Hide and Seek (Part 3)

In just over half a month, time flew by. Although filming a thriller is much more challenging than a comedy, the primary tension in Hide and Seek is centered around the father and daughter. So, as long as Al and Catherine were in the zone, the filming progressed much faster.

However, even with that, it was still exhausting. David Fincher is a director with a lot of ideas, and with Warner giving him plenty of creative control, he liked to shoot complex scenes. For instance, the shot where the father's alter ego finally reveals his true nature and slowly chases his daughter up the stairs took an entire day to film. Several cameras captured the scene from different angles, repeating the take multiple times, leaving the crew utterly exhausted. Even Al, who usually didn't tire easily, couldn't help but jokingly complain to David. If they didn't have early dismissals every Friday, the crew might have given up long ago.

Catherine, though protected by child labor laws, still had two hours of study time every day on top of filming. Mrs. Brown was always strict, and since Catherine spent her weekends staying indoors to repeatedly immerse herself in her role, many people thought she was working very hard. She was also very likable; everyone on set adored her. However, whenever she discussed the script with David, and a flash of inspiration hit her, the next filming session would turn into an ordeal for everyone. Although the crew resented it, they also had to acknowledge her role as the scriptwriter.

The little girl, of course, didn't think too much about it. Whenever she had a spare moment, she would practice her lines in front of the mirror. Despite already knowing them by heart due to her sharp mind, she never tired of it. Often, she could feel herself becoming one with Emily, deeply understanding the fear Emily felt as she watched her father change. Though Al had talked to her about it several times, and she knew it wasn't good to get too deeply into character—especially in horror or thriller films, which could lead to negative consequences, like what happened to Heath Ledger—she couldn't help but want to truly become Emily. It was the only way to keep other thoughts out of her mind.

Aside from the two weekly phone calls home and Brian's visits to the town on Sundays, Catherine had little contact with the outside world. Even when her grandfather called wanting to visit, she politely declined. She felt that if she could just continue like this until filming wrapped, she would return to her old self and no longer have certain strange thoughts.

But plans never keep up with changes; no matter how well you plan, unexpected situations can catch you off guard.

"Hi, Al. Hi, David." A beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, as blue as the ocean, stepped out of a car, smiling as she greeted Al and David.

"Hi, Jodie, you're a whole day late. David and I were thinking if you didn't show up, we might have to find someone else to shoot me," Al joked.

"I took leave from the crew, Al, you know that," the woman replied with a smile, then turned to David, "David, can I fire a few more shots later?"

"As long as you're not loading bullets, you can fire ten more for all I care," David shrugged.

The three of them laughed together. Although they weren't old friends, they were all in the industry and had many mutual connections, so they spoke freely. But when Catherine heard the laughter and came out of the house, she widened her eyes in surprise. She instantly recognized the woman—it was Jodie Foster, who had won her second Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs last year!

For a moment, Catherine's mind was in turmoil. She knew quite a bit about Jodie Foster, including the infamous 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan, which she had heard about while sitting on her mother's lap. But now, seeing Jodie in person, the first word that popped into her mind was lesbian!

"This must be Miss Catherine Mason?" Jodie had already noticed Catherine and approached with a smile, extending her hand. "Hello, I'm…"

"Miss Clarice Starling, yes, I know. Did you catch Hannibal yet?" Catherine shook her hand, putting on a serious expression while trying to hide her racing heart.

Jodie blinked in surprise, momentarily speechless. Al chimed in from behind, "Surprised, aren't you? It's not unusual. This little one can recite all my films by heart. Just last week, she was critiquing them one by one. I'm starting to suspect she lied about her age."

"Maybe all geniuses mature early," Jodie remarked with a smile.

Now it was Al's turn to look at her in surprise. "You seem to know a lot about this, Jodie."

"Of course, Al. Some topics spread among women faster than a phone call."

"Such as?"

"For example, that Sleepless in Seattle was written by Miss Mason here for Meg Ryan, and it opened last week on Valentine's Day."

"Wow," Al whistled playfully, looking at Catherine. "Hey, my dear daughter, is there anything I don't know?"

"Guess for yourself, Dad," Catherine replied, making a face before shaking Jodie's hand again. "I'm glad you could come. I really like your movies, Miss Foster. You can call me Catherine."

