Chapter 19: Discussing the Script
"So… who's playing the male lead?" Nicole asked.
"You mean the psychopath pretending to be her husband—Mike?"
Before I Go to Sleep was a suspense story centered on amnesia.
Fourteen years earlier, the female lead, Christine, had suffered a severe accident that left her with a condition in which her memory reset every twenty-four hours.
The male lead was the very man responsible for her condition—
a disturbed, violent figure who had assaulted her and caused her brain damage.
For fourteen years, he had stayed by her side, masquerading as her devoted husband.
His real name was Mike.
Before Christine lost her memory, he had been her lover—the man she had an affair with.
The film's primary appeal lay in its repeated narrative reversals and Nicole Kidman's demanding, layered performance.
Which was precisely why Nicole found the role so challenging.
Hearing her question, William calmly pointed at himself.
"The one sitting in front of you."
Though the film only had three major characters, William followed a simple principle—
If he could save money, he would.
In Hollywood, directors who also acted in their own films weren't exactly rare.
One notable example was Quentin Tarantino—though at this point in time, he was still an unknown.
"Well then," Nicole said, closing the script and handing it back,
"I don't have any objections."
Her reason for asking was simple.
The script included intimate scenes with the male lead.
As a professional actress, she wasn't supposed to make a fuss about such things.
But at the moment, her mind was occupied with a different calculation—
how to maintain a favorable relationship with William.
Naturally, she wanted to avoid doing anything that might alienate him or push herself to the margins.
William wasn't stupid.
Though he didn't fully grasp her underlying motives, he could tell she cared about that particular scene.
"If you're uncomfortable," he said evenly,
"we can shoot the bed scene using camera angles and implied shots."
Hearing this, Nicole responded almost instinctively:
"I don't mind the scene—I just mind who it's with."
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
That had been far too direct.
To mask the awkwardness, she quickly picked up her aperitif and took a sip.
Her slip made William raise an eyebrow.
With a trace of scrutiny in his gaze, he studied Nicole carefully.
This future Oscar winner had seemed—more than once—to be subtly testing the waters with him.
So what was she after?
His talent?
After being tempered by the cynicism of a later era, William had little faith in such pure motives within the entertainment industry.
Nicole Kidman was clearly after something.
After a moment's thought, he decided not to overanalyze it.
Before I Go to Sleep was, at its core, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
He would simply respond as things unfolded.
---
Dinner came to a natural close.
Nicole and William stood outside the restaurant together.
Though late May wasn't particularly cold, the night breeze still carried a chill.
Nicole instinctively pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
Moments later, a Chevrolet pulled up in front of them.
The valet stepped out, returned the keys to William—
And shot them an oddly curious look before leaving.
He couldn't quite understand why someone who drove such a beat-up car would be able to afford dining at a place like this.
The valet's quiet contempt went completely unnoticed by William.
"After you, my lady." William opened the passenger door.
Nicole slid into the seat.
The valet watched as William walked around to the driver's side, got in, and drove off.
"Damn it," the valet muttered under his breath.
"A woman that beautiful dating a poor guy like that—what kind of world is this?"
William, of course, never heard a word of it.
And even if he had, he probably would've just laughed it off.
---
"You should take the script home and study it carefully," William said as he drove.
"I'll make my preparations on my end. We'll probably start shooting next week."
One hand on the steering wheel, he passed the script to Nicole with the other.
Nicole said nothing—she simply accepted it and nodded.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of Nicole Kidman's apartment on Sunset Boulevard.
She didn't get out immediately.
Instead, she sat quietly in the passenger seat, lost in thought.
Seeing her silence, William turned toward her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.
"Nothing," Nicole replied after a pause.
"Just thinking. By the way… would you like to come up for a drink?"
The invitation mirrored the last one she'd made—
only this time, it wasn't coffee.
Another ambiguous offer.
William raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
"Sure."
This time, he intended to see exactly what this future Oscar winner was up to.
Nicole smiled faintly, opened the door, and stepped out.
William followed.
Moments later, they were upstairs in her apartment.
---
It had to be said—Nicole came from money.
The rent alone for a place like this wasn't cheap.
"Make yourself comfortable," she said.
"What would you like to drink?"
William sat down on the sofa and looked toward Nicole standing by the liquor cabinet.
"Whatever. Something low-proof. I'll be driving later."
His answer made Nicole pause mid-motion.
She turned back and shot him a mildly aggrieved look.
"Then you'll have what I'm having—whiskey on the rocks."
Without waiting for his approval, she went to the fridge, grabbed a block of ice, and pulled out an ice pick from the drawer.
She began breaking the ice.
Watching her, William felt a flicker of confusion.
What is this? Trying to keep me here overnight?
This was starting to feel dangerously close to the plot of one of his Adult Valley films.
Not knowing what she was after, William chose to observe.
Soon, Nicole returned with two glasses of whiskey over ice.
She handed one to William and sat down beside him.
Very close.
The distance between them was barely two or three centimeters—
any slight movement would result in contact.
The scent of her perfume drifted toward him, making it difficult to read her intentions.
"Cheers."
Nicole didn't shy away from his gaze.
She flicked her long blonde curls back and lightly tapped her glass against his.
Then she took a small sip.
Given the circumstances, William raised his glass and drank as well.
The chilled whiskey slid smoothly down his throat—cool and gentle.
"So," William said after a moment, fatigue creeping into his voice,
"did you really invite me up just to have a drink?"
Nicole couldn't help thinking: This man really has no sense of romance.
"Of course not."
She didn't seem discouraged at all.
Instead, she placed the script William had handed her earlier on the table between them.
"How about we run through a scene?"