Chapter 50: Finishing The Outdoor Scenes

Dennis showed up on set because he had a role in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. This had to do with Roger Sadler, his agent who signed a contract with him recently.

AC Media officially purchased MCM Agency on April 5th. Although the latter was only a medium-scaled agency that had over 20 employees and did not have a significant place in Hollywood, their agents were of good quality. Thus, before any adjustments were made after the purchase, Claude who was the CEO for the time being let one of the most outstanding agents sign a contract with Dennis.

The first thing Roger Sadler did for Dennis was securing a role for him in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. He said, “Since you have an advantage, why aren’t you using it?”

It was undeniable that Roger was very sharp. Adrian was startled for a few seconds when he heard from his assistant, but he agreed right after. Since the “original cast” meant the three main characters, he did not mind having Dennis play another role, for example, Tommy who made Andy decide to escape from Shawshank Penitentiary.

Furthermore, Adrian admired Dennis’ performance lately, who was considered quite loaded after all he went through but did not spend lavishly after moving to Westwood. Instead, Dennis hired a nutritionist and a personal trainer, bought some books to read, and he did not cause any trouble even though he partied with some new friends a few times—the last point was enough to convince Adrian that Dennis was worth molding. It was fine for Dennis to enjoy his life however he wanted, as long as he knew his boundaries and maintained a low profile.

“I suggest that you be more familiar with the script, Dan. When you act with Bob later tonight, don’t make the same mistakes you made yesterday,” Adrian reminded him. He initially wanted to look more serious, but he could not help but laugh at Dennis’ hairstyle of the Hillbilly Cat (TN: Elvis Presley).

“The Hillbilly Cat makes great pieces of music, which are from an older generation, but I like to listen to a number of them,” Dennis responded as he was helpless. Many crew members who worked with him during the previous films laughed at him after he did his makeup, so Adrian was not the first and would not be the last who would tease him. It would not matter if he simply had Elvis Presley’s hairstyle, but there was a great disparity between his new image and his old, thus it was funny to those who were familiar with him.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this.” Adrian focused on the set, then signaled the log keeper.

“Act 112, scene 47!” The slate board was clapped after.

Bathing in the golden sunlight, the prisoners of the Shawshank Penitentiary who were drenched in sweat sat on the fixed roof to enjoy some cold beers. It was as though the prison guards around them were their bodyguards.

“Drink while they’re cold, b*tches.” The prison guards were the same as usual, but something about them at that moment was different.

On the other hand, a special person was leaning against a short wall. He rejected a can of cold beer offered by his inmate, and he had a bright smile on his face as if he felt free.

“Great!” Adrian clapped his hand. He did not take the shot himself, but he was not worried that there was a deviation in what was shot because the cameraman worked with him since his first film, and two test shots were done for this scene.

It was worth noting that the scene was full of flavor. Especially if it was connected to the scenes before and after, it gave an inexplicable feeling of peace, greatness, and hope. Robbins agreed as well. Since he was an actor, a director, and a producer, he could naturally tell that it was a distinctive scene.

“Okay, take a break. We’ll be finishing the remaining parts on the roof, then we can continue at night,” Adrian replayed the scene on the monitor, then said to everyone.

The remaining shots were not difficult. The captain of the guards discussed with his coworkers about an inheritance from his brother and complained that the government tax was too high, then Andy took the opportunity to help him secure the full inheritance. While the scene where the captain pushed Andy to the border of the roof seemed very dangerous, the actual shooting went well, and necessary safety measures were taken.

After the whole morning, the parts on the roof were done. Adrian let everyone spend their time freely until sunset was over, then asked some of them to build a setup near the mesh wire below the observatory. They prepared for Dennis’ part.

The part talked about Tommy, a young man who was incarcerated for burglary, and was befriended by Andy and Red in the prison. He eventually became closer to Andy, because he helped him pass his test. After hearing Andy’s encounter, he also revealed that his cellmate at another prison boasted about killing a man and his lover but was not arrested, and that the woman’s husband, a banker, was convicted for the murders instead. Andy immediately approached the prison warden with the intention to reclaim his innocence, but the warden was not going to let him go as he was a good tool. Following that, Andy enraged him and was sent to solitary confinement as a result. Seeing as he was not going to give up trying, the prison warden decided to be ruthless. As such, the warden asked to meet Tommy with the excuse of verifying the story he told Andy, but he had asked to meet… Outside the prison.

