Chapter 87: Marion Cotillard

Charles changed his clothes and came out of the room, ready to return to the banquet hall with Marion Cotillard.

"Charles Carpe, filmmaker!" Charles introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. Hope I didn't ruin your mood," Marion Cotillard smiled.

Charles shook his head, "Not at all. You are the leading actress in the French film Love Me If You Dare?"

"Oh, you've seen Love Me If You Dare? I've heard not many people in America have watched it," Marion Cotillard's Love Me If You Dare premiered in France last year and was released in America this February.

In France, the box office was decent at 5.2 million euros, which is about 6.2 million dollars; but in America, it only made 550,000 dollars.

"Love Me If You Dare had great reviews, and your performance was impressive," Charles said, looking at Marion Cotillard. She seemed to be around 30.

Having broken out from the Taxi series, she had been filming in Europe, and Love Me If You Dare should have caught the eyes of many Hollywood filmmakers.

"Thank you. I recognized you too, Charles Carpe of Carpe Productions. Lost in Translation and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are your films, right? I think The Passion of the Christ which was released earlier this year also had investment from Carpe Productions, right?" Marion Cotillard responded while looking at the handsome Charles.

Charles nodded and smiled, "How about we grab a drink? I've been in America most of the time. This is my first time at the Cannes Film Festival."

"Not going back to the banquet hall?" Marion Cotillard knew that such banquet halls served as platforms for various film-related transactions.

"No need to worry about that," Charles said, raising his arm. Marion Cotillard hooked her arm around Charles's and they headed to the bar.

French women, passionate like fire, Charles and Marion spent some time at the bar, and naturally, they ended up back at Charles's hotel that night for a deeper connection.

Blue sky, white clouds, beach, sunshine, beauty - this scene made up the magnificence of Cannes.

In the morning, in the top suite of the Ritz-Carlton Resort Hotel, Charles rolled off Marion Cotillard with a satisfied look, wrapping his arms around her.

"I think I might be liking France a bit!" Last night with Marion Cotillard was a magical night, and he could barely control himself this morning.

"Is it the romantic feeling of France or the passion of French women?" Marion Cotillard asked with a smile while feeling Charles's abs.

"Hmm, both!" Charles chuckled, thinking that French men indeed couldn't compare to French women.

After all, even in matters traditionally seen as a man's domain, the French army only wins wars under the leadership of French women or foreigners.

No one could defeat the French army before they surrendered!

Just like in the film industry, French male actors were barely noticeable, but excellent and beautiful actresses continued to emerge.

"Charles, what do you think of French cinema?"

"French cinema, the New Wave period produced a great number of filmmakers, it's fair to say it's the leader of European artistic films," Charles didn't have a bias against art films. He just currently focused on commercial films.

"Sophie Marceau, the eternal goddess of France, might be my biggest impression of French cinema!" Charles added with a laugh.

"Hollywood movies are globally commercialized and the world leader in film industry. European movies can't currently compete with Hollywood!" Marion Cotillard agreed, knowing that proving an actor's value and realizing dreams required Hollywood.

"Warner Bros is making a French war movie, and I'm part of the cast. The lead actress is Audrey Tautou. I'm officially entering Hollywood. Any advice?" Marion Cotillard asked.

"No specific advice. Hollywood has its own set of industry standards, it's all about the box office. European actresses can't compare to local actors," Charles thought for a moment and reminded her, "European actresses who go for the sexy route have a hard time standing out. To succeed, you need to showcase your acting skills in the limited opportunities you get."

Following the path of Juliette Binoche, relying on acting skills to gain Hollywood's trust, otherwise relying on sexiness, like Eva Green, would only get more scarce opportunities.

"I used to go the sexy route and found it hard to stand out even in France. It was this film Love Me If You Dare last year that made me feel famous," Marion rested her head on Charles's chest and laughed.

"There'll be opportunities. Didn't France produce The Dreamers last year as well, with newcomer Eva Green gaining a lot of recognition from her daring performance?" Charles said, also fascinated with Eva Green.

"This year, she landed a lead role in Ridley Scott's medieval epic war film Kingdom of Heaven, starring the hot Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom!"

However, the scale in The Dreamers was quite large. It was rated NC-17 in the USA, almost reaching X-rating.

Isabelle Adjani, Sophie Marceau, now Eva Green - France keeps producing globally renowned sexy actresses.

Marion smiled, "You're heading back to America right after the film festival, right?"

Charles nodded, indeed leaving for America a few days after the film festival, but he was also planning to bet on the Euro Cup winner in France!

"How about you be my guide for these days? I won't leave Cannes right after the closing ceremony. I'll stay a few more days!" Charles did need a companion after all.

"Sure, how about visiting Paris for a few days?" Marion agreed.

"If there's time, we could. I've never been to Paris before," Charles had no opportunity in the past.

"Let's get up. It's almost time for the closing ceremony, where all the big stars will be," Charles said, getting out of bed.

Coming to the floor-to-ceiling window, he faced the beautiful Mediterranean Sea view. No wonder the wealthy loved vacationing here.

"That's Saint Marguerite Island and Saint Honorat Island managed by Cannes, the scenery there is nice," Marion pointed out the two islands.

"Isn't Saint Marguerite Island the place where in Dumas's novel, Louis XIV imprisoned his brother, the Man in the Iron Mask?" Charles asked, looking at the larger island.

"Hah, some say that. It's just a fictional character, but it does attract tourists," Marion casually explained.

Charles wrapped his arms around Marion's shoulder, looking at the Mediterranean scenery, "We should rent a private yacht and have some fun on the sea for a few days!"

"Great idea!"

*****

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