CHAPTER 88, EXCLUSIVE DEBUT -XXVI

"I was filming "Chain Reaction", and then I was busy with "Devil's Advocate" just mentioned." Keanu replied, noticing Josie's role of listening carefully, and made an exception and said, "I'm trying to lead a film project myself." "

"Now the problem with 'The Devil's Advocate' is mainly in the choice of actors, and from the beginning I wanted to be influenced by Al. Pacino starred as John. Milton this character, but Al. Pacino refused after reading the script, and his asking price was too high, so they thought they could use Kevin. Spacey or Richard. Kiel. "

"Thankfully, Richard. The internal screening of Kirpai's new film will not be very good, and after I paid out of my own pocket to supplement the extra part of the salary, in the end, Al. Pacino was confirmed for the role. "

Josie nodded while listening, and when she heard the results of the internal preview meeting, she couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Wait, although I would like to compliment you for getting the result you wanted, have you forgotten that it is also my new movie?" "

There is grapevine that at Paramount's internal preview screening, Paramount's president Shirley. Lansing couldn't help but get angry, because the film was not as good as they expected, and Gregory, who was the director of the film for the first time. Hobritt had some problems with the pacing of the storytelling, which even post-editing couldn't save.

And Richard . There are also problems with the character of Kiel.

It's not that his similar performance is finally boring, but the whole script seems to try its best to give his character some unnecessary flashpoints, such as the righteous and kind and generous lawyer who should be old, cunning, or the prosecutor who originally fought against him suddenly rekindled.

Richard. Kiel's own performance could not support the hearts of the characters that were too complex, so that the characters were fragmented.

So the pilot version has been created by Shirley. Lansing spoke and was thrown back into the editing room.

"Is it? That sounds offending, so I apologize. Keanu said in a witty and humorous tone, "I'm sorry, Josie, because I really don't want the male lead of your new movie to play the father of my next movie, and the characters of the two of us will be a young couple." "

"Okay, okay, I forgive you." Josie cooperated with him to finish acting, and then continued: "I heard that you rejected the sequel to "Speed of Life and Death", and that character from "Starship Troopers" also became Casper. Every. Dean. "

It's really weird.

Since "Speed of Life and Death" became a global phenomenon, Keanu as a popular student. Reeves should be the Franklin walking in the eyes of the film business, but he suddenly encountered a change of role.

Keanu just smiled slightly and told Josie: "Thank you for your concern, it's just that I read the script and found that I didn't like the whole story very much, and there was no other reason." "

Is there really no other reason?

Josie is a person accustomed to conspiracy theories, because her once wealthy life is full of the deceit of the big family, and it is easy to fall for the slightest carelessness, so she will always speculate on the worst possibility instead of casually believing in the goodwill of human beings.

"Okay." Josie said half-jokingly, "But you know, I've always been on your side, and if there's anything I can help with, be sure to let me know, or I'll be angry." "

"To be honest, the heroine this time was originally going to use a new person, but now that we have you - this has already done me a big favor." Keanu said so.

Josie shook her head, "No, I like this script, Al. Pacino is an actor I really want to work with, so it's not that I'm doing you a favor, it's that you're helping me, Keanu. "

Keanu stopped arguing with her about who helped whom, but silently remembered the incident.

In fact, his situation this year is really not very good.

Keanu's high-hopes summer blockbuster "Very Secret Service" was miserably hit by Waterloo, and he himself liked the concept of some futuristic technology in the original novel, but most audiences and critics thought that the sci-fi film was a disaster from writing to acting.

Another romantic film, "Walking in the Clouds," was a good response, causing a wave of travel to Napa Valley vineyards, but Keanu's performance was never recognized by critics and didn't help his career much — after all, Hollywood's heavy industry is still action movies and sci-fi.

Then there is the action film "Chain Reaction" that he has not officially completed.

Before the movie officially started, Keanu was injured while playing hockey, and lay down for weeks, during which he encountered a series of events such as the project almost miscarried, the role change of "Starship Troopers", and repeated physical injuries.

It is precisely because "Chain Reaction" and "Starship Troopers" are not very smooth, this time "Devil's Advocate" made him pay special attention, and personally focused on the entire project from the beginning of the adaptation of the original novel, not wanting any more accidents and twists and turns.

Keanu looked hesitant and moved his lips, but didn't speak right away.

