they didn't eat much; the real action soon ignited. The trailer started rocking rhythmically...
Lunch was short since they had afternoon filming and the women wanted some fun, so they had to hurry.
Two hours later, after the fun wound down and the trailer was tidied, Cristiana invited, "Honey, why not come to the crew hotel with us tonight?"
"Do you have scenes to shoot in the evening?"
"No, we're all free tonight."
"Well, your sisters are waiting at the estate. After you're done, have your bodyguards take you there. We're throwing a big party at the estate tonight."
"Okay, you leave in the afternoon; we'll go to the estate directly tonight to avoid paparazzi."
Monica and Noriko didn't know what the big party was like but were enthusiastic and agreed enthusiastically.
*****
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