King of Hollywood-Chapter 232 - 230 Husband and Wife Duo

Chapter 232: Chapter 230: Husband and Wife Duo?

Chapter 232: Chapter 230: Husband and Wife Duo?

Halle Berry, the future “Black Pearl,” was only 26 at the time, in the prime of her life. Born from a beauty pageant background, she benefitted from her half-Caucasian heritage which made it easier for her to gain recognition in mainstream society compared to other black actresses. With her decent discernment in selecting roles, she had achieved successes that were unattainable to her peers.

Despite that, her early acting career was still not easy. Apart from minor roles in some TV series, she mostly played parts in the works of more marginalized black directors. Last year’s “Boomerang” just barely pushed her into the ranks of second-tier actors and was considered her best role so far.

Therefore, now was the best opportunity to make a move. Although the current Halle Berry was still a distance away from the moniker of “Black Pearl,” she was still rather beautiful and the only black female star that Adrian found compelling. So why not give it a try? Besides, qualities like temperament could always be cultivated later.

“Your schedule, Ed!” With the folder placed in front of him, Charlize’s voice resonated near his ear.

“Thank you, Charli.” Adrian shifted his gaze away from the airplane window and looked up at Charlize with a smile. Despite the fact that her irritation was well-concealed, he still picked up on it.

“You know, Charli, sometimes I really want to thank God for making you my secretary,” Adrian suddenly grabbed Charlize’s hand, gently caressing it while looking at her affectionately, “I honestly can’t imagine how terrible my life would be without you by my side.”

As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Charlize let out a small yelp and rolled her eyes around the cabin—it was a relief that no one else was there. She immediately pushed his arm away without any courtesy, “Even though you’ve crossed my limits time and again, Ed, it doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate it forever! So, save those words for your ‘Black Pearl.'”

“Eavesdropping on other people’s conversations isn’t a good habit, Charli.” Adrian shook his hand and laughed heartily.

Charlize was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, lifting her chin, “I just happened to be coming over at that time.”

Saying that, she turned to leave but then turned back after a couple of steps, “Additionally, I’ll remind you, Ed, that actress, Halle Berry, she’s married now, in January.”

Married? Adrian raised an eyebrow as he watched Charlize return to her seat before he continued to gaze out the window. What did that matter? Sooner or later, she was bound to divorce if his memory served him right—after all, Halle Berry had been divorced twice. Besides, wasn’t one of his targets at this destination also married?

After leaving Miami, Adrian did not immediately return to Los Angeles; instead, he followed the coastline to New Orleans, as “Interview with the Vampire” was about to start shooting there. Although the director and cast had just been finalized at the beginning of the month, the rights for the novel adaptation had been secured long ago, so other preparations had been ready and were efficiently executed once they started, managing to begin shooting at the end of the month. Adrian arrived in New Orleans just as they had finished two days of filming.

“We’ve built two sets here and over there,” Jordan said, standing at the edge of the forest in the middle of the set, pointing east and south to Adrian, “The one to the east is Louis’s villa, which we’re renting and refurbishing. The town to the south is built near the river with sets. However, it still poses some minor complications.”

“Not a problem, we can erase those with computer post-production,” Adrian remarked, looking towards the New Orleans Bridge and the signal towers spanning across the Mississippi River.

“Exactly. That was my plan,” Jordan agreed.

“By the way, what are those?” Adrian pointed to a large, completely enclosed tunnel that was clearly built deliberately around the perimeter of the set.

“They were constructed on Tom’s request, to… prevent outsiders from discovering the secrets of the vampire makeup effects,” Jordan shrugged, and even though his tone was calm, Adrian could hear a touch of displeasure and resignation.

Yes, the makeup artists had put a lot of effort into transforming them into pale-looking vampires, which certainly warranted secrecy, but was it necessary to make such a big fuss? Oh, of course. In the process of ensuring secrecy, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate one’s power, wasn’t it?

Adrian glanced at Tom Cruise, who was already fully in character as Lester and chatting with others outside the tunnel. He shook his head and let out a quiet chuckle to himself. Then he turned his attention to Nicole Kidman, standing next to Cruise and dressed in simple clothing.

Perhaps because his gaze was too brazen, and the distance not too great, she quickly became aware of it. When she turned her head, she was frowning, but upon seeing Adrian, she appeared surprised and then gave a slight smile before leaning in to whisper something in her husband’s ear.

Cruise’s gaze soon found Adrian, and he approached with his signature sunny smile, although the heavy white makeup of his vampire effect made his expression quite unnatural.

