### Chapter 241: This Is Prejudice

The next day, the crew continued filming. Byrne arrived at a bank in Zurich, where he retrieved his personal safe deposit box and found a passport with his photo. The name on it was "Jason Bourne," and it included a home address.

Seeing this, he was pleased—finally, he had solved one of the problems that had been troubling him.

However, he then discovered five more passports, all with the same photo and name but with different nationalities and home addresses. The box also contained guns, bullets, and a large amount of cash.

Seeing this, he panicked again. His confusion not only remained unresolved but deepened even further.

“Cut!”

“Richard, the emotion isn’t enough. Let’s do it again!”

In this scene, Byrne retrieves the safe deposit box, opens it, sees the passport, then discovers more passports, a gun, and finally leaves.

Byrne's emotions should fluctuate greatly during this sequence—from anticipation and surprise to joy and relief, and then to shock and confusion. Fully expressing these emotions is quite challenging, and making the performance truly impactful isn’t easy either.

Director Lehman didn’t explain how to convey these emotions—that wasn’t his job. He was there to supervise and review Richard's performance. If he was satisfied, they would move on; if not, they would keep shooting until he was.

This scene took six takes. Richard was sweating by the end, but they finally achieved a performance that satisfied both sides.

"Hi, Mr. Blyde, I'm Franka Potente. It's a pleasure to meet you."

At lunch, Richard met the lead actress, Franka Potente, a German actress best known for her role in "Run Lola Run."

That film had gained international fame, winning multiple awards and nominations. Franka Potente had also risen to international prominence because of it, which is why she was chosen to star in the German-American co-production of "The Bourne Identity."

Franka Potente was twenty-seven years old, not conventionally beautiful, but she had a distinct personality and a cool vibe, and her acting skills were excellent.

When she greeted him, Richard didn’t act like a big shot. He wiped his hands and shook hers.

"Ms. Potente, welcome to the crew. Please, have a seat!"

"Thank you!" Franka Potente smiled and sat down.

They chatted for a bit and quickly became acquainted. Franka mentioned that she was a fan of his boxing and even brought out one of his boxing posters, asking him to sign it.

Richard smiled and obliged her request.

Since becoming a boxing champion, every time he joined a film crew, there were always people claiming to be his fans and asking for autographs. Some were genuine, while others were just networking tactics. Richard understood this and didn’t mind.

"Franka, before we start working together, I want to apologize to you."

Richard put down the pen and smiled.

"Oh? Why?"

Franka asked, puzzled.

Richard shrugged, "My acting isn’t very polished, so I often need to do multiple takes. For example, the first scene took two days of retakes to get right, and the older actor playing Vicente almost collapsed from exhaustion. That was my fault, and it might happen again, so I wanted to apologize in advance."

"Really? I’ve seen all your movies—every single one. Your acting didn’t seem to have any problems."

Franka said, still puzzled.

"It’s true. I’m telling you this so you’ll be mentally prepared."

Richard smiled lightly.

"Alright, but even if it's true, it doesn’t matter. Don’t forget, I’m your fan. If I get to spend more time with my idol, it’s a perk I can completely accept."

Franka laughed.

"Haha, I hope you’ll always feel that way."

After lunch, the crew resumed filming. When Byrne left the bank, he was spotted by CIA operatives, who alerted headquarters in the U.S.

The CIA ordered his immediate capture. Since he had attacked two patrol officers in the park, he was also on the radar of the local police.

Seeing all those passports and the gun, Byrne realized that his identity was far from simple.

After leaving the bank, he became extremely cautious and engaged in a battle of wits.

Eventually, at the consulate, he evaded police pursuit and encountered the female lead, Marie.

There was a fight scene at the consulate. Initially, the crew had designed the action to be relatively simple, which didn’t fully showcase the protagonist’s skills.

Richard requested that they increase the difficulty of the action scenes to make the plot more intense and exciting. He suggested a few combat moves and even demonstrated them on the spot.

After discussing it, the director’s team agreed with his suggestions. However, because of the added action sequences, the crew ended up filming at the consulate for two extra days.

On the fourth day of his stay in Zurich, Gisele arrived with light luggage.

“Dear, it’s so good to see you!” Richard lifted Gisele and spun her around twice.

“Haha, stop it. Are you busy with filming?” Gisele laughed as she held onto his neck.

“Yes, I’m the absolute lead in this film, with tons of scenes. I can’t even think about slacking off.

So, dear, I need to apologize. I probably won’t have time to go hiking with you, but Anna’s free. How about you two go together?” Richard kissed her and said.

