King of Hollywood-Chapter 268 - 266

Chapter 268: 266

Chapter 268: 266

“You sure are busy, aren’t you?” Adrian had just sat down next to Monica in the screening room when the daydreaming girl turned her head, looking at him with a half-smile and sighed.

Adrian knew exactly what she meant—having rushed to the screening room just before the movie started, he’d likely spent some passionate moments with Julia in a secluded room. Adrian just shrugged with a smile, not bothering to argue, then he remembered the softness of the little fairy’s lips, an endlessly delightful memory.

Who else could ask for personal coaching but Kirsten? After all, she had a substantial role in “No Reservations”, so it was only normal for her to be at the premiere.

Adrian hadn’t planned on giving personal coaching right then, especially since he had just been flirting with both Monica and Julia and it was crowded. Besides, Kirsten’s mother, Inez, was also there; being seen might be awkward. But Kirsten insisted, suggesting through hints between the lines that it wouldn’t be a problem, and giving that pleading, slightly coquettish look. Such expressions were lethal on such a young girl, particularly when performed by this little fairy, making Adrian immune to resistance, and so he agreed. Luckily, no one knocked on the door from start to finish.

As for what Kirsten came to him for, Adrian couldn’t help but chuckle each time he thought about it. The little fairy might be precocious and bold, but she still lacked experience—at least she didn’t yet understand that unavailability often made things more desirable. Well, maybe she did understand, but acting on it wasn’t easy.

“Sometimes I can’t help but think, why didn’t I just persist? Perhaps I could have done just as well,” Kirsten said as she sat on Adrian’s lap, having just finished her private coaching. She wore a lace-edged long dress today, straddling Adrian’s lap, the barely-there friction combined with the unique scent of a young girl, the soft, whining voice, and the lingering fragrance on her lips made one feel utterly delightful yet intensely stirred.

Adrian almost had a noticeable reaction, but her words brought him back to his senses, avoiding an awkward moment. No matter how precocious the little fairy was, she had just stepped into young womanhood.

Clearly, she was jealous—jealous of Natalie’s performance in “The Professional”, jealous of all the praise Natalie had received, given that she was so close to landing that role herself. That was a good thing; Adrian had said long ago that ambition and desire made someone easier to control.

“Just for that?” Adrian pinched her cute, round cheek and chuckled.

“Of course, what else would it be?” Kirsten’s eyes widened, a picture of innocence.

“I bet you haven’t seen the clips from ‘Interview with the Vampire’ yet,” Adrian laughed heartily, “Know what? No one your age can surpass your performance in that, everyone who has seen the clips agrees. So, all you need to do is wait quietly for the movie to be released, and then you’ll get the recognition you deserve.”

“Really?” Kirsten looked half-convinced, but it was clear she was just pretending.

“My judgement has never been off, not this time either,” Adrian lifted her soft little chin with his finger, “I said this role could at least get a Golden Globe or an Oscar nomination, then there’s no doubt about it. You deserve it, Qiqi, because you’re smarter than Natalie and know how to strive for what you want.”

He then leaned in, very close to her face, almost nose to nose, fully able to feel each other’s breath, “Whether it’s directors like Jordan, or stars like Tom Cruise, they all say you have the soul of someone at least 35 years old inside you, I absolutely believe that. You are truly captivating, Qiqi.”

Kirsten’s eyes glazed over, her breathing grew heavier, and quite naturally, she wrapped her arms again around Adrian’s neck, pressing her tender, fresh lips against his.

I must say, this little fairy was quite adept at learning. After just a few one-on-one sessions, she had mastered a considerable degree of kissing technique, and could even fully leverage her own advantages, making the sucking of that tiny sweet tongue utterly soul-stirring. If Adrian’s self-control hadn’t been so strong, he might have devoured her completely by now.

“Let’s call it a day for the personal coaching,” Adrian said after a teasing kiss that left Kirsten blushing. He patted her cheek, signaling her to get off his lap, “Take some time to rest during this period, have your agent schedule some light activities, and in two or three months, I’ll prepare a new role for you.”

Although Kirsten appeared reluctant and still eager, upon hearing his words she obediently hopped off Adrian.

“A new role?” she asked, her smile tinged with coquetry.

“Yes, although it won’t allow as much freedom as Claudia in ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ if played well, the praise received won’t be less.” Adrian declared with conviction.

