King of Hollywood
Chapter 338 - Chapter 338 Chapter 62 Other Matters

Chapter 338: Chapter 62 Other Matters Chapter 338: Chapter 62 Other Matters “I have to admit, in terms of looks, Leonardo and River are neck and neck, but River’s acting skills are probably much superior,” Adrian tried to persuade Cameron. “We naturally want to choose the better one.”

“You put too much weight on that Venice Best Actor award for River, Ed,” Cameron said bluntly. “Although it’s a nice honor, it doesn’t really mean anything. What we need is a strong yet gentle male image, a bit unruly. He can be decadent, but he must not seem lost at all times.”

“Do you really think River can’t bring out the aura you want, James?” Adrian asked earnestly.

“I remember you never really took European film festivals to heart. So, why the change now?” James responded with a question not entirely related.

This guy… Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise, unable to understand why Cameron was so interested in DiCaprio. If it were not for the fact that he knew Cameron and Linda Hamilton were living together, Adrian might have thought otherwise. But then again, it seemed that after Titanic Cameron had broken up with Hamilton. Could it be…

Realizing that his thoughts were wandering without limit, Adrian quickly shook his head slightly to steady his mind. James’s gaze was elsewhere, and he did not notice anything unusual. After clearing his throat, he continued, “Ed, I’ve already agreed to Gwyneth for the female lead. So why can’t Leonardo play the male lead?”

If it were anyone else, they would certainly think that Cameron was making a threat. But Adrian, who knew him well, understood that Cameron was actually lowering his stance to make a request. After all, in order to secure more investment for Terminator 2, he had argued relentlessly with Fox executives. Generally, if he thought something was right, he would stick to it no matter what.

Truck drivers are actually very proud, especially since the challenges faced during the production of Piranha taught him the importance of power on set. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sold the Terminator script to the film company for 1 US Dollar in exchange for full control on set. The reason why Cameron, who had always been adamant about his rights, was lowering his stance like this was mainly because Adrian had unhesitatingly come up with 200 million US Dollars for him to splurge on filmmaking. Although this amount was not delivered all at once, such a generous gesture was enough to impress him.

Even for Titanic, which in Adrian’s memory had a budget of 240 million, it was Fox that kept increasing the budget at Cameron’s step-by-step request. Otherwise, the Fox executives wouldn’t have been prepared to go bankrupt before the film’s release. Adrian had given Cameron 200 million dollars to make a movie without any specific plan, and though the money did not all come at once, this kind of open-hearted approach was enough to wow the other party.

This could basically be considered a grace of recognition. So, even though Cameron might still stick to his point of view, he couldn’t afford to take an aggressive stance and could only speak in an awkwardly requesting and negotiating tone like now.

“Alright, since you’re so fond of Leonardo, then it’s him,” Adrian said, after pondering for a moment.

He was very satisfied with Cameron’s attitude. After all, Cameron liked to have absolute authority on set but was not the type to act without thinking. The way he repeatedly secured funds for Titanic from Fox, as well as giving up on profit shares due to the pessimistic outlook of the movie, proved this point well.

After the decision on the lead actors was made, Adrian had a few more words with James, looked through some tapes and photos of the set in Mexico — this time there was no extra time to visit Rosarito — and then left.

The reason he wanted River Phoenix for the male lead in Titanic was mainly because it had been a year and a half since that incident occurred, and it was time to promote their connection. Due to his arrival, history had deviated. Now, the media’s opinion of the non-overdosing River was divided: those who liked him felt he would still be an outstanding actor, while those who disliked him constantly mocked his near-death drug overdose.

After all, Hollywood was never short of stars who died of drug overdoses, and the curse of child actors was also well known. But seeing these, Adrian couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet sentiment; it seemed that, both in the East and the West, the dead always received higher acclaim. So, he prepared the male lead in Titanic for him. With this blockbuster production, River’s fame would surely surpass his previous title of Best Actor from Venice.

