Chapter 407: Mending Relationships

[Chapter 407: Devil]

Eric and Drew saw Spielberg chatting with an unfamiliar guest near the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. When the guest saw Eric approaching, he greeted him and smartly excused himself.

Eric raised his glass to Spielberg and asked, "Steven, how's the filming of Hook going? I heard Sony set up nine large soundstages just for this film?"

Spielberg seemed less than enthusiastic about the topic. Although he had visited Eric in person to gather some workable revisions, he had come to realize, as Eric had when he turned down Spielberg's investment proposal, that the script had significant flaws. As filming progressed, Spielberg likely recognized more of these shortcomings; perhaps Hook would break even, but it could very well hurt his personal reputation.

"It's going okay. If all goes as planned, we'll wrap in May," Spielberg replied, glancing at Drew, who was standing next to Eric, smiling slightly. "Drew, you're sixteen now! Gwyneth has a cameo in Hook. When are you going to jump back into acting?"

Drew said, "I'm not planning on acting anymore, Godfather. I'm looking to become a producer so I can help Eric down the line."

Spielberg had certainly heard some buzz about The Silence of the Lambs, but like many others, he credited Eric entirely for it. He found it hard to believe a few women could produce such an outstanding film and replied seriously, "Being a producer isn't easy. You're still young, and not everyone in Hollywood is as talented as Eric."

Eric interjected with a smile, "Actually, the script for The Silence of the Lambs was bought by Drew from someone else. The kid has a good eye, and the movie's in the hands of her team. I only took a quick look at the script."

Spielberg understood that Eric didn't need to lie about such small matters. He looked at Drew with mild surprise, "That's quite unexpected."

Eric gently patted Drew's back and said, "Drew, you and Steven haven't seen each other in a while, so you should chat more. I'll go mingle with some of the other guests."

Although they held the nominal roles of godfather and goddaughter, the relationship between Drew and Spielberg had become rather distant over time. If it weren't for Eric, Spielberg likely wouldn't have attended Drew's birthday party at all. Drew knew Eric was encouraging her to mend her relationship with Spielberg to build her network for future opportunities. She sweetly looped her arm around Spielberg's and said, "Godfather, let's check out the outdoor pool. The air is nice out there, and I personally designed it!"

Spielberg waved goodbye to Eric with a smile before following Drew outside.

...

Watching them leave, Eric felt a bit hungry and was about to grab a bite when he noticed a round, jovial figure approaching him even before other would-be conversants did.

"Harvey, how's the night treating you? Isn't it a bit easier than those PR parties?" Eric greeted him with a laugh while pointing towards a nearby buffet table.

"Absolutely! Here, I don't have to butter the old men up," Harvey Weinstein replied, beaming as he grabbed a plate for Eric while getting one for himself and began filling it with food.

After they both gathered their food, Eric and Harvey found a table and sat down. Eric teased, "You know, there are quite a few of those older guys from the industry here. If they heard what you just said, all your efforts would be wasted."

Even knowing Eric was joking, Harvey looked around nervously and then sighed with relief, saying, "You gave me quite a scare, Eric. I've already spent over a million on PR this awards season."

"I heard Miramax is up for five out of six best foreign film nominations this year. You must be feeling good about that," Eric replied.

"Too bad we didn't get any of the important nominations," Harvey replied, shaking his head with a sigh, clearly unhappy with that outcome.

Eric didn't particularly care about the films Miramax was releasing; instead, he asked, "How's the PR for The Silence of the Lambs going?"

Harvey lowered his voice and said, "Best Picture and Best Director are almost guaranteed, but we can't be sure about Best Actor and Actress. Anthony Hopkins is outstanding, but he's a newcomer to the Oscars, and his competitors are all seasoned veterans. And Judy Foster just won Best Actress two years ago, so her chances don't look great either."

Eric nodded in satisfaction, "Just do your best. I have faith in your PR skills."

Harvey wore a look of regret as he said, "If only The Silence of the Lambs was released by Miramax, we could've developed a solid campaign for it. It would've increased the chances for Best Actor and Actress."

Eric merely smiled, not engaging with Harvey's hint for collaboration. He had just completed his consolidation of Firefly, which was a top priority for him. Even if he were to partner up, it wouldn't be with a smaller company like Miramax.

Harvey sensed Eric's intention and felt a twinge of disappointment. Although they had refined their strategies for navigating the Oscars' PR landscape, it seemed Eric had outgrown his interest in Miramax.

Since Eric had no intention of cooperating, Harvey didn't push the issue. He simply stated that Eric could always contact him if he considered a collaboration in the future.

As they chatted casually, Elisabeth approached with a plate and took a seat next to Eric, joining in on the conversation, which revolved mainly around The Silence of the Lambs.

*****

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