King of Hollywood-Chapter 556 - 277: Get out of the way, let me kill him!

The whole affair was simple. After directing stage plays for several years, Sam Mendes finally had the idea of trying his hand at film. During his time producing plays, especially on Broadway, he had met quite a few Hollywood actors—many actors, in their spare time or when their popularity waned, would try their luck on Broadway to expand their careers and refine their acting skills, and if they were fortunate enough to snag a Tony Award trophy, all the better.

However, when Mendes actually started contacting producers in Hollywood, his complete lack of film production experience became an insurmountable hurdle. The second- and third-tier producers didn’t mind letting this newcomer direct, as successfully directing stage plays for so many years, including some pretty good ones, required skill, but he had no interest in them. As for the first-rate screenplays that caught his eye, the people in charge all chose to politely decline.

Just when Mendes was at his wit’s end, he happened upon a script, called "American Beauty," that was searching for the right director. Although he had only read one-third of it, he was quickly captivated. Out of all the scripts he read, only this one made Mendes feel a desperate need to get it. He had lived in New York for quite some time and had a substantial understanding of the American middle class, so he naturally resonated with the script.

Coincidentally, the project was with Universal, and everyone knew that Universal had been acquired by AC Media. And the owner of AC Media, Adrian Cowell, was the youngest ever to win the Best Director Oscar, with great vision and a fondness for promoting young directors. David Fincher, Michael Bay, Jean de Bont, and so on, had all been discovered by him. Therefore, Mendes, taking a gamble, did everything in his power to secure an interview with this director, who was even two years his junior.

Eventually, he got the chance to have an interview with Adrian, and then, he got the opportunity to direct the movie.

"Very good, Sam, you’ve won this job," Adrian said in his office after listening to his analysis.

If Adrian hadn’t thought bringing in the original director was appropriate, he wouldn’t have wanted to contact Mendes through Spielberg. But now it seemed that Mendes must have secured the directing opportunity by pitching himself to DreamWorks and then becoming friends with Spielberg. It was a correct move, after all, to spread the word after buying the script from Alan Ball.

However, after this conversation, Adrian was also certain about one thing—Mendes was indeed deserving of directing this movie. He wasn’t like Fincher and the others; perhaps it was due to his long years of directing stage plays, being British, he was overly obsessed with the meanings to be conveyed in movies. Thus, with the vision and ability honed from directing plays, making a film that earned critical acclaim was not a problem, but making one that would rake in box-office earnings was difficult.

In fact, in Adrian’s memory, "American Beauty" was the only film by Mendes that was both a critical and box office success, and it seemed that this had much to do with it being his directorial debut. Unless it was an independent film or the director also served as a producer, no film company would entrust the final cut to a newcomer with no film production experience.

So the director’s position was settled, and even if Mendes’s later films weren’t that great, at least he and "American Beauty" would boost each other’s success, and Adrian didn’t mind using this opportunity to once again showcase his keen eye. Besides, it meant he didn’t owe Spielberg any favors. It was just that the plan to return to New Zealand had to be postponed. Although this film wouldn’t take too much effort to produce, if it was to be released this year, they needed to hurry. The actors were already prepared, and now that the director had been finalized, it was time to quickly gather everyone for a discussion and then begin filming.

Without a doubt, the role of the male lead Lester would be played by Kevin Spacey; otherwise, Adrian wouldn’t have needed to spend double the price to wrest the script from DreamWorks. As for the female lead, Caroline...

"A few weeks ago, you hadn’t mentioned this movie to me," said the beautiful woman curled up on the couch in the Beverly Hills mansion, post-divorce awarded to her, scrutinizing the script with a frown.

"That’s because we hadn’t found the suitable director at the time," Adrian seated himself beside her, "We got the script back in ’97, but we’ve been taking our time selecting the cast and director. This is going to be a very good movie, I’m sure of it. The media will praise it as the ’Death of a Salesman’ of the ’90s."

Nicole was silent for a while, then after some time, she looked up at him, "Do you think I’m right for this role?"

"Of course, if there are some similarities in the experience, playing the role will become much more natural," Adrian said bluntly. However, Nicole didn’t show the annoyed or unhappy expression she usually would have. Instead, she gazed at him placidly, as if wanting to see through his real thoughts, already completely immune to his level of teasing.

After all, having already gone through such chaos, what was there left to hold back? Besides, now that the divorce agreement was signed, she and Cruise were two unrelated individuals.

"Do you remember what I told you?" Adrian smiled, stretched out his arms, scooped her up, and pulled her into his embrace. Nicole merely struggled lightly before ceasing to move. Though she turned her head to one side, she still let him caress her cheek.

