[Chapter 78: The Gulf War is Coming]
To be honest, Cameron initially cast Orlando to play the villain, the T-1000 robot, mostly because of Orlando's good looks, his growing media buzz, and his musical talent. Cameron's previous project failed, so having someone like Orlando involved was seen as an extra guarantee for Terminator 2's box office success.
But Cameron definitely didn't expect this.
When it came time to shoot, Orlando exceeded expectations in his portrayal of the T-1000.
"Wow, what lap is that now?"
"The fifth lap."
"He's still going strong, no sweat, breathing steady..."
"Indeed, I didn't think his stamina would be this good!"
On set, they were filming the chase scene between the T-800, played by Schwarzenegger, and the advanced liquid metal T-1000 robot.
The scene didn't seem demanding in terms of acting - they just had to look deadpan and run through chases and gunfights without emotion.
Sounds easy, right?
But the reality was quite the opposite.
Playing a robot actually takes real acting skill!
T-800 and T-1000 are machines designed to keep moving as long as they have power and aren't damaged -- basically perpetual motion machines. But since real people are playing them, they naturally get out of breath, sweat, and show strain during intense physical activity.
Robots, of course, wouldn't do that.
So, the actors had to keep their expressions consistent with a machine's blankness while also keeping their bodies in "robot" shape during filming.
They couldn't just run around panting, sweating, and breathing hard.
To pull that off required serious acting ability -- and even more important -- great physical fitness.
Sure, they could shoot in intervals, letting actors rest and editing to cover breaks, but that made the scenes less seamless and complicated time and editing demands.
That's also why Cameron asked Schwarzenegger to play the T-800. Besides Schwarzenegger's bodybuilder background and impressive muscles, he had the stamina to keep up physically.
But Cameron didn't expect young Orlando to have even better physical endurance than Schwarzenegger!
They shot several takes of the chase scene. Schwarzenegger had to pause frequently for makeup to hide sweat and to control his breathing, while Orlando ran continuously without breaking a sweat and keeping his breathing steady.
He even had time to chat about upcoming shots with the stunt coordinator.
This surprised Cameron and his assistant so much that the above conversation took place.
But what they didn't realize was that despite Schwarzenegger's bulky frame, no one on set -- not even in Hollywood, Los Angeles, or the entire U.S. -- matched Orlando's superior physical condition.
Currently, no one could match Orlando's all-around fitness, especially since he had been enhanced while transmigrating.
---
"I feel like I could jump off the building. That would make the shot even more intense," Orlando told Winston.
When Cameron approached, he overheard Orlando talking with Winston, the stunts director.
Seeing Cameron come over, Winston breathed a sigh of relief. "James, you're here just in time. Orlando wants to change his stunt move, but that's way too dangerous! Plus, he doesn't even want a stunt double!"
"What's going on here? I'm not sure what you're talking about," Cameron asked, intrigued.
"Well..." Winston explained.
It was Orlando's first official shoot, and he realized his physical fitness could be a huge asset for the action scenes.
They had been discussing the scene where the T-1000 chases the T-800 down some stairs.
Winston had choreographed a pretty standard move: the T-1000 would jump about three meters down the stairs and continue chasing T-800 below.
It wasn't impressive but safe and easy to shoot.
Orlando only needed to show his face for a couple of shots; his stunt double, an action performer named Kent, would handle the rest.
But Orlando approached Winston during Schwarzenegger's break with a proposal.
He wanted to perform the stunt himself in one take.
Not just jumping from the stairs corner, but leaping directly out of a five-meter-high second-floor window.
The difficulty level doubled, and the risk was ten times higher.
Winston rejected the idea right away.
"This is Hollywood. We're not making Hong Kong-style action movies where they risk their lives for stunts."
Cameron listened to both sides.
He imagined the stunt Orlando described: it would be more thrilling and dramatic. But also way more dangerous.
"Could it be done?" Cameron wondered aloud as he looked at Kent standing nearby.
Kent hesitated, then said, "Sure, we could pull it off, but the risk is high, and I'd need extra insurance and compensation."
"I want to do it myself," Orlando insisted.
Before he could say more, Cameron cut him off.
"No way, Orlando. If you even attempted that and got hurt, your agent and Mr. Morris from Warner Records and even Madonna would be on my back within minutes. I'd be sued and in endless trouble. So no matter how confident you are, sorry -- I just can't let you do this."
"Alright," Orlando said sharply. "You're the director. You have the final say."
It was just a spontaneous idea inspired by his own fitness.
But since Cameron wouldn't permit it, Orlando didn't push it.
After all, this was Cameron's movie, and Orlando was just the villain.
Filming continued.
Thanks to Orlando's input, Cameron liked the redesigned action scenes even better.
Orlando only needed to show his face; dangerous stunts were left to his doubles.
That pattern continued throughout filming.
No matter how good Orlando's conditioning was or how capable he performed, the dangerous moves were always handled by stunt doubles whose build closely matched Orlando's. Same went for Schwarzenegger.
Because of Orlando's great stamina, he played T-1000 without resting, which sped up filming.
Scenes scheduled for five days got completed in just four.
The crew then moved on to other parts.
Orlando only had to return a month later for ten days to finish his remaining scenes.
