America 1987

Chapter 46 Meeting

"Your hair will probably look like Cathy's in a bit."

As he spoke, David introduced himself to the girl standing next to him.

The girl had thick, dark black curly hair that cascaded down her back, with wide, loose curls and a rich sheen. The ends of her hair curled inward naturally, and her overall features softly framed her face, exuding a classic and dignified mature charm that contrasted elegantly with the sharp lines of her black and white patchwork dress.

If it weren't for the fact that the other woman's face was full of collagen and made her look too young, and that she didn't look like a housewife who had long suppressed her sexual needs and felt emotionally empty, she would have really thought that the director had nothing better to do than cast her as the female lead and this Cathy as the female lead's sister.

Just as she was speculating about their relationship, Catherine smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, Nicole, my name is Catherine Zeta-Jones, you can call me Cathy. I'm David's girlfriend, and I'm playing your sister this time."

Just as Catherine had expected, the other person was indeed as unsophisticated as in the photo, with a head of messy red hair and a slightly reserved expression, exuding a strong Australian rural vibe. Catherine could easily outshine the other person and seemed to pose no threat at all.

However, guided by a woman's intuition, she decided to give the other party a warning by taking the initiative to greet him and assert her dominance.

She still vividly remembered how she became David's girlfriend, and she was extremely worried about her boyfriend's character, so she had to keep a close watch on him.

In fact, Catherine never thought David could be very loyal. He didn't have a face that suggested fidelity, and she didn't think a Hollywood director like him could be very chaste.

However, one thing is one thing. Whether he cheats or not is none of her business; out of sight, out of mind. But cheating in front of her is unacceptable. That's why she's asserting her dominance here, even taking David's arm affectionately to prove the credibility of her words through her actions.

David wasn't expecting to pick up girls by pretending to be single, so he readily let Catherine link arms with him. He smiled and said to Nicole, "If you need anything, you can ask Cathy. She's only been here for less than six months. You're the same age, so you should have common topics to talk about."

Catherine was delighted, not only because of David's earlier cooperation, but also because of the look on Nicole's face in the mirror, her brow furrowed and her expression troubled.

I thought he was just unhappy with how difficult Nicole's hair was to manage.

Actually, she originally planned to play the housewife role during the casting process.

Simply put, anyone can see that she is the core character of the entire film, and David's portrayal of her in the script is the most complete, three-dimensional, and layered. If he plays her well, he might even win an award.

However, it was just a fleeting thought, which she quickly dismissed.

In the movie, she plays David's wife, and then David cheats on her with his own sister. The plot is chilling to even think about, even though in real life she only has one older brother and one younger brother, no sister.

But she still didn't really want that to happen to her, even in a movie.

Not to mention that David will have several intimate scenes with the female lead's sister. She really couldn't imagine how she would feel if she saw this scene on set. After thinking it over, she decided to play the role of the female lead's sister, even if it was a little more functional.

……

"You still haven't told John about these thoughts?"

"Yes."

Are you afraid he'll find out you're thinking these foolish things?

"No, it's not like that, it's just..."

Nicole paused slightly at this point.

She is now performing her first scene—the opening scene of a movie, a conversation between the female lead, Ann, and a psychiatrist.

"I'm very angry with him right now."

Why?

"He invited a college classmate to stay at our house without even asking me."

Nicole sat cross-legged on a dark purple sofa, wearing a black floral dress, her posture relaxed yet slightly restrained.

Her expression at this moment was very subtle, a half-smile, and her smooth, wavy hair, after being styled, also exuded a lazy, housewife-like charm, which perfectly matched the character of the female protagonist, Ann, in the movie.

She shrugged slightly and made a helpless gesture. "Of course I would agree, but... it would have been better if he had asked me beforehand."

"What's so upsetting about that?"

"I guess I'm angry because I have no reason to be angry." After a brief moment of thought, Nicole laughed self-deprecatingly. "This is his house, and he's paying the mortgage."

"Yes, but he's the one who made you quit your job, and you still have to do housework," the therapist reassured her.

"Yes, I do housework, that's a fact."

These lines of dialogue are quite interesting; the original director, Steven Soderbergh, probably had some feminist leanings.

Because of the series of policy reforms implemented by Reagan after taking office, the social atmosphere in the United States in the 80s was relatively conservative, and traditional marriage concepts were relatively strong, which contrasted with the radical feminist movement in the 70s.

The idea that a lack of economic autonomy leads to a lower status within the family seems to have been mentioned as early as the 1989 film.

I wonder if Liu Tao, who is in the Chinese entertainment industry, watched this movie before she retired from the industry in 08?

"Aside from this uninvited guest, how is your relationship with John?" The psychologist didn't press the matter too much, and naturally asked about the marital relationship between the female and male protagonists.

"Not bad, not bad."

Nicole's eyelids drooped slightly, her gaze flickering and wandering, but she quickly looked up and replied, "It's just that I'm currently in a phase where I don't want him to touch me."

When did you start having these feelings?

"Hmm...last week? I don't know, I just...I have a strange feeling."

I just don't want him to touch me.

When the movie reached this point, it showed a scene of the male lead having an affair with the female lead's sister.

Shots that would be difficult for most film crews and might be filmed last were shot by David long ago. After all, he is experienced and had developed a high level of chemistry with David when filming "Ghost".

"Was physical contact between you and John comfortable before this?"

"Yes, of course." For some reason, Nicole suddenly thought of the intimidating treatment Catherine gave her when they first met while saying this line.

Although she didn't intend to compete with the other party for anything, she still unconsciously raised her voice a few decibels when saying this line.

"Except... I've never been that interested in sex."

I mean, I like that, but I don't think it's that important.

and……"

Nicole hesitated for a moment before continuing, "No, I don't think about it or anything like that. But lately I've been a little... a little curious why this has happened less often."