Josie's sense has always been keen, so she asked, "What's wrong?" "

Keanu paused and said, "Josie, are you willing to tell me honestly, do you like this Hollywood now?" I mean, it's a circle where the wicked are in charge, the values are distorted, and the sense of morality is almost non-existent. "

"I see what you mean." Josie pursed her lips and reminded him meaningfully, "But you can sometimes be tactful, after all, if these words are heard by others, you may not have good consequences for you." "

Keanu tugged at the corners of his lips, a little self-deprecating.

She is such a little girl can be keenly aware of the worry, how can he, who has been crawling in Hollywood for many years, not know?

It's just that he exposed his true ambition because of similar inappropriate remarks before, which caused his long-respected friend David. Geffen turned his face with him, and the originally quite enthusiastic peers suddenly avoided him.

Luckily, he wasn't so bad that he didn't have a friend left.

Josie pulled Keanu to sit on the floor in the corner of the rehearsal room.

In the chaotic bass sound, her voice and eyes were like a shimmer, so clear and bright.

He heard her say:

"Let's put it this way. Suppose one day, I am fortunate enough to stand at the top of power in this circle, I hope that anyone in the early stage of their career does not need to accept the unspoken rules, non-heterosexuals and minorities can be respected, do not have to hide in a cabinet or fall in love, get married, or even have children in order to maintain their image, and actors such as Zun Long will have more "Year of the Dragon" and "The Last Emperor" to play, rather than cookie-cutter squinting and Fu Manchu. "

She speaks slowly, so the bite words are pronounced clearly.

The sideways sitting posture remained upright, a habit that made her sit on the freshly cleaned rehearsal room floor with a sense of dignity in her bones.

But her heart is clearly more worth exploring than a beautiful skin that is pleasing to the eye, like a hard, transparent, shiny, changeable rare diamond.

Keanu noticed that Josie's eyes were somewhat distant, and generally full of sincerity—she trusted him so much that she revealed her deepest thoughts to him.

He couldn't help but smile, and subconsciously blurted out: "You are really... I was amazed. So – do you want to change the world with me? "

Without any hesitation, Josie gave the answer decisively and calmly: "Good." What do I need to do? "

"Not yet." Keanu pondered, "In front of outsiders, you'd better not act intimate with me, I'm afraid you'll get some unnecessary anger." "

At this time, Josie kind of understood what happened, most likely he and David. Geffen fell out, so the movie casting and the endless bad reviews in the media are all punishments from the dark forces of Hollywood?

The two of them chatted for a short time in Brad's rehearsal room, after which the group of five had a lighthearted dinner, and Josie and Keanu talked alone for another night.

They tacitly shake the haze hanging over Hollywood, and they are bound to take out a large number of Geffen's henchmen, from the Hollywood Big Six to many filmmakers, the dark forces of this circle are everywhere.

There is still a long way to go.

But that's just too exciting.

On the way back to Santa Monica late at night, Josie received a call from Edward, who had already entered the group to make "Sex Book Tycoon", which was made with the director he liked very much, Milos. Foreman cooperated, so he valued the role of a lawyer with few scenes.

Thank God, or rather, the great inventors.

The phone has enabled instant messaging, the car has shortened the geographical distance, otherwise once it is busy, Josie really doubts how long her interest in this relationship can last.

Josie spent the rest of her time reading scripts at home and filming for "Mr. Sweetheart" at Sony Studios, occasionally going out on dates with Edward, who was also not on filming days.

On this day, they watched Hitchcock's "Butterfly Dream" in a small movie theater in the middle of nowhere.

After nine o'clock in the evening, after the screening came out and got into the car, Josie said with some regret: "I have the impression that the ex-wife of the male protagonist seems to be Vivien. Li played her, but there was no her from beginning to end. "

"No, there is Vivien on the movie poster. Rei, is a silhouette. Edward said as he leaned over to fasten Josie's seat belt, "Let's go, take you home." "

Josie silently watched his face the moment he approached, and his breathing could be faintly heard in the dark and narrow carriage.

After turning around and fastening his seat belt, Edward seemed to sense Josie's gaze and asked sideways, "Something on my face?" "

He asked as he started the car.

The headlights in front of him made his side face line a little clearer, and the slightly longer forehead bangs almost covered his eyebrows, adding some clean boyishness, always making people inadvertently forget that this man was twenty-seven years old.

