King of Hollywood-Chapter 240 - 238 The Future Queen

Chapter 240: Chapter 238 The Future Queen

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Chapter 240 -238 The Future Queen

“Anyway, congratulations, Jane, you’ve directed a truly outstanding movie,” Adrian said, raising his glass in the not-so-spacious living room-center to Jane Campion. “And congratulations to Harvey and Holly for winning the Best Actor and Actress awards at Venice, especially Harvey, who had none of that Wolf from ‘Pulp Fiction’ composure. When I first saw it, I didn’t even recognize him; I almost couldn’t help asking Jane: Hey, did you find him from a Maori tribe?”

A burst of laughter erupted from the few people around, attracting glances from those conversing elsewhere.

“Thank you, Ed. Without your support, I don’t know how long it would have taken to finish this movie,” Campion said with some emotion.

“Don’t mention it, Jane. I just happened to be there at the right time. A good movie is never short on investors. Even without me, someone else would have supported you in making this film,” Adrian said modestly, and then something occurred to him, “By the way, if your manuscript is ready, I can take it back with me when I return to Los Angeles, so it can be published at the same time as ‘The Piano Lesson’ is officially released.”

“No problem, I’ll have someone bring it to you later,” Campion nodded excitedly, her radiant look seeming to make her a decade younger.

This is the advantage of having a publishing company. Convincing Campion to novelize and publish the movie was one of the reasons I was able to persuade her in the first place.

After chatting for a bit longer, Adrian found an excuse to leave the crowd. Although Campion’s party was held in his own apartment in Sydney, there were quite a few guests, so everyone was standing or sitting close together, and Adrian couldn’t find a quiet corner to save his life.

Finally, after looking around left and right, he walked over to the balcony leisurely after it had cleared. The night lights of Sydney were brilliant; Campion’s apartment was well-situated, with a splendid night view as well as a charming seascape. The sea breeze brushed his face gently, carrying a faint fishy scent. Arms outstretched, Adrian gave a solid stretch, followed by a deep breath, but a yawn promptly followed.

He had arrived in Sydney yesterday. The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney is one of the longest direct routes in the world, crossing at least six time zones plus the International Date Line. With such a long flight, it was impossible to adjust in just 24 hours, so he had felt a bit off ever since, and dealing with Campion and others, even someone as energetic as Adrian couldn’t help feeling a tad fatigued.

Frankly, he wasn’t too fond of female directors, especially those who direct art films. It wasn’t that he was sexist, just that women tended to incorporate too much emotion when directing. This could either attract people if used just right or seem overly sentimental and awkward if overdone.

In Adrian’s view, if a woman director truly wanted to hone her skills, she’d be better off directing a couple of action movies to balance rationality and emotion. Lene Riefenstahl, though she made quite a few films for the Nazis, had a grasp of this balance far beyond what the female directors of today could compare to.

That said, there are still many people who like this sentimental style, thinking it to be the proper style for a female director. Well, that had nothing to do with Adrian as long as ‘The Piano Lesson’ could add a mark to his record. He didn’t care about sentimentality.

With that in mind, ‘The Piano Lesson’ could be slated for an early release, and winning the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival would be a promotional stunt. Adrian considered this, watching the faintly glowing skyscrapers. Then, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a tall, elegant figure subsequently stepped onto the balcony, resting her hands on it and sighing softly.

She suddenly realized there was someone else on the balcony, and after a small start, she showed an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, I thought no one was here,” the lady said with a smile. She was wearing a white turtleneck, denim jeans, and high-heeled knee-high boots. Her facial features were sharp yet softened with a feminine touch. The indoor lighting spilled out onto her cheeks, highlighting her light blue eyes’ beauty.

She might not have been stunning, but she possessed an indescribable charm. Just then, as the sea breeze blew, she brushed a hand through her wind-blown hair, adding to her allure.

“No problem,” Adrian said gracefully, opening his hands. “I wanted some quiet to myself, so I came out here. It’s very nice, conducive to quiet reflection. The only downside is that it’s a bit… chilly.”

The lady couldn’t help but chuckle lightly: “Of course, you’ll feel cold dressed so lightly.”

“Can’t help it, I rushed out and forgot to bring clothes,” Adrian complained, “if I had remembered, Los Angeles is still enjoying summertime.”

“You came from Los Angeles?” the lady asked with a curious look.

“Yes, I invested in and handled the distribution for Jane’s film, and it won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, so naturally, I had to come and offer my congratulations,” Adrian explained with a gesture.

