Chapter 381

Arthur Smith had originally planned to return to U.S., but suddenly received a call from Sophie Marceau. She was filming Braveheart in Scotland and vented her frustrations to Arthur over the phone.

Finding it amusing, Arthur delayed his trip home and diverted to Glasgow. Sophie Marceau was shooting in Glencoe Valley in the Scottish Highlands and returned to Glasgow for a break.

"What's going on? Braveheart isn't done filming yet, right?" Arthur asked, enjoying Scottish salmon and grouse with Sophie Marceau at a bar by the River Clyde in Glasgow.

"Not yet. I just feel like staying with the crew is pointless because the whole movie is basically Mel Gibson's one-man show," Sophie Marceau said, taking a sip of whiskey. "The rest of us are just waiting around all day with barely any scenes to film. The other day at the meeting, I specifically asked Mel Gibson. I only have two scenes left, scheduled for next month."

Arthur chuckled, "So, you felt there's no need to stick around in the crew?"

Sophie Marceau nodded, "My agent has arranged it. I'm heading back to Paris to attend the Fall/Winter Fashion Week. Besides, in Braveheart, my role is just a beautiful French princess. There's not much room to showcase anything. I just need to look pretty!"

Arthur wiped his mouth, "This summer, Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster's Western comedy Maverick made $100 million in North America and $80 million overseas. Right now, Mel Gibson's popularity is quite high. You shouldn't go against him in the crew!"

Sophie Marceau seemed somewhat indifferent, "If there's a problem, I can always return to Europe and continue my career."

Facing Hollywood, Sophie Marceau indeed had the courage to stand her ground. Participating in commercial films constantly wasn't what she wanted.

That night, after wandering around Glasgow for a while, they returned to the hotel. As a major city in Scotland, Glasgow had a rich history and cultural and religious atmosphere.

At the same time, Glasgow was Scotland's largest economy and had the highest per capita GDP in the UK, second only to London and Edinburgh.

On the bed in the bedroom, Arthur lay on Sophie Marceau's back, panting heavily, "Sophie, how about playing a Bond girl in the future? With your qualities, you'd definitely become the most popular Bond girl!"

Sophie Marceau's breathing quickened. At that moment, her mind was blank, not caring about what Arthur was saying, and just turning her head to kiss the man.

Arthur tightly held the softness in his arms, pressing down on Sophie Marceau's back, and they lay down together on the bed.

"Mm, what did you say about being a Bond girl?" A breathless Sophie Marceau asked, covered in a sheen of sweat.

Arthur turned over, his hand caressing her enticing body, "The 007 series. Are you interested in playing a Bond girl?"

"Bond girl? An agent surrounded by beautiful cars and ladies worldwide. I don't get the point of the 007 series?" Sophie Marceau turned over, her chest heaving from the recent intensity.

"It's a commercial product, quite significant," Arthur said, getting up and pouring two glasses of wine.

Sophie Marceau also wrapped herself in a sheet and got out of bed, admiring the city nightlife of Glasgow through the window.

"Any movies purchased by Galaxy Films at the Venice Film Festival?" Sophie Marceau suddenly inquired about the festival.

Arthur shook his head, "MGM is in the middle of restructuring. Besides, this year's Venice Film Festival didn't have any standout movies."

After all, at the previous Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'Or winner Pulp Fiction was produced and distributed by Galaxy Films.

"The American film Pulp Fiction actually won the Palme d'Or, which is unbelievable. Its artistic value isn't as high as Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Red. And Giuseppe Tornatore's Il Postino as well as Abbas Kiarostami's Through the Olive Trees have comparable artistic merit."

Sophie Marceau certainly followed the Cannes Film Festival closely, and she had always favored Three Colors: Red.

Pulp Fiction winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes was quite unexpected since the movie was rather unconventional and opportunistic.

But the main reason was the Cannes Film Festival jury president this year, Clint Eastwood, wasn't a fan of pure art films.

Arthur hugged Sophie Marceau, "The box office for Pulp Fiction has already hit $60 million. They'll do a second release during the awards season at the end of the year, boosting it even more. The Cannes Film Festival also takes a peek at commercial potential."

Once Pulp Fiction was released, everyone knew its box office numbers wouldn't be low.

Sophie Marceau nodded, "I heard the discussion around Pulp Fiction in America is pretty high too."

"Yeah, it's quite innovative," Arthur said, then leaned in to kiss her. Sophie Marceau's mature body was sexy and charming, making her irresistible.

"Mm," Sophie Marceau responded for a while, holding the man as the sheet slipped down, "Arthur, wasn't that enough?"

"What do you think?" Arthur said, then started ravishing her softness again. "You're a woman who can drive men crazy!"

Sophie Marceau chuckled twice, pushing Arthur to the bedside, "Let's see how strong you are?"

After an indeterminate amount of time, Sophie Marceau got up, "When are you heading back to America?"

"In the next few days. When you called, I was just about to leave," Arthur explained.

"Seems you really care about the 007 series," Sophie Marceau remarked. Recently, GoldenEye began production in London, so she knew about it.

Arthur Smith's trip to London for the opening ceremony of GoldenEye proved it.

Sophie Marceau sat next to Arthur, "How about coming to France with me? You can head back to America after I return here next month for filming."

"Luc Besson's Leon premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and it's doing well in France in terms of reviews and box office."

Leon: The Professional would be released in the U.S. in November. Due to some uncomfortable themes for Americans, many scenes were cut to get an R rating.

"Forget it. After you finish filming Braveheart, just head back to Hollywood," Arthur felt he needed to return to America first.

"Alright then!"

*****

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