Out in the northwest suburbs of Los Angeles, Hollywood.
Right now, inside a film studio, the crew is shooting indoor scenes for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
The Pirates franchise relies heavily on special effects, so green-screen shooting and post-production for indoor scenes are a must.
Ever since Luke pulled off an impressive feat by wrapping up the underwater scenes—originally scheduled to take a week—in just one day, the crew shifted to this Hollywood studio to keep filming these parts.
"Man, Luke, I'm jealous," Johnny Depp said, pulling up a small stool to sit next to him. "You finish this scene today, and you're off for the Christmas break."
"You guys are only a few days behind me," Luke replied with a grin. "Who told you to keep flubbing your lines and needing retakes?"
"You jerk!" Depp shot back, half-laughing. "You've never even taken an acting class, so how's your acting that good? It's like you're some kind of natural."
Luke wasn't wrong. He was getting an early Christmas break partly because Director Verbinski was looking out for him, scheduling his scenes first. But it was also because Luke's acting was so spot-on that he almost never caused a retake. If a scene did need to be reshot, it was usually due to someone else's mistake.
So, Luke's scenes wrapped up fast, letting him kick off his vacation early.
"Haha, after Christmas, you guys have to come back to keep shooting in the studio, but I get a full two weeks off—head to tail," Luke teased further. "What can I say? Even a rabbit's gotta slow down sometimes to wait for the tortoise."
"You're gonna drive me nuts, Luke!" Depp groaned. "I'm so jealous. I'd kill for more time to spend with my Amber."
Ever since Depp took Luke's advice and gifted Amber a red Ferrari, she'd stopped giving him grief.
You'd think that would've made Depp see her true colors, but the guy was so head-over-heels, he was blind to it.
Maybe he did see it but was too lovestruck to care.
"How's she so into cars?" Depp wondered aloud. "I just got her that Ferrari, and now for Christmas, she's asking for a Lamborghini."
Luke couldn't help himself. "Ever think maybe it's not about the cars but more about finding ways to dip into your wallet?"
"No way!" Depp protested. "My Amber's so sweet and innocent—she's not like that!"
"All I can say is good luck, man," Luke replied.
He wasn't optimistic about Depp's relationship, especially with his knowledge from his past life, but there was no changing it. All he could do was offer a half-hearted "blessing."
"Bob's calling me," Depp said, standing up. "I've got a few action scenes to go over with him. Catch you later—probably in Dominica."
"Yup, see you in Dominica," Luke said, giving a wave.
After wrapping the indoor scenes, the whole crew would head to Dominica, where the white beaches and colorful coral reefs would serve as the final filming location.
Once Luke finished his Christmas break, he'd meet up with the crew in Dominica, enjoying nearly two weeks of vacation in between.
"So, how're you spending the Christmas break?" Anne asked, sidling up as Depp walked off. "Heading back to China to hang with Yuffie?"
"Nah, she's got a lot going on," Luke said. "I'm not gonna bother her."
"Then how about we spend it together?" Anne said with a playful smile.
"Sorry, someone's already got dibs," Luke replied.
"Who?"
"You know her—Taylor Swift," he said.
"I knew there was something going on with you two!" Anne teased.
"Didn't you already figure that out?" Luke shot back.
"Take me with you? You know what I mean," Anne said, winking with a flirty look.
"Nah, we're not there yet," Luke said. "Her second album's about to wrap up, and I'm just going to help out."
His excuse sounded flimsy, and Anne picked up on it but didn't push. Instead, she leaned in and whispered, "Stay with me tonight. I miss you."
Luke was tempted to ask what exactly she missed but decided that'd sound too cheesy. So he just nodded.
Anne's face lit up, her eyes sparkling with a smile that could melt anyone.
"Luke, last scene—let's get ready!" Director Verbinski's voice crackled through his earpiece.
"On my way," Luke said, standing up and heading toward the director.
As soon as Verbinski saw him, he asked, "For this scene with the Kraken fight, should we use some props to make it easier?"
"Let's stick with the original plan," Luke replied. "It'll look better, and it'll be a bigger draw for promotion later."
"Alright, we'll do it your way," Verbinski said. When it came to action scenes, he always trusted Luke's judgment.
The "props" in question referred to the giant Kraken "puppet" in the studio. For scenes where the deep-sea monster attacked, the crew used wires to manipulate its tentacles, slamming them against the ship or interacting with the actors.
Of course, the prop Kraken wouldn't actually appear on the big screen. It was just a filming aid. Visual effects artists would layer on realistic textures and lighting in post-production to make it look jaw-dropping.
But Luke had nixed the idea of using the prop Kraken for his scenes.
To him, acting opposite a clunky prop would limit his performance and make the action less dynamic.
The downside? Without the prop, he'd be fighting thin air.
After filming, the effects team would match their work to Luke's choreographed moves, which would make the final product look way better.
Back when he filmed King of Espionage at the Kremlin, he'd done pantomime-style acting. This time, it was full-on no-prop combat performance—a whole new level of difficulty.
The challenge was that he had to battle an imaginary monster in his head while making every punch and move feel real and intense.
If he pulled it off, the audience would be blown away.
Luke's plan was to show the VFX-enhanced version first, then reveal the no-prop fight in the end-credits bloopers. The contrast would ignite the audience's excitement and boost the movie's buzz.
A performance like that? It'd be groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind acting that'd leave everyone talking.