“Hi, Tommy.” Adrian casually overlooked this and greeted Cruise.

“Hey, Ed, I didn’t expect you to get to the set so quickly,” Cruise said, shaking his hand with seeming enthusiasm, although an air of arrogance and a hint of conceit still inadvertently showed through.

“I just finished all the shots for my new movie in New York and was preparing to return to Los Angeles, when I heard you had already started filming, so I came over to take a look,” Adrian said, naturally disregarding his “smile” and thus not taking it to heart.

After exchanging a few lukewarm pleasantries, Brad Pitt and Kirsten emerged from the tunnel, and director Jordan began to call for the shooting to start, only then did their conversation cease.

The scene being filmed depicted Louis, Lester, and Claudia disembarking from a ship. Although it was still evening and not completely dark, for a film crew, creating pitch-black night on camera was a simple task. Since it was a medium shot, all three leads merely needed to display natural emotions and didn’t have to showcase their acting skills too much. So, the only trouble was with the temporary actors.

“Let’s go over there, Nicole, and leave the space for those temporary actors, who always like wandering around,” Adrian suggested softly to Nicole Kidman after observing the set for a few seconds.

“Aren’t there other crew members also standing on this side?” Nicole glanced at him and asked with a hint of curiosity.

“They know how to coordinate with these guys,” Adrian replied with a smile and left the rest unsaid; however, Nicole quickly caught on and nodded her thanks with a smile. The crew knew how to move in sync with the movements of the temporary actors. As a director, he certainly knew this as well, so his comment was just a reminder to her.

The two then moved to a spot further away and continued watching the performance in the middle of the set.

“Frankly speaking, Tom’s acting is impressive, especially in ‘Born on July 4th,’ the speech part towards the end was truly stirring,” Adrian soon opened up again.

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Chatting up was a technical job, not merely limited to conversing; whether it was the time he purposefully carried a paper cup in Miami for Halle to bump into, or now making way as an excuse to pull Nicole to another spot, these were all tactics.

“It’s a pity he’s too handsome, he can be a heartthrob but not a favorite among critics,” Adrian went on to say.

“Indeed,” Nicole watched the center of the set with a calm demeanor, but Adrian’s observant eyes caught a flash of skepticism in hers that she didn’t quite hide.

Chucking softly to himself, Adrian didn’t continue the conversation, and after a few minutes, Nicole finally turned her eyes towards him.

“You had plans to invite Tommy for this role from the beginning, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Yes,” Adrian started laughing, “I have a knack for easily identifying who fits which role, and this knack often inspires me with many ideas because of certain people.”

“That sounds unbelievable; are you saying your inspiration could strike at anytime?” Nicole continued, her curiosity appearing quite natural with no underlying intentions.

“In fact, it’s true,” Adrian’s smile deepened, “Of course, inspiration might not come that fast, but if it does, then it definitely will, like right now…”

He turned his head and began to appraise Nicole intently, scrutinizing her for several minutes, until Nicole, who had let his gaze sweep over her the entire time, couldn’t resist anymore: “Is this how you always look at a lady?”

“Ah? Oh! Sorry, Nicole,” Adrian seemed to snap back to reality and quickly apologized, “I just thought of a great idea, an interesting story.”

“You… thought of a great idea? An interesting story?” Nicole suddenly widened her eyes, and her breath even became a bit rapid for a moment, clearly not expecting that Adrian had indeed come up with inspiration in such a short time.

“What’s the great idea?” A voice came from the side, and a smiling Tom Cruise soon appeared in front of the two, with Pitt, Kirsten, and director Jordan among others following.

“You’re just in time, Tommy,” Adrian said enthusiastically as he patted his shoulder, looked at him, glanced at Nicole, and then continued, “Would you be interested in starring in a movie with your wife?”

“In a movie with Nicole?” Cruise looked mildly surprised, “What kind of movie?”

“A really cool action film about a top CIA agent,” Adrian said cheerfully, “It just came to me in a flash, though it’s just a rough concept, but I believe you’re perfect for the role. It would be even better if you could play it alongside Nicole as a married couple, especially since you’ve acted together before.”

After these words were spoken, the expressions of those present varied, with Cruise’s surprise growing even greater, Nicole appearing somewhat disappointed, Pitt and Jordan seemed contemplative, and Kirsten’s eyes were wide, unblinkingly fixed on Adrian. (To be continued, for the continuation of this story please visit www.qidian.com. The chapters are more abundant there, support the author, support genuine reading!)