“No need. I’m here to be with you, not to go sightseeing. The Alps are right there; we can go whenever we want. There’s no rush to go now. Besides, what’s the point of hiking or skiing without you?” Gisele smiled teasingly.

“Haha, alright. I don’t have anything planned at the end of the year, so we’ll come back here, and we can hike and ski together. The ski resorts are busier in the winter.”

“Okay. By the way, do you really have no plans at the end of the year?” Gisele asked, blinking.

“Yes, I’ll be doing a tour in September and October, and I’ll have a match with John Ruiz at the end of the year. After that, I’m free.

We can make our own plans. The past two years have been hectic, so starting next year, I’m planning to take on less work, and you should do the same.

We can travel, explore the world, buy some properties, make some investments—that’s what the life of the wealthy should be, right?” Richard smiled as he caressed her waist.

“Yes, but I haven’t been home in almost two years. My parents have been asking me to visit, so I’m planning to go back to Brazil during the New Year.”

---

"Why don't you come with me to Brazil? Brazil has so many tourist destinations—Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, the tropical rainforests, and lots of beaches. How about it?" Gisele asked, looking up at him with eager anticipation.

"Em~," Richard thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "Probably not... Haha, alright, I'd be happy to visit your home. I mentioned before that the next time you go home, we'll go together. It's our promise, and I haven’t forgotten."

"Really? You promise?" Gisele jumped onto him, wrapping her long legs around his waist.

"Of course. We've been together for four years, and I still haven’t met your family. That’s not right. We should visit them, talk to your parents, and let them know that we're doing well together." Richard smiled as he touched the side of her face.

"Thank you. It’s so great that you think that way." Gisele was so moved that she kissed him passionately.

Richard embraced her as they fell onto the bed.

The next day, Richard continued filming while Gisele visited the set and toured around with Anna.

"Richard, is your girlfriend here to keep an eye on you?" Franka teased on set.

"Keep an eye on what?"

"What do you think?" Franka replied with a playful smile.

"No, she’s not too busy with work, and staying in New York was boring, so I invited her to come over for a vacation."

"Alright. You two seem really happy together. I heard you've been together for over four years—quite impressive."

"Is four years impressive?" Richard raised an eyebrow.

"Isn’t it? I heard that men in the boxing world are known for being quite the playboys. Haha, just kidding," Franka couldn’t help but laugh.

"That’s a stereotype!" Richard shook his head.

"Richard, Franka, get ready for the next shot."

"Got it!"

The two headed to the set. In the scene, Byrne was being pursued by local police outside a train station when he encountered Marie, who was having trouble getting a visa at the consulate.

Marie had a small car and was planning to return to Paris. Byrne immediately offered her $10,000 for a ride.

"What are you staring at?!"

On the street, Marie crouched down, rummaging through her bag for her car keys next to a red car.

"I heard what you said inside."

Byrne, carrying a red bag, pointed to the consulate where Marie had run into visa issues and couldn’t fly.

"What?"

"I heard what you said at the consulate. We can help each other," Byrne said earnestly.

"How?"

Marie asked impatiently.

"You need money. I need a ride out of here," Byrne explained.

"Thanks, but I don’t offer taxi services," Marie replied, picking up her bag and preparing to get into the car.

"Cut! That wasn’t smooth enough. Let’s do it again!"

Director Lehman shouted.

"Okay!"

Richard and Franka resumed their roles, refining their performances.

"Filming is such a hassle," Gisele commented, arms crossed as she watched from the sidelines.

"Yeah, the other day, Richard spent two days filming a single scene. He repeated the same lines and actions over a hundred times. Not only is it a hassle, but it’s also incredibly tedious. Sometimes I think being an actor is less appealing than being an assistant," Anna Basola laughed.

Gisele chuckled, watching Franka acting alongside Richard. She blinked and asked, "Anna, I’ve heard that actors often spark off-screen romances while filming love scenes. Has Richard ever had such sparks with anyone?"

Anna was taken aback, "Are you talking about Richard and Franka? They’ve only shot two scenes together."

"No, Franka’s not Richard’s type. I meant in previous productions. Has he ever...? Haha, alright, I won't make it difficult for you."

Gisele wrapped her arm around Anna’s shoulder. "Watching them film is too boring. Let’s go shopping. I noticed a few luxury stores nearby. Let’s check them out."

"Alright!"

Anna informed the crew and left the set with Gisele.

"Cut! That’s a wrap for this shot. Moving on to the next one!"

After a brief break, the crew continued filming.

---

(End of Chapter)