"Damn it, it's all burned down! Where's that punk? I'm gonna take him out!"
Old Gilbert, playing the streetcar driver, tossed his hat, absolutely fuming.
After that shot, Old Gilbert's cameo gig was done. He wasn't quite satisfied though, telling Gilbert, "Back when I was a producer, I never got to act. This feeling... it's something else! From now on, you gotta save a role for me in your movies. I wanna make more cameos!"
Gilbert didn't object. Giving the old man something to do was probably for the best, keep him from chasing after women and ending up in a sticky situation. With this cameo under his belt, and thanks to Gilbert's connections, other Hollywood films might just come calling for Old Gilbert. If the old man really got into acting, he could become a late-life actor, earn some cash – at least enough for those 'strip club' expenses, ya know?
After his cameo, the old man headed back to Los Angeles. The crew, though, kept on with the intense filming: car chases, explosions, gunfights – the usual.
Naomi Watts came back to reshoot her scenes and then brought up an invitation from Mel Gibson to Gilbert. "Mel wants me for a role, kind of like the second female lead."
"And did you say yes?" Gilbert asked.
"Nah," Naomi Watts shook her head. "Everyone in Hollywood knows I'm your woman. Him inviting me, and with Sean Connery in it too? Sounds like he's got ulterior motives, for sure."
Gilbert pulled Naomi Watts into his arms. "I'm glad you told me. Honestly, I don't really care how you pick your roles. I'm not that selfish, I respect your choices."
But Naomi Watts still shook her head. "No, since I'm your... 'special friend,' I gotta know my place. I only made it big in Hollywood because of you. Your enemies, your rivals, are my enemies, my rivals."
Mel Gibson hadn't directly clashed with Gilbert, but his agency, CAA, especially Martin Bob, was definitely one of Gilbert's sworn enemies. Naomi Watts knew that men often said one thing and meant another. They might say they respect your choices, but if you actually went and did something like that, they'd secretly care.
Last time, her good friend Nicole Kidman stayed in the same hotel as Mel Gibson for four hours, and Tom Cruise found out. They had a huge fight, and now the rumor mill is buzzing about cracks in the Cruise marriage, with Mel Gibson being the 'third party.' Tom Cruise was furious; word is he almost got into a brawl with Mel Gibson.
From what Naomi Watts knew about Gilbert, he wouldn't act like Tom Cruise, but he'd definitely cut ties with her for good. And Mel Gibson? His fate would be sealed, likely out of Hollywood for good. As for Sean Connery, an old man past his prime, nobody cared what he thought anyway.
Naomi Watts knew how to play the game, and her clear understanding made Gilbert like the petite woman even more. Of his three women, Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron were still a bit green, but Naomi Watts was always looking out for him.
Gilbert never let his own down. He held Naomi Watts' head, sniffing the scent of her hair. "For now, just take whatever roles your agent suggests. Everyone knows you're my woman, so nobody's gonna try anything funny with you. Just wait for my signal; we're going for the Oscar!"
"Mmm," Naomi Watts snuggled contentedly in Gilbert's arms, enjoying that peaceful moment. People are different, but unless someone was deliberately causing trouble like Mel Gibson, no one would intentionally mess with Naomi Watts or try any 'backdoor' shenanigans with her. These were the unspoken rules of Hollywood, understood after seeing Gilbert's character.
Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron were in similar situations. Backed by Gilbert's favor, Cameron Diaz was reportedly throwing her weight around on set, giving directors headaches. These low-ranking directors couldn't afford to offend the already famous Cameron Diaz, let alone Gilbert, who was behind her.
Of course, Gilbert did pull Cameron Diaz aside and lecture her, telling her to drop the 'princess act' and just focus on acting. Whenever that happened, Cameron Diaz would sprawl on the sofa, butt in the air, big teary eyes looking at Gilbert, whining, "I'm sorry, just hit me already!"
At that point, unless you're a monster, no man could bring himself to do it. So Gilbert would just lightly pat her a couple of times as a 'punishment.' But Cameron Diaz, who actually enjoyed it, would then deliberately provoke Gilbert, begging him to 'hit' her again. Turns out Cameron Diaz had that kind of hobby. What else could Gilbert do? He just had to launch a fierce assault and conquer that raised 'high ground.'
Charlize Theron was better; she had a good temper and was kind to the crew. Of course, that might also be because she wasn't as famous yet.
After Naomi Watts left, Gilbert thought about it. Mel Gibson had been eyeing his women repeatedly; it wouldn't be right if he didn't retaliate. But he couldn't act like Tom Cruise and just confront Mel Gibson.