Josie rubbed it with her thumb on the edge of his chin, quite seriously, and then replied seriously, "Well, not anymore." "

Edward ticked the corners of his lips and shook his head to give Josie a helpless smile - he had found that she liked to smile like this.

He drove Josie home and sat for a little ten minutes, before leaving, Josie found the Chamei Diamond Crown he had given her and asked him to take it away.

"What's wrong, don't you like it?" Edward held the blue velvet box and asked suspiciously.

Josie couldn't help but sigh before replying, "Like is like, but now I can't accept this kind of gift, especially from you." "

The set of moonstone jewelry from Ernest was also enough, she planned to find a piece of art that the other party might be interested in as a gift in return, but this diamond crown was worth a lot, and the relationship between them was not a simple friend, so she couldn't accept it comfortably.

- Once the boundary of intimacy is crossed, it is not far from entanglement.

Edward spread his hands and half-jokingly said, "If you think that our relationship is not suitable for you to accept my gift, I would welcome to confirm the formal relationship one second, and dump me the next second you accept it." "

"Ed, don't be like this." Josie felt that her tone was gratuitously like a scumbag, but she couldn't understand why he, as a man, cared so much about it, "You know, I don't want to complicate our relationship. "

Edward was angry and amused, "Just a gift." And the first time I gave such a valuable gift to a woman, I used the money I had saved since my own work, and you refused to accept it - even thought it was my problem? "

Speaking of the last sentence, Edward's voice was directly raised.

Josie raised the corner of her forehead rather distressedly.

How should she tell him that this is actually a matter of two people.

The problem was that Josie wanted their relationship to be simple and clear, without the need to mix in superfluous; Edward, on the other hand, showed his strength as he pleased, almost instinctively, that he could be relied on.

However, Josie has never been accustomed to relying on others and does not pin her hopes on people other than herself.

"I thought I made it clear last time." Josie tried to keep her tone as gentle as possible, "You don't have any obligation to do this for me, we..."

"I'm just pleasing you." Edward interrupted her suddenly.

He looked at Josie's beautiful and smooth little face in front of him, and as time went by, she occasionally showed that cat-like meekness and dependence in front of him, which seemed to gradually change for him.

But in fact, the vast majority of cats are withdrawn, independent and vigilant cold animals, and the lack of aggressive appearance is only their disguise.

It was he who was changed.

In order to please a woman, consciously or unconsciously find out the other party's preferences, pretend to cooperate with the other party not to be exposed, pretend that you don't care but actually really care... Oh, why does this sound a little frustrating?

But thinking so, he heard himself say, "Josie, don't do this to me. "

These blue-gray eyes looked at Josie fixedly, their brows furrowed slightly, and they drove two thick eyebrows down, giving Josie a fake smile.

He really couldn't understand it.

Taming games are fun when you're crazy, but real life isn't as dramatic, and as a rising Hollywood actor, they're destined to be busy with each other, at least he cherishes the occasional time the two get together.

So, what about her?

Or was she really not worried about losing him in the slightest?

The expression on Josie's face seemed to be condensed by something, confused and uncomfortable, those eyes were still clear, clear enough to vaguely see his shadow.

But—there wasn't the kind of thing he expected to find.

She thought for a moment, then gently and gently reminded him: "If you feel unhappy, you can always call to stop." "

Shout stop?

If it could be stopped so easily, then why did he allow himself to do these things?

Edward laughed, turned around and threw the box in his hand casually, feeling half angry with her, but he left Josie's house with a dead end.

For the next period of time, he did not take the initiative to contact Josie, and even Maggie, the tabby cat who was originally going to be fostered at Josie's house, also found another friend to take over, as if suddenly became extremely busy, so busy that he forgot her phone number and never met her anywhere in Hollywood.

Josie's side was busy with high-intensity shooting and schedules, and there was no extra energy to solve their problems for the time being, but quietly sent the diamond crown that represented trouble back to Chaumei headquarters for maintenance, and let Martha pay a little attention to some suitable scripts.

She didn't take the initiative to do anything more.

After all, in her cognition all along, the acquisition and breakthrough of achievements, the desire and pursuit of power, are far more interesting than men.

Not to mention that for her, "sex" is completely within reach.

It's late March, and the Oscars ceremony is finally here, and Josie is ready to attend, both as a guest presenter and as a nominee.