King of Hollywood
Chapter 292 - Chapter 292 Chapter 19 Trip to Prague

Chapter 292: Chapter 19: Trip to Prague Chapter 292: Chapter 19: Trip to Prague Prague, a European city with at least a thousand years of history, was once one of the largest political, economic, and cultural centers in Europe, designated as the capital by many nations, such as the Holy Roman Empire in the 9th century and the Habsburg Dynasty during their rule over Central Europe. Subsequently, it became the capital of the Czechoslovak Republic, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Czechoslovak Federal Republic, and currently, the capital of the Czech Republic, which was established less than two years ago.

This city, known as the “City of a Thousand Spires” and “Golden City,” is claimed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, famous worldwide for its variety of architectural styles. It is also known for its geographical location attracting spies from different countries to conduct trades here. Although not as famous as the top three spy cities, it is still significant, which is why the initial scene of “Mission: Impossible” takes place here.

“Personally, I am not very fond of Milan Kundera; I would rather read Kafka’s novels. This isn’t to say that Kundera is inferior to Kafka. His novels are indeed great, and many people in the United Kingdom have read ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’ However, Kundera sometimes appears too pretentious. When you first read him, you may feel astonished and moved, but after reading more, you realize, that’s all there is to it. Kafka also has this issue, as do many other writers, but Kafka’s advantage is that he has already passed away. That’s why I previously mentioned that I never critique contemporary authors. This should be an endeavor for people decades or even centuries later. As long as the author is still alive, one cannot help but consider other factors and other people’s influences when commenting, which makes it challenging to remain unbiased.”

Sitting at a round table at a street-side open cafe, Adrian was enthusiastically speaking, facing Rachel Weisz, who was dressed casually yet still exuded an intrinsic scholarly aura. She watched Adrian intently, biting lightly on her lip, just as she had during that afternoon in London.

Next to Rachel sat Nicole Kidman, wearing a light-colored dress with a dark coat, legs crossed, periodically tapping her high-heeled foot, appearing somewhat playful. Her face remained expressionless, making her look exceptionally glamorous, her gaze also fixed on Adrian, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

However, Tom Cruise, sitting next to her, made no effort to hide his distraction, his eyes aimlessly wandering, a very restrained behavior from him; otherwise, he would’ve already started yawning out of boredom.

“So, are you saying that we shouldn’t comment on them at all?” Rachel asked, stirring her spoon, “You know, even when discussing Shakespeare, people inevitably are influenced by others.”

“Of course, it’s not that we shouldn’t comment,” Adrian laughed, “For deceased authors like Shakespeare, they are too far removed from us. We can only know them through texts and their works, but those alone can’t fully reveal them, so what remains is filled in by our brains. Do you understand the term ‘brain fill’? Because it’s not a complete understanding, we supplement it in our minds based on our initial impressions of them. This is the most direct feeling as individuals. If these individuals can communicate perfectly with each other, they could sketch out the closest image. Now, concerning contemporary living authors, especially immensely influential ones, do you think people commenting on them aren’t swayed by their actions or affected by their friends and associations?”

At this point, Adrian tapped his head, “The film ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’ one of the top ten American films of ’88 and winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes–I suppose you all have seen it. How did you feel about it? I think it was terrible, not utterly terrible, but it’s clear, Kaufman tried to convey everything in the novel in the film. However, Kundera’s intended message was already plenty, resulting in a plot that became loose. For films adapted from novels, directors need to dominate with their interpretation, even if it invites criticism, but this film…”

Adrian laughed softly, sipped his coffee, and did not continue.

“Don’t you think it’s unfair to attribute a film’s success entirely to the author’s influence, Ed?” Nicole spoke then, her deep blue eyes sparkling beautifully.

“Our discussion was precisely about the author’s influence, wasn’t it?” Adrian smiled, responding, “If I were writing a critique, of course, I would have to be fair, illustrating both strengths and weaknesses to be persuasive. But we are just having an informal chat, discussing only one aspect, so using that to accuse me is completely unreasonable.”

“Could the reviews of the actors’ performances also be influenced?” Rachel suddenly interjected.

“Unfortunately, I guess so,” Adrian shrugged. “Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance was somewhat better, but Juliet Binoche and Lena Olin’s acting–sorry, I really don’t think it was very good.”

