Hollywood Immortal Chapter 7 7: Filming MV For Numb With Naomi Watts

[Chapter 7: Filming MV For Numb With Naomi Watts]

Daniel called Carson, Zack, Anne, and Linton to et and emphasized that the music video for Numb had to be completed by May 5. They needed to deliver it to MTV in New York by 6 PM on May 6 without any delays.

A team was established for the shoot, and their first order of business was to finalize the leading actress for the music video. Zack had already handed over the initial round of actress submissions to Linton, which ant Linton had the final say.

Linton glanced unexpectedly at the three of them. Considering his rising star status and the success of his latest project, Baby, it didn't surprise him. Simply put, he was the biggest asset in the production, and the entire crew existed to serve him; that was the rule of the industry.

He opened the material and discovered five candidates. Since Caron Diaz had recently entered another production, she could not participate in this music video. To his surprise, he recognized a familiar face among the candidates. It was Naomi Watts, the forr Oscar-winning actress and a top-tier star whom he admired. In his mory, she arrived in Hollywood in '93, but he thought, if he was mistaken or if this was a change he had caused, it didn't matter -- it had to be her.

As Linton's fa skyrocketed, the competition for the leading role in this music video was fiercer than before. Agencies pulled out all the stops to promote their actresses, even Daniel. However, Daniel was solely focused on winning over Linton and completely ignored the others' attempts. Zack and his team didn't have any real authority; they assud Linton would at least consider their suggestions to help their candidate. Unexpectedly, Linton played by his own rules and settled on Naomi imdiately.

...

Naomi's agent hung up the phone and exclaid with joy, "Naomi, we got the role in Linton's music video!"

Naomi could hardly believe her ears. "What did you say? Repeat that...."

"I said, we got the role..."

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing! God finally gave us a break." Her agent crossed herself.

As a fresh agent with only Naomi Watts as her client, securing this role ant Naomi's career would take off.

...

With Linton's rise, Universal also upgraded his treatnt, giving him a dedicated office, assigning him an assistant nad Molly, and even providing two bodyguards.

On May 1 at 9 AM, the filming of Numb officially comnced at Universal Studios. The song was a rock piece expressing that despite feeling helpless in real life, one shouldn't waste ti wallowing in sorrow but instead should break free and embrace a new self. Therefore, traditional upbeat dance thes were not suitable. Zack's script mainly focused on showing the lead actress encountering indifference in various scenes, followed by emotional releases, and finally facing life positively, interspersed with Linton's performance.

Being a rock song, Universal arranged for its band to provide the backing track. The setup was straightforward and quick to record. In just three days, Zack completed all the material and left without attending the wrap party. He was eager to start editing, needing to produce the final version within two days.

...

Carson coordinated for the rest to attend the wrap party. At the party, everyone centered around Linton, raising their drinks to him; even Carson and Anne joined in, making Linton feel completely different from before.

However, as the night went on and everyone got drunk, they loosened up. A few even openly lit up cigarettes in a corner, while others cuddled up to each other.

Linton brushed it off; this was just typical Hollywood life. He ended up enjoying a pleasant conversation with Naomi.

To clarify, during the three days of shooting, nothing happened between them -- ti was too tight, and the shoot required minimal physical contact. Besides, Naomi wasn't as forward as Caron.

Yet Linton found himself quite impressed with her. Naomi's performance captured the essence of the song remarkably well; her acting was much better than Caron's.

Her striking looks were definitely Linton's type, and Naomi tried to get closer to him, naturally leading them to have a space of their own at the party.

...

After a while, the two of them left early; noticing the need to avoid driving under the influence, Mira had volunteered to be the designated driver. Linton had Mira take Naomi back to her apartnt first.

As she stepped out of the car, Naomi shyly glanced at Mira but mustered the courage to invite Linton upstairs. "Do you want to co up for a coffee?"

Linton hesitated a bit, but Mira reassured him, "Don't worry, I checked; there are no paparazzi around. You guys should go up. You need to rest well; I'll co pick you up at 10 AM tomorrow."

Linton thought to himself that he wasn't afraid of paparazzi anyway. He decided to go along with it, thinking he might as well enjoy the mont, "Sure."

He followed Naomi upstairs. Without an elevator, they had to take the stairs.

...

Upon entering her apartnt, Naomi changed into so comfortable ho clothes, which hugged her body even more and made her look more alluring.

Naomi brewed a cup of coffee for each of them, and they sat by the window chatting. They started discussing their lives. Linton was humorous and witty, making Naomi laugh heartily. As they talked, they leaned closer together until eventually, they were side by side.

Standing 6'1", Linton towered over 5'5" Naomi who looked petite and charming next to him.

"Hey, Naomi, you are truly captivating..." Linton said as he gently embraced her waist.

"Just call Nami," she replied, and Linton nodded in agreent. Soon, they ended up kissing.

They both knew the ropes, exchanging kisses and quickly escalating things into a passionate encounter.

Naomi appeared smaller than Caron but held her own just fine. Their intimacy continued into the early morning hours. Naomi eventually fell asleep cradled in his arms, while Linton lay awake, a strong sense of achievent filling him.

However, Linton also realized that Naomi remained relatively unknown, similar to how Caron was during the filming of Baby. Their intimate connection essentially didn't provide him with any added benefits.

But given Linton's soaring popularity, his own developntal pace was skyrocketing, and he found himself less concerned about his partner's enhancent value.

After all, his dream girl was right there in his arms. What more could he ask for? Moreover, he figured he could always help boost her career, just like he did with Caron. As the main protagonist in this music video, he knew he could support Naomi's path to stardom. With that thought in mind, Linton also closed his eyes to rest.

*****

spatreon/Sayonara816.