America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 283: Chapter 280: Rich Lady, Let's Get Married

Burbank, Warner Bros. headquarters.

As Thomas just entered the lobby, intending to head to the elevator area.

A person coming towards him took the initiative to greet: "Hi, Thomas."

Thomas stopped his steps: "Dario, long time no see."

The two were college classmates, and the middle-aged man named Dario sized up Thomas a bit and said, "It's only been a little over a year since we last met, have you changed a bit?"

Thomas was slightly startled: "Have I?"

Dario pointed at his forehead: "When did you start going bald here?"

Thomas subconsciously touched his forehead, where he used to be able to feel hair, but now it was already bald.

A colleague called from the door, and Dario hurriedly said: "I have to go, let's have a drink sometime."

Thomas nodded, went into the elevator area, and took the elevator upstairs.

When he stepped out of the elevator, he glanced at the mirror at the front of the elevator lobby. The person inside not only had a receding hairline, his forehead was starting to thin out too.

Thomas didn't care, confidently stepping out of the elevator area and heading to Daniel's office.

As long as he was clinging to Martin, what did it matter if he was going bald? With his current income and status within the industry, getting a girlfriend was too easy.

Thomas just didn't want to find one, that's all.

He knocked on the door and entered Daniel's office. Even high-ranking executives at Warner Bros. had to be polite with him. Daniel came over to shake hands and make small talk, asking, "Didn't you go to New York with Martin?"

Thomas followed his line of questioning: "I also wanted to take a vacation in New York, but Martin can't afford my expenses."

Daniel immediately understood that this was a debt collection visit, saying, "The box office revenue share for Wanted Order has not been fully settled yet; you'll need to wait a while."

Thomas said with a smile: "Not Wanted Order. It's Horror Wax Museum, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

He was referring to the profit shares dictated by the mandatory basic agreements of the actors' guild, which involved DVD, videotape, and television broadcast rights, among other aspects.

Warner Bros., as a member of the Producers' Alliance, had signed related agreements with the actors' guild.

Thomas said: "Many actors have already received their shares from the past year, and I wanted to ask about the payment schedule on Warner Bros.' end for Martin?"

Without a nudge, Warner Bros. would intentionally delay for quite a while.

This expense was inevitable; the guild watched it closely. As the direct officer for the three projects, Daniel said, "I'll check on it; it should be soon."

He made a phone call in front of Thomas and then told him: "It should hit your account before the weekend."

"Sorry to have disturbed you." Thomas then took his leave.

The off-screen income of actors also fell within the range of an agent's commission.

Thanks to Martin's efforts over the past year, those three movies didn't just earn a pretty penny at the box office, but they also maintained significant popularity off-screen. Even though the basic agreement's cut was only a fraction of a percent, just the DVD sales alone for the three movies combined exceeded 100 million US dollars.

......

New York, snow drifting, the cold wind biting.

The crew of "Endless," which had just started filming, could only revise their shooting schedule, temporarily canceling all street shoots and moving into the studio instead.

Inside the newly set-up cafe, as the clapperboard snapped, another scene began to shoot.

The male and female leads were sitting together drinking coffee.

Martin was disheveled, his clothes worn, his long hair greasy.

Aniston wore a beige business suit that radiated shrewdness and efficiency.

An unsuccessful writer down on his luck, and a fashionable career woman—naturally, their conversation didn't flow smoothly.

"Cut!" suddenly, director Danny Boyle called out, took off his headset, and entered the set, looking at Aniston with a diplomatic tone: "Jen, there's a problem you need to solve quickly."

Aniston was astute; she understood what he meant right away: "Make me look less like Rachel?"

Boyle nodded: "You, in front of the camera, look just like another Rachel."

Aniston felt quite helpless; this was a problem she encountered in every film crew she worked with.

The higher Rachel took her, the harder it was to shake off Rachel's shadow in other roles.

Boyle didn't say much more and returned to his director's chair.

Aniston then turned to look at Martin. Martin had been filming for two days, and the character he portrayed bore no trace of Wanted Order or The Hills Have Eyes. To the naked eye and to the camera, he looked entirely like a destitute nobody. Discover more stories at ???

She pondered for a moment before asking, "Why can you perform a character's inner and outer temperament so comprehensively, with each role presenting a brand new you?"

"It's to do with my experiences," Martin simply said. "Because, before last year, I was just a destitute nobody. I didn't have to look for the character's feeling."

Aniston had been an actress all her life and had not worked at another job for any length of time.

Martin thought for a moment and then said, "Just my personal opinion, but first you have to forget about Rachel. Stop thinking about getting rid of Rachel; perhaps it will be a little better."

If she was always trying to rid herself of Rachel, she would forever remember Rachel.

Every actor's situation was different; he couldn't apply his own experiences to Aniston.

Aniston felt there was some truth to this; if she couldn't forget Rachel, other people would never forget Rachel either.

Shooting restarted, still off and on.

Most of the problem lay with Aniston, while Martin found it fairly easy to handle the poverty-stricken Eddie.

After three o'clock in the afternoon, the crew took a brief break to rest and regroup.

