Chapter 727: Chapter 134: Two Movies
In the warm afternoon sunlight of spring, the entrance to the Kodak Theater appeared quite majestic. At this moment, its surroundings were already abuzz with noise. The long red carpet stretched from one end of the street right up to the doors of the Kodak Theater, and towering Oscar statuettes were erected, with countless reporters stationed in designated areas continuously snapping photos of the stunningly dressed women and the elegant men on the red carpet. Despite the ceremony being held for the 74th year, it was still just as lively as ever.
A commotion started at the entrance, and a somewhat gaunt but spirited figure appeared on the red carpet. Donning a pair of black-framed glasses, he had an air of gentility about him. Journalists turned their cameras towards this middle-aged man, who was the most famous director in the world, having received numerous honors and being a regular at the Oscars. His own film company had a splendid reputation in Hollywood and internationally. He could always receive countless applause and attention wherever he went, just like now.
However, only this middle-aged man, smiling at the reporters, knew that, despite his success, in almost every aspect, he was considerably inferior to another. Although the old pals were earnest in running the company, their abilities were limited and their focuses diverse, failing to complement each other. On the surface, things looked splendid, but in reality, the business was shrinking. The initial grand ambitions faced the harsh test of reality. There was no need to mention the film production, as the other company’s movies, both live-action and animated, had firmly taken the top spot in Hollywood the previous year.
Perhaps, from a personal perspective, he could still outperform the other in box office revenues, although the other could produce movies of any style, they still lacked the experience. But it was probably only a matter of time before he would be surpassed—just think about last year’s films. With this thought, he shook his head lightly with self-deprecating laughter. Why worry about these things? Having been in Hollywood for so many years, what hadn’t he seen? Besides, they were still partners with each other.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a headache when he thought of the other’s personal life. Although he had no right to intervene, it involved…
“Hey, Godfather,” a familiar voice entered his ears, and Gwyneth’s smiling pretty face immediately came into view.
“Hey, Gwyneth,” Spielberg hugged his goddaughter and then sighed in his heart. If one were to look purely from a male perspective, he was probably the most resented man by the men of Hollywood.
If Adrian had been just another ordinary playboy, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But almost everyone of stature in Hollywood knew that he was not just playing around; he held exceptional women close to him, and they were more than willing to bear his children. Kate Beckinsale, Monica Bellucci, Kate Blanchett, and the less known Sophie Marceau, had all had children with him. Despite this, many women still wanted to meet him. There was no second person like him in all of Hollywood.
But who could blame him for being so formidable? Before the age of forty, he was already the chairman of the board of a large media conglomerate, and he himself was an extremely outstanding director who could fully exploit the characteristics of women and elevate them to the throne of Best Actress. Just for this reason alone, many women were more than willing to throw themselves at him, not to mention his skill at pampering women. Spielberg had often advised his goddaughter, why insist on sticking with a playboy? Old Paltrow had frequently lost his temper in front of his daughter, but Gwyneth was considerate towards them in other aspects, except when it came to this matter, no matter what they said, she wouldn’t listen.
“Being by his side feels so comfortable, no worries, no pressure, so carefree,” Gwyneth had described her feelings being by Adrian’s side to Spielberg.
So, what more could he say? Keep in mind his other goddaughter, Drew Barrymore, had reportedly sighed in private about why she hadn’t met Adrian sooner. Spielberg had even heard that last year, on the eve of her wedding, she indulged with her good sisters Cameron Diaz and Kelly Hu, whom she met through [Charlie’s Angels], at Adrian’s place. Although Drew denied this in private, he felt there was a good chance it was true.
Regardless, there was no way he could change this situation, just as he had been unable to prevent Drew’s substance abuse. These were others’ private matters, and he was just their godfather, the most ordinary kind, because… well, better not talk about that. In any case, even Warren Beatty and Woody Allen of their times weren’t like the current Adrian. Such a person might appear only once in decades, so there’s no use thinking too much about it. It was better to cooperate well and strive to make DreamWorks more stable.
“Yes, I hope ‘A Beautiful Mind’ will win Best Picture. I really like this movie personally. Ron did an outstanding job, and Russell and Gwyneth’s performances are quite splendid too. It would be perfect if it could take Best Director and Best Actor and Actress as well,” Spielberg was quite unrestrained in front of the reporters’ cameras, while director Ron Howard and Russell Crowe, accompanied by a female companion, and Gwyneth were at hand to add a few words for him.
After all, the movie had DreamWorks’ funding, and they had also contributed to its distribution. It was a Universal collaboration with them, and naturally, Spielberg was hoping for it to win the Best Picture.
“I think so too,” a voice said at that moment, and then Adrian’s face, which may not have been handsome but had a strong and appealing character, appeared before everyone.
“Hi, Steven,” he said, enthusiastically opening his arms.
“Hi, Ed,” Spielberg said with a smile as he gave him a hug, glancing around meanwhile. Hmm, no other women with a possibly ambiguous relationship with Adrian were nearby.
