It wasn’t an honest mistake, but a deliberate one.
1"Ugh!!!" Paula tossed her script across the suite, grinding her teeth in fury. "Until when will they have to make me wait?!"
Heaven's scene with Leo was only a quick scene that could be done in less than thirty minutes. However, it had been more than three hours and they aren't done yet! Paula could've finished half of her scenes if Director Guan took her scene first, but until now, she was stuck in her room!
"What the hell is he doing?!" Paula ground her teeth as she grumpily sat in front of the vanity mirror to retouch her makeup for the umpteenth time. "Don't tell me he was purposely making those mistakes?!"
The makeup artist who was trying to do Paula's makeup flinched when the latter pounded the bottom of her fist against the armrest. She looked at Paula warily, scared that Paula might accidentally hit her while throwing a tantrum.
Paula was not the only one frustrated in the set, though.
Director Guan was agitated, while the majority in the production couldn't hide their growing frustration. The scene was supposed to be a short cut, but they were using more energy and time on it than they should have. They would understand it if it was Heaven's fault, but it was Leo's.
That was where the confusion and surprise mixed with the frustration. Most of them worked with Leo in the past and thus, they were aware of how professional and passionate he was about acting. Leo's record in the set had always been good and never since his career took off did he give the production a hard time.
Leo's maximum mistake in a scene was five times, and those scenes were truly difficult to pull off. However, today, he had done mistakes more than he had throughout his decade-long career. And all those mistakes were all the same; his gaze and natural responses.
Leo's character was strong and thus, he was supposed to intimidate with ease. Meanwhile, Heaven's character should at least synergize with him, but the opposite was happening. Leo was the one who couldn't keep up with Heaven.
It was crazy!
"CUT!!" Director Guan snapped, taking off his headphones as he jumped out of his seat. Seeing him fuming as he left his seat in the bathroom, the staff worriedly looked at each other as they knew Leo Wu was in for a scolding.
"Ugh…" Leo pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut, in deep distress at his horrible mistakes. Meanwhile, Heaven was already in the same tub opposite Leo, pressing her lips into a thin line.
Heaven felt how the atmosphere changed from a light to a stifling one. All because of the male lead, Leo Wu.
"Leo, what the hell is wrong with you!?" Director Guan came into the bathroom with a bang, taking large steps until he squatted down beside the tub. He looked at Leo in disbelief, shaking his head while keeping eye contact.
"Why do you keep doing the same mistake over and over?" asked Director Guan. "This is not you. This is not how I know you. Tell me if there's something wrong so we can figure things out! We can't keep wasting everyone's time."
"I'm sorry, Director Guan." Leo looked at the director apologetically. "It's just that… I'm a little overwhelmed."
"Overwhelmed?"
"Yeah, but it's nothing important. I'm really sorry, but I'll try it again." Leo sighed as he glanced at Heaven. "I'm sorry, Heaven."
"It's fine." Heaven kept a polite smile before shifting her eyes to Director Guan. "Can we take a five-minute break, Director Guan? I'll talk to him."
Director Guan was unable to smile, but still, he looked at her with a much softer look. "Five minutes. Help him get his head here," as soon as he said those, Director Guan warned Leo one more time before announcing the five-minute break to everyone.
Leo's staff and the production staff immediately approached the tub. They each handed both actors towels so they could get out of the tub.
"Heaven, I'm really sorry." Leo sighed as soon as Heaven got out of the tub after him. "Because of me, we have to redo the scene over and over. I really didn't mean to, it's just that…"
Leo paused as he veered his eyes to her, watching her tie the robe around her waist. "... you're too good for this role. I wasn't ready and was complacent until now."
"Senior, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Heaven ignored his remarks, diverting them. "How can you say I'm just too good? From my perspective, it was probably because we didn't rehearse before taking this scene."
Heaven pressed her lips and offered him a short smile. "I know you are my senior. However, it's obvious that everyone is frustrated because we couldn't deliver the outcome they expect. How about you look at me as Heaven and not as the character I'm playing?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, if you see me as Heaven, then we might get the result we want," she continued in a knowing tone. "It's a little complicated, but I'd rather have you underestimating me since no harm will befall your shoulders if you do. It's not like I will do something bad if you do, since it's not in the script."
Her lips stretched from ear to ear until her eyes were squinting. "Just try it, okay?"
Leo could only stare at her bubbly countenance, which was far different from the one she was wearing once the camera started rolling. He was desperate to get done and over with this scene, and receiving a suggestion from his fellow actor was something he might just resort to.
Little did he know, there was a simple reason he committed the same mistake over and over. It was because Leo was too deep in character and thus, he was looking at Heaven as an outlaw who was capable of killing him. And her eyes delivered that feeling far too realistically. Therefore, even though Leo felt powerful by playing his character, Heaven just gave off a much more sinister vibe that forced him out of character out of fear.
It wasn't an honest mistake, but a deliberate one.
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