The My Hollywood System
Chapter 136

June thought that climbing the stairs to the old apartment was the easy part as she glanced at the plain beige walls that were cracked and covered in dirty stains. The black metal handle felt cold to the touch, and he looked at John and asked, "Are you sure the director lives here?"

"This is the address I found, but I made sure to bring pepper spray, just in case," John replied, and he could hear a slight tremble in his voice. He sighed, he also carried one in his wallet, but he wished for John to at least verify and come here once before. "Also, don't take her appearance too seriously. She was going through a difficult phase, a divorce, and on top of that, she finally got out of her habit of making festival films and entered the commercial market. He may be a little too focused on his work, so he may look a little rude."

'Great', he thought to himself.

"Alright, but please let me know that you've met the man, at least once." She asked.

When he got no answer, he looked at his agent in disbelief and sighed but continued walking up the stairs.

His steps stopped when he reached the door, labeled 301, and pressed the doorbell.

When nothing happened, he went to press the bell again, and then he realized that it was not making any sound. So, while sighing to himself, he knocked on the door loudly.

He heard a faint cry of "Open" coming from within, and he stared at his agent in disbelief.

Shaking his head, he subtly checked back on his wallet to look for pepper spray and pushed the door open.

The creaking sound he produced was not the sound that greeted June, and he echoed the pepper spray tighter in his hand.

As soon as the door opens, June sees the inside of the apartment as dirty as the outside. There were sheets of paper strewn everywhere, half-eaten pizza on a bench near the sofa, a closet next to the sofa broken, and a few books hung up, threatening to fall. It seemed to be only a studio apartment, as the room did not lead to any other room that might be inside.

On the sofa sat a haggard old man who looked like he had not slept for days. He was bald, and his gray white hair indicated his age. He was wearing a simple gray T-shirt and pajamas, and he looked at June and her agent with a hint of confusion before he pressed his tongue in annoyance.

"June Roberts's? I've totally forgotten that you and your agent are coming here today. Forgive this mess. I had no money to hire a janitor anymore, and I was too busy to do it myself. Please, wait a minute, I'll clear up some seats, and we'll continue reading the script I've prepared." He said, get up and open the drawer under the closet next to the sofa. He pulled out two folding chairs, placed them in front of June and John, and sat back down on the sofa.

"Uhm, are you James Cameron?" john asked finally, coming from his stupor and trying to understand the situation.

The man confusedly looked back at the papers he was looking for. "What's? Of course, I'm James Cameron; who else am I?" he asked rhetorically.

June had a headache and said, "Master, are you James Cameron, the man who is famous worldwide for his film festival entries? That James Cameron?"

"How many James Cameron do you know? Look, I don't have time for this; I'll give you the script, and you can read it now or take it home. I'd like to know your opinion, a maximum of three days." He said in annoyance, handing over a large stack of papers to her.

Looking at the title of the script, he read "The Terminator'.

"Your role, if you accept it, is Sarah Conor." The old director explained.

***

"Cut, Leo, I need to be able to see the internal conflicts in your character. You have to doubt yourself. I don't want you to look like you're deciding whether you're rethinking the kind of pizza you ordered." Will exclaims when he has to stop filming due to another bad take by Leo.

Leo has given a lot of bad things, because he cannot properly capture the emotions of insecurity and uncertainty that a person will feel when he is involved in the life of a gangster.

"Have a break, Leo. We'll repeat that scene again, say, in half an hour. Robert, why don't you help her for a while while I'm looking for some fresh air outside." Will said as he looked at Robert pleading.

Robert, still in his gangster, looked at his pocket watch and chuckled. Then, he waved at Will and assured, "Don't worry, I've got him."

"Hey, that's not it. I don't want to see you look like a teenager here. Every good actor has his own moments, and believe me, when I was filming [Sherlock Holmes], I messed up the dog many times. It happens; all you need is to rethink that character a little bit and take your mind off filming for a while. Want to have coffee outside? We'll be back in fifteen minutes." Robert offered.

Leo slightly nodded and sighed, "Yes, I think coffee will be good." She said.

"Well, let's go, the compartment is sour" said Robert, taking Leo to the exit of the room and the coffee shop in the building.

"Sourpat?" Leo asked as he stepped up.

"What's?No like? You're being moody here, really making the mood a little bad, so you're a bitch." Robert explained.

Leo grimaced slightly and shook his head slightly.

"I have a better nickname if you don't like that one. How's Meryl Streep? No? Oohs! I know one, from now on, you're "Sir Lawrence Oliever, the third one!" Robert exclaimed as he mocked Leo as he walked backwards into the shop.

"Why the third?" Leo asked curiously.

"I like Richard III a lot, and I think it sounds good" Robert explained, shrugging his shoulders.

Leo chuckled, his once-forgotten grim demeanor.

They reached the bartender inside the coffee shop, and Robert ordered two cups of coffee for them.

"That will help you get back into the game, it's not too bitter, nor is it too sweet. This will help you focus again." He said, give Leo a cup of hot coffee.

They drink their coffee in pleasant silence as Robert lets Leo relax a bit and puts his mind back into the game. After about five minutes, he broke the silence. "Come, let's go, Sir Lawrence Oliever The Third. We have to go back; I'll help you train a little bit and let's see if we can't get a shot."

Leo nodded and followed Robert back to the set after taking his last sip of coffee.

As soon as she returned to the set, Leo and Robert gestured her to try again.

Leo took out a buffer gun, and he kept it on his waist for now. He walked towards the car they had prepared and faced the additional actors who helped him train.

"Don't point that gun at me, man. Don't point that gun at me." Leo said while taking back Mario's character. He could see the man on top of the car fiddling with the gun he was carrying. "Come, man. We've fought side by side, don't force me to do this. I don't want to have to do this. Man!"

He could see that the man was fumbling with a bullet falling from the room, and he tried to plead once more. "Please, don't do this!"

The man finally refilled the bullet into the room. Just as he was about to take aim, Mario lowered his gun at the man, followed by shooting the other two men in the car, with a slight hesitation.

He kept staring at the car for more than five seconds and then threw the gun on the sidewalk as he bellowed furiously, and he fell to his knees. He kept crying for what could be eternity.

"You know, that's what Will wanted in that shot. I think it's perfect." Robert commented from the side.

"First." Will's voice echoed in the room, and Leo turned to look at him. "That's perfect. Let's turn the camera on! Jeffrey!"

Leo provided the perfect shot for the rest of the day, and filming took place with incredible zeal.