Chapter 102: Filming Part 1

  On the first day of March, the crew quietly started filming, a whole year ahead of schedule compared to the previous one.

  Reynolds also met the three leads on set, Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes who would play Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern and Amon G?th respectively.

  For Ben Kingsley he wasn't familiar with, but Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were different, in his past life he had seen a lot of their works.

  The former had starred in the Star Wars series as early as the 70s and 80s, later participated in the Star Wars prequel, with Natalie Portman and many opponents, and entered the new century after starring in commercial blockbusters such as "Hurricane Rescue" and "Dragon Strike".

  As for the latter, Ryan can recall that he was simple, except for Ammon Goeth, he is also an actor of Voldemort.

  Ralph had heard that Spielberg's first choice for the role of Schindler was Harrison Ford, but he turned down the offer. Warren Beatty once volunteered himself, but the old man refused without hesitation, thinking it would be a disaster to let a notorious playboy play such a serious role.

  Although Oskar Schindler himself was a consummate ladies' man.

  Okay, Liam Neeson is also a playboy, Ryan is an insider after all, and he knows something about it. In recent years, he has been in contact with Helen Mirren, Bo Derek, Julia Roberts and others.

  Julia Roberts starred in a real-life version of Runaway Bride last year, I wonder if that poor guy who got dumped was him? Ryan started to get carried away with his thoughts.

  The first scenes shot were those of the masses of extras, with row upon row of Jews being herded by Nazi stormtroopers, waiting to be checked and registered. The close-up shots were of professional Jewish actors or 'Spielberg's Jews'.

  Everyone understands the heavy history behind this film, and even without a role in it, many actors, including Ryan and Natalie, came to the set to find the feeling of that piece of history.

  Unlike previous shoots, perhaps some advice from Ryan reminded Spielberg that he had contacted the American Jewish Association and reached a consensus. The other party specially sent several staff members to the crew to solve some unnecessary troubles.

  "Are you cold, Nate?" Ryan looked at the girl beside him with concern.

  Although they were sitting in a tent with hot drinks to ward off the chill, Natalie's frail body made him feel uneasy.

  "I'm fine, Ryan, you should take care of yourself instead, look at you, your nose is all red from the cold."

  After arriving in Poland, perhaps due to the heavy atmosphere of the entire crew, Ryan and Natalie both became much quieter, and reduced their disputes in public. Shooting such a serious subject matter, with many survivors from that year, if they really did something rude, it would be terrible.

  Ryan is fine, but Natalie and Mrs. Sherry are authentic Jews, and they have had a lot of insight into that history in the past few days after talking to many survivors from those years, especially when visiting Auschwitz concentration camp two days ago, this strong and intelligent girl even rarely shed tears.

  He couldn't help but think of a previous report that accused Natalie Portman of refusing to issue a statement condemning Israel's expulsion of Palestinians, what kind of brain does the journalist who wrote this article have...

  It's not a good thing for a nation to carry such a painful past, Spielberg holds a loudspeaker, directing temporary actors wearing David stars to run around, the anxiety and heaviness on their faces can't be hidden at all. Working under such great pressure for a long time is a huge test for people's spirit.

  There were not many scenes belonging to Ryan and Natalie, especially when the two were still students and could not stay in Poland for too long. Their several plays were arranged in March.

  However, the shooting progress was far from being as smooth as imagined. Apart from the outdoor scenes set up in a concentrated camp, many scenes were shot at the actual locations of that year, which is equivalent to letting people relive that heavy history again.

  People like Ryan and Natalie are fine, even if they have some feelings, they will only be depressed. However, many of the Jewish survivors and their descendants burst into tears during filming, and every time this happens, the crew has to stop filming.

  In the trailer serving as a dressing room, Ryan gazed at his reflection in the mirror. After the makeup artist left, the bright colors in his eyes gradually faded away, and the resolute face began to change its expression. The always-straight back slowly arched down, and the strong and intelligent boy instantly turned into a timid and shrinking youth.

  It's been almost a year since he last played any role, and it seems that his acting skills haven't deteriorated. He sighed inwardly, actually understanding that with the passage of time, performing had already permeated into his soul.

  "Ryan, are you okay?" It was Natalie who came in after knocking on the door, not his assistant.

  "How did you get here?"

  "I saw the assistant coming over to call you, so I came in his place."

  Ryan put on a dark-colored round-top hat and wore a coat of the same color, looked at the David's star on his left chest, sighed, if nothing unexpected happened, he would 'die' in front of the camera today.

