King of Hollywood
Chapter 652 - 60 Finally on the Big Screen

Chapter 652: Chapter 60 Finally on the Big Screen

"In a recent interview, Miracle Director Adrian thought that ’Winter’s Bone’ and ’Erin Brockovich’ were completely different types of movies, and it made no sense to compare them, as their commonality lies only in realism and being motivational. The difference is that ’Winter’s Bone’ is closer to the bottom of society, and the inspirational aspect is simply to showcase a touch of warmth, whereas the theme of ’Erin Brockovich’ is motivation, and it seems somewhat fairy-tale-like, but it’s actually based on a true story. Moreover, it’s quite unreasonable to judge ’Erin Brockovich’ as inferior to ’Winter’s Bone’ based on the trailers before the movie has even been released."

"To be frank, I agree with the latter statement; it is indeed unreasonable to make such judgments before the film’s release. But what if it’s just speculation? I must say, Adrian is a bit too sensitive. Certainly, some people are making judgments, but most are merely guessing, so his comments seem to have an air of defensiveness..." the TV host rattled on about something or other.

Taking advantage of the premiere opportunities for ’Sense and Sensibility’ and ’The Cider House Rules’, one after another, Adrian rarely spoke in front of reporters about his two movies, one already released and the other upcoming, earlier this year, which immediately sparked a strong reaction from the media. After all, he has long been called the most irresponsible director and producer by many, who mainly hands over the film to others to manage after production, merely attending the premiere and hardly participating in the subsequent promotional activities. Still, his works manage to sell well despite this, much to the disappointment of those who anticipated his failure.

Now that he’s taking the initiative to talk about his own movies at the premiere, how could it not be worth the media’s special mention? Even though they know he’s warning certain people not to stir up reviews without having seen the films, it’s fine as long as they choose their words carefully. Naturally, some will see what they want to see in his words, like that TV host. Of course, there are also people who can’t see anything, like the person sitting in front of the TV right now.

"What’s he talking about? Why can’t I understand a thing?" muttered Lily, completely baffled by the remote control, turning her head toward the Asian woman beside her, peeling an apple.

"It’s nothing; he’s an idiot, questioning the work of the best director on this planet," Yukie shrugged off and then pushed the sliced apple in front of Lily.

"Do I have to finish it?" Lily immediately pouted, showing reluctance.

"At least half; your dad has instructed so," Yukie said with a smile, rubbing her head a couple of times.

"Alright, alright, I know; Aunt Yukie always listens to dad," Lily sighed, looking at the host, still going on on the screen, and turned off the TV with the remote. "If he’s an idiot, then there’s no need to listen to his rant."

It didn’t really matter when she turned it off, but someone else was unhappy.

"Want to watch... TV!" Juliet’s milky voice called out, unclear but clearly discontent.

"You can’t watch TV now; do you understand, Juliet?" Lily turned to admonish her sister, only to see Deva flipping over to crawl her way under the couch.

"Hey, Deva, no need to run around like that!" Lily immediately jumped down from the sofa to grab her other sister and tried to send her back, but the little one struggled fiercely, giggling non-stop, probably thinking her sister was playing a game. So, it was impossible for Lily to push her back up.

Thankfully, Yukie came over to help after drying her hands, or else Lily didn’t know when the tangle with Deva would end.

"Sister! Sister!" The happy little one sat back in place, clapping her hands and calling out loudly to Lily, even sticking out her tongue and making a funny face, leaving Lily staring at her for a good while, not knowing what to say.

"Aunt Yukie, was I like this when I was their age?" Lily, at a loss with the little one, suddenly looked up and asked, "You should have been at our house by then."

"Yes, although you didn’t come here often, I still saw you many times," Yukie said thoughtfully, "but I can assure you, you were nothing like them."

But before Lily could get too pleased with herself, she continued, "You were much naughtier than they are; Juliet and Deva together weren’t as much as you."

"Ah?" Lily instantly puffed up her cheeks, showing a hurt expression, "Why has Aunt Yukie also learned dad’s routine?!"

Before Yukie could answer, with a light thud, the two restless little ones wriggling on the sofa bumped heads. Then Juliet burst into tears, and not to be outdone, Deva also started crying, filling the room with noise instantly. Luckily, the nanny was nearby, and she hurried over upon hearing the little ones’ cries. Even so, the scene was still a bit chaotic. Seeing that she couldn’t be of much help and Aunt Yukie’s attention was no longer on her, Lily tiptoed and sneaked out.

Not having to eat apples was such a relief. Lily giggled to herself as she quickly scampered up the stairs. No matter how tasty something is, you can get fed up with it if you have too much.

