"Ah~ No! I've gained another pound. What should I do?"
Miranda screamed as she walked into the dining room, her long curly hair disheveled, wearing a messy nightgown, with a sweet fragrance lingering around her.
"No worries, have breakfast first. You can diet after you're full,"
Luca said while pouring a glass of skim milk.
"Hmph!"
Miranda glared at him. "It's all your fault. I never used to eat meat, but now I eat it because of you."
"Is that really my fault? If you exercised regularly, eating a bit of meat wouldn't be an issue."
"It is your fault. When you're not here, Kate doesn't cook meat, so I don't have to be tempted. But as soon as you show up, there's always meat on the table. The aroma is irresistible, and once I eat it, I gain weight. So you're the root of all evil."
Miranda angrily bit into an egg.
"OK, it's my fault!"
Luca chuckled lightly, cutting a slice of pork chop. "Miranda, want a bite?"
Creak~
Miranda gritted her pearly white teeth, glaring at him fiercely.
"Come on, have a little. Just an extra half-hour of exercise, and it won't make a difference,"
Luca coaxed.
"You..."
Miranda suddenly shifted her gaze to Kate. "Darling, when was the last time you gave him a beating? He's really asking for one right now."
Whoosh~
Luca immediately wiped the smirk off his face and focused seriously on his meal.
Kate glanced at him, smiling. "Let me think... it's been over two months."
"Over two months? That's way too long. It's time for a beating,"
Miranda said while cracking her knuckles.
"Yeah, good point. When I have some time, I'll give him a good one,"
Kate said, pursing her lips.
(╥﹏╥)
Luca scratched his forehead. "Uh, Kate, I haven't done anything wrong lately."
"Don't speak. It's not up to you to decide whether you've done anything wrong. It's up to us,"
Miranda wrinkled her nose. "Kate, next time you beat him, can I join? How about we tag-team him?"
Kate looked at Miranda, then at Luca, and suddenly smiled. "Sure, next time we'll do it together."
"Yay! Luca, just wait. I won't let you off next time,"
Miranda laughed smugly.
Sigh Luca shook his head. Why can every woman bully me? Am I too soft?
After breakfast, Kate and Miranda began their workout.
Luca, carrying his racket, headed to the Malibu tennis court. In the movie Match Point, his character is a tennis coach, so not only does he need to play well, but he must also teach others how to play.
Once at the court, he sat on the sidelines, observing the movements, gestures, and teaching styles of the other tennis coaches and assistants.
When a beautiful woman invited him to play, he took to the court, showcasing his skills. Seeing how good he was, the women naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to ask for pointers.
Luca loved teaching and patiently gave them advice while practicing his acting skills on the side.
That afternoon, back home, Kate and Miranda went off to attend a club party. Luca had a sandwich and made a call to Lima, who was far away in El Salvador.
Lima's grandmother had passed away two weeks ago, and she had returned home for the funeral. Luca had also spent three days in El Salvador. Now that the funeral was over, Lima was about to return.
But thinking about what Miranda said that morning, if Lima also came back, would it be three against one?
Ouch~
The mere thought of it made Luca's muscles ache.
Luckily, Lima mentioned she needed two more days, as there were some things she had to take care of at the orphanage.
Earlier this year, she had founded an orphanage in El Salvador, and Luca had donated a few thousand dollars to help. The orphanage was small, housing only about a dozen children, but it came with plenty of issues.
After chatting for a while, Luca hung up the phone, grabbed the Match Point script, and headed to his study to work on the character profile of Chris, the male lead. He had written around 30,000 words so far.
From a professional perspective, a script is like a condensed story, where some parts are cut or omitted to create a more streamlined effect.
He needed to break down the protagonist's scenes for deeper analysis and enhancement.
For instance, in the script, there's a scene where Chris first meets the female lead, Nola.
The script only mentions that Chris hears the sound of ping-pong being played as he walks down a hallway. Without seeing her, he hears a woman's passionate voice calling out, "Who's next to face defeat?"
Chris walks over and sees a beautiful, sexy, and captivating woman standing at the other end of the ping-pong table. She's wearing a long white shirt, standing with her back to the bright window, glowing with allure.
Chris is immediately drawn to her.
This description is detailed but doesn't specify every facial expression.
If the script included that level of detail, it would feel redundant and would also limit the actor's performance. Though the script doesn't spell it all out, Luca knew he had to bring this scene to life vividly in his performance.
What should Chris's reaction be when he first sees Nola?
Should he act starstruck, like a lovesick fool, or maintain a cold, god-like demeanor? Or should he play it like a smooth playboy, sending flirty signals?
This is connected to the character's development. Chris is smart and ambitious, so in front of a beautiful woman, he'd definitely be polite yet subtly predatory. Luca easily grasped this nuance.
Once he figured out the right expression, all that remained was to perform it.
Luca had acted in several films and regularly wrote scripts, so he didn't have any trouble interpreting the material. The challenge lay in the execution. Woody Allen is a strict director, and Luca knew that to meet his high standards, he had to work hard.
After finishing the character profile, Luca went to the mirror, practicing his lines, movements, and stage blocking, rehearsing again and again.
To an outsider, it might look like a handsome lunatic was performing intensely.
Ding ding ding~
As dusk fell, his phone rang from the table.
"Luca, are you back in Los Angeles?"
It was Jennifer Aniston on the other line.
"Yes, Jen. How did you know?"
"I saw it in the papers. But your face looked really dark!"
Aniston teased.
"News?"
Luca understood. The news of his return to Los Angeles had been published yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, The Los Angeles Times, and Variety.
Sadly, it wasn't a triumphant return, but more of a "scumbag returns" headline. Some papers speculated that his return was a move to take advantage of a bad situation.
The news even included a photo of him, where indeed his complexion seemed quite dark.
"Jen, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright. I'm sorry you got dragged into this. Brad's actions have been so disappointing."
Aniston sighed softly.
"It's no big deal, Jen. I don't care what the papers say. You're my idol, Ms. Aniston. Getting caught up in rumors with you is actually pretty cool."
"Really? Maybe next time a reporter asks me about it, I should say all the rumors are true. How about that?"
"Uh, um... I'm afraid that might get me killed."
"Hahaha~ Coward!"
Aniston laughed. "Hey kid, are you free tomorrow? We're having a Troy celebration party at my place. You want to come?"
"Me? Would that be appropriate?"
Luca asked, puzzled.
"Of course. You're my friend, why wouldn't it be?"
Aniston assured him.
"Alright, I'll definitely be there!"