King of Hollywood
Chapter 325 - Chapter 325 Chapter 51 The Grand Curtain Rises Slowly

Chapter 325: Chapter 51: The Grand Curtain Rises Slowly Chapter 325: Chapter 51: The Grand Curtain Rises Slowly “You were quite stern just now, Ed,” the little girl emerged from somewhere and agilely climbed onto Adrian’s lap, which meant he had to put a halt to his intention of sitting next to Kate.

“Do you think I was a bit too harsh?” Adrian asked, rubbing the top of her head.

“A little, though I didn’t quite understand,” Emma pouted, her cheeks puffing out adorably, yet her eyes kept darting towards Kate with a hint of well-concealed unease in her tone.

“I see…” With that in mind, Adrian, somewhat amused, pretended to stroke his chin before he stood up and set the little girl down: “Then I’d better go and comfort Sophie.”

Kate next to him seemed like she wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, she closed her mouth.

After pinching Emma’s chubby cheeks and instructing her to stay put, Adrian made his way towards Sophie’s private trailer. The little one’s unease was simply because Kate’s rounded belly reminded her of her foster mother. Even though there were many women in Adrian’s life, they were different from the little one, and if Adrian had his own child, the attention he gave to the little one would inevitably be diluted.

Though Emma was smart, she did not quite understand this; she was just instinctively scared, especially with the attitude displayed by her foster family in plain sight. Of course, Rodlin was still quite good to her, so the little one was not overly sad, but Adrian was different–the close bond they shared made it hard for her to accept this change.

However, even though Adrian guessed the little one’s thoughts, he did not take it too seriously. Even when his own child was born in a few months, he would not change his attitude towards the little one, believing that Emma would come to understand.

“May I come in?” Adrian knocked on the trailer door, which only Sophie occupied at that time.

“The door is open, and there is no ‘do not enter’ sign posted,” Sophie said without raising her head from her book, her tone indifferent as if she couldn’t care less about anything.

Adrian raised an eyebrow, as he had been speaking like this for several days, but Sophie had always been calm, never like this. It seemed that today’s words were indeed too much.

“I’m sorry, Sophie.” He took a seat in front of her, something that had become routine after each day’s scolding was over, Adrian would come over to mollify Sophie during the breaks.

“Unfortunately, apologies can’t bring back wasted time,” Sophie continued flipping through her book.

“Then, maybe I should try another way of starting the conversation?” Adrian began to smile, “What would be good? A comedy by Moliere? A sonnet by Shakespeare? Or a cappella aria?”

“You’re not sincere at all, Ed!” She finally raised her head; her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly realized she’d been tricked and her expression turned to irritation.

Adrian watched her eyes with a smile, Sophie’s reaction was all within his expectations.

“Well, I am indeed a bit angry,” Sophie sighed and looked at Adrian earnestly: “I’ve tried my best and I think I’ve captured the essence of Isabella quite well–I believe everyone would agree–but you’re still not satisfied. I can only conclude you’re doing it on purpose.”

She sighed again, “God, filming in France was never this troublesome.”

“That’s the difference,” Adrian laughed, “I prefer storytelling.”

“Should I take it that you’re implying that French films have no stories to tell?” Sophie was immediately displeased.

“Of course not, but French films, or European cinema in general, tend to pay less attention to stories and veer towards something more superficial,” Adrian gestured, “Like conveying an emotion through a striking visual effect, neglecting the substance that a good story should have, and even often sacrificing the narrative pace for that feeling.”

“I don’t agree with your opinion. You’re only seeing a part of it,” Laverne shook her head and said.

“Yes, a part, but this has a significant impact on the movie as well as the actor’s performance,” Adrian said, leaning slightly forward, gazing deeply at the beautiful woman before him, “The following words might be somewhat rude, Laverne, but stripping and acting are two different things.”

Laverne’s complexion instantly changed quite a bit, and the hands on her knees clenched into fists, but after gritting her teeth and staring at Adrian for a long time, he remained utterly composed, and her tense body relaxed again, lips pursed without saying a word.

“You’re outstanding, Laverne, truly outstanding. I have no doubt that you can do even better,” Adrian continued, “as long as you adjust your attitude and understand the difference between American and European cinema from another perspective.”

“Commercial and artistic, is that what you mean?” Laverne asked, neither affirming nor denying.

“As for the definition of commercial and artistic, our understandings might differ. We can find an opportunity to discuss this in detail later,” Adrian did not intend to linger on this issue – some perceptions are not so easily corrected, besides, this was also an opportunity.

“Get ready; we need to continue,” he said, standing up.

