"Keira?"
As he stepped into the business class, Luca saw a familiar figure—short brown hair, a T-shirt and jeans, sunglasses on, lips pressed together, and a flat chest. It looked like Keira Knightley.
"Scumbag Luca?"
Keira Knightley looked at him in surprise.
"I..."
Why do I feel like punching someone?
"Ahem, Luca, long time no see!"
Keira Knightley brushed her hair and greeted him nonchalantly.
"Yeah, long time no see. Great to see you. Goodbye!"
"Uh, you—"
Keira wanted to say more but realized he had swiftly walked away. She unhappily smacked the couch.
"Such a petty guy. You were a scumbag anyway, so it wasn't wrong to call you that."
"What did you say?"
Luca walked back and asked.
Keira blinked, surprised. "Why did you come back?"
"This is my seat."
Luca sat down on the opposite couch.
"What a coincidence!"
Keira frowned, her light blue eyes showing a complex mix of suspicion, wariness, and caution, as if she was looking at someone with bad intentions.
"See? It's fate."
Luca shook his boarding pass with a smile.
Keira rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she scrutinized him.
"Hey, are you heading to London for work?"
"For a shoot. Woody Allen's new movie."
"Oh, I saw the news. You're working with Scarlett, right?"
Keira blinked, her lips curling in a peculiar smile.
"Is there a problem?" Luca asked, confused.
"Nothing. The movie you two make is sure to be interesting."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Luca didn't mind if she had other thoughts. "And you? Are you back for a vacation or for work?"
"I'm here to shoot Pride and Prejudice, you know."
Luca nodded, a little disappointed. He had run into Keira during auditions last time and mentioned how great it would be to work together, but in the end, he got nothing.
"Luca, did you know? During the audition, Director Wright was quite satisfied with you. He originally planned to cast you as the male lead, but your scandals were too much. You're infamous in the industry as a scumbag. The producer said casting you in a pure love story would be way too distracting, so they dropped you."
Keira said this seriously.
"Really? Why do I feel like you're just insulting me?"
Luca said with a darkened face.
"Hah, I'm not that petty!"
Keira rolled her eyes at him.
Luca chuckled, clearly not believing her.
From what he knew, there were two main reasons he failed that audition. One, he wasn't quite the right fit. Even though his appearance and demeanor were very British, and his acting was decent, he lacked that certain authenticity compared to a native British actor. This was something his acting coach, Nia, had told him. And two, someone behind the scenes had been pulling strings to prevent him from landing the role. Probably Pitt and the others.
As for Keira's explanation, it probably had a grain of truth.
Rumble~
The plane took off, and the conversation paused.
The flight was over twelve hours long, and with the two of them sitting face to face, they talked quite a bit. Perhaps due to her aversion to scumbags, Keira remained wary of him throughout, bickering over trivial things. They got more familiar, but their relationship soured.
By the time they reached the airport, Keira only said goodbye and left, with no intention of playing the gracious host.
But it didn't matter. The production crew had arranged a reception.
"Mr. Kelly, welcome to London. This way, please!"
"Thank you!"
The next day at noon, Luca, accompanied by Tony, took the crew's car straight to the Fulham Street Hotel in London's West End.
It wasn't far from the set, and for the foreseeable future, he would be staying there.
The surroundings were nice, close to a park, sports field, and library. However, compared to sunny Los Angeles, the constant gray skies of London were far less appealing. And the food here was worlds apart from that across the Channel in France.
But he wasn't here for pleasure. On his second day in London, he was already immersed in the production atmosphere.
Every film set has its own vibe, much like people, each with its own personality, shaped by the director, lead actors, and the movie's style.
The biggest influence, though, is the director. If the director is outgoing, the atmosphere tends to be relaxed. If the director is serious, the set feels tense.
For example, the atmosphere while shooting Honey Dance and Mean Girls was relatively laid-back, but The Notebook felt like a taut string. Then there was Buried, which was stifling, oppressive, and dull, enough to drive someone mad.
In Woody Allen's set, Luca felt a different kind of atmosphere—sometimes cold, sometimes lively, sometimes awkward, sometimes bizarre.
For instance, when Woody Allen cracked a joke and everyone laughed, he'd suddenly ask, "What are you laughing at?"
Faced with that question, not answering seemed rude, but forcing an explanation made you look silly and awkward.
