Chapter 347: Nicole's Thoughts

After more than ten days of the feminist low-budget art film Juno being released, its North American box office reached $40 million.

Capet Pictures released it in the art film model with a limited release in just 60 theaters!

But now the number of theaters screening it had exceeded 500. Ellen Page's performance finally showed her potential and talent.

Kate Beckinsale, who joined as a supporting actress for publicity, also gained more confidence in her acting through this film.

At the parking lot near Capet Pictures headquarters, a white Porsche 911 parked next to Charles Capet. Kate Beckinsale, wearing sunglasses, rolled down the window and smiled, "Dinner time!"

"You seem to be in a great mood," Charles said, kissing Kate Beckinsale in the passenger seat and smiling.

"You should be in an even better mood. Newspapers predict this film Juno will gross at least $100 million in North America!"

Kate Beckinsale had risen to fame again with Iron Man, and now the art film she was part of was doing so well - of course, she was happy.

They drove through Burbank Avenue, past North Hollywood, and arrived at the north side of the Santa Monica Mountains, heading to Kate Beckinsale's new villa in Encino.

"This place is nice, not too far from the Encino Reservoir," Charles chuckled. It's true that wealthy people love to invest heavily in real estate, especially celebrities.

"Consider it an investment, but I can live here too. I don't have any other large investments," Kate Beckinsale had several properties in London and Los Angeles.

In the living room on the sofa, Charles embraced Kate Beckinsale, "Haven't seen you in a while!"

Even at 34, Kate Beckinsale still had an amazing figure, similar to Charlize Theron's.

"Is that so!" Kate Beckinsale actively hugged Charles and kissed him as he unbuttoned her shirt.

Kissing passionately, with Charles' hands exploring her chest, Kate Beckinsale's breath quickened, whispering, "What do you want to eat? I'll make something. Let's fill our stomachs first."

Charles leaned to her ear, "You need to eat something nourishing, or you won't be able to handle tonight."

Licking her lips, Kate Beckinsale replied, "Tonight, I'll exhaust you!"

...

Meanwhile, at Evelyn's luxury mansion in Santa Monica, an interesting guest arrived - Nicole Kidman.

"Nicole, sit down. What do you want to drink?" Evelyn asked, noticing Nicole Kidman was pregnant and inquiring what she would like to drink.

"Just a glass of water, please. Thank you."

The nanny fetched a glass of water for Nicole Kidman and left. Holding the glass, Nicole took a sip, "Evelyn, I want to leave Pat Kingsley."

Evelyn wasn't surprised. Pat Kingsley's era had passed, and she was already a 75-year-old lady.

In the late 80s, Pat Kingsley founded her own PR agency but later joined CAA and became a partner, with her agency operating as a PR firm.

Pat Kingsley's forte was PR. After Tom Cruise ended his collaboration with her in 2004, his image began to crumble starting in 2005.

Pat Kingsley had maintained Tom Cruise's perfect image for over a decade.

"ETA would certainly welcome you," Evelyn understood Nicole Kidman's thoughts - after all, she was an Oscar-winning actress.

Leaving Pat Kingsley and CAA wasn't a big deal; the important part was regaining access to the right resources.

"No matter what, Charles and I owe you our thanks. Now that you're pregnant, you can rest for a year. We can slowly choose scripts when the time comes," Evelyn said, patting Nicole Kidman's shoulder.

"Don't worry. You're an international star and an Oscar winner; your influence is still significant."

Nicole Kidman nodded and smiled, "Before coming here, I talked with Naomi. She also suggested joining ETA."

This July, Naomi Watts gave birth to her first child. Her boyfriend was Australian actor Liev Schreiber.

ETA had quite a few big names. Male actors included Matt Damon, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Affleck among others;

The female lineup was equally luxurious, featuring Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale, Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and Keira Knightley;

Directors included Ridley Scott, Zack Snyder, Rob Marshall, Stephen Daldry, and the Coen Brothers, to name a few!

"Naomi just had a baby, so she hasn't decided on her next project yet," Evelyn showed concern for her earliest successful actress.

"Sigh, The Golden Compass and Juno from Capet are released on the same day, yet their North American box office results are almost the same," Nicole Kidman smiled bitterly. According to estimates, Juno was soon going to surpass The Golden Compass, which she starred in.

One was a 180-million-dollar fantasy blockbuster, and the other a $7-million independent art film.

Following the trend, The Golden Compass was unlikely to gross over $100 million in North America, but Juno crossing the $100 million mark was a sure thing!

"Juno, I knew about that script. I remember because its writer, Diablo Cody, was a stripper at a Chicago club. I even asked Charles about it," Evelyn laughed.

"He said her blog posts had a lot of readers, and the first draft of her script was impressive!"

"Yeah, now Charles is like a god in Hollywood. Everyone wants to work with him, and Capet Entertainment's development is astounding," Nicole Kidman admired him intensely.

"Don't worry, Charles is quite fond of foreign actors, especially those from English-speaking countries like the UK and Australia," Evelyn was proud of her son. The Capet family was now an absolute top-tier force in Hollywood.

"By the way, Charles is 25 now, right? Doesn't he want to get married soon?" Nicole Kidman asked, considering her age of 40, she could be seen as a senior to Charles, especially since Evelyn was only 44.

Evelyn replied helplessly, "He says people take marriage too lightly and don't respect it. They treat divorce casually like eating or drinking, and he hates that!"

Nicole Kidman couldn't help but open her mouth in shock upon hearing that. Charles said that?

How many flings had Charles had? And how many affairs with celebrity women? Even she had had in-depth interactions with him a few times.

*****

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