Chapter 1: Hollywood 1991

In 1991, at Fox Studios in Los Angeles, California, the famous director Steven Spielberg was filming *Hook*. However, the shoot didn't seem to be going smoothly. One of the lead actors, Julia Roberts, who was known for her big mouth, was high and was having a heated exchange with Spielberg.

You could occasionally hear them throwing around words like "f**k", "holy sh*t", and "sh*t".

It was clear how overboard Julia Roberts had gone, considering she managed to push the relatively mild-mannered Spielberg to the point of swearing.

The crew was silent, not daring to make a sound, and all of them kept their distance. After all, one was a top Hollywood director, and the other was America's new sweetheart; nobody wanted to offend either of them, so they chose to stay away.

The only exception was a young man with a buzz cut and blonde hair, about six feet tall, with a straight back and long legs, who looked to be in his twenties. He watched the argument with interest.

"These foreigners are really something. Their vocabulary is so limited. If it were me, I could curse a hundred different ways without repeating myself," the young man with the blonde buzz cut muttered to himself.

If anyone were standing next to him, they would have noticed that this young man with the blonde buzz cut was speaking in Chinese, with a strong northeastern accent.

Scenes like this had been playing out almost every few days, so the young man with the blonde buzz cut was no longer surprised.

He used to think that Hollywood was amazing and professional, that everyone followed procedures, and that nothing would go wrong.

But the experience of working on the *Hook* set over the past few days made the young man with the blonde buzz cut feel that even Spielberg's crew was no different.

"Hey! Mr Gilbert, why are you still watching the show? Aren't you going to step in and break it up?" A blonde girl appeared next to the young man with the blonde buzz cut and said to him.

The young man with the blonde buzz cut frowned and said, "How many times have I told you to just to call me Gilbert.

"What do you mean? But isn't that what everyone calls you?" The blonde girl was confused.

"I... never mind." Gilbert wanted to tell the blonde girl that "little Gilbert" in the Chinese context could easily be misunderstood.

But she didn't understand Chinese, so explaining it to her would be pointless!

The blonde girl quickly dragged Gilbert away, saying, "Alright, alright, you better disappear quickly. Once the argument's over and the boss notices you, it won't be good."

Gilbert stubbornly replied, "The director wouldn't be so petty..."

However, he still obediently followed the blonde girl and left the scene of the argument.

The blonde girl was named Gwyneth Paltrow. She had been placed in the crew thanks to her connection with Steven Spielberg and was playing an important role.

To be precise, both Gilbert and Gwyneth Paltrow were in the crew due to connections.

Gilbert had gotten the role of assistant director on *Hook* because his father, Gilbert Sr., had asked Spielberg for the favor.

Usually, fresh graduates from film school would never get the chance to work directly under a top director as an assistant director and learn from them.

Who says Hollywood is all about talent? It's also about connections and background.

After moving away from the argument between Spielberg and Julia Roberts, Gilbert and Gwyneth Paltrow found a place to sit and chat.

"Gilbert, have you finished writing your script about the shark yet?" Gwyneth Paltrow asked.

"No, why do you ask?" Gilbert scratched his head.

Gwyneth Paltrow replied matter-of-factly, "When you finish, I'll be the female lead!"

"You?" Gilbert looked Gwyneth Paltrow up and down, then dismissed her, saying, "You don't really meet my requirements."

"Why not?" Gwyneth Paltrow asked, puzzled.

"You're not sexy enough, not attractive enough," Gilbert bluntly replied.

This only made Gwyneth Paltrow more dissatisfied. She stood up and lifted her skirt, revealing her long legs.

"Aren't I sexy enough?"

Gilbert shrugged, trying his best not to look at Gwyneth Paltrow's fair thighs, and deflected, "Even if you want to be the female lead, now's not the time."

"When is the time?" Gwyneth Paltrow sat back down next to Gilbert and continued to press him.

Eighteen-year-old girls are so annoying...

Gilbert was a little impatient but still answered, "Because it's just at the script stage, and I'm just a twenty-something newbie.

In Hollywood, no film company would be willing to shell out millions of dollars for a twenty-something director's work."

Gwyneth Paltrow understood, but she quickly suggested, "You don't need to worry about the investment. I'll take care of it. Just let me play the female lead."

Gilbert looked at Gwyneth Paltrow suspiciously, "You? Got millions?"

"I don't, but the film companies do. As long as we get the boss's recommendation, we can find a film company willing to foot the bill," Gwyneth Paltrow said, laying out her plan.

We? Gilbert shrugged again. It seemed this American girl had really taken the project as her own.

But at the moment, he didn't really have a better plan to persuade the film companies to invest in his film project.

His family couldn't come up with that kind of money either. Everyone in Hollywood knew that Gilbert Sr., a former well-known producer and a member of the Hollywood Jewish Club, had squandered his early years on a hedonistic lifestyle and didn't leave much of an estate.

As for his son Gilbert, who managed to grow up, it was all thanks to his late mother's sister, his aunt.

Perhaps because the excesses of his youth had taken their toll on his body, Gilbert Sr. repented in his old age and realized he couldn't ruin his son's future.

So Gilbert Sr. swallowed his pride and begged Spielberg, which was how Gilbert got the chance to be an assistant director on *Hook*.

Given this family situation, asking Gilbert Sr. to come up with millions of dollars to make a movie was impossible.

Gilbert even suspected that his father's savings didn't amount to ten thousand dollars.

Keep in mind that North Americans have a strong concept of consuming on credit. Many average North Americans basically live on advance spending.

Even Gilbert himself still had student loans to pay off, with the bank sending collection letters every month, which was really annoying.

As for Gilbert Sr.'s credit cards, they were probably maxed out long ago.

For a former famous producer, a member of the Hollywood Jewish Club, to bring the Landrini family to such a state was truly pitiful.

Managing to get Gilbert into Spielberg's crew was already the best Gilbert Sr. could do; it wouldn't be fair to expect more from the old man.

In North American society, finding a father who cared so much about his child's future was quite rare.

So Gilbert was very interested in Gwyneth Paltrow's proposal.

Because Gwyneth Paltrow was Spielberg's goddaughter, her relationship with him was much closer than Gilbert's.

With this in mind, Gilbert didn't hesitate any longer. So what if she didn't meet the aesthetic criteria? At least this American girl really did have long legs.

"Alright, if you can persuade the director, the female lead role is yours."

To sweeten the deal, Gilbert added, "Just so you know, most of the scenes in my script are solo scenes for the female lead."

"Really?" Gwyneth Paltrow was tempted. She patted Gilbert's shoulder and assured him, "Leave it to me. I'll convince the boss."

"Okay, it's a deal then."

The two of them shook hands happily, reaching an agreement.

Just then, Spielberg and Julia Roberts finished their heated exchange, and the assistant director called out, "We're rolling, we're rolling..."

While waiting for his chance, Gilbert had to continue working diligently on set. After all, he still had student loans to pay off.