Filming was in full swing.
Will was about to respond to the Governor's praise when the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Both men turned toward the noise, and there was Elizabeth, descending the stairs in a white floral dress.
"Elizabeth, you look absolutely stunning! I don't think any man could resist your charm!" the Governor exclaimed loudly.
Seeing his crush looking so breathtaking, Will froze for a moment, completely captivated.
But his eyes quickly lit up with joy.
He didn't say a word—standing in front of the Governor, he didn't have the right to say much. He could only keep his feelings locked away in his heart.
Elizabeth spotted Will downstairs and called out happily, "Will? It's so good to see you!"
Then she hurried down the stairs, practically jogging.
Her eyes were only on Will as she rushed to his side. "I dreamt about you last night!"
Will's eyes sparkled, but he quickly composed himself.
Under the Governor's skeptical gaze, Will played dumb. "Me?"
"Is this really the time for that?" the Governor cut in, unable to help himself.
Elizabeth completely ignored her father, continuing to Will, "Do you remember the day we met?"
"How could I forget, Miss Swann?" Will replied.
Luke nailed this moment with finesse.
The first half of his line—"How could I forget?"—was dripping with raw emotion.
Just that one sentence conveyed the depth of Will's love.
But the second half took a sharp turn, showing intense self-restraint. He put distance between himself and Elizabeth by calling her "Miss Swann."
"Dialogue, expression, body language—all perfect. Not a single flaw," Director Verbinski couldn't help but marvel.
"I could probably pull that off if I really tried," Johnny Depp muttered, refusing to admit defeat.
The scene continued.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Elizabeth!"
She didn't mind Will's deliberate distance. Instead, she stepped closer, her face inches from his, and said earnestly.
"At least one more time, Miss Swann," Will replied, locking eyes with her, his tone serious.
His gaze was so sincere, it was clear he believed Elizabeth understood his heart:
Despite the gap in our status, I have to act distant in front of others, but there's no distance between our hearts.
Elizabeth nodded, about to speak, when the Governor jumped in first.
"Only someone close can call you that. See, this young man knows his place—keeps it polite, and that's good!"
"We should get going, or we'll be late," the Governor added, not giving Elizabeth a chance to argue. He pulled her along, and they left in a carriage.
Will stood at the door, watching the carriage disappear, and whispered so only he could hear, "Goodbye, Elizabeth."
The line had to be quiet because of the setting.
Normally, soft dialogue risks sounding mumbled or weak, which could make the character seem spineless.
And nobody wants a weak male lead—that would ruin Will's character.
But when Luke delivered the line, despite the low volume, it was crystal clear. Every word was crisp and precise, easy to understand.
More than that, his low tone carried an unexpected confidence and resolve.
Everyone could feel the fire in Will's heart. He wasn't discouraged by the huge gap in status between him and Elizabeth. Instead, he was full of determination.
Maybe right now I can only whisper your name in private, but one day, I'll call you by your name in front of everyone, showing the world how close we are.
Will's resolute gaze backed up his inner resolve.
After watching this performance, Director Verbinski was speechless for a long moment.
Snapping out of it, he realized he'd forgotten something.
"Cut!" he shouted, flustered.
"Great job, that was fantastic," he said, giving a heartfelt thumbs-up.
If Anne's performance was solid but unremarkable, Luke's was downright dazzling.
This was the acting ability of a 19-year-old action star with only three action films under his belt?
His understanding of performance, his acting, physicality, and delivery were flawless—top-tier across the board!
Even a veteran actor with decades of experience would struggle to reach this level.
"What do you think of him, Depp?" Verbinski couldn't help but ask.
"I'll admit he's slightly better than me. Just a tiny bit," Johnny Depp said, conceding in the face of undeniable evidence but still saving some face.
"We've gotta step it up. Seeing Luke's performance, we can't let him outshine us," Verbinski said.
"Absolutely!"
"Then the next scene's on you. It's gonna be rough, but I'm expecting big things!"
"Huh?" Johnny Depp had a bad feeling about this.
…
The next scene was Elizabeth, struggling to breathe in her corset during Commodore Norrington's promotion ceremony, fainting and falling off the fort's edge into the sea.
Captain Jack, seeing someone fall, dives into the water to save her.
On paper, the scene didn't seem too demanding in terms of acting.
But considering the weather? That's where things got dicey.
Over the past few days, waves of cold air had swept down, plunging North America into winter mode.
In the north, Midwest, and even the Northeast's Great Lakes region, blizzards had hit, canceling thousands of flights and causing accidents and injuries on snowy roads.
Even Miami was experiencing record-low temperatures for this time of year.
So, jumping into the sea in this kind of cold?
Depp remembered when Luke had knocked him into the water earlier. Even though he was pulled out quickly, he'd been shivering like crazy.
Today's scene meant spending a lot longer in that icy water.
As a professional actor, Depp wasn't about to back down.
So, with everything ready, the shoot began.
"Action!"
Not long after filming started, Luke, resting in a chair on the sidelines, heard chaotic shouts from the crew:
"Help! Depp's sinking!"