Chapter 151: Agreement Reached

Oprah, experienced as she was, immediately saw through William and the two others' act. However, she was pleased with the effect and cheerfully played along, saying, "That's right, this outcome is perfect. William, if you're serious about donating, then of course we hope Russell and Ridley win. Six million dollars can help a lot of underprivileged groups. On behalf of the Women and Children's Foundation, thank you, William. You're a great guy."

William quickly stood up and thanked the applauding audience, "Thank you, thank you."

After the applause died down, William turned to Russell and Ridley and said, "My God, you two really are top directors and actors. Just one look, and you understand each other's thoughts." William playfully tapped his forehead. "Alright, I'm happy to contribute to women and children, even though I was tricked. But for the sake of those adorable kids, I'm willing. I look forward to the day you drive me around as compensation. I'm satisfied with that."

Everyone was amused by William's exaggerated tone and burst into laughter. Russell laughed and said, "I have no problem with that. I actually want to try what it's like to be a $2.5 million-a-day driver. Thank you, this might be the most unique experience of my acting career."

After that, Ridley and Russell walked over to hug William. The audience was also delighted with this outcome and applauded enthusiastically.

Today's show thrilled Oprah. The topics were abundant, and she believed that the ratings would skyrocket once this episode aired.

After the show, William and Ambrosio returned to the hotel to change clothes. They took a bottle of Latour and rode the hotel's Bentley to Ridley's house in New York.

In the car, Ambrosio clung to William's arm, her face full of excitement as she chattered about Ridley's illustrious career and accomplishments.

However, William knew that before directing *Gladiator*, Ridley was at best a near-A-list director because his previous movies hadn't done well at the box office. In the mid-90s, he even went on a hiatus for several years. Ridley excelled at handling large-scale scenes, but even the best directors can have dry spells. A few years later, due to production company issues, he had a nearly ten-year lull until the success of *The Martian* brought him back into the spotlight. By that time, he was almost 80 years old, and his energy wasn't what it used to be. *Gladiator* was definitely Ridley's peak.

William took Ambrosio's hand and arrived at Ridley's home in a middle-class neighborhood in New York. The house and yard were quite large but worth only a few million dollars. Although Ridley was a renowned director, he wasn't a box office heavyweight and didn't have much money, so his lifestyle wasn't as luxurious as one might imagine.

After hugging Ridley and Russell, William entered Ridley's home. The gathering was private, with only Russell and Ridley's agents present.

As soon as they walked in, the agents fawned over William. But William ignored them, knowing they were from the elite culture that packaged projects into pitfalls. These guys thought they could fool him? He had no interest in their packaged projects, which rarely succeeded. Investing in such a project would require at least hundreds of millions of dollars, and unless he could secure half the rights, William had no intention of investing. There were better ways to spend money. He just wanted to leverage Russell and Ridley to generate buzz for the project.

Many foreign investors had been burned by Hollywood, especially those from Germany and oil-producing countries. William had no intention of falling into that trap.

After a pleasant dinner, William, Russell, and Ridley smoked cigars and drank the Latour William brought. Finally, they got down to business.

Russell, eager, spoke first, "William, what are your thoughts on this project? Can you share them with us?"

William pondered for a moment before saying, "If I'm to invest, I need at least half the rights. The scriptwriting fee and the cost for 'He's a Pirate' should be included in the investment. But realistically, I know that won't happen."

Russell and Ridley nodded in agreement. "It's indeed unlikely. The film companies won't relinquish the rights. I think you should take a scriptwriting share; that's more feasible."

William sighed, "I understand that. Look at DreamWorks. Forget it, Ridley can be the director, but..."

William turned apologetically to Russell, "Sorry, Russell, but in my envisioned cast, the lead role of Captain Jack Sparrow is for Depp. The blacksmith should be a very handsome young actor with good acting skills. I haven't decided on the female lead yet. For Captain Barbossa, I'm thinking of Geoffrey Rush. These main roles don't suit you. Sorry, Russell. However, if you're up for a cameo, I'd absolutely welcome it."

Russell nodded, "The main roles indeed don't suit me. A cameo is fine, but I'd like to be an assistant director and co-producer. I'm 40 now, and if there aren't suitable roles, transitioning to directing might be a good option."

William looked at Ridley, unsure about Russell's transition to directing. It depended on Ridley's opinion. If Ridley thought it was okay, then it was.

Ridley, seeing both of them looking at him, smiled and said, "No problem. Russell gave me a lot of input while shooting *Gladiator*. Besides, an assistant director can mean many things. He can learn while assisting."

"Ha, I wouldn't dare treat Russell as just an errand boy. I have no problem with this," William laughed.

Russell was pleased. Many famous actors try their hand at directing, and this big-budget project, with a top director guiding, was a rare opportunity.

"Thank you. I'll join for free. Don't worry, I know I'm just learning and won't interfere," Russell said gratefully.

William and Ridley both laughed. "No need to work for free. We'll pay you standard assistant director rates. Effort should be rewarded. You're one of the best actors, but as a director, you'll start as a novice."

"Exactly," Ridley agreed.

"Alright, let's go with the standard rate."

After finalizing some details, Ridley promised that once William handed him the script tomorrow, he would pitch it to Hollywood's big studios. If any were interested, they could all sit down and discuss it.

With the business settled, they returned to the living room, laughing and chatting. Ridley's agent, eager to please, shared a lot of insider gossip from Hollywood, surprising William and Ambrosio with stories they could hardly believe.

Around 11 PM, William and Ambrosio said their goodbyes. William needed to write the script overnight and submit it to the Writers Guild first thing in the morning.

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