Chapter 652: Anger

"Scene fifteen, take seventeen. Action!"

In the somewhat dilapidated parking lot, Andrew Garfield snapped into character the moment the clapper loader called out. He sprinted forward, running for his life at the speed of a hundred-meter dash. He threw glances over his shoulder from time to time, as if something terrifying were chasing him.

Following their rehearsed route, Andrew Garfield vaulted an iron fence and bolted through a metal gate. Several beat-up used cars blocked his path. Without a second thought, he leaped onto them, scrambling and rolling over the hoods like a thief fleeing the cops.

"Cut!"

Right after he tumbled over a secondhand Ford, the call to cut finally came from the director's chair, followed by a voice of praise.

"Good job, Andrew. Keep this energy up."

Andrew Garfield knew exactly who was speaking. He quickly stood up and flashed an earnest smile in that direction.

"Thank you, Director. I'll do my best."

Seeing the director nod, Andrew Garfield breathed a sigh of relief. It would be a lie to say he wasn't stressed or nervous working with such a renowned filmmaker. He had spent the first week of shooting making mistake after mistake. Fortunately, the director's temper wasn't nearly as immense as his fame; he offered guidance and encouragement from time to time, which gradually helped Andrew find his groove.

Of course, Andrew Garfield didn't discount his own hard work, nor the fact that this role wasn't actually all that difficult to play.

He had plenty of confidence in his acting; the biggest challenge lay in these action sequences. Since yesterday, he had been constantly on the run, vaulting over all sorts of obstacles without the use of a stunt double. He had definitely taken a beating.

Back at the rest area, a makeup artist came over for touch-ups while Andrew Garfield had his crew-assigned assistant roll up his pant leg. A large bruise covered his knee—a souvenir from bumping into the car he had just vaulted.

He didn't make a fuss about it, though. Andrew Garfield knew perfectly well that succeeding in Hollywood meant seizing every opportunity, and this was the rarest chance of all.

He had another scene coming up right after this. Once his makeup was fixed, he simply sat under a parasol instead of heading back to his trailer, watching the crew film the next set of shots. However, as he watched Amber Heard step in front of the camera, Andrew Garfield's face gradually darkened.

Even though they belonged to the same talent agency, they hadn't interacted much in the past. But just one week into shooting, Andrew Garfield had already decided he strongly disliked the beautiful, sexy actress.

The reason was simple enough. After a week of observation, Andrew Garfield had noticed that Amber Heard's character had just as much screen time as his, and whenever they shared a scene, the camera essentially revolved around her.

He had watched a few of their completed takes together, and the focus was almost entirely fixed on Amber Heard. Her beautiful face, stunning figure, and incredibly long legs easily sidelined him, the male lead.

No actor liked that feeling. Though he never voiced his complaints, outside of actual filming, Andrew Garfield never gave Amber Heard a friendly look.

After all, she was stealing his screen time. It was true that the film's real protagonist was Optimus Prime, but the story still required a massive amount of human scenes. According to the script, he was the primary human lead. If they kept shooting like this, Amber Heard would undoubtedly end up far more famous than him once the movie hit theaters.

In this sort of situation, the standard move would be to personally approach the director, or have an agent do it, and talk things out. But Andrew Garfield wasn't foolish enough to think he had the clout to discuss filming decisions with Duke Rosenberg.

Never mind him—even his agent, Nancy Josephson, wouldn't dare do such a thing.

Andrew Garfield turned his gaze back toward the camera. Under the brilliant California sun, Amber Heard stood by a reflector board in a short skirt and a tight T-shirt, chatting with an Asian actress. Her dazzling smile and sexy figure had drawn countless crew members to linger by the sidelines just to watch her.

She certainly had incredible natural assets, and that was exactly what the movie needed.

But Andrew Garfield didn't feel the slightest bit of attraction. He only felt that the attention meant for him was being stolen away by a pretty face with average acting skills...

Filming wrapped up quickly over there. It was merely a scene meant to flaunt her figure, so it wasn't particularly difficult, and Amber Heard had a decent enough foundation in acting anyway. When the director called cut, she flashed a brilliant smile toward the director's chair and the main camera. Without so much as a glance at her scene partner, she tilted her chin up slightly and swayed her hips as she walked back to her rest area.

She was only a twenty-year-old girl—an exceptionally gorgeous one at that—so naturally, she shared all the common flaws of girls her age.

