King of Hollywood
Chapter 296 - Chapter 296 Chapter 23 Summer Vacation Season is Coming

Chapter 296: Chapter 23 Summer Vacation Season is Coming Chapter 296: Chapter 23 Summer Vacation Season is Coming “Sometimes, it’s only when you stand high above and behold the earth from that vantage that you realize how vast the world is, and so your mind unknowingly broadens as well,” Adrian said, shifting his gaze from the airplane window before it settled on Gwyneth’s slightly freckled but intriguing face. “But not now, because all there is to see outside are clouds. Only when the plane descends to the troposphere can you see the earth, which is why I prefer to look at you instead.”

Gwyneth smiled faintly, saying nothing. She had exchanged her clothes for a black formal outfit since the day in the outskirts of New York–a knee-length dress, a silk jacket, pointed leather shoes, and her slightly curled hair hanging down the sides of her face, concealing any imperfections. The careful grooming made her appear even more poised.

“I’m serious, Gwyneth, you’ve become even more beautiful in the few weeks since I last saw you,” Adrian gazed unblinkingly at her with undisguised admiration, “and you fit even more perfectly into my original conception.”

“Really?” Gwyneth’s eyes lit up, then she caught herself and with a slight cough said in a forced casual tone, “I guess it’s because I’ve been thinking about how to better fit into the image of Tracy during this time.”

Adrian chuckled silently to himself, lowering his head to sip his coffee as if he hadn’t noticed. She was still too green, like two days ago when he mentioned he was soon returning to Los Angeles, Gwyneth suddenly said with an enthusiastic tone, “Really? I’m heading back soon too.” The implication was all too clear.

In such matters, you couldn’t demand more from a girl who was still over three months shy of turning 21, and besides, Adrian understood her eagerness. Since her brief appearance as the young Wendy in her godfather’s “Hook” in ’91, Gwyneth had been in almost five productions within just two years–an astonishing number. Yet these roles vanished like stones cast into the sea, not even making a ripple. The worst situation in Hollywood isn’t getting torrents of bad reviews, it’s when nobody realizes you exist at all.

In fact, Adrian remembered that she had a decently reviewed movie last year, but perhaps due to the butterfly effect, the current Gwyneth had missed out on that role, letting him benefit greatly.

Anyway, that man known as the Miracle Director had now given her an opportunity and vowed, on his word, that he had an excellent idea because of her. Even though she had signed contracts for three movies, for a young woman yearning for fame, for proof of her worth, for escape from her parents’ and godfather’s shadows, this chance had to be grasped all the more firmly.

Adrian, fully aware of this, how could he refuse? Even though Gwyneth was so obvious, he invited her to ride back in his private plane. One must admit, the title of Miracle Director was very useful–he made a good move with that one.

“We have a three-picture deal, right? Next year, I have a big production starting in the United Kingdom, a war movie about medieval Scotland’s struggle for independence,” Adrian said suddenly, as Gwyneth listened with a slight change in expression, only to be followed by a flicker of confusion, “At the same time, I plan to make a mid-budget film in the UK, an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, and I want you to play the leading lady.”

“An adaptation from… a Jane Austen novel?” Gwyneth looked at him incredulously, the utterly unexpected words leaving her frozen in her seat, uncertain of the appropriate reaction.

At first, she thought Adrian was inviting her to play a role in that big production, but upon reflection, it seemed unlikely. She was a born and bred American girl, how could she suit the role of a medieval Englishwoman? But then he had gone on to tell her that there was also this adaptation of a Jane Austen novel in the works, and he wanted her as the lead actress! It was utterly unbelievable.

“Are you directing both?” Gwyneth asked almost involuntarily, and by the time she realized she might be wrong, Adrian had already answered, “Yes, I’m directing both.”

This too was an unexpected answer.

“The first movie will take about three months to shoot, and the second, if everyone performs well, can be done in roughly six weeks,” Adrian stated.

“A war movie in three months?” As soon as the words came out, Gwyneth realized she’d said something silly. Although she maintained a calm appearance, she was filled with regret, hoping Adrian wouldn’t get angry because of it.

Of course, Adrian wouldn’t. He smiled understandingly, “That’s a normal reaction, but I’m not like other directors and producers. Two years ago I managed to produce and release three movies in a year, and I can still do it now.”

“Then why do you think I’m suited to play the lead female character created by Austen, Ed?” Gwyneth quickly changed the subject, which was something she had wanted to ask as well.

“That’s exactly the idea I had mentioned before, Gwyneth.” Adrian’s smile turned mysterious, his dark eyes staring unwaveringly at her, giving Gwyneth an odd feeling inside.

