King of Hollywood-Chapter 264 - 262 New Movie

Chapter 264: Chapter 262 New Movie

Chapter 264: Chapter 262 New Movie

“What’s the matter, any problems?” Adrian, dressed casually and sporting a baseball cap, smiled at Blanchett.

“I didn’t expect it to be you picking me up.” Blanchett looked him over curiously.

“It really breaks my heart,” Adrian instantly put on a hurt look, “I specifically mentioned it on the phone.”

“Did you?” Blanchett was a bit surprised. After a long flight and sleeping on the plane, she definitely couldn’t remember what was said on the phone before that.

“Don’t worry about it, let’s talk as we walk.” Adrian said as he came over to her side, gentlemanly took her suitcase, and then gestured for her to follow.

Blanchett gave a slight smile and walked out with him. After putting the luggage in the back of the car and sitting down inside, she then asked, “Why are you dressed like this, Ed?”

“To avoid unnecessary trouble,” Adrian laughed and instructed the driver, Glover, to start the car.

“Unnecessary trouble?” Blanchett was a bit puzzled.

“The airport was bustling today. Just a moment ago, the Baldwin couple entered the terminal chased by reporters. If they saw me, although it wouldn’t be a big problem, it would definitely cause some trouble,” Adrian explained.

Blanchett suddenly nodded in realization, obviously recalling his various rumors. For some reason, her gaze suddenly became a bit strange. Adrian, not minding, shrugged his shoulders and reminded, “By the way, where should we go?”

“Oh, sorry! Please take me to the Merry Hotel on Brandon Avenue,” Blanchett hurriedly told the driver.

“The Merry Hotel on Brandon Avenue? Nice place,” Adrian stroked his chin in recollection, “Right next to Mackenzie Street, it’s convenient for transportation, shopping, and sightseeing, and the service is thorough and reasonably priced. You have good taste.”

“Thank you, your memory is pretty good too, Ed.” Blanchett immediately said, and both of them burst into laughter.

During this conversation, the car quickly arrived at their destination. Adrian escorted Blanchett into her room and then took his leave.

“Having flown for hours, you must be very tired. Better rest early. We’ll get in touch in a few days, just as the movie preparation will still take a few days,” Adrian said.

“Preparation finished? Shouldn’t we be doing screen tests first?” Blanchett asked in surprise.

“No need,” Adrian shrugged his shoulders, “Based on what we discussed on the phone about the plot and the leading lady, I can be sure that you are the most suitable, Kate.”

“You… you really think so?” Blanchett looked at him, slightly overwhelmed.

“Absolutely,” Adrian smiled and naturally ran his fingers through the hair at her temple, “I trust my judgment.”

“You always seem to say that line.” Blanchett’s mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile, but Adrian didn’t speak again. He politely bowed and turned to leave, but then he turned back around, “Oh, right, Kate, my new movie is premiering in a few days. Would you like to attend?”

“A premiere for your new film?” Blanchett appeared hesitant, “Doesn’t seem quite appropriate, does it?”

“No worries, just consider it a party. Besides, the male lead and director will be there. You can mingle and exchange ideas at the premiere, can’t you?” Adrian smiled, “Let’s settle on that.”

After leaving the hotel, Adrian got into his car, instructed the driver to head back to the villa, then leaned back in his seat and took a long breath. Good, Blanchett had arrived in Hollywood. As long as she was here, that was all that mattered; this was his turf.

His thoughts shifted, and his attention turned to the upcoming release of “The Professional.” The film should have been released in early January, but the company’s resources were focused on “The Piano Lesson,” “Philadelphia Story,” and “Schindler’s List,” so the promotion was less than ideal.

The reporters only knew that the Miracle Director had a new work, but they didn’t pay too much attention to this new film—’not too much’ compared to the likes of “Schindler’s List,” of course. Those three films each had their selling points, like a female director, homosexuality, and the Jewish Holocaust. Of course, “The Professional” had its hooks too, the quirky relationship between a man and a young girl being the most appealing, but unless it was explicitly tagged like “Lolita”—portraying a relationship between an adult and a minor, or rather, a perverse relationship—other films involving such themes would definitely face resistance.

Luc Besson’s initial failure in the United States had not been unrelated to this issue, and for that reason, Adrian had deliberately toned down such emotions even more in his adaptation, making it more ambiguous. Using that hook to promote the film now would be like shooting himself in the foot.

Since many blockbusters were still dominating the cinemas during the Christmas-New Year season, delaying it a bit was not a big deal. The period from mid-January to the end of February wasn’t as hot as the Christmas-New Year slot, but it was still decent. Many romantic comedies chose to release on February 14, like “No Reservations.”