After leaving the room, he went directly to the screening room. It seemed to have taken little time, but the movie was nearly starting. Time flies when one is deeply engrossed in work. To prevent any problems, Adrian only came out some time after Kirsten had left, which is why Monica misunderstood him.

Adrian did not clear up Monica’s misunderstanding. In fact, it was not easy to explain, and sometimes such misunderstandings could unexpectedly be beneficial. For example, returning home that evening, Monica served him thoroughly, allowing Adrian to thoroughly enjoy the night.

Well, no more about that. The Valentine’s Day release of ‘No Reservations’ did not start very smoothly, earning only $11 million in its first three days with screenings at 1,500 theatres, which was due to several issues Adrian had overlooked.

Firstly, Monica did not have the star power to carry the box office alone. Although her performance in ‘Pulp Fiction’ was stunning, she wasn’t very popular and didn’t have many notable films to her name, especially since this was her first time acting in a romantic comedy. Moreover, her somewhat stiff acting style continued to be a point of criticism among film critics.

Secondly, this problem also affected the male lead and the supporting actress. The male lead, Leman Atkinson, although he had some acting experience, was still a newcomer, and Kirsten Dunst, being slightly more famous as a child star, might have drawn more people to the theaters if ‘No Reservations’ had been released after ‘Interview with the Vampire’. But as things stood…

Of course, there were also advantages. At least Adrian had found a capable director. Mandy Gale, whom he had no recollection of, had managed the pacing very well; the storyline was seamlessly connected from start to finish, making for a satisfying watch.

“Although adding too much heartache in a romantic comedy is foolish, director Mandy has cleverly interspersed humor to connect it all, making it quite entertaining,” said the ‘Hollywood Report’.

“‘Pulp Fiction’ showed us Monica Bellucci’s sexiness, while ‘No Reservations’ showed her charm. Although her acting still has room for improvement, her natural and unpretentious way of making food was quite endearing,” stated the ‘Philadelphia Early Morning News’.

In conclusion, film critics gave the movie favorable reviews. After all, it wasn’t an art film; as long as it was entertaining, it was sufficient. This was another advantage of ‘No Reservations’. Now, in the mid-90s, many classic romantic comedies had yet to emerge, the pace of society was different from that in the 21st century, and the audience was not so critical of such stories, naturally attracting quite a lot of attention.

Additionally, critics highly praised Kirsten’s performance, calling it a unique highlight of the whole movie. Kirsten was overjoyed by this, but she was even more eager for the release of ‘Interview with the Vampire’, as the media’s praise for her was much lower than for Natalie.

Due to these factors, and because no major threatening movies were released in February, No Reservations started off poorly, but it had a rather substantial staying power. After four weeks, it had garnered around $60 million at the box office. As the off-season for movies approached, while there was still remaining value, they simply reduced the number of theaters and extended the screening period, eventually bringing in nearly $80 million in North America after three months. Considering the cost was about $20 million, they made quite a profit.

In the overseas box office, Italy performed the best, as the movie was about an Italian restaurant. However, it was more significantly because it starred Monica Bellucci. European actors who made a name for themselves in Hollywood were mostly from the United Kingdom, which shared a lineage with the United States. French actors, despite being second, were treated much worse.

Actors from other countries—Spain and Italy included—were celebrated in their own countries but mostly played minor roles in Hollywood, rarely securing top-tier positions.

Thus, Europeans, or rather European mainland actors and directors, while disdainful towards Hollywood, still devotedly sought entry. Although Monica could not yet compare to Hollywood’s leading actors, with No Reservations she had firmly established herself. Italians naturally flocked to her. Even if local critics deemed it overly commercial, to the discerning eye, it was just a case of sour grapes.

Well, all this came later, Adrian didn’t let the rocky start bother him. Though he recognized the issues through the opening week’s box office, the critics were positive about the story, and comparing to his memories, he fully trusted that No Reservations would have good potential later on.

From the end of last year until now, four films that were released had all recouped their costs, and come Oscar time, all were handed over to Laverne, after which Adrian started visiting various film sets again. There were two ongoing films worth his attention, the first being Speed, which had just started shooting in the studio on the 23rd due to all prior planning, allowing the male and female leads along with the director to begin promptly.

Jean de Bont, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Blanchett were all deeply invested.

“I originally planned to shoot on Highway 105, but it had already been put into use last week, so we might as well start with the indoor scenes first and find time to scout another newly constructed but not yet open highway,” Bont openly shared his thoughts without hesitation to Adrian.

