Leonardo got an earful from Dunn, and it stung his pride a bit. His eyes landed on Rose Byrne beside Dunn, lighting up. "Hey, who's this pretty little thing?"
Rose quickly leaned forward. "Hi, Mr. DiCaprio. I'm Rose—Rose Byrne. I'm an Australian actress."
Leonardo shot Dunn a mocking glance. "Another gorgeous girl you've ruined!"
In all of Hollywood, only a handful dare talk to Dunn like that—and Leonardo's one of them.
They've been through it all together—fought side by side, shared school desks, split the loot, hit the brothels. That kind of bond's unbreakable.
Dunn coughed lightly, glaring at him. "Cut the crap!"
Rose stifled a laugh, clinging to Dunn's arm with a sweet tone. "No, it's fine. I… I think it's pretty great like this."
Leonardo sneaked Dunn a thumbs-up. Impressive!
Top-notch game!
By then, the crew noticed Dunn and started drifting over to say hi. Soon, a little crowd formed around him.
Dunn patiently shook hands with everyone, no big-shot attitude—just warm and approachable.
But then "The Butcher" Bill piped up at the worst possible moment, yelling, "Damn it, you bunch of jerks, get lost! What're you standing there for? You're blocking my sun! Idiots!"
Dunn couldn't help but laugh, exasperated.
This Daniel Day-Lewis guy—was he doing it on purpose?
No wonder Leonardo couldn't stand him. Rude, crude, like some street punk. Sure, he nailed "Bill" to a T, but this wasn't a scene! He was so deep in character he couldn't snap out of it—how's anyone supposed to deal with that?
Leonardo's face flashed with annoyance, clearly fed up with Daniel.
Dunn's the big boss, here to check on the set. You don't come say hi? Fine. But cursing out people being polite? That's too much!
Rose pouted, not thrilled either.
Dunn chuckled, waving everyone off to diffuse it.
Daniel Day-Lewis, acting god? He's earned the right to be cocky!
"Sorry for interrupting your meal," Dunn said, forcing a smile and taking the high road first.
The crew watched, stunned but impressed. No wonder this young guy's such a big deal—his patience and grace weren't luck!
If some lowlife on set got chewed out by Daniel, they'd just swallow it.
But Dunn? He's the boss—the top dog behind New York Gangs!
Now that Dunn's apologized, surely the Oscar-winning Daniel would cool it, right?
Nope.
Daniel Day-Lewis was full-on "The Butcher" Bill now, like he'd morphed into the guy.
"Apology's worth squat! You little pretty boy—bet you're one of those bloodsucking capitalist brats!" His face twisted, eyes greedily flicking to Rose. He smacked his lips. "This chick your girl? Hmph, not bad!"
The words dropped, and the set went dead silent.
Every crew member and worker gaped, jaws on the floor, like they'd seen a ghost. They couldn't believe their ears.
Daniel Day-Lewis… said that?
Over the line!
Way over!
You can lose yourself in a role, but this? Too far!
Even Dunn, usually chill, went dark instantly.
Rose was still on his arm—everyone knew she was his girl!
Daniel had crossed a boundary.
Dunn was mad. Rose looked ready to cry, pressing tight against him.
But…
As the big boss, Dunn had to keep his cool.
Rose, just a woman and a small-time actress, couldn't exactly take on an Oscar champ either.
Then, out of nowhere, a figure bolted from Dunn's side, roaring, "Shut your filthy mouth!"
Before anyone could blink, he charged Daniel and slammed a fist hard into his nose.
A brutal hit!
It was none other than the set's biggest star—Leonardo DiCaprio!
A sickening crack rang out—bone snapping!
Daniel's face was a bloody mess as he hit the ground.
"Stop them! Hold them back!"
Director Martin Scorsese popped up out of nowhere, jaw dropped, yelling for the crew to separate them.
Rose freaked, burying her face in Dunn's chest.
Dunn hadn't seen anything like this—he was dazed.
Scorsese, though, had been around the block. He took charge fast. "Afternoon shoot's canceled! Tomorrow, 8 a.m., right here! And this stays quiet! Tell the press Leonardo and Daniel were doing an action scene, got carried away, and accidentally broke Daniel's nose. But Daniel's a trooper—back on set with a busted face. Heroic stuff!"
…
Dunn's tight with hothead Leonardo DiCaprio but just so-so with steady nice-guy Tom Hanks. This is why.
Leonardo's real—raw!
Dunn couldn't swing, but Leonardo's punch? That was pure payback for him!
Still, Dunn didn't hold a grudge against Daniel.
It's just his method—right now, he's "The Butcher" Bill, so he's a total jerk. When he did Lincoln, the whole crew had to bow and call him "Mr. President," and he was the sweetest guy ever.
But breaking his nose with one punch? Leonardo didn't hold back.
"You totally used me as an excuse to let out all the crap you've been taking from him, huh?"
With the afternoon shoot scrapped, Leonardo and Dunn holed up in the hotel. Rose played bartender, pouring drinks slow and steady.
"Of course! Your clout's huge!" Leonardo grinned, owning it without a shred of shame.
Dunn shook his head. "Daniel's a nutcase… I respect his talent, but this approach? No way I could work with a guy like that."
Leonardo clinked glasses, thrilled. "Great minds think alike!"
After a drink, Leonardo leaned in, curious. "So, anything fun happen at the Oscars? That new Best Actress, Julia Roberts… you hit that yet?"
Rose snorted, cracking up.
Classic bro move!
"Yeah, but it was meh. She's not into it—total buzzkill," Dunn grumbled, still salty about Julia.
Leonardo smirked. "Well, duh—she's over 30. What'd you expect? Only you'd go for that. Girls over 25, like Rose here? I don't touch 'em!"
Rose huffed, annoyed. Mixing his next drink, she skimped on juice and loaded it with straight whiskey.
Leonardo took a swig and spat it out, choking!
Dunn burst out laughing. "That's what you get for talking smack! Rose is only 22!"
Leonardo grinned, quick to butter her up.
A few rounds in, the chatter picked up. Rose warmed up to Leonardo, joining the conversation.
Eventually, Dunn brought up that crazy woman, Jennie Jane, from the Vanity Fair party.
Rose jumped in, fuming. "A million bucks a night? She's lost her mind!"
Dunn snorted. "When I get back, I'm digging into that bullshit Fire Phoenix Agency. Screw 'em—shut it down!"
"Wait!"
Leonardo threw up a hand, his face shifting, a weird mix of emotions.
"What's up?" Rose asked, confused.
Dunn, a pro at reading people after years on sets, raised an eyebrow. "What? You know something about Fire Phoenix?"
Leonardo hesitated, glancing warily at Rose.
Dunn frowned, irked. "She's with me!"
Leonardo took a deep breath, set his glass down, and said slowly, "That woman… I know her."