The plot of Nightwalker unfolds along two storylines.
One follows a Black character, and the other follows a white character.
The Black character's storyline was written by Ethan at home, while the white character's storyline was written on set.
Mike, played by Matt Damon, is also a broke man. He lives next door to Franklin, a Black man. The two are neighbors and have a good relationship.
Previously, when Franklin's family fell into trouble, Mike extended a helping hand.
One day, while driving, Mike found himself caught in a meticulously planned assassination. Though he wasn't the target, the person who was killed had deep ties to him.
He fled in panic, but the assassin, William, caught up to him. Just when he was on the verge of death, Franklin suddenly appeared, saving him and killing William.
Thus, Mike pretended to be injured to stay alive.
But this was just the beginning. Franklin forced Mike to join him, taking William's place and becoming a new assassin.
When writing the script, Ethan deliberately highlighted the conflicts between the Black and white communities, even borrowing some elements from Green Book to make the dialogue occasionally humorous and occasionally heavy.
When Matt Damon and Will Smith rehearsed these lines, they couldn't help but smile.
"This is classic—Black people are supposed to eat fried chicken and watermelon," Will Smith remarked. He had faced discrimination growing up, and even as a Hollywood superstar, there were always white people mocking him.
"So, do you eat fried chicken?" Ethan asked while eating some himself, handing Will Smith a drumstick.
"Of course!" Will Smith took it and took a bite.
"I think fried chicken is pretty good. It'd be even better with a beer," Ethan said, wiping his hands. "Now, it's time to shoot the most important scene. Are you ready?"
"We're ready." Both men were confident.
However, Ethan merely smiled slightly. "That's good to hear."
Seeing his smile, Matt Damon felt a chill down his spine for some reason.
Half an hour later, Matt Damon sat in the car, waiting for filming to begin. They were on a blocked-off road, with no other vehicles around, only a few trees and vast patches of weeds.
It was already late, and since the scene took place at night, the only lighting on set came from a few spotlights.
With no immediate action, Matt Damon rested his arm on the car window, staring idly at the sky.
But the next second, he suddenly heard the sound of a car approaching from a distance.
Turning his head, he saw a vehicle speeding toward him from his left, moving at an incredible pace.
"What the hell? Whose car is that?" Matt Damon was surprised. These roads were supposed to be closed off—no other cars should be here. Was it someone from the crew?
Then, a voice came through the radio.
"Hey, hey, hey! Props team, whose car is that?"
"No idea. Isn't it yours?"
"Of course not. Wasn't this road sealed off?"
"Damn it! Whose car is that? Get them to stop!" Ethan's anxious voice came through.
"I signaled them, but they're not stopping! They're heading straight for Damon! Get out of there, Damon!"
Hearing this, Matt Damon panicked. He hadn't expected the car to have nothing to do with the crew.
He quickly started his car, trying to hit the gas and escape.
But strangely, the engine stalled.
Cold sweat instantly drenched his palms and back. "FXXK! Oh, God!"
The speeding car was getting closer and closer, and its front emblem was now clearly visible.
Matt Damon's legs trembled. That feeling of facing death was overwhelmingly terrifying.
Out of sheer terror, he shut his eyes and prayed that the car wouldn't hit him.
"Screech!"
A sharp braking sound rang out. After a few seconds, Matt Damon opened his eyes and saw that the car had stopped just inches away from him.
"Damn it…" He swallowed hard, his throat moving several times before his wildly beating heart finally settled.
Then, he saw Ethan walking over. He thought the director would be furious, but Ethan's face remained eerily calm.
Ethan even handed him a cigarette.
"How do you feel?" Ethan leaned against the car door and asked.
Matt Damon forced a smile. "It felt absolutely horrible."
He wasn't stupid—he immediately realized this had to be Ethan's arrangement. Though somewhat angry, he didn't show it.
"Use this feeling for the scene. I believe it'll be brilliant." Ethan reassured him, then called out to the crew, "Get ready to shoot."
Soon, all props and vehicles were restored to their original positions, and everyone took their places to begin filming.
Matt Damon didn't disappoint. He nailed the scene in one take.
His expression while playing Mike in the car crash scene was so real that even watching through the monitor gave people a sense of despair.
When he later watched the playback over Ethan's shoulder, he nodded in approval. This scene would undoubtedly become a new milestone in his acting career.
"Amazing," Will Smith, who was watching, kept nodding. "Ethan, do I have a similar scene? I feel like my performance still lacks emotional depth."
He had high hopes for this film, so for every scene, he experimented with various acting approaches to enhance his performance.
For example, in a later scene where he aimed a gun at Matt Damon, he rehearsed several times.
"Let's do it again. I think my eyes need to express more."
Eye acting was one of the hardest skills to master, especially since Will Smith was masked in this scene, with only his eyes visible. Expressing hidden emotions through them was quite difficult.
"In this moment, you appear to be aiming to kill Mike, but deep down, you actually want to kill William. You're conflicted," Ethan explained. "So, your eyes need to show just a hint of hesitation. Just a little, because you're someone who keeps his emotions restrained."
"Got it. Let me try again." Will Smith nodded and closed his eyes for a moment.
Then, he opened them. "Alright, let's go again."
"Action!"
"Cut!"
"That's it."
Hearing those words, Will Smith rushed over. "Let me see."
"Look, this is great," Ethan said, giving up his seat. On the screen, Will Smith slowly raised his gun, glancing at William before locking eyes with Mike.
His eyes reflected the flickering flames around him, mirroring the turmoil in his heart.
Then, he looked at Mike, as if making up his mind, but at the last moment, he turned his aim toward William instead.
"Bang!"
A bullet struck the center of William's forehead, and he collapsed.
Franklin's brow relaxed slightly, revealing an expression of relief.