Chapter 941 - The Reason for Being Targeted

Murdoch owns a newspaper in the UK called "News of the World." This tabloid newspaper, similar in style to the New York Post, has a long history.

However, last year, in 2007, the newspaper was shut down due to a phone-hacking scandal. The audacious reporters at News of the World not only hacked into the phones of important figures but also indiscriminately tapped into the phones of many crime victims. This incident caused a huge uproar at the time, and even though the newspaper was closed, Murdoch faced massive lawsuits, leaving him in a tough situation.

The Moran family, also originating from the UK, has some assets in Britain, though their larger companies are based in the United States.

When the scandal around Murdoch was at its peak, Laila was still acting as the interim CEO. She took advantage of the chaos to stir the pot and reaped significant benefits...

Wait a minute! Could this also be one of the reasons why she is being targeted now? Laila suddenly felt like she had stumbled upon the truth.

But it didn't matter much to her. After all, the New York Post has always made money by attacking her. Occasionally, they would say something nice, only to build her up before tearing her down even harder. Dealing with them didn't weigh on her conscience at all.

Laila's approach was simple: she first went to her grandfather.

She believed that after years of being a rival to Murdoch, her grandfather must have gathered a lot of dirt on him. Isn't there a saying that "your greatest enemy knows you best"?

So, she made a call to her grandfather.

Who is Oswald? He is a true tycoon, and of course, he was aware of the New York Post's antics. As Laila had guessed, he indeed had some interesting information in his hands. Originally, he had no intention of revealing it, as some things are more powerful when kept hidden. But since his granddaughter had called, and the other side had shown little respect to the Moran family, why should he hold back?

"I remember you have a movie to prepare for, right? Leave this matter to me, and you go focus on your work," the old man said with a wave of his hand, dismissing Laila to handle her affairs. Dealing with a mere newspaper wasn't worth his precious granddaughter's time and energy.

Laila was more than happy to hand over the task. With her grandfather's assurance, she had nothing to worry about.

After handling these trivial matters, she received a call from Leonardo.

"Should we start our work now?" His voice carried a hint of complaint. The script had been ready for so long, and if it weren't for her insistence on waiting until after the Oscars, they would have started much earlier.

"Of course, I was just about to contact you," Laila replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. Having so many people waiting on her always made her feel a little guilty. Even though she was one of Hollywood's top directors, she still retained the humility and modesty characteristic of her Eastern heritage.

Finally getting her confirmation, Leonardo was delighted: "Then let's get started. I'm ready on my end and can join the crew anytime."

"I've also gathered most of the team. It's just that some supporting roles haven't been cast yet. If you have time, maybe you can help with that." Everyone in the company knew that casting supporting roles was usually handled by Louise. But this time, Louise had been fully occupied with the Oscars and hadn't had the time to help with auditions. After the Oscars, she was busy with interviews and arranging various tasks. With half the company on vacation, she was swamped.

Since there was no rush, the casting for the new movie had been delayed until now.

Laila genuinely had little interest in this aspect. Perhaps due to her past life experiences, whether it was shooting commercials or TV shows, she rarely had the final say. Usually, producers or investors would directly insert their chosen actors. At most, she could offer some input on minor roles.

Of course, even these small roles were highly attractive to newcomers in the entertainment industry, so she still held some influence in certain circles.

As for the actors who were pushed into her projects, few had both acting skills and fame. After all, big-name stars wouldn't bother with the kind of low-budget dramas she used to direct. But she did have one strength: she was good at coaching actors. Whether they were terrible performers or fresh-faced newcomers, under her guidance, they could deliver performances beyond their usual capabilities.

Because of this, she didn't have strong preferences about who was cast. No matter where the actors came from, she was confident she could get them to deliver the performance she wanted. So, why bother too much with the casting process?

However, her standards had risen over time. While she still didn't care much about supporting roles, she put a lot of thought into selecting the lead actors. Every movie she made now was expected to be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. She didn't want any blemishes in her films due to subpar performances.

This was also true for 'Blood Diamond', in which Leonardo was particularly invested in. After confirming the lead roles, Laila didn't bother much with the rest of the cast. She always believed that no role was tailor-made for a specific person. Take the Joker from her past life, for example. Even if Roy had played that role, he would have reached an equally high level of performance. In fact, in her opinion, Roy's portrayal might have been even more profound, digging deeper into the character's complexities.

Leonardo had never worked with her before and mostly knew about her through Roy. According to Roy, Laila was flawless—more saintly than an angel, more perfect than a deity. Every time Roy spoke of her, Leonardo would feel a chill down his spine, covered in goosebumps.

From the internet and conversations with actors who had worked with Laila, he had gathered more information. Overall, she was seen as incredibly talented and powerful, an impeccable director. However, like many great directors, she could be quite demanding on set, preferring to have full control.

For ambitious actors, this kind of director was ideal. A serious director meant a high-quality film and a successful film could skyrocket an actor's career. Anyone with a bit of ambition would prefer working with a meticulous director over someone who just winged it.

Leonardo felt the same way, though his experience working with the infamous "tyrant of the set," James Cameron, on 'Titanic' had left him with some psychological scars. He was a bit apprehensive about the upcoming shoot. The only consolation was Laila's recent success at the Oscars. If she could help him win that little golden statuette for Best Actor, he might just grit his teeth and sacrifice himself for the sake of art once more.