Model to Holywood

"Extras, get moving! We're about to start filming!"

In the afternoon, in a villa on York Mills Street in Toronto, the crew of *Mean Girls* was preparing for a shoot.

Today's scene was set at a Halloween party. On Halloween, Aaron invites the lead, Cady, to a party at his house.

This scene is from earlier in the movie when Cady, who just returned from Africa, is unfamiliar with American customs.

She dresses up as a zombie bride for the party, excited to attend Aaron's event. However, everyone else at the party is dressed glamorously as bunny girls, in bikinis, or as elves. Cady feels out of place, gets upset when she sees Aaron kissing Regina, and leaves the party heartbroken.

It was a group scene, with about thirty to forty extras dressed in various costumes, filling the villa's living room.

Luca, wearing a blue football jersey with large shoulder pads, stood behind the director and head cameraman, listening as they discussed how the actors would appear on camera and the best shooting angles.

Since Luca had some experience with similar scenes, he occasionally offered suggestions that resonated with both Director Mark and the head cameraman, making them excited and treating him like a trusted confidant.

"Luca!"

As they were talking, Lindsay's assistant approached and said, "Lindsay wants to rehearse with you while she's getting her makeup done. Is that okay?"

"Sure!" 

Luca nodded, said goodbye to the director and cameraman, and walked out of the hall.

The makeup room was on the second floor.

*Knock knock* 

He knocked on the door of the makeup room. "Lindsay, are you in there?"

"Come in!" 

Lindsay's voice called from inside.

Luca opened the door, and the room was pitch black; even the windows were tightly covered, leaving the space completely dark.

"Lindsay? What are you doing?"

Suddenly, there was a faint *click* from the corner of the room.

He turned to look, and what he saw startled him.

In the corner, a small green light flickered, illuminating a bloody face with messy hair, heavy eyeshadow, dark smudges across the cheeks, and blood-red fake teeth with long, sharp fangs.

He froze for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, suddenly covered his face and screamed.

"Aaahhh~"

He spun around, ready to bolt for the door. But as he reached out to open it, his hand brushed against something soft and warm.

*Click* 

Another small green light switched on, revealing another bloody face, with blood oozing from its closed eyes and mouth.

"Luca, I'm going to eat you!" 

A strange, eerie voice said coldly.

"No, don't eat me!" 

Luca screamed, playing along, acting terrified.

*Creak* 

A closet door swung open.

Two more bloody monsters jumped out.

"Luca, I'm going to eat you!" 

"Luca, you damn fool! You deserve to go to hell!"

"Luca, confess to the bad things you've done!"

The four monsters advanced on him, yelling.

Luca, pretending to be frightened, said, "Please, great spirits, don't eat me! I'm a good guy!"

"Idiot! If you're a good guy, there are no good guys left in the world. Bark like a dog, or I'll eat you!" 

The monster with the bloody teeth said coldly.

"Luca, bark like a dog, or I'll eat you!"

"Luca, do it, hurry!"

The four "monsters" circled him, taunting.

Luca grinned secretly and shook his head. "No way. I'm a man of dignity. I can't bark like a dog. You might as well just eat me."

"Ugh! You stinky man, your meat would taste awful! Who would want to eat you?" 

The monster with the fake teeth said disdainfully.

*Bang!* 

As they spoke, someone stepped on his foot.

*Slap!* 

In the darkness, someone swatted his backside.

"Alright, you four, that's enough. I can't even play along if you keep this up," 

Luca said, spreading his hands. The moment he saw the "monster" with the fake teeth, he realized it was Lindsay in her zombie bride costume from the scene.

Realizing it was one of Lindsay's pranks, and recalling their playful feud, he pretended to be scared to avoid provoking her further. 

But he hadn't expected the four of them to gang up on him like a bunch of hooligans, making it hard to continue playing along.

"Luca, weren't you scared?" 

Lindsay asked, unsatisfied.

"Of course not. Your costumes were terrible. I could tell right away."

"You're lying! You covered your face in fear. Don't pretend you weren't scared. You're such a liar!"

Lindsay said angrily.

"Heh, stop talking! Let's beat him up!" 

One of the girls said in a strange voice.

"Yeah, get him!"

The "monsters" charged at him.

"Scene 12, Take 6, Action!"

At 7 p.m., the crew officially began shooting. Luca pushed through the crowd and greeted Lindsay.

"Hey~"

Lindsay, dressed in a bunny outfit, greeted him.

"Haha~ Seriously? No one told you it was a costume party tonight?" Aaron teased as he looked her over.

"Don't laugh at me!" Lindsay slapped his shoulder lightly and said, "I need to talk to you. Do you know Katie?"

"Yeah, she's cool. I invited her tonight," Aaron replied, glancing at the crowd in the distance, his eyes landing on Katie.

Lindsay frowned a little. "You better be careful because she likes you."

"Really? How do you know?" Aaron was pleasantly surprised.

Lindsay, clearly a bit annoyed, rolled her eyes and said, "She told me. She told everyone. It's kind of childish. She's like a little girl, scribbling 'Mrs. Aaron' in her notebook and wearing a T-shirt that says 'I love Aaron.' I'm not saying she's a stalker, but she kept a tissue you used, and she's planning on using some African witchcraft to make you fall in love with her."

"What?" Aaron's face turned weird as he looked over at Katie again.

Katie waved happily from afar, her actions combined with her outfit giving off a slightly creepy vibe.

"I know she's socially awkward, but she's my friend. Can you promise me you won't mess with her?" Lindsay asked, pretending to be concerned.

"Of course I won't!" Aaron assured her.

Suddenly, Lindsay stood on her tiptoes and, right in front of Katie, kissed Aaron.

Katie, who had thought Lindsay was helping her, was shocked to see Lindsay kissing Aaron. Furious, she stormed off.

"Cut!"

"Prop team, get a stool for Rachel. Luca is too tall, and Rachel's tiptoeing for the kiss looks awkward. And those two extras, stop looking at the camera!" Director Mark said, watching the playback.

"Got it, Director!" The prop team quickly brought a stool for Rachel to stand on, while the assistants repositioned the extras. The camera crew adjusted the shot, ready to film the scene again. It was a hassle, as everything had to be reset.

"Luca, looks like we have to kiss again," Rachel said with a soft laugh.

Luca shrugged, "Maybe it'll be the last time. My character's almost done."

"The last time? How about we shoot it a few more times?" she joked.

"Sounds good to me!" Luca replied playfully.

With that joke, they started filming again. It was a night scene, and by 11 p.m., the crew finally finished shooting the 12th scene.

"Hey, Luca!" As they wrapped up and left, Rachel approached him.

"Hey, Rachel!"

"How about we walk back together?"

"Sure, I was thinking of taking a walk too!"

(End of Chapter)