Time on set flew by, and before they knew it, the workday had come to an end.
The extras and crew members gradually left, and soon, only Eric, James McAvoy, the Olsen sisters, and a few others remained.
Judy approached and said, "Ashley, Mary, let's go grab some dinner, and after that, I'll show you what real lesbian life is like."
The sisters glanced at Eric, who nodded in approval.
Then they turned to James McAvoy. His performance today had made a huge impression on them. They had been working with the same crew, they were around the same age, but James was just a supporting character. Comparing it to their own performances today, the Olsen sisters felt ashamed.
Initially, they had agreed to this under Eric's pressure, but now it seemed more like a voluntary decision.
The three left together. Eric patted James on the shoulder. "Great work today, James."
McAvoy still seemed unsure. "Director, am I really that good?"
"Haha, of course! Believe in yourself—you're the best. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
As Eric got into the car, the driver, Peter, asked, "Where to, boss?"
Eric looked at his phone. He wanted to visit Nicole, whom he hadn't seen in days and was missing terribly. But getting to her place at night involved climbing over a fence, which was rather inconvenient.
"Peter, isn't it about time I bought a house?"
"What?"
Chen Xin and Peter both turned to him, not quite understanding why Eric suddenly brought this up.
"Chen Xin, take a few days to look around the city and find a suitable place. Not in Beverly Hills, I need something more secluded."
"But not in the slums either—security is the priority."
"The house doesn't need to be huge, I don't need a villa. Even an apartment will do, as long as there's enough space for three to four people."
Chen Xin jotted down the requirements. "Got it, boss."
He and Peter exchanged glances. A rich guy suddenly deciding to buy a house—and just one, clearly not for business.
If not for business, then for what? The answer was obvious. Hiding a beautiful woman in a luxurious home—a dream for many. They envied Eric and dreamed of reaching his level.
Eric picked up his phone and called Nicole Kidman. "Hey, Nicole. What are you up to?"
"Reading a script."
Her slightly lazy voice on the other end of the line stirred something in Eric.
But he immediately realized something was off.
"What? A script? What script? You've got a new role?"
"Of course. Did you forget I'm now an Oscar winner? I'm being offered roles by many directors. There are lines stretching all the way to the suburbs of Los Angeles—can you imagine?"
"But you were supposed to do 'La Vie en Rose.' We had an agreement."
Nicole laughed softly. "Then give me a script. I at least need to know what role I'll be playing."
"And besides, I'm only reading other people's scripts. My schedule is still reserved for you. Everyone else can wait—I have the luxury now."
Eric chuckled. "Sweetheart, I'll check in on the script's progress tomorrow. I've only given some general ideas so far, but you know a film like this requires careful development."
"To be honest, I'm not too excited about doing art-house films. Is there anything like 'Transformers'? I want to be the lead in a blockbuster."
"Haha. With your achievements, does it even matter whether it's commercial or art-house? I remember that 'The Others' made over $200 million worldwide. You don't need to prove anything."
Nicole sighed lazily, her charm coming through even over the phone.
"Eric, it's not about that. I just want to break a certain myth."
"What myth? What kind of witch put a spell on you? Let this handsome prince rescue you."
"Hahaha! Haven't you heard? They say there's a three-year curse after winning an Oscar."
Eric rolled his eyes. He thought it was something serious, but she was worried about that?
There's a legend in Hollywood: after winning an Oscar, you're cursed for three years. This applies to both actors and actresses. The moment you hold that coveted statue, the "curse" kicks in.
After that, you might face not only career setbacks but also problems in your personal life and health.
The New York Times even conducted a special study and found that only 7.2% of Oscar winners managed to continue a successful career. Only 3.2% were able to boost their films' box office numbers, while 36% became box-office poison, comedians, completely vanished from the spotlight, or spiraled downward.
Some say that the instant luck from winning the Oscar sets you up to spend the rest of your life chasing that success again.
The results were, of course, on the verge of mysticism. Psychologists explained it by saying that after winning the award, people's personalities often worsened. This affected their choice of roles, leading to flops. After a few failures, they would realize their mistakes and start picking roles wisely, eventually finding success again.
"Nicole, darling, don't worry about that silly curse. I've got a surefire way to avoid it."
"Haha. I don't believe you. You're just trying to tease me."
"No, I'm serious. Just take my advice before accepting any new roles. I can't guarantee awards, but I can promise you won't become box-office poison."
"Oh, you talk like you can predict the future."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Nicole chuckled. "Alright, enough joking around. Tomorrow, come to me with the full script for 'La Vie en Rose.'"
"Miss me?"
She was quiet for a moment and then answered seriously, "Yes, I do."
"Alright, see you tomorrow, love. Kisses."
"Kisses back."
When the car returned to Beverly Hills, Eric was surprised to find his brother Joshua sitting on the couch, watching TV with their mom and the housekeeper Lisa, who were preparing dinner.
"Oh wow, look who's back! Joshua, the busy man, finally remembered his family?"
Joshua yelled toward the kitchen, "You hear that, Mom? I told you Eric would rib me. He's not happy to see his brother at all."
"Stop it, Joshua. You on break?"
Joshua sighed. "Sort of. The guy I was replacing came back from his injury. So now I'm benched. Damn it, why couldn't he have broken all his bones and taken longer to recover?"
Eric grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed one to his brother. "Sorry, bro. So no more chances for you to hit the field?"
"Nope. Now he's got me warming the bench. That's why I'm here, and Coach Barry gave me some time off. I'm just a substitute now anyway."
