Chapter 757: Chapter 164: Settling the Role
“I must say, Mr. Miller, when it cos to storytelling, my daughter is much better than you.” After listening to Lily’s account, Adrian spread his hands to the principal.
“Mr. Cowell,” the principal, sowhat exasperated, took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, “we are aware of the situation, but these are two separate issues. Although they are related, we must deal with one before we address the other.”
“Alright,” Adrian didn’t say much more and turned his head back to his daughter, “do you know where you went wrong, Lily?”
“I was just helping my friend.” The little one pouted with so dissatisfaction right away.
“Yes, I know, but there are many ways to help friends,” Adrian said with a slight smile, “you should have let her confront that little guy bullying her on her own, not solve the problem for her with your own hands. That would only make her dependent on you, timid, and lacking confidence in the future. When she encounters difficulties, the first thing she’ll think of is not how to solve them, but to ask for your help.”
“Is that really the case?” Lily blinked, seeming sowhat surprised.
“Of course, I’m exaggerating, but there is indeed this possibility,” Adrian spread his hands, “so, you should have encouraged her to fight back. That was your first mistake.”
“Okay, that’s my fault,” the little one grabbed her head gloomily, still pouting strongly, “is there a second one?”
“Exactly,” Adrian nodded, “your second mistake was not occupying the moral high ground when the conflict occurred, aning when you were hitting him, others might have felt sympathy for him.”
“Why?” Lily frowned, unable to accept, “Many people saw him bully Vivian.”
“But he didn’t bully you, right? So, the entire incident had nothing directly to do with you, and you had no reason to hit him. As a result, after you acted and made soone cry, most people thought you were wrong,” Adrian explained to his daughter at a asured pace, “or to put it more specifically, if soone in front of said, ‘Your daughter Lily Cowell is a fool, an idiot,’ do you think I have enough reason to punch him?”
Lily’s eyes imdiately lit up, then she slamd a fist into her own palm: “I get it, I should have enticed him to attack , whether it’s verbal personal attacks or actually getting physical doesn’t matter, but as long as he does that, I have enough reason to teach him a lesson, right?”
The little one’s eyes crinkled up, she put her hands on her hips and sized up her father, nodding in satisfaction: “You really are a big baddie, Daddy.”
The principal, who had been smiling wryly all this ti, couldn’t help but roll his eyes upon hearing this. He was at a loss for words regarding the father and daughter discussing in his presence how to hit soone without being blad. What could he say, when Mr. Adrian Cowell generously sponsored a large sum to the school and also had a very good relationship in the school board.
It was for this reason that he had no choice but to invite Adrian to the school. If such an incident was not dealt with at its root with parental cooperation, it could beco very troubleso later. But now it seed… was this decision a mistake? Families that could send their children to this elentary school were either rich or noble, and most were very well-mannered. Still, there were quite a few oddballs. Principal Miller had seen his fair share, but like the Cowells, father and daughter being so unrestrained… well, perhaps ‘unrestrained’ wasn’t the word to use. At least they did not appear arrogant. Indeed, they were discussing an issue. But was it really appropriate for a father and daughter to talk about this kind of problem?
“So, let’s hear Principal Miller’s suggestion now,” Adrian said as he looked back at the principal.
“Um…” The principal automatically ignored the conversation the father and daughter had just had, “we hope that Miss Cowell will apologize to Mr. Nielsen in person.”
“What do you think, darling?” Adrian imdiately looked to his daughter.
“No problem,” the little one answered briskly, but her eyes twinkled with an enigmatic light, “I can apologize to him. However, there’s one condition.”
She puffed out her little chest, faced the principal, and put on a serious deanor, “Nelson must apologize to Vivian first. However sincere he is, I’ll be just as sincere. He does it in front of all the students, I’ll do it in front of all the students too!”
That resolute tone even carried a hint of being non-negotiable, but it didn’t last long. After glancing at her father beside her, she promptly lifted the hand that she had kept below, revealing a big thumbs up.
All the principal could do was give a wry smile, “I understand…”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Miller,” Adrian said with a smile after ending the eting and waiting for Lily to leave first, “Lily is a smart and precocious child. She knows how to behave appropriately. I’ve always been proud of her, so I completely trust that this won’t happen again in the future.”
“I hope you’re right, Mr. Cowell,” said the principal, sowhat helplessly.
Adrian paid no mind to his concern—the little one indeed had her own sense of right and wrong. All that needed to be done was to help her understand the similarities and differences between her boundaries and those of others.
“You’ve gotten into big trouble, Lily,” Adrian finally said to his daughter once they were in the car and had left the school behind.
“Do you feel embarrassed?” Lily asked cheerfully, propping her chin up as she looked at her dad, “If so, should I do it a few more tis?”
