Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 460 - 379 Bob’s Countermeasure

Clang!

On Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, right outside the office door of the president of Weinstein International Film Company, Bob Weinstein stretched his hand to knock but halted when he heard the sound of glassware being smashed inside.

He withdrew his hand, lit a cigarette at the door, and waited for four or five minutes until silence returned inside.

Thump, thump, thump!

He knocked on the door.

"Get in here!"

The person inside roared loudly like an enraged lion.

Bob Weinstein pushed open the door and saw glass shards all over the floor. Even Harvey's favorite crystal nude statue was shattered. Harvey himself was sitting in the office chair, his gaze cold and his fleshy face twisted with anger.

His breathing was heavy. With each breath, his big belly and short, thick double chin puffed up together, like a bullfrog in a swamp.

Bob had a big belly and a double chin himself but believed he was a touch more handsome than his brother, Harvey.

"What's wrong, Harvey?"

Bob used his foot to push some glass shards aside and took a couple of steps forward.

"Link Baker! That damn Link Baker!"

Harvey banged on the desk, hysterically shouting.

"Link? How did he provoke you?"

Bob asked, puzzled.

He knew of Link, a very dazzling youngster who had achieved tremendous success in both the boxing ring and the music industry. Now he had come to Hollywood to make his mark and even started his own film company.

To Bob, Link's approach was just too naive and idealistic, thinking that doing well in other fields meant he could do equally well in Hollywood.

That was impossible.

The waters in Hollywood were much deeper than those of the boxing and music industries.

Take, for instance, Larry Ellison's son, David Ellison, who came to Hollywood with fifty million U.S. dollars to invest in films a few years ago.

His first film, "Air Combat Hero," had a production cost of sixty million U.S. dollars but earned only seventeen point eight-three million worldwide at the box office. He lost the entire fifty million, becoming the butt of jokes within the industry.

Billionaire Larry Ellison couldn't stand it and approached Lei Shidong, the boss of Paramount Pictures, to arrange for David Ellison to learn at Paramount. He wanted his son to master the art of film production before engaging in further film investment.

So, in Hollywood, having money alone was not enough.

Many believed Link would become Hollywood's next laughingstock after David Ellison, even though his first film, "Scandal Plan," was a big hit. No one believed his luck would continue.

"Hmph!"

Upon hearing his brother Bob's question, Harvey gloomily explained what angered him about Link.

Before calling Jennifer, he thought that with his status, a mere few words would be enough to make the newcomer actress Jennifer comply. He had used this tactic on many actresses before, and it never failed.

But with Jennifer, it backfired.

Not only did it not work, but his bluffing and mockery of Link were all overheard by Link.

It was infuriating.

Jennifer was also a disappointment.

He called Jennifer partly because he saw potential in her. At twenty years old, she demonstrated impressive acting skills, a promising actress worth cultivating.

Secondly, he wanted to use this as a means to get back at Link.

Everyone knew Link was the most charming man in the world, with tremendous allure for women.

If he could appear publicly arm in arm with Link's scandal-ridden girlfriend Jennifer, it would be a severe face-loss for Link, and everyone would know that even if Link was handsome, wealthy, and strong, Harvey was the only king in Hollywood.

But the plan backfired, and instead, that bastard Link threatened him, forcing him to transfer the film rights to him.

Harvey was furious. He had dominated Hollywood for over thirty years, rising from an unknown to one of the most powerful figures, and no one had dared defy him like this for many years. Yet today, he had been confronted face-to-face by a 21-year-old kid. It was unbearable.

"What did you say? Link has evidence of you sexually assaulting several actresses? Is it true?"

Bob asked seriously.

"I'm not sure, but it feels real."

Because Link insulted him, saying he had no balls and needed injections to function as a man.

Only those extremely intimate with him would know such a thing.

Then there were the three actresses Link mentioned, whom he indeed had harassed.

Additionally, Link was a billionaire, the son-in-law of the Thompson family, with connections to Amanda Hearst, heiress of the Hearst Corporation, and media tycoon Murdoch.

Given his strength and network, if he set his mind to discover relevant evidence, he surely could.

This was Harvey's real concern.

"Harvey, I told you long ago, if you want to play with women, go pay for it, don't fool around in the company. It's the twenty-first century, not the fifties or sixties. Your methods are dangerous, but you wouldn't listen. Now what?"

Bob shouted with his neck bulging.

"Shut up! I am Harvey Weinstein, the savior of modern cinema, the most formidable producer in the world. Many great movies on the market are my work, and no one has contributed to the film industry like I have. What's the problem with playing with a few actresses?"

Harvey shouted back even louder.

Bob shook his head helplessly.

Harvey had been so pumped up by the Hollywood media that, although his contributions to modern cinema were significant, he was not irreplaceable.

Aside from him, Jerry Bruckheimer, David Heyman, Catherine Kennedy, and Scott Rudin, among others, were all top producers.

Just looking at box office performance, Harvey didn't rank in the top ten among producers.

He was only slightly stronger in competing for Oscars, known as a machine for creating Oscar Best Actor and Actress winners, which led to his growing complacency.

"Harvey, now that Link has your dirt, what are you going to do? He's not like Asia Argento or Rose McGowan, those women without any foundation; it's going to be hard to get rid of him."

Bob asked.

Harvey sat in his office chair, took a deep breath, and his neck and belly swelled up again, his facial flesh trembling slightly.