“I’ve seen all the works you’ve been involved in, and I must say, those producers are idiots. They never realized the kind of charisma you possess!” he said, displaying a disdainful expression as if he was extremely dissatisfied with those people.

Then, Adrian looked at Gwyneth with a serious and slightly eager gaze, “Your elegance and temperament are extremely suitable for such a role, Gwyneth. You’re definitely not inferior to those British women. Just think about it, an American girl born and raised in the United States, perfectly portraying a feminine role with British style, that’s quite the surprise.”

“Perfectly portraying a feminine role with British style?” Gwyneth’s grey-green eyes widened, her expression incredulous, as her emotions followed along with what he was saying, “Can I do it?”

“Of course, if I say you can, then you absolutely can. I never misjudge,” Adrian said with proud confidence that made it impossible to question.

He is … so charming! Gwyneth suddenly said to herself internally, before bowing her head to take a deep breath.

“Do you believe me, Gwyneth?” Adrian’s voice rang out again beside her ear.

“Of course.” A smile appeared on Gwyneth’s pretty face immediately.

After doing so much, this was exactly what she wanted; how could she refuse? Plus, he was both humorous and witty, as well as gentle and considerate, brimming with charisma. Her initial approach had been so right.

“Call me when you’re free.” As the plane landed in Los Angeles, Adrian drove Gwyneth back to her apartment. Finally, she embraced him and they kissed passionately. The two were entwined for a long time at the doorway before parting, as she looked at him affectionately and said.

“I will.” Adrian kissed her lips again, gave her a hug, and watched her enter the room.

Gwyneth stretched and let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on the sofa and starting to giggle foolishly. In that moment, she completely forgot about all the rumors concerning Adrian as well as his ever-present female secretary.

He was good at acting and had some schemes in mind, yet he was also somewhat naive. This was the comment Adrian made about Gwyneth on his way back. If he had wanted to get her into bed, he could have done it back in New York. That day, after coming back from the suburbs, he had invited Gwyneth to dinner and then to her hotel room. Adrian had lightly probed, and she hadn’t shown any intention of refusal. Moreover, just now, if he had wanted to go into her apartment, she would have definitely agreed readily, but…

Now was not the time. That was what Adrian told himself in his heart. Although he had done the same with Sophie in Paris, Sophie’s situation was not the same as Gwyneth’s. There were many troubles to deal with before he could win over Sophie, but Gwyneth was already halfway into his hands.

But to totally take control, patience was essential. For instance, even though Blanchett had returned to Melbourne, Adrian still kept in touch with her, whether it was sweet-talking her on the phone or expressing his longing in letters. However, unlike Blanchett, Gwyneth had taken the initiative to approach him, yet she wasn’t particularly resolute, so piquing her interest further by dangling the carrot would bring her even closer.

Of course, another reason was that Adrian had an appointment that had been delayed for a long time. The young girl had called him, warning him in her characteristic nonchalant tone that if he didn’t show up for the date soon, they might as well forget it.

Naturally, Adrian would not let a feast that was almost in his mouth slip away so nonsensically. Hence, it became one of his important tasks upon returning to Los Angeles. It seemed that he was somewhat preoccupied, but in reality, it was not difficult to prioritize everything properly, especially when he had an exceptionally capable secretary. Besides, wasn’t this exactly what he enjoyed and strived for?

However, since it had already been put off for several weeks, he didn’t mind delaying a few more days. He would deal with work matters first–Adrian could still tell which was more important. Plus, he could observe a while longer to determine whether it was just a casual fling or worth putting in more effort to make it into his collection.

Therefore, after he adjusted to the time in Los Angeles, the first thing he did was head to the post-production editing room for “Forrest Gump.”

The person in charge of the preliminary editing was no longer Kant Pan or Francis Bruce, who he had worked with before. This time, he chose Arthur Schmidt, an editor who was very skilled at integrating edits. Schmidt was also a top-notch figure in Hollywood, having previously employed the technique of editing film characters into historic footage.

Adrian had already exchanged views with him over the phone long before, and this part of the editing work had started while Adrian had been in London–Adrian would not let any usable time slip by. How else could he manage to produce three films a year? Everyone else would just have to try their best to coordinate, such was the advantage of being in a powerful position.

“This lip synchronization is off; it has to be changed,” Adrian pointed out as he looked at the screen. In the black-and-white footage, John F. Kennedy was shaking hands with the members of the All-American college football team, “He was a Northerner, of Irish descent, so his mouth should look rounder when he says, ‘It sounds like he’s saying he wants to take a piss.'”

