Chapter 30 – Catherine's Awkward Acting
The next morning, eight o'clock sharp.
By the roadside on Sunset Boulevard.
Sergei had arrived early and was already waiting there for William.
Just a few minutes past eight, William and Nicole Kidman slowly emerged from the apartment building together.
Nicole got into the car first. William entered from the opposite side.
Inside the car, Sergei cleared his throat.
"Sir, may I speak with you privately?"
As he spoke, Sergei glanced at Nicole's radiant reflection in the rearview mirror—but only briefly.
Unlike most men, he wasn't distracted by beauty. If anything, he found her presence inconvenient.
Nicole, however, immediately caught the hint. She pretended to rummage through her bag.
"William, I forgot something upstairs. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and headed back inside.
Once the car door shut, William looked forward.
"What happened?"
"Last night…" Sergei began, then calmly recounted everything he had witnessed.
When he finished, William stroked his chin.
"So—you destroyed all the equipment?"
Sergei nodded evenly.
At that moment, William genuinely felt that paying Sergei $4,500 a month was worth every cent.
In the era William came from, many Americans didn't even earn $3,000 a month.
In 1989, that salary was nothing short of extravagant.
The purchasing power of the dollar back then was in a completely different league.
That was precisely why Sergei took his work so seriously.
"Good work," William said.
"After your shift today, go to Katya and take two thousand dollars. Consider it a bonus."
William offered no commentary—he simply used money to reward competence.
The result was immediate.
Sergei, rarely expressive, actually smiled.
"Thank you, boss."
A short while later, Nicole returned and got back into the car.
Sergei started the engine and drove them toward the next outdoor filming location.
---
A park.
Catherine Zeta-Jones stood off to the side, script in hand, rehearsing one last time.
Yes—she had been cast as Christine's close friend in Before I Go to Sleep.
Since Catherine was still at the very beginning of her acting career, she hadn't hesitated for even a second before accepting William's offer.
Her eagerness had actually surprised him at the time.
What William didn't know was that Catherine had already seen him walk into Nicole Kidman's apartment—twice.
And she hadn't forgotten it.
Clearly, Catherine had thoughts of her own as well.
After all, a man chosen by Nicole Kidman was bound to have substantial resources behind him. Catherine simply didn't believe that an actress on the rise would be willing to sleep with an ordinary man for no reason.
"Miss Jones, it's time for makeup," a production assistant said as he approached her.
"Oh—sorry. I'll go right now."
Still a complete nobody, Catherine was very humble. She nodded politely and followed him to the makeup trailer.
Once inside, she discovered that Nicole Kidman was already there.
According to the script, both women were meant to be older, so the makeup artist was carefully sketching faint crow's-feet at the corners of Nicole's eyes, stroke by stroke.
"Hello, Miss Kidman," Catherine greeted instinctively, a hint of awe in her voice.
It couldn't be helped—there was a clear difference in status.
Even if Nicole wasn't yet an international superstar, she was still leagues above someone like Catherine, who hadn't even had a single notable role.
"Hello," Nicole replied calmly.
She didn't recognize Catherine—only registered that the young woman was quite pretty, nothing more.
"Miss Kidman, I'm actually a fan of yours," Catherine continued.
"I thought Far and Away was amazing. Your performance was absolutely perfect."
As long as flattery isn't clumsy, everyone enjoys hearing it.
Sure enough, a faint smile appeared on Nicole's face.
"Miss Kidman, please relax your expression—we're not finished yet," the makeup artist reminded her.
"Sorry," Nicole said softly, settling back into composure.
Soon, both women were finished with their makeup.
The scene involved the two old friends reuniting after many years apart. Through Catherine's character, Christine would uncover more clues about Mike and Ben.
Compared to Nicole, Catherine's acting was clearly raw.
So raw that William, watching from behind the camera, grew visibly displeased.
He stood up abruptly.
"Cut! Cut! Cut! Stop!"
He pointed toward Catherine.
"Miss Jones! Please—don't act like a corpse! Show some expression!
You're playing a long-lost friend, someone burdened with guilt!
Imagine this—would you really be able to recite your lines with a blank face after not seeing her for years?!
For—damn it—seriously!"
William nearly swore outright.
It was the first time either Catherine or Nicole had seen him lose his temper on set.
Both immediately tensed.
"I'm sorry, Director! I—I—"
Catherine had prepared herself mentally to be scolded, but when it actually happened, she froze, flustered and unsure what to say.
Seeing this, Nicole gently tugged Catherine's hand and turned to William.
"Director, give me five minutes. Let me walk her through the scene."
She looked at him with a faintly pleading expression.
William checked his watch, then nodded.
"Fine. Five minutes."
He sat back down.
This film was his opening shot—his debut statement. There was no room for flaws.
Making money was easy; his memories alone guaranteed that.
But status in Hollywood required more than wealth.
This movie was the brick meant to smash open Hollywood's doors.
It had to be solid.
Five minutes later, Catherine took a deep breath and adjusted her mindset.
William leaned forward and shouted:
"Action!"
The scene resumed.
This time, Catherine acted opposite Nicole with visible improvement.
Under Nicole's hands-on guidance, Catherine hadn't transformed—but she finally conveyed the emotions required for the shot.
For a psychological thriller, facial expressions and emotional nuance were everything.
Even so, William remained dissatisfied.
This wasn't a Valley film where poor acting could be ignored.
He had cast Catherine largely because he knew her future success.
He hadn't expected her beginner-stage acting to be this rough.
"Catherine—come here."
William calmed himself and beckoned her over.
"Yes, Director!"
Catherine hurried toward him, nervous but eager.
"What is it, Director?"
---