"I met Kevin Feige a few days ago," Carla Faith said, sitting in the passenger seat of the moving car in Beverly Hills. She turned to Murphy in the driver's seat.
"Was it about the release dates for *Thor* and *City of Chaos*?" Gal Gadot, seated in the back, asked curiously.
Murphy also looked back at Carla, clearly interested. She nodded and said, "Yes, he wanted us to change our release date."
"That's impossible," Gal shook her head. "Changing our date would waste all our preliminary publicity!"
Carla smiled and replied calmly, "So, I refused Kevin Feige."
Hearing this, Murphy turned back to focus on the road. He knew the start of the summer season was a prime time for releases, often better than the Memorial Day weekend. Compared to major blockbusters like *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides*, *Transformers: Dark of the Moon*, and *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, *Thor* was a much softer target.
By choosing the first weekend of May, they could avoid competing with other major Fox releases like *The Hangover Part II*, *X-Men: First Class*, *Rio*, and *Rise of the Planet of the Apes*. With five big releases spread out over the summer, they wanted to avoid cannibalizing their own audience.
Murphy looked at the approaching Beverly Hills mansion, asking, "Did you discuss anything else?"
"Yes," Carla didn't hide anything. "After I refused to change the release date, Kevin Feige proposed we reach an agreement to avoid direct competition."
"Did you agree?" Murphy asked without turning his head.
"Do you think two films releasing on the same weekend can avoid competition?" Carla posed rhetorically.
Murphy didn't answer; the answer was obvious. Two films releasing on the same weekend would inevitably compete.
"I made a verbal agreement with him to avoid malicious competition as much as possible. It benefits no one," Carla added.
20th Century Fox and Disney, both part of Hollywood's Big Six, understood that while they competed, they also cooperated. Cutthroat competition without any limits would only hurt both sides.
Murphy trusted Carla to handle it. She knew when to pull back and when to strike.
As they approached James Franco's mansion, the place was bustling with activity. Camera cranes and makeup trailers were everywhere, turning the location into a Hollywood film set.
This was one of the main shooting locations for Seth Rogen's new film, *This Is the End*. Murphy, Gal Gadot, and Carla Faith were there to film their scenes.
With the main editing for *City of Chaos* nearly done, Murphy handed over the final touches like adding music, sound effects, and subtitles to Michelle Williams. He was free to join this film shoot temporarily.
*This Is the End* had started filming in early March. Murphy's role was small, and he played a character that wasn't particularly nice.
Arriving at the set, they found Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill directing the shoot. Murphy, Gal, and Carla went to the makeup trailers to get ready.
Once they were prepped, they moved to the expansive lawn in front of Franco's mansion, waiting for their scenes.
Murphy saw many familiar faces, a star-studded cast including Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Nicolas Cage, Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna, all in cameo roles.
This particular scene was a party. When Gal and Carla joined, they were soon called for their parts.
Playing themselves at the party, Murphy and Gal would meet Carla, chat briefly, and then leave because of an urgent matter. Meanwhile, a world-changing event would occur, where good people were taken to heaven by beams of light, leaving the notorious like the Stanton Gang behind to continue causing trouble on earth.
"Seth, what's the scene?" Murphy asked, standing with Gal and Carla in front of Rogen.
"Just be yourselves at a party. Walk around, chat with people, then say goodbye to James," Seth directed.
He turned to Gal and Carla, "Just act like you normally would at a party."
Both women nodded.
After rehearsing their movements twice, the cameras started rolling. The party scene involved everyone wearing their own evening wear, including Murphy and the others.
Murphy, holding Gal's arm, wandered through the party, occasionally stopping to chat. Seth left the dialogue unscripted, allowing for improvisation.
Two camera crews shot simultaneously, Seth overseeing Murphy and Gal's side. Despite Murphy's known weak acting skills, his rare appearance in a substantial role provided good publicity material.
Influenced by Murphy, the Stanton Gang also adopted a similar approach.
During their stroll, a familiar face approached them.
"Hi, Murphy."
Taylor Swift, in a short light blue dress, greeted them. "Long time no see."
"Yes, it's been a while," Murphy tried to act natural. "Hello, Miss Swift."
Taylor turned to Gal, "Hello, you must be Gal Gadot?"
Gal nodded, polite as always, "Hello, Miss Swift."
"You're so lucky," Taylor remarked, "being Murphy's girlfriend."
There was a subtle hint of sarcasm in her tone, which Murphy caught. He looked at Gal and replied, "I'm the lucky one."
Gal smiled, not bothering to engage with the young singer.
Taylor's awkwardness was brief. "We'll catch up later."
She stepped aside, and Murphy and Gal continued. Perhaps reminded by the camera, Murphy's expression stiffened, his movements becoming less fluid. Though not visibly noticeable, the high-definition cameras captured the change.
"Cut!" Seth called out. "Murphy, relax. Just be natural."
Murphy nodded, trying to steady his breath.
Seth, understanding Murphy's limitations, walked over. "You were doing fine. Forget about the cameras. This is just another party. You've been to many."
"I know," Murphy replied, taking a deep breath. "Give me a minute."
Gal squeezed his hand gently, "Relax, honey. There's no rush."
Despite the encouragement, Murphy struggled to find his rhythm. Knowing what to do didn't translate into doing it. The presence of the cameras made it hard to stay in character, causing multiple interruptions.
After breaking his initial natural state, Murphy found it challenging to balance being himself and another version of himself on camera. It felt like performing alongside another version of himself.
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