[Chapter 771: The Clever Girl]
John and his wife were just ordinary working-class folks, busy with their jobs and rarely paying attention to entertainment news. However, they were well aware of what Eric Williams' new movie represented.
Glancing at his eager-looking daughter, John asked, "Mr. Richie, can we ask what role it is?"
"It's a role of a tennis girl, not a lot of screen time," Peter Richie straightforwardly explained while looking at Miranda Kerr. He then inquired, "Miss Kerr, do you play tennis?"
Miranda paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, but Mr. Richie, I can learn. I pick things up quickly."
Peter chuckled and turned his attention back to Miranda's parents.
John exchanged a glance with his wife and asked, "Mr. Richie, are you saying it's just a minor role with little screen time, right?"
"Yes," Peter nodded. "Although the role is small and has no lines, appearing in a globally influential film like 007 can greatly benefit Miss Kerr's future, provided, of course, that she intends to enter the modeling or acting industry."
Eric had simply tasked him with passing this opportunity to Miranda and her family, indifferent to the outcome, and hadn't asked Peter to embellish the significance of the minor role.
As an astute professional, Peter observed that this family was clearly not decisive, while their daughter, Miranda, appeared to be the clever one. She wanted to inject herself into the conversation but had held back during his discussion with her parents.
After hearing Peter's explanation, John and his wife hesitated. The Australian summer break lasted from December to February, and their daughter was about to start school. Both parents were busy with work and didn't want to derail Miranda's education or travel to Hollywood for such a minor role.
After a moment of hesitation, John looked at his daughter and asked, "Miranda, what do you think?"
The moment she realized her father had finally asked for her input, Miranda eagerly turned to Peter and said, "Mr. Richie, if I participate in this movie, will I get to meet Mr. Williams?"
"Of course," Peter nodded.
Miranda, feeling a burst of excitement, straightened up and bashfully asked, "Mr. Williams saw me in DOLLY magazine. What does he think about me?"
Peter raised an eyebrow and replied, "That's a question I can't answer. You'll have to ask the boss himself."
"And after participating in this movie, will I have a chance for other roles in the future?" Miranda asked.
Peter replied, "As long as you perform well, you'll definitely have plenty of opportunities."
Miranda blinked her beautiful eyes and asked, "If, um, if I want to move to New York or Los Angeles, can Mr. Williams help me?"
"That's also not something I can answer," Peter said, shaking his head. "But if you're serious about it, I can pass that message along to the boss."
Miranda realized that her questions had yielded somewhat vague answers, and she recognized that Peter didn't hold much sway in this matter. After a moment of thought, she said, "Since Mr. Williams saw me in DOLLY magazine, he must be in Australia now. Can I meet him?"
"The boss has already returned to the United States," Peter truthfully replied.
Miranda let out a small disappointed gasp.
She had already decided not to give up this chance but was wise enough to hold off on making a hasty agreement, stating that her family needed to discuss it first.
...
After sending Peter Richie on his way, Miranda's mother, Therese, who had been silent during the discussion, looked at her daughter eagerly clutching Peter's contact information and said, "Miranda, I think you're too young for this. It's best you don't..."
But Miranda interrupted her, raising her head, "No, Mom, I've made up my mind. I want to take this role."
John seemed exasperated by his daughter's precocity and resolve. "But this is not like being in a magazine. You still have to go to school."
"The point of school is to find a job later. Since I can already have a great job now, why should I wait?" Miranda quickly countered.
John felt silenced by his daughter's rebuttal and turned to his wife for support.
Therese was more attentive and said, "Acting isn't easy. You haven't even taken an acting class. Playing small roles is one thing, but becoming a professional actress is another."
"Hey, Mom," Miranda waved the card with the email and long-distance phone number, "Do you know who Eric Williams is? He's the owner of the largest media conglomerate in the world! As long as he helps me, I can land any role."
John frowned at his daughter's statement, adopting a purely male perspective. "And why do you think Eric Williams would want to help you?"
Cuddling a cushion on the couch, Miranda spun her eyes and giggled, saying, "What else? Just like the boys in my school who can't help but stare at me. Hmph, those kids are not worth my time."
Every father feels uneasy when hearing that someone might be interested in his daughter, and John immediately raised an eyebrow, saying, "Then I absolutely can't let you act in this movie. You're still just a kid."
"I'm not a kid!" Miranda straightened her back. "And I've made my decision. Even if you oppose me, I'm going."
Seeing his daughter talking back, John was even more irritated and raised his voice, "Without a guardian's consent, you're not going anywhere."
Miranda shrank back and realized the predicament, quickly looking to her mother. But Therese merely scooted closer to John.
"Then I'll just go to Grandma's house. She can be my guardian," Miranda suggested.
"Your grandma wouldn't agree either," John replied dismissively, walking away without further discussion.