Laverne nodded silently in acknowledgment, and then as if thinking of something, her lips moved slightly. After hesitating for a while, she asked in a tentative tone, “Are you married, Ed?”

“Married?” Adrian smiled slightly, “Of course not. Kate is just my girlfriend, and the child was an accident.”

“So you’re saying you don’t intend to marry?” Laverne’s eyes conveyed an enigmatic thought.

“Yes,” he nodded, not hiding his own thoughts in the slightest, “you should know, marriage is mostly about responsibility. If you are to marry, then you must be ready to take on that responsibility. If you don’t have the intent or ability to take on that responsibility, then getting married casually is a bad idea for both parties.”

“In the end, you just don’t want to take on the responsibility,” Laverne’s tone had a hint of teasing.

“If you must put it that way, then yes. However,” Adrian shrugged, “I am different from most people. I’m very clear about how significant that responsibility is. If I were to marry, I would have to strive to be a good husband. That’s my principle–if I decide to, then I must properly take on the responsibilities that come with it.”

“You’re quite frank,” Laverne sighed after a few seconds of silence.

“Thank you. Can I take that as a compliment?” A smile returned to Adrian’s face.

During the following shoot, Adrian finally eased up a bit, and after Laverne continued to NG seven or eight times, she finally met his requirements, though today’s filming was wrapped up because of this.

“Is this really all you two talked about in the trailer?” Kate asked that night in the hotel room in the small town.

“Hmm… It looks like I should bring a recorder with me next time, so I can record our conversation for you to listen to,” Adrian smiled, embracing Kate from behind, with his hand reaching underneath her clothes, caressing her slightly protruding belly, “Is he asleep?”

“He’s already asleep–don’t try to change the subject, Ed!” Kate said, swatting his hand and turning her head back to glare at Adrian somewhat indignantly, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking!”

“Oh? What am I thinking then?” Adrian teasingly kissed her on the cheek.

“You dare say you never thought about sleeping with Sophie Marceau?!” Kate snorted through her nose.

“Do you want the truth?” Adrian caught her chin, his eyes mischievously fixed on hers.

They gazed at each other for a long while until Kate deflated and her body softened, “No, it’s not necessary.”

“With your personality, you don’t need to guess to know the answer,” she sighed softly and turned her gaze out the window.

Adrian didn’t pick up the conversation but kept kissing her nape and his hand on her lower abdomen didn’t stop.

“Have I been a bit overly sensitive lately?” Kate suddenly asked.

“Why would you suddenly think that?” Adrian chuckled and nibbled on her earlobe.

“Ed!” Kate moaned half in annoyance, “It’s just that sometimes I can’t control my temper, I clearly know how some things are, but… I still can’t help wanting to make a fuss.”

“It’s very normal, it would be strange if you didn’t feel that way,” Adrian touched her head, “You’re just putting your thoughts into action. Pregnant women are like that, so don’t worry.”

After a pause, he laughed again, “Besides, you do know moderation, right? At least you didn’t disrupt the normal order on the film set. The only complaint is that you’re a bit too stubborn.”

“This isn’t stubbornness,” Kate immediately retorted, “Haven’t you said that by mid-April at the latest we could finish shooting? Even if I stay until then, I can still fly without any worries.”

“Alright, alright, have it your way,” Adrian said with a resigned tone.

“Hey, what’s with that attitude? If you keep this up, watch out or I’ll tell Mom I’m pregnant!” Kate threatened.

“That’s truly the most terrifying news I’ve ever heard. I surrender,” Adrian said, exaggerating by raising both hands.

Kate burst into laughter then and began pummeling him all over with her hands. Adrian, wary of her pregnancy, didn’t dare resist, which only encouraged Kate more, her small fists raining down even more joyfully amid laughter.

After a long bout of this play, she stopped and leaned into Adrian’s arms to rest for a moment, then she reached out to cup his chiseled face and stared into his dark eyes, “You’re a bastard, Ed.”

“If possible,” Adrian smacked his lips, “could we use a different word?”

“A different word? So do you think ‘jerk’ is better, or ‘asshole’?” Kate asked with raised eyebrows.

“Neither is very nice.” Adrian said, standing up, “Rest now, I have to leave.”

“Leave? Where are you going?” Kate asked, displeased.

“Come on, dear, I’ve been with you these past three days, the little one is starting to protest,” Adrian kissed her cheek.

“She has to share the same bed as you?” Kate asked, surprised and with a hint of jealousy, “She’s almost five years old now.”

“Yes, I know, but I can’t help it if the little one insists, you know how mighty she is,” Adrian spread his hands and deliberately sighed loudly.

“Indeed, she has publicly declared that she wants to be your woman,” Kate hummed.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of a little girl,” Adrian pinched her somewhat plump cheek.

