"Good morning, Courteney!"
"Good morning, Hon!"
Inside the yacht's dining room, Jennifer Aniston smiled and greeted her good friend and Martin's companion.
Courteney Cox's eyes were full of guilt. "Jennifer, I'm so sorry, I—"
Jennifer cut her off with a gentle smile. "Darling, no need to apologize. How are you feeling?"
"I…" Courteney stared intently at her friend, searching for any trace of reproach. Finding none, she closed the distance in a few quick steps and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm much better now—really, so much better. Thank you!"
Cameron Diaz popped the last bite of toast into her mouth and gave Martin a sly, knowing look before turning to Courteney.
"So," she drawled, "how did our gentleman saint perform last night? You should know—when he went looking for you, he'd already fucked us 4 rounds with us."
Courteney blushed, nodded slightly, and said, "He was wonderful—no, incredible."
Still, something about it felt strange. The awkwardness she'd expected never came. Everyone seemed to treat the whole thing as completely natural. Even she did.
Inside her, a seed of affection began to take root.
Martin walked over to Cameron and patted her head.
Then he went to Jennifer, bent down, and kissed her lightly.
Finally, he sat beside Courteney, pulling her firmly onto his lap, one arm wrapped around her slender waist. "Feed me breakfast. I'm starving."
"Martin, Courteney isn't your maid," Jennifer teased.
Martin shot her a look. "This is my right. You all should know how much energy I burned last night."
With a wicked grin, he tugged his collar down, revealing a row of tiny teeth marks on his shoulder. "See? This is the medal Courteney gave me last night."
Courteney's face burned even hotter.
"I—I'll get you something to eat."
And with that, she slipped off his lap as though escaping and hurried toward the dining area.
"Darling, I'll have two poached eggs, extra toast, and another glass of juice. Thanks."
Jennifer swatted Martin's shoulder playfully. "Bullying people again. I'll go help."
She joined her friend in the kitchen, and soon the two were bustling about together.
Courteney glanced over her shoulder at Martin. He was chatting with Cameron, so she leaned closer to Jennifer and whispered, "Jennifer, last night—was it really you who told Martin…? You're really not angry?"
Jennifer chuckled. "Darling, don't overthink it. Yes, I told him to go. I just didn't expect you'd be right at the door. Heh."
Courteney covered her flaming face. "Oh God, I'm done for. So embarrassing. I'll die of shame."
Jennifer gave her a playful smack on the hip, smiling with a hint of wickedness. "Go on, don't be shy. You'll get used to it soon enough. Martin's a shameless rogue. Now hurry and get that daddy some sandwich—he really did work himself to the bone last night!"
"Martin, let's go over the schedule. We should be done filming the New York scenes by the end of October."
"Good. That's even earlier than I expected. I can't wait to get back to sunny California."
Martin had never cared for New York weather, especially in autumn and winter—too gloomy, cold, and damp. To him, the city barely had a fall at all; as soon as summer ended, the chill seemed to rush in to claim it.
"Tod, keep an eye on the extras running around in the chaos scene. I'll need shots from here, here, and here. For the shot where I jump onto the car, I want a high wide-angle lens. In that moment, Arthur has fully become the Joker—towering, godlike. I want that feeling captured."
"Got it."
"'Joker,' Scene 149, Take 37—action!"
Martin—no, Arthur—sat in the back of a police car.
He had been arrested.
Moments earlier, live on television, Arthur had shot a man dead.
He felt no guilt. No discomfort.
He deserved it. They all did.
Arthur leaned his head against the window, eyes drifting to the chaos outside. Slowly, a thin smile curled across his lips.
The camera zoomed in for a close-up.
Watching through the monitor, director Todd Phillips shivered. "That smile… it's so damn evil."
A van suddenly rammed into the police car.
"Cut! Swap in the stunt double!"
Bang!
The police car came to a halt as several masked men swarmed it, yanking the "prisoner" out.
"Cut! That's good. Stunt double out—Martin in."
Martin stepped forward to take the spot.
If he could've done the stunt himself, there'd be no need for the swap, but the insurance company would never allow it.
Filming resumed.
On-screen, in full Joker makeup, Arthur stood atop the car, surrounded by a frenzied mob wearing Joker masks. They roared in triumph at his return to freedom.
Arthur threw back his head and laughed—wild, unrestrained, manic.
His mouth stretched into an exaggerated, deranged grin; his eyes were cold, emotionless; his arms spread like wings as his feet pounded the car roof in a steady rhythm.
One, two, three…
Soon the crowd began stomping along, chanting in unison: "Joker! Joker! Joker!"
Arthur swayed his head, basking in their worship, his wavy hair whipping in the wind.
His arms moved like a conductor's, orchestrating this mad chorus.
"Joker! Joker! Joker!"
Boom-boom-boom.
The chanting and stomping merged into perfect sync.
Martin's movements had a hypnotic pull, compelling the mob—and even the viewer—to follow.
Through the monitor, Todd Phillips could see it clearly: in that perfect camera angle, Arthur was larger-than-life, sinister, unbound—radiating a dangerous allure.
Arms spread, feet pounding, eyes looking down on all…
He was the Joker—an evil god.
...
The Times: "With just over two weeks before the U.S. election, the Democratic and Republican candidates held their final televised debate. Trailing badly in the polls, McCain hoped the debate would reverse his fortunes. But post-debate surveys show Obama scoring yet another win…"
The New York Times: "According to a CBS poll taken immediately after the debate, 53% of undecided voters thought Obama performed better, compared to only 22% for McCain. The Iowa Electronic Markets now give Obama an 82% chance of victory. CNN reports Obama leading in several swing states, including Virginia, Colorado, and Florida, prompting the GOP to abandon two of them entirely…"
Hollywood Entertainment News: "In a recent interview, Joker's assistant director Todd Phillips—working with Martin for the second time—called the film 'a groundbreaking epic that embodies the rise of the antihero in our era.'"