Actor in Hollywood

"Cut!"

The filming was over.

The morning scenes had come to an end, but the crew still needed to move to another location for the afternoon shoot. It wasn't time to relax yet.

Kristen looked at Anson, "Are you heading over to Group B for your scenes this afternoon?"

Anson was slightly taken aback. "No, that's tomorrow. I'm still with Group A this afternoon."

Kristen suddenly realized, "Ah, I must have mixed it up. I only have scenes in the morning tomorrow, so when you go to Group B in the afternoon, I'll be able to rest."

After speaking, Kristen noticed the envious look on Anson's face. She spread her hands wide, "There's nothing we can do. That's just the treatment the leading man gets. We minor characters just hang around. I remember there's a saying: 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"

As she finished, Kristen tried to put on a serious expression to tease Anson, but she couldn't hold it in and broke character first.

"Pfft."

She burst into a bright, hearty laugh.

On the other hand, Anson, who was the target of the joke, remained calm, looking at Kristen with a puzzled expression: ???

The staff nearby, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but smile as well.

In a big movie like "Spider-Man," the lead actor isn't in every scene, giving the supporting actors plenty of time to show their own flair. There were also extras and many transition scenes to be filmed.

Usually, the crew splits into two units: Group A and Group B.

Group B, led by the assistant director, handles the less difficult scenes. Occasionally, in very large productions, there's even a Group C, managed by a second assistant director.

In the busy and tight filming schedule, Group A and Group B do not move locations, but the actors must travel back and forth between the two shooting sites. This requires not only commuting but also testing whether the actors can maintain continuity in their performances.

According to the plan, Anson was supposed to go to Group B tomorrow afternoon to film a scene with James Franco, which was something new for both of them.

After all, being friends was one thing, but acting together in a film was another. Anson was eager to see James in a different light than he usually did off-screen.

Here, Kristen and Anson were laughing and joking.

Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal quietly approached, like a submarine. This time, however, he didn't rush forward but stood quietly on the side.

Anson noticed.

He thought Jake must have finally realized the true purpose of his visit today and was now feeling both embarrassed and awkward.

He should give his friend a push. After all, he couldn't help being so kind-hearted.

"Hey, Jake," Anson greeted when he found a chance.

Jake finally saw an opening and stepped forward to face Kristen. He looked a bit nervous, a little awkward, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes, which gave Anson an ominous feeling.

Wait, could this idiot Jake be planning to confess right here?

Otherwise, what's with that expression?

"Wow."

Jake spoke.

"I finally understand what you and Anson were discussing last night. Thinking it over seriously, it all makes sense."

"Mary Jane never really saw herself, and she didn't even understand herself. She couldn't see and didn't dare to, until now."

"In Peter's eyes, she saw herself—not perfect, but real—a beautiful fragility, a part of herself she had forgotten in the corner."

Jake babbled on excitedly.

Anson: … "Wow."

Anson felt utterly disappointed in himself for having any expectations of this idiot Jake. The girl who had been keeping him up at night, making his heart race, was right in front of him, and this was all Jake had to say?

Unbelievable!

Jake, however, was completely oblivious to Anson's tone, holding his head and lost in his own happiness.

Kristen was slightly surprised, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. But she managed to control herself, her gaze inadvertently drifting towards Anson, and her lips curled downwards slightly. "So, I guess I should thank Anson."

"First, last night, you generously shared your insights, helping me untangle the complexities of the character and understand the plot. All the tangled emotions were sorted out."

"And then today, oh my God, if you weren't the one acting opposite me, Anson, I have no idea where this scene would have gone. I don't know, maybe 'Charming 2.0'? But I probably wouldn't have liked it."

Jake was deep into discussing the performance, and Kristen, seeing no reason to refuse, joined in on the conversation about acting.

Anson: Utterly hopeless. Handling both of them at once was just too much.

Jake, however, was exceptionally happy. "Yes, yes, yes, Anson, how did you do it? My God, in that scene, you were absolutely mesmerizing, wow!"

What Anson wanted to say was that the challenge of the scene lay with Kristen because she had to show depth and nuance. All he had to do was be sincere, which wasn't difficult. But right now, he didn't want to talk about acting, okay?

These two had fallen into a ditch, and he wasn't going down with them.

Focus!

Please don't miss the point!

"Jake." Anson looked at Jake.

Jake gave a big smile, his eyes wet and puppy-like as he looked at Anson, eagerly waiting for what he would say next.

Anson decided to cut straight to the point. "Why don't you invite Kristen to grab a coffee after filming wraps up? Coffee, I mean."

Not alcohol—he wasn't old enough.

Jake didn't catch on right away. He blinked, his eyes clearly saying, "Why should I invite Kristen for coffee?"

Anson's smile began to stiffen. He gave Jake a look and then slowly turned to Kristen. Jake mechanically followed his gaze, only to see Kristen looking slightly puzzled and a bit awkward.

Jake, "Ah... ah!"

Finally!

Jake finally realized what was going on.

He hadn't planned on visiting the set because he didn't want to disturb his friend at work, but he couldn't control himself. The entire night before, he couldn't stop thinking about Kristen's smile. He tossed and turned, and in the end, he couldn't resist the temptation.

But... but how did things get to this point?

Seeing Kristen's expression, Jake slapped his face in frustration, the sound of two crisp slaps echoing as he fully came to his senses.

"Kristen, uh, would you have time this evening? If you're willing, maybe we could have a cup of coffee together, find a French café, and chat for a bit?"

Although a bit stammered and chaotic, at least he got the point across.

Kristen casually glanced at Anson, a faint gleam in her eyes, before looking back at Jake with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I already have plans for tonight."

Jake didn't say a word. His hands slowly slid upward, past his cheeks and forehead, and then grabbed his hair and pulled, looking so comical that it reminded one of Jim Carrey.

His lips curled slightly, but the smile was bitter, and his voice dropped heavily, "I messed up, didn't I?"

Seeing Jake like this, Kristen couldn't help but smile, a silent amusement in her expression. She didn't give an answer, neither affirming nor denying it. She only gave the slightest, almost imperceptible nod of her head.