The remaining bedroom scenes were actually interesting to watch this go round. Now that the painful, naked part of filming was over, I could stomach Sienna being around Kellan, even if she did still feel the need to greet him with a kiss on the cheek. The entire song was essentially one long ode to a romance gone south. Diedrich’s vision of it was Kellan and Sienna reminiscing and arguing about their doomed relationship while walking around the bed where their naked bodies were in the throes of a “passionate embrace,” as Diedrich called their sex scene.
The passionate part was already in the can, thank God, so they spent an entire day filming the breakup scenes. It was fascinating to watch. Kellan would lean down by one side of the bed, singing his line as he stared at nothing. In the final version, though, he would be staring at the image of himself making out with Sienna. At one point in filming, they had a couple wearing lime green jumpsuits hop into bed and simulate what Kellan and Sienna had done yesterday. It blew my mind that that was actually someone’s job. Then they had Kellan drag his fingers down the Green Sienna’s arm. In the final cut, one version of Kellan would be making out with Sienna, while the other version of him would be longingly running his hand down her arm. If I could look at it without revulsion, the video was going to be haunting and beautiful, much like the song.
During the angrier portion of the duet, Kellan and Sienna sang their parts directly to each other, both purposely ignoring the bed in the background, where their entangled bodies would be digitally added later. I had to say, I much preferred watching Kellan sing to Sienna with a sneer on his face than watching him run his tongue over her chin.
The song ended with Kellan and Sienna exiting the shot in opposite directions. Diedrich explained that he was going to use the portion of the love scene where Kellan rolls off of Sienna and lays back on the pillows with his eyes tightly shut and his jaw lightly trembling as the last frame of the video. He said the look on Kellan’s face right then was a picture-perfect foreshadowing of the impending breakup, thus creating a never-ending video that could be watched in a continuous loop and still make sense. I would have to take his word on that, but thinking back over the pain on Kellan’s face at that pivotal moment, I knew the scene was going to be emotionally powerful.
Looking like a proud father, Nick approached Kellan after the final day of shooting. Patting him on the shoulder, he proclaimed, “See, now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Not waiting for Kellan to answer, he immediately added, “This video is going to be smoking hot! Scorch everything else out of the water.” He rubbed his hands together and I could practically see the heaps of money in his mind.
Putting his arm around my shoulder, Kellan held me tight to his side, and said to Nick, “I’m glad you’re happy with it . . . because I’m never doing anything like that again.”
The smile instantly fell off of Nick’s face. “Never say never. You’re awfully new in this business.”
His tone implied that Kellan and his band were also replaceable. I disagreed. Their single with Sienna was skyrocketing up the charts, and I was positive their album would do the same when it was released in a couple of weeks.
Kellan looked down at me, then back up at Nick. “No, I’m never filming anything like that again. I’m done. I made a promise, and I’m keeping it. I’ll help you promote the album in any way I can, because I owe that to my band mates, but my wife comes first, and you need to accept that.”
Kellan stared Nick down, and I felt a crackle of tension in the air. Nick didn’t like being told no, but Kellan was done towing the company line. Maybe seeing Kellan’s determination, Nick sniffed, then asked, “Any way you can?”
Kellan nodded. “Within reason . . . of course. I won’t let you play with my personal life anymore. I prefer to be private, but I’m not staying quiet. If someone asks me about my relationships, I’m going to give them an honest answer.” He leaned in, his voice dropping. “And I reread my contract. I know what my job entails, and I know what I have to do and don’t have to do for you.”
Nick smirked, like he knew something Kellan didn’t know. After another moment, he shrugged and smiled like nothing was wrong. “Well, it’s good to know where you stand.”