Chapter 848: Chapter 254: Two Men
"How am I doing now?" As everything returned to calm, Kirsten, completely naked and wrapped around Adrian like a water snake, stroked his chest and breathlessly asked in a uniquely husky voice of satisfaction.
"Very good, my little fairy," Adrian said, caressing her back with a tone of satisfaction, "but a bit overconfident."
"Working with you for the first time, I have to try my best to perform well," Kirsten smiled enchantingly. "It’s just that it’s a bit late, almost ten years before I finally got a role in your movie, yet still a supporting character."
As she spoke, she opened her mouth and bit lightly on his chest, though her tone was coquettish, the way her gray-green eyes darted around revealed what she truly had in mind.
"Don’t be greedy, little fairy, you should know it’s definitely impossible in these years," Adrian played with her softness, "Time is on your side, understand? Besides, the current role is quite good, if you can maintain the feeling you delivered today in the final shot, guarantee many people will... praise you again as they did back with ’Interview with the Vampire.’
He blinked as he spoke, and Kirsten immediately understood, her smile growing even more alluring. Though she didn’t get the promise she sought, having this was already quite good. Besides, Adrian was right, she was still young, whether in terms of her career or in bed, she had the advantage.
Oh, what a disaster it was, not that River and Pitt performed poorly, in fact, they were very professional and dedicated, even after several calls of "Cut" from Adrian, as soon as it’s announced to restart, they would enthusiastically embrace and start kissing again without hesitation.
However, regardless of their dedication, the actual effect of the shoot never came out looking good, as if there was some barrier between them, making the passion seem a bit awkward. Under these circumstances, after two more unsuccessful attempts, Adrian decisively ended the shooting for the day and told River and Pitt not to worry, as it was just a trial shoot for now.
Despite saying so, it’s impossible not to worry, this kissing shot, although it will only appear on the big screen for over ten seconds, is crucial to the turning points in the key characters’ minds, making the agreement on Brokeback Mountain a major highlight of the film. If true emotions aren’t conveyed, the entire emotional ambiance of the movie could be downgraded.
Besides, if it’s really not going well, he would keep shooting until satisfied, at least it demonstrates one thing, River and Pitt are not homosexuals. Adrian thought to himself then drew a breath, raising his eyebrows at the giggling Kirsten, whose hand had already reached below.
As one of the many women he had, and playing an important role in his movie, it’s almost impossible not to indulge in each other’s company at night. Especially after Amanda joined, threesomes became the norm, with one-on-one situations becoming rare. Although Kirsten quickly accepted the situation, she still felt a bit disappointed in her heart. Now with such a good opportunity, how could she not seize the moment to be intimate.
Adrian naturally wouldn’t disappoint her, just regrettable in the sense that he had work tomorrow, so he couldn’t make her feel so weak and exhausted that she wouldn’t get up until the afternoon. Of course, not now, but there would be plenty of chances in the future, he kept those thoughts clearly in mind.
After getting up the next day, while Kirsten was still in character, the crew seized the time to shoot some affectionate scenes between Ennis and Alma. As the afternoon arrived, the weather became suitable, everyone returned to the house outside where they had filmed yesterday, ready to continue the unfinished scene from yesterday.
Unexpectedly, it passed in one shot this time, even Adrian was somewhat stunned.
"Of course, we also prepared some protective measures," Pitt followed up with an explanation, but his words immediately caused the corners of Adrian’s mouth to twitch.
"No no no, not that kind of protective measures, just a method to prevent excessive contact." Pitt hurried to clarify upon realizing he misspoke, but no matter how it sounded, it seemed like a cover-up.
"Simply put, we wanted to practice kissing without feeling awkward for doing it too much," River had to jump in to prevent more misunderstandings, "so we had to take some duct tape and stick it on our mouths, making it less uncomfortable when practicing."
