Chapter 177: Too Unlucky?

In the lounge next to the banquet hall on the second floor of the Marmont Castle Hotel, Charles Capet ran into Nicole Kidman, who attended the cocktail party there.

"Want a drink?" Charles called over a waiter and handed a glass of wine to Nicole Kidman.

Nicole Kidman accepted it with a smile, clinked glasses with Charles, took a sip, and said, "I don't know if I should congratulate you or be envious of you. Movies produced by Capet Pictures, whether they're art films, commercial comedies, or horror movies, have all been successful!"

Nicole Kidman's box office performance this year wasn't a surprise, continuing the slump from the previous year. The Interpreter had a production cost of $80 million and featured Oscar winners Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, yet it only grossed $70 million in North America and $162 million worldwide.

The fantasy romance comedy Bewitched, with a budget of $85 million, performed even worse, grossing only $63 million in North America and $131 million worldwide.

Not only did the box office fall short, but the film's reputation was also poor, receiving mostly negative reviews.

"Looks like you didn't work much this year?" Charles inquired.

Nicole Kidman nodded. "I just did voice-over for the animated feature Happy Feet and participated in a low-budget independent film called Fur."

"And the male lead in Fur is Robert Downey Jr., recommended strongly by Mel Gibson," she added.

Charles nodded. It's no wonder that after Mel Gibson was blacklisted in the future, Robert Downey Jr. would come to his defense - he owed him a favor.

After all, given Robert Downey Jr.'s past behavior, no producer would have cast him as a lead.

However, Charles didn't have much fondness for Mel Gibson either, considering him a white supremacist and a hothead. It was only a matter of time before Gibson, after a DUI, would hurl antisemitic insults at the police.

"Next year, I'll be busy with The Golden Compass and The Invasion," Nicole Kidman continued. Both films had significant investments, with The Invasion also having an $80 million budget.

The Golden Compass was a large-scale fantasy commercial film developed by New Line Cinema, and besides the female lead, it was still in the preliminary stages of preparation.

"Daniel Craig, the new James Bond, is the male lead in The Invasion?" Charles asked.

Nicole Kidman nodded again. Daniel Craig was announced as the new James Bond after he was confirmed as the male lead in The Invasion.

Nevertheless, Charles knew that Daniel Craig was also in The Golden Compass, with Bond girl Eva Green joining the cast.

Now, all Charles could say was that Nicole Kidman's luck must have run out after winning the Oscar for Best Actress. Otherwise, starting from last year, she wouldn't have had five consecutive movies fail both commercially and critically.

Fur, another low-budget independent art film like Dogville, relied solely on Nicole Kidman's bed scenes for hype.

As for The Golden Compass and The Invasion, they both continued the streak of failures.

Charles stared at Nicole Kidman's face. Was her luck really that bad? Not a single successful screenplay?

"What's wrong?" Nicole Kidman noticed Charles staring at her.

Charles shook his head and smiled. "Nothing, just realizing you're indeed beautiful."

As a woman, Nicole Kidman naturally liked being called beautiful. She glanced at Charles, remembering the night they had together before.

"Are you free tonight? Want to come to my place?" Nicole suggested.

Charles was taken aback at first, but seeing Nicole Kidman's unchanged expression, he nodded. "Let's leave now!"

Nicole Kidman nodded. "Meet me in the parking lot in twenty minutes."

She then turned and went back into the banquet hall.

Charles downed his drink in one gulp. Although Nicole Kidman wasn't young anymore, she still maintained herself well and was worthy of the title Oscar-winning actress.

Forty minutes later, a car drove into the garage of Nicole Kidman's mansion in the Brentwood community.

Charles Capet and Nicole Kidman were inside the car. As soon as the engine stopped, they couldn't wait to start kissing.

"Hold on, Nicole. We're home. Let's go inside first," Charles leaned back in his seat, looking at Nicole Kidman who was unbuckling his belt.

Nicole Kidman licked her lips and nodded with a smile, "I thought you liked it in the car?"

Charles fondled Nicole Kidman before patting her, also smiling. "Let's go in first for a drink. We have all night."

They then got out of the car and entered Nicole Kidman's villa.

The Brentwood community, located west of Beverly Hills, near Santa Monica and Westwood, had excellent security and living conditions.

"What do you want to drink, champagne or red wine?" Nicole Kidman asked after seating Charles.

"Champagne, it has a better vibe," Charles replied from the sofa.

Nicole Kidman nodded and soon prepared the champagne. After handing Charles a glass, she sat down next to him.

"Can you help me choose a script? Your taste is just too good," Nicole Kidman didn't beat around the bush, coming straight to the point.

Charles nodded and smiled. "You didn't bring me here just for that, did you?"

"Don't you want to be here?" Nicole Kidman turned her head, smiling back.

"Do you have time for a new project? Two films should keep you busy enough," Charles noted.

Nicole Kidman shook her head. "I don't mean now. I mean in the future, if I have any scripts I'm unsure about, I'd like to get your opinion."

"That's not a problem," Charles agreed easily. After all, he had already slept with her.

"I'll go take a shower," Nicole Kidman nodded and stood up, heading toward the bathroom.

"Mind if I join?" Charles put down his glass and started undressing, following her into the bathroom.

"Hmm," Nicole Kidman responded under the showerhead, passionately kissing Charles without a care for the steam.

*****

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