Happy ending

"Cut!" Nora's excited voice was shattered by the fierce wind on the top floor of the Imperial Building, but it didn't stop her from expressing her true emotions through body language.

Hugo and Meg exchanged a knowing glance. They knew that this time the shooting had finally satisfied Nora after going through countless hardships. However, since both of them hadn't completely snapped out of their acting mode, their eyes inevitably held a hint of affection. They hadn't noticed anything unusual yet, but a gust of wind made them shiver simultaneously, as if their joined hands had suddenly burst into flames. They instinctively let go of each other's hands. When their gazes met again, they both burst into laughter.

This was Hugo's first attempt at shooting a romantic scene, and it was no wonder people always said that sparks were easy to ignite between co-actors. In Hollywood, countless on-screen couples had emerged from working on the same TV series or movie. Not only did they spend day and night together during filming, but they also found it difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction when immersed in the storyline. It was easy to bring their true emotions into the mix, resulting in sparks flying.

At that moment, sparks had indeed flown between Hugo and Meg. The electrifying sensation made both of them feel slightly awkward. However, Meg was already accustomed to such situations and quickly regained her composure. Hugo, on the other hand, appeared a bit reserved. He gestured for Meg to leave first, and as they stood there, braving the cold wind on the rooftop, they gradually cooled down.

After the two actors developed an understanding, the remaining scenes were shot much more smoothly. It took another three hours to complete the ending scene at the top of the Empire Building. Following that, Hugo stayed on the set for three more days, wrapping up all his scenes with his young co-star, Rose, in New York. Then Nora officially announced that all the actors in the Sam storyline had wrapped up their filming.

"You all have worked hard, really hard." Hugo embraced each member of the crew one by one, expressing gratitude for their efforts during this period.

In reality, it was quite normal for some actors to wrap up their filming ahead of others, and it was rare for all the cast members to finish within the same week. However, it was highly unusual for someone like Hugo, the male lead, to completely finish filming halfway through the movie. So, while Hugo thanked everyone, he also encouraged them to keep up the good work.

"Meg, the challenging days have just begun. Keep up the good work," Hugo said, giving Meg a hug. By now, any awkwardness between them had vanished, and their experience filming romantic scenes had brought them closer.

Meg playfully examined Hugo, who appeared relaxed from head to toe. "I'm not envious of you. Don't waste your time trying to tempt me," she said. Her words expressed her annoyance at the fact that she still had to immerse herself fully in the shooting while Hugo had already finished his work. This made Hugo chuckle. "But, considering your muscular chest, I forgive you for abandoning me."

Meg's teasing remark made the surrounding women blush and laugh excitedly, while the men started whistling. Hugo laughed heartily and helplessly looked at Meg. "You... were you testing me when we hugged? Uh..."

"Your chest, yes, I was feeling your chest," Meg boldly said, causing the women nearby to burst into laughter like tinkling bells. Hugo felt his cheeks growing warm. In truth, if Meg had done what Elisabeth Leustig did during the audition for "A River Runs Through It" and directly teased him, Hugo would have been able to face it with composure. It was because Elisabeth was a stranger, and everything was open and honest. However, with someone like Meg, who was first a friend and then used these little life details to make jokes, Hugo felt a bit at a loss.

"I just don't know how your butt is doing." Meg stuck out her tongue, lightly tugged at her own lips, with a hint of playfulness and provocation, causing the crowd around to instantly burst into laughter. Even Joseph couldn't help but be amused by Meg's bold behavior. Nora began clapping and cheering, completely abandoning her previous demeanor as a capable and strong woman.

In fact, Meg's dialogue had a backstory. Earlier in Seattle, Hugo had a scene with Rob Reiner where Hugo, playing Sam, asked his friend Jay to figure out what women liked nowadays. Jay replied that women liked pecs and a cute butt, leaving Sam utterly confused. Sam even paused and asked Jay, "So how is my butt?" as he lifted his coat and turned around, showing off his butt for Jay's evaluation. The two men were scrutinizing Sam's butt right there on the street.

After the evaluation, Jay confidently said, "Not bad," while Sam anxiously asked, "Is it cute though?"

