Chapter 1040: Chapter 1040: I Only Have a Good Temper for You Alone
Adam Piers joined the crew, and the entire film crew was complete.
The next morning, as Bertha Swift opened her door, she heard the door next to hers open with a click. Their eyes met, and Bertha froze for a moment before continuing to walk forward as if she hadn’t heard anything.
Adam stood behind Bertha, watching her leave, ready to follow her. Just then, the door opposite also clicked open—it was Zoe Thatcher.
Zoe clearly didn’t expect to see Adam when she opened the door. She paused for a moment and softly called out Adam’s name.
Adam nodded and walked forward, his demeanor cold.
Zoe felt uncomfortable but knew her actions that day had likely caused trouble for Adam and upset him. She sighed lightly and followed with small steps.
The crew’s meals were good, with breakfast provided as a hotel buffet. The variety was rich, ranging from northern pastries to southern desserts. The only downside was that it was only served from seven to nine in the morning, and the restaurant wasn’t very large.
Bertha sat down without much time before Adam and Zoe came over one after the other. However, unlike everyone else who wasn’t familiar with Bertha, Zoe and Adam were guests on “Detectives and Wilderness” and had previously been injured and hospitalized together. During script reading sessions, everyone saw Zoe but not Adam. Now, seeing them enter the restaurant successively, it suddenly made sense.
Stella Murray had a good relationship with Zoe. Before Zoe and Adam could each find a seat, she waved, “Zoe, Adam, come sit here.”
Adam initially hesitated next to the table near Bertha, then responded to Stella Murray and James Jerome’s genuine smiles. Adam had a good relationship with them on the variety show, so seeing no reason to refuse, he slightly turned and sat down.
Zoe hesitated for a moment and followed suit.
The restaurant had tables seating four, causing Zoe to sit next to Adam.
Zoe felt inexplicably nervous, while James Jerome immediately asked about Adam’s injury. Adam seemed indifferent to his own injuries, saying, “No big issue.”
“Even so, you should rest well,” Stella Murray added.
Adam didn’t ignore their kindness, nodding slightly, showing a demeanor different from his usual dandy persona.
In Stella Murray and James Jerome’s eyes, Adam was merely a talented newcomer. They weren’t aware of his background, so they treated him like any other junior, with admiration and hope.
Adam, perceptive as always, could naturally sense their goodwill, and thus respected them more than usual. However, after the Imperial Cuisine Pavilion incident, Adam’s attitude towards Zoe was far less amiable.
With Adam’s coldness towards Zoe, Zoe naturally dared not initiate conversation easily. Both knew exactly why, but others were unaware.
Their behavior seemed to Stella Murray and James Jerome like a quarrel between a young couple. Moreover, after reading online reports about their situation, they increasingly felt the two were genuinely involved, and occasionally tried to pair them up.
Adam’s face darkened, lowering his head to eat, appearing spiritless.
As for Bertha, seeing Zoe and Adam sitting together, she initially hesitated but quickly adjusted her emotions, choosing not to focus on Adam.
However, despite her resolve, she couldn’t help but glance at the pair with the corner of her eye, mocking herself inwardly—still claiming nothing’s up, yet sitting so close together?
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah? Nothing…” Mary Scott entered and saw Bertha, lost in thought, eating her fruit salad. Curious, she sat down and asked. Bertha was startled and quickly replied it was nothing.
But Mary, seeing that Bertha didn’t appear as if “nothing” was wrong, curiously observed her.
Bertha felt uneasy under Mary’s gaze, “Really nothing, just worried about not doing well when filming later.”
“What’s there to fear? Didn’t Mr. Ren say you have great insight yesterday? Plus, we rehearsed today’s scene several times, it should be fine,” Mary asked, puzzled.
Bertha had already come back to her senses and whispered, “I know, but I’m afraid of being nervous on set. You know Director Locke…”
“What’s wrong with Director Locke?” David Locke placed breakfast in front of himself and Mary Scott and naturally asked Bertha.
Bertha’s mouth fell slightly open, quickly sitting straight, “Director Locke is truly considerate of Mary.”
This topic transition was quite clever, with Mary giving an awkward laugh, “Indeed, my husband is really nice. He’s not just considerate; he’s exceptionally good-tempered.”
David Locke paused in his seating motion and looked sideways at the woman beside him, feeling her words were a jab at him.
Bertha quickly looked down and ate.
David Locke, unfazed, leisurely responded, “Rest assured, Mary, I’m only good-tempered towards you.”
