Chapter 380: Filming Captain America

While Link and Jennifer were having an intimate moment in bed, Harvey called.

He asked when Link would come to Los Angeles to discuss things in person.

Harvey also lavishly praised him over the phone for several minutes, calling him the most outstanding young man he had ever met and saying he couldn't wait to talk to him face-to-face.

Hearing Harvey's enthusiasm, Link felt a chill run up his spine, making him shiver even as he held Jennifer.

Harvey was not a good person. Even though he sounded more relaxed on the phone, the anger and resentment in his words were palpable even through the receiver.

Now, in this call, Harvey's tone had become very normal, eager to discuss cooperation. This change made Link wary. Was Harvey setting a trap for him?

Should he go to Los Angeles to discuss the cooperation?

Going might mean falling into a trap.

Not going would make him look afraid of Harvey and miss a lucrative opportunity.

Link hugged Jennifer's waist, thought carefully, and decided to go to Los Angeles.

Despite Harvey being a scumbag who liked to exploit actresses, intimidate victims, and was involved in workplace bullying and other shady practices, he hadn't committed any other serious crimes besides these after his downfall.

In terms of danger, he was less threatening than people like Epstein or Puff Daddy.

Link decided to go to Los Angeles to talk. He said he'd go next weekend.

Currently, besides practicing boxing, Link was filming "Captain America" in New York.

Captain America, Steve Rogers, was from Brooklyn. Before becoming Captain America, he lived here, and the script had over twenty scenes set in Brooklyn. They had already filmed seven or eight of them. Next week, the crew would move to Los Angeles.

After hanging up the phone, Link leaned back on the headboard, gently running his fingers through Jennifer's tousled hair.

After their passionate exercise, her fair skin had a rosy hue. The blush on her cheeks made her look like she had just stepped out of a sauna, even masking her freckles, making her face look even more beautiful.

Jennifer was the kind of girl who wasn't traditionally pretty but had an enduring appeal.

Her body had the unique wildness, vitality, and sensuality of a Western American girl, a different vibe from Taylor, Marion Cotillard, Emma Watson, or Nozomi Sasaki.

Just as he was admiring the sleeping girl in his arms, his phone rang again. It was Ivanka, asking where he was and why he hadn't come home that night.

Link told her he was sleeping at the Yorkville apartment and asked what she needed.

Ivanka asked who he was fooling around with.

Link replied it was Jennifer Lawrence and mentioned she was in New York for an audition.

Ivanka scoffed and said she'd dock five points from him.

Link protested, saying she had previously said she didn't mind such things before they started dating. The points deduction was unreasonable. Besides, as a normal man with normal physiological needs, since she didn't want to have relations with him, he had to seek it elsewhere. How could she dock points for that?

Ivanka said the scoring was up to her, and she could add or deduct points as she saw fit.

Feeling helpless, Link decided he'd hide her pepper spray at some point and teach her a lesson, making her add back all the points.

Ivanka then mentioned her brother, Edward Trump's birthday was the next day, and there would be a party at home. She asked if he wanted to attend.

Link asked if there were any points for attending.

Ivanka said no.

Link said he'd go, asking about the party time and what gift to prepare.

They then discussed some work matters. Lana's second album, "Born To Die," was in production. Ivanka asked if he had any suitable songs for it. Charlie Puth had advanced to the second round of "American Idol." They also talked about the Link Music publicity department's work.

Currently, the publicity department director was Scooter, who also had to manage SB Entertainment, often struggling to balance both roles, leading to some tasks not being completed properly.

Ivanka suggested appointing a new publicity director and letting Scooter focus on SB Entertainment, handling Charlie Puth and Ariana Grande's operations.

Link agreed.

Since SB Entertainment was also an asset of Link Music, its growth would enhance Link Music's value and influence. Scooter's role at SB Entertainment was more significant than at Link Music.

After chatting for over half an hour, Link hung up the phone and went to sleep, holding the girl beside him.

He woke up at six the next day as usual, washed up, changed clothes, and went jogging outside Central Park.

Since Daddario was on set and not in New York recently, he jogged alone with his earphones in the golden sunrise, feeling lonely.

Returning home, Jennifer was already up, training in the gym, wearing a sports vest and leggings, working on her arms and core strength on the stretching machine. Jennifer said her forearms were a bit thick, and she had some belly fat she wanted to tone.

Link said she looked perfect the way she was.

A little belly fat was sexier than a flat stomach. Plus, at 170 cm, with her long, firm legs, she was different from the petite stars like Emma Roberts or Amanda Seyfried, more like a capable actress than a teenage idol.

Watching Jennifer work out, he thought of the movie that made her a global star, "The Hunger Games."

Jennifer became an Oscar winner with "Silver Linings Playbook," and "The Hunger Games" trilogy catapulted her into the ranks of Hollywood's top actresses, with her fees exceeding $20 million.

