Chapter 358: Chapter 82 Facing Desires
The film that was being prepared for Rachel was naturally “The English Patient,” which turned the scriptwriter Anthony Minghella into a top-tier director through its success. Though the box office was not great, the film’s reception was extrely good in both the United States and Europe, no doubt partly due to the heavy promotion from the production company Miramax. The quality of the film itself was also excellent.
In fact, after “The English Patient,” Anthony Minghella never produced anything quite as outstanding. It seed he had poured all his inspiration into that one film.
Now that Miramax was a subsidiary of AC dia, and as a work that had shined brightly at the Oscars, Adrian rembered it clearly, and naturally wouldn’t let the opportunity pass. Rachel’s scholarly deanor was a perfect fit for the female lead, and with Ralph Fiennes’ acquaintance with the novelist, they had secured the adaptation rights early on.
At this ti, Anthony Minghella had only just shifted from scriptwriting to directing and had just wrapped up his second movie. Because it was a relative failure, he had no new projects lined up, so inviting him to join didn’t take much effort.
The discussions in the eting room were quite relaxed and pleasant, which had almost beco Adrian’s personal hallmark. He’d invite the actors and director he deed suitable to the company for a thorough talk, and then they would confirm the preparations. It was the sa for “Seven Deadly Sins,” “The English Patient,” and no one had any complaints or differing opinions.
After all, who wouldn’t recognize him as the Miracle Director? His discerning eye for talent was known to all, and countless actors had expressed a desire to work with him. Fiennes had agreed to appear in “Schindler’s List” because of him, so he would certainly not refuse this invitation. And Rachel certainly wouldn’t, either; Minghella wouldn’t be considered a top-tier director until after this film, so he had no say in casting or anything of the sort.
Besides, there were plenty of precedents from both actors and directors. Only a fool wouldn’t want to collaborate with Adrian, so it didn’t take much ti to finalize. Only Sophie, although very proper throughout the process, couldn’t help but have a slight look of dissatisfaction when she glanced at Adrian.
“I need an explanation, Ed,” Sophie said to Adrian with a questioning tone after everything was concluded.
“What’s wrong?” Adrian spread his hands innocently.
“I ca here,” she pointed at the floor and then crossed her arms, tilting her head with an air of displeasure, “to complete the final voice work, not to discuss appearing in a film role.”
She paused there before adding, “Especially not without my agent present.”
“I rember we talked about this, Sophie,” Adrian began with a smile, “You think—”
“Did we?” Sophie recalled, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
“Of course, the afternoon before last at 3 PM, you had just finished your first voiceover for Isabelle and joked that it should be played in French. I asked how you would feel about being invited to play a nurse’s role in World War II, and you said no problem,” Adrian’s smile remained the sa, but there was a teasing look in his eyes.
Sophie blinked in bewildernt for a mont before the mory ca back to her, and she began to feel embarrassed.
“I thought you were joking,” she averted her gaze, coughing uncomfortably.
“I made it clear at the ti that it wasn’t a joke,” Adrian’s tone grew playful.
After taking a few deep breaths, Sophie finally cald down, but before she could speak again, Adrian continued, “Rember, Sophie, when I left London, I made a special trip to Paris.”
“Of course, you brought your new film’s lead actress, Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow,” Sophie snorted lightly, her voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm that she didn’t realize was a bit off-key.
“I ntioned this novel to you then, rember?” Adrian smiled slightly, “From that mont, I thought the role was ant for you; don’t question my judgnt, Sophie.”
He raised his hands, “I admit, inviting you over to talk about this without explaining was a bit abrupt, but you didn’t object before, right? Trust , Sophie, it’s going to be an outstanding film.”
“And did you tell Miss Rachel Weisz the sa thing?” Sophie asked imdiately, and as soon as she spoke, her expression subtly changed, finally realizing her own peculiarity.
“I think I need to leave,” she decisively walked towards the office door.
“So, are we agreed?” Adrian called out after her.
“This should be discussed with my agent,” Sophie answered without turning back, wearing her sunglasses all the way to the elevator before letting out a long sigh, then feeling a surge of irritation.
“Bring your new film star? And you told her the sa thing?” she berated herself, covering her forehead. Wasn’t she his new film lead just before Gwyneth?
I need a good rest, Sophie told herself, just at the mont she had uttered that sentence, feeling an unexpected pang of jealousy! Good heavens, had she really fallen for that playboy?
Yes, playboy—if during the shooting of “Braveheart” she couldn’t be completely sure of what kind of person he was—even though he brought his pregnant live-in girlfriend to set, even though he often wasn’t at set on weekends—then with the dia barrage of gossip about him afterward, she thought she could make a judgnt now.
