Chapter 274 - Mixed Feelings

Roy took the towel handed to him by his assistant and wiped away his sweat. He walked over with a cheerful smile to check the results, saying as he watched, "Don't forget that Charlize and I both had the same teacher."

Theron was satisfied with her performance, smiling as she replied, "That's right. During our previous training sessions, we often practiced with the coach's guidance."

Now Laila understood why there was no hint of stiffness in their fight scenes. It seemed they were already quite accustomed to it. When she arranged for them to train, it was essentially to have them coached together. This explains how they quickly grasped Hong Jinbao's choreography and executed it smoothly.

"You did well. We need to maintain this level in the future," Laila patted his shoulder, feeling quite happy.

The subsequent filming indeed went smoothly. Roy and Theron's cooperation was like magic, and after each scene, the entire crew applauded. Because they performed all their actions themselves without any stunt doubles, even the more challenging moves like flying kicks, spins, and flips were all done by them.

However, shooting a set of actions wasn't a one-time deal. To achieve the best results, the same set of actions might be shot a dozen times or more. It was precise because they did so well that Laila felt they could do even better each time and had them repeat the scenes over and over again. Fortunately, the two of them remained highly cooperative and delivered their best performances every time. They completed all their scenes together in just two days.

As expected, Hong Jinbao delivered his newly designed fight choreography two days later. This time, he collaborated with Shinichi Chiba and Yuriko Kaicho to create the moves. The new choreography not only took into account the constraints of kimonos but also fully reflected the sharpness of Eastern-style swords.

In terms of visual aesthetics, there was indeed a significant gap between Eastern swordplay and Eastern martial arts. Eastern swordplay emphasized practicality, directness, and simplicity, often involving straightforward hacking and slashing. In terms of visual appeal, it couldn't quite match the grace, fluidity, and mimicry of animals seen in Eastern martial arts.

Therefore, designing stylish and cool fight choreography from relatively simple moves was a test of the martial arts director's expertise.

Throughout October, Laila worked at the filming location, and during this time, "The Rush Hour" raked in an impressive $150 million at the North American box office. It also performed well when released internationally, especially in Asia, where Chen Long's popularity was significant. Achieving a global box office of $300 million was considered a given.

However, what many people were more concerned about was whether the film could surpass the $400 million mark. In Laila's career, none of her films had reached that milestone despite each being a classic and earning substantial box office revenue with low production costs. Regrettably, every film had hovered just above the $300 million mark, and not a single one had crossed the $400 million threshold.

The previous film had missed it by just over $10 million, leaving many feeling sorry for Laila.

Laila, however, wasn't overly concerned about these figures. She knew that even if "Kill Bill" didn't break the $400 million mark, her next project would undoubtedly become a box office hit. Moreover, with some extra funds on hand and the New Cutting-edge projects in progress, several horror films were already in production. It could be said that her obsession with money had diminished.

What concerned her more now was how to set her own records and bring more people into the cinematic worlds she created.

She had initially thought she would finish the filming quietly and busily. However, before the movie was even completed, an unexpected visitor entered her domain.

Seeing Al Nadeem, accompanied by a large group of bodyguards, enter the filming location, Laila felt her head pounding. "Why are you here?" In reality, she wanted to ask, "What about your gynophobia? Can't you see there are many women here?"

Al Nadeem was surrounded by his bodyguards, wearing a white robe that made him stand out conspicuously. What was even more conspicuous were the large sunglasses he was wearing—exaggeratedly large sunglasses that covered half of his face.

Such exaggerated sunglasses were typically used by celebrities as a disguise to evade pursuing media and fans. However, Al Nadeem was just an inconspicuous prince who could easily walk down the street without anyone recognizing him. Was there any need for such caution?

Al Nadeem glanced in Theron's direction and cleared his throat. "Won't you offer me some tea?"

"If you want tea, go to a teahouse. This is a movie filming location," Laila replied without giving him a pleasant expression.

What she disliked the most was being interrupted by outsiders during work. Al Nadeem not only brought a group of bodyguards, disrupting the concentration of the crew but also dared to make demands of her. Did he think she was a pushover who could be easily manipulated?

She didn't notice that Al Nadeem's forehead was dripping with sweat. Surrounded by so many curious women from the crew, he felt like he was stepping on sponge cakes—helpless.

Al Nadeem had initially gone directly to her company, only to find out that she was filming at this location and wouldn't be back at the office anytime soon. Therefore, he had no choice but to come directly to the set to find her.

"I have an important matter to discuss with you. Find a quiet place," Al Nadeem said as he finally diverted the curious gazes of the crew members away from him.

Laila sighed and knew that if he stayed there, nothing could be filmed. She had to let the crew members take a break, and she took Al Nadeem to the Japanese-style tea room where she often rested.

"Phew, I thought I was going to die!" As he entered the empty and quiet tea room, Al Nadeem felt like a fish that had returned to water after being deprived of oxygen. He took several deep breaths.

Laila took out the tea set and brewed two cups of tea, placing one in front of him. "Go ahead, what do you want to discuss with me?" If he had nothing important to say and was here to disrupt her work, she vowed to make him regret it.

Al Nadeem with an air of sophistication, sniffed the tea and then took a sip. "This tea is quite good."

Trying to charm her with elegance and style? Laila stood up with determination. "If you have nothing to say, then leave."

"Wait!" Al Nadeem, who had underestimated her temperament, hadn't expected her to be so unapproachable. He sighed softly, "I came here for a reason. Haven't you been having a tough time recently, being pressured by a certain film?"

"Have I?" Laila furrowed her brows. "I don't recall any film pressuring me. What movie could make me feel pressured?"

Al Nadeem spread his hands. "Women are truly enigmatic. I've already heard about it in our country, but you still won't admit it. I've told you before, Faiza is the richest among us, and this time, you can see it for yourself. As long as she's willing, she can immediately invest in the best movie to put pressure on you."