“All right, I understand. Go keep your little one company,” Kate was about to say something else but ended up swallowing the words back down.

“Goodnight,” Adrian kissed her cheek again, then lifted her shirt and bent down to kiss her slightly swelling, smooth belly. “Goodnight, baby, don’t make trouble for Mommy, okay?”

Kate couldn’t help but laugh, sending Adrian to the door of the room before returning to her chair. She thought back on the previous events, shook her head, and then began to caress her belly, her face showing a tender expression of love.

Kate didn’t stay in London for very long, she returned after about a week since her belly was growing by the day. Although most reporters had left the vicinity of the set due to waning interest, there were still one or two loitering around. God knows what kind of storm would brew if they captured a photo of her with a baby bump.

The filming of “Braveheart” continued to progress as planned. After the tabloids hyped the story for so long, the public gradually lost interest as both Adrian and Sophie didn’t respond, so the focus shifted elsewhere allowing for more large-scale scenes to be shot. For instance, the battle where Wallace was betrayed, the scene where he ran along the ridge as people discussed, or the first encounter with the Princess.

Adrian had made some adjustments, so even Crowe, who still had several days of holiday left, returned to set early. Since there were only a few days left, returning early wasn’t a big deal and showed respect for Adrian.

By mid-March, the film, which was supposed to take about four months or more to shoot, was nearly two-thirds complete. Although it likely wouldn’t finish by month’s end, it was still exceptionally quick.

But to Adrian, this was quite normal. He knew which shots were necessary and which were not, thus avoiding wasted effort. For a standard film production, a 50% film scrap rate was quite good, but Adrian’s powerful memory could reduce that probability to 30% or even lower.

He had done this several years earlier when he was rushing through work. Now, he was just picking it back up. Additionally, he cut some scenes because they weren’t necessary, therefore greatly improving efficiency once more.

Moreover, there was another significant benefit: cost reduction. The original “Braveheart” went overbudget at over 70 million due to Mel Gibson’s role as both director and producer, an individual who wasn’t shy about spending money. Although the film did well at the box office, it didn’t break 100 million in North America and only just broke even worldwide.

But under Adrian’s direction, preliminary estimates showed that, even with advertising expenses, the budget was only slightly more than “Forrest Gump,” saving over 10 million. It was almost the investment for a low-budget film, truly impressive.

During this time, Adrian also chatted with Sophie about various topics and occasionally showed off his talents, either by playing guitar and singing old songs or by preparing tasty, if not particularly fancy, food. These methods never failed to surprise and intrigue Sophie.

Of course, Adrian didn’t miss a chance to impart his views on what he called “European so-called art cinema,” a topic which was particularly effective when consoling her.

“European cinema, especially art films, can be too narrow at times. In some sense, they’re made for film critics, not the general audience,” Adrian remarked.

For Sophie, who grew up influenced by European cinema, these views were unacceptable, especially since he once gave her a tiny jab–not too harsh, but persistent enough to leave her with lingering feelings, leading to frequent debates with Adrian. Adrian enjoyed these confrontations. Although he always maintained a distance from Sophie, some things were born out of disagreement.

As the end of March approached, realizing that it wouldn’t be possible to finish the shooting by month’s end, Adrian slowed down the pace and began preparing for the Oscar ceremony.

Even though he was busy shooting his new film in the UK, he never loosened his grip on the Oscars. If he couldn’t analyze some news due to time constraints, he’d have Charlize jot it down and check it when he could spare a moment. Sometimes, he’d simply have Charlize analyze it and look at the outcomes. According to Laverne, the three main awards–Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor–were almost assured.

After all, “Forrest Gump” had received countless accolades, excellent word-of-mouth, and a December release, in addition to Laverne’s impressive PR skills honed over the years and the support of the Weinstein brothers. If they still lost with all this, something must be wrong with the world.

Besides these three, Best Supporting Actress was also a major concern for him. It was impressive that Winona got a Best Actress nomination given her age disadvantage. But for Best Supporting Actress, the Oscars had a history of awarding an 11-year-old, so there was a good chance for Kirsten, who had secured a nomination, to win, especially with an advantage that only Adrian knew about.

Having promised the little fairy to win an Oscar statuette for her, Adrian wouldn’t break his word. Kirsten’s performance–in front of Adrian, no less–was indeed worthy of the award. Therefore, with his instructions, Laverne directed at least half of her energy and PR tactics toward this goal.

Soon, March 27, 1995, arrived. After halting the film production, Adrian returned to Los Angeles three days early, and the 67th Oscar ceremony began at the Holy Grand Hall amidst grandeur and splendor. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on , your support is my greatest motivation.)