"Wow," Adrian sighed in relief, his smile returning to his face, "I never thought you would use such a method to practice; it may be clumsy, but it’s very effective. Oh, River, Brad, you’re so dedicated, how should I reward you?"
He said, enthusiastically pounding his fist into his palm, "Right, you wouldn’t mind sharing a bit of this practice when we shoot behind-the-scenes footage, would you?"
Despite River and Pitt’s slightly darkened faces, they nodded in agreement.
"Great, guys, now we should make the most of the momentum, pack up and get ready to head up the mountain!" Adrian said, giving them a firm pat on the back.
Since the current most troubling shot was done, and coincidentally after completing filming yesterday, his assistant informed him the sheep had been contacted. If he didn’t utilize their good state to get the crucial mountain scenes done, Adrian’s several years of directing and producing would be in vain.
Privately, he had his assistant invite River’s girlfriend Kristen Bell over to visit the set, as Adrian didn’t want things to really go too far, even though many would be willing to see such a scene unfold. Unfortunately, Pitt still doesn’t have a steady girlfriend; otherwise, inviting them along would surely greatly reduce such possibilities.
Aside from these considerations, if they go up to the mountain now, Kirsten’s scenes would have to pause temporarily, her state couldn’t be guaranteed.
"Sorry, Qiqi, we need to head up the mountain ahead of schedule, so you’ll need to take a break for a few days," Adrian said apologetically.
"It’s okay, these things happen all the time," Kirsten was quite understanding, "this gives me the time to reassess Alma’s psychological state from a new perspective, I’ll work hard, I promise."
Seeing her so obedient, Adrian obviously didn’t hold back his gestures, immediately kissing her passionately in front of everyone. Then, while the sheep still needed some time, Adrian seized the moment to complete some simple living scenes between Ennis and Alma, like weddings, Ennis taking Alma to an outdoor movie, or taking the whole family to watch the fireworks, before heading up the mountain.
The temperature on the mountain is also colder than at the base, even though it’s already late March, the perennial snow of the Rocky Mountains isn’t so easily melted. Yet, such a challenge is a piece of cake for the dedicated River and Pitt, who can tape their mouths to practice kissing, of course, logistics and support still need to be adequately prepared.
"Hurry up, hurry up, bring them the blankets." After completing the shot, Adrian was the first to urge, and when the two wet individuals wrapped in blankets came over, he immediately comforted and praised, "Well done, guys."
The scene just shot was of Ennis and Jack stripping completely and jumping into the lake one after the other from a large rock, cheering, to showcase the bond between the two. Because it was shot from a distance and the angle was well-adjusted, there was no need to worry about exposure issues. However, that was precisely why Adrian had people busy picking them up, as the lake water was still icy cold. Even though River and Pitt had done plenty of warm-up exercises before filming, it couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any problems.
Overall, the filming situation after arriving in the mountains was quite smooth. River portrayed Ennis’s introverted and taciturn nature even more deeply, so much so that Adrian wanted to reshoot previous scenes. Pitt was slightly lacking in comparison but could still basically catch up with River. The ups and downs he experienced, coupled with his status as a sexy idol in recent years, were also a kind of training for him.
Therefore, the scenes involving the sheep were quickly finished. Adrian wasn’t foolish enough to hope to direct these animals to drink from a live stream; all that was handled by specialists. He only needed to tell them what he wanted. Besides, most of the scenes featuring the sheep looked very beautiful, with Ennis and Jack’s playful antics and picturesque landscapes of Montana and Wyoming—including the scene of them jumping into the lake, which all looked very pretty. So, the progress naturally was good.
However, after these scenes were completed, the real challenge began. The fighting and mutual confession scenes were manageable since both actors controlled their emotions superbly, especially River’s low sobbing, which involuntarily evoked sympathy. After that, Adrian was the first to lead the applause, but the other scene wasn’t so easy.
"Are you ready?" After everything was arranged, Adrian asked the protagonist and the supporting actor, both in cowboy outfits, with a half-smiling expression.
