Chapter 401 Gabriel is talking to her?
Outside the studio, Sebastian just happened to be hanging around too.
Producers don't usually tag along with the crew every day, but the recent scenes were pretty intense. Sebastian had just gotten back from out of town a few days ago and would pop in now and then. Who would've thought he'd bump into Gabriel?
Considering how many subsidiaries the Harriman Group has and all the big companies they've bought, a single movie was small potatoes to them.
Gabriel showing up at the "Shadow Kill" launch party for Nicholas last time was already a huge deal. The movie became a hot topic in the entertainment world and caught the eye of investors. Having a big shot like him at the launch was a major flex.
And now, Gabriel was on set.
Sebastian rushed over to greet him: "Mr. Harriman? Wow, didn't expect to see you here! Why didn't you give us a heads-up? Something urgent? Or just here to see someone?"
Wayne was ahead, waving off anyone who tried to come over and say hi.
Gabriel got out of the car, staying silent with that "don't mess with me" vibe. Thanks to Wayne's signals, most of the crew and prop guys kept their distance.
Sebastian had met Gabriel a few times. They weren't exactly buddies, but at least he could chat with him a bit.
"Shooting a scene?" Gabriel glanced at the green screen studio where people were bustling around.
You could see the curtains near the entrance flapping as crew and makeup artists went in and out with their gear.
"Yeah, Sam's shooting inside. Green screen scenes need a lot of post-production CG work, so the camera work has to be super precise and synced with the effects team. That's why things are moving kinda slow today," Sebastian said with a grin. "Wanna check it out, Mr. Harriman? Since you're here, why not take a peek?"
"I'm just an outsider; no need to stress out the actors. I'll pass."
Sebastian chuckled, "True, if the actors knew Mr. Harriman was watching, they'd probably freak out. But having you here is a big honor."
Gabriel stood there, not really in the mood for chit-chat. He glanced over at a few RVs parked nearby.
A lot of crews rent RVs, and they all look pretty much the same. There were a few parked over there.
The door of the RV on the right opened, and out came Zoey, holding Jessica's usual thermos and a down jacket. She was heading to the green screen studio and didn't notice anyone until she almost walked past Gabriel. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring up at the tall and imposing Gabriel in shock.
"Mr. Harriman?!" Zoey gasped, almost thinking she was seeing things. She pinched herself and looked again, taking another deep breath when she realized it was really him.
Oh my God?!
What was Mr. Harriman doing here?!
Gabriel recognized her as Jessica's assistant and noticed what she was carrying. "Is it cold in the studio?"
Gabriel, with his usual cool and distant demeanor, asked her while his eyes fell on the stuff in her hands.
"Huh?" Zoey's eyes went wide.
Mr. Harriman was talking to her?
Gabriel was talking to her!
Zoey felt like she was about to melt, standing there for a few more seconds before blurting out, "Yeah, it's pretty cold. Xyleria's almost in winter, and except for the RVs, all the shooting spots are freezing. The green screen studio's even worse 'cause sunlight barely gets in. And today, Jessica's got a rain scene. I was worried she'd catch a cold, so I brought her the down jacket and some warm water."
She raised the thermos in her hand as she spoke.
Wayne, listening nearby, frowned. "It's really cold today, probably around freezing. Do actors really work this hard? Filming in this weather, aren't they afraid of getting sick?"
Zoey bit her lip and said softly, "Yeah, we're worried about catching a cold, but actors are like this, especially Jessica. She's super dedicated and doesn't shy away from tough conditions. Despite this, some people in the industry still try to smear her or arrange for prop guys to mess up on purpose to give her a hard time."
Wayne touched the back of his hand. "Yeah, it's really cold today."
Jessica was in the green screen studio.
Without a word, Gabriel turned and walked back the way he came.
Zoey quickly followed. Although she was thrilled to have exchanged a few words with Mr. Harriman, she was still worried about Jessica inside. She hurriedly lifted the curtain and ran inside to find her.
Jessica had just reviewed the playback. The previous segments were fine, but the entire scene wasn't finished yet.
There were still two emotional scenes to shoot.
Although Jessica was the female lead and Kevin the male lead, her character had gone through a failed relationship earlier in the movie. The scene she was about to shoot was at the beginning of the movie, where she met her childhood sweetheart ex-boyfriend in the rain, they ran towards each other, embraced, and kissed in the rain.
John, the second male lead, had worked with Jessica in another show before, but they didn't have many scenes together. In this movie, they often chatted and had a good relationship.
"Am I hitting the jackpot today? Jessica is about to have her first on-screen kiss, right?" John said, holding the script and rehearsing with Jessica.
Jessica focused on the script and replied, "Yeah."
Indeed, it was her first on-screen kiss.
Although Jessica had been in the industry for several years.
Before she got famous, she played small roles that no one cared about. Later, she starred in two popular shows, one as the second female lead with many action scenes and no romantic scenes, and the other as the female lead, but it was during a time when there were restrictions on romantic scenes in TV shows. So, many scripts in recent years had toned down romantic scenes, keeping them subtle.
Jessica had also done modern dramas, including anthology series and elite female lead roles, but coincidentally, she never had a kissing scene. The one time she did, the director wanted a light and artistic shot, so they used angles to fake it.
"Shadow Kill" was unique in that both the male and second male leads had clear romantic storylines with the female lead. The love and hate relationships were intense, especially against the backdrop of the movie's era, making the emotional scenes particularly dramatic.
