King of Hollywood-Chapter 166 - : I’ll Take You Back Home

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: I’ll Take You Back Home

A prolonged silence enveloped the office. Adrian said nothing, just stared intently at the young girl in front of him. Sarah struggled to maintain her posture, even as the rise and fall of her chest grew more pronounced, her body trembled more violently, and her complexion turned increasingly pale. Still, she stubbornly, resolutely faced him, as if she had thrown all caution to the wind.

“The big stars generally fall into two categories,” Adrian finally began, speaking in an unhurried tone. “One, the acclaimed actors, who usually hone their skills in low-budget indie films until they’re discovered by some director or producer and cast in a blockbuster that’s both a critical and a box office success, propelling them into the ranks of top-trending actors. The other type is the teen idol, who easily capture the attention of the masses—especially the adolescent consumers who are the main market. With their immense popularity, they can draw hordes of fans wherever they go, but they often struggle to transition into other roles.”

“Of course, this is just a general categorization from my perspective, and if you need, I can immediately find a professional to explain it to you,” Adrian gestured to Sarah, waiting for her response.

This was yet another surprise, in a string of unexpected occurrences, counting the job application, it was the third by now. Adrian hadn’t anticipated the girl would come to him directly, although it was just a single sentence, the implication was self-evident.

Sarah had been in the entertainment industry for a while, she likely understood certain things, but her bold and all-in approach in seeking out Adrian was still startling. After all, Adrian had initially intended to cultivate her at a moderate pace for a year or so, and then gradually lure her in.

However, Sarah must have thought this through, as evidenced by her earlier “Mom doesn’t know I’m here,” and her subtle actions proved it. But what precisely drove her to this?

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“Which type of star earns more money?” Sarah asked bluntly, maintaining her posture from start to finish.

Adrian could not help but raise his eyebrows again, “It’s about the same, depending on the commercial value of the star.”

“Which type of star can make the most money in the shortest time?” Sarah continued, her voice now shaking more noticeably, her body trembling more severely, and her hands gripping the arms of the chair as if she could barely hold herself up.

“The second kind,” Adrian replied immediately. “Like I said before, as youth idols, they easily captivate those teenagers’ attention, then translate it into popularity. Although popularity isn’t exactly the same as commercial value, without popularity, there’s no commercial value at all. However, once their youth fades and their popularity inevitably declines—the young are the most fickle—by that time, their image has already been pigeonholed, and transitioning to a different type…”

“I’ll choose the second one,” Sarah cut in before he finished, her voice resonating with an indescribable determination.

Adrian remained silent; in fact, as soon as she mentioned “the most money in the shortest time,” he had already anticipated her choice. So after a two-second pause, he nodded, “Alright, the second one, I understand.”

Sarah, upon receiving the answer, could no longer support herself and slumped into the chair like a deflated ball. She covered her face and took a long breath before lowering her hands. The bright determination that always filled her eyes dimmed, her lips twitching slightly, a flicker of sadness and despondency passing over her beautiful face.

“I want to make money, a lot of money,” Sarah murmured as she leaned back in the chair, as if confiding in Adrian or perhaps justifying and comforting herself. Her vacant eyes looked ahead without focus, invoking an involuntary sympathy.

Adrian listened silently, somewhat knowledgeable about Sarah’s family situation. Her irresponsible father had abandoned her and her mother when she was just six years old. It was a huge blow for Sarah, who was just beginning to make her mark in Hollywood. Since then, she had lived with her mother, shouldering nearly half the family’s burden.

Because of her past, Sarah placed a great deal of importance on material wealth and her mother, and she was fiercely independent and stubborn. This explained why she had been so emotional and angry during the robbery they suffered on Thanksgiving in 1990, and why she took it upon herself to visit Adrian’s office without approval. However, her life experience was still superficial; after all, who directly goes to a producer’s office to discuss such matters? If it had been someone else sitting here, she would have been shown the door by now.

Even though some things are openly known, and everyone is aware of them, the necessary excuses still need to be made. Take Drew and Adrian, for example, both knew theirs was a transactional relationship, but when speaking to others, they would only say they hit it off after a chat and ended up in bed.

These scenarios are all too common in Hollywood, where male and female guests on a show might spend time together in the green room and end up having an impromptu intimate moment—all too often young people, which means no one could really say anything about it.