"I said..." Adrian whispered into her ear, breathing softly, "I want to see you ascend to the throne of Best Actress in the most stunning way!"

Nicole’s ears tickled, making half her body go weak and the other half flush with heat, but she was still taken aback and managed to prop herself up to say, "You mean... you mean..."

Had Adrian said this to her before this year’s Oscars, she might still have doubted him, but Gwyneth and Blanchett’s dual nominations, along with Blanchett’s win for Best Actress, were telling those in the know not to doubt the Miracle Director’s promise.

"Don’t be hasty, it’s not right now." Adrian’s smile grew even more intense, and Nicole, clearly understanding what was behind that smile, flushed and gave him a fierce glare, choosing to stay silent.

Unexpectedly, Adrian didn’t continue but just cupped her face, lowered his head, and covered her lips with his. Just like when he had held her before, Nicole resisted only a bit before reciprocating very passionately. It took several entangled moments before they finally parted.

"You know, to move the Oscar judges, aside from acting skills, seniority is also key. Even though you’ve been in Hollywood for nearly ten years and have won some awards, big and small, you haven’t received a single Oscar nomination," Adrian continued, his expression seeming more like he was savoring the wet kiss they had just shared.

However, the softened Nicole, nestled in his arms, didn’t have the energy to quibble over such things. The meaning behind Adrian’s words was already crystal clear.

"You mean... get a nomination with this role?" she asked, somewhat uncertainly, after adjusting her breathing.

While many facts had already told her that Adrian never failed to deliver on his promises, when it actually came down to her own prospects, she couldn’t help feeling a bit at a loss despite her shrewdness.

"Yes, it’s a terrific script, and Caroline is a fabulous character. As long as you deliver a great performance, getting a nomination should be a simple task," Adrian nodded, emphasizing heavily on the words "deliver a great performance."

Nicole could not miss the implication. It’s important to have a good role, good script, and good director, but one’s own strength is crucial; if the performance is too much like a vase, then no matter how good the other conditions are, it won’t earn positive critiques. On this, however, she was quite confident. Her performance in Mulholland Drive, although not as praised as Naomi’s, was still called one of the best of recent years, and she had seen the film clips from The Others and was assured that she wouldn’t lag far behind. Despite the wife’s role in American Beauty being slightly more complex, it was not beyond her grasp, just as Adrian had described—she could empathize with it in some ways...

Leaving that guy, by this man’s side, I’ll only shine more brilliantly. This thought inadvertently filled her mind.

"So what about that movie from before? What are we going to do with ’Practical Magic’?" Nicole suddenly asked.

"We’ll just delay it a bit," Adrian replied with a bad smile, "If the filming of ’American Beauty’ goes smoothly, it shouldn’t take more than two months. This will give us the perfect opportunity to fine-tune the script of ’Practical Magic’ even more. After all, that’s a movie prepared for you and Naomi."

Nicole’s cheeks flushed red at once, she spat at him, got up to run, but Adrian flipped over and pressed her down onto the couch. This time, her struggles were much more vigorous, accompanied by screams, and in the end, she actually managed to push Adrian away. She ran upstairs, laughing, while Adrian, who was pushed to the ground, shrugged his shoulders, sprang up, and chased after her. Think you can get away?

To be honest, Nicole was not the most suitable candidate for the lead actress in ’American Beauty.’ She was a bit too young, at least seven years younger than Spacey, and it was hard for her to completely grasp the character’s traits due to the difference in life experience, as the original Annette Bening and Spacey were the same age. But Nicole had her advantages; her experiences as a wife, especially after Adrian had intervened, had further ignited her ambition and resonated with the character of Caroline.

Moreover, Adrian had sketched out a wonderful future for her, one that she surely wouldn’t pass up. After Adrian had ’violated’ her fiercely, she proudly told him that she had already collected several hundred US dollars in ’prostitution fees.’ Even a few weeks before, such words would never have come from Nicole’s mouth. People are always changing slowly.

Of course, more importantly, there wasn’t any more suitable woman by Adrian’s side—if the script had already been acquired, why not give the nomination opportunity to one’s own woman?

Kate, Gwyneth, and Blanchett were all too young—Blanchett might have been suitable but had just won an Oscar statuette; Julia and Zetajones’ temperament didn’t fit; Monica and Sophie could have been considered, but they were both heavily pregnant. So, it came down to Nicole and Naomi, and among the two, Nicole was the more suitable, so there was no need for further discussion.

As for ’Practical Magic,’ it wasn’t important—in any case, it was a movie prepared for Nicole and Naomi to star in together, and the script indeed needed further refinement. The original movie had its flaws, leading to good reviews but no box office success. If these defects could be corrected, the new version might far surpass the original.