Mary Scott, “…”
Oh, come on, big brother, let the entire crew feel some of those pleasant favors.
“Cough cough cough…” Bertha had just taken a sip of milk and coughed lightly, unable to stand it, glancing incredulously at Director Locke. This witness PDA was rather overwhelming.
Mary apologetically looked at Bertha, then glared fiercely at David Locke.
David shrugged indifferently, his gaze catching Adam sitting next to Zoe. He raised his eyebrows slightly and pulled out his phone, “What’s going on with you? Moving on so quickly? Or are you planning to pursue Miss Swift by triggering her?”
Adam was midway through his meal when he felt his phone vibrate, glancing at the screen. He then looked towards David Locke, who was accompanying Mary Scott for breakfast. Opposite them sat the person he most desired, his expression souring, “Mind your own business.”
“Oh, minding my own business it is, but I was merely trying to share some advice from experience—the tactic you’re using is particularly lousy,” David Locke replied leisurely.
Mary was slightly displeased, “Focus on eating.”
“Alright,” David Locke complied readily, putting down his phone.
Meanwhile, having read the message, Adam clenched his molars, cursing inwardly—I know damn well, but what’s the use?
Beside him, James Jerome and the others clearly sensed Adam’s cold aura emanating, feeling puzzled, while Zoe instinctively glanced towards Bertha, seeing her quietly eating and having no intention of provoking Adam. This left Zoe curious—what was up with Adam?
Breakfast ended with everyone having their own thoughts, but thankfully it concluded swiftly, and they walked to the crew together.
The staff were already in position; David Locke looked at Bertha, who was once again tense, “How are you feeling? Ready to film?”
Bertha nodded, recalling Mr. Ren’s words from yesterday. There are three main schools of acting: ‘experientialists,’ ‘the methodusers,’ and ‘expressionists.’
‘Experientialists’ demand: start from oneself, live in the role’s situation.
“The methodusers” is inherited from the experiential school and similarly requires actors to achieve subconscious real reactions, but one notable difference is that the methodusers allow actors to replace communication objects, while the experiential school does not.
The “performers” do not emphasize starting from the self, but rather emphasize first constructing an “image of the character” in the mind and emphasize imitation. Meanwhile, performers do not advocate living in situations subconsciously, but stress “jumping out” to grasp and design.
Of the three methods, both the methodusers and performers require long-term experience accumulation, but the experiential school is different; it starts from the self, to immerse oneself into the scenario, blend into the character, even completely become the other person. This is the easiest yet also the hardest.
Currently, Bertha Swift has no performing experience, so yesterday, Teacher Ren suggested she try the first method, fully immersing herself into the role, becoming truly Doreen Ted, completely becoming this character, thereby quickly adapting to the production team and David Locke’s filming rhythm.
But the method sounds easy when spoken, yet doing it proved difficult; Bertha Swift, although said OK to David Locke, was immediately interrupted in her first scene.
With yesterday’s scenario, today, when Bertha Swift was interrupted, everyone’s nerves on set were tense, and some couldn’t help but complain, “I wonder whose pampered daughter has so much face, actually managing to enter Director Locke’s crew through the back door!”
“Tut-tut, indeed, besides looking pretty, what else? Truly wasting everyone’s time and money!”
“Being scolded like that yesterday and not leaving, her skin is thick enough, if I were her, I’d pack up and leave right away.”
“Who disagrees?”
“I’m curious about her background, after all, Mary Scott is so popular now, Brian Joule is the new sensation, yet they pair up with a woman who hasn’t acted in any roles before and isn’t even from a theater background, that’s impressive!”
“Whoever kept a pet canary not staying in her cage and insists on coming out to stir trouble?”
“…”
Under the intimidation of David Locke’s authoritarianism, no one dared say anything upfront, but the whispers behind were relentless.
Bertha Swift already felt down from being interrupted, now listening to these murmurs only made her feel worse, and she felt sorry for Mary Scott’s encouragement and introduction from yesterday.
“Let’s go again.” Fortunately, David Locke didn’t scold anyone this time and patiently called for another take.
Bertha Swift took a deep breath, just about to re-act with Brian Joule, when she met a pair of searching eyes and froze slightly, she knew they were Adam Piers’.
Remembering Adam Piers hadn’t acted in a single scene before but successfully played a male supporting role in David Locke’s last film, even gaining many fans, Bertha Swift felt uneasy, her steps hesitant, when suddenly the man who hadn’t spoken since the filming started said, “Director Locke, I have a suggestion.”
