"I heard that the fans of The Lord of the Rings have been gathering outside the Wellington set, protesting against you?"
In the director’s VIP room, Duke had just walked in and imdiately t Michael Ovitz, the entertainnt mogul who shook his hand. Despite his bright smile, his words carried an almost veiled attack. "The Lord of the Rings fans are a stubborn group. If they don’t like the film adaptation, it’s quite a headache, don’t you think, Duke?"
Duke didn’t respond directly to his comnt. Instead, he looked at Michael’s face and said in a reminder-like tone, "Michael, it’s only been a short ti since we last t, yet you seem to have aged a bit. Have you thought about when to retire?"
It was well-known in Hollywood that Duke and Michael Ovitz, along with Martin Bob, were not on good terms, and others in the room noticeably avoided getting involved.
Only Naomi Watts, who had her arm linked with Duke, stayed by his side.
Michael Ovitz didn’t change his expression and said lightly, "Experience is the most valuable asset..."
It was almost like an elder lecturing a junior, "Humility is the most basic quality young people should possess."
"I agree with you," Duke replied with a faint smile, "Humility is a virtue everyone should have."
Although not particularly skilled at it, Duke wasn’t afraid of verbal clashes when necessary.
"Duke, do you really believe you will always succeed?"
Despite last year’s Critical Ergency setting several new lows in Duke’s career, Michael Ovitz, not being a layman, knew that with the film’s the and investnt, earning over $200 million in box office was still a massive success.
However, no one walks smoothly on the road to success, and Michael stared at Duke. "Even Spielberg has his missteps."
"I never believed that anyone could be successful forever," Duke finally said a rare truthful statent, but his tone quickly shifted. "But I have confidence in The Lord of the Rings trilogy."
"Hmph..." Michael Ovitz sneered, "Unfortunately, even the fans aren’t buying it..."
"Michael!" Duke interrupted him. "If you think the Lord of the Rings trilogy will fail, why change Pearl Harbor’s release date?"
He stared at Michael Ovitz as if giving him a chance to explain.
"Because..."
But Duke didn’t let him finish and cut him off again. "There’s still plenty of ti. You could easily convince Touchstone Pictures to change Pearl Harbor’s release date back to morial Day. I’d really like to see both blockbuster films releasing on the sa day."
Michael Ovitz’s face darkened, but he didn’t impulsively make a decision. A man who could rise to such a high position wouldn’t make foolish decisions just from a few sharp words.
Yes, he did want to change Pearl Harbor’s release date back. But reason prevented him from doing so.
Michael Bay was strong, and the Lord of the Rings films were indeed being protested by a large group of fans. But once he thought about facing Duke Rosenberg, Michael Ovitz remained calm. Those so-called problems were nothing to Duke.
Unless he was stupid enough to think that Michael Bay, the little explosion-enthusiast, could compete head-on with Duke Rosenberg!
Strictly speaking, Duke rarely engaged in direct verbal disputes. He always believed his mother’s words were wise—language was the least effective way to retaliate!
However, if Michael Ovitz ca with a smile but hidden daggers, Duke wouldn’t back down.
Their conversation naturally ended on a sour note. Michael Ovitz left with a cold expression, and Duke watched him with indifference. With Martin Bob transferring to Ovitz’s side, the relationship between them, which had already been strained since Godzilla, had only worsened. The release dates of Pearl Harbor and The Fellowship of the Ring were obviously set up to embarrass him.
And this was still a well-calculated plot. Michael Ovitz had nowhere to vent his frustration. After all, the choice of a suitable release date was the distributor’s prerogative.
"Last year, he ca to ."
As Michael Ovitz’s figure disappeared into the crowd, Naomi Watts, who was linked with Duke’s arm, slowly spoke up, "He tried to poach ."
"With what offer?" Duke asked.
Naomi shrugged. "He offered the lead role in Pearl Harbor, but I turned it down."
"My dear," Duke said as he guided her away, "You made the right choice."
Looking ahead at where Nancy Josephson and Tina Fey were located, Naomi added, "I haven’t considered changing agents yet."
If Naomi Watts left, Nancy would never ignore her like she did with Kate Beckinsale. The difference in their fa and position in Hollywood was just too large.
"I’ll take you to et the crew mbers."