Reaching the second floor, Lily looked left and right, her eyes darting back and forth, and then with a giggle, she ran to the left. After turning a corner at the end of the hallway, she slowed down her pace, curling up like a little rabbit on high alert, and moved slowly towards her target. Before she even got there, a faint moan reached her ears, surprising the little girl at first and then causing her to frown. Hesitating for a few seconds, she decided to move forward, but even more quietly than before.

Finally, she arrived at the door. The moaning grew louder. After taking a deep breath, Lily leaned against the wall and peered through the half-open door, her mouth agape. Her mom was on the bed, head resting on the footboard, eyes half-open, with a slight smile that seemed to indicate she was enjoying herself. Her dad was kneeling beside her, elbows bent, pressing into her mom’s waist and grinding intensely.

"How about now, is it here?" Dad asked while grinding, and Mom didn’t say a word. Although she was frowning, she made humming noises that seemed to indicate she was satisfied with what he was doing.

What are Mom and Dad doing? Lily pouted, growing more curious and confused.

"I might not be very professional, but I can still find the right spots," Dad said at that moment.

"I know, you’re very professional. Are we good now?" Mom said irritably, "Even Lily has been drawn over by you."

Then she turned her head and called out to her daughter hiding by the door with a chuckle, "Come in, Lily. I saw you long ago."

The little girl stuck out her tongue and ran in somewhat sheepishly, standing on tiptoes and planting a kiss on her mother’s smiling face.

"Our lovely daughter has forgotten to knock on the door again," Dad teased, continuing his massage on Mom’s waist.

Lily’s cheeks instantly turned red, and she retorted, "That’s because Daddy didn’t close the door. If it had been closed, I definitely would have knocked before coming in!"

Without waiting for Dad to respond, she quickly changed the subject, "What are you doing, Daddy?"

"Giving your mom a massage," Dad said, not dwelling on the subject. "Your mom has to do a lot of action for her new movie, so her back is really sore. I’m just massaging it to help ease the fatigue."

"Is that so?" Lily immediately bounced over to Dad’s side, observing his elbow curiously, "It looks so strange."

"Do you want to try, too?" Dad suddenly straightened up and offered.

"Me?" Lily looked surprised and excited, "What can I do?!"

"Come up and see," Dad beckoned. Once his daughter had taken off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, he had her sit right on Mom’s waist.

"Like this, wriggle your bottom to create a vibration. The vibration can help relieve your mom’s fatigue," Dad said with a laugh, obviously playing a prank. Lily giggled and followed his instructions, putting all her weight on her mom and starting to shake.

"Hey, you two!" Mom seemed both amused and annoyed as every time she tried to get up, her daughter would use her own body weight to push her back down. After several attempts, Mom appeared to be angry, and with a whoosh, she turned over and grabbed Lily into her hug. Lily screamed and tried to dodge, finally breaking free from her mom’s grasp and diving into her dad’s arms, who was watching the commotion by their side. But Mom didn’t care and dragged Dad into the fray too. The family of three tussled and frolicked on the bed for a while before they stopped.

"Really, Dad and Mom ganging up on a little kid!" Lily, fixing her clothes, complained.

"Since Mom and daughter can gang up on Dad, and Dad and daughter can gang up on Mom, then why can’t Dad and Mom gang up on daughter," Adrian asked with a mischievous smile as he held Kate in his arms.

"Because that’s not fair!" the little one protested, waving her tiny fists.

"So, teaming up with Dad or Mom to bully the other is fair?" Adrian pressed on.

"Of course!" The reply was bold and confident.

"Oh dear, it seems we have a problem with our education. How can Lily become such a troublemaker!" Adrian lamented to Kate with an exaggerated tone, as Kate chuckled and snuggled in his embrace, giving him a kiss.

Watching this, Lily rolled her eyes, jumped off the bed to put on her shoes, and left saying "I’m going downstairs," before dashing out.

"Let’s go down and see what the little ones are up to," Adrian said after giving Kate another kiss. "Is your waist feeling better? If I had known, I wouldn’t have let them use wires."

"It’s okay. It’s unavoidable with action movies," Kate shrugged it off nonchalantly as her waist was just a bit fatigued—not even a strain.

"So, do you think my personal massage makes up for not expressing appreciation for your excellent performance in ’The Cider House Rules’?" Adrian then asked.

"Of course—" Kate drew out her words, "not!"

"Oh?" Adrian raised his eyebrow, suddenly flipping Kate over and pressing down on her, his gaze fierce, "Are you sure, Miss Kate Beckinsale?"

"Absolutely, and considering your rudeness, I’m even angrier now," Kate huffed, purposely thrusting out her chest, "Besides, I should remind you that the door is not closed."

After a moment of staring at each other, Adrian finally sighed and let go of her: "Alright, alright, I knew it was impossible to get your forgiveness."

Although he was obviously acting, Kate shook her head with a smile, sat up, hugged him gently, and said nothing. But if anything was to be said, it was all in that hug.

