Chapter 1021: Lionsgate

[Chapter 1021: Lionsgate]

Eric was chatting with Charlize when Kate and Penelope, noticing the situation, approached them.

Penelope greeted Eric without any obvious sign of discomfort, but Kate's gaze towards Charlize was clearly suspicious and unfriendly. Charlize, however, showed no signs of giving away any discomfort; she smiled and nodded at the two women, and continued her conversation with Eric about their earlier topic.

Eric understood the different attitudes the three girls were showing towards the sequel's salary. In the Charlie's Angels series, both Kate and Penelope enjoyed immense popularity, but due to the role of the tech-savvy genius, Jill Monroe, Charlize's character didn't have as much room to shine, often existing as a support character. Consequently, her popularity lagged behind that of the other two.

At that moment, Charlize readily agreed to the salary terms Eric proposed, subtly hinting to Eric about the discontent and unrest of the other two girls, which stemmed from this very reason. After quietly listening to a few exchanges between Eric and Charlize, Kate couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Eric, don't you think the salary contract you offered us is a bit too stingy?"

Eric admired Kate's exquisite features and replied in a slightly amused tone, "As long as Charlie's Angels 4 and Bond 20 perform normally, you three will probably get around $100 million in salary. Isn't that enough?"

Kate immediately countered, "But when you break that down per person, and considering we're each starring in two blockbuster movies that could gross over a billion dollars, $30 million is simply unreasonable. Mel Gibson, for example, received $30 million for Lethal Weapon 4, and that film hasn't even grossed $300 million worldwide yet."

"Kate, you've got one thing wrong," Eric shook his head. "As you said, Lethal Weapon 4 hasn't hit $300 million worldwide, which is why Mel Gibson's $30 million salary is unreasonable. Moreover, you're three individuals, and we can't calculate it individually."

"But the amount you're offering is just too little. I know these studios often use financial loopholes to shortchange actors on their box office share. So, Eric, you at least need to raise our base salaries a little."

"Those situations do happen, but as long as a complete contract is drafted in advance, they can be avoided. At least, ICM won't make you sign a loophole contract like that," Eric replied calmly.

"Who can guarantee that? I feel like ICM isn't fulfilling its responsibility to us as an agency; they're sacrificing our interests to please you," Kate pouted, looking defiantly at Eric as she added, "Anyway, if you don't raise our salaries, I won't easily sign with MGM."

Listening to Kate's words, Eric's mind raced with thoughts as he asked nonchalantly, "So how much do you want?"

Kate hesitated suddenly. She understood the industry rules well; actors shouldn't directly negotiate salaries with studios, as it could lead to a deadlock where both sides might lose negotiating power. After pondering for a moment, she said, "For Charlie's Angels 4, a base salary of $20 million; for Bond 20, a base salary of $5 million, with unchanged profit-sharing terms. Eric, I think I'm completely worth this pay."

Upon hearing this, Eric glanced at Penelope, who was also looking concerned, and calmly shook his head, saying, "No, you're not worth that much. Kate, you need to understand, the role is something I've given you. In my view, you're now threatening me with something that I provided you."

Women's thoughts are always subtle; Kate clearly felt Eric's change in emotion. Yet, she quickly retorted, "Eric, I'm not threatening you. I--uh, I, along with Penny and Charlie, have generated plenty of profits for MGM. We just want what we deserve."

Eric maintained his flat tone and replied slowly, "The profits brought to MGM come from the Charlie's Angels franchise, from the characters of Selina Kyle, Jill Monroe, and Lucienne Baker. You're just fortunate to be the vessels for these roles. If I had chosen other girls at the start, this franchise would still have succeeded, but you wouldn't have the glory or status you have now."

The more Eric maintained his calmness, the more Kate felt a sense of unexplainable pressure emanating from him. She could barely withstand the chill coming from Eric, straightened her posture, but then immediately felt indignation at her own nervousness, raising her voice slightly in anger, "Then fine, Eric. Go ahead and find other girls to play this role. I don't have to act."