He raised his hand to stop Rachel from speaking. “Essentially, whether it’s a director or an actor, the goal is to convey a feeling to the audience, to engage them and evoke a strong resonance. Tom in ‘Born on July 4th’ is a prime example. The passionate speech in the latter half and the scene where he falls to the ground and crawls towards the wheelchair have won countless viewers’ praise. That was Tom’s best performance to date, right?”

Adrian nodded toward Tom Cruise, who, though somewhat distracted, was still listening to the conversation and immediately flashed a radiant smile. “Of course.”

Everyone likes to hear nice things, and Cruise was no exception.

“Alright, now think back to Binoche and the others’ performances, typical French style–acting as if everything is suppressed inside, very uncomfortable techniques. If you separate them from the characters in the novel, how many people would be moved?” Adrian spread his hands. “How to convey emotion to the audience and evoke resonance is a lesson every actor and director must continually learn. In this respect, female actors face more disadvantages; the prettier they are, the harder it is.”

At this point, he seemed to think of something and glanced at the Nicole in front of him, and seemed a bit embarrassed as he coughed lightly and suddenly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Tommy, I really envy you for having such a beautiful and charming wife.”

“Thank you.” Cruise laughed heartily, then glanced at the time, got up with Nicole, “Well, we should head back now, it’s been a wonderful afternoon.”

Seeing her husband eager to leave, Nicole didn’t say much, just gave Adrian a deep look.

“Take care on the road, don’t think that Prague doesn’t have paparazzi and fervent fans.” Adrian laughed as he stood up and patted his shoulder, watching the couple depart before turning back to Rachel with a toothy smile. “Shall we head back now, or do you want to stroll around this beautiful city a bit more?”

After returning from Edinburgh, Adrian had spent a few more days with the little one, then set off for Prague. ‘Mission: Impossible,’ although produced by Cruise’s production company, had investments from Bossworth Film Company as well, and they didn’t have exclusive rights, so visiting the set was quite normal.

Emma really wanted to come along, having been abroad before, but Adrian refused her using work as a reason. The little one was not happy, but still accepted the reality. After all, Adrian had promised that she could come to the United States again in the second half of the year.

Kate didn’t go to Prague with him.

“I just want to go back to Los Angeles, I don’t want to interfere with your work,” she had said.

Given that, Adrian didn’t insist, at least he had Charlize by his side. However, to his surprise, upon his arrival in Prague, he discovered that his private secretary had stood him up.

Returning to London later, Charlize suggested they head to Prague early to prepare for the upcoming tasks. She was very firm about this, and Adrian agreed. But after he arrived at the “Mission: Impossible” film set, he was informed that Charlize had returned to the United States the day before his arrival and had left a message saying, “I am not feeling well and want to go back to rest.”

That excuse was really lame, but what could Adrian say? Was he supposed to go to Los Angeles to drag her back? He wondered if this was something the two women had arranged together in London.

Adrian stayed on set for three days and did not provide much input on the filming, even though Tom Cruise had asked him earnestly more than once. Firstly, the outdoor locations for “Mission: Impossible” were merely Prague and London, which were quite straightforward. The more challenging scenes, like the classic Spider-Man theft or the desperate fight in the tunnel, were all shot in a studio, so there really wasn’t much to say; secondly, Cruise took his authority on set very seriously, and he had tolerated Adrian’s interference in casting before because he had succeeded in casting characters to Cruise’s liking – it was as much a personal favor as it was about choosing suitable actors. So as far as Adrian was concerned, since he had already done a favor, he might as well see it through to the end.

Ving Rhames and Jean Reno didn’t have roles here–oh, Reno had a scene, but it had been shot long ago. So the focus was mainly on the performances of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Anthony Hopkins.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come to play such a deceitful character,” Hopkins said to Adrian, “You know, these kinds of roles are always hard to nail.”

“What’s the big deal? You just need to play the good guy in the first half and the villain in the second half; that’s your forte, dear Anthony,” Adrian said with a laugh to comfort him.

Initially, Joe Water had been recommended to play the character Jim, but at that time, he was furiously angry because his rebellious daughter had stubbornly become a signed actress with Digital_Playground_Inc, and he had refused all movie offers. Hence, the role eventually went to Anthony Hopkins.

