Chapter 54

A coffee shop in Beverly Hills.

"Got something to discuss with me?" Charles was called over by his mother.

"Charlize Theron, she parted ways with her long-time agent," Evelyn suddenly said.

"And? You signed her?" Charles wondered if his mother was now so adept at poaching talents.

Evelyn took a sip of her coffee. "Theron's agent was the one who discovered her. For years, Theron has been seen as a pretty face, and she's not happy about it. She's been wanting more artsy films, roles that showcase her acting skills.

Monster, you know, that role required her to undergo a drastic transformation. Her agent was strongly opposed, but Theron insisted."

Evelyn spread her hands, clearly indicating that the two had a falling out, leading to the termination of the contract.

Sexy and beautiful have always been labels associated with Charlize Theron. As an agent, showing off her sexiness and beauty would obviously bring in numerous advertising endorsements.

But Theron's desire to shed those labels led her to part ways with her first agent since her debut.

Charles understood his mother's intentions. After all, Charlize Theron was quite well-known now, and his mother intended to bring her under their wing.

"I've said it before: if you sign her, she might just win an Oscar for Best Actress next year," Charles said casually.

"Go persuade her and sign her. That way, Mom, your status at ETA will be something else entirely. Becoming a partner won't be a problem!"

Evelyn smiled. "Naomie Watts and Keira Knightley have both gained a lot of influence. Plus, with Sofia Coppola and others, I'm quite popular among Hollywood's female artists now.

If Charlize Theron truly gains Oscar recognition through Monster, ETA will surely promote me to keep me; the partner position should be secured."

"Of course, there's also your influence. The distribution contract between Carpe Productions and Universal Pictures for a hundred-million-dollar budget film isn't a secret!"

After all, Charles wouldn't forget the artists managed by his mother when he developed movies at Carpe Productions. The opportunity was near.

Charles nodded. It was all minor stuff.

"CAA is quite strong. You need to be well-prepared to convince Theron," Charles advised, knowing his mother's agency, ETA, was smaller in scale compared to CAA.

"We can support her choice of art films, just by reviewing more scripts. Commercially, we can capitalize on her beauty with high-end brand endorsements," Evelyn had this idea since learning about Theron separating from her agent.

"Just tell her you'll fully campaign for her Oscar nomination. Monster is slated for a year-end release, perfect for awards season!" After all, she would win Best Actress with Monster, making the timing impeccable.

"Ha, I don't have those resources, and ETA won't invest that much!"

"Oh, come on! Host a few media events, get a few newspapers to report about it, make it look good but not extensive," Charles continued to remind her.

"Alright, got it," Evelyn said as she stood up and then reminded Charles, "Megan is coming to LA. You're still messing around with Scarlett all the time. God, do you want your mother to take care of your girlfriend?"

Charles froze for a moment, then awkwardly chuckled. "It's not like that. I asked you to sign only those with potential stars, balancing low investment with high future returns, didn't I?"

"If it wasn't for that, would I be taking care of every artist you fancy?" Evelyn rolled her eyes and was about to leave. She then turned back and asked, "Next month, I'm heading to Venice. Both Lost in Translation and Naomie Watts' 21 Grams are entered into the Venice Film Festival. Are you going?"

Lost in Translation was produced by Carpe Productions, and Charles was the producer, so he was supposed to go.

However, Charles shook his head. "I won't go. Lost in Translation is being distributed overseas by Columbia TriStar. They have people for that. I'm heading to New York in a couple of days for the premiere of Underworld, which Screen Gems is distributing next month."

"Carpe Productions doesn't have distribution channels. I don't like attending festivals only to watch great films I can't buy for distribution," Charles said.

"Alright then!" Evelyn didn't mind. The overseas distribution rights for Lost in Translation had been sold, so Charles didn't want to waste time on promotion and recruiting investors, which was somewhat of a loss.

Megan Fox was the earliest acquaintance of Charles, and as for Scarlett Johansson, Evelyn knew that the Lost in Translation project had sparked something between the two youngsters.

Evelyn was unaware of Naomi Watts' fling with her son. Otherwise, what would her reaction be? But right now, Naomi Watts' boyfriend was Heath Ledger.

Charles leaned back in his chair. Megan Fox was currently the least known artist under Evelyn's management, almost unheard of.

"Should I consider discussing with Hasbro about developing a live-action Transformers movie? This franchise could be a cash cow," Charles thought, but the current capabilities didn't allow for it.

As he left the coffee shop and just got into his Ferrari 360, the phone rang.

"Hello, this is Charles!"

"It's Britney. Charles, you haven't contacted me in months!"

Charles was taken aback. How long had it been? They met at the Met Gala in May, and it was now the end of August. He really had forgotten.

"Haha, dear Britney, I've been so busy lately. The new movie development, plus a film about to be released," Charles, of course, couldn't say he had forgotten. "How about you? Have you been doing well?"

"On the last day of the month, the VMAs are in New York. Join me?" she asked.

"Oh, sure, no problem!" Charles was heading to New York anyway. Britney Spears, one of the top pop stars in America, had great visibility. Going to a movie premiere with her would be perfect.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you!" she said.

After hanging up, Charles started his car. He thought about getting some limited edition sports cars once he had more money. Currently, his cars weren't too expensive.

The Ferrari 360 was bought for $150,000, the BMW Z8 was around $130,000, the Corvette Z6 under $100,000, and the four-door Mercedes GT also a bit over $100,000.

He hadn't purchased any limited editions yet.

*****

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