King of Hollywood
Chapter 413 - 135 Just Getting Started

Chapter 413: Chapter 135 Just Getting Started

"Con Air" was naturally to be handled by New Line, as they’d previously agreed with Cage, and he had reserved the slots for filming after receiving the script—hence Adrian was later able to convince Brokheimer to take on both movies at once. However, "Con Air" was slightly delayed in practice. Along with New Line’s science fiction hit "Independence Day," which made them big money that year, this slightly postponed crime-themed film was theirs to manage.

"L.A. Confidential" was set aside for Bossworth. Although the company was likely to decline after the final piece of the cinematic puzzle was in place, according to the plan, there was still some time left. Adrian arranged many more classic pieces for it, after all, this was initially where his goals laid.

"I believe you can collaborate to produce an outstanding movie," Adrian told the main actors and director, having made a special visit to the set from the start.

"I’m delighted to be working with Kevin, Russell, and Catherine," one of the leads, River, also expressed himself. It was obvious that he got along well with everyone.

Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe felt the same. Like many actors discovered by Adrian, they did not hesitate to accept the invitation and wouldn’t take any slight discomfort to heart. The chosen director, Curtis Hanson, was no different.

Everyone knew for mainstream directors, directing a film produced by Adrian was the most pleasurable task—achieving fame and profit with considerable autonomy—Adrian rarely interfered with filming, being strict only with the script. However, the benefits far outweighed this, a fact proven by everyone from Jean de Bont to Michael Bay to David Fincher. Why would Curtis Hanson, who had only begun directing in ’94, pass up this opportunity?

However, when it came to maintaining relationships, Catherine Zetajones still did it best. Although she had only joined the cast a few days ago and didn’t have all the accolades like before on location in Texas, there was virtually no one on set who disliked her. Being attractive and eloquent naturally gave her an edge, and she always maintained good composure, which was no wonder she had Douglas wrapped around her finger. Even if Adrian hadn’t intervened halfway, her rise to fame here was inevitable.

Regrettably, she was now his personal conquest, Adrian mused to himself as he watched Zetajones entertaining the crew. Although many, including Russell, seemed charmed by her, he wasn’t worried, knowing both Russell and Zetajones were clever enough to know what to do.

Everything was evolving smoothly, and then Thanksgiving arrived again, an annual event where every family gathered to share a turkey feast. This time Adrian chose to spend it at The Godfather’s, but not alone—Kate and Lily were with him, as Old Ronris had never met his goddaughter.

The little one, now fourteen months old, was becoming more lively by the day, having crawled around the entire villa and even stumblingly practicing walking. Although her speech was still unclear, she could articulate "mommy" and "daddy" very clearly.

Lily had one significant advantage—she easily accepted strangers and appeared very outgoing, happily engaging with everyone she met. While Kate was happy, but a bit concerned, Adrian wasn’t too worried—it was better for a child to be extroverted. Having looked after the similarly aged Emma, who would often shy away, he knew that shyness wasn’t good for a child’s development.

Besides, his daughter’s intuition seemed very sharp, easily discerning if someone genuinely cared for her—there was no need to worry about her being deceived, Ronris liked her very much for this.

"She’s smart and lively, very much like you and your father. You have a lovely daughter," The Godfather said as he watched Lily giggling and squealing excitedly under his wife’s teasing, then he sighed, "I wonder when Crowe will bring back a child too."

"You might as well speak directly to him about that," Adrian chuckled in response, though he added reassuringly, "Don’t worry, maybe one day Crowe really will bring a child back."

"That won’t do," Ronris shook his head, then turned his gaze to Kate who was laughing with his wife, "Those women are not even comparable to Kate."

Adrian simply shrugged in response, understanding the implication in The Godfather’s words, whether about Crowe or himself. But some things were better left unexplained, so he chose to leave them unanswered.

"I’m not saying Kate is terrible, Ed, she’s actually a very nice girl, but..." The Godfather broached the topic somewhat, "It’s not quite proper to keep going like this. If you’re worried about your uncle, I can go talk to Anderson."

"Some things are hard to force, Godfather. I love Kate and I love Lily, but I also like to live freely." Adrian had no choice but to answer, "Don’t worry, I know my limits."

The Godfather looked at him for a while before he sighed again, "Well, well, you young people always have your own ideas, and ours aren’t suitable for you."

Saying this, he patted his arm and then returned to his study. Adrian knew he was concerned about him, but some things were decided from the start, and he wouldn’t change because of a word from the Godfather.