Unexpectedly, Cameron still chose DiCaprio and insisted on his own opinion, so after much contemplation, Adrian decided to give up. As previously stated, “Titanic” is indeed a classic and has left a significant mark in the history of cinema, but to be strict, both the male and female leads were decorative pieces. If they were merely decorative pieces, it meant that anyone could play them; handsome men and beautiful women, with just average acting skills required.

The original plan was that River’s handsomeness was recognized by the public, and so was his acting. Having both looks and talent, he would naturally excel in this role. But on second thought, if the role itself was no more than a decorative piece, even with excellent acting, there would be limited room for display. Yet, the film’s influence was so immense. If things were mishandled, it might actually hinder the other party.

This was the case with DiCaprio. His overly handsome face combined with the unrivaled commercial influence of a blockbuster like “Titanic” meant that he wasn’t well-received by the Film Academy for years afterward. Though this was partly due to his immature behavior at the time, his appearance and the film played the main role in this. Therefore, DiCaprio had no choice but to repeatedly challenge himself to the extreme, seeking breakthrough performances to gain recognition.

Although River was praised as a rare actor with both looks and talent when he won the Best Actor at Venice, who knew what the future would hold? Especially since his future was now a blank slate. So, Adrian went with the flow and agreed to Cameron’s request, letting DiCaprio struggle on his own.

However, this meant that new films needed to be considered for River, whose future was blank, so the roles suitable for him could only be selected from what Adrian remembered. Therefore, in the future, many might lose their roles because of him, just like Dennis did. But so what? I only do what I want to do. Adrian thought to himself with ease.

The car soon drove up to Beverly Hills and entered a two-story villa that combined English and modern architectural styles. After greeting the housekeeper, he went straight to the upstairs bedroom. However, there was no one in the bedroom at the moment. Shrugging his shoulders, Adrian immediately went to another room.

“I knew you’d be here,” he leaned on the doorway and said with a smile to the lady swaying the crib in the room.

Kate glanced at him without response, continuing to rock the crib with one hand while caressing her belly with the other, a faint smile on her face. The loose clothing draped over her now somewhat swollen figure, exuding a gentle maternal aura all over. Kate was originally very slender, so her pregnancy was not very noticeable as weight gain, and although her fuller figure lost some of its former glamor, it had a different flavor.

Adrian then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kate from behind, kissed her neck, and reached inside her clothing to touch her now-larger belly: “All right, in a few months, there will be a real baby sleeping in this little cradle, and then you can watch here as long as you want.”

Kate chuckled lightly, resting her head on his shoulder and was about to say something when she suddenly sniffed and her expression changed: “Have you been messing around with some woman again?”

“Messing around? Of course not,” Adrian raised his eyebrows, “I just went to discuss with James about the lead roles for his new movie, when would I have time to mess around with someone else?”

“Don’t try to fool me, Ed,” Kate glared at him furiously, “are you saying you haven’t been to Monica’s place? Haven’t been to Julia’s place? Haven’t… haven’t called Sarah out?!”

“Of course, but not today, I told you I would be with you,” Adrian said with a smile as he pinched her cheek, “Are you sure you’re not smelling Charli’s scent?”

Kate paused for a moment, her expression quickly turning a bit annoyed, but it was more a complex mix of emotions she couldn’t articulate. She glared at him again and walked out. Adrian sighed, shook his head with a wry smile, and followed her.

Although he had promised her that he would never hide anything if she asked, it was a special time now. Describing the mood swings of a pregnant woman as unpredictable was an understatement, so, to prevent any unforeseen complications, this little white lie was harmless.

In the remaining time, Adrian spent every moment with Kate, always patient, allowing things to go her way even if she occasionally got a little upset, responding with nothing but a smile. However, his patience had its limits too.

“This is your fourteenth yawn.” Kate turned to look at Adrian, who had just closed his mouth, her displeasure mingled with a hint of smugness and schadenfreude.