{Prison warden: Tommy, I’d like you to keep our conversation tonight a secret, you understand? It’s a tricky matter.}

{Tommy: Yes, sir. I sure can.}

{Warden: We’re in an awkward situation here, and I hope you understand that we never expected this to happen. If I’m gonna move on this, there can’t be even the smallest shred of doubt. Now I’ll ask you, what you told Dufresne, is it the truth?}

{Tom: Yes, sir. Absolutely.}

{Warden: Would you say the same before a judge and jury? Would you place your hand on the Good Book and take an oath before the Almighty God Himself?}

{Tom: Just give me that chance, sir!}

{Warden: That’s what I thought.}

After the conversation, the prison warden looked at the observatory before he left. Tommy turned to look as well, and it was then a gunshot was heard. The captain of the guards who had been waiting there for a long time sent a bullet through Tommy’s body without any hesitation.

“Nice, Dan, you did great,” Adrian praised Dennis.

Tommy was a very important character. He seemed like a hippy who made no effort to seek progress, but he actually desired to be rewarded through hard work. This was why Andy tutored him, urged him to take his exam, and submitted his answers for him even though he crumpled it. In one way or the other, it was Tommy’s death that prompted Andy to escape.

In Stephen King’s novel, Tommy was not killed by the prison warden, and the prison warden was replaced three times, but Norton was not punished. Nevertheless, the change made in the film made it more convincing and impactful, which was why ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was said to be the most perfect film. The narrating mode that constantly twisted between hope, depression, and despair went on until Andy looked up at the sky to vent the accumulated negative emotions he had been keeping to himself for a long time. The amazing feeling was incomparable.

Dennis played his role very well. Though it was his first time doing his lines with Bob, he grasped the feeling of his character after a few NG takes. When Adrian recalled Dennis’ previous roles, he realized that he was indeed a potential actor.

“Alright, let’s take a few more shots from different angles,” Adrian mentioned after discussing with the assistant director.

Before long, the shooting for that scene was done. A few remaining scenes were shot on the penitentiary’s field on the next day, and the outdoor scenes for ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ were completed, which made everyone relieved. Needless to say, Adrian was too good at keeping things on track, and he was also able to adjust everyone’s mood, so it did not feel like a problem when they were bustling on set. Nonetheless, they realized that they felt more tired when they could take proper rest.

Since the workers from the Mansfield State Penitentiary helped a lot too, Adrian had someone arrange a farewell party, and invited everyone to join.

“Hey, my love, have you been well? The outdoor scenes for the new film are done, so I’ll be working in a film studio next. It’s estimated to be done in early June… Yes, I miss you too, but I can’t leave now… It’s okay, I’ll go on holiday after the shootings are done, and I’ll find you in London… Alright, I love you.”

Adrian sighed after he hung up. Although he purposely flew to London during early April to spend time with Kate, they had not seen each other for almost a month, so he missed her, especially in the bed…

Afterward, he walked over to the bar that they booked for the party. It was extremely noisy at that moment, and many people were seen dancing to the loud music. Since they were not well-dressed people from the other class, they did not need to listen to classical music while conversing with each other elegantly. Freedom was what they really needed.

Adrian sat in a corner after asking for a drink. Whether it was his past life or his present, he did not dislike parties, and he could adapt to different environments very well.

“Hey, Eddy, you’re back from your call?” Dennis suddenly showed up in front of him. His face was red, which showed that he drank quite a bit. “Who did you call? Kate?”

Adrian shrugged and smiled. Instead of answering him, he said, “Don’t drink till you’re drunk, Dan.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve always had good self-control. You know it.” Dennis waved his hand.

A short pause later, he sighed. “Oh God, I really can’t believe that I was still working in a coffee shop a year ago, but now I’m…”

“Alright, Dan, you’ve talked about this many times, I thought that you’ve adjusted your mentality,” Adrian responded.

“I just feel so deeply about it, you know? Roger secured an advertisement for me, and he’s contacting a talk show, so…” Dennis gestured with his hand as he talked.

“Look like Roger is indeed an excellent agent,” Adrian commented. At the same time, he wondered, ‘I’ll observe Roger longer, and if he performs well, I’ll consider letting him handle my script.’