King of Hollywood-Chapter 253 - 251 I Want to Operate Personally
Chapter 253: Chapter 251 I Want to Operate Personally
Chapter 253: Chapter 251 I Want to Operate Personally
However, since the film involved homosexuality, it inevitably faced criticism from extreme conservatives, but these ripples were soon drowned out by the mainstream acclaim. As a result, “Philadelphia Story” earned over 14 million US dollars in box office revenue in its first week across 1,200 theaters, securing the tenth spot in the fierce North American box office ranking—an impressive start indeed.
“Good momentum, we should keep it up,” Adrian said, his legs crossed and leaning back in his chair, leafing through some related documents while speaking to Laverne. “But let’s not let up on ‘Schindler’s List’ either.”
“I’ve already contacted several Jewish community groups and invited their leaders to a preview. It received unanimous praise,” Laverne nodded.
“That’s good, but be aware, there are many factions among the Jewish people,” Adrian reminded.
“I know, they’ve been a big help,” Laverne expressed understanding, and it was clear who he meant by “they.”
Adrian was about to say something with a smile when Charlize walked in after knocking.
“They’re waiting for you, Ed,” she said expressionlessly, but she wore the standard office lady uniform, her long legs sheathed in black stockings particularly tantalizing.
Adrian chuckled inwardly, recalling that morning when he came downstairs for breakfast with Sarah, who was dressed properly, and caught sight of Charlize’s fleeting scowl. Since Sarah didn’t have appropriate clothes, she was still in the same outfit as the previous evening. Although neither of them had “gone deeper,” their passion in the bathroom caused Sarah’s cheeks to remain flushed. Combined with her youthful freshness, she was radiant and irresistible, no wonder Charlize was jealous.
Indeed, that was the word—jealous. Charlize now spent much more time with Adrian than other women, he had come to consider her his possession, and he was well aware of what she was thinking.
“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Adrian stood up, smiling at his female secretary, who unfortunately seemed to have her eyes and mind elsewhere, as if she hadn’t noticed his expression. Adrian shrugged helplessly, then gestured to Laverne, “Come with me, Laverne.”
Although he hadn’t gone “deeper” with Sarah, their heated moment in the bathroom was quite thrilling, and her soft hands almost made him turn around and take her right then. Of course, Adrian resisted the urge. Now was not the right time; otherwise, he would have left no part of her untouched the night before.
Adrian wasn’t after a one-night stand. As he’d said before, some women were just for fun, like Barrymore or Cameron; but some were worth collecting, like Monica and Julia. Sarah certainly fell into the latter category, so he didn’t want to rush things. They had already progressed to this point; he only needed one more small step, like with Charlize.
With that in mind, Adrian glanced at Charlize, who walked upright beside him, her gaze fixed straight ahead. She was indeed smart and a quick learner. In his previous life, she was a woman who knew what she wanted and, once decided, never looked back—the Oscar for Best Actress she intentionally won while downplaying her looks was the best example.
Although now, due to a little flutter of Adrian’s wings, she had become his personal assistant and secretary, she still possessed the necessary skills. Her core duties always performed exceedingly well, plus her sharp observational skills made her adept at fixing oversights, which is why Adrian often joked that he couldn’t imagine doing without her.
It was just that she was still very young, so naturally, she acted contrary to her feelings, creating little mischiefs and uncertainties. Adrian didn’t take it to heart, as it was this aspect of Charlize’s character that he liked. However, keeping her like this and by his side was not an easy task, after all, she was not like Sarah, Monica, and the others.
After a few steps to the conference room, Adrian collected himself, straightened his clothes, and pushed the door open to enter.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Laverne and I got held up with some things,” Adrian said with a smile, extending his hand to the handsome young actor and his beautiful wife seated across the table.
“It’s okay, we’ve only just arrived,” Tom Cruise answered with his trademark dazzling smile, which to Adrian seemed somewhat insincere, unlike Nicole Kidman’s.
“I’ve always heard you had a reputation as a workaholic, but now I’ve seen it firsthand,” Cruise said with a smile as they took their seats on either side of the long table. “I’ve just returned from Europe, and you’re already starting to prepare a new movie.”
“No, I just want to discuss some details. If it interferes with your schedule…”
“No problem, no problem,” Cruise shook his head, repeating ‘no problem’ twice, his smile not seeming feigned, “I like this script, really, even more than ‘Interview with the Vampire.’ So after I got the call from my agent, I came right over.”
