After all, Justin's breakup with Britney was actually somewhat related to him and Rachel. Then he had snatched Justin's solo debut song, and even hooked up with his second girlfriend, Cameron, first. Now, how was it that even Justin's future wife, Jessica Biel, had appeared before him in this manner?
"God, I really didn't do it on purpose," Landon said to himself.
The first choice was clearly Eva Mendes, but who could help it if her schedule didn't align? This could only be attributed to... the twists of fate.
For Jessica Biel, this invitation was like a windfall from the heavens.
When her agent told her a singer had invited her to film an MV, she didn't pay much attention at first.
It was just an MV, and she was worried about having no significant work during the gap before June. Filming an MV would maintain her exposure and earn some extra cash, which was quite good.
Although she had appeared in some films and TV shows, including the TV movie "I'll Be Home for Christmas," she was far from famous in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. The outside world's evaluation of her was just that of a promising newcomer.
However, when the agent added: "Oh, I forgot to mention, it's for Landon Williams' new song, the one currently topping the Billboard charts."
Jessica instantly bounced up from the sofa, grabbed her agent's arm, and a string of "Oh, My God!"s burst from her mouth, her face filled with unbelievable surprise.
"You're not lying to me, are you? It's really him? The Landon Williams who sang 'Yeah!'?"
Therefore, when she actually met Landon in person under the soft lighting of the club, the excitement of a fan meeting an idol, the awe of a newcomer facing a red-hot star, and the direct impact of his handsomeness—which exceeded her expectations—made her reaction completely unlike that of a calm professional actor.
Her eyes were incredibly bright, her hands shook slightly during the handshake, and her tone during the conversation was higher than usual, filled with undisguised excitement and adoration.
This actually caught Landon a bit off guard.
In the past few months, he had been navigating between established A-list stars like Cameron Diaz, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Jennifer Connelly. Even Drew Barrymore, whom he had accidentally become involved with because of Cameron, was a stable figure in the industry. When they looked at him, there might be appreciation, desire, or a need for cooperation, but there would never be this pure "star power" filter.
As for Britney, although young, she was already a peak idol herself; their relationship was more of a meeting between equals.
Additionally, he spent most of his time on the serious set of "A Beautiful Mind," surrounded by top figures like Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Ron Howard. He was viewed more as a "talented newcomer actor."
The commercial success of "Yeah!" affected his daily life on set more in terms of respectful attitudes rather than this blunt celebrity worship.
Jessica Biel's undisguised "fan reaction" made him clearly realize: he, Landon Williams, was already a pop superstar with massive market influence who could make young girls scream.
This realization stunned him for a second, and then a fresh and pleasant feeling surged up.
He was used to playing the role of a smooth, even slightly challenging character in front of older or equal-status women. Facing Jessica's defenseless adoration now was quite a different kind of fun.
He gave a warm and charming smile and proactively pulled out a chair for her.
"Relax, Jessica. I'm glad you could come. Let's talk about the song 'Burn' and the story I've imagined..."
Seeing Jessica's cheeks flush slightly at his smile and her listening more intently, the sense of absurdity Landon felt about "Justin's future wife" was quickly replaced by his focus on the work at hand and a hint of masculine vanity—the feeling that "having a beautiful female fan isn't bad either."
The filming plan for the "Burn" MV was quickly finalized under the efficient execution of Universal Music Group.
Considering Landon's time, only the weekends could provide two full days; the rest had to utilize the nights, stretching the filming period to five days.
The directing team was led by Jake Nava, known for his delicate storytelling and skill at capturing emotional tension. He soon produced the storyboard.
Jake Nava's concept deeply aligned with the core of the song. The overall tone was black and white, with occasional insertions of cool-colored shots like deep blue and dark cyan, aiming to create a visual atmosphere that was melancholy, oppressive, and felt like a fading yet stinging memory—echoing the pain and struggle in the song about a relationship slowly burning until it is extinguished.
He decided to film in the narrative order of the MV to help the actors better immerse themselves in the emotional arc.
On the first day of filming, in a dimly lit apartment set that seemed to be filled with invisible ash, the first set of shots focused on Landon.
He needed to sit alone by a messy bed or in the center of an empty Room, facing the camera to "confide" his inner monologue after a breakup in the most direct way. This scene had no co-actor, only the flow of emotion under the close-up lens.
For Landon at this moment, this level of acting requirement felt like child's play.
After being tempered by a complex and illusory character like Charles Herman in "A Beautiful Mind" and deeply acting alongside top actors like Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, he seemed to handle the emotional intensity of an MV with ease.
He hardly needed much preparation to precisely find that complex look—a mix of fatigue, nostalgia, reluctance, and final acceptance—as well as the perfectly measured despondency and restraint in his body language.
However, there was a subtle source of distraction on set.
That was Jessica Biel, who played the female lead.
While Landon was performing, she didn't leave the set but stayed quietly near the monitor, watching without blinking.
In the slightly dim lights of the set, her eyes seemed to truly be "Bling Bling" glowing, filled with undisguised amazement, appreciation, and a nearly devout attitude of learning.
That gaze was so hot that Landon occasionally felt as if he weren't performing a relatively simple MV shoot, but as if Marlon Brando had possessed him and he was completing a legendary performance that would go down in film history.
"Cut! Perfect, Landon," Jake Nava's voice came through the intercom, carrying satisfied praise. "The emotion is precise, and the layering is excellent. Let's get a few more takes from different angles."
Landon pulled himself out of the emotion and subconsciously glanced in Jessica's direction.
Sure enough, she returned a brilliant, adoration-filled smile and even quietly gave him a thumbs-up.
Although Landon found it a bit funny, he was also somewhat pleased by this enthusiasm.
With the "blessing" of such a gaze, the filming of the monologue shots on the first night went exceptionally smoothly and finished ahead of schedule.
That night, there was no further private contact between Landon and Jessica beyond the necessary filming communication and polite greetings.
As soon as filming ended, Landon hurried away accompanied by Zoe, heading back to the hotel where the "A Beautiful Mind" crew was staying.
Jennifer seemed to have grown accustomed to his MV filming schedule. She only sniffed him for any unfamiliar perfume when he returned and then asked no more.
The next day was Saturday, and Landon had a full day for filming.
When he arrived at the MV set again with Zoe, he found that Jessica Biel had already arrived early and was confirming today's look with the Makeup Artist.
Today's scenes were the "memory flashbacks," the sweetest yet cruelest part of the MV—those beautiful times destined to pass away.
Jake Nava presented these fragments through a series of carefully designed black-and-white shots.
In a set modeled after an old-fashioned jazz bar, Landon and Jessica held each other closely, swaying gently to a faint melody.
...