"What did my dad ramble about this time?" Seeing his own father leave, Claude approached Adrian with a teasing smile.

"Nothing much. He just wants a grandchild." Adrian spread his hands and spoke straightforwardly.

"Hmm... I didn’t say anything." Claude suddenly looked choked up, then walked away sulkily.

Adrian shook his head again with a chuckle, the Godfather would probably have to wait a long time to see a grandson or granddaughter. Claude was having too much fun now, especially being deeply involved with Victoria’s Secret. He not only tried to facilitate their needs but also often sought Adrian for better ideas, and even signed Heidi Klum, who had initially impressed him when forming the modeling team.

Although Heidi Klum was originally supposed to be a lingerie model for Victoria’s Secret, the situation was indeed somewhat funny.

"Just a little hobby, I know where the limits are, and you think they’re good too," Claude said nonchalantly in response to Adrian’s jest.

Enough about that, after Thanksgiving, and following extensive promotion, Jerry Maguire finally hit the theaters. Of course, the premiere was necessary, and Adrian was going to attend.

"This is definitely an excellent film, Tommy shows tremendous charm in it, just see for yourself." Adrian told the reporters outside the bustling theatre.

However, the reporters’ attention wasn’t really on that, they kept trying to steer the topic towards Blanchett, who had arrived clutching his arm from the car tonight.

"That day, after the movie company set the premiere date, Adrian sighed that Tommy always has Nicole accompanying him, and I joked, ’I could accompany you.’ Surprisingly, he actually came to pick me up today. Reluctantly, I just had to let my car leave. Really, I think no one would refuse, right?" Blanchett responded when asked why she appeared with Adrian.

She wore a light-colored long dress, with slightly curled medium-short hair, appearing dignified and elegant with her smile, and spoke flawlessly.

"You know, I really want to tell them you are playing with my body and my heart." After entering the foyer of the cinema, Blanchett whispered softly in Adrian’s ear.

Despite her words, the tone seemed more like chiding playfully; always smiling, the hand around his arm didn’t let go, intimate and ambiguous.

"As long as you’re willing, I have no objections," Adrian shrugged slightly, having fully grasped the slight trace of dependency Blanchett had on him.

The definition of ’spectacular’ is actually quite broad; this movie is heartwarming, inspiring, and emotional, so it can be considered spectacular. Much of the ink has been used in the interactions between the sports agent and the football players he represents, while also revealing a bit of the underbelly, such as players being abandoned by their agents without a second thought as soon as they suffer irreversible injuries and can’t play anymore.

Of course, it’s only a bit, as one should know the group energy of agents is quite substantial. They are the most fundamental and foundational network in both the entertainment and sports industries; it’s not good to offend them. Thus, where there is a dark side, there necessarily must also be those who oppose it, and the character played by Cruise is one such agent.

To make the story more realistic, the agent he portrayed wasn’t initially a good person—he wrote articles in the newspaper revealing the dark secrets among agents, driven partly by the distressing experience of an injured player and partly to enhance his own reputation, crafting a better image for himself.

However, this ended up alienating his colleagues and his boss, ultimately leading to his outright dismissal. When he announced he was leaving to start his own business, not a single one of those who used to call him brother responded, except for his assistant—the role played by Blanchett—who chose to follow him.

Misfortune followed one after another; clients began leaving him using various excuses, and his girlfriend, with whom he had a good relationship, broke up with him because he lost his job. Like many inspiring stories, the protagonist began to transform, to strive hard; similarly, he invariably encountered various situations.

For instance, he finally signed a talented black player, who was a hot-headed and outspoken fellow, and also came from a family full of strife. However, these difficulties were always overcome; the little assistant remained by his side, and the black player, portrayed by Little Cuba Gooding, explosive temper and all, always stood by him. Even the assistant’s ten-year-old daughter talked shop about football with him, encouraging him.

Finally, in the championship game, the black player managed to turn the game around by getting past several opponents, becoming the most dazzling star onsite, but also fell into a coma due to a severe hit during the final play.

This is the familiar climax toward the end, where the black player, of course, came to unscathed, and at the end amidst the cheers of the fans and surrounded by reporters, he found his agent and embraced him warmly, leading an envious teammate to sourly ask his own agent why they never had that kind of intimate connection. Then, rolling his eyes, he pushed away the reluctantly approaching agent wanting a hug.

This detail elicited quite a few laughs in the theater.

Altogether, it was a grand, harmonious ending. The black player became a dazzling football star, the protagonist’s start-up company went on track and became known for its warmth in the industry, and he eventually married his assistant.

