For the past three months, the shoot had been running like a well-oiled machine.
Quentin was, as always, loud and constantly buzzing on set, tweaking details, his mood always seeming like it was about to explode. Lubezki, on the other hand, was a man of few words, focused solely on the light and camera angles. The two would often argue until they were red in the face over creative differences, but the moment the frame looked perfect, they'd immediately high-five in celebration.
Link rarely chimed in. He mostly stood behind the monitors, observing calmly, making sure the whole process stayed on track.
During a break between scenes, his massive cell phone—a real '80s-style brick—rang. It was his lawyer, Howard.
"Link , Jennifer Connelly's agent, Ellen, just contacted me," Howard said, lowering his voice. "They've formally reached out and want to meet you as soon as possible for an in-depth discussion about the A Beautiful Mind project."
"Tell them—the project isn't ready yet. Tell them to wait," Link replied sharply.
Howard paused, thrown. "...Wait? Link , that's Connelly we're talking about."
"Precisely because it's her, she needs to wait even more," Link said, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "If she's truly interested in the role, tell her to use this time to learn about the mathematician John Nash's story, or maybe even meet the couple herself. I'll go find her when I'm done with this."
Howard was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled. "Got it. Consider it done."
After hanging up, Bender couldn't help but grumble, "Link , you're just going to leave her hanging like that? Anyone else would be bending over backward to get an audience."
"Lawrence," Link looked at him, his voice level. "For a real actor, waiting for a role that's worth it isn't torture. It's necessary seasoning."
---
Three days later, Burbank.
A private rehearsal studio.
The first chemistry test for The Mask was about to begin.
Cameron Diaz arrived half an hour early. She was wearing simple workout clothes, her blonde hair in a ponytail, clutching a stack of dog-eared scripts. Her eyes were bright but held a trace of nervousness. She knew every line of Tina Carlyle's dialogue by heart.
And Jim Carrey? He blew in like a tornado one minute before the scheduled time.
He was in an old T-shirt, his hair messy, but his eyes were startlingly bright. He didn't greet anyone. Instead, he walked straight to a corner and muttered to a potted plant, "You know what? The world is actually fake." Then he giggled to himself.
The whole room was momentarily stunned.
Cameron instinctively flinched. This guy didn't seem like an actor; he seemed like a lunatic.
Link walked over, breaking the silence.
"Jim, Cameron. We're only testing one scene today—Stanley trying to flirt with Tina in the park for the first time."
He walked up to Cameron, his tone gentle. "Remember, you're not facing a freak. You're facing a clumsy, kind-hearted nice guy who deeply yearns for approval. Your smile is the first ray of sunshine in his gray life."
Then, he turned to Jim Carrey, his gaze sharpening.
"And you, Jim. I need you to switch between two states. When I snap my fingers, you put on that invisible mask."
Jim Carrey stopped pacing and looked at Link, giving him a bizarre smile for the first time.
"Action."
For the first minute, Jim Carrey was the cowering, slump-shouldered bank clerk, his voice stuttering, his eyes unable to meet Cameron's. He was pathetically timid.
Cameron's performance was natural and poised. She showed zero impatience, responding to his awkwardness with a gentle, encouraging smile. That genuine kindness infused the whole scene with warmth.
Bender, watching from the side, nodded repeatedly. This was already a solid screen couple.
However, at that moment, Link quietly snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
The sound was sharp.
The instant the snap landed, it was as if a jolt of high-voltage electricity shot through Jim Carrey's body!
His spine instantly straightened, his eyes nearly popped out, his eyebrows danced crazily, and his mouth stretched into a grin that reached his ears, like a cartoon monster.
"Sssssmokin'!"
He shrieked the line, pouncing on Cameron like a whirlwind, kneeling on one knee, and kissing the back of her hand with an exaggerated, preposterous flourish.
"Beautiful lady! Your appearance is like a Mentos dropping into a bottle of Coke, making me happy to explode into a bubbly firework just for you!"
This sudden 180-degree transformation completely stunned Cameron.
Her first instinct was to back away, to scream. But then she suddenly remembered what Link had just told her—"Your smile is the first ray of light in his gray world."
A spark flashed in her mind.
She didn't scream. Instead, she burst into a genuine, heartfelt laugh. She smoothly pulled her hand back and responded with a tone that was both playful and curious:
"Wow, mister, your way of flirting... that is certainly... something else."
This reaction was brilliant!
Instead of being scared off by Jim Carrey's madness, she met his energy in a way that diffused it, effortlessly catching all of his wild performance!
Jim Carrey was stunned, too. He hadn't expected the blonde girl to keep up with the rhythm. The excitement in his eyes was genuine artistic chemistry.
He immediately leaped up, twisting his body into a strange "S" shape, and grandly declared, "Special? No, no, my dear! It's called a rendezvous with destiny!"
Everyone in the rehearsal room was mesmerized.
One was a madman from another dimension.
The other was an all-encompassing angel.
Two seemingly incompatible energies were fusing in that moment, creating an unprecedented, beautifully absurd spectacle!
Link watched silently, a small smile on his face.
The blue interface in front of him suddenly flickered!
> [User: Link]
> [Influence Score: 3500 (+1000!)]
> [Viewable Opportunities: 0]
> [Note: The lead cast for The Mask is set, and Pangu Pictures' next project is officially underway. Influence has significantly increased!]
Looking at the jumping +1000 number, he suddenly had the strange feeling that this wasn't just a screen test, but a classic scene from the future being recorded ahead of time.
When the test finished, Jim Carrey dropped the madness and looked at Link with normal eyes for the first time, saying, "You get me."