"Rachel, no… this, all of this…"
In front of the set inside the studio, facing Anne Hathaway who played his childhood sweetheart, Christian Bale seemed at a loss for words, stammering, "This isn't the real me, deep down… I'm not that shallow..."
"Come on, Bruce."
From the sports car on the other side, two hot blonde chicks shouted this way, "Hurry up, Bruce, let's go buy a few more restaurants."
Anne Hathaway slightly shook her head, pulling the corners of her mouth into a very forced smile. "Bruce, deep down you're still that upright little boy. It doesn't matter who you pretend to be on the outside—what matters is what you do."
She turned and walked into the distance.
"Cut!"
Duke called for a stop and poked his head out from behind the monitor. He first praised Bale, "Well done, Christian, keep it up."
Then, he waved at Anne Hathaway. The actress immediately walked over in her high heels.
"I…" she asked tentatively, "Did I do something wrong?"
"Control your smile," Duke didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Don't laugh too much. It ruins the character's image."
Anne Hathaway probably knew her own flaw and quickly said, "I'll make sure I do."
Duke nodded and didn't concern himself further. He turned to an assistant director nearby and said, "Five-minute break, then we'll go again."
Just like during auditions, Anne Hathaway looked very photogenic, but she had to control her smile. Otherwise, not only would the camera—which magnifies flaws—be unforgiving, even the naked eye would find it hard to bear.
However, ever since joining the crew, Anne Hathaway had been extremely cautious and diligent. She didn't come off like a well-known actress at all, but rather like a newcomer who had just climbed up from the bottom.
But no matter what, those who know how to handle relationships and are willing to work hard are always more popular in any crew.
Actually, Duke could guess this probably had a lot to do with Anne Hathaway's rather awkward situation.
The Princess Diaries made Anne Hathaway famous, but it also limited her. As a product of Disney's teen idol factory, anyone who knows Hollywood understands well what kind of treatment she'd face as she aged.
Because of its brand positioning, Walt Disney is the biggest producer of teen idols in all of Hollywood. But teen idols have a very short shelf life. When these young actors and singers grow older and urgently need to transition, Disney never makes any plans for that. Instead, it abandons them and moves on to manufacture fresher young idols.
This approach is also much cheaper.
As a result, Disney's teen idols often become synonymous with downfall after they grow up. For the lucky ones, their careers merely stall. The unlucky ones end up in a state of neither human nor ghost…
Of course, you can't put all the blame on Disney. Their parents share part of it too!
Teen idols are basically child stars. Most of their parents focus only on short-term gains and neglect their education. It's an undeniable fact that education is absolutely vital to a person's growth. When these idols grow up and can no longer rely on their youth, they need independence and transformation. Without proper education and knowledge, when setbacks hit, many go down the wrong path.
After all, not everyone is Jodie Foster or Natalie Portman, with nerves and minds that strong.
Disney teen idols who become famous young are practically synonymous with fragility.
Anne Hathaway could be called an outlier among Disney's teen idols, one of the very few who successfully transitioned.
To make a successful transformation, aside from talent, opportunity, and being willing to take bold steps, one's own effort is a factor that must never be overlooked.
As long as she can control her awkward smile, with Anne Hathaway's current acting skills, playing someone like Rachel Dawes won't be a problem. After shooting two more takes, Duke announced it was good, then moved the crew to the next setup to continue Anne Hathaway and Christian Bale's scene together.
The biggest difference this time was that Bale had put on the Batman suit.
"Camera?"
"OK!"
"Lighting?"
"OK!"
"…"
Duke did the routine checks, then let the script supervisor call for action.
The set had been arranged to resemble the rundown rooftop of the Narrows district. Batman had just saved Rachel Dawes and was about to turn and leap off the building, but she called out to stop him.
"Wait!" Anne Hathaway stepped forward. Bale, dressed in the full Batman suit, turned his head to look at her. Hathaway quickly said, "You'll die if you go like that at least let me know who you are!"
Bale hesitated slightly and said in a muffled voice, "Who I am underneath doesn't matter. What I do is what defines me!"
After saying that, he turned and jumped off the building. Anne Hathaway exclaimed in surprise, "Bruce?"
"Well done!"
The two actors were in great condition, and Duke directly called out, "This take is good!"
