I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 433

7th day.

Kang Woo-jin was on his way in a van. His destination was the filming set of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain.’ It was a typical morning routine, but the atmosphere inside his van was a bit different today. It was as if Woo-jin’s stylist and other team members were making a fuss.

‘Wow! This is crazy! Why is this blowing up now?!’

‘I know, right! I had totally forgotten about it! But the articles are everywhere!’

‘Wow—seeing it now, I remember that time! It was really intense! Look, there are even photos!’

‘Photos? Were there photos taken back then??’

‘There’s even a video, it seems!’

Choi Sung-gun was also looking at his phone with a serious expression. Actually, everyone in the van was the same. They were all excitedly looking at their phones. Of course, Kang Woo-jin was also looking at his phone. He wasn’t as excited as his team members, though.

‘······’

However, while maintaining a solemn face, he was inwardly tilting his head in confusion.

‘What is this?? Why is everyone making such a fuss now?’

The foreign news articles they were looking at read:

『LA TIME/Last year, Miley Cara almost died on a music video set, and it was Kang Woo-jin, the center of attention, who saved her life』

It was the heroic tale of Kang Woo-jin saving Miley Cara’s life last year.

It was about the time when Woo-jin saved Cara from a woman who tried to harm her during the music video shoot for her new album. It was something that had faded from Kang Woo-jin’s memory since it happened quite a while ago, but suddenly, foreign reporters were going crazy over it now.

Various overseas media outlets, including Hollywood, were frantically churning out articles.

Of course, this was just the beginning.

This trend would soon turn fanatical and engulf Hollywood.

Whatever the case, this wasn’t something Choi Sung-gun or Kang Woo-jin had leaked.

Later.

Kang Woo-jin arrived at the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ filming set inside ‘Columbia Studios.’ As soon as he appeared, about a hundred foreign staff members started applauding excessively.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

It was an atmosphere reminiscent of an awards ceremony, and many staff members, including key staff, gave Kang Woo-jin a thumbs up.

‘Haha, Woo-jin! You did something amazing?!’

‘You showed us ‘benevolent evil’ in real life?? Why did you keep it a secret until now?!’

‘That’s what I’m saying! If you saved Miley, you would have been treated like a hero from the beginning of your Hollywood debut!’

‘It’s a relief that it’s known now!’

‘I saw that all the hateful comments that were overflowing until yesterday have disappeared? That’s a relief, but still, Dam is really amazing!’

‘It’s weird that ‘Joker’ saved someone, isn’t it?’

Amidst the noisy situation, Kang Woo-jin tried his best to maintain his composure.

‘Ugh—my ears hurt, but well, it’s somewhat expected.’

He had experience with this. It was director Ahn Ga-bok who quietly approached and mentioned it.

‘You keep having the image of an issue-maker, whether in Korea or Hollywood, it’s quite amazing. But didn’t something similar happen in Korea too? I remember seeing it.’

‘···About Hwa-rin’s incident before.’

‘Ah, yes, that’s right, haha. It seems all sorts of things happen around you. Anyway, be careful, don’t let your guard down.’

‘I understand.’

It was a strange day where ‘Joker’ became a hero, but Woo-jin, who had been in and out of the ‘subspace,’ once again pulled up the necessary emotions and the bizarre world to focus on filming. Thanks to him, the noisy atmosphere of the filming set quickly calmed down.

‘Action.’

And that night.

The ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ team, having finished a day of filming, was busy with cleanup and preparations for tomorrow’s shoot. They were moving equipment to the necessary sets according to the shooting script and key staff were busy talking. Meanwhile, Kang Woo-jin, with his wet hair reaching his forehead and wearing the colorful ‘Joker’ costume.

-Swish.

He had just approached director Ahn Ga-bok, who was with the general producer Nora Foster, along with several foreign staff members. As Woo-jin, who had removed his makeup, approached, director Ahn Ga-bok, with his wrinkled face, turned his head.

‘Woo-jin.’

He was holding the script and shooting script, etc., and inside were numerous notes scribbled with a pen. Then, director Ahn Ga-bok flipped a page of the script and pointed with his index finger.

‘Tomorrow, we’ll do solo shots in the morning, and from noon to the afternoon, we’ll focus on two-shots.’