"No problem." River adjusted his clothes and answered first, and Pitt, who was also warming up, nodded in agreement.
"Really ready?" Adrian asked again, and after receiving affirmative answers, he clapped his hands together, "Then let’s begin!"
"The expression is too stiff, River, don’t rush, be a little more natural." After repeating several times, Adrian stopped filming and began discussing the scene with them, "Although Jack is mostly the one taking the initiative and Ennis is always struggling between rejection and acceptance, at this moment, he finally accepts the call of his heart, yet with some self-destructiveness, he engages with Jack. Just grasp that and you’re good to go."
After explaining to River, he turned to Pitt: "As for you, Brad, Jack is also conflicted because he initially wanted to have Ennis under him."
As soon as he said this, laughter erupted, and even Pitt couldn’t help tugging at the corners of his lips.
"So his emotional layers can be fewer than Ennis’s. Maybe you can..." Adrian thought for a moment, "punch the ground to show his frustration?"
Although this scene required drawing out a lot of emotions, and the shots were quite continuous, sometimes requiring them to maintain emotions for several minutes at a time, it generally did not exceed the planned progress. After overcoming the initial awkwardness, River and Pitt quickly found the right feeling and completed this important scene smoothly. It seemed the previous kiss scene had quite an impact on them.
Adrian had to have an assistant contact Kristen Bell to visit the set, but unfortunately, some things were hard to say explicitly, so she arrived only after the mountain scenes were completed.
"Take a good rest this weekend, River, no rush, I allow you to arrive at the crew a bit later on Monday morning. Additionally, it’s already April, and the scenery in Yellowstone Park will be beautiful, so why not take a stroll there and enjoy a lovely time together, just the two of you? If Joaquin and Silver come, I promise to block them," Adrian teased the couple with a mischievous smile.
Then Kristen quickly whisked River away. Although she arrived a bit late, she soon realized the impending crisis amidst the crew’s gossip. It seemed that River would be greatly exhausted tonight.
As for Pitt, after coming down from the mountain, he went straight back to Los Angeles to have some fun. After living in a trailer on the mountain for a few days, even though there weren’t any issues with living conditions, the quality wasn’t quite comparable to the towns below, not to mention the metropolis of Los Angeles. Anyway, now that he was off the mountain, the next shoots were scenes between Ennis and Alma, so he was scheduled for a break.
Adrian also had his fun. During the almost two weeks on the mountain, though interesting, it was still the forest, and you could hear a few wolf howls deep into the night. Everyone huddled in the trailers at night, with nighttime scenes shot in daylight with lighting creating the night effects. In short, once the initial novelty wore off, it was more comfortable back in town, and also...
"I once questioned why you never brought fish home. You always said you caught a lot and you knew my daughter and I loved fish...so one night, before one of your fishing trips, I opened the fish box, five years ago. The price tag was still on it, and I tied a note to the other end, saying, ’Bring some fish home’...and when you came back, looking all pleased, you said you caught a bunch of salmon and ate them all, remember? I went to check the box, my note was still there, and the tag line had never touched water."
"That doesn’t prove anything."
"Don’t try to fool me anymore! I know what that means, that Jack of yours!"
"Alma."
"Filthy Jack, you guys weren’t even fishing, you were..."
"Listen to me, you don’t know anything."
"I’ll call..." Kirsten finally put down the script she was holding, looking a bit annoyed at Adrian, who was sitting in the chair, "Can’t you be a bit more serious, Ed?"
"Oh? What would it mean to be serious?" Adrian asked nonchalantly.
"At least show some emotion, alright?" Kirsten, who initially wanted to be upset, finally just sighed, "Listening to your weak delivery, any emotion would just vanish into thin air."
Amanda also had a role in "Brokeback Mountain," as Ennis’s eldest daughter—Little Alma. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian () with recommendation votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)