Eric put down his utensils, took a napkin to wipe his hands, and stared at Kate, who now resembled a kitten with her tail raised, and coldly said, "Why don't you say that you might just quit acting altogether?"

Hearing the overtly warning tone in his words, Charlize and Penelope exchanged tense glances. They realized Eric was genuinely getting upset.

Kate noticed that her fingertips were slightly numb, a reaction she only experienced when she was extremely nervous. Still, she forced a scornful expression and scoffed, "Eric, you're so arrogant. You can only control half of Hollywood at most, and even if you can't collaborate with Firefly, MGM, or Fox, there are still many film companies left in Hollywood. Why do you think you can stop me from being an actress?"

"Ha, Kate, do you think you could handle half of Hollywood?" Eric suddenly laughed, leaning slightly forward, and said, "Let me tell you what happens when you offend half of Hollywood. First, ICM will immediately terminate your contract. You might think you have CAA and WMA to fall back on. True, but neither CAA nor WMA would be foolish enough to offend half of Hollywood for your sake because, by doing so, their other clients will lose a lot of opportunities that you alone cannot compensate for. As for those second and third-tier agencies, they wouldn't dare to offend half of Hollywood either. As for the other half of Hollywood, Kate, filmmaking is ultimately a business -- an immensely expensive one that involves tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Every film failure could cause some who once wielded power in Hollywood to lose all their influence and status overnight. So, what gives you the right to think they would risk multi-million dollar businesses and their own careers for you, a mere pretty face who offended half of Hollywood?"

Eric enunciated each word deliberately, watching as Kate could no longer maintain eye contact with him, her gaze shifting nervously elsewhere. He reached out, ignoring the stunned faces of all the diners around the table, and forcefully cupped her delicate chin, turning her face back to look at him, continuing coldly, "Come on, Kate. Tell me why you think you can afford to offend half of Hollywood?"

As he twisted her face around, Kate's indignation bubbled up as she stared into his infuriating face. A surge of strong grievance washed over her.

"I just wanted to negotiate for a little more pay; even if you didn't agree, can't we just have a decent conversation? Why does it have to be so confrontational?" She felt an urge to grab something and throw it at him or even lunge at him to bite him, but she realized she couldn't muster even a hint of defiance against this man's imposing presence.

Through gritted teeth, she stubbornly refused to back down, even as he withdrew his hand; she held her head high, exposing her fair neck defiantly.

After a standoff, realizing Kate's stubbornness was beginning to wear thin, Eric relaxed back into his chair, lifted his head, and instructed, "Go fetch me a glass of champagne."

Kate instinctively wanted to turn away, but recalling that Eric might force her face back again, she suppressed that urge and sat rigidly in silence, determined not to help this guy fetch anything.

"Let's see you go thirsty!"

Penelope hadn't expected Eric's anger to be so intimidating. From the moment he erupted, she tried to act small and frightened, fearing he would take his anger out on her. She shared the same thought as Kate and had privately discussed switching agencies with her.

However, at this moment, Penelope completely dismissed all such thoughts and had no intention of negotiating with MGM any further. She had always been much more mature than Kate in dealing with situations and had never intended to confront Eric aggressively. Reflecting on Eric's earlier words only made her break into a light, cold sweat.

Upon hearing Eric's order, and seeing Kate stubbornly refuse to move, Penelope took the initiative and offered, "Eric, I'll do it."

With that, not waiting for Eric's response, Penelope went towards the buffet table, carefully holding a glass of champagne as she returned, eagerly presenting it to Eric.

As the atmosphere seemed to lighten, all the guests around the table, who had been paying attention to the unfolding events, let out a collective sigh of relief, resuming their previously lively conversations.

Though they didn't understand exactly what transpired, everyone clearly realized Kate Beckinsale had been reprimanded by Eric Williams. Moreover, seeing Kate's visibly close to tears expression indicated she had been through quite a scolding. Some MGM executives even recognized that the Charlie's Angels franchise was likely to successfully cross the trilogy curse threshold.