Besides, he had prepared another script for Naomi. Delaying ’Practical Magic’ would not affect anything. After acquiring Universal, he had seen a significant increase in the number of good scripts received. Most screenwriters and producers still preferred working with big companies. ’What Lies Beneath’ was discovered under these circumstances, and the entire story suited Naomi’s thriller acting style perfectly. Although the female lead might not have as wide a range of performance as Caroline in ’American Beauty,’ Harrison Ford had agreed to play the villain. This gimmick alone was enough to attract a large audience, and Naomi’s popularity was bound to increase accordingly.

Sam Mendes, who was chosen as the director, had no objections to this cast. As a novice director, he had nearly no say in the matter, and Adrian had promised to give him enough power on set. Alan Ball, who wrote the script, had some reservations about Nicole playing Caroline but had little say as well, and while he thought Spacey was a great choice for the male lead, everything was thus settled. The only one who had objections after the communication was Sarah, who would play the daughter.

"Do you really think it’s good for me to play this role, Ed?" Sarah privately approached Adrian to ask.

"Don’t you think you should take this opportunity to improve your acting, Sarah?" Adrian countered, "Do you only want to play in comedies or fantasy dramas? Don’t you want to hear critics’ praise?"

Sarah opened her mouth as if to say something but remained silent after looking at Adrian. After a moment, Adrian pulled her into his embrace and said, "Alright, if you really don’t want to play this role, then..."

"It’s okay, let’s do it this way," Sarah suddenly looked up and said, "As long as you want it, I’ll give it my all."

After gazing at her for a while, Adrian smiled slightly, cupped the girl’s face, and gave her a deep kiss. Then, he whispered in her ear, "Take good care of your puppy."

Sarah, who was feeling somewhat downcast, suddenly burst out laughing. She was playing Lester’s daughter Jenny, and her "sidekick" Love was playing Angela, who pretends to be mature to win others’ approval. After "I Know What You Did Last Summer," this was the first time the two were working together in the same film, no wonder Sarah found it amusing.

Initially, Adrian had wanted Sarah to play Angela, and Love to play Jenny. Aesthetically speaking, she was prettier and better suited to dyeing her hair blonde, but in terms of character, Jenny’s experiences certainly resonated more with her. Sarah was fully committed to Adrian, so he wouldn’t let her down; that’s why, in the end, the roles with Love were swapped.

Gradually taking on roles that required more acting skill, accumulating positive reviews, then aiming for one or two nominations, the Oscar for Best Actress wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Having firmed up many of the details for "American Beauty," Adrian hurried back to New Zealand. Although he was only delayed by three or four days, the efficiency and effectiveness of a crew without a director could only get worse.

Indeed, despite having clearly explained what needed to be shot to the assistant directors before he left and preparing contingency plans, detailing what they should do in case his return was postponed, only about 30% of the material they shot was usable.

"Frankly, I’m disappointed, but I don’t want to blame anyone. I’ve seen the footage you’ve all shot; you’ve done your best. That being said, I hope this doesn’t happen again. If you can give 100% of your effort, then you should be able to give 200%," Adrian said after reviewing the footage shot during his absence, and then the assistant directors, the director’s assistants, and the executive producers all started to look gloomy.

Although Adrian pretended not to see their expressions, he still had the logistical support increased. For instance, he had a helicopter prepared specifically for people going deep into National Forest Park for filming, which also made it convenient for him to rush between the various teams. As for the camping equipment needed in the forest park, they had everything they could need.

The next scenes to shoot were still very fragmented. McLaren still had to switch back and forth between the grey and white robes, and one shot was in Char, the next in White City.

"Gandalf has the power to teleport, so he can freely come and go between these places," McLaren joked as usual, seemingly unaffected by his Oscar misfortune.

"It’s okay, I’ve seen a lot of this before. Besides, you didn’t take it to heart, so why should I, an old man?" he replied, laughing heartily to Adrian’s inquiry.

"I’m growing fonder of you by the minute, Ian. Interested in playing another hero after we wrap up ’The Lord of the Rings’?" Adrian then asked him.

"I think playing one epic character is enough," the old chap replied after some thought.

"This isn’t some epic character, it’s... well, you’ll find out in time," Adrian said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively, "Alright, let’s get started."

Now they were shooting a scene... from the battle of White City, where the Regent King, thinking his second son Faramir has also died, goes mad and, ignoring the fact that Faramir is still alive, places him on a pile of wood to be cremated. Pippin is unable to stop him, and then Gandalf rides in on a white horse to overthrow the Regent King and rescue Faramir.

It was a relatively simple shot, but McLaren, the old man, always liked to surprise. Just after bursting in, he held his wooden staff with both hands and shouted at Pippin, "Get out of the way, let me kill him!"

(To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