America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Bruce made a call, and not too long after, someone called back. After a brief conversation, Bruce hung up and said to Martin, "I heard someone in the crew talking about 'Wonder Woman' casting a while ago. I asked around, and it seems the rumor originated from Charlotte Kirk."

As one of the top three figures in the crew, Martin was not privy to rumors circulating at the lower levels: "What rumor?"

Bruce explained, "Charlotte Kirk claimed that she had gone through to the third round of the 'Wonder Woman' auditions, but then Gal Gadot came out of nowhere, using disgraceful tactics to snatch the role away from her."

He cautioned, "Most of these kinds of stories are false; she would have had a hard time fighting for the role of Wonder Woman anyway."

Of course, Martin was aware that it was incredibly challenging for an actor to secure an important role in a major project solely by sleeping with someone.

The logic was simple: How much risk could be accommodated in a project funded by tens or even hundreds of millions of US Dollars?

After thinking for a moment, Martin instructed, "Assign some people to follow Charlotte around long-term, pay close attention to her daily whereabouts, especially her interactions with Kevin Tsujihara."

Bruce would naturally take care of these matters, so Martin didn't need to worry too much.

As the "Interstellar" crew's filming in Atlanta was drawing to a close, the crew returned to the same farm to shoot the final exterior scenes of the cornfield.

Jessica Chastain had joined the shoot.

In one of the scenes, in an effort to force her sick brother and his family to leave the farm, she lit the cornfield, blighted by disease, on fire.

Nolan insisted on shooting the scene with real fire, so the act of setting the cornfield ablaze had to be done for real.

The entire crew, including Martin, were required to participate in the filming. It wasn't every day you got to legally burn stuff—it was too much fun.

The thought alone of burning 300 acres of corn was exhilarating.

To prevent the fire from getting out of control, a firebreak had been cleared around the cornfield.

Martin and Bruce, along with others, dressed in uniform, donned helmets, and carried fuel canisters to one side of the cornfield.

Jessica Chastain snapped off an ear of corn and peeled it back to look at the tender kernels, remarking, "In no more than a month, this corn could be harvested. Selling 300 acres of it would make quite the profit."

Martin replied, "We're a film crew, not farmers."

After the crew had checked the direction of the wind, Nolan stood below a temporary shooting platform and raised his megaphone to announce, "Clear the area, we'll start shooting in three minutes."

Martin picked up his helmet and placed it on his head.

Several of the extras nearby also donned their dust helmets.

As the clapboard sounded, the shooting commenced.

Numerous extras, spaced about twenty meters apart, rushed toward the edge of the cornfield with their canisters, dousing the plants and soil with fuel.

After Martin finished pouring, he threw the canister itself into the cornfield, pulled out the firework stick from behind him, twisted it until it sparked, and tossed it into the corn.

The flames leapt up with a whoosh, igniting large swaths of corn.

Martin quickly withdrew to a safe distance outside the firebreak.

Not just him, but the other actors, including Jessica Chastain, had also retreated.

The blaze roared, consuming countless ears of corn.

Nolan and a part of the production team remained on higher ground, capturing the whole scene from above.

Jessica Chastain watched the distant fire intently, seemingly in disbelief that she had set it. After a while, she turned to Martin and said, "No wonder some people enjoy starting fires, it feels pretty damn good."

Martin quipped playfully, "You could try it in your bathroom at home."

"How about tonight?" Jessica Chastain responded directly, "I can set fire to your hotel suite. How about that?"

Martin looked serious, "Then I'd have to take on the responsibility of putting it out."

"How would you put out the fire?" she asked.

"With water, of course," Martin tapped her hand, "no worries if you don't have any, I'll be responsible for producing it."

Jessica Chastain blushed easily, and, with a smile, she said, "Alright, I'll wait for you to produce it."

As the fire burned vigorously and the temperature soared, Martin led Jessica Chastain back to the trailer. The caravan then followed the road back, gradually moving away from the fire.

However, Nolan and his crew continued to film the ferocious flames.

This was the last scene shot by the crew in Atlanta.

After that, the crew took five days off. Martin didn't return to Los Angeles but stayed with Elena in Atlanta for those days.

During that time, he attended a Coca-Cola event. As a lifetime spokesperson for Coca-Cola, Martin, accompanied by members of the Cola Cult from all over the world, visited the Coca-Cola museum and the original plant.

In August, Martin left Atlanta for London, England, and after regrouping with the crew, headed to Iceland to film the last exterior scenes.

Nolan had filmed in Iceland multiple times before and had a special affection for its landscapes.

There were two scenes set on alien planets in the film, and all the locations were chosen in Iceland.

One of them was an ice planet. According to the film's scientific advisor and Nobel laureate in Physics Kip Thorne, the ice planet was the most artistic freedom he was willing to allow within the realms of scientific accuracy.

Shooting in Iceland involved only exterior scenes, but luckily the climate was cool. Even in a thick spacesuit, Martin could move quickly without feeling too hot.

During the breaks in filming, Martin explored around. Iceland's scenery was quite unique, with many pristine natural landscapes preserved.

The crew was well-prepared, and the shooting went smoothly. Martin only stayed in Iceland for a week, finished all his scenes, and left the crew to return to London.

He waited in London for a few days for an official cultural exchange delegation organized by Washington.

This was an official event aimed at strengthening America's cultural exchange with Eastern Europe, and Martin joined it with the intention of traveling to Kiev.

The selection event for the Saintess Pop Group, organized by Alexandrovich, was about to welcome its final stage.