"So happy we're almost done."
"Yeah, same here."
Michael Carter and Abby O'Donovan both smiled at each other as they worked on the final scenes of the screenplay for "Flight Risk." They were both surprised that they were now getting along so well with each other; for the first few weeks of their collaboration, their egos seemed to barely fit inside her Los Angeles condo.
Michael only agreed to star in "Flight Risk" on the condition that he receive an opportunity to rewrite the screenplay. First Fleet Pictures, the Australian production company making the film, wanted desperately to be in the Michael Carter business—after five consecutive hits, he was now arguably the biggest male comedy star in the world—but Michael thought the original script was unfunny and lame, and did not hesitate to say so...even though Abby wrote it.
At the start, Michael was a little paranoid about having to work with Abby, who had four straight hits of her own and was now, according to Entertainment Weekly, "Hollywood's New Queen of Comedy." Abby was born and raised in Canberra, and Michael was convinced that First Fleet's Aussie executives simply wanted to use his name and popularity to benefit one of their own. Certainly, the film's action-comedy premise focused more on Abby, who would play Louise Flynn, an Australian woman who travels to New York to find the investment banker she suspects of murdering her best friend, who had moved from Sydney to be with him. Michael would play Chris Jackson, the brash, wisecracking NYPD detective who helps Abby.
Abby's original script was built around the idea that Louise's knowledge of the US criminal justice system was derived exclusively from watching American police-procedural shows, while Chris's knowledge of Australia was limited to watching the "Crocodile Dundee" movies on cable. Michael thought that Abby made Chris sound like a typical jive-talking African-American man, and wanted to revise the character to make him a more no-nonsense cop, while Louise would provide the comic relief. Abby, who was producing the film, and who insisted upon working with Michael on the rewrite to her original screenplay, argued with Michael on this point early on, declaring: "I want Eddie Murphy, and you want Denzel Washington!"
"No," Michael replied. "I just don't want to play another black fool!"
For weeks, Michael and Abby reworked the screenplay, trying to find the right mix of humor that would appeal to both American and Australian audiences, trying to give as much depth as possible to their characters. Abby ultimately agreed to depict Chris as a somewhat more serious character, while Michael agreed to a few scenes in which Louise helped get Chris out of trouble.
Gradually, their relationship became less frosty. Michael and Abby even started going out to lunch together in between screenwriting sessions; the tabloids began to report that the two were now Hollywood's newest superstar couple, with one notorious blogger wondering if Michael had already gone "Down Under" on Abby. The two laughed it off, but it was obvious to those who saw them out in LA together that they were now on very good terms.
Abby couldn't deny Michael's sex appeal. He was as fine as he was funny—6-foot-3 and 240 muscular pounds, with medium-brown skin, short wavy black hair, big hands and a great smile. Michael was often said to resemble a young Blair Underwood, and Abby always thought that wasn't an inaccurate comparison.
Once their relationship thawed out, Michael would teasingly call Abby "Miranda," playing off her resemblance to Miranda Kerr. Abby didn't personally see the resemblance—"she's way hotter than I am," she'd joke—but Abby knew that with her sparking blue eyes, long, light-brown hair and tanned Australian complexion, she was the fantasy that played out in the minds of numerous teenage boys as they played with themselves.
Michael suggested a few scenes were Louise would be mistaken for Miranda Kerr, and even wrote a scene in which the real Kerr would appear in a cameo, complementing Louise on her appearance and asking for beauty tips. Abby loved Michael's suggestion, and after the two acted out the scene, with Michael playing Miranda, Abby squealed in delight.
"Thank you! This is gonna be the scene that everyone talks about! Thank you so much!"
Abby gave Michael a congratulatory kiss on the cheek. She was surprised at how smooth his complexion was; she was immediately filled with the urge to kiss him again, and did so. Michael was a bit confused.
"Hey, what was that for?"
"Uh...uh, I don't know. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry."
"OK."
Michael touched the lipstick mark on his cheek. He was still stunned.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry," Abby whispered. "I don't know what came over me."
"No, no, that's OK," Michael replied.
Then he smiled.
"I just got kissed by America's sweetheart. Shit!"
Abby smiled.
