"So everything is set, then?" I asked Mitchell through the phone.
Mitchell answered back, "Yes, yes. Lucy will be there." He paused. "What's this about?"
"Oh, it's nothing," I said casually.
"Because I get the feeling that you and Phil are up to something," Mitchell said, his tone suspicious.
"What? Nooo," I said, trying to sound innocent.
"Really? Because, you know, Haley and I talked..."
"Mitch, there is nothing going on. It's nothing," I insisted.
Mitchell paused. "Maybe I should talk to Claire."
I immediately panicked. "No! If you do that, I will fire you."
"Ohhh," Mitchell said, now very intrigued. "Okay, now I need to know."
I sighed. "Okay, okay. Phil and I are planning something for Halloween..."
"Say no more," Mitchell said.
"Oh, really?" I said, surprised.
"Yep. But I want in on whatever you're planning."
"Fine," I said. "Talk to Phil."
Mitchell laughed. "I'm looking forward to it. Enjoy Venice, by the way. And Cam asked you—"
"Yes, I will get it for Cam," I said quickly. "I haven't forgotten, because he's been reminding me for the last three months."
Mitchell chuckled. "Have fun, Danny." He ended the call.
I shook my head. Another conspirator added to the big Halloween plot.
I stood up from my bed and grabbed my jacket, draping it over my arm. I checked my phone one more time, making sure everything was in order for the trip.
Margot and I were leaving for the Venice Film Festival, where Birdman would premiere. It was a big moment for Midas Productions—and especially for Margot.
Venice was one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, alongside Cannes and Berlin. A premiere there carried weight. It was where serious films were showcased, where awards campaigns were launched, where careers were made.
Margot had done very well in Birdman. I'd seen the film. She was incredible. She was definitely going to be nominated for an Academy Award. And because of that, she was stressed. Her team was working overtime to position her as an A-lister. She had upcoming press tours, interviews, appearances—all part of the machine that was Hollywood.
Before going to Venice, Margot and I would be stopping by Morocco to see the filming of Game of Thrones. The entire Daenerys/Essos storyline would be filmed there, and I was looking forward to seeing the progress. We'd also be taking Alice with us, as she'd wanted to come and had basically begged me. I mean, why couldn't she come?
As I tried to think if I hadn't forgotten anything, Graves, my PA, walked into the room and then closed the door behind her.
She had a look on her face.
I looked at her silently, asking with my expression: Why did you shut the door?
She leaned against the door, arms crossed. "Okay, Daniel. What is going on with Margot and your mom?"
I blinked. "What?"
"I was just down there," she said, almost laughing as if remembering what was happening downstairs. "And they are just passive-aggressively going at each other. Like they think people aren't noticing, but like we are noticing a lot... so, what's up?"
"Oh, fuck," I muttered, rubbing my face. "That."
"Yes, that," Graves said. "What's going on?" she asked eagerly for the tea.
"I'd say it might be my fault," I admitted.
Graves raised an eyebrow. "Really? What did you do that made them basically feuding now?"
"It's not a feud," I protested. "It's just a misunderstanding. It's the ring, you know? That's what caused all this."
Graves laughed. "The mysterious heirloom is involved? Okay, now I really gotta know. Come on, spill."
FLASHBACK
Margot was sitting on the couch, talking to me. "So everyone thinks it's a good move," she said, referring to a script she'd been offered. "But I told them you didn't think it was good, and now they're trying to tell me you're too controlling."
She paused, looking at me seriously. "I told them no. Because if anyone knows a good script from a bad script, it's you." She tilted her head. "Are you listening?"
"Yeah, yeah," I said absently, staring at my laptop. I was trying to write the beginning of the Percy Jackson sequel series. I muttered under my breath, "I can already imagine the headlines—Margot Robbie Held Prisoner by Her Evil Boyfriend."
Margot chuckled.
I tried to concentrate, to at least start writing something.
Then Margot said, "Oh, do you think your mother will let me borrow her earrings? You know, the ones she got from her mother? I think, from how you described them, they'd be great for the dress I plan to wear in Venice."
I was too engrossed in staring at the blank page. I only hummed. "Mm-hmm, yeah, sure."
"Great," Margot said brightly. "I'll talk to her this Sunday."
FLASHBACK END
Graves laughed out loud. "So let me guess Margot went and asked your mother for the nonexistent earrings, and your mother said no?"
"Yeah, something like that," I said, rubbing my face.
