Stepping out of the bar, Duke tightened his trench coat; November nights in Dublin were noticeably cold. Right behind him, Sophie Marceau, wrapped in a scarf and wearing sunglasses, walked out without pausing, turning left towards a hotel.
Calling out, Duke followed her, walking alongside her. "How about we find a place to continue our conversation?"
Sophie Marceau stopped, turned to look at Duke, and he met her gaze through her sunglasses, fixated on her beautiful, delicate face, his eyes occasionally drifting down.
Although she was dressed in autumn attire, the fitted design and dark over-the-knee high-heeled boots highlighted Sophie Marceau’s tall and graceful figure. As he had mentioned in the bar, no man could resist Sophie Marceau; even in films where her body was clearly visible, she intrigued men even more.
Now, Sophie Marceau was not yet thirty, in the prime of her life. In a few years, it would be hard for her to attract him like she did now.
Duke stepped slightly closer, reducing the distance between them to almost nothing. Sophie Marceau seemed unbothered, her sunglasses still aimed at him.
Slowly removing her sunglasses, Duke looked down at her. Without waiting for her response, he raised the hand that had just discarded the sunglasses, gripping her chin and leaning down to kiss her enticing red lips. He inhaled the faint scent of alcohol from her mouth, then applied a bit of pressure, pushing her backward until she was pinned against a streetlight.
His other hand skillfully found its way to her slender waist, easily locating the hem of her top. His long fingers deftly slipped underneath, caressing her flat abdomen for a moment before swiftly advancing upwards...
Lost in the deep kiss, Sophie Marceau suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion flashing through them. When she felt his hand roaming on her chest, the confusion turned into hesitation, the hesitation into resolve, and the resolve eventually morphed into rejection.
She lifted one hand to grab Duke’s wrist, the other pushing against his chest, forcefully creating distance between them, freeing her lips from his entanglement.
"Sophie..." Duke continued to press her against the lamppost, tilting his head in confusion. "You’re too charming; you’re the love of the world."
Though his sweet words were captivating, twenty-eight-year-old Sophie Marceau was no naive little girl. The clear contact between their bodies told her that this talented young Hollywood director was only interested in her body.
Had it been before marriage, she wouldn’t have minded a fling, even though her marriage wasn’t particularly happy, and there had been indiscretions afterward. But this man was someone she had just met...
Most importantly, through "Braveheart," she had already secured an opportunity to break into Hollywood. What could he offer her?
"Do you want to ruin someone else’s marriage?"
As she spoke, Sophie Marceau tried to pull her hips back to avoid further contact. "Duke, this is unethical."
She placed both hands on Duke’s chest, pushing him away with force.
Although Duke was extremely interested in the woman before him, he had no desire to force himself on her. He stepped back, taking the initiative to create distance.
"Sorry..." Duke acted like a true gentleman, showing no signs of having just become a beast. "You’re too beautiful, too captivating."
Honestly, Duke had never expected to have real physical contact on their first meeting. He wasn’t a love guru, just testing the waters, especially since rumors had circulated about Sophie Marceau being quite adventurous.
Quickly straightening her disheveled clothes, Sophie Marceau’s face, flushed from drinking, revealed no anger or joy, just a calm demeanor. "I have work tomorrow. Goodbye."
As she turned to leave, Duke reached out and grabbed her hand. Just as Sophie Marceau looked back, he slipped a card into her palm.
"This is my phone number," Duke pointed to the bar behind him. "If you ever want to drink again or come to Los Angeles, you can call me."
He mimicked a phone gesture. "I’m always available."
Seeing Sophie Marceau nod, Duke smiled. "Can you tell me your contact information?"
Sophie seemed hesitant, pausing for a moment before pulling a card from her shoulder bag and handing it to Duke. "This is my private number; please don’t call during work hours."
Duke glanced at the number on the card and accepted it seriously, pointing to his forehead. "Now, it’s here!"
Sophie Marceau smiled faintly. "I’m leaving."
"Let’s drink together another day," Duke called out as he watched her graceful figure move away.
