It took Judy a few takes before he was able to give a good take. It wasn't because he was having trouble performing his role but he would be too scared and stunned by Aiden's intense eyes everytime.
He was being overwhelmed by a far superior acting and he knew it too.
That's why, after the scene finished, his views about Aiden changed very quickly. He forgot his dissatisfactions with him and just praised him on any chance he got.
Aiden's acting had made him appreciate him. And one only needs that to win over another actor. A sense of respect for the craft would emerge.
That's what had happened here.
It was not only Judy who thought that. Most of the people in the set were very surprised and stunned by Aiden's performance.
A lot of the cast was also present during the original movie. And even they have not expected to see him grow so much in just some years.
It was almost miraculous. The speed at which he was growing.
Zavier just contributed it to Aiden having a great understanding of Kai. He had truly given it all for the role and it was there for everyone to see.
Though, so much noise inevitably meant that rumors would spread about Aiden.
Particularly among the crew that was working on the movie. They would talk a lot about Aiden.
"Do you hear that apparently Aiden locked himself in a hotel room to get into the role? He was without any internet access and didn't meet anyone else."
"That's bullshit."
"That's what I heard. Believe it or not, that's on you."
"It can be true. He did miss the script reading. He pissed off a lot of actors because of that."
"Yeah, but they are all silent now. No one wants to even approach him even because of the atmosphere around him."
"Ah, I heard that a lot of them are trying to practice more so as to not get overwhelmed by him. A lot more older actors actually."
"No one wants to be overshadowed by a comparatively younger actor even if he's the lead."
"Yeah, he's really a monster."
Those types of conversations were often seen around the set and Zavier had to remind the crew to not leak anything to the reporters. It was a common problem, especially in sequels.
Aside from that, everything was going pretty fast. Today they were shooting an outdoor scene and have gotten a permit in a street in Chicago.
"Everyone. You all understood my commands. You need to chant at the same time. Remember, we are taking a wide shot. So, it's important you all are in sync. Be in your roles!"
Zavier shouted through a megaphone speaker and the hundreds of extras nodded their heads. It was a scene in which a protest is going on against the authorities of the cities.
A time of chaos and anarchy against the elites because their dark deeds are out in the open.
Everywhere, there were cameras placed and the crew was busy handling the extras. Outdoor shoots with a lot of extras were always troublesome, especially with so many of them.
So, the crew had enough on their plates.
"How many extras are there?"
"Around 200, I think."
"I have never seen so many of them before. The production value is really high. I really wonder what the director did to get approved for so many extras."
Aiden looked around at the set before his eyes landed at the person who had spoken those words. As the shot didn't require any prominent actors, he was just sitting around with Judy, Ray and some other actors.
"He has a way of persuading people." Aiden said, looking at the female actress who had asked that.
She was an actress who had only worked in indie projects till now and from his knowledge, [The Black Saint] was her most expensive movie. Her name was Arin.
She was a bit surprised that Aiden replied to that question as he was being silent most of the time. Though, it was not awkward as they have talked a bit before.
He wanted to know her acting style as they have a few scenes together.
"I'm sure he does." Arin said. "Though, just the whole story and everything is very interesting to me. It's strange to think that someone looked so far in the future and made a plan."
After Kai's death, the public went against the authorities and elites and with the idea of Kai spreaded, it eventually took the form of a cult in the city who protested using his name.
Humans liked people with vision and followed them. Kai had done more than that and instilled a feeling that he was no mere mortal before exposing the corruption of the elites.
So, people have gathered around his idea. Just like he had planned.
"It's possible." Aiden replied, looking at her. Other actors also focused. "He's smart and he studied the psychology of people before making his plans. Think of him as an extremely smart individual who's trapped. To rise above the prison, he saw the best possible way was to become immortal, cause anarchy and his best bet was to influence the people in the city. He managed to do just that."
"Are psychopaths really that smart?" Arin asked, looking a bit frightened.
"No, it's just they are better in social conditions and know when to take charge. And in a way, it's an illusion that they are smarter because they know how to get into your mind. In the case of Kai, one can't even say if he's a psychopath but yes, he's extremely smart."
Ray smiled hearing that as he was the one who had given that idea to better understand the character during the first movie.
It was still a confusion though. Was Kai really a psychopath? Or was he just acting as one to appear crazier, to instill fear into the minds of people? It was a question that formed the baseline of his character.
"So, is he a psychopath or not?" Judy asked but Aiden shrugged.
"It's better if you don't know. That's the charm of his character."
Aiden smiled as he saw people chanting Kai's name like a cult. The scene was going on and it looked pretty good.
"We want answers!"
"Kai! Kai! Kai!"
"We demand answers!"
***
"I'm kind of worried about this scene." Zavier said as he looked up at Aiden who was wearing a simple shirt and a jacket on top of it. His hair was a bit messy too compared to before.
He looked way more simple. Normal.
"Well, Kai is different in this scene. This part of the movie is going to be harder for you as you have not played this side of him yet. So, I'm hoping it doesn't look worse than the other parts. You did too good of a job in them."
Zavier laughed and Aiden understood where he was coming from.
This scene was still from a time when Kai was living a life of normalcy. It was way before he had taken a path of no return.
Currently, he was just an insomniac. The scene was basically a conversation with another actor on a plane.
"Don't worry, I will do my best." Aiden said, patting Zavier's shoulders. "I have played normal people before too, you know. Leave it to me."
"Okay."
Zavier left after that and Aiden closed his eyes. He felt really good. Like nothing would be hard for him.
After all, he was even breathing as Kai now.
[The Black Saint|3 March-2019|Act 3|Scene 1|Take 3]
Kai looked outside the window as the flight took off. He was coming back from a meeting that had happened in New York. Though, his real motive wasn't his work that he hated.
It was an acting audition. A profession he was trying to get into for years. But he had no success.
'My life… it's not interesting at all.'
He thought in his mind. At that moment, the person sitting besides him opened his mouth.
"How are you? Have a good day?" He glanced from the corner of his eye to look at the man. He was out of shape and looked like he wanted to do some small talk.
'Annoying.'
He thought in his mind but his face told a different story.
"It was normal. Nothing interesting."
The man looked happy that Kai had replied with a smile.
"Those days are nice."
"Are they?"
"Yes. They are peaceful. I feel like it's a blessing if you can have those kinds of days. Just a normal, simple one."
Kai didn't react to that and just looked outside. The man's words roamed in his mind as he thought.
'I don't think I want that.'
Thinking that, he looked at the man.
"I don't like those days."
"Why?"
"Because it tells me that I have no purpose in life. There's no reason to do anything. I'm honestly sick of those types of days."
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