Nicole knew the housekeeper wouldn't say anything to her, so she simply sent her away.
After having a simple breakfast, Nicole went to meet Patrick Kingsley.
"Pie, do you know where Tommy went today?"
Kingsley nodded. "I know he went to see Shirley Lansing. They're probably discussing the production of Mission: Impossible 2."
Nicole sneered. "Discussing production without bringing you in as an agent? Haha, I bet he went to have sex with that old woman again—"
Nicole stopped mid-sentence, smiled bitterly, and shook her head. "It's getting harder and harder for me to hold on to this marriage, Pa. What do you think I should do?"
Pai Kingsley's eyes showed sympathy.
As the couple's joint manager, Pai Kingsley had a lot of contact with both parties and knew a lot of things about them that were kept hidden.
Cruise had become much colder toward Nicole since the miscarriage, and the housekeeper and maids at home no longer treated Nicole as the real hostess—this was partly due to Cruise's attitude.
Though the two still maintained the image of a sweet family in public, they had not been living together recently.
If The Island fails again, Cruise might even stop supporting Nicole's career.
"Pie, what do you think…" Nicole hesitated for a moment. "Do you think The Island will fail?"
After thinking for a moment, Pai Kingsley shook his head. "To be honest, I think this film is probably the best you've made in recent years. Even Eyes Wide Shut doesn't compare, but the box office is really hard to predict. Wait—"
Pai Kingsley's eyes suddenly lit up. "Perhaps you can invite Martin out to talk. He wrote the script, and I think Martin has a keen sense of the market. Why not listen to his opinion?"
When Nicole Kidman heard this, her heart stirred, and she picked up the phone without hesitation. "I'll call him right now."
Soon, the call was connected.
"Hello, Martin, I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to you about Island Cry."
"Tonight? Okay, I have time in the evening."
"Okay, then, six o'clock. As for the location… well, I know of a very good Chinese restaurant. Why don't we try it tonight?"
"Okay, see you then!" After hanging up the phone, Nicole smiled. "Martin and I have an appointment for dinner tonight. Do you want to come with us?"
Pai Kingsley shook his head. "If I go, it'll turn into a business negotiation. It's better if it's just the two of you. You can build a personal relationship. There's no harm in building a good relationship with this young genius. I heard that Warner is wooing him!"
At the other end of the line, Martin hung up the phone, gave an apologetic look to Charlize Theron sitting across from him, and then said, "Let's continue. Where did we leave off?"
"You must act ugly!" Theron stirred her coffee and looked at Martin with her light emerald-green eyes.
"Yes, if you want to be recognized by the old-fashioned people at the Academy, you must destroy your beautiful face."
Martin made an exaggerated expression and continued. "You know, those old guys love to see handsome men turn into greasy uncles and beautiful women turn into ugly slobs. It satisfies their perverted desire for power."
"You know the movie that Julia Roberts is filming?" Martin asked suddenly.
"Never Give Up?"
"Yes, my company invested some money in it, so I know the inside story."
"Let me put it this way: Julia uses foul language every minute in this drama, and she plays the role of a foul-mouthed, slovenly middle-aged woman."
"Wow, for an Oscar?"
"For an Oscar!"
"The sacrifice is too great!"
"So, you need to make a bigger sacrifice and ruin your face because you're prettier than her."
Martin's words made Charlize Theron a little scared, but also a little excited.
"Martin, when you say 'destroyed,' you don't mean completely destroyed, do you?"
"Uh, of course not. What do you think I am, a pervert?" Martin sounded a little dissatisfied.
Charlize Theron smiled awkwardly, mainly because when Martin had just said "ruin your face," his expression gave her the distinct impression that he really wanted to do it.
It was clear—his influence was growing stronger, and Martin sometimes couldn't control the power of his "infectious influence."
Language, expressions, movements... His powerful "infection" radiated from every aspect of his behavior.
Martin drank the last of his juice, then began carefully observing Charlize Theron's face. He spoke intermittently.
"Well, your eyebrows can be shaved off… Your hair can also be shaved at a certain point in the film… Let me think… Yes, the teeth—your teeth should be yellow and black… A month before filming, your armpit hair and nose hair should not be trimmed… I'll also need to use contact lenses to make your eyes cloudier… And by the way, I also need you to gain weight…"
Charlize Theron gasped.
As Martin laid out his vision, she already had a picture in her mind of how she would look. That appearance—God, no one would recognize her unless she told them it was her.
"It's this feeling, abandoning the shell of Charlize Theron, making the greatest sacrifice so that those old guys can feel how much you need their affirmation. Only when they feel satisfied can you win the award."
"I... I'll do it," Charlize Theron gritted her teeth, willing to risk everything for Martin's investment and an Oscar.
"Don't worry. You won't regret it."
Martin touched his chin and laughed.
He had decided that Charlize Theron would be his first Oscar-winning actress. Could he follow the same path Harvey Weinstein had walked? And unlike Harvey, he had no lower limit.
Once he succeeded, there would inevitably be a group of actors and stars who wanted to win awards but refused to bow to Harvey. Then, he could establish a "Meyers Family!"
Very good.
At this moment, Martin couldn't help but wonder if Harvey felt like his luck had been taken away!
Miramax.
Harvey, his brother Bob, and two associates, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, were tasting Cuban cigars sent by a famous actress.
"Meryl is quite good at being a good person, so I can support her if I have the opportunity in the future," Harvey said proudly.
Ben Affleck quickly flattered him. "Even actresses like Meryl Streep have come to flatter you, Harvey. It seems your reputation has spread in the industry."
Matt Damon also chimed in. "I believe that more and more directors, actors, and stars will bow to Mr. Harvey in the future."
Harvey was pleased with the compliments. He raised the cigar in his hand and smiled. "Meryl is nothing. We're old playmates. Though she's talented, her face is too average. I'd rather have beauties like Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron come to me."
Matt Damon wisely kept silent. Even in private chats, he knew not to offend people who couldn't be offended.
Ben Affleck, a little more reckless, spoke up. "Nicole, I can't help it. As for Charlize... how about I give her a call? I met her at a party once; she's also very ambitious."
"Okay, try it!" Harvey smiled with satisfaction.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