No worries, as long as the story was outstanding, the audience would like it. Thinking this, Adrian looked out the window and then thought of something, a smile curving his lips.

================================

“Speaking of which, you look really beautiful tonight.” Adrian withdrew his gaze from the car window and turned his eyes to the girl in front of him, not concealing his admiration with a smile.

“Do you really think so?” Natalie sitting opposite him, her mouth curving into a smile. She wore a brown long-sleeved vest over two layered skirts, her slender legs exposed, and matching flat shoes. She also wore a darker beret, her straight hair hanging down both sides, giving her a somewhat artistic air, full of elegance.

“Of course, do you think I would lie?” Adrian smiled slightly, “Although we’ve kept in touch through letters, I really didn’t expect that in just a few months, you’d become even more beautiful and charming.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but… why does that sound a bit odd?” Natalie slightly furrowed her brow but her cheeks flushed red as she thought of something, twisting her head away uneasily, and stealing a glance at Adrian with a mixed look of embarrassment, awkwardness, and discontent.

“I can’t wait to see you appear before the reporters; they are sure to be amazed.” Adrian didn’t continue, but instead changed the subject with a sigh.

Perhaps because the inside of the car was dimly lit and the street lamps outside flashed by intermittently, casting alternating shadows, he hadn’t seen her expression clearly. So, the young girl decided to remain silent, but unexpectedly, Adrian spoke again, “I’m glad you could come to Los Angeles for the premiere, Nata.”

“I had no choice, someone made dozens of calls to my house. If I hadn’t agreed, he might have come and kidnapped me.” Natalie rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Why didn’t I think of that?” Adrian clapped his hand to his forehead as if he’d just realized something, “If I had flown directly to your house back then, I wouldn’t have had to make so many calls.”

Natalie rolled her eyes again, her expression quite adorable. Amidst this quirky atmosphere, the RV arrived outside the theater of the premiere. Adrian stepped out of the car first and then extended his hand very gentlemanly to Natalie across from him.

The little girl had barely alighted from the car and stabilized before countless flashbulbs began snapping loudly. Despite her mental preparedness, she was startled by the spectacle and almost tripped, but thankfully, Adrian, standing behind her, discreetly extended his hand to her slender waist, helping her maintain balance without an embarrassing fall.

Natalie, quick to assess the situation, did not lift her head but gently squeezed Adrian’s hand in gratitude.

“Mr. Adrian, what made you choose an action-packed movie as your new project?”

“Mr. Adrian, some audience members who attended the pre-screening think certain viewpoints in your new work are somewhat unbearable. What’s your take on this issue?”

“Mr. Adrian, does this movie signify a complete shift towards commercial film production?”

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The voices of the reporters rose in a clamor, and facing these people who seemed ready to pry his head open to see what was inside, Adrian maintained his smile but did not answer a single question. Instead, he pulled Jean Reno, who had alighted from the RV just in front of him, to his side, along with Natalie, and posed for photographs.

“Aren’t you going to say something, Mr. Adrian?” After a few minutes of taking pictures, when Adrian and his companions were about to head into the theater, a reporter shouted out loudly.

“Say a few words?” Adrian looked up thoughtfully, “Alright, let me introduce once again. This is Jean Reno, familiar to those who know French cinema. I met him at the Cannes Film Festival the year before last and immediately felt he was perfect for the leading role in the film I was conceptualizing. We made a deal back then. And indeed, my judgment was correct; his performance is truly spectacular.”

He then looked at the woman beside him: “And this, is the leading lady, Miss Natalie Portman!”

Some things still followed their original trajectory. For example, Natalie, to avoid impacting her family life, had changed her surname, using her grandmother’s surname “Portman” as her professional name in the film industry, so Natalie Helarg officially became Natalie Portman.

“Thank God I gave her a second audition. This movie would at least lose half its charm without her. She is the smartest, most mature, and most talented actress of her age that I have encountered!” Adrian said, generously with his compliments, while Natalie, with her hands behind her back, smiled graciously, allowing reporters to take photos freely.

“That’s all for now. If you have any more questions, please save them for after the movie,” Adrian said, noticing the reporters were still reluctant. He then entered the theater with Reno and Natalie.

“This is my first time attending a premiere in the United States, but I must say, American reporters are slightly more courteous than those in France,” Reno remarked as they walked.

“Don’t think that American reporters won’t chase you around and shove a microphone in your face; it’s just that we walked quite briskly, giving them no time to react,” Adrian jested. “If we had lingered a few more minutes, you’d have seen they are no more gentlemanly than their British counterparts.”