So Gilbert called his father, discussing how to mess with Mel Gibson's Oscar chances.
"This won't be easy," the old man said. "I hear Martin Bob has hired a PR expert and has a strategy to win those awards. They're dead set on the Oscar."
Gilbert remembered how in his past life, Mel Gibson had to retreat to Australia for a while, clearly having offended someone. The only ones who could make Mel Gibson unable to survive in Hollywood were probably the Hollywood Jewish club.
So Gilbert started cooking up charges against Mel Gibson: "Naomi told me that at some Australian gathering, Mel Gibson spoke disrespectfully about our Jewish people. That's a huge insult to us, we gotta do something about it."
Even though adopting this 'Jewish' identity wasn't something Gilbert particularly enjoyed, he had to admit, in this era, in Hollywood, that identity was incredibly useful.
"Alright, I'll help out," Old Gilbert knew his son was just making an excuse, but he'd still lend a hand. "I'll reach out to some people. At my age, I still have some connections."
After the call, Old Gilbert went to contact his network. Gilbert didn't expect to completely derail everything, just to snatch away one or two awards, to teach Mel Gibson a lesson. If he could mess with his Best Director win, that would be even more spectacular. Oh, and he could also contact Tom Cruise; 'Tom-kun' must hate Mel Gibson even more than Gilbert did right now.
Of course, there was no rush for this yet. To make a big move at the Oscars, it would probably be next year. Plan it all out first, then take down Mel Gibson. That's the more thorough approach.
---
Time slowly crept from late September into October. Filming was progressing well, just as expected. Roger Moore was doing a fantastic job; at 67, the old man did many of his own stunts, showing glimpses of his old James Bond swagger. However, to look after the veteran actor, the crew had a doctor on set at all times.
Though Gilbert wasn't too familiar with Roger Moore as an actor, the old man seemed to have lived for a long time, so he probably wouldn't drop dead on set. If he did drop dead, well, that would be even better; Hollywood has a long tradition of profiting from the dead. They could just slap on a "Veteran 007 Roger Moore's Last Film" label to stir up audience sympathy and get them into theaters. Film companies have no bottom line; if there's profit to be made, God can step aside, let alone an old man dying.
But the kindhearted Gilbert still hoped Roger Moore would stay healthy and not kick the bucket while shooting his film. Although death can't always be avoided, this was an action movie with many intense scenes, so injuries were bound to happen.
Since filming began, despite Gilbert constantly emphasizing safety, four or five stunt performers had been injured, and even Nicolas Cage's eyebrow got scratched by a prop, drawing blood. Gilbert tore into the safety supervisor, repeatedly stressing safety. Afterwards, Gilbert personally oversaw every safety check to ensure the well-being of the cast and crew.
Even so, news of injuries on set inevitably reached the actors' union. The union wasn't as extreme as Hollywood's animal rights activists; they just sent an investigator to look into the injuries. It's normal to get hurt filming action scenes. The crew only stopped for three days, and after the investigator completed their report, filming resumed.
Martin Bob of CAA tried to use this to stir up trouble, getting the tabloids to sensationalize the crew's disregard for actor safety, hoping to turn audiences against the film. But it barely caused a ripple; everyone was quickly distracted by something else: the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial.
The story was simple: O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and a restaurant waiter were found dead at home. The police quickly identified Simpson as a suspect and arrested him. Logically, with the initial evidence seemingly conclusive, Simpson should have been easily convicted. But things weren't that simple. Due to improper evidence handling and major police blunders, the case became a chaotic mess, drawing the attention of the entire American public.
Finally, on October 3rd, the highly anticipated O.J. Simpson murder trial began. Later statistics showed that 140 million Americans watched the live broadcast of the trial. Government offices even shut down for a day just to watch. But the final verdict was shocking: Simpson was acquitted, causing a nationwide uproar.
People argued back and forth. Some believed Simpson was guilty and should have been punished. Others argued that if the evidence wasn't enough to prove guilt, based on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," he should be acquitted. This whole affair also touched on racial tensions, class conflicts, and other complex social issues.
Whether O.J. Simpson actually committed the murders became secondary; the important thing was that this event captivated all of America, making everything else seem insignificant. So, Martin Bob's attempt to hype up the injuries on the The Rock set became a trivial matter.
Gilbert had heard about this case in his previous life, even watched documentaries and analyses by various bloggers. Now, he was witnessing the case unfold and conclude firsthand. When Sophia asked him how he felt about the case and who he supported, Gilbert didn't answer directly. He just said one thing:
"That's so American!"