When Duke nodded, Naomi led him toward the area where Peter Jackson and the others were, introducing the rest of the King Kong crew mbers to Duke, aside from those he already knew.
Except for Naomi Watts and Andy Serkis, the actors in this crew were quite different from what Duke expected. This wasn’t surprising, since actors like Adrien Brody might still be active in the independent film circles.
However, right next to the King Kong crew was another one, filled with familiar faces. From the news he got from Nancy, Duke easily guessed that they appeared at King Kong’s premiere to take the opportunity to promote, since they were all Universal Pictures’ productions.
Although Naomi Watts wasn’t very familiar with them, she recognized them and introduced these people to Duke.
"This is Vin Diesel..."
"This is Paul Walker..."
"This is Michelle Rodriguez..."
Finally, she led Duke to a sweet-looking girl. The girl had smooth, chocolate-like skin, deep brown hair flowing over her shoulders, and a charming dimpled smile. From her appearance alone, she looked like the perfect vase-type actress.
"This is Miss Jessica Alba."
After introducing the Latin actress to Duke, Naomi turned to a stranger beside her and, without waiting for Jessica Alba to introduce him, the man extended his hand to Duke. "Hello, Director Rosenberg, I’m Christopher Rokenkort, from France, and I’m Miss Alba’s boyfriend."
"Hello, Mr. Rokenkort," Duke shook his hand.
Just as soone else approached to greet them, Jessica Alba and Christopher Rokenkort moved off to chat with others. Naomi took the opportunity to whisper to Duke, "This girl was introduced to the crew by Jas Caron."
Naomi’s ssage was clear: if Jessica wasn’t backed by Jas Caron, Naomi wouldn’t have been so polite.
After their brief conversation, the two returned to Duke’s side.
However, their attitudes were noticeably different. Despite being introduced by Jas Caron, Jessica Alba, appearing in a production overseen by Michael Ovitz, had certainly signed an acting contract. She wasn’t a newcor in Hollywood and maintained a smart, polite distance.
But her boyfriend was a different story. He was overly friendly with Duke. If Jessica wasn’t standing next to him, Duke might’ve mistaken him for being gay.
"Christopher is a descendant of European nobility, and he inherited a noble title."
Talking about her boyfriend, Jessica Alba looked genuinely happy, "He’s a producer, and after Fast & Furious, he’s going to create a movie just for ."
"Congratulations," Naomi Watts casually said.
Christopher Rokenkort slightly raised his chin. His neatly combed black hair and sharp, well-dressed appearance, combined with his good looks and refined manners, made him resemble a European aristocrat.
Duke quickly scanned his face, secretly sighing. Miss Alba was too naive; this French count had rather diocre taste.
What kind of credibility did a producer have when promising to make a film for a relatively unknown actress with looks but little fa?
If Christopher Rokenkort truly planned to do so, his judgnt was poor. Elevating this girl to a top-tier position, with her acting skills and complexion, would surely pose significant challenges.
That thought was fleeting, and Duke quickly brushed it aside. What happened with these two wasn’t his concern.
Perhaps, with the help of this sugar daddy, Jessica Alba would change her path and beco a top-tier star?
Christopher Rokenkort seed quite adept at building rapport. In just a few minutes, he made Naomi Watts laugh several tis. Even Jessica Alba backed him up, speaking of his past glorious experiences.
"I once won the European lightweight boxing championship. When I arrived in Hollywood, I t Mickey Rourke, and now we’re good friends..."
Jessica Alba added, "Christopher is planning to invest $12 million to help Mickey Rourke out of his slump."
Upon hearing this, Duke felt sothing was off but couldn’t pinpoint it. Still, he wasn’t interested in either of them and didn’t care to listen further. He gave Naomi a look, and she promptly led them away from the pair, back to a quieter area.
"What’s wrong?" she asked.
"Naomi," Duke said seriously, "That man has so issues. Stay away from him."
Naomi Watts nodded imdiately. "I also feel sothing’s off."
Having worked in Japan, Australia, and Hollywood, Naomi had rich experience and was definitely not a naive girl.
As the lead actress of the crew, Naomi had so social obligations and left Duke’s side. Just as he was considering whether to go find Nancy, he suddenly noticed Christopher Rokenkort walking toward him.
....
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