“Oh?” Adrian raised an eyebrow, then suddenly pulled her into his embrace, “Is that how you want to see embarrassed, you little rascal!”
Lily imdiately let out a shriek, followed by giggles, and they tussled in the car for several minutes. When they finally stopped, the little one patted her dad’s arm grandly, “Don’t worry, you bad daddy, it won’t happen again.”
“Such a little devil you are!” Adrian tapped her head and then sighed, “In a few years you’ll be all grown up, how fast ti flies…”
Lily just made a funny face and laughed. Truth be told, being too precocious wasn’t necessarily a good thing, so… Well, parents can guide their child’s direction, but shouldn’t interfere with her life. She’s so smart, she’ll know how to choose.
This little storm ended with Nelson’s apology to Vivian and Lily’s apology to Nelson. However, a bit of a tail was left; from then on, Lily naturally beca the leader of those girls at school. It’s no big deal for the boys to tease the girls, and even a little bullying was fine, but if they went too far, they’d better be prepared for retaliation. Plus, Lily fully utilized what she learned that day, always taking the moral high ground, so even if the school knew she was behind everything, they had no excuse to bla her.
However, she didn’t hold grudges against the boys, and would take the initiative to reconcile with them. Most of the ti she got the nuances just right, which ended up making her quite popular at school.
“That little one has quite the leadership skills,” Adrian teased Kate after finding out, “It seems she inherits that from .”
Kate imdiately gave him an eye roll. Although Adrian had never talked about the Lion King and stuff in front of her, how could she not have heard of it? Even if that wasn’t what he ant, it didn’t stop Kate from thinking that way, after all, even if she disliked such talk, she couldn’t change the fact that she was thoroughly a part of the lioness squad.
“I think we could have another child,” she finally said, a face full of mischief, “Another smart kid like Lily.”
“Uh… sure, if you’re willing,” Adrian pondered for a mont and then welcod the idea.
“Then,” Kate continued on her own, “have Sarah, Charli, Innie, and all your won bear children, a lot of children, hundreds of them, have them eat you into bankruptcy!”
She said it through gritted teeth, but that look could only be described as… too adorable.
All of this was to co later. Going back to around Halloween, the November movie schedule was right around the corner. As a result, quite a few films lacking in competitiveness but still wanting to take a gamble would choose to be released at this ti, like “The Transporter.” Despite Luc Besson having already gained recognition in Hollywood, and the entire story being delivered in English, it still bore the label of a French film. So New Line, which took over the North Arican distribution duties, chose to release at this ti.
Even so, before the premiere, the film still achieved respectable results, and film critics were sowhat lenient, praising the pace and atmosphere of the movie. As a comrcial flick, “The Transporter” was certainly up to the mark, with the male protagonist being a retired Arican special forces operative and Yukie being one of the most well-known Asian actors in the United States. Coupled with New Line’s extra effort in promotion, heeding Adrian’s advice, this was the result.
However, there were movies that chose to launch during this slot for its tiliness, like David Fincher’s new work “Panic Room.” There definitely was a premiere, albeit a small one that still drew quite a crowd since Naomi was starring, and Adrian naturally wouldn’t miss it, adding a bit more attention to the event.
Even though the plot of the movie was already known, sitting in the theater and watching still felt quite engaging. After all, Fincher started with directing music videos, and he had a knack for cara cuts, transitions, as well as a strong grip on the storyline. Being a creative thinker, each of his films had its rits. “Panic Room,” although set over a single night in one house, managed to be tense, thrilling, and packed with impact and emotional resonance through his direction.
Of course, Naomi’s performance played a significant role. Years of experience once again burst forth, vividly portraying a mother fighting back from desperation, not at all inferior to Judi Foster’s performance in the original version that Adrian rembered. Fincher was effusive in his praise, saying she carried much of the film.
Kristen Stewart was also excellent, particularly the scene where her character, trapped in a panic room, suffers a diabetic episode. The only regret was that Adrian had suggested she grow her hair out a bit, but Fincher thought short hair was more suitable for her role, resulting in a tomboy appearance in the movie. She was quite eye-catching—though not a classic beauty at first glance, one would co to appreciate her look if it weren’t for the androgynous styling.
At the premiere, she had long hair and wore a dress, presenting a completely different image from her movie character. Interestingly, she often accompanied Naomi, thus… continually flitting before Adrian’s eyes.
After the release, the reputation of “Panic Room” was polarized. So critics felt it was quite good, but so thought it was terrible. Variety stated that the movie maintained Fincher’s consistent standard, with just the right amount of atmosphere, despite a sowhat cliched plot, the tension and excitent carried throughout. However, US Weekly disagreed, considering “Panic Room” to be Fincher’s worst film to date, abandoning the sharp and incisive thoughtfulness of previous works and falling into pure comrcial production, even less compelling than “The Ga” from a few years back.
