Chapter 130

Peter Jackson had definitely become more demanding on this movie.

Or perhaps it was because of this guy, Martin.

His performance the day before made Peter Jackson feel that the film he was making might be a cinematic classic—one that would be studied by major film schools for years to come.

As a result, Peter unconsciously raised his expectations for the other actors.

Fortunately, he hadn't fully realized this shift the day before, or, to be more precise, while he was aware of it, he still continued to direct according to his original approach.

But today, after having time to reflect, he had fully grasped his thoughts, and Liv Tyler was out of luck.

Although Liv Tyler is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood, her acting skills still seemed somewhat immature compared to those of seasoned performers.

Even compared to Elijah Wood, who was three years younger than her, her acting skills were a little lacking.

By the way, Elijah Wood had also been a child star, and he was good friends with Macaulay Culkin, once the king of Hollywood child stars.

"Wow, director, do you think too highly of me? How am I supposed to express such a complicated emotion?"

The question that Liv Tyler blurted out immediately stumped Peter Jackson.

To be honest, he didn't really know how to describe the emotion she was being asked to convey.

It seemed that Liv might not be the only one at fault here.

Fortunately, just as the awkwardness began to settle in, a voice interrupted the tension.

"Liv, do you really need to ask the director about something this simple? Let me show you. Just tighten your lips and increase your breathing—"

As Martin spoke, he moved closer, then suddenly leaned into her ear and whispered, "Think back to the feeling you had when you reached your peak yesterday, and try to recreate it. I guarantee the director will be satisfied."

"Ah~?"

Liv Tyler's face instantly flushed, turning a soft peach color.

"Let me try!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, let's take another shot and get everything right."

Peter glanced gratefully at Martin, who had come to his rescue. After returning to the monitor, he silently swore to himself that, moving forward, he would think more carefully about how to express scenes to the actors before telling them what to do.

Although Peter was not a new director, there were no big names on the crew.

Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood, and Viggo Mortensen each had their own significant backgrounds and were all famous in their own right. They each had their own personalities, and sometimes they weren't willing to hold back. This was very different from the independent film actors Peter Jackson had previously worked with.

For instance, when Liv Tyler showed some attitude, no one on set except Martin gave her any leeway.

To put it bluntly, Peter Jackson's authority wasn't strong enough. If Spielberg had been there, even if Liv Tyler had the guts, she wouldn't have dared to talk back to the director.

Even if they had a discussion, the tone and attitude would have been entirely different.

Peter Jackson had also directed Kate Winslet before, but at that time, Kate was still an unknown actress and hadn't yet starred in Titanic.

Under Peter's command, everyone returned to their places, and filming resumed.

This time, Liv Tyler's performance was much better.

The take went smoothly.

Peter was a little confused. How did Martin manage to get Liv into the right emotional state so quickly?

He had told her to "tighten your lips" and "breathe harder," which was just a typical Hollywood acting technique. The key, however, seemed to lie in the whisper he had shared with her. What exactly did he say?

Just as Peter was pondering this, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Pulling it out, he saw a message from Martin:

"Peter, I'm going to mess up in this next scene, and you need to give me a hard rap."

Peter Jackson was stunned for a moment, and then a surge of emotion filled his chest.

He realized that Martin wanted to establish his own authority, even if it meant sacrificing his own status to do so.

What a good boss! Much better than that fat pig, Harvey. I'm so lucky!

Peter Jackson sighed and glanced at Martin. He saw the young man nodding, so he returned the nod in agreement.

The next shot began.

Martin made some mistakes and was scolded by Peter Jackson.

Suddenly, Martin took the reprimanding without protest, honestly admitting his mistakes. The people around them fell silent.

Orlando Bloom was shocked. "Damn, Peter Jackson is so bold!"

Elijah Wood, the youngest actor besides Martin, looked at the director with reverence and admiration in his eyes.

Liv Tyler watched this scene with a bit of fear, thinking to herself: So this is how the director is? I was crazy to even try to confront him!

Only Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, and Ian McKellen, who portrayed Gandalf, as well as a few of the older cast members, seemed to have noticed something and shared a knowing smile.

After that, the shooting went much more smoothly. No one dared to cause trouble anymore. Didn't they see that even the investors were reprimanded?

After a full day of shooting, everyone was exhausted.

The first day had been just about getting settled, but today had been genius-level work. This was Peter Jackson's normal shooting routine. This guy was a workaholic and never stopped filming. No wonder most of his movies were shot so quickly!

Liv Tyler was too tired to joke with Martin.

The intense shooting had drained all of her energy.

Only Martin remained full of energy, unaffected by the fatigue. He clearly had the most scenes.

Cate Blanchett, with her bright eyes, observed him in awe. Martin not only had explosive power, but he also had incredible endurance—he was truly a masterpiece of nature.

That night, Liv, exhausted and lying in bed, didn't ask Martin to sing with her. Instead, Cate Blanchett, who had fewer scenes that day, couldn't hold back and snuck into Martin's room once again.

After three days of filming, the crew returned to Wellington from Queenstown. The next locations were all around Wellington—Mount Victoria, Hutt River, Harcourt Park, and so on.

The majestic city of Minas Tirith, the human kingdom, was also filmed in Wellington. Peter would use the nearby hills and buildings to create the grand cityscape for the film.

"Hi, Martin, long time no see."

"Hi, Richard."

Peter Jackson's friend Richard Taylor had joined the crew. He was the special effects artist for The Lord of the Rings, and the two of them had formed a special effects company for the project—Weta Digital.

Martin had also invested some money into it and owned 20% of the shares.

This special effects company would go on to handle the visual effects for King Kong, Avatar, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. At its peak, the company's market value reached $6.22 billion.

"What have you been up to lately?"

"What else? I've been taking over a thousand photos around Wellington to prepare for the special effects. I think my legs are getting thinner from all the walking."

"Peter should do this kind of thing himself. He has enough fat to withstand the strain."

"Haha, that makes sense!"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you two guys talking bad about me?"

At some point, Peter had joined the conversation.

"Martin, what's going on with you and Liv Tyler?" Peter asked with a mischievous grin, no longer acting like the serious director.

"What's going on?" Martin pretended not to understand.

"Come on, I saw Liv pull you into her room the other day."

"Oh, I was just giving her an autograph!"

"An autograph? Got it, got it—one of those signed on the body."

Unlike Peter, who was more animated, Richard was calmer. He offered a word of advice:

"Martin, as a friend, I want to remind you that you're still young, and your health is important."

Martin nodded thoughtfully and replied sincerely, "Don't worry, I take good care of this body of mine."

"Haha, that's good. I think you know what's going on," Richard laughed.