It seemed Ben Affleck had finally had a breakthrough.
Ever since that day he "lost control," his performance had improved day by day. While he was still getting overshadowed by Martin, at least now he was starting to put up some "resistance" when it happened.
Nolan was ecstatic.
The atmosphere on set was electric, and filming progressed more and more smoothly.
By July, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 had been released.
Martin took some time off to attend the premiere.
Compared to the first installment, the second one had a faster pace and heightened drama—particularly the cannibal island sequence and the wheel fight.
The action scenes were incredibly flashy and visually striking. The wheel fight, in particular, delivered a massive sensory punch.
And the second movie was far funnier than the first.
As The New York Times put it: "...a tangle of complex character relationships, a wildly unpredictable plot, vivid personalities, and a fantastical, riotous pirate world. The sequel is chaotic yet coherent, and surpasses the original."
Even the critics seemed to have surrendered to Martin—this time, there was no smear campaign.
Take this review from The Chicago Sun-Times 01: "You can't talk about Pirates of the Caribbean without talking about Martin Meyers. In my view, it wasn't Pirates of the Caribbean that made Martin Meyers—it was Martin Meyers who made Pirates of the Caribbean. This wildly talented, distinctive star has turned Captain Jack into a true classic. His interpretation of this uniquely eccentric captain holds a kind of magnetic power that draws everyone in and is destined to be etched into the minds of an entire generation…"
If that wasn't a bootlicking review, nothing was. And there were plenty more like it.
Clearly, the critics had mastered the art of "if you can't beat him, join him."
The popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 showed clearly at the box office.
"Pirates of the Caribbean 2 pulled in a staggering $58.5 million on its opening day, setting a new record for both opening-day and single-day box office in movie history." —Los Angeles Times
And that record-breaking debut was just the beginning.
Two days in, the box office passed $100 million!
By day sixteen, it had passed $300 million!
In the end, it grossed $501 million domestically and $1.12 billion worldwide.
All in U.S. dollars.
But that's a story for another time.
After attending the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 premiere, Martin returned to the Dark Knight set in New York and resumed filming.
"Cut! That's a wrap on this scene!"
In the studio, Nolan stood up from behind the monitor and walked onto the set. He turned to Anne Hathaway and said:
"Anne, thank you for your performance. You were essential to this production."
The surrounding crew applauded her warmly.
This was Anne Hathaway's final scene—everything for "Rachel" was now complete. The female lead officially exited the stage today, having "picked up her lunchbox."
Anne bid a reluctant farewell to everyone and even gave each crew member a small gift—not expensive, but heartfelt.
This ditzy girl clearly had better emotional intelligence in this timeline. Must've been trained well by Martin!
...
August arrived. New York entered its summer heat, and the city grew sweltering.
The crew moved to the suburbs of New York, where an abandoned large-scale sanatorium stood. It had now been transformed into a hospital set.
A soon-to-be-iconic scene was about to be filmed here.
The crew arrived early in the morning.
The actors started getting their makeup done.
Nolan, meanwhile, was directing the crew workers as they arranged the props.
The special effects team, in charge of the explosions, went into the "hospital" to plant custom explosives at key points.
They were preparing to set off a major "firecracker."
An old vehicle, refitted into an ambulance, was dragged to the parking lot near the hospital building.
Several real ambulances and fire trucks also arrived on standby outside, fully staffed with professionals in case of emergencies.
Inside the makeup trailer, Martin had finished applying grease paint, changed into a white nurse's uniform, and put on a nurse's cap.
That's right—the next scene was none other than the legendary "Joker blows up the hospital" sequence, destined to be played again and again in film schools everywhere.
Unlike the ferry scene that left a moral imprint, this one would deliver a direct visual shock.
Jack Nicholson stood idly by the trailer, staring at the "hospital" ahead. In a few moments, the whole building would be blown up—for real. Damn, they were going all out!
He glanced over at Nolan and thought, "Martin wasn't kidding—this guy really is obsessed with practical effects! Who even does real explosions anymore? Everything's done with CGI these days, and no one can tell the difference anyway!"
Just then, he heard the makeup trailer door creak open beside him and turned to say, "Martin, what do you think of this hospita—holy sh*t!!"
He was cut off mid-sentence.
Half a figure had slumped out of the trailer door—leaning sideways. A deathly pale face split into a wide, blood-red grin stared directly at him, with an eerie, bone-chilling smile.
Jack Nicholson's heart skipped a beat—he nearly dropped dead on the spot.
He had never seen a smile that terrifying in his entire life.
No—what was truly terrifying wasn't the smile, but those eyes. Cold, indifferent, staring at him like he was a bug that could be squashed at will.
"F***, Martin! You scared the hell out of me! Wait… you are Martin, right?"
"Hee hee hee hee hee…"
A string of disturbing giggles came from the red mouth.
The figure slowly withdrew back into the trailer as the door gently slid shut—leaving just a crack through which a pair of glinting eyes continued to watch Jack silently.
The old man's scalp tingled.
Then—slam! The door burst open, and out leapt the Joker in full nurse uniform. He rattled off in a manic blur: "I'm Martin. No—I'm the Joker. Yes, I'm the Joker, of course I'm the Joker…"
The madness radiated off Martin as he waddled forward with a duck-like gait, stopped in front of Nicholson, bent over, tilted his head back, and just stared at him.
Nicholson was now pretty sure this guy was Martin. But even as he felt the weight of that realization, deep inside he regretted making that bet. This lunatic was completely obsessed with acting—no way he could win this!
Damn it—this wasn't acting the Joker. This was the Joker!
Even knowing full well this was Martin, Nicholson still found himself rattled by the twisted posture and chilling gaze.
He deliberately changed the subject and said, "Hey, Little Martin, that outfit's not bad. Add some black stockings and heels, and you could turn tricks in the red-light district."
Martin let out a series of sinister chuckles and replied, "Sure. Wanna join me? We can lure those cheating scumbags into dark alleys… and cut off their balls!"
As he said that, Martin's gaze slowly dropped.
Nicholson instinctively clamped his legs together—feeling a chill shoot right through his crotch.
"Martin, we're rolling!" Nolan's voice came from afar.
"Coming!"
Watching Martin's back disappear into the distance, Jack Nicholson suddenly felt a bit of admiration. For a mega-rich superstar, Martin still treated acting with deadly seriousness.
What a dedicated little lunatic.