“So you are that…” the lady looked up thoughtfully but couldn’t come up with the name and finally smiled ruefully at Adrian, “Sorry, I should remember. I heard about it when I came.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adrian said indifferently, shaking his head. He then extended his hand. “Adrian Cowell, pleased to meet you. You can call me Adrian or Ed.”

“Catherine Alice Blanchett, please call me Kate,” the lady then shook his hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Ed.”

Although he had already guessed who she was, Adrian couldn’t help but admire her upon hearing the name.

“I trust many people, especially men, have told you this, but I must repeat it. You’re very beautiful, Kate,” Adrian’s lips curled up slightly, forming an attractive arc.

“Beautiful?” Blanchett suddenly sighed, “Unfortunately, most people don’t think so. They always say my facial features are too sharp, sometimes even masculine, and quite a distance from the word ‘beautiful.'”

Even the future “Queen” was still a young woman tinged with a touch of greenness and insecurity. Adrian felt a pang of emotion in his heart, and his interest in her deepened.

“I think you might be misunderstanding something, Kate,” Adrian said in a leisurely tone, “the ‘beautiful’ you’re talking about is more like ‘pretty,’ right?”

“Is there… a difference?” Blanchett looked at Adrian with confusion.

“Of course, the former is a feeling, whereas the latter is simply a description, a description of appearance.” Adrian’s dark eyes stared unblinkingly at Blanchett, “I’ve heard a saying, Kate, and I think it’s very true: there are no ugly women in the world, only lazy ones.”

He made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes: “Yes, whether a woman is beautiful first depends on whether she knows how to dress up, how to do her makeup, how to dress, how to present herself. But if these don’t match her temperament, even run counter to it, can she still be considered beautiful? Beauty is a feeling, and this feeling comes not just from appearance but also from temperament. Although we’ve only known each other for a few minutes and hardly understand each other, your temperament is quite good…”

Adrian suddenly closed his mouth at this point, staring at Blanchett for several minutes before smiling again: “Have you had any acting experience, Kate?”

“What?” Blanchett was somewhat confused, not understanding why he suddenly jumped so far in the conversation.

“Since you’re attending Jane’s celebration party, even if you’re not an actor, you must be related to acting in some way, right?” Adrian asked, stroking his chin.

“Uh… in fact, it was a friend of mine who invited me, she’s a photographer.” Blanchett shrugged.

“Really?” Adrian looked at her in surprise.

“Of course— not!” A sly look flashed in the lady’s eyes, “In fact, I just graduated from the National Art School of Australia last year, and I’ve played in many dramas, especially Shakespeare’s.”

“Great, it looks like my hunch wasn’t wrong,” Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat exaggeratedly, then his eyes became fervent, “There’s a role that suits you, Kate, perhaps you might want to audition?”

“Role?” Blanchett blinked in surprise, “You mean… acting in a movie?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Adrian nodded, “Would you like to give it a try? I’ve had this script for a while now but haven’t found the right person. We just finalized the male lead not long ago, but the female lead is still undecided.”

“Don’t you think… don’t you think…” Blanchett gestured, seemingly wanting to laugh but unsure how to, “I mean, we’ve only known each other a few minutes and then you suddenly invite me to audition for a movie, that’s a bit…”

“I know it’s abrupt, but please trust me, you have that quality, that strong yet slightly cold and delicate, yet very independent quality, which fits the needs very well,” Adrian said with persuasive charisma, “Would you at least try auditioning?”

“Um… okay, I mean, I’d like to say I’m honored, but…” Blanchett seemed a bit at a loss, snorted a laugh, then looked troubled again.

At that moment, Jane Campion appeared at the entrance to the balcony: “So here you are, Ed, Sam finally arrived…”

“You’re just in time, Jane, help me out.” Adrian didn’t wait for her to finish, pulled her onto the balcony, and then started introducing Blanchett: “This is Kate, Kate Blanchett.”

“Hello, Kate,” Campion extended her hand.

“Hello, Ms. Campion, I really like your movies, both ‘Sweetie’ and ‘An Angel at My Table’ are excellent,” Blanchett said with a bit of excitement.

“Good, now that you know each other,” Adrian cleared his throat, “I want to invite Kate to audition for a film role. I think she’s very suitable, but she’s a bit hesitant, so I hope you can help me persuade her!”

“Ah, someone is actually hesitant about auditioning for a great director,” Campion said, surprised as she looked at Blanchett.

“Great director?” The lady looked puzzled as she glanced between Campion and Adrian.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know who he is, dear.” (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. There are more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)