FLASHBACK
I was sitting on the bed as Margot paced in the bedroom.
"She wouldn't give them to me," Margot said, her voice tight. "And you know what? I wouldn't have minded if she'd just said no. But you know what she said?"
"What?" I asked, wondering what the fuck had happened. Margot and my mom were close or so I thought.
Margot stopped pacing and looked at me. "She said they were a family heirloom." She emphasized the words.
"That was it for me. She made it clear I understood exactly what she meant."
"We've been dating for this long, and your mother doesn't think I'm family," Margot said, her voice shaking slightly. "My mother thinks of you as her own son. And I guess yours doesn't feel the same way about me."
"I mean, it's not like I demanded she give it to me. I just asked to borrow it. I mean, she wouldn't even let me see it. That's how you know…"
"Know what?"
She looked at me, eyes narrowing. "Of course you would take her side."
"Mags, no—" I stood up, trying to defuse the situation. "That's not what she meant—"
"Then what did she mean, Daniel?" Margot said, crossing her arms. "Why else would she bring up that it's a family heirloom? She could have just said she didn't want to lend them. But she made it clear I'm not part of the family."
"That's not true," I said. "My mom loves you—"
"Does she?" Margot asked. "Because I really didn't feel the love today."
FLASHBACK END
Graves laughed. "Oh, you fucked up, boss. Big time."
"It's not a big deal," I said defensively. "My mom, you know she just panicked. We even talked after. She told me there was nothing wrong."
"Yeah, right," Graves said, clearly not buying it.
"You have no idea what you just did," she continued. "All this could be solved if you just used the ring for what it was intended…"
"Exactly," I said. "When I eventually do it, we can all laugh about this, and it'll all be over."
Graves said in a low tone, "Or your mother takes it back." And she laughed again.
I shot her a mock glare. "Not funny."
Graves put her hands up. "Look, you better do something before things get out of hand. Trust me you don't want this to happen, especially with your mom."
"What does that mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Oh, nothing," Graves said innocently as she looked at her phone. "It's time to go."
I sighed. "It's that damn ring."
Graves looked at me seriously. "Just propose, boss. What are you waiting for?"
"The right time," I said. "And it's not now."
I shook my head, then grinned. "You know, my great-great-grandmother who stole that ring?"
"Yeah?"
"You know what her name was?"
"What?"
"Irene."
Graves blinked, then burst out laughing. "Oh my god."
"Yeah," I said, grinning wider. I really needed to look into my mothers side of the family more.
Graves was still laughing as we walked out of the room.
Downstairs, Margot was waiting for me with Alice, my mom, and Nathan.
Mom was crouched down slightly, talking to Alice. "Now, you behave yourself, okay? Don't make trouble."
Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I will, I promise!"
Margot smiled, resting a hand on Alice's shoulder. "It'll be fine, Mary. We're going to have so much fun, aren't we, Alice?"
"Yeah!" Alice said, beaming.
Mom straightened up, her smile tight. "I'm sure you will. Just... make sure she doesn't get lost. Or wander off. Or—"
"Mary," Margot said, her tone sweet but with just a hint of edge, "I think I can handle taking care of a child."
Mom's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Of course."
"Good," Margot said brightly.
Nathan, sensing the tension, cleared his throat. "So, uh, Morocco, huh? That'll be fun."
Oh boy, I thought, as I watched them both while Graves held back her laughter behind me.
.
.
.
The Daenerys scenes set in Pentos and the wedding were being filmed in the city of Essaouira, Morocco. We arrived on a private jet and were greeted by a small delegation of Moroccan officials. I was also recognized by a handful of Moroccan fans. From there we were driven to the resort where we would be staying for the next three days before leaving for Venice.
The resort was great. It sat along the coast, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean: whitewashed buildings with blue accents, sprawling courtyards filled with palm trees, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below. The air smelled of salt and jasmine. Our suite had a private terrace with an ocean view. The sunset that first evening was breathtaking, orange and pink streaking across the sky and the water shimmering beneath it.
Alice was enjoying every bit of it. We were going to spend the first night here, see the filming tomorrow, and then stay two more days before leaving for Venice. I didn't really talk to Margot about what was going on between her and my mom. I wanted to put it off until after we got back. Maybe by then things would have cooled down even if there were reasons for them not to.
Which was what I hoped, but it did not happen. We had a great first night, and on the morning before we were going to see the filming the matter came up when Margot made an offhand remark after seeing a pair of earrings that were very similar to what I had apparently described. That led to a small argument, and we spent the first half of the day shopping in a bad mood. You could see it on our faces; even Alice felt the tension.