"Alright, Catherine, but only if you call me Jodie," Jodie nodded.

"Okay, I'd better go get ready," Catherine shrugged and quickly turned to leave. She didn't relax until she was back inside the house, where her heart was still pounding. Warner Bros. had really gone all out. Jodie Foster had just won her second Best Actress Oscar and was at the height of her career. Even though the role of the psychiatrist, Catherine, had only about ten minutes of screen time, the paycheck was undoubtedly staggering.

But that wasn't the main issue. The main issue was why the word lesbian kept echoing in her mind. Yes, she knew Jodie Foster was a lesbian. It was said that the assassination attempt had caused her to develop a hatred for men, leading to her coming out. But... why did thinking about this make something inside her feel like it was about to jump out?

Catherine clutched her chest and took two deep breaths, but she still couldn't calm down. This directly affected her performance in the next scene.

The upcoming scene was when the psychiatrist, Catherine, visited Emily in the small town for the first time. In the previous life's Hide and Seek, Emily happily jumped into the psychiatrist's arms, a detail that many criticized because it didn't make sense for a little girl who had gone through so many bizarre experiences to act so cheerfully. It also clashed with the overall tone of the film. So, when writing the script, Catherine had changed this scene. Instead, Emily greeted the psychiatrist calmly, showing a subtle mix of happiness, concern, and a hint of wariness.

However, Catherine's emotions weren't in the right place. Every time she hugged Jodie, she felt stiff. They had to redo the simple shot three or four times, and it still wasn't right. David was starting to get anxious but didn't show it. Al spoke to him several times about the issue of Catherine getting too deep into her role, noting that it was rare for her to be out of sorts and suggesting they let her take a break.

After discussing it with the crew, David immediately called out, "Al, Jodie, let's shoot your indoor scenes first. Let Cathy relax a bit."

Al had no objections, and Jodie naturally agreed. However, before going inside, Jodie hesitated for a moment. After hugging Catherine three or four times, her intuition told her that the little girl had something on her mind. It seemed like... Jodie shook her head and went inside. She couldn't believe a 12-year-old girl would have such worries. Maybe she was overthinking it.

Catherine, feeling a bit dejected, followed behind, staying with the crew as she watched Al and Jodie rehearse. The more she tried to push the distracting thoughts out of her mind, the more they seemed to insist on emerging, leaving her increasingly frustrated.

But today wasn't going to be an easy day for her. After Al and Jodie finished filming the scene in the living room, two more actors arrived on set: Ellie Green, a new actress signed by Warner, who was playing the victim Elizabeth, and a little girl who had been cast directly from a New York theater group to play her niece. When the girl cheerfully appeared in front of Catherine, she was startled—this was the same girl she had encountered in the record store on Christmas, the one she suspected might be Scarlett Johansson.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?" The girl waved her hand in front of Catherine's surprised face.

"Are you... Scarlett?" Catherine tried to recognize the girl's features. She wanted to tell herself it wasn't her, but unfortunately, the girl's delicate features already hinted at the future "second Marilyn Monroe" allure.

"I'm so glad you remember me," Scarlett said, happily giving Catherine a warm hug. If this had been before, Catherine would have hugged her tightly and secretly rejoiced at making another connection. But now, she hurriedly pushed Scarlett away and coughed lightly. "It's nice to see you again. Are you in a movie now?"

Although she could clearly sense Catherine's unusual behavior, Scarlett didn't think too much of it and continued to smile cheerfully, saying, "I had to beg my dad many times before he finally agreed to let me do theater, but I'm still very lucky, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I never expected the crew to cast you in this role," Catherine replied with a forced smile.

"I didn't expect you to be the lead either. It was such a surprise to see you here," Scarlett said, excitedly grabbing Catherine's hand.

But Catherine pulled her hand back as if she had been shocked. Seeing Scarlett's puzzled expression, she awkwardly smiled and said, "I've been getting too deep into my role recently, so I'm a bit defensive. I'm sorry."

Before Scarlett could say anything else, Catherine quickly added, "You can go prepare. We'll chat after the shoot, okay?"

"No problem," Scarlett shrugged with a smile and turned to leave. Catherine sighed quietly and touched her forehead. What she didn't know was that Jodie had been observing her every move from a distance.