[Chapter 129: Cameo Appearance in The Shallows]
What Linton didn't expect was that the next morning, Zack, a bit embarrassed, approached Linton with a request -- hoping he could make a cameo appearance in the film to boost its appeal.
A director or actor's success was judged by the box office numbers. Since The Shallows was Zack's directorial debut, and although the storyline was solid and he was confident in making it, he was still a rookie director. The lead, Cameron, was an unknown face with no box office pull. Zack was uncertain whether the movie could make it big.
So he figured, why not leverage some of Linton's star power?
After hearing Zack's request, Linton didn't say no. He called Blake over to discuss how to arrange the cameo role and storyline so it made sense, while not affecting the main plot.
...
After much debate, no perfect entry point was found. Finally, Linton decided to showcase his surfing skills -- a chance to show off his physique too.
The plot was easy: Nancy came to that beach to commemorate her late mother, who had special memories related to that beach, planning to surf there.
To add a reason, the script had Nancy discover an old video of Linton surfing the massive waves at that very beach, when she was watching her mother's video recordings.
In the clip, Linton's athletic and sexy physique battling the huge waves, standing tall on the crest with unmatched style, deeply inspired her and strengthened her resolve to surf there herself -- secretly hoping to bump into the big star, Linton.
...
The whole scene lasted less than two minutes, which wouldn't disrupt the main storyline but would surely boost the movie's publicity by leveraging Linton's popularity.
By evening, the tide rose. Long-distance cameras on the beach, aerial shots from helicopters, and waterproof close-up cameras on jet skis were all set.
When Linton appeared wearing swim trunks and carrying a surfboard, his impressive physique -- all the toned muscle, especially his six-pack abs -- radiated raw power and beauty.
The female staff on set, including Cameron, couldn't help but stare in admiration.
Once in the water, he rode the waves freely, showing off various tricks and high-difficulty maneuvers.
When a giant wave approached, he unleashed his power, balancing on the surfboard atop the wave like a sea god incarnate.
...
Everyone was amazed. And the three cameras captured every breathtaking moment.
Zack and Blake broke into grins. Those under two minutes of footage could add tens of millions to the box office. Didn't they see the female staff on set clutching their thighs out of excitement?
Zack even suggested that the film's final cut might only feature the most exciting 90 seconds, due to time and story constraints. But the home video could include 5 to 10 minutes of the footage, which would definitely boost sales.
Linton was impressed by Zack. No wonder he grew into a top commercial director -- his market savvy and audience mindset were spot on.
...
Linton stayed on set for two days. Observing the crew's smooth operation and the seamless management by Blake and Zack, he grew confident in them.
With his new single about to release and Speed scheduled to start shooting on December 20th, Linton wrapped his time on the island.
...
On December 12th, he bid a reluctant farewell to Cameron, then returned to Los Angeles with his assistant and bodyguard.
Of course, during those days on the private island, Linton and Cameron spent every night sharing passionate moments to their heart's content.
Considering the physical demands of filming in the water, Linton boosted Cameron's stamina with some of his essence, ensuring she had plenty of energy for the upcoming shoot.
---
Back in Los Angeles, Linton first went to Universal Music.
He negotiated with Daniel to postpone the release of his single Sold Out.
I Swear was just too powerful -- it fully showcased his star dominance, topping Billboard charts for five straight weeks, with a commanding lead by week five.
Sales skyrocketed: over 7.5 million copies sold in North America, and more than 8.5 million overseas, totaling over 16 million units.
In Linton's memory, I Swear had topped the Billboard for 11 consecutive weeks in 1994. Even without extra promotion this time, eight or nine weeks at number one was a sure thing.
Releasing Sold Out now would be self-sabotage, seriously hurting the new single's performance.
Plus, according to the triple agreement with Pepsi, in just three weeks, the single Taste the Feeling would be released.
That would cause resource competition. With Pepsi's backing, Taste the Feeling was guaranteed to do well, possibly taking over from I Swear to continue dominating the charts.
Without promotion, Sold Out would just be cannon fodder.
Linton absolutely refused to accept that.
...
Universal Music was thrilled by I Swear's success. The whole company was buzzing with joy.
Daniel was happily troubled, pondering the timing and strategy for Sold Out's release just like Linton.
After analyzing pros and cons, Daniel agreed to push Sold Out's release to late February 1993.
This decision would maximize profits and fully explore the potential of all three singles.
More importantly, thanks to I Swear's massive success, Universal's performance this year under Daniel's leadership was already outstanding.
Linton also promised Daniel a full album release in the second half of 1993.
---
After dealing with his single release, Linton dived right back into the film crew. Except for a brief trip to the University of Southern California's film school for a donation ceremony, he stayed on set preparing the final arrangements.
He delved into the script, studied his character, and consulted with police advisors.
He stayed in a hotel near Universal Studios booked for the crew.
The hotel was huge, with multiple buildings, accommodating various film crews. Usually, a crew rented an entire building.
The Speed crew and the Step Up 2 crew rented buildings number 2 and 3 respectively.
Hollywood film crews were strictly organized by rank. Building 2 had seven floors. The top floor had five large suites occupied by Linton, Robert, and Catherine. Others stayed on different floors based on their rank.
Robert was a sharp guy. He lived on the far left of the seventh floor, put Linton's room on the far right, and Catherine's room next to Linton's with two empty rooms in between.
When Linton moved in, the happiest was Catherine. She boldly moved into Linton's room and every night pesters him to exercise with her...
But soon, Jennifer came knocking. Buildings 2 and 3 were adjacent, less than 20 meters apart.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.