Wrapped snugly in a wool blanket, Emma sat in her chair and chatted with Matthew for a while. Suddenly, she asked with a curious glint in her eye, "I've heard a lot of people on set saying you're always asking Christopher Nolan for advice. Are you preparing to beco a director and make your own movies soday?"
"No." Matthew shook his head. "I don't have nearly enough experience to beco a director."
He pulled his own blanket tighter around himself. "Besides, if I were to direct a film, who would ever invest in it?"
He knew that with his current skills, any film he directed would be a guaranteed disaster.
Emma teased, "I was just thinking, if you did beco a director, I could always step in if you needed a leading lady."
Matthew wagged a finger at her. "Forget about directing. That's not why I'm learning about filmmaking and production." He reminded her, "Have you forgotten? I've invested in a few films and I'm a producer on several projects. It's essential to have so foundational knowledge."
"That's true," she conceded. "When my aunt first started producing, she spent all her ti reading books and asking questions."
She paused, recalling sothing, then added, "And I think the first few films my aunt invested in barely broke even. Not like you, who invested in one project and scored a massive hit."
Matthew offered his go-to line, "I just got lucky."
"Matthew, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead." Matthew, of course, had no intention of answering any question he didn't want to.
"How much money do you have now?" Emma Roberts, just nineteen, was bursting with curiosity. "Everyone says you're already a billionaire."
Matthew considered for a mont, searching for a suitable answer. "Barely, if you count stocks and all that."
Emma was not satisfied. "What do you an, 'barely'? Last year, Forbes claid your assets were at least half a billion dollars."
"So you already knew?" Matthew spread his hands helplessly. "You knew, but you still asked."
"I was just checking to see if you're an honest person."
"And what am I?" Matthew asked rhetorically.
"You're evasive." Emma Roberts huffed and pulled the blanket over herself again, shivering. "Stoke the fire, it's getting cold again."
She glanced at the heating unit. "If I weren't leaving in a few days, I'd pay to replace the unit in this room myself."
Matthew got up and first looked at the unit. He could hear the compressor humming, but there was no warm air coming out. The heating effect was extrely weak, so he gave up on the old appliance and added more wood to the fireplace.
It was probably due to a cold snap in the mountains; today was distinctly colder than yesterday.
Emma, curled up in the chair, shivered under the wool blanket. Matthew himself wasn't faring much better. The room was only about five or six degrees Celsius.
"I'm definitely complaining about this hotel later." Emma picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. The remaining warmth helped her feel a little better.
Emma set the coffee cup down and muttered, "Nope, still cold." She lifted the woolen blanket, revealing thermal underwear that clung to her body and highlighted her petite figure.
She walked over to the bed.
Watching Emma, a thought suddenly crossed Matthew's mind: what could warm a body more than the heat of another person?
So he walked over to her. "Emma, you'd feel better if you got so exercise."
Emma turned to look at Matthew, not quite understanding what he ant. "How am I supposed to exercise in this room?"
"Not ordinary exercise." Matthew ca to a stop in front of Emma, a fiery gaze fixed on her. Seeing that she didn't look away, he leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.
Emma Roberts bit her lip and asked, "Are you sure that works?"
"Of course. You feel the real heat from the inside." Matthew reached out and put his arm around her. "We'll warm up in no ti."
Hearing this, Emma Roberts suddenly sprang to her feet, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung from him.
Thanks to the difference in their builds and his excellent fitness, it wasn't difficult for Matthew to hold her.
Emma suddenly nibbled on Matthew's ear and, without waiting for a response, whispered, "Then warm
up." She raised her voice slightly and warned, "Hold
tight! If you dare drop , you'll regret it!"
***
Filming in Calgary continued for another three days before the snowy scenes were declared complete. The crew then flew to Japan for five days to shoot scenes on the Shinkansen bullet train and so establishing shots in Tokyo, after which they returned to Los Angeles to film the last remaining scenes.
Despite filming in multiple countries, the production was significantly ahead of schedule, and by June 10th, very few scenes were left.
The crew moved to a Los Angeles set to shoot Matthew's final scene.
The production had borrowed one of an airline's Boeing 747s, which was currently undergoing maintenance.
"Action!"
Christopher Nolan gave the command, and filming began. The main cara moved in for a close-up on Matthew as he opened his eyes, looking around with a faint sense of bewildernt and loss.
At that mont, a flight attendant approached. "A towel, sir? We'll be landing in Los Angeles in twenty minutes. Do you need an immigration form?"
Matthew looked at her with a slightly dazed expression. A few seconds passed before he took the booklet and whispered, "Thank you."
After speaking, he hastily glanced around. Everyone else in the cabin was looking his way. There weren't many people there: Jas McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Emma Roberts, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy...
As Matthew's gaze swept over the faces of Jas McAvoy and Emma Roberts, they each offered him a slight smile. Then, Ken Watanabe picked up a phone and began to dial a number.
"Cut! That's a wrap!" Christopher Nolan announced.
Matthew breathed a sigh of relief and rose from his seat. This was his last scene in "Inception," and although filming would continue for another week, he was now officially finished.
Considering Christopher Nolan's preference for practical effects, the chances of him being called back for voice-over work later were very slim.
Matthew walked over to the director's chair first and gave Christopher Nolan a hug.
"Chris, it's been an honor working with you."
"It was a pleasure working with you," Christopher Nolan replied earnestly.
"The honor was all mine."
After embracing Christopher Nolan, Matthew hugged Jas McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Emma Roberts, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy in turn.
Jas McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were old friends and comrades; there was no need for pleasantries.
With the others, Matthew was more formal, offering a few words of thanks.
He had always maintained a reputation as a good team player.
While hugging Emma Roberts, Matthew leaned close to her ear and whispered, "If you're still feeling cold, you can co warm up anyti."
Emma Roberts whispered back, "I'll definitely take you up on that when it gets cold."
Before leaving the set, Matthew received the spinning top that Cobb had used from Christopher Nolan—a souvenir to rember the film by.
Later that evening, Emma Roberts called. He left Beverly Hills and sped over to her residence in Santa Monica to warm her up.
Matthew then rested for two days and turned his attention to the box office.
"Fast & Furious 4" had cooled down in North Arica, losing its title as the weekend's top-grossing film in its third week to Pixar's "Up," which had achieved both widespread acclaim and box office success.
As it happened, he was free and accompanied Emma Roberts to the theater to see it.
The opening weekend gross of over $68 million was entirely deserved.
It was now mid-June. "Fast & Furious 4" had been in North Arican theaters for four weekends, earning $272.15 million dostically. Surpassing the $300 million mark in North Arica was now a foregone conclusion.
Factoring in other markets, its overseas box office had reached $285.6 million.
The "Fast & Furious" franchise had been resurrected.
While focusing on his own film, Matthew hadn't forgotten about Natalie Portman's invitation to the premiere of "Cloud Atlas."
Reviews
All reviews (0)