The morning sunlight dispersed the mist in the Hollywood Hills as a dark luxury van drove smoothly toward a large professional studio near Burbank.
Inside the vehicle, Catherine Zeta-Jones was resting with her eyes closed.
Her assistant sat quietly opposite her, checking the upcoming schedule.
Two bodyguards and the accompanying Makeup Artist occupied the back seats.
The endorsement contract for this Dove chocolate commercial was eventually finalized at $5.5 million for two years, a price that both she and her team were quite satisfied with.
Of course, this endorsement was a "package" deal, covering image licensing, a set number of offline appearances, and social media cooperation.
The negotiation process was unexpectedly smooth, and the price was satisfactory.
For her current status, such endorsements typically ranged between $3 million and $6 million.
Her agent told her that the Dove North American marketing department placed great importance on this creative concept, even opening a green channel for it, which partly explained why the terms progressed so quickly.
However, when Catherine first heard that her partner was an almost completely new male actor, she felt a hint of dissatisfaction.
Status imbalance is a sensitive topic in the industry, easily leading to unnecessary speculation or even lowering one's own prestige.
Her agent reassured her that although the other party was new, he had already started to gain some fame.
She had some impression of that Delmont canned meat commercial; when she was bored, she occasionally watched Friends, and that ad appeared right at the beginning of Friends.
As she was thinking, her young assistant suddenly let out a low gasp and, with eyes shining, handed over a magazine.
"Wow! Catherine, look, it's him! Landon Williams! Oh my god, this cover... he's so handsome!"
Catherine smiled; it was normal for actors in the entertainment industry to be handsome, so there was nothing to be surprised about.
However, Catherine curiously took the Marie Claire magazine, and on the cover was indeed the partner she was about to work with.
Seeing the cover, she was stunned and had to admit he was very handsome.
A face with immense impact, deep eyes, and well-defined features that shifted between a boy's freshness and a man's maturity—he had a very unique appeal.
She flipped through the pages to find a detailed introduction of Landon Williams: the convenience store rescue incident, supporting roles in 24 hours and the upcoming A Beautiful Mind... he was indeed a complete newcomer.
This made her even more curious about why Delmont had chosen him, as the effect of that commercial had been quite good.
According to her agent's earlier speculation, the commercial might be set in a ballroom scene where she would be the absolute focus, while everyone else, including this male actor, would just be background.
However, when the final script was delivered to her, she discovered it was completely different.
The core of the entire story was actually a romantic street encounter between her and this newcomer, and the script only featured the two of them!
This caused her concerns about "status imbalance" to resurface.
However, considering the generous endorsement fee and the fact that the creative concept itself was indeed clever and interesting, she decided not to make a fuss—after all, it was just a commercial and wouldn't escalate to the level of a controversy about "boosting status."
The van drove into the studio and stopped outside a set built as a "Parisian street scene."
The set was quite exquisite, with cobblestone roads, vintage streetlights, cafe awnings, and even the deliberately aged mottling in the corners appearing lifelike; in the distance was a massive backdrop painted with the Eiffel Tower.
To control costs and time, McCann chose a combination of studio shooting and post-production compositing for the distant landmarks.
Surrounded by her assistant and bodyguards, Catherine stepped out of the car.
Director Eric, who had been waiting, immediately approached with a broad smile, standing beside the young man from the magazine cover—Landon Williams.
He wore a simple white shirt and khaki pants, standing tall and looking exceptionally fresh and striking.
Catherine noticed her young assistant's gaze going blank again and discreetly nudged her with her arm.
"Catherine, welcome!" Eric shook her hand warmly and then turned to introduce him, "This is Landon Williams, your partner. Landon, this is Catherine Zeta-Jones."
"Ms. Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a fan of yours, especially 'The Mask of Zorro'." Landon extended his hand with a polite smile and a gentle voice, lacking the cowardice or excessive enthusiasm often seen in newcomers before superstars.
Catherine shook his hand, feeling the warmth of his palm. "Thank you, just call me Catherine. I've also seen your Delmont commercial; it was great."
She said with a smile.
Seeing him up close, she found that he was indeed more impactful than his magazine photos—not just handsome, but possessing a special aura.
When he was close, she could smell a fresh scent, not any brand of cologne, but very natural and comfortable.
Landon was also observing this legendary beauty. The Catherine before him was even more exquisite than on screen, with incredibly good skin and deep, spirited green eyes, radiating a mature charm refined by time.
Images of Virginia in 'entrapment' wearing a bodysuit and traversing a laser array inevitably flashed through his mind; the wisdom and sexiness she exuded while acting opposite Sean Connery was a classic.
Of course, he also thought about comparing Catherine with Tracy and Jennifer Connelly.
However, he immediately composed himself, reminding himself that he was on set and shouldn't let any strange expressions show.
After the pleasantries, the filming quickly got down to business.
The first day mainly focused on Catherine's solo scenes—close-ups and wide shots of her elegantly tasting chocolate on a bench.
This part went quite smoothly; Catherine was experienced and, under Eric's direction, quickly captured the precise expression of "being instantly struck by an ultimate delicacy, producing subtle curiosity and pleasure," and the close-ups were stunning.
The problem arose on the second day when they began filming the interaction scenes.
According to the script, Landon needed to slide onto the bench next to Catherine in an "accidental, slightly clumsy yet still handsome" manner, and then Catherine would turn her head, asking the key line with a look of inquiry and a hint of being moved: "Is it really... that smooth?"
Theoretically simple, but in actual filming, the feeling of "love at first sight" between the two was never found.
Either Landon's expression seemed too forced, making the love at first sight unfelt and ruining the romantic atmosphere;
Or Catherine's gaze when turning lacked the natural curiosity and instant attraction required by the script as her focus shifted from the chocolate to the stranger.
Both performed professionally, with movements and lines correct, but they just lacked that emotion that would make the audience's hearts skip a beat.