Of course, Fincher wasn’t concerned about this. In the end, it was the old art-versus-comrce debate. “The Ga” had received similar treatnt when it was released; maybe going a bit more artistic with the next movie would be better. However, the critics unanimously praised Naomi’s performance, echoing Fincher’s sentint that her acting alone supported the bulk of the movie.
“See that, Nami? That’s high praise.” In his beachfront villa in Marbury, Adrian deliberately shook the newspaper at Naomi.
Before the smiling Naomi could respond, Nicole interjected, “Yeah, I’ve never received such praise. I wish I had taken that role.”
“Are you saying you haven’t? What about ‘The Others’? Need to dig up those reviews?” Adrian pretended to be displeased.
“That’s why they say David originally planned to invite for the role because of ‘The Others,'” Nicole sighed as she walked over, sat down next to Naomi, and wrapped her arm around her. “Of course, Nami, I’m not saying I would have done it better… I’m just a little miffed.”
“Don’t be like that, Nicole. We all know your Oscar win was well-deserved,” Naomi said with a smile.
Although Nicole had won the Oscar for Best Actress earlier that year for “Moulin Rouge,” the controversy never ceased. Compared with Gwyneth and other nominees, it was decent, but the talk of PR maneuvering and backroom deals never stopped. Nicole didn’t care much, but after being hounded by reporters, it was natural to beco a bit annoyed.
“Oh, Nami, you’re so sweet to . I love you. Let’s get married,” Nicole said earnestly, lifting Naomi’s chin and kissing her on the lips.
“Your performance in the new movie was also not bad. The critics said you and George were very impressive,” Adrian shrugged, “Also, if you keep tempting in front of my eyes…”
“He’ll use it to blackmail us,” Nicole humd.
“He’s always been like this. You know that.”
“How about we give him a bit of color to see tonight?”
“No problem.”
The two won were thus teasing each other, bringing a chuckle to Adrian, when suddenly, the water in the kitchen started to boil and Naomi got up to attend to it. Once she was gone, Nicole’s smile shifted into sothing more seductive, stretching one of her legs out in front of Adrian, caressing up and down his calf: “You’re just letting them write whatever they want?”
“It’s pretty normal, isn’t it?” Adrian said with a slight smile, grabbing her ankle and starting to knead his way up her leg.
“Fine, fine,” Nicole sighed, a bit deflated.
“Speaking of which, which actress has the most acting nominations?” Adrian continued without paying much attention, “Katherine Hepburn? Or ryl Streep?”
Just for a brief mont, Nicole understood his drift and her eyes imdiately lit up: “Seems about the sa, both well over ten tis.”
As she said this, her other leg also found its way over, locking around his waist as she squinted her eyes and licked the corner of her mouth: “I could let you play for a month, for free.”
“Only a month? Can’t it be a bit longer,” Adrian raised an eyebrow, “What about a lifeti free pass?”
“That won’t do, I still need to support myself,” Nicole said very seriously, “Or, how about this, after each ti, I’ll give you half a month free, then half price for the next half month.”
“Acceptable,” Adrian pretended to ponder for a few minutes and then nodded in agreent with a smile.
He had planned to wait a bit longer, but now it didn’t matter if he threw out the proposal now. One reason was that he had promised, once she had topped with “Moulin Rouge,” to let her win the Oscar for Best Actress in the most beautiful, glamorous way possible—and now, there was this reason too. If she wanted to prove that her award ca from true talent—well, from at least 80% or 90% talent—then she would stay by his side.
After all, opportunities were always most abundant around him. For example, a troubleso issue had already been handled by him.
“Nora Ephron has already agreed to direct and ryl Streep has also consented to play the lead role. The pre-production work has already started. So, as long as you’re on board, we can start right away,” Adrian leaned back in his chair and observed Natalie, who was flipping through the script.
“Do you… really think I’m fit for this role?” Natalie asked, frowning slightly as she stared at the script.
“What do you think doesn’t fit?” Adrian countered.
“The love of fine dining is fine, but…” she bit her lip, turning to look at Adrian, “do I look like a woman in her late twenties who’s already married?”
Adrian raised an eyebrow, then laughed.
“We all know that real acting is about looking ordinary but being extraordinary; but we also know that most of the ti, actresses need to play crazy or ugly roles to win an Oscar,” Adrian sat up and leaned in close to Natalie, looking into her eyes, “It’s simple. Only by doing this will the judges see a portrayal that’s completely different from you in real life, even opposite, yet still believable.”
With that, he patted the script on the table: “If you actually chose a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old actress for this role, it wouldn’t be anything special. However, if a much younger girl could in this movie appear almost identical to a food-loving, nearly thirty, household woman with little to show, she would undoubtedly beco the most dazzling highlight of the entire film!” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to cast your recomndation votes and monthly votes at qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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