The dilemma now was that if they pushed to keep filming, Johnny Depp was reluctant to shoot the underwater scene, and Anne Hathaway wasn't confident she could nail it either.
But if they didn't get this scene done today, the bad weather coming up would delay things for days.
In this situation, Luke could only suggest stepping in as Depp's stunt double for the scene.
The underwater sequence didn't necessarily require close-ups of Depp's face.
As long as Luke wore Captain Jack's clothes, put on the fake mustache, and applied the smoky eye makeup, shooting from the back or half-profile wouldn't give anything away.
Plus, with Luke as the stunt double, Anne would feel safer having him nearby, which would help her relax.
All things considered, the stunt double plan seemed pretty feasible.
Director Gore Verbinski nodded in agreement, and Johnny Depp was totally on board. He absolutely didn't want to go in the water today and was thrilled Luke was willing to take over.
The key, though, was Anne's opinion.
When Luke asked her, Anne hesitated for a moment.
Her eyes showed a mix of uncertainty but gradually settled into reassurance.
Anne Hathaway nodded and said, "Luke, I trust you. If you're stepping in for Depp in this scene, I think I can give it a shot. I'll do my best."
"How about a hug for some courage?" Anne said with a smile, opening her arms.
"Haha!"
"Go for it, lucky guy!"
"I wish a beautiful woman trusted me like that to give her courage. Where's mine? Still lost out there somewhere?"
The crew chuckled and teased good-naturedly at the sight.
The two had worked together plenty of times and were a familiar on-screen couple, so this kind of interaction felt normal.
Luke stepped forward and gave Anne a gentle hug. The faint scent of her golden hair was intoxicating, making his heart skip a beat.
As he started to pull away, Anne hugged him tightly.
At 5'8", Anne's tall, curvy frame felt soft and warm in the embrace.
Solid, yet soft.
It was like sinking into her, enveloped completely.
That was Luke's biggest takeaway.
"You've got this later," Anne whispered in his ear.
"Don't worry, you're totally safe with me," Luke said, patting her back encouragingly.
With that, Anne let go of the hug, smiled, and went to prep.
"Luke, let's get you in makeup. We're on a tight schedule," Verbinski called out.
With everything settled, the director hustled Luke over to prepare for the next scene.
The makeup team got to work, transforming Luke while he familiarized himself with a scene that wasn't originally his. The director coached him from the sidelines.
…
Everything was ready, and filming resumed.
"Action!"
With the clapperboard's snap, Elizabeth fell from a height, crashing into the sea.
Splash!
Crystal water sprayed high, glittering like gold in the sunlight.
Dressed in a flowing white gown, she sank backward into the depths, a trail of bubbles following her.
In the story, Elizabeth was supposed to be unconscious here. Otherwise, there'd be no need for Captain Jack to save her—she'd just swim to shore herself.
After all, Elizabeth was set to become the Pirate King someday. Swimming was a basic skill she'd definitely have.
The underwater cinematographer would soon zoom in for a close-up, so Anne had to convey that relaxed, unconscious state.
The freezing water made Anne's skin prickle, tempting her to curl up.
Facing upward, water threatened to flood her nose, forcing her to hold her breath even harder to avoid choking.
As her body sank deeper, instinctual fear crept in, urging her to thrash and swim up.
But Anne powered through with sheer willpower.
She kept her face and body relaxed, sinking slowly as someone unconscious would.
The camera zoomed in for her close-up. With her eyes closed, Elizabeth didn't notice the skull-shaped gold coin around her neck transform mysteriously after hitting the water.
The coin jolted, sending invisible soundwaves rippling outward, vanishing in an instant.
The cursed coin had been activated, signaling the undead pirates hunting it to come racing aboard the Black Pearl.
Elizabeth, sinking in the sea, was clueless.
At that moment, Luke, dressed as Captain Jack, swam into the frame from the left.
Instead of circling behind Elizabeth, he approached her head-on, pulling her into his arms and swimming toward the surface.
The shots mostly captured him from behind, with only a few half-profile angles.
Elizabeth, cradled in his arms, was filmed clearly from the front.
This would give the film's marketing team plenty of material to highlight the leading lady's dedication when the movie hit theaters.
As Luke swam upward with Anne, the scene wrapped.
"Cut!"
Nailing it in one take, Verbinski was thrilled.
In the water, Luke was still kicking hard, carrying Anne toward the surface, about 65 feet away.
Suddenly, he noticed Anne's expression—she looked panicked.
What was wrong?
Had they been underwater too long during the shot? Was she out of oxygen?
Anne flailed, but the exertion seemed to burn through her air faster, her face growing more distressed.
She was definitely out of oxygen.
Unable to speak underwater, Luke patted her back, signaling her to stay calm.
Anne nodded, understanding.
Luke wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, then quickly pressed his lips to hers.
Caught off guard, Anne's eyes widened in shock, but the air he passed to her eased her suffocating panic.
She nodded gratefully, clinging to him as they swam upward.
When they broke the surface, Luke was about to speak when Anne pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him deeply.
Though they'd kissed plenty of times on set, this was their first time off-camera.
Luke chalked it up to her being shaken from nearly running out of air.
But then he realized this was different—Anne's tongue slipped into his mouth…
A thought flashed through his mind: Is this harassment?
He knew some male actors snuck in tongue during kissing scenes to "get some perks."
But a woman taking the lead? What was this?
And this wasn't even a scene.
At that moment, the system, with perfect timing, displayed golden text before his eyes:
[Host has inadvertently completed an intimate interaction with the opposite sex, earning a skill reward: Gymnastics (Master Level)]