Chapter 710: How Much Torment She Had Endured Along the Way

An agreement regarding the Oakland Raiders was quickly reached. Duke temporarily handed filming over to Anna Printz and took two days off to visit San Francisco, where he signed the share transfer agreement with the Oakland Raiders' original shareholders and officially became the team's new owner.

However, the team could not immediately relocate to Los Angeles. They would remain in Oakland for the current season, and the series of plans Duke had drawn up could only be implemented after the season ended.

The focal point of these plans was undoubtedly Tom Brady. Nancy Josephson was currently taking the wife approach, using Gisele Bundchen to influence Tom Brady.

There was no denying that the power of pillow talk was often formidable.

Having settled the matter with the Oakland Raiders, Duke returned directly to New Mexico. Tom Cruise, who had left earlier, also returned to the set. After all, he wasn't the director of Mission: Impossible 4, so he didn't need to be involved in the film's entire pre-production process.

Tom Cruise's timely return allowed Duke to continue filming according to the established schedule.

After Alessandra Ambrosio's character became the first casualty on the War Machine and she left the set, the crew built an artificial swamp just before Christmas to begin shooting the scenes of Furiosa's group getting stuck in the mire.

Naturally, this small artificial swamp was just for show. It only covered an area of a few hundred square feet, and the related panoramic shots would rely heavily on CGI. Duke couldn't exactly drag the entire crew out to a real swamp just for practical effects; he wasn't that obsessive or crazy.

"Attention, all departments..."

Standing on a specially erected platform in the middle of a puddle-filled marsh, Duke raised his megaphone.

"Action!" he shouted.

Tom Cruise knelt on one knee near the rear of the War Machine, holding a rifle. After aiming for a moment, he pulled the trigger, and a crisp gunshot rang out...

Near the front of the vehicle, Adriana Lima turned her head and shouted a reminder, "You only have two bullets left!"

Ignoring her, Tom Cruise simply glanced back. He aimed and fired again. Charlize Theron frowned slightly. She gestured to Adriana Lima, handing her the pistol trained on James Franco in the driver's seat and signaling her to keep him covered. Then, pumping her long, straight legs, she strode over.

"Give me the gun!" she said to Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise looked up at her and replied, "Okay."

With that, he handed the prop gun to Charlize Theron...

Watching this, Duke felt something was wrong. It wasn't an issue with the actors' performances, but rather the script's setup. He stood up from his director's chair.

"Cut!" he called out.

Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise stopped acting and looked over at the same time.

"It has nothing to do with you," Duke said, gesturing to them. "It's a script problem."

He jumped down from the platform. Ignoring the mud, he walked over and circled Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron.

"Cut the lines from just now," he said.

Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise looked at Duke with a hint of surprise. They didn't have many lines to begin with; if they cut those, there wouldn't be many left at all.

"Both of your characters are people of few words who prefer action," Duke explained simply. "You've already fought side by side. The trust built through that far surpasses any language."

He looked at them and said, "Take it from the top, just like I said."

Once Duke returned behind the director's monitor, filming resumed.

Just like last time, the actors—who had already found a feel for their characters—made no mistakes. Charlize Theron walked up behind Tom Cruise again, simply making a gesture demanding the gun without saying a word. After handing the rifle to her, Tom Cruise remained kneeling motionless on the ground, serving as a shooting rest.

"Don't breathe."

Charlize Theron spoke only this single sentence. Then she took aim and pulled the trigger...

Her clean, decisive movements could only be described as badass, and the absolute trust between their characters that Tom Cruise displayed in that moment was equally commendable.

"Excellent!" Duke called cut. "That's a print!"

Much like her character, Charlize Theron walked silently to the rest area, where a makeup artist immediately came over for touch-ups. Nancy Josephson, who had flown in from Los Angeles the day before, stood beside her.

"Is everything going smoothly?" Nancy asked.

Charlize Theron could arguably be considered the ace actress of her talent agency.

"If I hadn't taken this role, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."

Only after the makeup artist walked away did Charlize Theron say, "Filming up to this point, I've just realized how brilliant this character is, how amazing..."

At this point, she looked over at Duke, who was directing the crew to set up for another scene.

"I just realized that beneath his cold exterior, he actually cares about me. He gave me a role like this," she added.

Nancy Josephson couldn't help but offer a wry smile. In her experience, things were absolutely not as Charlize said. The role simply suited her—it was as simple as that.