"First, stabilize him. I've already agreed to give Jennifer Lawrence the lead role in 'Silver Linings Playbook' and promised to co-invest in the movie with him. I've shown enough sincerity, I believe he won't turn against me for the time being."

"What about after that? The evidence is in his hands. What if he comes back next time with those things to threaten you? Are you going to give him the next role, or the next movie to produce? This is definitely not acceptable."

Bob, also a shareholder of Weinstein Company, strongly disapproved of Harvey's approach to handing out roles and projects to others without discussion, which was obviously harming the company's interests–his interests as well. Even between brothers, clear boundaries must be set when it comes to interests.

"Damn it, it was me who brought in this movie, don't talk to me in that tone."

Harvey said discontentedly.

'Silver Linings Playbook' was the result of a chance meeting with director David O. Russell at a party, where Harvey asked him about any new works, and Russell briefed him on his new script.

It sounded great, and Harvey asked for a collaboration. Russell was hesitant at first, but after Harvey dangled the Oscar bait, Russell immediately agreed.

That was his tactic against Hollywood filmmakers.

In the film industry, everyone is unusually obsessed with the little gold man, as if having one made them more noble than their peers.

Many would sacrifice their dignity, body, and even their moral bottom line for an Oscar.

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If someone else used the Oscars as bait, actors and directors might hesitate, but not Harvey. The films he produced and distributed received more than three hundred Oscar nominations and over seventy little gold men, unprecedented in film history.

So when he used the Oscars as bait, almost no one could resist his temptation.

Except that bastard Link.

"Alright, do you have any plan to deal with that bastard Link?"

Bob asked, spreading his hands.

"Go tell Bruce Cohen to increase the budget of this movie, double it on the existing basis. Link wants to collaborate, right? Then let him obediently hand over the money. Once he's paid up, hmm, I'll let him see just how deep Hollywood waters are and let him know what happens when he crosses me."

Harvey's eyes flashed with anger, the flesh around his eyes twitching, and a cruel glint shone in his grey eyes.

"Is that feasible? Although Link is a newcomer, the people at Palm Beach Films aren't. They've been involved in 'Scandal Plan' and know how to calculate costs and box office returns. Trying to trap him on costs will be difficult. Besides, he's got your dirt. Won't doing this before he gives it up provoke him?"

Bob picked up a cigarette and tapped it on the office desk.

Upon hearing this, Harvey's eyebrows knitted tightly. Bob had a point; Link might not know movies, but surely someone around him did, enabling him to pick a box office dark horse and turn a few million in investment into tens of millions.

Against someone so experienced, tactics like inflating costs and cooking the books wouldn't work.

If something went wrong in the process, and Link found out, what if that bastard chose to tear his face off and expose the dirt?

Harvey wasn't worried about those dark secrets.

As long as that person in Washington was still there, there was no need to worry about being held accountable.

But after those secrets were exposed, they would inevitably deal a blow to his own image, affecting the production and distribution of the company's films.

Now, there were many hidden dangers within the Weinstein Company, including cash shortages and massive debts. If the film releases were affected and the cash inflow was just a few months slower, it could lead to a break in the cash flow chain. In a more severe case, it could even lead to the company going bankrupt.

So at this time, it wasn't yet time to tear his face off with Link.

"Bob, you have a sharp mind, do you have any good ways to deal with Link?"

Harvey said, looking to his brother with the hooked nose who always liked to squint his eyes.

Bob lit a cigarette, took a puff with squinted eyes, and said, "Link is a billionaire, earning tens of millions from a boxing match, a hundred million or two from a concert tour. He's got a lot of cash flow, and our company is precisely lacking money.

To us, Link could be a good partner. After reaching a collaboration, we would become stakeholders, sharing profits and losses alike. To expose your dirt would be to oppose the U.S. dollars, would he still do that?"

"Collaborate with him? A young man who knows nothing is worthy?"

Harvey said contemptuously.

"He has money, and he knows nothing, which is a good thing for us. Do you really want to collaborate with someone who knows the business and meddles in our movies?"

Bob asked while holding his cigarette.

Harvey stroked his chin thoughtfully, realizing the logic, he gestured for his brother to continue.

"I hear Link is lecherous. Once we've secured the collaboration, you could find an opportunity to send one or two actresses to get close to him, drag him down, and incidentally obtain his dirt. That way, not only wouldn't you have to worry about his threats, but you could also turn the tables and have leverage over him."

Bob said with a cold laugh, pinching the butt of his cigarette.

Hearing his brother's clever plan, Harvey couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, this was better than tearing his face off with Link. Besides, given Link's lascivious nature, it wouldn't be too difficult to obtain his dirt.

As long as he could get his hands on Link's dark secrets, Harvey thought coldly, he would make sure Link knew the consequences of crossing him.

Seeing Harvey agree with his suggestion, Bob also breathed a sigh of relief. Given the company's rough situation and various troubles, if they clashed with a rich and famous billionaire like Link, even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

Turning an enemy into a friend now and gaining a capable partner for the company was definitely a good move.

As long as Link agreed to the collaboration, they would become allies, and the dirt in his hands would no longer pose a threat.

Bob silently congratulated himself on his idea.

Thump thump thump!

An scantily clad woman arrived at the office door, Harvey's female assistant, holding a syringe in his hand.

Bob glanced at her, shook his head, and stood up to bid farewell and leave.