America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 558 - 551 It’s Too Hard to Be a Good Person

Los Angeles, the headquarters of the Martin Fan Club, where Phoebe was counting the promotional materials sent over by Jessica.

Rachel came with a large group of fans to collect the materials needed for the afternoon event.

There was a promotional event for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" crew, and they were going to support it on-site.

Phoebe handed out posters and banners one by one.

A male fan asked, "Is it true that the illegitimate child incident was a setup by Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, and Brad Pitt, ordering that Toni Fellman to frame Martin?"

Rachel nodded, "Yes, it’s true. The newspapers reported it, and the LAPD has already arrested those three bastards!"

Somebody immediately cried out in anger, "They’ve gone too far!"

"I’ve always said that Martin must have been framed. Many people still don’t believe it online. They’re looking for any reason to tarnish Martin."

"With Martin’s charm, would he need to force anyone? If he wanted, what kind of woman couldn’t he have?"

"A friend of mine works as a photographer in the fashion industry. I’ve heard that Victoria’s Secret models now prefer Martin over Leonardo, and apparently being favored by Martin has become a threshold for supermodels!"

"How do they certify that?"

Hearing the discussions veer off, Rachel quickly intervened, saying loudly, "In this afternoon’s event, we’re not only supporting Martin but also calling for all parties to pay attention to this incident and severely punish the mastermind who framed Martin!"

Phoebe continued, "If they’re not severely punished, next time a Bonnie or a Janie could pop up out of nowhere, holding a baby and claiming it’s Martin’s kid. Martin will not have to work anymore, providing us with high-quality films, since he will be overwhelmed dealing with these accusations."

The others chimed in with their support.

"Exactly, the culprits must be punished severely!"

"They must pay the price!"

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"We need to put pressure on the Los Angeles judicial system!"

Rachel opened a box, took out various posters and banners prepared in advance, and distributed them to the leaders of each fan team.

Rachel and Phoebe had organized for hundreds of people to participate in today’s interaction.

......

At Los Angeles International Airport, Martin saw off Elizabeth and Lily, heading for the Hollywood Open-air Grand Theater to attend the promotional event for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Since the Olsen twins had not yet finished their fashion promotional event in Milan, Elizabeth returned to Europe to continue her busy brand promotion work after confirming Martin was alright, given that she is the third-largest individual shareholder of the brand.

Lily went to Rome and Florence for a visit and study, taking the opportunity to go to Italy as well.

As Martin arrived near the Hollywood Open-air Theater, he saw the place was already packed with people.

A crowd wearing red cultural shirts nearly occupied Sunset Boulevard North District.

Seeing the black Cadillac Escalade, the crowd realized Martin had arrived.

An almost uniform chant started.

"Martin! Martin!"

All the red cultural shirts shouted in unison, "Martin! Martin!"

Martin didn’t dare to roll down the car window, so he had Bruce open the sunroof, stood up, waved to both sides, and nodded with a smile, expressing his gratitude to the supporters.

The event organizers’ security personnel formed a wall to separate out a pathway for the Escalade to enter the theater’s back door.

Nearing the entrance, Martin picked up the electronic megaphone that was always in the car and shouted, "Thank you for your support!"

A resounding response came from outside.

Even after the backstage door of the grand theater closed, thousands of people outside were still chanting Martin’s name.

The main entrance opened, and the red cultural shirt group filed into the venue while the cameras of over a hundred journalists at the media seats turned towards the audience.

Placards and posters were hoisted high.

"Support Martin, severely punish the real criminal!"

"Let those who break the law receive the punishment they deserve!"

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"The law should protect our heroes!"

It wasn’t clear who started it, but soon the entire venue was chanting.

"Protect the hero, severely punish the real criminal! Protect the hero..."

The media cameras faithfully recorded all this, which would soon become a massive pressurizing force.

The voices reached backstage, and Thomas expressed his concern, "Won’t these affect your relations with the Los Angeles authorities?"

Martin smiled, "This was coordinated beforehand."

Bruce whispered to Thomas, "Big Ben has his connections too. McLain requested to create some media pressure."

Thomas understood and didn’t say anything more.

At that moment, David Fincher came in and hugged Martin, saying, "I was a bit worried, but it’s great to see you’re alright."

Martin started laughing, "Just a little trouble."

This matter, he would hold on to it firmly, adopting a tough stance in response.

If you show even the slightest weakness, similar troubles will emerge endlessly, and your people will be so busy dealing with these issues that they won’t have time for anything else.

As for regular collaborators like David Fincher, Martin couldn’t ask for too much. Observing the situation before expressing opinions is the most normal thing to do.

Besides David Fincher, Catherine Kennedy also came over to chat with Martin for a bit.