“Take care of your health, Anthony, if you want, I can introduce you to a good doctor,” he then said to him, as Hopkins had often complained of back pain during the shoot, and Adrian vaguely remembered that he had undergone surgery because of his back issues, which prompted his concern.

Hopkins was the most outstanding performer among the three; being a veteran stage actor for decades had indeed honed his skills. Then there was Cruise; his face was simply meant for the role of Ethan Hunt, not to mention his other attributes. Nicole was merely adequate, and from what it looked like, she probably couldn’t shed her label as just a pretty face yet.

Nicole probably realized this, so when Adrian found a chance to chat with her one-on-one about certain roles, she always deliberately shared her opinion, whether intentionally or not. Faced with this situation, Adrian simply smiled and said nothing affirmative nor made any promises–it wasn’t the right time yet.

As for his other reason for coming to Prague, Rachel Weisz was just one of many supporting characters, also neither notably good nor bad. Her role also ended in Prague, so Adrian just took this opportunity to deliver the script to her.

“It’s an interesting story. I think… no problem.” Rachel said after reading the script, her eyes shimmering with thoughts unknown, although her reply was slightly hesitant, her tone was clearly affirmative.

The story was about a dishwasher with a criminal past who decided to reenter the workforce and thus recruited three foolish accomplices to rob a bank. His wife, an elementary school teacher wishing for a calm and stable life, accidentally found out and desperately tried to stop him. However, the man was resolute, not only did he not abandon the plan, he also roped his wife into the gang, setting off a series of comedic events.

Yes, this was Woody Allen’s “Small Time Crooks”, but it would be years before it was produced–during the lowest point of Woody’s career, resulting in subpar films. Adrian was only interested in the script at least; the story itself was intriguing. But everyone from the director to the producer would need to be recruited anew, and the script would require modifications, such as changing the main female character from a beautician to an elementary school teacher to suit Rachel’s demeanor.

After all, Woody Allen’s unique rambling style is inimitable, so turning it into a standard black comedy was necessary. Adrian left the outline and his suggestions with the scriptwriters, thankfully, they did well, fully grasping his ideas and integrating them, the only thing left was to select a good director and lead actor.

As for the box office, Adrian didn’t care too much. Though Woody Allen’s scandals and slumps had impacted the original film’s popularity, making a niche movie even less popular, it didn’t mean the same would happen with a new team. Moreover, as long as the budget was properly managed and the director or producer wasn’t foolish, even if the box office was low, the costs could be recovered, thus building up Rachel’s popularity before she took on the role in that movie, as planned.

That was also why, after much hesitation, Rachel accepted Adrian’s invitation to go shopping, and they ended up discussing the new script at an outdoor cafe, where they coincidentally met Nicole and Cruise. Naturally, they invited them to join the discussion. When Nicole found out Adrian had a new script for Rachel, her glance was quite telling, though she was discreet about it, Adrian, who had been observing her from the start, easily caught it.

So, their conversation soon shifted to the city of Prague, then to Milan Kundera, and then came the initial comments. If anyone else had made such remarks, they would have been heavily criticized, but it was Adrian, Hollywood’s Miracle Director and top screenwriter, combined with his other achievements and exceptional eloquence, instead drew the attention of the two women.

For women, the more strong-willed, capable, and proud a woman is, the more she likes men of extraordinary ability–in every respect–including those power women. It’s in women’s nature to want to be conquered by men, just like Adrian said to Dennis: male animals always consider how to spread their seeds more extensively, while female animals look for the most outstanding male to pass on their genes, and humans, as advanced animals, are no exception.

Therefore, it is understandable why Adrian would discuss Milan Kundera at length and criticize adaptations of his novels. As for the effects, Nicole naturally couldn’t notice, but Rachel, after accepting Adrian’s continued invitation to shop and then heading back to the hotel after dinner to say goodbye before returning to her room, found that Adrian wasn’t ready to let go. She struggled slightly, then Adrian took her hand and pulled her into the room.

(To be continued. For the continuation of this story, please visit www.NovelFire.net, where there are more chapters. Support the author, support genuine reading!)

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