“Spare me, dear,” Adrian said helplessly, “although these videos about baby care are worth watching, anyone would feel tired after watching them for several hours straight.” He had finally encountered something he couldn’t handle.

“If you’re tired now, what will you do when the baby is born and you need to stay by her side frequently?” Kate narrowed her eyes, looking somewhat threatening.

Unfortunately for her, Adrian didn’t take her act seriously and rolled his eyes before sitting up from the couch, “You’re being unreasonable, Kate. How can a baby and a video be compared?”

With that, he wrapped his arms around Kate’s waist, “All right, let’s rest now, I have other things to deal with tomorrow.”

Kate turned the TV off and sat on the couch for a while before sighing, “When are we going back to London.”

“In about three to four days,” Adrian said, kissing her cheek gently, “don’t worry, I’ll be back in no more than two months. I can finish a big movie like ‘Braveheart’ in three months, so this one should be a breeze.”

“Of course, you are the Miracle Director,” Kate hummed lightly, her eyes wandered as though she had thought of something, “Right, the lead actress in the movie is… Gwyneth Paltrow?”

“Yes.” Adrian nodded without hiding this fact, of course, he didn’t elaborate either.

Kate showed no change on the surface, keeping her thoughts to herself, then after a moment, she got up with her protruding belly and headed towards the bedroom.

“Wait… wait a sec, what are you doing?!” Kate, sensing his movement, spoke in a startled tone.

“Nothing much, just getting ready for round two after a short rest,” Adrian replied without pausing.

“Mm…” Kate closed her eyes, letting out a sound that was a mixture of sadness and excitement, “Be careful… the baby.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be very gentle, nothing will happen,” Adrian said as he gently caressed Kate’s swollen belly from behind.

Kate’s moans rose once again, suggesting the night ahead would be long.

And so, Kate, hooked on the pleasures, tangled with him every night, causing Adrian a pain that was accompanied by joy.

“Although it’s thrilling, doing it every day can be a bit much. I better get my work here done quickly and head back to the United Kingdom,” Adrian muttered as he walked.

Of course, that was mostly in jest. With his stamina and energy, even if he really did spend every day for a month like that with Kate, he would simply be a little tired. He said this taking into account the other people; he had been by Kate’s side all the time these past few days except when working–while perfect fairness was impossible, a relative sense of fairness was necessary.

Soon, the door of the dance training room appeared before him, Adrian collected his thoughts and entered, then quietly made his way to a corner to observe the girls who were training.

Today, he had visited the record company, pushing for the creation of Super Boy, an idea of his. Although they weren’t as popular as the original, they were currently the hottest boy band at the company. Through managing them, the company gained a lot of experience and firmed up its operations bit by bit. The newcomers they launched were doing fairly well, too.

According to the revised plan, they were going to start acquiring new record companies next year to consolidate and expand. If all went well… Adrian’s gaze fell on two figures practicing with the other newcomers in front of a long mirror.

Britney and Christina had both developed quite well, especially Christina, whose tight dance clothes outlined a figure only slightly behind that of a full-grown woman. Still, Adrian was a bit more fond of Britney, who was truly sweet and cute, irrespective of what her future held.

Both were training diligently. Although such training had lasted for nearly two years, they completed their scheduled lessons each day very well. After all, Adrian had frequently visited the record company during these two years to oversee their training and–well–“brainwash” them. And no matter how busy, he always made time to come.

“I believe you will both do great, everyone knows that my vision seldom fails, but that has only been proven in movies, so I need you to prove it’s true in music too. So far, you have not disappointed me, so don’t let me down in the future.” He always told them this.

Of course, he was still using those methods to instigate competition, just even more covertly. They were simple but highly effective–if not, how else would the girls keep up so well for so long?

Because of the attention from the big boss, the record company treated both girls very well, skillfully balancing between strictness and care, allowing them just enough privilege to feel superior yet under enough pressure to keep them driven.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it on NovelFire.net with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)