Jennifer making money also meant Palm Bay Agency making money.

Link felt he should contact Katherine to check which studio held the movie's rights.

After breakfast, Jennifer had to go to Russell's studio in New York to discuss her role. Link drove her there and then headed to Brooklyn to continue filming "Captain America."

In the movie's beginning, Captain America, Steve Rogers, was a small, sickly young man who repeatedly applied to join the army but was always rejected due to his poor health and was often bullied.

Since Link was tall and strong, even after losing weight, he couldn't achieve that frail look.

To solve this problem, the crew initially considered using CG effects to alter his body shape. However, after several attempts, they found the results unsatisfactory and had to use two body doubles instead, splicing their performances with Link's through editing.

This made the initial filming progress slow, with only one or two scenes shot daily. Despite nearly ten days on set, Link had only shot eight scenes.

"Scene 9, Take 3, Action!"

On the "Captain America" set, a long street in Brooklyn, Link sat in a World War II-era car, looking out the window at an alley. He nervously stammered to Peggy Carter beside him,

"I don't understand how a beautiful girl like you joins the army. Oh, no, I mean a lady, an agent, not a girl. You're beautiful, but..."

Link's stammering sounded nervous.

In her military uniform, Peggy Carter turned to him, "You have no idea how to talk to a girl, do you?"

"This is the longest sentence I've ever said to a girl."

Link looked down at his fingers, feeling low and self-conscious, "Girls won't agree to dance with a guy who steps on their feet."

"You should try."

Carter said.

"No, asking a girl to dance feels scary. I've been waiting for years."

"Waiting for what?"

"The right person."

Link hesitated.

"Cut!"

"Keep that take. Let's do another."

"Link, make your voice softer. In Steve's eyes, Agent Carter is like a goddess. At this moment, he'd feel self-conscious. Your voice is too bright, which breaks that feeling."

Director Joe Johnston watched the footage and called out.

"Okay!"

Link nodded and returned to the car to perform again.

Director Johnston continued watching Link and Hayley Atwell's performance.

Link's previous performance was good, but before collaborating, Johnston had called Woody Allen for advice on working with Link.

Woody Allen had gritted his teeth, telling Johnston that Link was like an olive, needing to be squeezed hard. The more pressure, the better he'd perform. If let loose, he'd become a third-rate actor. So, working with him meant never letting him off the hook.

Johnston pondered this and felt that working with Link might be challenging.

Every director has a different style; some are good-tempered, others bad-tempered. Some yell at actors when unhappy, while others use silent treatment.

Johnston saw himself as a good-tempered director, but constantly pressuring a superstar would be challenging.

He consulted several notoriously bad-tempered directors, asking how to criticize actors harshly without hurting their self-esteem.

Some gave one answer, some another, and those close to him cursed him for mocking them.

Johnston prepared a lot before filming, but once they started, he found his preparation unnecessary.

Link's performance was much more mature than in "The Fighter." He could nail simple scenes in one take, not worse than the veteran actors in the crew, needing no pressure.

Johnston was both pleased and a bit disappointed.

However, to keep Link from slacking off, he maintained strict requirements, critiquing his scenes to keep some pressure on him.

After a few scenes, he noticed this method worked. Under constant pressure, Link's performance steadily improved, occasionally delivering a stellar scene.

Additionally, Johnston found Link's emotional scenes more nuanced and powerful than his action scenes, which surprised him. A world champion boxer excelling in emotional acting?

Shaking his head, Johnston watched Link and Hayley Atwell on the monitor, then remembered something. He called his assistant, Doug Coleman, instructing him to keep an eye on Link and Hayley, ensuring they didn't get too close, and

 to inform their agents to maintain distance until filming was complete.

In the film, Captain America and Agent Carter are star-crossed lovers. Not letting Link and Hayley get intimate off-screen would help maintain that tension on-screen.

If they did get close, Johnston feared their romantic scenes might lose their edge.

"Cut!"

"Keep that take! Next scene!"

After the afternoon shoot, Link changed out of his costume, intending to discuss the next day's scenes with Hayley. However, their agents quickly separated them.

Anna told him it was Director Johnston's instruction. Given his playboy reputation, they should keep their distance to avoid rumors and better complete their scenes.

Link felt helpless. He wasn't a playboy who hit on every girl, and Johnston's arrangement seemed unnecessary. He also saw Woody Allen's influence in this.

He called Allen, asking how the post-production of "Midnight in Paris" was going and when it would be released. Allen's response was curt, saying it was still early and to wait.

Link asked about his performance and the chance for an Oscar nomination, suggesting Harvey Weinstein for PR.

Allen said he was dreaming, citing Peter O'Toole's eight Best Actor nominations without a win, implying Link would need at least eighteen nominations before having a shot, and told him not to rush.

(End of Chapter)