Page 36 of Cinematic Destinies
“You’re welcome.”
“Ryan . . .”
“Yeah?”
“I feel really comfortable with you. More than I have with anyone else.”
“Me too.”
They stared at each other for a moment and Ryan said, “There’s no one here.” He held out his hand and Albert took hold of it, and they sat quietly, underneath the starry midnight sky.
CHAPTER 10
Two months into the shoot, the cast was finishing dinner when Jean took the last swig of his bourbon and said, “We need to discuss the plan for our little excursion tomorrow morning.” The actors listened as he continued, “We leave for Lake Mývatn at six o’clock sharp. Upon arrival, you’ll head straight to wardrobe, hair, and makeup. I’ll meet you there for notes since we’re filming outdoors and there is no set. When you’re ready, we start shooting. It’s the most important scene in the film and I’ve scheduled one day for it, so we need to maximize our time when the lighting is right. I scoured the planet for the perfect location to create this cinematic moment. Someplace with otherworldly, nearly impossible beauty. Lake Mývatn is that place. Truth be told, I decided to shoot the entire film in Iceland just so we could travel there for this pivotal scene. You will be blown away. We’ll also be photographing the poster for the film—the single image that will forever define it.” Jean paused, his eyes suddenly looking far away.
“You okay there, old man?” Michael asked.
“Ah, yes,” Jean said. “It suddenly occurred to me this will be the last time I photograph the poster image for a film.”
“We’re deeply honored to be a part of it,” Roo said.
Georgia smiled compassionately and added, “You must be feeling so many mixed emotions.”
Jean dismissively waved his hand in the air. “Rubbish. I just lost my way for a moment.”
Georgia reached across the table and put her hand on his. “We can play that game if you want to, but if you’re feeling a bit sentimental, or anything else, we’re here to support you.”
The trace of a smile flickered across Jean’s wrinkled face. “You so remind me of your mother,” he said, squeezing her hand. “She never lets me get away with any shit either.” Georgia giggled and he continued, “But I’m fine, so save the drama for your performance.”
The actors laughed.
“As I was saying, we’ll be filming as long as the lighting allows. Then we’ll be taken to a local inn to spend the night. Bring an overnight bag. I’m doing all the landscape shots the following day with the crew, driving back here the day after, so you’ll get two days off. I can have you shuttled back here, or if you prefer you can spend your time off in the Mývatn area. There are mineral baths you may wish to visit, so pack swimwear.”
“That sounds great. Thank you, Jean,” Roo said.
“Well, I must retire. I’ll see you bright and early. I’ll be the one who looks like a corpse slurping an espresso,” Jean groaned.
Georgia laughed, looked at him, and said, “I hope you know how much you mean to us, and how fucking brilliant we think you are.”
He smirked and patted her hand. “Just like Ella indeed. Thank you,ma chérie.”
“Come on, old man. I’ll walk you up,” Michael said, lending a hand.
Once they were gone, Roo slung his arm around Georgia and said, “Since we’ll have a couple days off, how about we take my car tomorrow? That way we can go exploring during our free time. Check out the mineral baths. Go for a hike. Drive back leisurely.”
“That sounds great.”
“I’m glad I threw swim trunks in my luggage at the last minute. Did you bring a swimsuit? Wait, don’t answer. That way I can picture you skinny-dipping, slipping into my arms, and well . . .”
She giggled.
“Darling, perhaps we should skip our usual movie night and head up to bed given the early departure time. Besides, now that I’ve given myself the image of you naked, I don’t think I can wait to ravage you,” he said.
She nodded, looked at him suggestively, and purred, “Let’s go to bed.”
THE NEXT MORNING, THE CAST AND CREWcaravanned to the northern volcanic lake region. Roo and Georgia drove in his rental car, marveling at the landscape along the way, talking about their love of travel, and singing along to oldies on the radio. They were trailing a few minutes behind the others as they had to stop for gas. When they arrived at the location, they couldn’t believe their eyes: stunning volcanic rock formations popping out of a shallow lake clear as glass surrounded by shamrock-colored greenery, with large grassy mounds in the shapes of swirls, volcanoes and mountains in the distance.
“Wow, Jean was right. It’s utterly spectacular,” Roo said.
