Cameras Roll

"Move the plane over there! It's in the shot. We can't film with it sitting here!"

"Get a few people over here. The equipment on the beach has to be reset. Who the hell put it there?"

"That's the prop camera, not the one we're shooting with! Can't you tell the difference?"

People hurried back and forth across the beach at Long Beach. Martin Scorsese's The Aviator was about to begin filming.

"I won't give you the whole history again," Scorsese told the two leads at the edge of the busy set. "Nearly sixty years ago, the Spruce Goose took off from here. I thought it was an appropriate place for our first shot."

Adrian nodded. The choice had puzzled him. According to the schedule, most of the location work would be around Los Angeles: Long Beach, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Woodland Hills Country Club, and farther out in San Bernardino and San Diego. The farthest locations were in Canada: Montreal and Quebec. The tax incentives were the obvious attraction.

With so many places to choose from, why start at Long Beach? Scorsese's explanation was reasonable. In truth, though, something else about the decision was bothering Adrian.

"You've worked together a few times. We shouldn't have any trouble, should we?" Scorsese asked with a smile.

"Of course not. Adrian's a very good actor." Cate answered first, her tone carefully casual. They might have known each other, but she gave no impression of any special closeness.

"So is Cate," Adrian said, taking his cue.

"Then get ready. I'll see how things are going over there. We could start at any moment." Scorsese walked away.

Once he was out of earshot, Adrian lowered his voice. "You've lost weight. Has something been going wrong?"

He sounded concerned but kept his eyes elsewhere, making the conversation look casual enough that nobody would notice anything unusual.

"Only one thing. I have to play your love interest in this film." Cate matched his tone and raised a hand between them to adjust her hair.

Despite her answer, he couldn't quite hide a smile. The cast hadn't been a secret. If she truly couldn't bear to work with him, she could have left. She was here.

Before he could say anything else, she gave him a warning look and raised her voice enough for the crew to hear. "Shall we work, Adrian? It's a simple scene. It should be simple for you, shouldn't it?"

"Of course, Cate." He managed a rueful smile.

That was the trouble with starting here. In the screenplay, Cary Grant had already introduced Hughes to Hepburn, but she had remained cool toward him. Hughes flew to her set to ask her out.

It was certainly an impressive way to arrange a date. It also meant Adrian would begin the film opposite Cate, and he felt unprepared for that.

Not because he didn't want to work with her. He wanted it desperately. How long had it been since he could look at her with open affection in front of other people?

This would also be their first film together since their relationship had become so complicated. He had wanted a few scenes on his own first, time to settle into Hughes before they began the Hepburn material.

Then he could channel his feelings into the character without giving an experienced observer anything to notice. He wanted to surprise Cate too, show her what all his preparation had accomplished. If he could outplay her in a scene, so much the better.

Unfortunately, he didn't control Scorsese's schedule. This was how they would start.

It was only a few shots. Once Hepburn accepted the invitation, the characters went to play golf, which would be filmed at Woodland Hills Country Club. There were several golf scenes, as well as the sequence in which Hughes taught her to fly and landed on the course. Scorsese had scheduled that material for later. This was the only scene they had together here.

Even so, it wasn't easy. Adrian had to hide his own feelings while showing the character's. Getting that balance right required care.

"Good! Like that. Again!" Scorsese called, waving an arm. "But don't go back to what you did at the beginning. He hasn't completely lost his head over her."

They tried it seven or eight times. Some of Adrian's choices missed the mark, but he avoided any major mistakes.

"Don't worry so much. Do what you normally do," Cate told him in front of the crew. Her performance stayed controlled. To Adrian, the advice seemed to carry a meaning beyond the work.

He had also noticed her hands tightening during their first few takes. Her composure did not mean she was unaffected. He suspected she felt nearly as much as he did, and that pleased him.

For the moment, that was all. Cate had little else to shoot at Long Beach and finished in two days. Adrian stayed for almost four. He had more material, and Scorsese also needed shots of reporters watching the Spruce Goose's flight.

Most of the work that followed was on soundstages. The golf course and locations such as San Diego and Montreal were scheduled for late August. Cate had studio scenes, but those came later too. Adrian soon found it easier to perform at his usual level.

"You know I don't understand acting," Harvey Weinstein said during a visit. "But that looked terrific. Especially the way you watched the airplane. Like you were looking at a lover."

Miramax was one of the companies financing and producing the film, so its head was bound to visit. Weinstein had a reputation for doing almost anything if it made money, but Adrian had found he could be agreeable once they knew each other. Adrian had brought Miramax considerable profits. The overseas distribution rights to My Big Fat Greek Wedding alone had been lucrative, and several later films had made money too. Weinstein had every reason to like him.

"So you don't really know what I'm doing, but you think it looks impressive?" Adrian asked, taking a drink of water.

"Exactly." Weinstein clapped his hands. "That's exactly it."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "It's simple enough. You bring a feeling of your own into the scene. Just as you said: imagine you're looking at a lover."

"And who were you thinking of?" Weinstein winked, his grin turning sly. "Nicole Kidman?"

Adrian coughed, nearly spraying his water. He stared at Weinstein for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Weinstein burst out laughing.

Not long after The Italian Job opened, Nicole had called to say it was time to end their public relationship. Her voice had been cold and impatient, as if Adrian owed her a fortune. He could understand that. He had clung to a flattering interpretation of her reactions that night; he could hardly expect her to be pleased with him afterward. She hadn't tried to retaliate, which he already considered fortunate. He didn't argue. He agreed.

From mid-June onward, little reports began appearing: they were on the verge of breaking up, or they had already split. Neither responded, just as neither had responded when the relationship began making news. The public and the press remained uncertain. Once the buildup had done its work, a little over a week before this conversation, sources tipped off selected reporters that the breakup was official.

Suddenly everyone had known all along. Newspapers and entertainment sites scarcely ran a gossip item without mentioning it. A relationship with that age gap could never last. Nicole was too domineering; they couldn't communicate. The explanations multiplied. A few people even guessed the romance had been staged from the beginning, but that theory found little support.

The claim that Adrian had used a famous actress to raise his own profile surfaced again too, apparently with someone helping it along. He had a good idea who that might be. As long as it didn't grow too large, he would let her have her outlet. She was entitled to vent, wasn't she?

Weinstein took advantage of the confusion to draw attention to Cold Mountain. He had been interested in using the rumors from the start. Adrian couldn't tell whether he had guessed the relationship was an act or simply decided the earlier moment wasn't right. Either way, he had waited until now.

The timing worked. People who followed the short romance wanted to know how it had begun during Cold Mountain and cooled after filming ended. The film was ready, but it hadn't been screened yet; even a trailer was still to come. Now it was in the public eye. If Miramax handled the attention properly, the year-end opening should benefit.

"Your agent's here. Looks as if he needs you." Weinstein pointed toward the soundstage entrance, where Frederick was hurrying in. "I'll leave you to it."

Before he went, he added, "One thing, Adrian. Watch out for Leonardo DiCaprio. He seems pretty angry about losing this part to you. He thought he had it. He came to make his case to me more than once."