Through her own observations over the past few days, Amber Heard had realized that Mikaela's screen time was by no means less than the male lead's. Even better, whenever they shared a scene, she clearly received far more focus from the camera.

What did that mean? It meant the crew and the director were very satisfied with her and valued her highly, didn't it?

As for the male lead? Amber Heard shifted her eyes slightly, her gaze drifting over Andrew Garfield, who sat a short distance to her left. Did this obnoxious guy really think she didn't know what was going through his head? He was just a silly boy...

"Amber, Andrew, get ready..."

An assistant shouted from across the set. Amber Heard quickly leaned toward the vanity mirror to check her makeup. After exchanging a few words with her stylist to ensure everything was perfect, she left the shade of her parasol and walked over to the cameras.

But Amber Heard hadn't expected Andrew Garfield to step out at the exact same moment. Heading for the same destination, the two inevitably crossed paths.

Amber Heard turned her head slightly to look at Andrew Garfield, just as he turned to look at her. Their gazes collided in the air, instantly turning ice-cold. They each let out a cold scoff—quiet enough that only the two of them could hear it—before snapping their heads forward again, refusing to spare each other another glance.

But the moment they stepped in front of the cameras, both of them instantly dropped the attitude. They earnestly discussed their blocking and even ran through a quick rehearsal of the scene, acting as if the frosty exchange had never happened.

"Scene fifteen, take nineteen. Action!"

With the clapper loader's call, filming commenced. Andrew Garfield and Amber Heard slipped right into character. The two actually worked together quite well, and they got through the shot smoothly.

Then, the crew shifted locations, preparing to shoot the scene where Sam pulls Mikaela along in a frantic sprint for their lives.

According to the setting, Mikaela was a used-car salesperson. A short skirt and high heels were essential to her wardrobe, and these two items would also serve to accentuate her figure while she ran.

Sprinting in high heels was absolutely not as easy as it looked. However, for many Hollywood actresses, it was an essential skill. Amber Heard had received special training from the crew for this very task, so she wasn't too worried.

As far as Amber Heard was concerned, a simple scene like this that only required her to flaunt her assets would be a breeze to finish.

"My car is chasing me! I told you, my car is chasing me!"

In the rundown used-car lot, Andrew Garfield pulled Amber Heard along as he bolted forward. Behind them, a battered Chevrolet sedan tore into the lot.

They were running fast, but thanks to her thorough preparation, Amber Heard felt relatively comfortable in her high heels.

They only needed to run about a hundred feet to complete the shot. Through the first half of the sprint, Amber Heard perfectly acted out her character's bewilderment as she kept pace with Andrew Garfield. She thought they were going to nail the take, but right as they were about to cross out of frame, Andrew Garfield tripped on a small pothole. He stumbled, nearly dragging her down to the ground with him.

"Cut! Take it from the top!"

With a stumble like that, they obviously had to reshoot.

A few minutes later, once the crew had reset, Amber Heard sprinted alongside Andrew Garfield again. Yet another accident occurred. Andrew Garfield flubbed a line. Since they were recording live audio, the mistake was unacceptable, and they had to take it from the top once more...

Mistakes during a shoot were perfectly normal, so Amber Heard didn't think much of it at first. After all, she and Andrew Garfield had both caused their fair share of bloopers over the past week.

But after Andrew Garfield ruined three takes in a row with "accidents," forcing them to run the sprint over and over again, Amber Heard realized something was wrong. Her feet, strapped into sky-high heels, were already throbbing with obvious pain.

"Fuck!"

As the next take began, the pain in Amber Heard's feet flared up the moment she started running. She didn't even need to look to know that the skin had rubbed raw. She cursed in her mind, 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck...'

But acting didn't allow for any distractions. She had barely managed a few mental curses before she heard a voice laced with faint anger.

"Cut!"

Hearing that tone, Amber Heard suddenly calmed down. The man sitting in the director's chair was no ordinary filmmaker. Duke Rosenberg didn't have a terrible temper, but he wasn't blind to cheap tricks. He definitely wouldn't tolerate this indefinitely. If Andrew Garfield kept playing these games, the only one who would suffer would be him.

But Andrew Garfield wasn't stupid either. When the next take started, he didn't make a single mistake, and the shot went off without a hitch.

That marked the end of the morning shoot. Amber Heard shot a deep, piercing glare at Andrew Garfield. Humming a tune under his breath, he walked straight off the set, seemingly in an excellent mood.

She bent down to rub her ankle, a flash of anger crossing her eyes.