The promotional event then kicked off. Martin, David Fincher, and Kate Blanchett, along with other main creators, went on stage. Following the planned itinerary, they shared some behind-the-scenes anecdotes and answered questions from the media and fans.

As dusk fell, the crew also screened parts of the movie.

Compared to other works by David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was more sunny and positive.

At the end of the event, David Fincher had a special conversation with Martin.

The two talked about their next collaborative project, "Gone Girl".

David Fincher emphasized casting, "I’ve reviewed all the nominees for the female lead with Gillian Flynn. Martin, there’s something I need to clarify with you in advance."

Martin said, "Go ahead."

"The actress you and WMA jointly recommended, Natalie Portman, isn’t quite suitable for the role," David Fincher said frankly and provided his reasons: "Her acting is not an issue, but she doesn’t have the magical look of Amy. In the novel, Amy is described as a very beautiful girl with a cold and fierce temperament after her disappearance..."

He was blunt: "In short, Natalie Portman isn’t beautiful enough, her looks are too ordinary."

Martin agreed with him as the recommendation was more a favor to Ali anyway. He said, "Make the decision with Gillian, I won’t interfere."

Seeing that Martin had no objections, David Fincher was relieved, but he still had to take care of the face of Martin and WMA: "I’ll let her know to attend the third audition. Whether she fits the role of magical Amy, I’ll see the audition results."

Martin said, "That’s fine."

Though that’s what he said, Martin was well aware that Natalie Portman was likely to be passed over due to her plain appearance.

If it weren’t for her looks, David Fincher would have chosen his longtime friend Reese Witherspoon long ago.

The two chatted a bit more about the movie they were currently promoting.

Neither was too worried about the box office and market for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". The Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor award had some boosting effect, and with Martin’s current attraction and strong appeal, combined with the joint distribution by Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, there were no issues in terms of promotion and distribution.

Of course, this kind of film could not compete with purely commercial films in box office sales.

As the night engulfed the sky, Martin got into the Escalade and headed home.

Bruce reminded him, "Don’t forget, you have an appointment with Harvey Weinstein tomorrow, you’re meeting him."

Martin said, "I’ll check the situation over there first."

He took out his phone and called Georgina, as the philanderer and the flirty girl had a clear understanding of Harvey’s recent situation.

Georgina even gave Martin a room number, telling him to come to her after talking with Harvey tomorrow, as she wanted to face the test once again.

As she had even sold out her husband, how could Martin, such a nice guy, refuse? To refuse would be too scummy, so he had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

Bruce turned his head and caught a glimpse of Martin ending the call, then said, "You’re really fucking difficult, selling yourself just for a shot at someone."

Martin exhaled, "Old Cloth, you’ve got it tough too. Jody... don’t you have a sore pelvis?"

Remembering Jody, who was peaceful on all fronts, Bruce couldn’t help but tear up: "It doesn’t hurt anymore."

The two scumbags commiserated each other, sharing their respective hardships.

As the car entered Sunset Boulevard North District and neared home, Martin noticed a van driving out of Charlize Theron’s house next door, followed by a black Mercedes.

The two vehicles approached head-on, and in the light of the Escalade, Martin clearly saw that it was Stuart Townsend driving the Mercedes.

Several bags were piled up on the passenger’s side next to him.

It seemed like the back seat was fully packed as well.

As they were about to pass each other, Stuart recognized Martin’s Escalade, rolled down the driver’s side window, extended his hand, and gave Martin the middle finger.

Bruce saw this and said, "Do you want me to ram into him? I could flip his car over."

Martin shook his head, "Why hit him? Soon he’ll be doing a paternity test and facing even bigger trouble."

Bruce thought of a question, "For actions like Toni’s, does the man need to take responsibility?"

"I’m not sure," Martin didn’t recall any similar cases, "Maybe, this will become a precedent in the American judiciary."

Bruce pointed backwards, "Didn’t Charlize Theron kick him out?"

"I’ll ask." Martin dialed Charlize’s number, and once connected, he spoke with a very concerned tone, "Hi, Sally, I noticed something, a van loaded with stuff just left your house. Do you know about this? If you don’t, I’ll call the police."

"No need for the police, I know what’s happening." Charlize still remembered Stuart’s slander against her and added, "I broke up with Stuart Townsend, and I demanded he move out today."

Martin said, "I’m very sorry..."

Charlize replied, "It has nothing to do with you. I’m fully aware of the crap he’s done. To think I stood by such a piece of trash for so many years."

Martin consoled her, "Everything will get better."

She sighed deeply, "Are you free this weekend? Let’s have a drink together."

Martin responded, "This weekend is fine, you set the time and place, and call me anytime."

After Martin hung up, Bruce remarked, "Leo and Jack were right, these are the ones you like best."