As Sophie Marceau walked further away, Duke turned and headed to the hotel where he was staying. Though it appeared he had no attachment to the woman behind him, he understood that Sophie Marceau was not an obscure actress. Despite her desire to break into Hollywood, the success of "Braveheart" was enough for her at the moment. She had no immediate need for him, and thus no exchange could be expected.
After years in the film industry, even if she had once been simple and naive, she had long since transformed. A mature woman bound by marriage would have little chance of getting involved with a man she had just met.
"There will be more opportunities to meet in the future."
With this thought, Duke entered the hotel. Given this woman’s reputation, having a few more meetings might still lead to a more intimate encounter.
However, as time passed, Duke soon forgot about the incident. The pre-production of "Saving Private Ryan" had entered its busiest phase, with numerous ongoing and completed tasks needing his approval. The filming plans for some future scenes required more than just sketches; he needed to lead multiple department heads for on-site inspections.
Especially for the war scenes at the end and beginning of the film, the preparation work was of utmost importance. The former was relatively easy, as it was merely about expanding a drainage ditch and constructing sets, while the latter, although progressing faster, was more complicated, needing not only beach setups but also German fortifications constructed behind the beach.
After getting out of the car, the first thing Duke saw was dozens of busy construction machines. This narrow beach had clearly turned into a busy construction site. Although many structures, including bunkers, were just facades, the workload was considerable.
Upon seeing Duke, a producer and set designer responsible for the location rushed over. They exchanged simple pleasantries. Compared to the still-under-construction French town set, this beach, which relied on terrain modifications, had progressed slightly faster due to better manpower and resources. If bad weather, like a typhoon, didn’t interfere, it should be completed ahead of the town set.
After passing by a massive German bunker and traversing the sand path that had been reserved, Duke and a group descended onto the beach. Unlike the empty scene from his last visit, numerous iron frameworks had been erected to prevent landing boats from approaching. In some areas where construction had finished, barbed wire had been strung up.
Duke approached one of the iron frameworks and knocked on it. "Will this be washed away during high tide?"
"No," a member of the props team came over. "We haven’t set anything up in the near-sea area yet. This was a tool designed by Rommel himself; it just never served its purpose in the end."
Everyone laughed as they moved along the coastline, discussing precautions for filming the landing battle.
Before this film was greenlit, Duke had reviewed a wealth of related materials. Such historical-themed films were bound to have bugs, yet they couldn’t afford glaring errors. For example, these iron frameworks were designed to hinder landing boats. Many viewers might wonder why these structures were set on land after watching films about the Normandy landings.
The Germans had predicted the Allies would attack at high tide, allowing their infantry to storm ashore with less distance to cover. Thus, they positioned these frameworks based on the high tide water levels. However, the Allies believed that hitting these frameworks would be more dangerous than advancing on the beach. They opted for a low-tide landing, rendering these originally water-based structures into beach obstacles, which ended up being used by the Allies as cover.
Duke called over Tom Hanks, who had been following the group. "In the upcoming week of training, you’ll be moving over here. You need to coordinate with Josh’s fireworks team and familiarize yourselves with the placement of the pyrotechnics. I don’t want anyone getting hurt."
"I understand." Hanks nodded seriously.
Although it would be a chaotic landing operation, the crew absolutely could not be chaotic. Even though Josh William’s fireworks team would only be using low-powered soft explosives, they would set movement paths ahead of time. However, coordination with the actors was still crucial; if Tom Hanks and the main actors got hurt, it would definitely delay the shooting schedule.
As the group walked around the beach, they gradually dispersed to discuss their respective work issues. Duke stood by the iron framework, gazing out at the distant sea when Tom Hanks approached.
As their conversations about the characters continued, they gradually became more familiar with one another. Compared to other Hollywood stars, Hanks was relatively mild-mannered. In other words, behind his honest appearance is very smart mind
"Duke, I think this battle at the beginning..." He hesitated, "I don’t mean anything else, just some very simple thoughts."
"It’s okay." Duke motioned for him to continue.
"I don’t think the opening battle has much to do with the theme of the film?" Tom Hanks asked softly.
Duke admitted directly and patted the triangle in front of him, "But it’s absolutely essential"
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