"Let’s go downstairs." Adrian kissed her cheek, repeating his earlier words, then whispered in her ear, "Your performance was really great, and that’s the truth."

After all, saying those things to the reporters at the premieres of ’Sense and Sensibility’ and ’The Cider House Rules’ was not only to issue a warning through their mouths but also to divert their attention. As said before, even if Lily was eventually going to be exposed to the public, delaying it by even one day is better than sooner.

Therefore, when following the media afterwards, he focused most of his attention on the coverage of ’Winter’s Bone’ and ’Erin Brockovich’, with only a small amount of attention on any news that might lead to Lily. So when Kate asked him about the media’s comments on her performance in ’The Cider House Rules’, Adrian gave her a few perfunctory responses, which made Kate a little unhappy.

Although Adrian quickly caught on, Kate always remained coolly indifferent toward him. It is well-known that a woman’s heart is often small, and Kate felt that Adrian was a bit too focused on "Erin Brockovich" and its leading actress—even if she hadn’t realized it herself. Thus, Adrian tried every possible means, and with Lily’s help, he ultimately managed to win Kate over.

"My lovely Kate is being sensitive again," Adrian thought afterward. They were an old married couple by now, and he was clearer about Kate’s thoughts in some respects. However, this was also good; a little conflict now and then would keep their current relationship going.

Frankly speaking, Kate’s performance in "The Cider House Rules" was generally half a notch below the original—which was portrayed by Adrian’s previous secretary. But she introduced her own style and characteristics, something others might not have noticed, but Adrian could compare in his heart. Perhaps Kate was less composed than Charlize, but her English charm and the shallow smile that lingered on her lips for most of the movie had an indescribable power to soothe, earning her praise from many film critics.

"Kate Beckinsale has brought a unique flavor to the performance, presenting Candy’s vivacity and innocence with a perfect sense of authenticity," someone wrote.

However, most of the praise was for Michael Caine. As an underlying theme in the story, his portrayal of Doctor Lacy was completely intertwined with the character—cultured, kindhearted, and sensitive. The most unfortunate was Toby Maguire, because the film was released a year later than in his previous life, while "Spider Man" had been brought forward by more than two years. Even though his portrayal closely matched the script’s description of the male lead, and he gave it his best effort, the media was not too fond of him.

"The whole movie I kept waiting, waiting to see when Maguire would transform," a report from the New York Post said, almost maliciously, but surprisingly, it seemed to have gained approval from the majority of netizens, who kept saying that Maguire’s appearance in "The Cider House Rules" was no different from Peter Parker.

Could there be anything more unlucky? Unfortunately, Adrian didn’t care. The reason for the year-long delay in producing the film was for Kate; as for everyone else, they were out of his consideration.

"Sense and Sensibility," released before "The Cider House Rules," also received good reviews. The American fascination with British literature has a long history. Want to make a run for the Oscars? Picking a British classic to adapt into a film is certainly no problem, with Jane Austen being a particular favorite of many directors, as several of her novels have been adapted into various versions.

So, although this film wasn’t directed by Ang Lee, it was expectedly well-received since it presented the plot and characters reasonably well. Similarly, Blanchett’s sister and Gwyneth’s little sister were extensively compared by film critics, especially in light of their intense competition at the Oscars for "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth," making these comparisons very interesting.

Although Blanchett and Gwyneth had already collaborated in the Anthony Minghella-directed and produced "The Talented Mr. Ripley" last year, their scenes together were pitifully few—in contrast to the present moment, where one played the sister and the other the younger sibling, creating a much more dramatic scenario?

"I’m more and more convinced that my original decision was the right one," Adrian exaggerated with gestures while in the villa shared by Blanchett and Gwyneth, "Look at these film critics’ reviews, how interesting they are."

"Do you really think he finds the film critics’ reviews interesting, sister?" Gwyneth asked while peeling an orange for the heavily pregnant Blanchett.

"No doubt about it; he does not," Blanchett shrugged as she sat in her recliner, nurturing her unborn child.

"Then what is it?" Liv, who was helping out, interjected.

"Do I need to spell it out for you, ’Princess Arwen’?" Blanchett asked with a smile.

Repeating "Princess Arwen" to herself twice, Liv finally caught on and then looked at Adrian with a gesture of surprise and disbelief.

"What’s the matter? Is there a problem?" Adrian asked, feigning puzzlement.

Well, let’s not talk about that. As early as when "Sense and Sensibility" began filming, the sisters Eleanor and Marianne had been ensnared in a trap by the cunning American businessman Adrian. Any struggle now was futile—of course, Adrian wouldn’t mind at all if it meant having one more little maid for this pair of sisters.

Then, before the third Monday of December arrived, before the final results of this year’s election were announced, "Erin Brockovich," which had received much attention since its release, finally hit the big screen. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)