However, she didn't say anything, because Charlize then added, "When I look at Furiosa, when I read the script's description of the fire and sand reflecting in her rock-solid eyes, you can't help but think about what a boring categorization gender is!"

"In recent years, many strong female characters have appeared on screen. They're all sexy, glamorous, and highly capable in combat. Some might even beat men like dogs or wrap them around their little fingers." A hint of disdain appeared on her face. "And yet, compared to Duke's shaping of Furiosa, that level of characterization is so pale, exaggerated, and superficial!"

Someone like Charlize was a typical feminist.

"A powerful woman who is sexy and can fight is not the best interpretation of feminism," she said. "Feminism is about everyone being equal, and the ultimate goal is to make people ignore gender when making judgments. I think that whether you're a man or a woman, when you encounter the character of Furiosa, you will only feel one emotion in your heart—respect!"

Seeing Charlize Theron's gaze toward Duke gradually grow more fervent, Nancy Josephson naturally thought of Scarlett Johansson. People always had a bias in their hearts, and it was impossible for her to lean toward Charlize.

"Watching the filming, it doesn't look much different from Duke's other movies. It's just one action scene after another," she said deliberately.

"This is a vehicle chase. We can't stop. If we stop, we die," Charlize said, withdrawing her gaze and speaking to Nancy Josephson very seriously. "So, are we supposed to have them pull over and screw, or fall in love? I think the audience would deflate in a second."

That deep look of disdain reappeared on her face. "Unfortunately, a lot of filmmakers think combat and romance can be had at the same time."

Charlize put away her previous expression and adopted an inexplicable tone. "Duke's vision for this film is great. The luxury of having a romantic relationship simply never existed! I mean, Furiosa and Tom can hardly even talk to each other. Me, Duke, and Cruise have never even discussed it because it just isn't there! Nobody even said 'maybe.' They are forever just combat partners. They completely look down on each other when they first meet, and by the end, they hold the highest respect for one another."

Nancy couldn't help but fall silent. She was also a woman and had been troubled by gender issues in the past. She had also read the script, the storyboards, and the concept art. Just as Charlize said, this was a truly wondrous film.

Why was there no romance between a beautiful, capable, and perfectly synchronized male and female lead? Because the characters were fleshed out enough that a romance plotline would simply be superfluous.

The camaraderie forged by two warriors fighting side by side was more than enough.

Take the sequence they had just filmed. The male lead yielded the last bullet to Furiosa. She took the rifle, rested it on his shoulder, calmly told him not to breathe, and then decisively fired, scoring a critical hit—both of them remaining incomparably calm throughout.

Charlize Theron turned to look at Nancy Josephson, her gaze gradually sharpening. With her level of intelligence, she could always see through some things.

She tilted her chin up slightly and spoke with a touch of pride. "I used to really like Duke, and I still do, but you don't need to remind me. He didn't choose to be with me in the past, and he won't in the future."

Nancy remained silent. Even though she was an ICM agent, speaking up to argue at this moment wasn't the best choice. Escalating a conflict with a top-tier client like Charlize was absolutely foolish; no agent would ever do that.

"And I wouldn't choose him either," Charlize Theron stated very directly. "Do you think he would give up Scarlett Johansson to choose me? Hmph..."

She shook her head and chuckled. "It's not like I'm an idiot!"

The current Charlize was long past who she used to be. Having been an A-list superstar for years, just like other celebrities, she had naturally cultivated her own sense of pride.

Nancy Josephson nodded gently. She understood what Charlize meant. The only way she and Duke would ever end up together was if Duke gave up Scarlett Johansson and pursued her instead.

It was just that, based on Nancy's understanding of Duke, the probability of that happening was infinitesimally low.

What ultimately defined a person were their actions.

Charlize Theron knew this perfectly well. Sitting in her chair and reflecting on her experiences over the years, she couldn't help but feel an extreme sense of kinship with Furiosa.

Experiencing hardships since childhood, rising step by step through hard work, pursuing the freedom she yearned for when the time was ripe... Making such moves required immense courage and an incredibly firm will, not to mention the trials she had endured to reach her current status!

Climbing from a victim to a victor—just like Furiosa, how much torment had she endured along the way?

Charlize had already become one of the top stars in this industry. More importantly, she didn't want her existence to be merely about adding a romantic relationship to some man's life.

On the other side, Duke was still busy filming, deliberately cutting out some personal political satire from the lines written by the screenwriter.