  Wrapped in a thick down jacket, Ryan couldn't help but shiver as he stepped out of the trailer. Although the sun was shining brightly today, the temperature would not exceed 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and what he wore was indeed a bit thin.

  "Hurry up, Ryan, Mr. Spielberg is waiting."

  It seems like she can watch her friend's performance on the spot, Natalie appears a bit impatient.

  In the makeshift photography studio, Ryan wrapped his down jacket tightly around him and waited for Ralph Fiennes. He occasionally glanced to the side where Natalie was staring at him curiously with wide eyes, making Ryan wonder if he should take her into his arms to warm up.

  It seems like a good idea, human-shaped heaters should be useful, of course, on the condition that Natalie won't resist.

  Ralph Fiennes walked in, dressed in Nazi uniform and reeking of whiskey. To get into the mindset of Amon G?th's madness and evil, he would drink a small amount of whiskey before each take.

  This guy will continue drinking until the shoot is over and he'll definitely create a Guinness World Record. Ryan has no doubt about this, after all, his scenes are many.

  However, this later Voldemort, like Gary Oldman, is very suitable for playing such a villainous role. Not to mention that when he first appeared on the set wearing Nazi uniform, a survivor of the massacre was reportedly so frightened that his whole body trembled.

  "Ryein, Ralph, are you ready?" Spielberg confirmed finally.

  "No problem."

  Ryan took off his outerwear, picked up a tool brush, and walked into the prefabricated bathroom.

  After two simple test shots, Spielberg nodded and made a gesture to the various departments, indicating that formal shooting would begin next.

  "Act 17 of Scene 28, starting now."

  A scrawny Jewish boy crouched beside the bathtub, scrubbing away at a stubborn stain with a brush dipped in soapy water. Outside, the sound of boots echoed through the hallway, signaling the return of that mad killer.

  The young man trembled with fear, occasionally turning his head to look towards the bathroom door. He was very clear that if he couldn't complete the task in his hands on time, what kind of fate awaited him.

  He grasped the brush tightly with both hands, his only tool to determine his own fate, and scrubbed the bathtub with all his might. Unfortunately, those stains were like Nazi fascism, impossible to eradicate no matter what.

  At this moment, the young man seemed to have seen his own tragic ending.

  The sound of boots grew louder and closer, and with the door open, a Nazi officer in short sleeves stood at the bathroom door.

  The young man hastily stood up and saluted, taking off his own top hat, hunching over and shrinking as he said, "R-reporting to the officer, I have no way to remove the stains on the bathtub..."

  The Nazi officer walked over, and the Jewish boy hastily stepped aside, his body trembling with fear.

  "What are you using?" The officer said, bending down to check the bathtub.

  "Mr. Soap!"

  "Soap? Why not use caustic soda?" the officer asked discontentedly.

  The young man nervously clutched his hat in his hand, stealing a glance at the Nazi officer, unaware of what fate awaited him.

  "It's been ages... Unexpected words rang out, 'Alright then, you can go, I... pardon you!'"

  The Nazi officer said, and made a forgiving gesture.

  The Jewish youth walked out of the bathroom with a sense of relief at having narrowly escaped death.

  "Great! Passed!"

  After Spielberg shouted, Ryan subconsciously touched his nose, possibly due to physical reasons, he was somewhat averse to the taste of alcohol, and standing next to Ralph Fiennes just now made him feel quite uncomfortable.

  Of course, it's also cold!

  This is just a temporary studio set up for filming, with sets everywhere but no heating or stoves.

  Fortunately, he still had a temporary assistant. Before he could walk back, Natalie had already walked over with the down jacket and quickly put it on him.

  "Thanks, Nate." Ryan wrapped his coat tighter around him.

  "Is it really that cold?" Natalia rolled her eyes, quietly pointed to the other side and said in a low voice, "Look at Mr. Fiennes, he's only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but he doesn't look like you."

  Ryan puckered up and whispered to Natalie's ear, "Darling Nat, if I had that much fat on me, I wouldn't be afraid of the cold either."

  Natalie almost burst out laughing, fortunately she still remembered what movie they were filming and couldn't help but glare at Ryan fiercely.

  He scratched his face and quickly changed the subject, "See that, Nate? That's my real power!"

  "That's all."

  Natalie raised an eyebrow, but deep down she knew that Ryan's acting skills were indeed exceptional. Having spent so many days on set, she had seen the performances of the three main actors and felt that her friend seemed to be one step ahead of them.

  The third update is here, these chapters were written a long time ago and I forgot to revise them, there's some personal stuff mixed in, I'm correcting it now ~ It's almost ready for release, recently I can only update twice a week ~~