The film "Like Crazy" touched the hearts of many couples, and the songs Lucas sang in the movie were loved by many. Speculations about Lucas's potential feelings for Felicity Jones also started to gain traction on social media.
One user tweeted, "Is Lucas really acting in the film? Just look at his eyes when he looks at Felicity, it feels like he's actually in love!"
Another user commented, "Well, Lucas's acting is quite good. I thought he might have just gotten lucky with '127 Hours', but it seems he's really that talented."
A third user chimed in, "Aren't there rumors about him being with Jennifer? What's the deal with Felicity being shipped with Lucas?"
The tweets were buzzing with speculation and praise for Lucas's performance. Critics, including Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum, raved about the film, Drake's direction, and especially Lucas Knight's performance. "I had high expectations for this film, especially with the Oscar-nominated actor Lucas Knight from '127 Hours', and I can say that I wasn't disappointed by 'Like Crazy'. Don't be fooled by its smaller budget; it's still of high quality. Drake's direction was fantastic, and the fact that the story was inspired by his own life made it even more captivating. But what really surprised me was Lucas's performance. Although he's an Oscar nominee, I had my doubts about his ability to portray a young man in love convincingly. However, I have to say that 'Like Crazy' might just earn him another shot at the Oscar."
Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal and David Edelstein of New York Magazine's both praised the indie film "Like Crazy," with Edelstein recommending it to music lovers. The film received an 88 on Rotten Tomatoes from 155 critics, and the number of positive reviews outweighed the negative ones, despite some mixed reactions. However, even in the negative reviews, Lucas's acting was widely appreciated.
The three-day box office revenue reached a surprising $2 million, surpassing even Sony Pictures' expectations. Considering the minimal marketing done for the film, the studio executives were pleasantly surprised by its performance. In fact, the movie had almost recouped its acquisition cost in just three days.
Filming for "The Hunger Games" continued in North Carolina, specifically on the scenes where Gale tries to convince Katniss to run away and avoid being chosen for the deadly games.
From this scene alone, it's clear why Katnss didn't choose Gale; he wanted to run away from their problems instead of facing them head-on.
In Lucas's opinion, if Gale had the guts to volunteer in place of Peeta, just as Katniss did for her sister, he might have had a chance with her.
Lucas smiled at Jennifer as she finished filming with Liam. "You've been practicing your archery, huh?"
The scene they just filmed required Jennifer to shoot a green target, which would be edited to appear as a bird. While she wasn't an expert, she managed to hit the target after a few tries.
Jennifer chuckled, "Of course. This is my first big role; I don't want to mess it up."
Jennifer not only had ambitions in Hollywood, but she also wanted to stay close to Lucas. After all, she wasn't oblivious to the fact that while they were closer than ever in their secret relationship, she could feel him drifting away from her professionally as his career and acting skills soared higher than hers. She didn't want to be left behind.
"Here, you look a bit tired. Drink this." Lucas offered Jennifer a ice coffee.
"Thanks." Jennifer took it and drank it without hesitation as they sat down at the same table.
Crew members brought snacks or food requested by the actors as they waited for their next scene.
The cast either engaged in conversations with each other or reviewed their scripts, while extras and stunt doubles received less attention from the crew, who only provided them with water. Most of them stood around, waiting for their turn.
The extras felt out of place, not wanting to bother the actors they admired and being overlooked by the crew as if they were invisible. The only ones who noticed each other were those extras who had worked together before, whispering and discussing the famous actors around them. They talked about the veterans like Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson, then moved on to the younger stars like Liam Hemsworth, and of course, Lucas and Jennifer.
"You guys have noticed, right? Lucas and Jennifer seem really close, just like a real couple. I thought the rumors were just gossip, but now I'm not so sure."
While they whispered about Lucas, they couldn't say anything bad about him since he had been so kind to them since filming began.
While Lucas and Jennifer talked, he couldn't help but notice the extras feeling isolated. He excused himself from Jennifer and requested several ice coffees and meals from the crew, who returned with a tray of McDonald's meals and drinks after a few minutes.
The crew member was no longer surprised by Lucas's request, though they were taken aback when he first started doing this, thinking he was making their job harder. However, they soon realized his intentions were pure.