Kang Woo-jin nodded calmly.

‘Yes, director.’

‘Hmm—there will probably be a lot of scenes with Chris.’

For reference, Woo-jin was working on the same project, but he rarely met Chris Hartnett recently. It was a natural thing. In Korea, there were many actors who only saw each other once during the script reading and once at the wrap-up dinner after filming. This was mostly the case with supporting or minor role actors. However, in ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain,’ Woo-jin had quite a few scenes with Chris.

The two-shot filming was about to begin.

‘I understand.’

Next to Woo-jin, who nodded slightly, a man with deep brown eyes, wearing a hat pulled low, approached. It was Chris Hartnett. His scene had ended about two hours ago, but it seemed he hadn’t left yet.

‘Director.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok gave him the same explanation as Woo-jin. Chris smiled and turned his gaze to Kang Woo-jin.

‘We’re finally meeting.’

Until now, Chris had been captured on camera like a minor image in Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Henry Gordon’ or ‘Joker’ cuts, but there were no scenes where the characters talked to each other. Tomorrow would be the first time. Then, Woo-jin, who was staring at the grinning Chris.

‘Why does this handsome guy like me so much?’

On the surface, he replied very nonchalantly.

‘Please take care of me.’

‘Likewise.’

Chris didn’t say it out loud, but he was saying it with his eyes.

‘The day has come to fulfill our promise from the trailer, I’m ready as a challenger.’

Of course, Kang Woo-jin had no idea about this. He was just thinking, ‘Why is he staring so much?’ and not avoiding eye contact. But to Chris, this meaningless gaze came across as something else.

‘He’s telling me to come at him anytime.’

At this moment, director Ahn Ga-bok, who was looking at the shooting script, intervened.

‘Tomorrow’s cuts for the two of you are sensitive. It’s the scene where the first follower of the ‘Joker’s’ madness appears, and it’s a scene that pierces through the theme of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain.’ So.’

He requested the two actors in a polite tone.

‘As I said before, ad-libs based on the script are welcome. I expect creative, free acting.’

At this moment.

‘······Director.’

Nora Foster, the general producer, who had been watching the conversation all along, her brow slightly furrowed, whispered to Ahn Ga-bok.

‘Let’s talk for a moment.’

Shortly after.

Nora spoke in a hushed voice to director Ahn Ga-bok, who had led her to a slightly secluded spot.

‘It would be better to refrain from creative or free acting for a while now.’

She was objecting to director Ahn Ga-bok’s handling.

Refrain from it? Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his wrinkled face, stared calmly at Nora Foster, the general producer with a generally strong impression, standing in front of him. His expression was quite serious. The objection she had just voiced was genuine.

‘Hmm—’

Director Ahn Ga-bok let out a small sigh inwardly.

‘I knew there would be a clash, well, there have been sparks flying since the beginning.’

Nora Foster, one of Hollywood’s famous producers.

Unlike Joseph Felton, who manages multiple projects at once, she was currently only working on ‘Columbia Studios’ projects, including ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain.’ In other words, she was in charge of the overall handling of the ‘Cinematic Universe.’ Of course, Nora wasn’t doing it alone, but whatever the case, she had been putting her heart and soul into the ‘Cinematic Universe’ since before.

It was natural since ‘Columbia Studios’ had put their lives on the line.

Therefore, the expectations and interest in ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ were immense, and Nora Foster and ‘Columbia Studios’ executives also frequently appeared on the filming set. Nora was practically coming to work every day. It seemed that Nora was now in charge of the on-site lubrication, acting as a bridge between director Ahn Ga-bok and ‘Columbia Studios.’

And she was now putting a spoke in director Ahn Ga-bok’s wheel.

Not often, but there were often disagreements between her and director Ahn Ga-bok’s directions. It wasn’t a big deal, so they had managed to get through it, but this time, Nora was acting quite seriously, as if she had made up her mind. In Korea, no one would object to director Ahn Ga-bok, who was practically the strongest in the world.

But this was the vast Hollywood.

‘It’s a bit annoying after all.’

No matter how much of a director Ahn Ga-bok was, he was just a hired director here. Unlike Korea, where directors rule, Hollywood had more power for producers, and when director Ahn Ga-bok’s opinions clashed with a producer, he had to find a compromise.

