Chapter 948 - A Powerful Blow

The story of 'Blood Diamond' is set in Sierra Leone, a small country in West Africa that had recently endured an eleven-year civil war, the root of which was diamonds.

This is a poor nation. Despite diamonds being its primary export, the wealth has not translated into a better life for its people. Instead, the greed for diamonds has left the land scarred with wounds that may never heal.

When selecting a filming location, everyone initially dismissed Sierra Leone. It wasn't due to fear of danger, but because the country was too impoverished, lacking even the basic infrastructure needed for filming. After some deliberation, they chose a location similar to Sierra Leone—Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Laila had known about this location from her past life and decided to go with it. Leonardo hadn't objected at the time, likely because he had forgotten about the potential risks and didn't anticipate the complications it would bring to the film's production.

As a result, Laila found herself in a tough spot. It wasn't until just before departure that she learned about the trouble they had stirred up in South Africa.

Fortunately, the Moran family still wielded significant influence in upper circles. They deployed the ultimate weapon—the U.S. government—to negotiate with the South African government, ensuring the crew's safety.

When a superpower like the United States makes a request, South Africa doesn't have the luxury of refusing. Otherwise, a few aircraft carriers parked offshore might send the entire nation into a panic.

Laila understood the value of using both carrots and sticks. While the U.S. government played the role of the enforcer, she took a more diplomatic approach, offering to invest in South Africa. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to hand over money for nothing. Instead, she proposed funding promising projects, which would naturally earn more genuine smiles from the South African side.

The difference between being forced at gunpoint and being lured with incentives was obvious.

The female lead in the film was Jennifer Connelly, an actress who had won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2002. She was recommended by Leonardo, who assured Laila that she could be replaced if necessary. But Laila remained confident in her ability to bring out the best in any actor, especially one as talented as Jennifer.

Seeing the lively conversation, Jennifer joined in, giving Laila a chance to quietly slip away. With someone else to keep Irmelin company, Laila could finally retreat.

To avoid being pulled into more conversations, Laila pulled out the script and began reviewing it once more, jotting down her thoughts in the margins.

Even though she had read it countless times, she always found new insights. The words on the page transformed into vivid images in her mind, forming a continuous narrative. She pondered how each scene should be shot, what the final effect would be, and whether alternative approaches might yield better results. Before filming began, she wanted to explore every possible angle, refusing to let her creativity be confined by a single perspective.

Her dedication didn't go unnoticed. Jennifer and Irmelin, not wanting to disturb her concentration, moved to the back of the plane to continue their conversation.

Others followed suit, lowering their voices and pulling out their scripts to memorize lines or delve deeper into their characters. If the top-tier director was working this hard, what excuse did they have not to put in the effort?

"Stop staring, or you'll burn a hole through her," Leonardo waved his hand in front of Roy's face. Having a friend who couldn't stop gazing at his girlfriend was bad enough, but being constantly fed dog food was even worse. Was there anyone more pitiful than him?

Roy swatted his hand away, his eyes still fixed on Laila. "She's studying the script again. Sometimes I wish she'd just take a break."

"Don't you think reading the script is a form of rest?" Leonardo shrugged. "I like to read scripts when I'm tired too."

"It's different. When you read a script, you focus on the plot and the character. She sees the entire picture." Roy knew her too well.

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's her job. Isn't it the same for us actors? We're all climbing that ladder."

Roy shot him a mischievous grin. "Don't compare yourself to me. I've already made it."

That was a powerful blow. Leonardo clutched his chest, pretending to be mortally wounded. "You could've been a little kinder!"

Roy laughed and gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Don't worry. With Laila here, you'll probably get your wish this time."

"I know." This year's Oscars had given him the biggest surprise of his life. If even Laila, who had swept the Academy Awards with eleven nominations, couldn't help him win that trophy, he might have to reconsider whether he was cut out for this.

"By the way, do you think what happened last time will affect this shoot?" This had been weighing on his mind.

Despite all the layers of protection—official and private, from mercenaries to bodyguards—he couldn't shake the memory of those days in hiding. At the time, it had felt thrilling, but back in the U.S., the fear had set in. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if Xiao Ye and his friends hadn't shown up at that critical moment. What kind of "hospitality" would they have received from those people?

Losing the diamonds and money would have been the best-case scenario. What worried him most was whether they would have been killed after being stripped of everything. Making two foreigners disappear without a trace would have been all too easy for them.

Roy frowned. "I hope not. The place we're going to this time is different. Those people can't possibly treat the whole of South Africa as their backyard, can they?"

"But we're landing at the same airport we left from last time. Don't you remember the people who stopped us for inspection before we left?"

Roy had to admit he had a point. "I heard the military has some arrangements in place. I doubt they'd let us walk into danger the moment we step off the plane. That would be a huge embarrassment for the South African government."

"True." Leonardo nodded. "Your fiancée is something, getting official help like that. With their support, our safety should be pretty well guaranteed."

"Laila's always amazing." Roy's proud smile returned.

Leonardo felt the urge to slap himself. Why did he keep bringing up how incredible Laila was, only to be reminded of how insufferable this wife-praising fanatic could be?