One must admit, it’s no accident that Cruise became one of Hollywood’s most popular male stars from the late ’80s to the late ’90s, especially with his performance in "Jerry Maguire" which was indeed spectacular, particularly how well he portrayed the protagonist’s psychological state before and after his transformation, with hardly any of that often-mocked puppet-like fake smile. The climax, where the black player gets struck down and falls unconscious, the shifting expressions of concern deeply impressed the people.

The others were equally good. Little Cuba Gooding completely encapsulated the image of his character, who was temperamental and outspoken yet emotionally driven and knew who treated him well. At times he made people intensely dislike him, nearly wishing the protagonist would fire him, but at other times, he was especially liked, cheered for his perseverance and for aiding the protagonist.

And Blanchett need not be mentioned—she was no less excellent in acting, handling the assistant’s emotions perfectly, whether it was her unrequited love for the boss or her quiet support and encouragement. Her hopes, her losses, her sadness, and her connection with the protagonist’s progress deeply moved many viewers.

As for Scarlett, frankly speaking, she shined as well, only slightly behind Natalie in "The Professional" or Kirsten in "Interview with the Vampire," but with three more impressive actors and her role’s less stark contrast, and as football is the favorite sport of Americans, with many girls who are fans, Scarlett, though quite good, inevitably got overshadowed by the three principal characters.

Such a heartwarming, inspiring movie, which also tells the story of the American dream—Tom Cruise’s character being fired and starting his own business, and Little Cuba Gooding’s ultimate effort to become a football star—still involves America’s favorite sport. Coupled with Cruise’s star power and a December release, it grossed $19 million in its opening week—not spectacularly good, but the prospects were very realistic, and it also received a decent reputation among film critics.

"This is a good inspiring story, and Tom Cruise has finally shown his rare acting chops again."

"Whether it’s Little Cuba Gooding or Kate Blanchett, both were impressive, and as for Tom Cruise, at least he was pretty good when discussing football with Scarlett Johansson."

"A fairly exceptional work that delved into some of the less glamorous aspects of being an agent, although the plot was somewhat cliché it still managed to be thrilling."

Even the criticism felt rather warm-hearted. From the preview alone the word of mouth was already positive, of course, let’s not mention those who opposed just for the sake of opposition.

"I told you, you were going to shine in this movie." Adrian said this while skiing with Blanchett in Canada, after receiving opening weekend box office results and some reviews from well-known critics.

"Thanks." Blanchett shrugged noncommittally, her good figure obscured by her bulky skiing attire, "But which part were you referring to?"

"What else could it be?" Adrian seemed not to catch her implication, "Just wait, in another two months I have an even bigger surprise for you."

"You know what I’d also say, Ed." Blanchett, who had intended to ski down the slope, stopped and looked at Adrian, something twinkling in her gray-blue eyes.

"So, what would you like to ask me, Kate?" Adrian asked with a grin, planting his ski pole in the snow.

"Are you...," she lowered her voice but didn’t finish the question.

"That’s something you’ll have to guess for yourself." Adrian shrugged again, still not explicitly stating anything.

What Blanchett wanted to ask was about Nicole. At the premiere, Nicole had looked uncomfortable seeing Adrian and Blanchett arm in arm, and after the screening, she hurried off, leaving Cruise behind. Given Adrian’s usual behavior, it was natural to speculate in certain directions.

"I knew it..." Blanchett rolled her eyes and sighed, then took her ski poles and slid downhill.

Adrian smiled and shrugged again without replying, noting that Cruise and Nicole seemed colder than before. Otherwise, why would Cruise seem totally indifferent about Nicole’s departure, still all smiles and not at all upset? Of course, it took a persistent observer like Adrian to notice these subtleties.

In fact, Blanchett didn’t really want to ask about that; she just used it as an excuse to probe, targeting the coverage in the tabloids.

The serious newspapers all covered the cinematic aspects, but the gossip tabloids splashed headlines about him escorting Blanchett at the premiere, even featuring a special section listing all the Miracle Girls and speculating about a showdown.

Still want to struggle a bit more? Watching Blanchett slide down, remembering her behavior after returning from the premiere that day, Adrian chuckled inwardly and then shouted, "Be careful not to fall!"

No sooner had he spoken than Blanchett’s scream echoed up.

This was just the beginning. A week later, at another premiere held in the same cinema, Adrian appeared on the red carpet arm in arm with another woman. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote and give it a monthly recommendation at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)