He paused there, gathered his emotions, and then deliberately imitated Kennedy’s accent, “It sounds like he’s saying he wants to take a piss–do you get it, Rick?”

Rick Baker stroked his chin and thought for a few minutes, glanced at the editor Schmidt beside him, then rewound the footage to where Kennedy was shaking hands with Forrest Gump.

“It’s not so easy to change here. If we slightly enlarge the mouth, it might distort the whole picture, so…” He then pulled up the original footage on another machine and, pointing at the images, spoke non-stop, “If you’re insisting, my suggestion is to re-edit these few shots, adding Kennedy’s side profile here. It would be a lot easier to adjust the mouth that way.”

Then Baker spread his hands out, looked at Adrian, then at Schmidt.

“No problem, I can re-edit using this shot,” Schmidt nodded, though his eyes were looking towards Adrian.

“Just do it according to your own design; as long as it doesn’t affect the intended message, I’m satisfied so far,” Adrian gestured, signaling them to proceed with confidence.

The post-production editing of “Forrest Gump” was mostly like any other film, but it demanded strict attention for key parts because they were troublesome to produce. Like now, intertwining Hanks’ likeness with historical footage required lip-sync adjustments; it wasn’t just an editor’s job but also required the involvement of special effects technicians. As one of the film’s main attractions, any mistake would be terribly unfortunate.

Therefore, Adrian supervised the editing of these shots on-site to detect problems and make timely adjustments. If it were four or five years later, such effects would be much easier to produce, but unfortunately, they were still troublesome now.

Schmidt and his team were aware of the importance, so they didn’t complain.

Fortunately, there weren’t too many of these shots, so Adrian didn’t need to be in the studio all the time. However, apart from this, there were other important matters; as mid-June passed and summer arrived again in North America, one of the most lucrative movie seasons was about to begin. Big-budget productions aimed at making money were poised for release. With three productions related to Adrian under the AC Media banner, he had to attend all three premieres.

First was the long-awaited “True Lies,” directed and produced by James Cameron, debuting almost half a year later. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, this action movie had an investment of 100 million US Dollars, still considered a major investment and production even in the 21st century. Both Fox and Adrian knew the best bet to recoup the investment was a summer release.

Many celebrities attended the premiere, including plenty from both inside and outside the industry. Considering who Schwarzenegger’s wife was and his own ambitions, it was clear why. However, compared to Schwarzenegger who schmoozed with the help of his wife at the premiere, director and producer James Cameron had mixed feelings. Even though many who had seen the previews congratulated him, expecting a box-office hit, their assurances hardly improved his mood.

He was glad “True Lies” was finally releasing–the delay allowed for extensive promotion, and he was confident in its box-office success. But he was anxious about meeting Adrian’s expectations; he hadn’t forgotten the promise Adrian had made to him after they had left the bar that day.

Approaching forty, James Cameron, especially after the sales of “Terminator 2” and its astounding special effects that catapulted him among top-tier directors, rarely considered other directors and producers; he managed to get along with them at parties and social gatherings but deep down he felt an unmatched ability to make blockbuster movies, not to mention his disregard for the younger generation.

Adrian Cowell, however, was an exception, making a deep impression on Cameron from their first meeting.

“In my view, the name James Cameron is worth investing in,” he had said at the time.

This was one of the many praises Cameron heard, but this one particularly pleased him. At that time, Adrian was just a young director who had recently taken control of a studio that was just beginning to turn around, so Cameron didn’t take it very seriously, focused solely on securing more investments for “Terminator 2.”

As time passed and their interactions deepened, Cameron grew increasingly fond of the young man. Adrian seemed to read his mind, always in sync with his film tastes. He openly admired Cameron, and the soon-to-be-released “True Lies” was a prime example. Not only contributing ideas but also bringing Fox on board for investment and handing over complete production control to Cameron–how could he not like him?

In just a few years, Adrian’s reputation grew astonishingly–from a genius director to a miracle director, each leap more impressive than the last. Although Cameron scoffed at non-commercial films, he had to admit Adrian’s incredible talent, capable of tackling any genre with both speed and quality, turning even artsy films profitable, coupled with his acute foresight–the title of Miracle Director was well-earned indeed.

Because of this, Cameron was very curious about the promise and wondered what kind of miracle Adrian planned to create. Although it wasn’t made explicit, Cameron sensed that the funding would at least match the current movie’s investment. For someone like Cameron, who loved spending big on special effects, this was extremely appealing. So when Adrian later added the condition that he be satisfied with “True Lies,” Cameron began pondering what would suffice as satisfactory.

(To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters are available to support the author and legal reading!)

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