All of this was just so stupid. Most of it was my fault, but one thing I did understand was that my mom and Margot had underlying issues before this whole earring business. I needed to figure out what it was.
The second half of the day was spent visiting the set. Elias and Cal were there; the scene they were filming was the one where Khal Drogo arrives with his bloodriders to inspect Daenerys.
And it was gigantic in scope. Over 500 Dothraki extras on horseback filled the sprawling courtyard of Illyrio's palace. Extras dressed as servants, slaves, guards, and attendants moved through the set, easily another 300 people. The palace would be massive, far larger and more opulent than anything I'd seen in the original show: towering columns, intricate tilework, fountains, and draped fabrics in gold and crimson. It looked like something out of ancient Persia or Babylon.
We could splurge on these scenes because Daenerys's plotline would mostly be with her in the khalasar after this in the season. Cal, Elias, and I wanted to show how big and diverse Essos was and how powerful Drogo could be through this opening. I remembered how, in the original first season, Drogo had come with a small retinue of ten, and Illyrio's palace had not been grandiose. Here, with twenty million dollars per episode, this and more were possible.
I found myself talking with Cal and Elias as they prepared for the shot where Drogo would lead the 500 Dothraki in. "We have drones for the overhead shots and multiple cameras on the ground," they said. I nodded as they described what parts of the city they had already shot to make Pentos come to life.
Nearby, Margot was talking with Emilia Clarke, who seemed to be gushing over how cute Alice was in that enthusiastic Emilia Clarke way. I could hear parts of their conversation.
Alice pointed at Emilia's platinum blonde wig. "You have the same hair as Margot," she said.
Emilia laughed. "It's not my real hair, sweetheart. But there are more wigs like this. Do you want to try them on?"
Margot grinned. "Oh, she loves doing that."
Emilia's eyes lit up. "Ohhh, someone's a big fan. You want to be an actress too?"
Alice nodded eagerly. "I do. I want to be like Margot."
Just then Harry Lloyd walked over. Alice looked at him, tilted her head, and said innocently, "Are you her sister?"
Everyone burst out laughing. Harry put a hand to his chest, mock-offended. "Okay, I think I've mostly nailed this part. Sister, brother, same thing."
More laughter. After a while the conversation shifted, with Emilia asking Margot if she would ever be interested in being in the show in later seasons if it all went well.
Margot shrugged. "It's a great story. I don't know if there's a character for me here."
I chimed in, "If we ever make a prequel with Aegon and his sister-wives, you can be Visenya. I had you in mind when I wrote her."
Cal and Elias both nodded enthusiastically. "We could easily do a movie," Cal said.
"Maybe, maybe," I answered. I think Margot could do a good Visenya or even Rhaenys. There wasn't really much story in making an Aegon the Conqueror movie anyway, but it would be fun to watch all the battles, though it would be tough.
Just then I saw Jason Momoa walk over. I'd only met him once before, and it had been fleeting. He was massive, even more imposing in person: long hair, broad shoulders, dressed in Khal Drogo costume.
"Daniel," he said, shaking my hand firmly.
"Jason," I replied.
He looked me straight in the eyes and said only one word. "Lobo."
Everyone nearby turned, confused.
I blinked. "Lobo?"
He nodded seriously. "Lobo."
I thought for a moment. He was kind of perfect for it, and Lobo was in the Supergirl movie I was planning. I put out my hand. "Welcome to the DCU."
Jason looked shocked for a moment, then broke into laughter and shook my hand hard. "Really?!"
"Seriously. Yeah. Sure. You're in," I said, grinning.
"Okay!" Jason said, still laughing. He turned to everyone, who looked shocked and confused at what had just happened. "I guess I'm in the DCU now! Yeah, baby!"
After the moment of confusion passed, Harry Lloyd looked at me, then at Jason, then back at me. He deadpanned, "Lobo."
"Too late, Harry," I said as everyone around us laughed.
.
.
.
"But I want to come too!" Alice said as Margot and I were about to leave for the first day of the Venice Film Festival, where Birdman would open the festival.
I crouched down to her level. "Margot and I will be back later. Tomorrow we'll go out and see the city together, okay? I need you to stay here with Graves. You're going to have so much fun." I pointed to Graves. "You like Graves, right?"
Alice nodded reluctantly.