Watching her father leave, a wave of grievance washed over Miranda, and she shouted, "Then I'll just go by myself! You can't keep me home!"
John only huffed and slammed the door behind him.
Therese, looking at her daughter's tear-filled eyes, felt her heart soften. She walked over, hugged her, and soothed, "Alright, sweetie, your dad is just looking out for you."
Originally not intending to cry, Miranda realized that her mother might be the key to this situation and started sobbing into Therese's arms. "But Mom, I don't want to give up this opportunity."
Therese gently patted her daughter's back, saying, "Don't cry, sweetheart. You're still so young. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"No, there won't! You heard how indifferent Peter Richie sounded! They don't care if I accept this opportunity! They can find countless other candidates, but for me, this might be my only shot! If I miss this, how could someone as important as Eric Williams ever notice me again?"
Therese replied, "You just said yourself that Eric Williams might not have such pure intentions."
"I was just joking," Miranda quickly amended. "Mom, think about it! Eric Williams directed Jurassic Park, which made a billion dollars worldwide! How could such a super director be so unprofessional? He must think I'm right for this role to even extend the invitation!"
"But..."
Therese tried to say more but was interrupted by her daughter's voice. "Mom, if you're worried, you could come with me! Since I'm still a minor, they will definitely ask for a parent to accompany me."
Therese's tone started to soften. "Well, I think we should discuss it with your dad and if you're really going to go, it's more appropriate for him to take you."
Miranda had stopped crying and snuggled closer to her mother, saying, "No, I want Mom to go with me. I don't want to bring Dad."
Therese was nearly toppled by her daughter's little head leaning against her, completely swayed by her. "Okay, but your dad is really upset right now. I'll talk to him tonight, and you shouldn't argue with him anymore."
"Okay, I promise."
Miranda eagerly nodded, a smile blossoming on her face as two adorable dimples appeared.
Finally, she could leave Australia.
Heaven knows how boring this place is -- even in the city, there were more snakes than people.
As long as she could become famous, she would easily leave here. While she honestly believed she was more suited to modeling, any opportunity, whether acting or modeling, would lead to the same result.
Thinking about international metropolises like New York and Los Angeles sent her heart racing with excitement.
Putting on her best act, she cuddled with her mother for a bit longer before heading into her room to think about how to contact Eric Williams and hopefully negotiate something for herself.
Peter Richie had left a long-distance contact number that was expensive, and calling overseas was out of the question since they didn't have a computer at home.
But email was different.
Though it had only recently gained popularity and her family didn't have such a cutting-edge device, she had seen how to send an email at a friend's house. It was a simple process and very quick, allowing for a lot of information to be shared.
She quickly made the decision to craft a well-prepared email to send to Peter Rich, asking him to pass it along to Eric Williams.
Hmm, what should she write? What would capture the attention of such a big-shot?
This required careful consideration.
...
Eric boarded his Gulfstream private jet, leaving Australia, and refueled in Hawaii before heading straight to the East Coast in New York.
Aside from the myriadof Hollywood business affairs, Eric had two critical matters to keep an eye on in January: the Nokia stock would begin trading on the American stock market on January 22, and America Online would officially go public on the Nasdaq on January 29.
In 1995, Nokia achieved sales of seven million mobile phones and 600,000 mobile communication base stations, generating an annual revenue of $3.6 billion. Compared to 1994, Nokia reported an impressive 130% growth.
Even with most profits immediately reinvested into the company's expansion, Nokia still reported a net profit of $60 million in 1995.
Thus, Nokia's IPO was merely a means to allow their shares to circulate in the U.S. market to prepare for future financing without any current plans for new stock issuance.
Eric clearly remembered that although Nokia's cellphone sales were still in the millions a few years prior, mobile communication was set for explosive growth in the coming years due to rapid advancements and the democratization of communication costs. In the near future, by 1998, Nokia would not only surpass Motorola but would also achieve the landmark of producing its 100 millionth mobile phone.
Therefore, if Nokia needed to execute a financing plan, the best time would be after 1998.
Until then, Firefly Group could maintain its absolute controlling stake in Nokia and, with the company's stellar performance, would be in a strong position to issue new shares with low voting rights to prevent losing control.
While the Nokia listing was conducted very discreetly -- Eric had only made a handful of congratulatory calls while in Australia and hadn't attended in person -- the market still reacted enthusiastically to Nokia's listing in the U.S.
Thanks to high performance expectations from major investment firms for Nokia's 1996 results, on the first day of trading, Nokia's shares surged by 8.1%, giving it a market capitalization of $6.8 billion. This also meant that Eric's $420 million investment from three years prior had increased more than eightfold.
On the other hand, America Online was also a crucial piece in Eric's industry puzzle.
Though he hadn't attended the Nokia listing ceremony, with his early return from Australia, Eric went straight to New York to participate in America Online's IPO event.
*****
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