Lucas approached the extras huddled in a corner and asked, "Hey, how's it going? Haven't eaten yet? Want to join me for some McDonald's and iced coffee?"
The extras, who had only eaten a small snack and drunk water since morning, smiled gratefully as Lucas invited them over. In the days they'd been ignored by most of the production team, Lucas was the one person who had treated them warmly.
They could tell if Lucas was faking his kindness, but his eyes showed sincerity. Though they weren't sure if it was an act or not, they chose to believe he was genuinely kind.
One extra hesitated, but the others who didn't want to seem ungrateful thanked him, "Thank you, sir."
"No problem. I just don't like eating alone, I hope you don't mind some company." Lucas smiled as he invited them to join him at a table he'd had the production team prepare for this purpose.
The extras knew he was just being polite, but they didn't mind. They sat down with him, grateful for the company and food. This had become a regular occurrence since they'd started working on the movie together.
Lucas felt a sense of camaraderie as he talked with the extras, who in his eyes were just aspiring actors like himself. He remembered how he'd been overlooked and looked down upon in his previous life, getting yelled at by directors and even experiencing abuse from other actors. This made him relate to them even more.
"You got cursed out by a director?" Lucas asked softly, sympathizing with Jerome.
"Yeah, I was new back then, and everyone just laughed at me." Jerome nodded.
"Don't worry, you're not alone. I've been yelled and cursed at by directors too," Lucas said with a reassuring smile.
"Really?" The extras, including Jerome, were surprised.
Lucas nodded with a wistful smile. While it had happened in his previous life, he knew how it felt to be humiliated by everyone, especially by a homophobic director who'd insulted his mother. He'd been so enraged that he'd almost strangled the man to death, but the crew had stopped him and instead given him a beating.
As Lucas mingled with the extras, other actors couldn't help but notice. Liam couldn't help but scoff inwardly, "What a hypocrite."
However, more actors admired Lucas not just for being kind to the extras, but also for taking time to chat with them instead of preparing for his role.
Jennifer, who had been watching, smiled and joined the conversation before she too was called away to prepare for her scene.
After treating the extras to a meal, Lucas went to a tent where the wardrobe department dressed him in his costume. As soon as he removed his shirt, the female crew members struggled not to blush. Elena, the makeup artist, was especially flustered, her cheeks flushed red.
"You alright? You look feverish," Lucas asked, concerned.
"It's nothing," Elena mumbled, focusing on his makeup. Once done, Lucas left the tent and headed to the shooting area.
The square was packed with people, most of whom were locals hired as extras for the day. The actors playing the Mayor and Effie took center stage, delivering their lines flawlessly. The camera panned between them, then to Jennifer as Katniss, and finally to Liam as Gale and Lucas as Peeta.
Effie's voice rang out, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
As they had rehearsed, Katniss and Gale locked eyes from across the crowd before Effie turned to the glass ball filled with slips of paper containing the tributes' names.
"Ladies first!" she announced, plucking a slip and reading it aloud, "Primrose Everdeen!"
Hearing this, the reluctant Prim was escorted by Peacekeepers towards the stage, but Katniss volunteered to take her place and participate in the "Hunger Games". After the commotion between Katniss, Prim, her mother, and Gale, the second tribute for the male was revealed to be "Peeta Mellark".
Peeta's eyes widened with surprise as he looked around, his expression filled with uncertainty. Heavy-hearted, he made his way through the crowd and stepped onto the stage.
Katniss and Peeta locked gazes, recognition flashing between them. They shared a brief moment of understanding before Effie, the Capitol's representative, announced the two tributes for the "Hunger Games"...
After the reaping, the shooting resumed, and both tributes were brought to separate rooms to bid farewell to their families.
In Peeta's room, his mother said, "This year might be our district's chance. We might finally have a winner."
Peeta's expression remained nonchalant, but his mother didn't buy it. She playfully smacked him on the head and added, "I'm not talking about you, of course. But you can still support Katniss all the way... even if it means risking your life."
Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Peeta's eyes widened slightly, and his lips trembled. However, he nodded in agreement with his mother's request.