Chapter 153: Sneaking Off with a Woman in the Middle of Movie
[Chapter 153: Sneaking Off with a Woman in the Middle of Movie]
Generally, Black actors and directors who made a name for themselves in Hollywood, even if they had some minor gang ties, usually came from better household backgrounds than those in basketball, boxing, or gangster rap.
Martin Lawrence was in a middling position. He rose to fame through Fox's sitcom Martin and the Bad Boys series. Spike Lee's earlier works also involved collaborations with Fox.
Though they weren't best friends, Martin and Spike always kept in touch.
Currently, one of the main actors for Jackie Chan's movie project was Martin. They had met many times.
"Ah Maggie, since Corleone is in Berlin, I've decided to reach out to him immediately and see what we can do," Jackie Chan, a decisive man, said. He quickly said goodbye to Maggie and the other friends present.
---
Half an hour later, on the set of Good Will Hunting in Boston, Spike, chatting with Lawrence Bender, received a call from Martin.
"You want to recommend a movie project to me? The one starring Kung Fu Jackie? Okay, get Disney's Hollywood Pictures to send the script and project proposal to Corleone. I'll review it with the others. You want to meet Charlie right now? Sorry, that's not the procedure."
Lion Corleone was newly established but already had a notable reputation in the industry. Every day, countless agents, writers, and directors sent their resumes, job info, and script outlines to the company's public mailbox.
If Charlie had to review every email himself, even if he stayed awake all day, he wouldn't finish reading them all!
Film companies needed projects and great scripts. Charlie hoped to fully leverage his advantage from his rebirth.
However, going through the mail script submissions was like finding a needle in a haystack -- impractical.
Thus, Charlie usually took an active approach. His company team sifted through projects, and every Monday they gave him a final list.
Scripts from well-known writers or directors would obviously get faster attention. Especially if Gore or Kevin personally pushed it, Charlie would immediately take notice.
Martin's project hadn't convinced Spike yet, so he wasn't going to bother the boss immediately. Reality was always so harsh.
When Charlie first came back, he often complained about not getting opportunities.
But after becoming a big boss, unless he was supernatural, he simply didn't have the time or energy to give unknown newcomers a chance.
---
In the hotel room, Jackie Chan quickly got the response and looked disheartened. "What do we do? Martin isn't reliable; he can't get us an immediate meeting with Corleone."
One of his stunt brothers suggested, "Boss, since that white guy is in Berlin, why don't we just go straight to him?"
Jackie Chan shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Wow, you think we're at home? You know how arrogant those Hollywood types are. If I go barging in recklessly, they'll look down on us and might even throw us out! Corleone came from the streets, very domineering, not someone easy to deal with."
"This is a pain, Boss. Hey, why don't we ask Ms. Cheung for help?"
---
Charlie had no idea that Jackie Chan was wrestling with the hope to meet him. Otherwise, they would have already decided to take the project.
Inside the cinema at Potsdamer Platz, The English Patient was nearing its end.
But the three people present weren't focused on the plot.
Julien Rassam angrily argued with Marion, "We agreed to go to the arcade this afternoon. What's this now? You're going on a date with that bastard?"
"We're just friends, Julien. You're being rude! You don't have the right to control what I do," Marion sharply responded.
"Fuck! Damn it, you want to get in his bed and land a shot in Hollywood!"
"What kind of crazy is this? I want to befriend a film producer, a film company boss. Is that wrong?"
Charlie quietly looked on, then sighed, shifting into a more refined or delicate demeanor.
'Ah, how boring. Being a film company owner separated me from the simple friendships of ordinary young people. Life, huh!'
"Fuck, you two are bastards, filthy bastards!" Julien lost it, jumping up and yelling insults before storming off.
---
A commotion broke out. Several heads peeked out from the tall-backed chairs, curious to see what was happening.
That bastard stirred trouble wherever he went.
Harvey also got distracted, pausing his talk with the Suddeutsche Zeitung editor. His plump body twisted nervously while mentally plotting about Charlie.
---
Twenty-one-year-old Marion Cotillard felt awkward under all the attention, embarrassed, looking at Charlie and trying to explain, "Uh, don't mind Julien's words. He's always lost in his own artistic world."
As a gentleman, Charlie didn't say anything to make Marion feel even more uncomfortable. He smiled, "You know, Berlin has some interesting places to visit. I'm not competing with any movies here, so I have plenty of time to enjoy the sights. It would be even better with a beautiful lady accompanying me!"
"Potsdamer Platz, the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate -- they're all pretty nice," Marion cheerfully named a few places she had visited just yesterday.
The credits started rolling on the screen.
"What are we waiting for then?" Charlie asked with a smile, getting up and gesturing politely.
Hand in hand, they left amidst Harvey's jealous and envious gaze.
Damn, that little bastard might have forgotten he was here to study and participate in the film festival.
'I knew doing business with him, I shouldn't be so reserved.'
Harvey's good mood was ruined.
He originally planned to chat about the film festival stories with Charlie and then talk about cooperation later. But now, Charlie had ditched him for a woman.
---
Charlie didn't do it on purpose. It was just that the charm and enthusiasm of French women were too strong.
After they left, Marion hooked her arm through Charlie's and rambled on, "Charlie, tell me your story. In just half a year, you created a film company in fiercely competitive Hollywood. That's amazing!"
Charlie didn't share much nor did he take Marion sightseeing around Berlin.
After lunch at a Turkish restaurant in Potsdamer Platz, he used the excuse to go change clothes and brought her directly back to the hotel.
When they entered, Rachel was sitting by the window in the hotel lobby's cafe. It seems Maggie Cheung invited her out for a chat. They were happily talking about the latest fashion trends of the season.
*****
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