But even so, whenever she faced him, she always unwittingly put those thoughts out of her mind. Was it because of his conversation? Or because of his good deanor? Or… the way he looked at her? Admiration, fondness, and possession, he never hid them. This elegant man seed to hold sothing in his deep heart—sharp, wild, mysterious. Indescribable, yet extraordinarily attractive.
Alright, it’s just a role, don’t overthink it. Sophie consoled herself, but even back at the hotel, this emotion still troubled her, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Sophie Marceau was not the only one troubled by this emotion.
“Don’t… Ed…” Before Rachel could finish her sentence, she was pulled into the room and pressed onto the bed just like before, followed by Adrian’s sowhat rough, whirlwind-like violation, which left her with nothing to do but emit painful yet excited moans of compliance.
Rachel didn’t understand why she had beco like this, didn’t understand why she was willing and even…sowhat infatuated with being possessed by this man in such a way, considering she hadn’t spent much ti with him and he had plenty of won around him.
Yet so things just happened, like the first ti they t when he ended up in her bed; it all seed so strange but sohow it made perfect sense. Rachel was not the kind of woman who lacked character or intelligence; as evidenced by the fact that after receiving praise for her performance in a movie at the age of thirteen or fourteen, she had given up acting opportunities to continue her studies and eventually got into Cambridge University with excellent results. Not to ntion that during university, she self-produced and acted in many experintal plays, toured many places in England, and won the Edinburgh Festival’s student drama award.
Now, she found herself being played by such a man at his will, and even though she had tried to avoid or resist in detail, she could not escape his grasp—okay, these evasions and resistances were in so ways more like affectation.
Just like before when she kept saying “don’t do this,” but if she really wanted to refuse Adrian, she shouldn’t have returned to the villa with him. Yet not only had Rachel not done so, but she continued to engage in deep conversations with him, and even though she knew Charlize’s looks were aningful, her struggles against Adrian’s frivolity seed more like coquettish refusals, so she was always unceremoniously pulled into his arms.
What did I actually want to get from him? Sitting in her pajamas at the long table, Rachel watched Adrian, who was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper—smiling faintly when he felt her gaze, the morning sun streaming in from outside.
Was it that charming and unfathomable aura? Or the violent invasion on the bed that brought shivering pleasure to the peak? Or perhaps it was simply for a better future? Rachel sighed in her heart and decided not to think about these things, as thinking too much sotis only led to more confusion… Oh, damn it, that’s what he had said too.
Whether it was Sophie or Rachel, most of their reactions were within Adrian’s expectations. From the very first ti Rachel ca to Los Angeles, he had planned it all, though Sophie was a last minute addition—rembering the nurse in that movie was played by Juliet Binoche, but of course, such opportunities should be given to one’s own people, and after directing Braveheart, replacing her with Sophie was no problem at all.
From this perspective, Adrian seed sowhat greedy, like soone who was eating but still looking at what is in the pot. But what of it?
“Only by facing your desires can you better control them; if you dare not even confront your own desires, and need all sorts of excuses to cover for yourself, how can such a person ever succeed?” After a slight tease from Charlize, Adrian had said this. Of course, in front of the public or in a crowd, a mask is necessary. Since humans put on clothes and built houses, privacy has beco a cornerstone of society and hypocrisy is inevitable. But if in private, alone at night, one doesn’t dare to admit their desires and dark side, such a person can only be worthless.
Of course, Adrian also admitted he was perhaps too greedy, so it was ti for an adjustnt. The situation with Rachel seed not bad either, sothing more than a sex buddy but less than a collectible.
Okay, back to the sumr blockbuster topic. Even though Seven Deadly Sins was rated R by the MPAA and had a dark tone from beginning to end, its box office performance proved substantial. A $30 million box office in two weeks might not compare to those with heavy production, but for an R-rated movie, it was certainly among the top.
This movie not only made David Fincher be seen in a new light—heard that Warner intends to re-edit Alien 3 according to his vision and release it on video tape, though Fincher probably still wouldn’t admit it was his work—but it also brought Kevin Spacey more attention. With Seven Deadly Sins being a long-run movie and another of his movies releasing later that year, this was definitely good news.
As for Freeman and Dennis, while the forr was already an old hand in Hollywood and just lacked a trophy, the latter, amidst scandals, still maintained a large fan base with his outstanding performance and accountable statents.
At the sa ti, Bossworth Film and Adrian, or more precisely Adrian, attracted attention. Bossworth Film had only this passable movie in this sumr’s lineup, Mission: Impossible could only count as half since it wasn’t their production, which was much less compared to last year, so the focus was on Adrian.