“It’s a great feeling—I like this role. It’s serious and fitting for a police officer. I worked with the Los Angeles police during the shooting of Point Break, and they indeed prioritize the safety of hostages,” Reeves originally liked the script, and after shooting, he grew even fonder of it, a shift in sentiment undeniably linked to River’s recovery.

After the drug overdose hospitalization incident last Halloween, the media unanimously criticized River, but he ignored them completely, focusing instead on detoxing, resting, and exercising. He knew that paying attention to these people would only encourage further harassment. As expected, as time passed and the bustling Christmas-New Year period arrived, the media quickly shifted focus and River had a peaceful holiday with his family. By now, feeling significantly better, he was also contemplating roles that might suit him.

All this was what Adrian heard from Reeves. Since River and his brother had personally come to thank him at his office, although they stayed in touch, they hadn’t met again. After deliberating, Adrian decided to observe River a bit longer to see how he performed in films post-trauma before considering roles for him. But his brothers, Joaquin and Silver, especially Silver, had more potential for development and were worth considering first.

A small note: due to the Halloween incident, River’s agent—who also represented Joaquin—had joined an agency under AC Media.

As for his primary goal visiting the set, Blanchett, although very excited, managed her emotions very well.

“I must admit, this role is more interesting than I expected. She is a bit nervous yet very bold and strong. Well, filming is indeed more appealing than stage plays,” she said with a beaming smile. When mentioning “more appealing,” she also gestured and playfully pouted, adding a charming effect. This, combined with her precisely achieved expressions of panic and resolve after shooting commenced, really had a distinct appeal.

“I’ve said it, you fit this role perfectly, and my judgement is not wrong,” Adrian calmly stated this, without further words or gestures.

He had already asked her out twice before, both times for dinner, to chat about topics of interest and then to take a stroll, before taking her back to her rented apartment—since filming wasn’t brief, Blanchett would inevitably spend some time living in Los Angeles.

Adrian interacted with Blanchett purely as a friend, not even holding hands frequently, and hadn’t made any probing statements. As for the reasons, he could sense that Blanchett was a bit guarded, probably because she had learned more about his scandals, but that was okay; Adrian didn’t think Blanchett was an idealist, so once she let her guard down…

Although this set was rather uneventful, the same couldn’t be said for another.

“I really appreciate it, Mr. Adrian, thank you for modifying the screenplay according to my suggestions and giving me ample room to perform,” Jim Carrey said gratefully.

The second set was the nearly completed “The Mask.” Jim Carrey, a natural-born comedic actor, impressed the director, Chuck Russell, with his perfectly exaggerated body language and actions. Any dissatisfaction about the screenplay alterations had dissipated. Off the camera, Jim Carrey also enjoyed joking around, which made him quite popular on set.

“It’s nothing, Jim. Good suggestions should be heeded. You’re an outstanding comedian, and I believe your achievements won’t just stop here,” Adrian said, prompting yet another wave of gratitude from Jim Carrey.

“Thank you, I’ll work hard,” he said. After all, Adrian’s reputation—especially his achievements in the last three years—was almost universally recognized in Hollywood, and here he was, still a second-tier comedian, though his recent “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” had brought him tremendous popularity. He remained respectful in front of Adrian, who had shown him significant respect.

Adrian didn’t say anything more, simply patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, glanced at the distance before heading down the studio corridor. Taking several turns, he soon saw a young woman in a red spaghetti-strap mini dress, her hands on her hips, legs apart, standing at the doorway of a room.

The two looked at each other and simultaneously chuckled lightly. The lady’s wide mouth slightly opened, her tongue lasciviously licking her lips, then Adrian stepped forward, hugged her, burst through the door, and with a sweep of his arm, cleared a desk of its contents before somewhat roughly pressing her against it.

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“Oh, Ed, you’re really rough,” the lady giggled.

“Isn’t this your costume, Camy? Aren’t you afraid of getting it dirty?” Adrian looked down at Cameron Diaz, her cleavage nearly rivaling Monica’s.

“I like it a lot, so I had one specially made to see your reaction,” Cameron laughed seductively, tightening her legs around Adrian’s waist, “Come on, Ed, we have at least 30 minutes.”

“Ha, that’s quite enough,” Adrian had already stripped off her panties.

“We’re on break, and next up it’s Jim’s scenes. It’s very quiet here, and the soundproofing is good, so let me really feel what you’re made of! Ah!”

With Cameron’s scream, squeaks unabashedly filled the room, and a fierce battle had begun.

(To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)