David Locke wasn’t restraining himself for Adam Piers’ sake just now, he realized if he scolded again, Bertha Swift might genuinely stop acting. Seeing Adam Piers causing trouble, his heart was displeased, “Out with it!”
Adam Piers glanced at David Locke, “I have an injury and can’t wait; shoot my scenes first.”
“You…” David Locke intended to scold him acting like the crew was his family business, but mid-sentence remembered it actually was, so he changed words, “Alright.”
David Locke flipped through the pages and found although the next scenes belonged to Adam Piers, the partner was still Bertha Swift, his brows furrowed slightly, “Bertha Swift, can you handle it?”
Bertha Swift didn’t know what Adam Piers was up to, but seeing the director asking like this and indeed her acting with Brian Joule was not going well, she reluctantly nodded.
David Locke saw it and beckoned the costume team to change Bertha Swift’s outfit.
Bertha Swift entered the dressing room, just put on a new costume, when there was a knock at the door outside, the makeup artist opened it and surprisedly said, “Master Piers, why are you here? The men’s dressing room is over there.”
While speaking, the makeup artist pointed to it for Adam Piers.
Adam Piers said, “I need to rehearse with Miss Swift, please wait outside for us a moment.”
The makeup artist, though puzzled, considering Bertha Swift’s performance these two days and this Master Piers isn’t easy to deal with, who knows if it was rehearsal or warning, sensibly left.
Inside, Bertha Swift heard Adam Piers talking to the makeup artist, feeling both puzzled and wary, zipped up and came out, “Rehearse what?”
“The next scene, of course.” Adam Piers said confidently, after all, he was genuinely here to explain the scene to Bertha Swift.
Bertha Swift pursed her lips silently, hearing Adam Piers continue, “The character Doreen Ted, a genius yet solitary, had two interests in her first life, one being medicine, the other her senior…”
Initially, Bertha Swift thought Adam Piers was messing with her, but as he delved deeper, she realized Adam Piers wasn’t lying, he truly was explaining the scene to her.
“Our next scene is Doreen Ted’s rebirth and her first meeting with her senior, she hasn’t let go of him yet is suspicious of him, you can try imagining yourself as her, then transform into this character, feel her emotions, let Doreen Ted’s emotions become yours…”
Twenty minutes later, Bertha Swift and Adam Piers were in front of the camera.
David Locke started off inattentively, but as the two on camera moved, his gaze suddenly changed, murmuring, “That’s it.”
Mary Scott was sitting right behind David Locke, hearing him say this, thought it just began, how could it be it? With doubt, she looked over and saw in the camera Bertha Swift was no longer Bertha Swift, she emitted a prideful aura, yet facing Adam Piers, no, it should be Dyson Hardy, various emotions surged out then suppressed, helpless and desolate, just felt her spirit stirred, David Locke wasn’t wrong, that’s it!
“Cut!” David Locke watched them finish the scene, then called cut.
While others stopped, the two in the camera were still immersed in the emotion. Mary Scott wanted to approach with some worry but was pulled back by David Locke, shouting to everyone, “Next scene, continue.”
Seeing everyone move on, Mary Scott quietly said, “Bertha Swift’s emotions are obviously off, still hasn’t come out of the last scene, I’m afraid she…”
“It’s precisely because she hasn’t come out yet that she needs to shoot the next scene, her state of immersion is good, naturally, we should shoot more.” David Locke certainly saw they were both immersed in their roles, but now wasn’t the right time for awakening.
Mary Scott opened her mouth but ultimately stayed silent, Bertha Swift’s immersion wasn’t easy, and waking up now indeed wasn’t a good choice.
In the ensuing scenes, Bertha Swift was as if divinely aided, almost all completed in one take.
However, after the scenes ended, she still regarded herself as Doreen Ted, wholly absorbed in the plot, even in the following days, although filming became smoother, Bertha Swift visibly slimmed down.
David Locke as a director was also a mad artist, he didn’t see anything wrong, but Adam Piers who got Bertha Swift into character thought otherwise.
Although he also used experiential school methods, because of the accumulation from last filming, plus learning from the other two schools prior to coming, he incorporated other acting styles while using the experiential school. Thus, even though he fell into character, he had developed his way of coming out of it, but Bertha Swift apparently hadn’t.
She simply couldn’t!
So when off-stage, Bertha Swift warmly called Adam Piers senior brother, Adam Piers got goosebumps all over, but what made him more uneasy was Bertha Swift’s expression when looking at Brian Joule.
Did she truly take Brian Joule as her lover?
How can this be, Adam Piers panicked!