"Liv, long time no see. You're still as gorgeous as ever," Dunn said, stepping forward to give Liv Tyler a light hug. He leaned in, taking a deep sniff near her neck, then lowered his voice with a grin. "And you still smell just as irresistible."
Liv Tyler giggled, shooting him a playful, flirty glance. "Dunn, I haven't properly thanked you yet."
Dunn feigned confusion. "Thanked me for what?"
"You helped me land a role in The Lord of the Rings before—I thanked you for that. But this time, you made me the lead in The Abyss of No Return. I haven't gotten around to thanking you for this one!" Liv leaned in close, whispering in his ear.
Her words were subtle, but they both knew exactly what she meant.
Dunn chuckled to himself. Picking Liv Tyler as the lead was mostly James Cameron's call—he thought she had this 1950s femme fatale vibe, especially in her eyes.
Now that Liv was giving him the credit… well, Dunn wasn't about to argue. He was the producer of The Abyss of No Return, after all.
Besides, with her laying it on this thick, turning her down would just hurt her feelings.
It'd been over two years since they'd last hooked up. Reliving an old fling? That sounded like a rare treat.
Dunn smirked. "I really like your dress."
Liv's cheeks flushed as she glanced over at Grant Hill, the producer, not far off. "It's a costume. If it gets dirty…"
"If it gets dirty, we'll swap it out! If there's no backup, then Grant's not doing his job as producer!" Dunn waved it off grandly, scanning the area. "Let's head to your dressing room."
Liv bit her lip. "Alright."
She waved toward the distance, and a young girl scurried over in a hurry.
Dunn followed Liv toward her dressing room, but when he noticed the girl trailing behind, he raised an eyebrow and teased, "Liv, you're not trying to pull a 'buy one, get one free' deal, are you?"
"Huh?"
Liv caught on quick and rolled her eyes at him, whispering, "She's my assistant. This is a set—tons of people around. I'm having her stand guard. Besides, I don't buy that her figure would catch your eye."
Dunn chuckled but didn't say anything.
She wasn't wrong. Assistants to female stars were rarely stunners—no one's dumb enough to keep a spotlight-stealer that close.
Still, the topic piqued his interest. "Hey, do you know Charlize Theron?"
"I've met her a few times, but we're not close," Liv answered honestly.
Dunn lowered his voice. "Once Mel Gibson joins the cast, she'll be around too. You should get to know her—save any… awkwardness later."
"Awkwardness? Why would it be awkward?" Liv tilted her head, her blue-green eyes blinking curiously at him.
Dunn gave her a sly, knowing wink. "Guess."
"Oh!"
Seeing his cheeky grin, it clicked for Liv. She'd been through this plenty back when she lived at Dunn's place. Hesitating, she asked, "Charlize… she's okay with that?"
"Don't worry, she's even more easygoing than you!"
At the dressing room door, Dunn didn't waste a second—he scooped her up in his arms and barreled inside.
The little assistant stayed posted outside, her face turning beet red as weird, wild sounds leaked through the door.
An hour later, Dunn strolled out of the dressing room, clothes neat, spirits high, looking every bit the confident charmer. If you hadn't lingered by the door eavesdropping, you'd never guess he'd just been through a marathon workout.
"Sir!"
The assistant jumped, bowing her head, too shy to meet his gaze.
Dunn gave a casual "Mm" and said, "Go help Liv tidy up her clothes."
"Oh… uh, sure!"
The assistant nodded awkwardly, her face still flushed hot.
Dunn sauntered back to the set like he owned the place. Cameron had called a break, and the crew was chilling.
He'd planned to swing by and chat with Cameron, swap some ideas—after all, he'd just "mirrored" a top-tier skill set, so he was brimming with pro-level know-how!
But before he could, the film's leading man, Matthew McConaughey, beat him to it, rushing over with a grin. "Hey, Mr. Walker! I'm Matthew—Matthew McConaughey!"
Dunn raised an eyebrow and shook his hand. "Hey, Matthew. I like your acting."
It wasn't just polite chit-chat. Matthew McConaughey was a known workhorse in Hollywood—a Texas boy with grit and guts, always bringing infectious energy to his roles.
His standout moment? That Inception scene where he outshone Leonardo DiCaprio with just a look.
Matthew's face fell, though. "Cameron's ripped into me a million times already."
Dunn smiled. "Don't sweat it. He's tough because it's good for you!"
"I know," Matthew mumbled, still down.
Dunn wasn't worried about The Abyss of No Return's quality—James Cameron was at the helm. But the schedule? That was another story—also because James Cameron was at the helm!
Dunn was banking on The Abyss hitting theaters next May to take on Disney's Pearl Harbor—produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Michael Bay.
Smashing Pearl Harbor at the box office would make crushing ten Coyote Ugly-level flicks look like child's play in terms of impact.
But Matthew's current vibe? Dunn was worried it might throw a wrench in Cameron's plans.
"Matthew, I know you're busting your ass, but I need you to push harder—give it everything to meet Cameron's standards," Dunn said, his tone earnest. "Remember Titanic? That movie turned Leonardo into a megastar! Trust me, The Abyss of No Return can do the same!"
"Leonardo?"
Matthew's eyes flickered with surprise.
The press had been all over it—Leo's Titanic paycheck was just $2.5 million. Now? He was locked into the $20 million club, a certified Hollywood A-lister!
Dunn's pep talk lit a fire under Matthew, filling him with a rush of hope and ambition.
By now, more actors were drifting over—Heath Ledger and Joshua Jackson, who played coast guards alongside Matthew, plus Liv Tyler, her face glowing with a hint of charm.
Dunn was a big-shot director—his aura outshone every star on set!
Heath Ledger, an old buddy who'd gotten pointers from Dunn before, grinned casually. "Dunn, I took your advice. I've got a whole new take on experiential acting now."
Matthew's face soured instantly.
In the Abyss crew, Heath was Cameron's golden boy—praised left and right—while Matthew was the punching bag.
Worse, Heath leaned on experiential acting, while Matthew stuck to the method approach.
Was that it?
Was experiential acting just flat-out better than method acting?
In Hollywood, pretty faces could only get you so far as eye candy. To hit the A-list, acting chops were the lifeline!
Even Tom Cruise, who coasted on looks and action flicks, nabbed an Oscar nod once his skills kicked in—not some green-screen poser.
Sure enough, the topic came up fast. Joshua Jackson piped up, "Director Walker, what's your take on that old jab Laurence Olivier threw at Dustin Hoffman?"
Dunn was a renowned director—an industry pro. Actors asking him stuff like this was par for the course.
Everyone perked up, leaning in like eager students.
Matthew and Heath, though, squirmed awkwardly while staring at Dunn—especially Matthew.
If Dunn said experiential acting trumped method, he'd switch gears in a heartbeat and study up.
Dunn clocked their expectant faces and sighed inwardly.
This was a tough one to answer. One wrong word, and he'd piss off half the room!
Olivier's dig at Hoffman was Hollywood's most famous acting anecdote—a showdown between experiential and method styles.
The ripple effect? Huge!