In fact, he was overthinking it. A demon is still a demon, and they won't change easily.
The next day, when he arrived on set, Director Woody Allen continued to nitpick. Every scene, every action, and every line was scrutinized, leaving him with no moment of peace.
He endured the awkwardness and pushed through, continuing his performance. Every day left him utterly exhausted, with mounting mental pressure. He couldn't sleep at night and even lost his appetite.
His mental state was starting to deteriorate.
The cinematographer, Lemi Adefarashian, noticed the change through the lens.
"Director Allen, aren't you putting too much pressure on Luca? Look, he's lost a lot of weight."
Lemi had worked with Woody Allen several times and was a familiar face on set. He couldn't stand watching any longer.
"Has he? Well, that's even better. It suits character," Director Allen said, shaking his head as he watched the monitor.
"Luca, you don't seem to be in good shape. Didn't you sleep last night? You didn't go out partying, did you?" Allen asked, frowning.
"No, I think I need to adjust a little," Luca replied, wiping sweat from his brow as the heat became unbearable.
"Take a ten-minute break. I hope you can pull it together quickly. If you can't handle it, I can give you a long vacation," Woody Allen sneered.
"Director, I don't need that. I'll be fine," Luca forced a smile.
After a brief rest, he focused again, dealing with Woody Allen's relentless criticism.
A few days later, he had visibly slimmed down, and his complexion had paled. Yet, he was more immersed in the role than ever. Every day revolved around filming, and even during breaks, he was engrossed in the script, almost obsessed.
By July 20th, most of the main character's scenes were shot, and the supporting actors, the secondary male and female leads, had joined the production.
The secondary female character, a wealthy woman named Karolyi, was played by British actress Emily Mortimer. Emily was from London, in her thirties, a graduate of Oxford, and exuded a classic British elegance.
In the film, she and Luca played a married couple, with her character serving as the male lead's ticket into high society.
The secondary male character, Tom, a wealthy young man, was played by English actor Matthew Goode. Tom, the brother-in-law of the male lead Chris Wilton, was dating the female lead (played by Scarlett), while the male lead had an affair with her.
Both Emily and Matthew were talented actors, creating good chemistry with Luca during their scenes.
Once these supporting actors arrived, the filming pace picked up significantly.
During group scenes, Woody Allen relaxed a bit. He no longer halted scenes frequently, dragged them out, or criticized as harshly.
Luca thought his tough days were over, and that Woody Allen's temper had improved. But he was wrong. When Luca was acting alone, Allen still criticized him furiously.
"Luca, I know you won the Silver Bear in Berlin, but do you really think you deserved it?
No, no, your win was pure luck. Look at your performance now — your emotions are off, your movements are stiff, and can you stop posing when you're in a suit? This is a film, not a red carpet. I hope you understand who you are, what you're doing, and why you're doing it. Don't sleepwalk through your performance!"
On the street set, Woody Allen shouted through a megaphone.
Luca's face darkened, "I got it, Director Allen!"
"Alright, take a ten-minute break. I hope you won't be sleepwalking in the next scene," Allen snorted, taking a long swig of his drink. The hot, muggy weather had worsened his mood, but after shouting for a while, he felt much better.
"Director Allen, do you need a therapist? Your mood swings are becoming a problem," Lemi Adefarashian, the cinematographer, said, approaching him.
"Really?" Allen frowned.
"Yes, the way you're criticizing people is excessive and disrespectful. If I were Luca, I'd have punched you by now," Lemi warned.
The assistant director Ian nodded secretly. The director was too irritable, almost like he had rabies, but he didn't dare say it out loud.
Woody Allen scratched his messy hair, "Maybe you're right, but I can't let up right now. Luca's performance is getting better and better, even exceeding my expectations. So I have to keep the pressure on, to sculpt this rough stone into a masterpiece."
"You have a point, but not every stone is meant to be sculpted. If you push too hard, I'm worried you'll break Luca instead of polishing him," Lemi cautioned.
"I understand. I've talked to him about this before. He said he'll do whatever it takes to cooperate with me, no matter how much pressure. And he's proven to be strong," Woody Allen smiled with satisfaction.
"Well, you're the director, so you get the final say," Lemi chuckled, leaving to adjust the camera.
Under a parasol in the break area, Luca sat with Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode, chatting.
"Luca, do you have a grudge against Director Allen? He's so harsh on you," Emily teased, crossing her legs with a smile.
"No, it's just his style. He wants me to perform better," Luca shrugged, fanning himself.
"Getting criticized by Allen is actually a good thing. He's a master director, and what seems like a perfect performance to us might look full of flaws to him," Matthew Goode remarked, glancing toward the elderly director.
"True, I've heard that good actors enjoy being yelled at. You and Luca must be really good," Emily joked.
Luca smiled. Matthew was right. For a new actor, even a flawless performance has gaps in the eyes of a great director. Allen's guidance was valuable, like gaining experience for free.
With that thought, Luca's frustration began to fade.
Ten minutes later, the next scene was ready.
Today's scene involved the male lead, Chris Wilton, using his connection with the secondary female lead to land a job at a big company, where he received a promotion, a pay raise, and even a company car with a chauffeur.
After work, the male lead runs into an old tennis teammate.
Now, Chris has made a name for himself, while his former teammate remains unknown, still playing tennis.
This scene emphasized the script's central message: "If time flies by and you've achieved nothing, how long can you keep going before you have to change course?"
"Scene 3, take 2, action!"
The filming began.
Luca, dressed in a suit, walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. The wind blew through his coat and long hair, and the sun illuminated his pale, handsome face — a picture of grace.
"Hey, Henry!" he called out as he approached his company car, confidently greeting his old friend.
"Hey, Chris! You're looking great!" his teammate replied, dressed in casual clothes, eyeing Luca's suit and car with a hint of envy.
"Thanks!" Luca shook his friend's hand with a smile, "Still playing in the tennis circuit, Henry?"
"Yeah!" his friend replied, though he quickly shifted his attention to Chris's car, "Look at that, what a beautiful car!"
"Oh, don't make a big deal of it. It's just a company car. I only get to use it," Luca shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's still pretty good. I know you lost your patience with tennis long ago, while I'm still running around hoping to make a name for myself. It's all wishful thinking," his friend sighed as he looked at the car.
Luca shook his head, "I just couldn't stick with it."
"Yeah, well, I hear you're doing big business now?"
Luca smirked, "I'm really just running errands in an office."
"Is that so? Even high-level errands sound pretty good," his friend said, still fixated on the car.
Luca chuckled, "Not long ago, I met a fantastic woman. She's incredibly wealthy — huge estate, servants, private stables. It's all amazing."
"Cut!" Woody Allen stroked his chin, "Luca, watch your pacing with the dialogue. You can slow down; we're not in a rush."
"Got it, Director!" Luca adjusted himself, and the filming resumed.
By around 5 p.m., the day's filming wrapped up.
"Hey, Luca, want to grab a drink at the bar? We've got a lot of scenes together coming up. We should get to know each other better," Matthew Goode and Emily Mortimer invited him as they stood nearby.
"Sure, give me a moment. I'm drenched in sweat."
"Haha, alright!"
After Luca changed his clothes, the group headed to an Irish pub on King's Road.
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