Everyone knew his eye for talent was sharp and outstanding. From the mont he stepped into the entertainnt industry, he had never misjudged an actor, and now it seed he had to add directors to the list. He had set his sights on Michael Bay, whose “Bad Boys” was a huge hit and simultaneously catapulted two black actors to fa; he fancied David Fincher, whose “Seven Deadly Sins” received rave reviews and was sure to rake in a hefty box office.
Even if the dia’s coverage of behind-the-scenes was far less than that of the front stage, they couldn’t help but cast more attention on him, curiosity being one of human nature’s driving forces as well as that of the dia. How did the Miracle Director unearth their talents? Why did he favor them? Could he truly discern the quality of actors, directors, and screenplays at a glance, among other things?
Even though Adrian had discussed such matters on nurous programs, audiences still didn’t mind him repeating the stories several tis. At the sa ti, questions expanded to his new film—what exactly did it depict? Rumors were he had produced two films, both in the style of England: one a historical war piece, the other adapted from a British novel. The latter was confird to be an adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”—not many could be kept in the dark about that—but the forr remained a mystery.
“Perhaps we should always keep an eye on his movents, and once he shows any interest in adapting certain novels, we could strike first,” suggested executives at movie studios, even though they all knew such advice was futile.
This influence even extended beyond film. During negotiations with ABC, Claude jokingly asked if they were willing to beco another testant to Adrian’s keen eye. After all, while the success of Pixar’s investnt and acquisition was unprecedented, a single example didn’t constitute a solid case.
Even Michael Eisner, while trying to consolidate internal hopes to regain the upper hand, used this as a point to convince the board: Look, the Miracle Director is optimistic about ABC, so we definitely shouldn’t give up.
Admittedly, this excuse did have so impact. It was unfortunate that just after July, CEO Claude of AC dia announced to the world that they had secured 5 billion US Dollars from Wall Street for financing; together with current funds—if no one interfered—it should be enough to take ABC under their wing. And Claude hinted that if this still wasn’t sufficient, raising another 5 billion wouldn’t be an issue. As a result, all dia in the brokerage category got excited—clearly, the acquisition battle was entering its final monts.
However, these matters were of no concern to Adrian. He was kept inford of the progress only through the various reports Charlize organized daily. Apart from post-production work on the two films, most of his ti was spent accompanying different won. He’d be organizing the nursery repeatedly with a heavily pregnant Kate, or shopping with Monica and arranging dinner with Julia, and then occasionally bringing one to another’s house. Of course, things such as continuing to ntor Sarah on her behavior, or listening to Liv share secretive matters from the rock scene, need not be detailed.
Moreover, there were matters akin to importance, such as the preparation of various films. “The English Patient” was planned to still be produced and distributed by Miramax—after all, they had their unique strengths in promotion and public relations that must not go unused, right? Besides, it would serve as an example for New Line to see that performance could bring opportunities. Although Sophie initially asked him to talk to her agent, in the end, she agreed—the invitation from Adrian was sothing she couldn’t genuinely refuse.
Then there was “The Mask of Zorro.” Hopkins didn’t hesitate to accept, and neither would Bandaras refuse. Upon learning that Adrian had really secured an Oscar-winning actor to perform alongside her, Zetajones was so excited that her eyes shone, naturally striving to please him to her utmost ability in bed.
“I must admit… you are truly irresistible…” Adrian said breathlessly, while Zetajones in bed raised her long legs high, resting them on her chest, her body seemingly bent over.
“Oh, as long as you wish, Ed… I could do anything for you…” Zetajones replied, imrsed in extre excitent, ready to accommodate any move the other wished to try.
Yet Adrian didn’t get too rough; he hadn’t explored on top, the chest, or the backside, even though his arrangent with Zetajones was purely transactional, and she would have to agree even if unwilling. Adrian didn’t just want a fleeting fling. Although she wasn’t of high caliber, he did have a desire to keep her, so better to capitalize on these sweet deals for now.
Additionally, another movie was ready to be scheduled. Silver had perford satisfactorily in “Jumanji” and thus seed suitable for the role of the boy in “The Sixth Sense.” While Dennis was already proof of his good judgnt, having more such talents could never hurt. As the younger brother of River Phoenix and Joaquin Phoenix, the little guy had spirit and might just soar to great heights.
As for history’s most disastrous male lead who dies within the first ten minutes, Adrian still considered Bruce Willis. However, given his slightly declining trajectory that wasn’t yet obvious, he might not accept a role that appeared diatrically opposed to his image.
But no matter, even if Willis declined, a suitable candidate would be found, so Adrian wasn’t overly concerned. By August, a few more days had passed, and on the first weekend, he took Gwyneth on his private jet to xico and, after several layovers, arrived at Rosarito by the Pacific, where a grand cinematic project had already comnced filming. (
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