In a master director's set, actors quickly learn the essence of their role—tools. The actor's job is to perform exactly as the director envisions.
Woody Allen is a masterful director and screenwriter. He knows better than anyone how to make the movie, how the actors should perform. If you give him what he wants, he'll praise you. If your acting is awful, he'll berate you, no holds barred.
"Luca, I hope you take this seriously and don't make me regret choosing you!"
On set, Woody Allen called for a break.
Luca stopped acting and looked at him, awaiting direction.
"Luca, in this scene, you don't need to try so hard to be cool or overact. You just need to express it in a calm, natural way.
Remember what I told you last time? I said you and Chris Wilton are alike—you both have ambition, talent, and a certain smoothness. When necessary, you can shamelessly flatter others. Didn't you do that well at my house last time?"
Hmm...
The forty or fifty people on set all looked at him.
Luca's face flushed. He wished he could strangle the old man.
At Woody Allen's house last time, he had indeed complimented him a bit. But was it really necessary to bring that up on set?
That said, the old man's earlier points were valid. He'd spent a lot of time acting cool in Infernal Affairs to project an air of elegance, and he hadn't fully adjusted to this new role.
"Got it, Director Allen."
"Remember!"
Just before the scene began, Allen shouted, "Be yourself! I want you to fully embrace your wild side, your lust, your frustrations, your determination. OK, take it from the top!"
The next round of filming began.
This scene took place in the third act. The main character, Chris Wilton, had just arrived in London from Ireland, hoping to climb the social ladder by applying for a job at a tennis club.
"Mr. Wilton, your resume says you've worked as a tennis coach at Marbella Beach Club, Stanford Club, Ford Resort, and Sardinia Hotel, correct?"
In the office, a middle-aged man in a suit held up the resume and spoke.
"Yes, I have extensive experience in this field."
Luca shrugged, the motion paired with his suit, making him look very confident.
The middle-aged man nodded. "That's evident from your resume. You're very professional. Are you not interested in a career in professional tennis?"
"That's correct, sir. Though I would love to be famous, my talent is limited. I could never be someone like Rusedski or Agassi. I don't want to waste any more time on the court."
Luca said this with a mix of self-pity and resignation.
When he first read this line, Luca felt like Woody Allen had written it specifically with his own life in mind.
He had once been a professional athlete. If he hadn't gotten injured, he might have become a soccer star. But due to a combination of limited talent and personal flaws, he never reached that top tier.
The middle-aged man hummed, "Your resume and recommendation letters are impeccable. Would you like to live in London?"
"Very much, sir."
Luca said confidently.
"Alright. Our members are all upper-class. Can you start this week?"
"Thank you! I'd love to!"
Luca nodded, smiling gratefully.
"Cut!"
"Luca, your performance lacks a bit of nervousness and innocence. I know you're confident, but this is a job interview. Have you ever been to one?"
Allen asked after reviewing the footage a few times.
"Yes, many times!"
"Did you ever feel nervous? I want you to amplify that feeling two or threefold."
"I understand."
Luca made some adjustments and began a new performance.
This time, he added more small gestures and changed his breathing rhythm. When he'd watched the original actor's performance, it always felt too stiff, too many small movements that made him seem immature. Now it seemed that was exactly what Allen wanted.
"Much better!"
Woody Allen nodded slightly behind the monitor, clearly pleased.
When it came to casting, he received numerous self-recommendations and referral letters, and even had actors visit him personally. He took a long time to carefully make his selection.
Initially, he planned to use the Irish actor Jonathan Rhys, but after watching Buried, he was deeply moved by Luca's performance.
In the film, Luca's acting was very mature. Afterward, he looked up more information about Luca, and the more he read, the more he felt Luca was a perfect fit—the best match for the lead role.
So, he invited Luca to play tennis and chat, secretly observing him.
Luca was well-spoken, composed, and confident, with a depth of character. And something else was crucial—there was a unique chemistry between Luca and Scarlett. When the two stood together, there was a spark—passion, ambiguity, and undeniable chemistry.
In the end, he dismissed all other considerations and gave the lead role to Luca.
Luca worked hard and was very intelligent, living up to his expectations.
However, Luca had great potential and was highly moldable—the more pressure applied, the better the result.
"Should I push him even harder?"
Director Woody Allen pondered, cigarette in hand, as he came to a decision.
"Cut!"