“No wonder I just heard cheers from over there; it turns out you’ve arrived,” he added.
“The compliments of a great director sure sound different.” Adrian raised an eyebrow, which induced a round of laughter, and then the reporters took the opportunity to ask questions, as they rarely got the chance to interview him.
Spielberg stepped aside slightly, allowing Adrian to face the reporters fully. If this were five or six years ago, he would have undoubtedly engaged in extensive discussions with him in front of these people. Now being older and burdened with more worries recently, he had lost interest in doing so.
Adrian didn’t say much, merely expressing his confidence in “A Beautiful Mind” and the performances of Russell and Gwyneth. However, the reporters immediately latched on to the nominations of “Moulin Rouge” and “The Lord of the Rings 1” and asked if he was dissatisfied with his own two works. Unfortunately, such questions couldn’t stump Adrian. He had a way with words, first modestly stating that these two movies weren’t anything special but then praising them, ultimately indicating that the results would only be known after the awards ceremony was over.
However, probably because Gwyneth was beside him, when mentioning Nicole Kidman, he merely made a cursory comment, causing Spielberg to involuntarily shake his head slightly.
“You seemed to disagree with something I said just now, Steven,” said Adrian, after getting rid of the reporters and beginning to move toward the Kodak Theater, having exchanged a suggestive glance with Gwyneth after chatting briefly with Russell. He slowed down to walk shoulder to shoulder with Spielberg.
“No, it’s nothing, just that I think the reporters are a bit presumptuous, trying to dig for news from you,” Spielberg said teasingly.
Adrian laughed heartily and then changed the subject. “By the way, I heard that the movie adaptation rights for Arthur Gordon’s novel are in your hands, or should I say, with DreamWorks.”
Knowing Spielberg, Adrian suspected he must have an ulterior motive for walking with him. Spielberg raised an eyebrow. “Arthur Gordon’s novel?”
He quickly recalled and then looked at Adrian with a surprised expression, “Memoirs of a Geisha?”
“That’s right,” Adrian said with a nod and a smile, “You know, I have a deep and sensitive understanding of Asian culture, so after reading ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ I had the idea of adapting it. I just so happen to have the right Japanese actors on my side, but to my surprise, you guys took the initiative. So I thought… maybe you’d be willing to let us produce it?”
“You want to produce it? Don’t you think your request is a bit excessive, Ed?” Spielberg said in such a tone, without looking angry.
“Are you saying you’ve already decided to direct and produce it yourself?” Adrian continued, still smiling.
“Of course not, I have many things on my plate, but since the adaptation rights are in our hands, do you think you can just take them with one sentence?”
“You surely are aware of how the Japanese reacted to this novel, aren’t you? Just last year, Mrs. Mineko Iwazaki, who inspired the character of Sayuri, even published ‘Memoirs of a Real Geisha’ to express her dissatisfaction, so I can pretty much predict what the outcome will be once the film is released.” Adrian blinked, “But it would be different if we produced it because I know how to adapt and operate it in a way that they will accept the story.”
After this lengthy discussion, Spielberg showed no expression but simply stared at him, waiting for what he would say next.
“Alright, alright,” Adrian raised his hands in a gesture of mild resignation, “We can collaborate, just like with ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ Then, I have another script about Japanese culture, which I am quite optimistic about. If DreamWorks is willing, we can also work together using the current model.”
“Oh?” Spielberg showed a look of curiosity.
“You know, John Logan is a very creative screenwriter. Last year he nearly won Best Original Screenplay for ‘Gladiator,’ which he co-wrote with David Franzoni,” Adrian explained. “This year, he has another idea, a story about samurai in Japan, around the mid-19th century when Japan had to reform due to America’s influence, leading to the complete abolition of the samurai class and subsequent revolts. An American, the protagonist, gets dragged into the turmoil, forming friendships with these doomed samurai, and becomes enchanted by the allure of the samurai way.”
“That sounds… kinda interesting.” Spielberg pushed up his glasses, quickly evaluating the idea in his mind.
Based on these snippets of information, he couldn’t judge the quality of the script, the problem was that Adrian was very keen on it, and by now, no one doubted his judgment; it was definitely worth a try. Moreover, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ though a bestseller, indeed caused discomfort among some Japanese, with Mineko Iwazaki nearly suing Gordon, which was also why Spielberg had initially wanted to direct it but later gave up. If he handed it over to Adrian, letting him deal with the issue didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“The script Logan has written is called ‘The Last Samurai,'” Adrian continued, “if you’re interested, I can have someone send you the outline at any time, and we could even discuss the production rights. You can choose whoever you want for the lead role.”
“Including Tom Cruise?” Spielberg blurted out.
DreamWorks was currently collaborating with Cruise, with Spielberg directing and Cruise starring in ‘Minority Report,’ set for this year’s summer release. If the box office met expectations, the partnership could continue. So, Spielberg was well aware that Cruise never allowed people around to talk ahead about his wife and Adrian; otherwise, just looking upset would be considered mild.