Compared to Tom Hanks' honest and simple image, Hugo's image was undoubtedly more handsome and sunny, which made his portrayal of Sam exude youthful charm. The scene was already quite comical during filming, and unexpectedly, Rob, the mischievous man, played a joke on Hugo after shooting was over. He playfully gave Hugo's butt a pat and said contentedly, "I don't know about Sam's butt in the movie, but in real life, I'm pretty sure Hugo has a cute butt indeed."

Originally, it was just a little joke among the actors, but it unexpectedly struck a chord with everyone's sense of humor, making the entire set burst into laughter. For some time after that, whenever staff members saw Hugo, their greeting would be, "How's your butt doing today?" Some staff members who were familiar with Hugo even greeted each other by lifting and showing off their own butts, turning it into a daily amusement for the crew.

Unexpectedly, Meg decided to join in the fun during the wrap-up. Meg looked at Hugo's helpless smile and shrugged, "What's wrong? Am I not allowed to play too? It would be a big regret to miss this, it should be the highlight of the whole movie."

Although Hugo was still a bit shy and helpless, he was always willing to go along with jokes among friends. Upon hearing Meg's words, he calmed down and turned his back to her, lifting the coat that covered his buttocks and intentionally showing it to Meg as he said, "So how is my butt?"

As soon as the crowd saw Hugo's direct and candid action, whistles immediately resounded throughout the scene, creating a cacophony of laughter and cheers.

Meg raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised, but not shy. Instead, she widened her eyes and whistled, "Oh... should I say, this is a masterpiece?" After saying that, Meg playfully covered her mouth, looking surprised and embarrassed, saying, "Oops! A lady should never be this direct."

Meg's performance clearly set the entire cast and crew in a frenzy, and everyone was laughing heartily. But it didn't end there. Meg looked at Hugo putting his clothes back in place and actually sighed with regret, "It's a pity your pants are too loose..."

This really left many people stunned, and laughter erupted in a chaotic manner. Many people were clutching their stomachs, unable to stop laughing, indicating that the laughter was too intense.

Although Hugo's cheeks were still a bit flushed, he boldly turned around and calmly asked, "So, is it attractive?"

Meg widened her eyes, raised an eyebrow, and then lightly licked her lips with her tongue. "Of course! It's a privilege for women!"

"So, I finally won your heart, right?" Hugo replied without hesitation, immersing them both in the story. "But when did you start looking down? Was it when we first met on the street, or at the Empire State Building?" Meg burst into laughter at Hugo's counterattack, her pink cheeks indicating that she was also blushing. "Oh, I remember now. It must have been when I and Jonah were playing on the beach, revealing our secret."

There is another scene in the story where Sam and Jonah play on the beach while Annie quietly watches from behind the boat house. Hugo is clearly hinting at this scene.

Watching Hugo and Meg joking with each other, Nora stepped forward and said, "No, you're all wrong. It's because I saw the part you were expecting during the audition that this movie came to be."

With a "boom", the entire film crew exploded with excitement. Even Meg covered her mouth and laughed heartily. Hugo had no choice but to laugh foolishly. Don't be fooled by the tender and affectionate atmosphere of "Sleepless in Seattle". In fact, Nora Ephron also wrote the brilliant script "When Harry Met Sally", with that memorable restaurant scene. Nora's boldness and directness were evident, instantly captivating everyone.

Although "Sleepless in Seattle" was a project Hugo took on during a difficult period, surprisingly, the difficulties encountered during the "A Few Good Men" period did not arise. The atmosphere of the entire crew was very harmonious, making Hugo reluctant to leave when the shooting was over. Fortunately, there were no tears at the farewell, only laughter. Everyone bid farewell to Hugo with smiles, then regrouped and continued filming the remaining parts of the movie.

After the filming of "Sleepless in Seattle" was completed, Hugo's work temporarily came to a halt, bringing him back to the state of unemployment. It was unlikely that he would find work in the near future.

Originally, Hugo intended to return directly to Los Angeles to continue working on his band and perform music on the streets. However, upon careful consideration, although Los Angeles was filled with music, New York was not far behind. After all, the presence of Broadway made New York one of the world's most famous music cities, not to mention the essence of hip-hop flowing through the city's veins.

Hugo didn't have a chance to explore New York properly during his last visit, but now he finally had the time. Missing this opportunity would be regrettable. So, after informing Joseph, Hugo and him decided to stay in New York for a while, enjoying the experience of being tourists and wandering through this magnificent forest of steel and concrete, savoring the special charm that belongs only to the Big Apple.