Chapter 336: The Benchmark of Actresses

After Charles Capet finished his call with Nicole Kidman, he called his company to inquire about the movie The Reader.

The drama Revolutionary Road, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, had wrapped up, freeing up their schedules.

"Director Stephen Daldry will tweak the script to fit Kate Winslet better, and filming will start in Germany in January next year," Phyllis Jones explained over the phone.

"That's good. Make sure Scott Rudin speeds up the development of this movie. It needs to be released next year," Charles reminded. Scott Rudin was one of Hollywood's top producers, and Charles was worried that Rudin might be too busy with other projects to focus on this film.

"Understood!"

Capet Pictures' German branch and Germany's Babelsberg Studio co-produced The Reader. Capet Entertainment's international business was truly flourishing.

Eva Green saw Charles put down his phone and asked, "Is Nicole pregnant?"

Charles nodded, "Seems like it's been two or three months. The global premiere of The Golden Compass is at the end of the month in the UK. You'll be promoting it too, so you'll see her there.

Look at that, Nicole Kidman is really a benchmark for international actresses. She got a $17.5 million paycheck for Bewitched, the highest for a foreign actress, and despite several flop movies, she still managed a $12 million paycheck for Australia this year," Charles said to Eva Green. The difference between them was clear.

Nicole Kidman also received $14.5 million for The Invasion, but she signed on for Australia before The Invasion was even released.

"Nicole Kidman is just too famous. Her international recognition is off the charts!" Eva Green admitted she couldn't compare with British and Australian actresses.

"Still, her reputation as a box office poison is nailed down," Charles acknowledged her fame but noted her career had probably peaked.

After The Golden Compass next month and Australia next year, post-maternity Nicole Kidman would have a hard time. Forget million-dollar paychecks, getting good projects itself would be lucky.

"Let's go grab some food," Charles noticed it was getting dark outside.

Eva Green nodded, and the two left. The villa on Hampstead Heath covered 3 acres, with gardens in the front and back.

The surrounding area was filled with enormous villas, owned by the wealthy, but many houses were vacant.

Charles drove Eva to a nearby restaurant in his Toyota Prado.

"Charles, why don't you drive your Aston Martin anymore?" Eva Green asked, puzzled, as there was still an Aston Martin DB9 in the garage.

"For safety. I don't have bodyguards with me. If we run into trouble, I can ram my way out with this!" Charles smirked. The area had decent security, but who knows? The Prado and the Aston Martin DB9 were both new acquisitions.

The Aston Martin, after all, was James Bond's car of choice, and the new DB9 had cost over PS200,000!

Britain's gun control was stricter than America's, so it was better to keep a low profile when Charles was out alone with a beautiful woman.

Charles had once been mugged in New York's Harlem. With a mugging happening every 30 seconds in America, Charles considered himself lucky.

Well, apart from his bodyguard team, Charles was pretty cautious himself!

Eva Green widened her eyes, "Didn't you say last night that you wanted to test your skills? You've been practicing martial arts for years; you said you could take down three men?"

"Unfortunately, no chance to show off," Charles replied confidently, "with a gun, who needs to fight? I'll take you hunting at Capet Ranch in Colorado sometime. There's also a shooting range. I'm definitely going there for Christmas!"

If Charles encountered those street thugs now, even unarmed, he could at least knock them out.

"Sure, I've heard your ranch is huge and the scenery is amazing," Eva Green was surely interested.

Before long, Charles drove them to a French restaurant in South Hampstead.

...

While Charles enjoyed great times with a beautiful woman in Britain, Hollywood started feeling the effects of the writers' strike.

First to suffer were talk shows, which went off the air. Then, a week later, FOX announced the cancellation of the seventh season of 24 scheduled to premiere in January next year, making it the first TV series halted by the strike.

Only a third of 24's seventh season had been filmed, and with the strike, FOX chose not to air an unfinished product.

Meanwhile, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped in, urging both the Producers Alliance and the Writers Guild to resume negotiations to prevent the strike from impacting California's economy.

Governor Schwarzenegger, who had shown exceptional leadership during the Southern California wildfires in late October, stated in front of the media:

He had been an actor for many years and was a member of the Actors Guild, so he understood Hollywood well.

The strike wouldn't affect TV executives, film company bosses, union leaders, or top writers because they're all wealthy. The real victims were those who earned their livelihoods in the film and TV industry, like makeup artists, stylists, and cameramen. Hollywood's shutdown would lead to job losses for many behind-the-scenes workers.

Leading stars like Tom Hanks and Angelina Jolie actively supported the writers' strike.

Additionally, several Democratic members of Congress expressed their support for the Writers Guild, including current Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.