Then his role as the second most prominent villain in the film would be done.
---
Time flew.
On early morning of the 22nd, July 1990.
Madonna's mansion in Beverly Hills.
"Orlando! Orlando! Wake up!"
"What? Frank, it's only eight o'clock! You better have a good reason for waking me up!"
Orlando rolled over, slapping Madonna's raised backside with a playful smile.
A ripple of laughter followed.
But Madonna just lay there, exhausted.
Orlando slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Madonna had just wrapped her tour in Seattle and returned to L.A. two days ago.
Last night, she'd hosted her usual mansion party, inviting many of her industry friends.
As her current boyfriend, Orlando, of course, was part of the festivities.
They had partied late into the night, and by the second half, Madonna had turned into a wild cat.
Orlando worked late that night.
"What's up? Don't you have work today? Or is there some sudden controversy brewing? Aren't Warner and Sony about to make peace?"
Orlando opened the door and saw Frank waiting outside.
"It's hard to explain briefly. You need to see it for yourself. It's about your investments and the company's future plans."
Frank led Orlando into the dining area.
---
Meanwhile, the cleaning crew hired by Madonna's event planners was still tidying up the mansion's aftermath.
The guests had been wild -- men and women sprawled in unexpected corners, some hungry, some drunk.
The cleaning staff carefully avoided stumbling drunks while picking up broken glass, ribbons, and empty bottles.
The dining area was already cleaned.
Madonna's agent Max sat at a table, stirring eggs, looking sleepy.
Being a big star's agent was no cakewalk.
Madonna had enjoyed herself the night before and could keep partying with Orlando.
Max was responsible for her work, image, and minor tasks like keeping an eye on planners so none of the paparazzi sneaked in or guests didn't get into trouble.
For example, if someone passed out in the pool and drowned, it'd be front-page news.
These seemingly small tasks needed someone trustworthy.
Max, who stayed up all night at the party, was running on little sleep.
"Hey Orlando, Frank. Frank, what made you get Orlando up so early?"
Max greeted them.
"Morning, Max. No idea," Orlando said, annoyed. "What are you doing?"
He only slept three hours but after walking here, he was now wide awake. Sometimes he really hated his own super body.
"Well, I'm trying Collins's recipe today: French omelet, oatmeal with chia seeds, carrot and apple juice. Want some?"
Collins was a nutrition guru who had become famous in the entertainment industry over the past two years.
He was known for his green diets and weight loss meals before TV shoots.
"I'll take some," Frank said. "Thanks, Max."
"No problem. Looks like you two have something to discuss. I'll tell the cook to get it ready," Max smiled and left.
---
Orlando asked, "So, Frank, what's going on?"
"Check this out!"
Frank turned on the tiny TV in the dining room.
A morning news program was on, and Orlando heard the host talking about rising international oil prices again.
"What? Gas prices went up again?" Orlando suddenly brightened. "That's great news!"
Just a week ago, Orlando had officially established his investment company in New York.
Russell Reynolds Associates had helped him find a capable manager experienced on Wall Street who started immediately.
Orlando funneled most of his recent earnings into the fund.
Additionally, he sold shares, worth originally $30 million, but now valued at nearly $42 million, to inject cash into his investment company, Orlando Capital, which started trading in the global crude oil market.
He invested 30 million in the crude oil market.
His telepathy from the Wall Street trip had predicted that oil prices would keep rising.
Orlando didn't know much about crude oil or the reasons behind price hikes, just like he didn't always understand stock markets before.
He believed the revelation.
So seeing the news that prices had risen, naturally, he was pleased -- he was making money again.
"That's not all," Frank said.
He switched the channel to CNN's 24-hour news.
[Breaking news, This is CNN Global Live. At 2:17 a.m. Baghdad time, the evening of July 21st, Eastern Time, Iraqi-backed Kuwaiti militias have launched an attack, and gunfire continues in Kuwait City.]
The screen showed black-and-white satellite footage: smoke billowing over Kuwait's capital.
The images came from a Pentagon KH-11 Keyhole satellite obtained exclusively by CNN, depicting ongoing violence in Kuwait.
[At the same time, large-scale armed clashes occurred at Ahmadi Port, the key hub for 10% of the world's crude oil exports, in the early morning of July 22nd Eastern Time.]
The scene cut to black smoke and piercing air raid sirens in Kuwait City.
---
"Wow, is this a full-blown war?!"
Orlando paused and stared at the screen.
He had a feeling that this year or next would bring a war that shook the world.
He just didn't remember exactly when -- but seeing this, it was clear: the Gulf War had begun.
"That's not the whole story," Frank said. "Earlier, I saw Pentagon news saying President Bush has prepared three aircraft carriers to deploy to the Persian Gulf if needed."
"Sounds like the war is definitely on," Orlando said. "Our country will definitiely intervene, no doubt. After all, that's the most crucial crude oil region in the world!"
Frank nodded.
"So if war really breaks out and the U.S. steps in, your business plans and the company's investments will have to change."
Orlando agreed -- that was expected.
War was coming, and everything would have to adapt to prepare.
"The reason I called you so early," Frank said, "is we need to set up a conference call with Seymour later."
"Alright."
*****
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