Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Although Linda had stood up, her movements were still somewhat awkward. Cameron kept comforting her in front of everyone, making it obvious that there was something unusual about their relationship.
In fact, anyone with eyes could tell that as filming progressed, the two had clearly taken a liking to each other. Their relationship had become an open secret within the crew.
Ryan vaguely remembered that James Cameron hadn't divorced yet, and his current wife in his previous life was that female director of The Hurt Locker.
Recalling what that woman looked like, Ryan suddenly felt a chill. Cameron really had a unique taste. He seemed to have a particular fondness for strong women. Kathryn Bigelow was like that, Linda Hamilton was like that, and… so was that "Fat Win".
Of course, no one in the crew would gossip about it. This sort of thing was perfectly normal in Hollywood. If people get along, they get together; if not, they break up. Although Cameron was a playboy, he was still far better than those directors who didn't even spare their adopted daughters or fled to France after molesting young girls.
Seeing that Linda Hamilton wouldn't be able to resume filming any time soon, Cameron quickly revised the shooting schedule.
The crew moved a few kilometers ahead, arriving near a bridge on the highway. A police helicopter they had temporarily rented was parked on the road. This scene didn't involve Ryan, so he arrived later than the others.
"This is too dangerous!" Cameron seemed to be arguing with someone.
"No! No!" The stunt pilot who was substituting for the T-1000 character in flying the helicopter seemed to have a different opinion. "I can definitely fly through. Nothing will go wrong."
"What's going on?" Ryan casually pulled a staff member aside to ask. To see someone arguing with Cameron on set seemed unbelievable to him.
"This scene involves the helicopter flying under the bridge in the script, but James thinks it's too dangerous and wants to change it to fly over the bridge. That guy believes it's unnecessary, and with his skills, he can pull it off!"
Ryan instantly understood what was happening. After all, he had watched the movie more than once. The scene quickly appeared in his mind. No doubt, the stunt pilot was completely insane. That bridge tunnel wasn't very tall — any mishap could result in the chopper being destroyed and people dying.
The strong wind and sand blown up by the rotor made it nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open, but no one dodged. Everyone widened their eyes, eager to witness this crazy moment.
The police helicopter lifted off into low altitude, circled twice, and entered the camera's frame. Without any hesitation, it swooped under the bridge.
When the helicopter narrowly flew through the bridge tunnel, a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted on-site. Many people even tossed their baseball caps into the air. Cameron personally oversaw the shot and was full of praise for the footage. Without a doubt, after post-production, this would become one of the classic scenes of the movie.
Even though he had lived two lives, witnessing such a dangerous stunt in person left Ryan with his jaw dropped. When the pilot stepped off the chopper and excitedly pumped his fist, Ryan began to understand why so many people loved pushing the limits. It wasn't about the result — it was about the feeling, the thrill, and the excitement of success.
"What a lunatic!" his assistant shouted excitedly and then gave such a verdict.
The subsequent shooting went unusually smoothly. Whether it was car crashes or helicopter explosions — all using models, of course — most scenes were done in one take. For the few dialogue scenes, Ryan and the others also performed excellently. When the crew wrapped up, they were actually ahead of schedule.
This stretch of highway was far from the city, surrounded by nothing but wasteland and desert. The crew ate and slept in trailers. Even though Ryan had his own private trailer, staying in it for a long time still felt uncomfortable. Especially when filming on windy days, he'd turn into a mud monkey.
As another weekend arrived, Nicole came from Los Angeles to visit the set. She was accompanied not only by Pat Kingsley and her assistant but also by a man.
"Carter, what brings you here?" Ryan looked at the vice president of Touchstone Pictures with some surprise.
"I heard Nicole was coming to visit, so I tagged along. Also, I wanted to hand this check to you personally," Carter Eisner took out an envelope and handed it to him. "What? Not happy to see me?"
"Of course not." The boy glanced at the setting sun and led them into his trailer. "You could've given the check to Pat. Sorry to trouble you for coming so far."
Ryan could easily guess his intentions but said nothing more. After letting them into the trailer, he handed out juice boxes to everyone. "We're short on options — only juice."
"Darling, you've gotten a tan." Nicole affectionately pinched his cheek.
"Nicole, didn't you think I was too pale before? Now I look healthier." Ryan replied with a smile.
