To be honest, Julia Roberts, to him, was pretty much like Kate Winslet before her. Apart from the allure of her star power, her looks, figure, and aura were just average.
It was like someone used to eating gourmet food being asked to switch to plain fare occasionally—fine for a change of taste, but unbearable if it went on for two or three meals.
However, Julia Roberts was much more forward than Kate Winslet, and rejecting her would have been a bit too offensive.
Thinking about how most of Tony Stark's troubles in the movies come from being a jerk and offending people, Wayne figured that until he became as strong as Superman, he should probably be more agreeable.
So, he spent two more nights experiencing the charm of this top Hollywood actress, and only when Julia Roberts' scenes were finished did he finally feel "liberated."
It's worth mentioning that although Julia Roberts only had about five minutes of scenes with him, they were all filmed in one go and went very smoothly, so it only took two days to wrap up.
Julia Roberts, having enjoyed herself, didn't want to leave so soon. However, she had to prepare for her upcoming Oscar campaign for "Erin Brockovich," so she reluctantly boarded a plane back to America.
"Haha, darling, how was the experience these past few days?"
Back in his room, Wayne faced the teasing of Hannah and the others. First, he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, and then a thought suddenly popped into his head.
"I feel like I've been taken advantage of."
"Taken advantage of?"
Wayne shook his head without explaining and, in one swift motion, picked up Jessica, who was covering her mouth and giggling, ready to enjoy a taste of "gourmet food" once again.
However, he quickly learned a frustrating bit of news—Jessica and Hannah's relatives had arrived.
"What a coincidence!"
"Can't help it, it's just that kind of coincidence~"
Wayne suspiciously stared at the two for a few seconds before turning to Mia.
Mia grinned, "Sorry, darling, my relatives didn't come, but don't forget, I have to manage the equipment transfer today."
Wayne was about to say that someone else could handle that, but considering that Mia was quite career-driven, he sighed in resignation and didn't push it further.
"Alright, darling, don't forget you have another lover here in Paris," Mia reminded him.
Of course, Wayne hadn't forgotten about Eva Green, a French beauty who might not have the most refined features but certainly had a unique charm and allure.
He was just thinking that after fooling around outside for three days, he should go back and take care of his "official" girlfriends' feelings.
"How about this—since there's no filming today, why don't we go out and explore the city? Last time, we only got one day to sightsee, and there are still plenty of places we haven't seen yet," Wayne suggested.
"Sounds great!"
"That's a good idea!"
Hannah and Jessica's eyes lit up, and they immediately agreed.
Now, it was Mia's turn to feel annoyed.
"Fine, darling, I hope you and these two *bi**hes* have a great vacation~!" Mia shot them a glance, turned around, and left.
Seeing this, Wayne and the other two couldn't help but chuckle, then happily started discussing which sights to visit today.
If the locations were a bit remote, they'd definitely need to bring a bodyguard.
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to their leisure, Susan and Gus were practically living in the editing room at Hemera Pictures, working tirelessly on the post-production of "Gifted."
Gus originally wasn't keen on it—after all, he was quite a well-known director and deserved time off and some rights. However, for the money, he reluctantly agreed.
His payment wasn't in one lump sum like Wayne's but was divided into several parts. When Mia said that if the film was finished quickly and sold, he could receive the remaining payment right away instead of waiting for the film to finish its North American run, Gus became very motivated. After all, that portion of his salary amounted to a hefty $1 million. Getting it now versus a few months or even half a year later made a big difference.
With this financial incentive, on December 1st, the same day Wayne took Hannah and Jessica out to play, the rough cut of "Gifted" was completed.
Susan, resisting the urge to call Wayne, invited Sera, screenwriter Bower, and leading actresses Naomi and Sarandon to an internal screening.
"What does everyone think?"
Three hours flew by. As the screen went dark and the lights came back on, Susan, feeling nervous, asked for everyone's opinions.
"Bower, what do you think?" Seeing no one eager to speak first, Susan directly called out.
"I think it's good. Nothing needs changing," Bower replied seriously after some thought.
His script was strong, but Gus, as a director, had delivered equally impressive work. Although some scenes differed from how he envisioned them in the script, the film's visual representation was still solid, so he didn't feel anything needed changing.
"Then, Sarandon?" Susan looked at the seasoned Oscar-winning actress next.
"From an ordinary viewer's perspective, I think this movie is definitely worth the ticket price," Sarandon said after a moment, opting to comment as a regular audience member rather than as a professional actor.
Of course, how to attract audiences to the theaters was the distribution company's job.
Next, Susan looked at Naomi. Seeing that she also felt the movie was already great and had no feedback, Susan finally turned to Sera.
"As a mother, I find this film very compelling. Even just the rough cut was enough to hold my attention without feeling bored. It even provoked some reflection and thoughts. So, let's get the final cut done as soon as possible. I'm eager to sell this film for a good price!" Sera smiled.
Hearing this, Susan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her somewhat tired and haggard face.
"Gus and I will try to finish the final cut in three days. So, that's it for today's screening. Feel free to go about your business; I'm going to call Wayne and update him."
Five minutes later, while Wayne was touring the Louvre, he received a call from Susan.
(End of Chapter)