Eric sipped some champagne, cleared his throat, and looked at the three girls while relaxing his tone, saying, "In recent years, Hollywood's economic situation has been very robust. Germans, Japanese, Canadians, and various international investors have been eagerly investing in Hollywood. Many film companies are spending money without restraint since it isn't their own. But the Firefly system is different; most of our film production funds come from the company's financial chain, and we bear the profits and losses ourselves. We can't offer you exorbitant salaries. So, no more haggling with me, and don't throw around phrases like 'I won't act' lightly. You three are still under twenty-five, right? Most breakout actresses your age in Hollywood are still struggling to find even a small role. So, don't take for granted what you have now. I can give it all to you, but I can take it all back just as easily. Now, go enjoy yourselves and don't feel like you have to stay here with me."

Kate thought, 'As if I want to stay here and entertain you,' and only risked a glance at the other two girls. Once Charlize and Penelope stood up, she dared to follow suit, avoiding Eric's gaze as they moved towards other areas of the banquet hall.

...

After Kate and the others left, their manager, Michelle Simmons, approached, worryingly asking, "Eric, what just happened?"

"Nothing," Eric shook his head, signaling for Michelle to sit. "Just take them to MGM to sign the contract in the next few days."

Hearing this, Michelle breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past few years, she had gradually bought 6% of ICM's stock and was now one of ICM's partners. Thus, when it came to the interests of the girls' salary commissions versus the overall benefits of ICM, she leaned towards the latter. Maintaining a good relationship with the Firefly system naturally brought more opportunities and advantages to ICM.

"That's a relief. I talked with them this afternoon, but the results weren't great. I am worried about potential complications."

Eric then asked, "Are Kate and Penelope looking to leave?"

Michelle nodded. "CAA and WMA are indeed showing interest. Their star power is increasing, and I can't manage their careers by myself anymore. I have been discussing assigning separate management teams for each of them, though I'm trying to keep them at ICM."

Eric smiled, coming clean, "Then your work ahead might be challenging since I just had a stern talk with Kate."

Michelle Simmons appeared quite carefree about it and laughed, "If we can't keep them, then that's that. However, if the Spy Movie Universe continues down the road, we might not be able to assist."

"They are here for four main films and two crossover films -- six big movies in total! That's already unprecedented in Hollywood. The Spy Movie Universe will certainly continue, but it won't always focus solely on these three films," Eric added. "By the way, have you noticed the Easter egg from Charlie's Angels 3?"

"The Bourne series?"

Eric nodded. "Amy has already been in contact with an actor I had in mind, though it seems hopeless. The lead role choice is up to you. Looking for someone in their thirties, with an average appearance and sufficient acting skills. As for star power, I have no expectations. However, this time, it must be a three-film contract. As long as the box office is outstanding, I won't be stingy with the actors' salaries; I just don't want to always be in a passive position."

Michelle Simmons smiled and nodded. She understood Eric was reciprocating; ICM initiated support for MGM on the Charlie's Angels series, and now Eric had given ICM another opportunity for a male lead in a trilogy.

With no expectations regarding star power, ICM had a good chance of nurturing another Hollywood leading man.

Such potential benefits far outweighed straightforward commission earnings.

After a brief conversation, when Michelle saw Drew leading a middle-aged man over, she knew it was time to discuss matters and took her leave.

...

"Eric, this is Frank Giustra," Drew said, nodding at Michelle Simmons, then took Eric's arm, grinning as she introduced him.

Eric examined the short, middle-aged man with thinning gray hair and deep-set eyes and smiled as he extended his hand to the man, "Hello, Mr. Giustra."

"Hello, Mr. Williams," Frank Giustra shook Eric's hand eagerly, quickly pulling out a business card to present it. "Mr. Williams, here's my card."

As Eric took the card and glanced at it, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. On the card were some very familiar words: Chairman of Lionsgate Films.

*****

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