Afterward, the actors went to remove their makeup and rest, while Duke left this temporary soundstage and went to the adjacent hangar. Anna Prinz and Jimmy Carter, along with a group of stunt actors, were filming the scene of Bruce Wayne flying over Gotham City there.
A green screen setup had been built in the hangar to serve as the filming site. Except for the stunt actor used for the flight scenes, the background would be entirely generated using CGI.
The flying movements were accomplished using wires. The crew suspended the camera on wires, allowing the stunt actor who stood in for Bale as Batman to glide 800 feet inside the hangar.
After a day of filming, all the footage was handed over to Duke. Regardless of whether it was shot by himself, Anna Prinz, or Jimmy Carter, Duke would review it again to see if any adjustments needed to be made the next day.
"That's it for today."
In the temporary office, Duke stood up and clapped his hands, reminding everyone, "Work's over!"
Many people let out a breath of relief simultaneously and began packing up to leave. Duke walked alongside Anna Prinz, discussing the next day's shooting schedule. As time went on, the number of scenes left to be completed grew fewer. Liam Neeson, who had finished his scenes, had already left the crew early to rush off to another studio's production.
Walking out of the hangar entrance, the two of them ran into a couple coming out from a nearby makeup trailer.
"Hi, Duke. Hi, Anna."
Anne Hathaway, arm-in-arm with a man, greeted Duke and Anna warmly.
"Hello, Anne." Duke gave her a light nod.
Stopping in their tracks, Anne Hathaway took the initiative to introduce the two, "Duke, Anna, this is Raffaello Flaherty, my boyfriend. Raffaello, this is Director Rosenberg and his assistant, Miss Prinz."
After the introduction, Duke and Anna Prinz each shook hands with the man. The group then walked toward the parking lot together.
Anne Hathaway's boyfriend was very talkative. "I'm Italian, mainly in the real estate business."
"Raffaello is the Vatican's representative in the United States," Anne Hathaway added.
"Oh?" Duke couldn't help but take a serious look at the man.
The Vatican represents not just religion but also enormous wealth. To become the Church's agent in the U.S., one's status must be quite exceptional. Anne Hathaway's choice of partner wasn't without reason.
The man named Raffaello Flaherty smiled modestly and said, "I wouldn't call myself a representative. I just help the Church manage its real estate business in North America."
Duke responded politely, "That's still very impressive."
After arriving at the parking lot, Raffaello Flaherty took out a business card and handed it over with both hands, saying, "Director Rosenberg, if you ever need some historic properties, feel free to contact me."
"If I do," Duke accepted the card and put it away, "I certainly will."
Duke and Anna Prinz got into their respective cars. After leaving the parking lot of the Hughes Aircraft facility, they each drove in different directions. Duke first went to Burbank to collect some documents from Duke Studio before returning to Duke Manor.
After parking his Bentley, Duke walked into the villa with his briefcase, handing both the briefcase and his coat to the butler, Emma. He then walked over to the sofa and sat across from Tina Fey, who was reading documents.
"I heard the negotiations have reached a preliminary agreement?" Duke asked.
Tina Fey put down the documents and pushed a folder on the coffee table toward Duke, saying, "Steve Jobs has agreed in principle to sell Pixar Studios, but the deal must be conducted through a combination of cash and stock exchanges."
This result was not unexpected for Duke. Steve Jobs had dragged things out till now primarily to secure the greatest benefit for himself.
"Time Warner has also agreed in principle to this deal and will complete the acquisition of Duke Studio through a stock exchange as well," Tina Fey continued. "They've agreed to let our capital be part of the Pixar acquisition and convert it into a corresponding share of Time Warner's stock…"
After briefly organizing her thoughts, Tina Fey added, "But the specific stock exchange ratios and the amount of capital we'll contribute still need further discussion."
"No rush." Duke opened the folder and began reading carefully. "Take your time negotiating."
A media conglomerate like Time Warner might seem enormous, with assets worth hundreds of billions, but those are not liquid funds. A conglomerate requires massive amounts of operating capital and can't possibly match Duke, who held a large cash flow while having minimal expenses.
In today's Hollywood, it was universally acknowledged that Duke had definitely surpassed George Lucas as the richest director