And there are plenty of excuses to choose from, such as one-night stands or dating relationships. Even insiders sometimes can’t be sure whether people are genuinely dating or have ulterior motives, let alone the general public who only follow media reports.

Everything exists in hints, and only fools would put such things bluntly on display. Although Sarah was also hinting, her approach was too awkward and unnatural; had it been someone else, it could easily have been misconstrued as some sort of conspiracy.

Here, lawsuits against producers or directors for sexual harassment are exceedingly rare, as doing so would be akin to declaring war on the entire Hollywood system. After all, who would be willing to undress in front of the camera otherwise, whether it be for art or something else? Thus, for those aspiring to stand out, they had to pretend nothing had happened, even when it did.

However, as rare as these cases are, they do exist. Usually, some struggling actors will use this as a way to extort money before leaving Hollywood, and the media and movie company executives are happy to use these opportunities to promote the glamorous side of Hollywood, as long as their interests are not harmed.

The involved producers and directors would inevitably face misfortune, not enough to completely ruin their reputation, but they would have to act discreetly for quite some time, and their circle would temporarily keep their distance, even though they themselves weren’t strangers to such acts.

The majority affected are secondary or tertiary producers or directors. The top-tier producers and directors are very cautious and skilled when it comes to such matters, and small-time actors looking for a payoff wouldn’t be foolish enough to target them.

If Adrian weren’t as thoroughly acquainted with Sarah and hadn’t been planning for it, he wouldn’t have easily agreed. Even so, there were still many doubts, like why she had been desperate enough to seek him out.

“Have some water,” Adrian stood up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Sarah.

“Thank you,” Sarah murmured with a barely audible voice, her head hanging low as if she dared not look up. After the previous conversation, her courage seemed to have all but evaporated.

Adrian didn’t say much more as he returned to his seat, pressed the speakerphone button on the telephone, and dialed a string of numbers.

Soon, a rugged voice answered, “Hey, who’s this?”

“James, it’s me,” Adrian replied, looking at the phone while glancing at Sarah across from him. She first looked startled, then subtly adjusted her sitting posture to show she was listening attentively.

“Hey, Ed, what’s got you calling me today?” laughed James Cameron on the other end.

“Because you’ve blown through half a year’s worth of investment without starting to shoot,” Adrian said jokingly, “I really want to know if you still plan to direct the film.”

“Oh, of course, everything’s ready and you’re thinking of kicking me off?” Cameron joked back. “You know, Ed, there’s a lot to prepare for this movie. Just liaising with the Air Force for the Harrier jets took a lot of time.”

“You can start filming while continuing the liaison,” Adrian suggested.

“And if it’s not all sorted when we need it?” Cameron retorted, quickly moving on from the subject, “Anyway, Ed, almost everything is prepped. I promise we’ll start shooting by the end of the month, and you’ll have an amazing film.”

“I have no doubt about that, James. Is the cast all set up?” Adrian asked further.

“Yes, we’re about to sign the contract. I have to admit you were right; Jamie Lee Curtis is quite good.”

“What about the other one?”

“Who?”

“Sarah Michelle Gellar, to play Arnold’s daughter.”

“The girl with the long chestnut hair? Oh, she’s alright. She gives off a tough, independent vibe, but she lacks the lively spark of a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl, so I’ve put her on the backup list…”

“How should I put this, James, I’ve recommended her twice.”

“You mean…”

“You should understand, right? Besides, isn’t it the director’s job to guide the actors in their performances, to help them fully express another side of themselves?”

“Alright, alright, I got it, but I’m pretty tough on set.”

“Of course. I think she won’t disappoint you.”

After finishing, Adrian looked at Sarah, who had been listening intently all this time. She quickly came to and first reflexively shrank her neck, then straightened her chest and sat up, looking at him once more.

“You won’t disappoint me, nor will you disappoint him, right?” Adrian asked softly, pressing the button to hang up the speakerphone.

“Yes.” Sarah nodded vigorously and then, as if something occurred to her, gave a slight shudder, but she still mustered the remaining bits of her courage and opened her mouth to say something.

Before she could speak, Adrian stood up, “Alright, you should head back. Your mother will be worried after you’ve been out this long without telling her. I’ll drive you home.” (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)