The Lora Ball Hotel is a high-end Western restaurant near Hollywood that has hosted countless celebrity actors.
Tom Cruise is also a loyal customer of this establishment.
"Kevin, you finally made it."
Seeing Kevin enter the private room he had reserved, both Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman stood up to greet him.
If Tom Cruise had a higher status than Kevin before Mission: Impossible, the tables had turned after the release of Mission: Impossible and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Moreover, they invited Kevin for dinner today with a purpose in mind, hence the politeness.
"Cruise, just tell me directly what you need. If it's something I can agree to, I will. If not, don't put me in a difficult position."
After living in the United States for several years, Kevin had gradually become familiar with Americans' direct and straightforward nature, so he also adopted the same approach.
Nicole Kidman gently pushed Tom Cruise's hand to interrupt him.
Only then did Cruise speak directly, "I was wondering... about the female lead in Batman..."
"I've already given the female lead role to Milla."
Kevin interrupted Cruise's words.
Cruise didn't say anything further upon seeing this. No matter what, as Nicole Kidman's husband, he had already done enough by trying to secure the opportunity. But Milla Jovovich was Kevin's woman, and there was no way Kevin would give up this opportunity for his woman.
"Come on, Kevin, try the signature dish of this hotel!"
Tom Cruise greeted Kevin warmly and enthusiastically encouraged him to enjoy the food.
Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, looked extremely disappointed.
Her purpose in marrying Tom Cruise was simple: to use his connections and gradually elevate her position within Hollywood. Being a superstar's wife was never what she wanted.
Since Cruise had once again let her down, her only option was to find a man who could truly help her reach the pinnacle of Hollywood. And Steve Kevin was the perfect candidate.
The three of them sat around the round table in the private room, and Kevin happily tasted the dishes ordered by Cruise.
Suddenly, he felt an unshod foot constantly fidgeting under the table.
Taking advantage of Tom Cruise's inattentiveness, Kevin discreetly glanced down and saw Nicole Kidman had taken off her shoes.
She was continuously rubbing her foot against his.
Kevin quickly moved his foot away.
He had no habit of flirting with his friend's wife, and besides, Nicole Kidman, though beautiful, had a strikingly aggressive appearance, not his type.
However, seeing Nicole Kidman being so proactive in seducing him left Kevin somewhat speechless.
In his previous life, Nicole Kidman hadn't been able to secure any substantial resources after leaving Tom Cruise. She could be described as having a career that was both influenced and unaffected by Tom Cruise.
At the very least, she relied on her status as Tom Cruise's ex-wife to prevent the audience from forgetting her.
Putting everything else aside, Nicole Kidman's behavior alone made Kevin, as a man, feel disgusted just thinking about it.
If he really got involved with Nicole Kidman, who knew what trouble would await him in the future? He would probably be dragged out every day and publicly criticized by her.
However, it wasn't appropriate to address this issue directly at the moment.
Men always seemed to be at a disadvantage in these situations. If he openly confronted Nicole Kidman about her attempt to seduce him, she could easily retaliate, leaving him at a loss for words.
Seeing Kevin's reaction, Nicole Kidman had no choice but to suspend her actions and come up with another way to seduce him.
This meal was undoubtedly a very uncomfortable experience for Kevin...
…..
Returning to the villa and enjoying the attentive service of the two sisters, Helen and Ellen, Kevin contemplated how to proceed with his upcoming work.
After going through the process and handing over the role of the Joker to Jim Carrey tomorrow, he had to start arranging the layout in advance.
When it came to the filming of The Dark Knight, practical shooting was the main focus.
And among the locations, the best one was New York.
It was widely known that Gotham City, the embodiment of reality, was New York.
The city of sin in the real world.
And this would inevitably involve road closures. Without the cooperation of the New York City government, it would be almost impossible to accomplish.
However, Kevin didn't need to worry about this aspect. Warner Bros. was the biggest beneficiary of this film.
He called his assistant, Ellie, and arranged for her to communicate with Warner Bros. regarding the road closures.
After making the call, Kevin stretched and smirked at Helen and Emma.
"How was yesterday?"
Helen's face instantly turned red, and she shyly replied, "Boss, you're so bad!"
On the other hand, Ellen was bold and immediately ran to Kevin's side, holding his hand and saying, "Boss, do you still want our service today? Are we doing a good job?"
Kevin playfully tapped her on the head.
This little girl was getting too cheeky, daring to provoke him.
Who could tolerate that?
Kevin swiftly pushed Ellen onto the couch...
...
The next day, Kevin was awakened by the sunlight.
Looking at the woman sleeping beside him, Kevin carefully freed himself from her tightly wrapped arms.
After freshening up, he called for the driver and headed straight to Dawn Films.
...
It was the same room as yesterday, but today the audition was not for the role of Batman, but for the iconic villain, the Joker.
In the current Hollywood, female characters were in a very awkward position.
In Hollywood, there has never been an actress who could carry a film's box office. The majority of female roles were treated as mere eye candy.
If we were to rank the importance of roles, in commercial blockbusters, it would generally be the male lead, the main villain, followed by the female lead or other significant characters.
Therefore, it was not a downgrade for Jim Carrey, who had always played leading roles, to take on such a major villain in this production.
After several actors finished their performances one by one, Jim Carrey finally entered the scene.
The Warner Bros. executive, who was sent to oversee the financial aspects, suddenly widened his eyes.
"Jim Carrey? Are you kidding me?"
Kevin smiled slightly and reassured him, "Don't worry, since Jim Carrey wants to play this role, we can't deny him the opportunity."
The executive calmed down at Kevin's words.
Kevin silently watched Jim Carrey. This was why they needed to follow the procedure.
Having a comedian known for a certain image play such a major villain role could easily provoke opposition from Warner Bros.