“Thank you,” Adrian said with a faint smile.
The script was naturally “Mission: Impossible,” a film close to Cruise’s heart for its stylish and cool allure. Though he yearned for Oscar recognition, repeated failures made it clear that his handsome features were not favored by the old guards at the Film Academy. So, for the time being, he gave up on that ambition and sought scripts that could showcase his uniqueness.
At this time, Adrian extended an invitation. Despite not being particularly fond of the so-called “Miracle Director,” Cruise still took on the role of Lester. To be honest, the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel was quite decent. Then Adrian surprised him even more, as the idea to turn the “Mission: Impossible” TV series into a movie had come to him due to Cruise’s wife, Nicole, on the set. Although the idea had piqued his interest, he didn’t take it seriously until the script for “Mission: Impossible,” along with several concept drawings, had been delivered to his hands.
Cruise was in Paris, shooting external scenes for “Interview with the Vampire,” when he read the script for the first time. He immediately felt that he was special agent Ethan Hunt, and couldn’t explain it—it was just a strong desire to take the role. Especially after seeing the concept drawings, this desire grew stronger. So when his agent told him that Bossworth Film Company wanted to discuss the movie with him, he agreed without hesitation.
“…Anyway, aside from external scenes in Budapest and the United Kingdom, we plan to shoot most of the film in the studio, like the final action scene in the tunnel,” Laverne said, lifting his head to indicate he had finished the briefing.
“Thank you, Laverne,” Cruise replied with a smile, nodding his head, “I am also very eager to play this role…”
At this point, he hesitated and looked at his wife, and Nicole immediately gave him a subtle plea with her eyes.
“…Nicole is also willing to act with me,” Cruise paused for a few seconds before finally saying so, which secretly relieved Nicole; but then she caught a subtle expression in her husband’s eyes and was startled, about to speak when Cruise preempted her: “However, Ed, can I take charge of the script?”
The air in the conference room grew tense. Laverne looked at Adrian, and even Charlize, who had been taking notes, couldn’t help but lift her head; Nicole simply covered her forehead with her hand.
“You know, I also have a production company,” Cruise continued, seemingly oblivious, still smiling, “I really like this script, and I want to handle it personally.”
Adrian, stroking his chin, looked at Cruise noncommittally, as if he hadn’t heard what was said. Cruise wasn’t in a hurry; he casually leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping on the armrest from time to time.
Suddenly, after a while, Adrian smiled, “I can agree to that, Tommy. You can take charge of the script. I believe you’ll make an excellent producer, but we’ll need to discuss the specifics further.”
Cruise was surprised; he hadn’t expected Adrian to agree so quickly. But having experienced many storms, he quickly flashed his radiant smile again, “Really?”
“Of course,” Adrian nodded, “But don’t forget I have one more thing to say.”
“Yes, I heard,” Cruise laughed, “I will have my agent come over and talk with you in detail right away.”
Adrian also laughed, while Laverne kept his composure with a serious demeanor, and Charlize looked at Adrian with a curious gaze, joined by Nicole, who was holding her forehead.
“Do you know what you’re doing, Tommy?” Nicole quietly asked her husband after leaving the conference room, “Didn’t Riley tell you that it’s best not to even mention such a thing?”
“But the thing is, not only did I mention it, but he also agreed to it,” Cruise replied, somewhat smugly. He had never been particularly fond of Adrian; he couldn’t explain why, just a feeling. But he really liked the secret agent script and thus wanted to produce it himself.
However, his agent Riley told him it was nearly impossible; the script was in Adrian’s hands, who was both a director and producer with his own film company, so it would be impossible to give it to someone else. Cruise had no right to make such a demand, and at worst, they would just replace him as the actor.
Cruise wasn’t prepared to accept this; so he raised the issue anyway, not expecting Adrian to immediately agree. He was so thrilled that he didn’t consider whether there might be any problems with the arrangement.
“But Tommy, you need to realize…” Nicole frowned, wanting to say more, but Cruise quickly interrupted with impatience, “Don’t criticize my decision, Nicole!”
Nicole was taken aback and found herself unable to speak. Cruise realized his tone was harsh and quickly wrapped his arm around his wife with a laugh, “Come on, don’t worry about that. Let’s think about where to celebrate. It’s rare for us to act in the same movie, although it’s a shame you’re playing someone else’s wife this time.”
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
Nicole wanted to say something but instead just smiled bitterly to herself, sighed, and gently shook her head at her husband. (To be continued, for further details please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)