Aniston's chair was right next to Martin's. She sat down, took the straw cup handed to her by her assistant, and said to Martin, "I've been in the industry for over a decade and yet you, who've only been here for three years, overshadow me. It's really depressing."

Martin had talent on one hand and on the other, he had experiences that nobody could replicate. He put on a confident air, "That's just talent for you."

Aniston was speechless, but she admitted that the little pup's talent was too good, saying, "Good looks, a great figure, and talent—you were born for this business."

Martin leaned in closer and whispered, "Are you referring to yourself when you talk about 'this business'?"

Aniston was in her thirties, at a fierce and aggressive stage of life. She thrust out her chest with force, "Tonight, when we go back, I'll make sure you're well-fed."

At that moment, Bruce came over and glanced at Aniston. Since it wasn't a secret, he said, "Thomas called. The earnings from Horror Wax Museum, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants have been processed by the actors' guild and are now with the talent agency. They'll be transferred over to us soon."

Martin nodded and smiled at Aniston, "Let's go out together this weekend."

Aniston asked, "Sounds like you've got money?"

Martin replied, "Without money, there's no confidence."

"The earnings you're talking about must be from offline residuals, based on the standard guild agreement, right?" Aniston said, like a caring big sister. "You should save it. This weekend, I just want to stay in my room."

Martin understood her meaning, "I'll keep you company." Then he asked curiously, "'Friends' must bring in residuals every year, doesn't it?"

Since Aniston's contract was public, she simply said, "I've signed a supplemental agreement with the producers. I get two percent of the total annual revenue from all channels of 'Friends.' It's been fairly stable these past few years, no less than 30 million US dollars."

By comparison, Martin's upcoming 470,000 US dollars seemed paltry.

Aniston deliberately asked, "What are you thinking?"

Martin sighed, "I still have a long way to go."

His statement was unexpected for Aniston; Martin was clearly an actor with a strong ambition.

Before she could dwell on her thoughts, Martin continued, "I must amass a large number of blockbuster films, not just earn a basic salary. Later on, I must also fight for residuals, both offline and online. When I can earn a residual income of 30 million US dollars a year just by lying down, then I'll retire and live a carefree life."

Aniston pondered, especially considering her relationship with Martin, and said with an implicative tone, "Then you have to be cautious, avoid getting married lightly, and if you do, you must sign a comprehensive prenuptial agreement."

It was as if she was warning Martin in advance, while also reminding herself, "Do you know why Scorsese is still maintaining such a high frequency of filming to this day? Because he has been married four times."

Martin really wanted to say, let's get married, rich lady!

But he knew it was no use.

When Aniston married Pitt, she had already signed a prenuptial agreement, so their divorce was clean and straightforward, without any mess or drama.

Although the ultimate goal for men is to find a wealthy woman and coast through life, Aniston wasn't the right type for Martin. Instead, he reassured her, "I admire the kind of life Leonardo leads the most."

Aniston's slightly lifted heart settled back into place. Playing happily with a 'little pup' and making Jolie uncomfortable was one thing, but marriage and starting a family were completely another matter.

As long as the 'little pup' didn't think towards marriage, she could play without worries.

The break ended and Martin and Aniston were back at the shoot.

The weekend came, the snow stopped, but the weather was extremely cold.

Martin and Aniston had no intention of going out for a stroll, hiding in the hotel and pondering over the most critical academic topic for mankind.

It brought them great joy.

Jolie and Pitt, along with such other rotten affairs, were far from Aniston's mind; she only wanted to enjoy what was down below.

After the new week began, two more film crews moved into Brooklyn Studio.

One belonged to Warner Bros. with the crew of "I Am Legend."

The other brought a number of big star names.

During a filming break, Martin saw people from both film crews; the former hadn't brought in its actors yet, while the latter started filming as soon as they arrived on set.

Bruce followed Martin out of the soundstage and said, "I asked around; the new crew is here for 'I'm Not There.'

Martin looked from a distance at a somewhat familiar face, bustling out of the soundstage, clad in a coat, heading towards the parking lot.

After a closer look, he said, "Looks like Heath Ledger."

Bruce confirmed, "That's Heath Ledger. I saw 'Brokeback Mountain' not too long ago; I can't be mistaken."

Martin subconsciously took a step forward and asked, "The Kardashian sisters not to your taste anymore?"

Bruce flipped Martin off, "I'm male and I prefer women."

Martin replied, "I understand, you like the big-booty sisters."

In the distance, Heath Ledger turned into the parking lot.

Blocked by the buildings, Martin could no longer see that way.

Then he saw Christian Bale and Kate Blanchett appearing at the door of the adjacent soundstage and couldn't help wondering, "'I'm Not There,' what kind of film is that?"

"It's a biographical film about Bob Dylan." Aniston came out from the soundstage just in time to hear Martin's question. "Last September, I auditioned for this crew. There was a cross-dressing role. I lost to Kate Blanchett during the auditions."

"Cross-dressing? It's normal for you to lose to her." Of course, Martin had to take Aniston's side, "Blanchett looks like a strange man anyway. Jen, you're so sweet and pretty, cross-dressing roles aren't for you."

Aniston gave Martin a sweet smile, "Mainly, I couldn't accept having to cut my long hair."