Eric sat next to his brother, put his arm around him, and they both took a swig of their beers together.
Joshua, there will always be things in life that don't go our way. Not everything will run smoothly. You've trained long and hard—taking a few days off won't hurt you.
Joshua shrugged, "What else can I do? I don't have anything else going on. No game time, and now those hot cheerleaders don't even notice me anymore, just like the fans."
Lowering his voice, he added, "You have no idea how crazy fans can get. I've heard some wild things about the basketball world. Just look at Magic Johnson and his 'rainbow strategy.'"
"Do you know what a 'rainbow strategy' is? It's when you've got women of every race and color. It's a lot of fun, but now I've got none of that anymore."
Listening to his brother, Eric spoke seriously, "Joshua, be careful. Magic Johnson contracted HIV, you know that. If you want to have fun, make sure you're with clean partners, and always be safe."
Joshua sighed and shook his head, "Of course, I get it. I only had a two-month pass to that life, and I made the most of it."
"Eric, to be honest, I was a starter in college. I thought I'd be a starter in the pros, too. But reality turned out different."
"If that guy hadn't gotten injured, I wouldn't have even stepped on the field. Do you think I even have any real talent for football?"
That was a tough question. From everything Eric had seen, his brother wasn't the most talented athlete.
It reminded him of the Olsen sisters: they had talent, but it was minimal. While the competition was small, it wasn't so noticeable. But in a professional environment, their weaknesses became obvious right away.
Seeing that Eric was silent, Joshua shrugged, "Alright, I get it. I'm not cut out for this. I guess it's time to think about changing careers while I'm still young."
"What do you want to do? Any ideas?" Eric asked.
"Not yet. What about acting? We're both handsome guys. I may not be a quarterback, but I've got the 'rainbow strategy' thanks to this face."
"You want to be an actor? But that takes talent too. Looks are temporary. In a few years, younger, better-looking actors will come along. To stay on top, you need skills."
"If you're serious, I can find you a professional coach to train you, and then we'll see. But I have a suggestion. You once said you wanted to be a team manager. Instead of switching careers, why don't you study how to run a team?"
Joshua looked at his brother in surprise, "That was a joke. You think I'd become a high school coach? That's probably my path."
"If I'm lucky, maybe I'll train one or two future stars who'll mention me in interviews. But a team manager? Haha!"
"Joshua, I'm not joking. You still have a long contract with the Forty-Niners. Use this time wisely. Who knows, it might come in handy in a few years," Eric said seriously.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, anything can happen in life. No one knows what the future holds."
"I know that line from Forrest Gump: 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.'"
"Exactly," Eric continued. "Maybe in a few years, MGM will become such a big corporation that it'll get into sports, too. It's all connected to entertainment."
Joshua tilted his head thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his chest, and after a while, he nodded. "Eric, you might be right. That's not a bad path either, but I'm not sure I can learn it."
"Why not? Set a goal. At the finish line, you'll have a crowd of cheerleaders waving at you. Isn't that inspiring?"
Joshua's face immediately lit up with a goofy grin, "Oh yeah, that's a beautiful picture."
At that moment, the door opened, and their father walked in.
"Joshua, what are you doing here?"
"Of course, I came to visit my favorite dad and mom. I've missed you so much."
Joshua went over to help his father take off his coat, hugging him as he did.
Eric nodded, "Exactly. A manager needs communication skills like that. See, you're already good at it!"
After dinner, Eric relaxed in the bathtub, enjoying the warm water that washed away the day's exhaustion.
Suddenly, his phone rang. The display showed Elin's name. They hadn't seen each other in over a month, only occasionally speaking on the phone.
"Hey, Elin. Good evening."
"No good evening, Eric Cooper!"
"What happened? Who made you so mad?"
"The person I'm talking to right now."
"What? Don't accuse me without reason. We haven't seen each other in a while—how could I have upset you?"
"Oh, so that's how it is! You don't even remember the last time you were in New York! You've just forgotten about me, used me, and tossed me aside, huh?"
Eric chuckled nervously, "What nonsense, Elin! I'm not like that. You're always in my heart. I've just been really busy. Check the news and you'll understand."
"Oh, I know. You're busy sleeping with Nicole Kidman. Everyone knows that!"
"Hey, that's unfair. We're not exactly saints either. If you insult me, you're insulting yourself too."
There was a sound of teeth grinding on the other end of the line.
"Eric Cooper, you're a total jerk! As soon as you're done with me, you forget I even exist!"
Eric started to get angry too, "Damn it, lady, watch your words. Or I'll deal with you!"
"Yeah, right! Come to New York and show me what you've got. I'll be waiting for you this weekend. Or are you just a coward?"
Elin hung up, and Eric frowned. He realized he'd fallen into her trap.
"Oh, when you have too many women, that can be a problem too," he thought. "Should I go or not? If I don't go, nothing terrible will happen. But if I need her help later, like with Hasbro, she'll give me the cold shoulder for sure."
"And if I do go, there's no avoiding a long, tedious argument. I need to be with Nicole tomorrow, then fly to Elin the day after, and Gal Gadot won't let me go on Sunday. By Monday, I won't be able to work. Even my young body can't handle this pace."
Eric decided not to think about it now and went to bed to recharge his energy.
However, in the middle of the night, the phone rang again, waking him up. The screen showed Judy's name.
"Do you know it's the middle of the night?" Eric yawned. "I'm docking your salary for this!"
But Judy's voice sounded urgent, "Eric, come quickly! The Olsen sisters can't leave!"