He opened the envelope, glanced at the amount, and handed it over to Kingsley. Home Alone hadn't even ended its theatrical run yet, but Touchstone was already handing out red envelopes.
For most of the time, Ryan chatted with Nicole in hushed tones, sharing interesting happenings on set, issues during shooting, complaining about the windy, dusty New Mexico, and then asked about the progress of Sleepless in Seattle.
"The first trailer is already out. It's tentatively set for a Valentine's Day release. Harvey asked me to invite you to the premiere," Nicole said with a smile.
"Probably not possible. That guy James won't let me leave the crew," Ryan shrugged. "Is the post-production finished? Have you seen the rough cut?"
"I saw part of it. It looks pretty good."
Probably because it was the weekend, once night fell, the remaining crew gathered in the clearing surrounded by trailers and lit dozens of bonfires.
Parties are an important part of American life, and Nicole's arrival naturally drew attention. Soon, someone was sent to invite them to join the bonfire party.
"Ryan, I invited Miss Kidman. If you don't want to come, we won't mind," Robert Patrick joked.
"Oh, please. Don't think I don't know what you guys are up to," Ryan swung his fist like a little lion defending his territory. "Robert, tell those guys that if they're not afraid of being planted in the desert to become human cacti, then come at me!"
Of course, Ryan and Nicole wouldn't refuse such an invitation. As he became more involved in Hollywood, socializing became a required course. Americans might value practical interests more, but within the rules, relationships could sometimes produce unexpected results.
Just like across the ocean, every place had its own little circles. On set, unless there were serious conflicts or other motives, the main cast and crew would usually stick together.
"Mr. Eisner, is Disney also interested in Terminator?" Anne Hurd asked, watching the four of them take their seats.
"Not really. I just came to talk to Ryan about a few things," Carter answered indifferently.
"Alright, let's not talk about work. Watch me show off a little."
Ryan rolled up his sleeves, picked up a skewer of beef, and prepared to demonstrate his cooking skills.
"Hey, Ryan," Arnold Schwarzenegger curled his lips. "Just curious — who are you cooking for? I should warn you, Wes hasn't recovered yet. If he eats your food again, it could be fatal!"
Wes was the German shepherd the crew used for night patrol.
"Uh… well…" Ryan mumbled for a moment and noticed that everyone was instinctively keeping their distance from him — even Nicole. He couldn't help but sigh: Is my cooking really that bad?
"Forget it, Ryan." Nicole pulled him to her side. "Let me handle it."
With grilled meat, of course, came beer. Both Nicole and Kingsley could hold their liquor quite well. But Ryan wasn't of legal age yet, and by law, he couldn't drink in public. Of course, that law was as much a formality as the one in New York that banned wearing slippers after 10 p.m.
"Ryan, want a can?"
"Sorry, Mr. Casa, Ryan can't have alcohol," Nicole rejected it for him without hesitation. "He's severely allergic to alcohol. I believe this is stated in the contract with the crew."
Everyone looked at each other. In the eyes of these entertainment folks, a life without alcohol was a truly tragic one.
Back in London, their family doctor had solemnly warned Nicole: if she didn't want to risk Ryan's life, he should avoid alcohol for the rest of his life.
Since then, whether in their London villa or Los Angeles apartment, Nicole had never brought home a single bottle of alcohol, even though she was a wine enthusiast herself.
Every gain comes with a cost. Perhaps it was because of their past-life relationship, or perhaps the mysterious being who gave Ryan a second life was playing a trick — while giving him exceptional artistic talent, they had also stripped away many of his abilities. What had already been discovered included his terrible cooking and alcohol allergy.
And as for other possible defects? Only God knew.
"Ryan, want anything else to eat?" Nicole asked as she placed grilled beef onto a tray. Ryan savored the meat carefully. "Nicole, your cooking is getting better and better!"
"They really have a great relationship."
Watching the pair, who had eyes only for each other, others couldn't help but sigh.
"Even real siblings don't get along like that," Linda said, thinking of her own twin sister who had once made a cameo appearance.
In truth, all parties were much the same. Even bonfire parties were filled with small talk about interesting topics, strengthening bonds, discussing industry gossip and rumors, occasionally debating a little. Even if people had conflicts, it rarely escalated — no one was foolish enough to expose their worst side in front of others.