‘Please refrain from creative or free acting that includes ad-libs. Nora, why do you think so?’

After a moment of silence, director Ahn Ga-bok asked, and Nora Foster began to speak as if she had been waiting for it.

‘···You said similar things to Chris Hartnett and all the actors, and of course, to Kang Woo-jin as well.’

‘That’s right.’

‘It seems like a pretty good idea at first, but if you let it go too much, it can roll in the wrong direction. The actors’ creativity and freedom are good, but I think the script should firmly hold the center. If it deviates from that, it will become neither here nor there.’

She was saying to stick to the established script. Director Ahn Ga-bok replied to this.

‘Of course, I agree with that. Naturally, the basis of the actors’ free acting will be the script, and my directing will also be based on the script.’

‘I know. But things outside of that are happening too often. If these things accumulate, it will be uncontrollable later.’

It wasn’t just a pointless tantrum.

Nora was also expressing her concerns as a producer. The current ‘Cinematic Universe’ was on a massive scale, and ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ was the work that would mark the beginning of that huge scale. She couldn’t help but be several times more sensitive than usual. More than anything, Nora, who had over a decade of experience, had seen quite a few projects fail because they gave too much freedom on set.

‘The existing script is of sufficient quality to attract the audience’s attention, so I don’t think there will be any major problems if we go with that.’

Her words were not wrong. But director Ahn Ga-bok had a different opinion from Nora.

‘I also accepted the role of director after seeing the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ script. However, this work will lose its explosive power if it’s too rigid. We need to let the actors express things that we can’t even imagine.’

‘I know, that’s why I acknowledged Kang Woo-jin’s free acting. I’m not ignoring your opinion, director, I’m just saying that we need to adjust the pace appropriately.’

The opinions of the director and the producer were at odds. Generally, the general producer has the upper hand. This was Hollywood, after all. But director Ahn Ga-bok was a veteran among veterans with a wealth of experience, having filmed a whopping 100 movies.

The wily director Ahn Ga-bok.

‘······Nora.’

He chose negotiation rather than breaking his stubbornness.

‘How about we do this?’

He also gave great meaning to ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain,’ and his experience and instinct were telling him that he had to push through here.

‘The two-shot scene between Kang Woo-jin and Chris. Let’s leave it to their creativity and freedom based on the script for now. But if their acting is not as noticeable compared to the script, or if it’s not satisfactory, then we’ll go in the direction of reshooting as you said.’

‘······Director. Not everyone is the same, but among the people at ‘Columbia Studios,’ there are those who don’t really welcome your directing methods. Do you really have to go that far?’

‘Of course, even if it means hiring a new director, I will.’

He was saying, ‘Fire me if you dare.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok was more fierce than ever, and Nora, who was staring at him intently.

‘···Alright.’

She took a step back. The director’s intention was quite firm, and if the conflict grew any further, the atmosphere on set would die. Rumors could also spread among the actors.

‘For now, it’s better to go ahead with the filming.’

It was better to act after seeing the filming. That was her judgment.

Soon, Nora, who let out a short sigh, slowly nodded her head.

‘I’ll agree to watch the filming. However, people from ‘Columbia Studios’ might show up tomorrow.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok, with a face that showed he didn’t care, smiled slightly.

‘Good.’

He replied and moved away from Nora to the two actors who were waiting. That is, Kang Woo-jin and Chris. Woo-jin was maintaining a nonchalant face, but inside, he was thinking, ‘What’s going on?’

‘It looked like they were fighting? Is it okay?’

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had no way of knowing this, said to Kang Woo-jin and Chris.

‘Go wild tomorrow.’

The next day, July 8th, in the morning, inside a large van.

A man sitting by the window of the van, where several foreigners were riding, caught the eye. It was Chris Hartnett, wearing a hat pulled low. His deep brown eyes were facing out the window. Chris’s van was already passing through the entrance of the vast ‘Columbia Studios’ and moving towards the set complex where the filming would take place.

Then.

-Swish.

Chris closed his eyes. It wasn’t because he was tired. He was organizing his feelings and mind. He also organized his breathing. He calmed the slightly beating heart that had been beating since earlier.

‘Calm down, today I have to face ‘Joker.”