Graves stepped forward, smiling. "Come on, Al. Let's go find some gelato."
Alice's face brightened immediately, and she took Graves's hand as they walked out of the room.
We had arrived in Venice yesterday and had already met with Alejandro and the other cast members. We'd had a nice dinner the night before, where I'd managed to clear the air with Edward Norton. We'd had some issues during production creative differences, to put it mildly. One thing was sure: I was never going to work with him again.
There was a strong chance for Birdman to score some awards at this festival as well, which would give us a leg up on the upcoming awards season.
Another good thing that had happened on the final day in Morocco, before coming here, was that Margot was no longer angry at me. We'd agreed to talk it all over with Mom when we got home.
I walked out of the room to see Margot ready to leave. She was wearing a black dress, sleek and elegant, with a plunging neckline and a subtle shimmer that caught the light. She looked absolutely stunning. I was pretty sure she was going to be the talk of the day.
"Wow. You look great," I said, unable to take my eyes off her.
Margot smiled, then glanced down at her dress. "If only I had something a bit more..." She trailed off meaningfully.
I sighed. "Mags, come on."
"What? I'm just saying it would've been nice—"
"Can we not do this right now?" I said, a bit more sharply than intended. "We've been over this Enough about the ring."
My eyes widened as I realized what I'd said.
"The ring?" she said, narrowing her eyes.
"The earrings," I corrected quickly. "I meant the earrings."
She smirked. "I'm just teasing."
I let out a breath. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
We left the hotel and first went to the afternoon press conference, where Margot and I, along with Alejandro, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, and Naomi Watts, sat at a long table in front of a packed room of journalists. The conference went well. Mostly Iñárritu, Keaton, Margot, Norton, and Watts answered the questions, talking about the film's themes, the technical challenges of shooting what appeared to be one continuous take, and the performances.
I got a few questions as well, mostly about whether I would continue to work with Iñárritu or if I had a hand in writing this film too. One reporter even asked, "Did Ms. Robbie get the part because you were the producer?" Thankfully, Iñárritu answered for me.
"Margot was my first choice from the moment I read the script," he said firmly. "Her audition was exceptional. This had nothing to do with her relationship with Mr. Adler. She earned this role."
The reporter was clearly fishing for a headline, but it didn't work out.
After the press conference, the red carpet was in the evening. It was basically the same as the last ten I'd been on: flashing cameras and the controlled chaos of photographers vying for the best shot. But this time Margot was in the spotlight, and I made sure she was. This was her night. We were then ushered into the screening area.
"Okay, okay, I'm kind of freaking out now," Margot said as we waited to be seated before the premiere began.
"It's going to be fine," I said, trying to sound calm.
"What if—" she started. I grabbed her hand, locking fingers with hers. Our eyes met.
"Just think we're going to watch a movie. Just some random movie," I said softly. "Nothing else. Just us watching a movie that just happens to be in Venice."
She took a deep breath and her grip tightened on my hand.
"You know it's a great movie," I continued.
Margot nodded slowly, her breathing evening out. "Okay. Okay."
"Just prepare for how many minutes of applause you are going to get," I said, winking at her.
She smiled, the tension easing from her shoulders. "Thank you."
We both sat down with the rest of the cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Alejandro Iñárritu. The theater was packed and buzzing with anticipation.
The lights dimmed.
The film began.
BIRDMAN (OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
Margot had nailed the part of Sam, Riggan's daughter and assistant. I remembered Emma Stone's performance in the original version from my old life. In some ways Margot was better—her delivery had more bite and rawness. In other moments she was perhaps slightly less vulnerable. Overall, she was incredible.
The film itself was great. Iñárritu's direction was bold, the other performances were strong, and the score, with its relentless drumming, kept the tension building throughout.
As the film ended, the screen faded to black. For a moment there was silence, then thunderous applause. A standing ovation erupted. People were on their feet, clapping and cheering.
Margot turned to me, her eyes glassy, and kissed me. I kissed her back, then we both stood, clapping with everyone else.
Everyone in the cast, including me, congratulated each other. Margot shook hands with Michael Keaton, who pulled her into a hug. Alejandro kissed her on both cheeks, beaming. Edward Norton nodded at her with genuine respect. Naomi Watts embraced her warmly.
The applause continued in wave after wave. I leaned close to Margot's ear and whispered, "Okay, I guess you'll have to bring home the gold next year..." She only smiled, her eyes shining, as the applause went on.