Chapter 352: Banter
[Chapter 352: Banter]
After staying at Firefly Films' office until nearly seven o'clock, Eric did not head back to Malibu. Instead, he drove straight to the premiere of Sleeping with the Enemy on Sunset Boulevard.
The premiere was scheduled to start at seven, and when Eric arrived, it was already a quarter past. Without much delay, he hurriedly stepped onto the red carpet, arranged by the staff. After posing for a few photos with the reporters but not answering any media questions, Eric made his way into the theater. He knew Robert Shea wouldn't want him to steal the spotlight at the Sleeping with the Enemy premiere, and Eric certainly didn't want that either. If it weren't for the fact that people would speculate negatively about his absence from the premiere, Eric wouldn't have even bothered attending.
"Hey, Julia, long time no see! You look absolutely beautiful today," Eric exclaimed as he walked into the screening room, noticing an empty seat next to Julia.
"Thanks, Eric, but this seat..." Julia pointed to the seat next to her, her tone hesitant.
"What about it?" Eric asked, puzzled, as he stood up to check that he hadn't sat on anything.
"That's my seat; move over!" Eric hadn't even turned around when he heard Elisabeth's exasperated voice.
"Liz, what are you doing here?" Eric replied, somewhat helplessly, turning to look at her. The woman had cut her hair short, wearing a simple white shirt and black fitted trousers, cinched at the waist with a brown leather belt, making her look quite sharp. "Wow, you didn't wear that outfit on the red carpet, did you?"
"Why not? Do you think there's something wrong with it?" Elisabeth said, defiantly raising her chin, her small feet in black sandals relentlessly pushing Eric toward the adjacent seat.
With a sigh, Eric shifted over to the other seat. After she sat down, he added, "It's more than just inappropriate, it's practically ruining the event. It seems like the star attending the premiere wasn't dressed in evening wear."
"Eric, Liz came in through a side entrance," Julia suddenly explained.
Elisabeth shot Eric an eye roll before turning back to Julia, saying, "Don't pay him any mind; the best way to deal with people like him is to ignore them."
"Liz, you really hurt my feelings. Have you forgotten all the wonderful times we had together?" Eric feigned a wounded expression.
"Forgotten," Elisabeth replied bluntly.
"Ah, well, I should come visit you guys more often. I haven't seen Mr. Murdoch in forever. I wanted to personally thank him for his help with The Silence of the Lambs," Eric mused.
Elisabeth, finally annoyed, reached over and pinched Eric in the ribs. "I warn you, Eric Williams, you must not go around spreading that. Otherwise, I'll drop you from my friend list."
"Alright, alright. Such a devoted daughter," Eric said with a grin.
The Silence of the Lambs had grossed nearly $40 million in North America after just two weeks, with its total North American gross possibly exceeding $130 million. According to the distribution agreement between TG Films and Firefly Films, The Silence of the Lambs could bring in at least $30 million for Firefly. That amount was equivalent to about 15% of 20th Century Fox's annual profits. If the word got out that Rupert Murdoch casually handed the film over to Firefly, it could certainly affect Murdoch's reputation at News Corp and provide ammunition for other shareholders to attack him. That's why Elisabeth felt the need to warn Eric so seriously.
Of course, Eric had no intention of making that information public; he just really wanted to see Murdoch's expression upon learning about the film's success, which he believed would be highly entertaining.
"Also, I need to caution you, Eric; you must not pressure Julia into taking films she doesn't like. When filming Sleeping with the Enemy, Julia almost had to see a psychologist," Elisabeth said.
"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Eric leaned in to glance at Julia, asking with concern.
Julia stayed silent, and Elisabeth immediately added, "Definitely. Every time she saw the male lead's character in the script, she thought of some insufferable guy."
"Some insufferable guy? It wouldn't be me, would it?"
"Uh-huh."
"Such a serious topic doesn't quite fit today's situation. Let's breeze over it and talk about something else, like, do you have plans for your next movie?"
Both women shot Eric a synchronized eye roll but didn't pursue it further. Elisabeth remarked, "Originally, TG was just going to be a small studio, but now, I've picked a floor of office space in Century City. We'll set up the company's administrative department before moving on to plans for the next movie. So, Firefly needs to pay our share as soon as possible."
"Ahem, you see, talking about money can be quite touchy. I think you should speak with Robert about that," Eric jokingly suggested.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know. New Line has a notorious history of delaying payments to producers. If you dare to play that game with us, I'll kick Drew out of TG."
"Whoa, even I can't get that little devil out myself. I'll bet you a million dollars you won't succeed at that."
"Bet your Liberty City estate?"
"No need to bet; you can just move in there. But just to be clear, marriage talk is off the table."
Elisabeth raised her foot to kick Eric in the shins, but Eric, who had been prepared for her move, playfully dodged.
"Alright, you two, it's about to start," Julia reminded them.
Eric and Elisabeth fell silent, ceasing their playful banter. Julia got up and walked on stage with a few of Sleeping with the Enemy's creators. After a brief interaction with the audience, the screening began shortly after.
...
Julia's character, Laura, was supposed to be a well-off housewife. However, due to her husband Martin's suspicious nature, twisted possessiveness, and strong violent tendencies, Laura lived in constant fear. After failing to free herself from her husband through proper means several times, Laura thought of faking her own death to escape.
During a boating accident, Laura pretended to slip and drown, finally breaking free from her husband's grip and fleeing to a small town in Iowa to start over.
But due to her oversight during the escape, the clues she left behind made Martin realize Laura wasn't dead. Driven mad, he would stop at nothing to find her.
This was supposed to be a fairly ordinary and straightforward story, but Julia's brilliant acting turned Laura into a compelling character. Through her rich expressions and body language, the audience felt a deep sympathy for Laura, who endures her husband's abuse, within just over ten minutes.
As Laura successfully escaped, most of the audience let out a sigh of relief.
But the film was far from over. Martin unexpectedly received a call from one of Laura's 'friends,' leading him to realize that Laura might still be alive. Martin soon confirmed this and set off on a frenzied quest to find her. The plot tightened its grip on the audience once again, and as the tension rose and fell, their hearts raced. This thrilling ride lasted an hour and a half until Laura ultimately shot Martin dead in her apartment, at which point the viewers collectively let out a satisfied sigh of relief.
...
Eric could even hear the low applause that erupted in the theater after Julia fired the gun on screen, clearly a sign of appreciation for the film.
Meanwhile, Elisabeth, who had been quietly enjoying the film, shot a glance at Eric, her eyes conveying a subtle warning. "Honestly, I loved that scene the most. I've decided to buy a ticket to watch it again tomorrow."
"Looks like I should add a disclaimer at the end saying 'all fictional, please do not imitate.'"
"That wouldn't do any good. I had all A's in my college courses; that proves my intelligence."
"Liz, it seems we have a serious misunderstanding between us, which isn't great. How about we find a time to talk it over? You can bring Julia along."
"And a gun."
"No need for that; I have a spare."
"Drop dead."
As they exchanged playful jabs, the lights in the screening room came up, followed by a wave of applause.
*****
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