He had heard the rumors, and knew there was a high chance they were true—just looking at the way Adrian and Nicole exchanged glances was telling—but that didn’t mean he was going to side with Cruise. After all, from the early days of supporting him with ‘Schindler’s List’ and the founding of DreamWorks to their current full and comprehensive collaboration, he had no reason to alienate Adrian.
When he picked up his camera, he was a director; when he put it down, he became a businessman.
And as for Cruise, his opinion was lukewarm; although usually very polite, sometimes the pressure would cause him to burst into euphoria or rage for no reason, which was unpleasant. However, this also made him memorable, so Spielberg found it natural to say what he did.
Adrian immediately showed a look of surprise, and just as Spielberg was about to try and rectify his apparent blunder, what Adrian said next left him speechless.
“No problem, as long as you want,” Adrian said with an odd smile, as if recalling something amusing, “Anyone can take the lead role.”
Finally, it was settled. After Spielberg left, Adrian breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Well, here’s how the whole thing went down: during the visit to the set in Tokyo, because of Ayumi Hamasaki, he had his fun with Fukada Kyoko. As a capitalist with a “conscience” and “morals,” it was only proper to show some appreciation afterward—after all, Fukada Kyoko’s assets, though not on par with Ivanka, Scarlett, and Keeley’s, were zealously offered in her service.
But there weren’t any suitable roles available for a while, plenty of TV parts, but none that would help her career in Japan, which made Adrian rather unhappy, until John Logan’s new script came along.
He hadn’t expected that Logan, who had written Gladiator, was also the screenwriter for The Last Samurai—okay, he just hadn’t bothered to check his memory thoroughly—and that solved the problem perfectly. The Last Samurai had a minor female role, just right for Fukada Kyoko to try.
As for Yukie, no need to worry, Adrian wouldn’t let her down, the path was already set. With Gilmore Girls and a few movies, she had quite a name for herself in North America, making her one of the more well-known Asian actors. However, her journey lacked some substantial works along the way. Luckily, thinking of the movie The Last Disdain, Adrian immediately thought of another film about a Japanese person, that’s right, the poorly received Memoirs of a Geisha, adapted from Arthur Gordon’s novel, disliked in both Japan and China.
To be honest, the box office and critical reception of the film were pretty terrible, with most of the blame resting on the producers. Whoever thought it was a good idea to cast Chinese actors when there were no internationally recognizable Japanese actors was a fool. The difference is just one word, yet easy to stir associations—the general public wouldn’t care about such nuances, leading to the outcome where both Japanese and Chinese audiences disliked it. The former managed some recovery, but the latter was completely shut out.
And to think the release was set for December—something Adrian had to rack his brains to recall—was utterly foolish. A film unrelated to Americans, interesting only for its exoticism, set during the Christmas season, and early in the month at that, competing with several commercial blockbusters. Even if Adrian were directing it himself, it would have taken a lot of effort to pull it off, planning a long-run release strategy and delaying until after January to potentially rake in decent box office returns.
Ignoring the two major flaws mentioned earlier, the ending was also a colossal failure, with Sayuri staying by the chairman’s side as a lover. Western feminists would definitely dislike this plot. Maybe that’s the reality in the entertainment industry; no matter the profession, there’s no place for purity. Not to mention, Adrian himself had a slew of lovers, but that doesn’t mean feminists would allow such a storyline in a high-profile film, leading to inevitable criticism.
Under these circumstances, high box office figures would be a surprise. It’s likely that Iwazaki Mineko, the prototype for the character, would be angry, probably because of the ending, as she’s an independent woman in real life.
Adrian remembered that Memoirs of a Geisha grossed about $160 million worldwide, so the story had its merits, for example, showing the geisha training, competitions, and all those flashy moves. Even in Japan, where it faced strong rejection, it seemed to have made over $10 million. So fixing those crucial three points mentioned before could undoubtedly elevate the movie’s box office and critical standing.
Yukie had been hustling in Hollywood for years and wasn’t lacking in fame, perfectly fit to play the role of Sayuri, and it would be an excellent opportunity to step up her celebrity status and solidify her foundation even more.
Unfortunately, the movie rights to Memoirs of a Geisha had been secured by DreamWorks in the late ’90s, making it challenging to take it from their hands. Thus, Adrian simply used The Last Samurai as a bargaining chip, as the film was already successful, just needing to cast Fukada Kyoko for that female role.
Adrian still hadn’t expected Spielberg to ask, “Including Cruise?” He was surprised, given that the original The Last Samurai starred Tom Cruise; to now fall into his hands this way? Without hesitation, he agreed, recalling that in the original… Keanu Watanabe, it should be that name, received a Best Supporting Actor nomination, while Cruise got nothing. How could such an amusing occurrence be allowed to vanish?
Alright, let it go. With a light chuckle, Adrian told himself to take it easy, as for now, he was at the site of the 74th Oscar Ceremony! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it, and cast a monthly ticket at . Your support is my greatest motivation.)