“That’s true. British reporters, or perhaps the tabloid reporters there, are probably the craziest in the world,” Reno shook his head and then became agitated again, “French reporters probably learned from them, or maybe those guys are just English reporters speaking French.”

“Alright, Jean,” Adrian chuckled, patting his shoulder. “Entertainment reporters around the world are all cut from the same cloth.”

Then he turned his head to look at Natalie on the other side. The little girl, wide-eyed and slightly dazed, seemed to be walking subconsciously beside him, breathing a little hurriedly, her face excited as if still savoring the recent experience.

“How does it feel, Nata?” Adrian asked with a light laugh.

“Um… wonderful, being watched, being chased, it feels like… just by waving a hand… they would cheer loudly around you…” Natalie murmured, suddenly shy, cupping her face, “Sorry, I seem to have gotten a little carried away.”

“Don’t worry, Nata,” Adrian deliberately lagged two paces behind Renault, and, walking side by side with Natalie, he placed his hand on her shoulder, “Everyone gets excited facing this situation for the first time. You know, when you faced the reporters just now, you were very calm and measured, no one could have done it better.”

“Really?” Natalie looked up, “Did I do well?”

“Of course,” Adrian smiled, although he really wanted to caress the smooth face of the young girl, he restrained himself and simply patted her head, “You were spectacular, Nata. That alone tells me that you fully deserve their pursuit and cheers. And I can confidently say that in the future, you will receive much more adoration and acclaim than today. This is just the beginning.”

“Oh, such heart-touching words, but they sound more like a lover comforting a lover rather than a director encouraging his actress,” teased Renault, walking ahead as he glanced back.

“Hey, Jean!” Adrian called out with a hint of annoyance.

“Oh, sorry, my bad,” realizing his mistake, Renault quickly raised his hand and turned his head away, remaining silent.

“It’s okay, Jean was just joking,” Natalie shrugged generously, but the flash of embarrassment and annoyance that had crossed her face a few seconds earlier was not missed by Adrian.

Finally, the group reached the theater’s lobby where it was already bustling with people holding drinks or chatting empty-handed.

“Hey, how are you guys doing?” he soon joined a small circle consisting of two men and a woman.

“Nice to see you, Ed,” Keanu Reeves was the first to come up and shake his hand, his face beaming with enthusiasm, mainly because he had become good friends with River Phoenix while shooting ‘My Own Private Idaho’, and since Adrian had saved River, he naturally won Keanu’s favor.

“You finally made it, Ed, we were just talking about you,” the second one to shake his hand was director Jean de Bont, who also wore a smile, though not as fervent as Reeves but nonetheless warm. Adrian had specifically sought him out to direct ‘Twisters’ when he had hardly started his directing career and was still promoting himself, so naturally, he was deeply grateful to Adrian for this unexpected large pie that had fallen from the sky.

“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you from them, stories I’d never heard before,” the third was naturally Kate Blanchett, smartly dressed in a high-collared sweater with a jacket draped over her arms, a knee-length cotton skirt below, and black thermal leggings topped with tall heeled boots, making her look dignified yet slightly sexy.

“Here you go again, Keanu,” Adrian said somewhat irritably, looking at Reeves.

“Is there a problem? Didn’t you save River? Without you, River might not be in this world anymore, isn’t that right? Besides, Jean and Kate aren’t strangers, telling them isn’t a big deal, is it?” Reeves’ series of rhetorical questions made both Bont and Blanchett laugh.

“Alright alright, what were you discussing?” Adrian smiled and shook his head, shifting the topic.

“About some scene ideas,” Bont, the director, took over, “Limiting the main scene to a bus was a brilliant idea! Outside the bus, the sky is blue and the scenery is beautiful and pleasant, yet inside the bus, there is tension and danger with shadows looming over each passenger. Placing the crime scene in such an everyday accessible public bus enhances the realism and gravity of the situation.”

“Very well, that proves I made the right decision in choosing you to direct,” Adrian laughed heartily, “I hope you don’t hate me for not letting you rest properly.”

The movie Blanchett was invited to star in as the female lead, which made Reeves famous, was ‘Speed’. As early as September last year, Bossworth Film Company received the script for this movie, and Adrian, who reviewed the scripts received by the company every week, naturally recognized the value of this script and decided to buy it for production right away.

But a major issue soon presented itself: who to choose for the female lead? Adrian wasn’t particularly interested in Sandra Bullock, naturally passing over her. This kind of film should first consider his own women, but after much thought, it seemed that only Julia fit the bill. (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)