King of Hollywood-Chapter 174 - : Ask for a Raise

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Ask for a Raise

The gathering at the bar didn’t last long, as Sean Waters originally wanted to discuss a Fox film Adrian was hoped to direct. Since Adrian revealed he wouldn’t completely reject scripts from other companies, the once dwindling invitations started to slowly increase again; after all, his achievements were there for all to see. The bottom line was, they had value, could bring benefits, and they didn’t mind elevating him to the skies.

This time Fox sent Sean, who had a good relationship with Cameron, apparently planning to persuade Adrian. But when Adrian invited him for a drink, he not only brought along Cameron but also added Arnold Schwarzenegger, and kept going on about “True Lies,” leaving Sean no chance to interject.

He knew this was Adrian’s subtle way of showing his lack of interest, but could he at least get a chance to speak? Fortunately, Adrian wasn’t the type to dismiss everything, and after Sean hinted a couple more times, he finally got the chance to speak privately.

“I think it’s a good script, Sean. I believe my judgment is somewhat persuasive. But regrettably, I have to decline; last year’s three films exhausted me, and I want to rest for a while. Moreover, I won’t hide from you that I already have another movie in mind,” Adrian said, seeing the disappointment on Sean’s face. He promptly added by way of consolation, “If you take my advice, Philip Noisy would be very suitable to direct this movie.”

Fox hoped he would direct a script adapted from Tom Clancy’s “Clear and Present Danger.” In Adrian’s memory, it was an action film starring Harrison Ford that seemed to be produced by Paramount. How did it end up with Fox? Honestly, if he didn’t already have a movie in the plans to prep for after the Oscars and didn’t intend to make many films this year, he really would have liked to try his hand at it. However, he had to refuse now.

Although Sean was very disappointed, he didn’t say much and quickly left the bar. The remaining three had a few more drinks before Schwarzenegger also left due to his wife, prompting Cameron to tease him about being henpecked. Schwarzenegger just laughed and didn’t explain, but Adrian knew, perhaps he had already harbored the ambition to run for governor when he got married—why else would he marry a woman from the Kennedy family?

After Schwarzenegger left, Adrian and Cameron drank a few more glasses and talked about movies, especially the use of new technologies. Then, they left the bar together.

“Wait and see, Ed, this movie I will make even more remarkable, more explosive, and more captivating than ‘Terminator’!” Cameron declared tipsily as they stepped out of the bar under the early evening lights.

“I completely believe that, Jamie,” Adrian replied, his breath smelling of alcohol as he adjusted his collar in the night breeze. “I chose you because I believe you can create miracles.”

“No, no, no, Ed, you got it wrong. The one who can create miracles is you,” Cameron said, shaking his head like a rattle drum. “Listen, what do they call you? Miracle Director, right?”

He said this while stretching out his arms, doing a grandiose gesture as if a big shot had arrived. Adrian looked at him with a half-smiling expression for a long time before suddenly speaking, “Jamie, after the production of this movie, might you be interested in creating a real miracle?”

“Create a miracle? What kind of miracle?” Cameron asked, puzzled.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, a flash of inspiration, but intuition tells me that if successful, it will shock the world!” Adrian maintained his smirking demeanor. “Willing to give it a try, Jamie?”

Cameron looked at him thoughtfully for a while, rubbed his nose, and then punched his shoulder, “Then it’s settled.”

A miracle, naturally, referred to that movie. If Adrian himself were to produce and direct, without doubt, it would significantly enhance his accomplishments. However, that would be truly time-consuming. How long did Cameron take? Just filming took over a year, not to mention all the preparatory work beforehand, even specifically observing wrecks underwater. Adrian simply didn’t have that much time to devote to it.

In his plans, he still had many blockbuster productions with potential box office of hundreds of millions to choose from. Leaving this movie to Cameron wouldn’t have much impact and would also keep him loyally working for him—why not?

After finishing the visit to “True Lies,” Adrian spent a few days dealing with other matters, mainly the production of “Friends.” After nearly two months of auditions, casting, and integration, the first episode had been completed. He was now contacting the NBC executives in Los Angeles, and as long as they weren’t out of their minds, they would definitely buy the show.

When he first previewed the episode, laughter filled the screening room continuously. Even Adrian couldn’t help laughing when Ross, amidst commotion, said, “I just want to get married,” and then Rachel, wearing a wedding dress, dashed into the coffee house, leaving everyone dumbstruck, and Chandler immediately shouted, “I just need a million dollars.”

The six original cast members of “Friends” included, of course, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, who was the earliest to be cast. Matthew Perry was the first to sign on because he was Jennifer’s classmate and she thought he was perfect for the role, so she recommended him for the audition.

Then came Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox, both of whom were already somewhat famous actors, and it didn’t take much effort to find them. Then there was Matt LeBlanc, who had some fame in the advertising modeling world and only acted in minor productions. The people in the TV department had spent a considerable amount of effort to locate him.

The most troublesome was David Schwimmer, who was still busy with his “Mirror” theatre company in Chicago. Even though the company had reached its end, a film and television company also wanted to sign him for a long-term comedy deal, but he was not interested in sitcoms. It took the assistants a lot of effort first to persuade his agent and then to convince him.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that David Schwimmer had “once” played Ross Geller, Adrian would have replaced him after receiving the first report about him. There are plenty of actors in Hollywood; they wouldn’t miss one. However, they finally decided to give him another chance to ensure the maximum quality of the series and to better control the direction of the series. Moreover, gathering the original cast to act in those TV dramas from memory was quite an interesting thing, wasn’t it?

“Reply to Garnett that they are doing well, I won’t interfere with the record company anymore, but I still expect a report every month… every week,” Adrian said as he sat behind his desk drawing and writing, “Also, tell Parker that I am very dissatisfied with the new script, act 79 scene 112; I need him to adjust the plot, the details of which I have written here.”

With that, he handed the script from his hands to Charlize, who was behind the desk.

“Got it, is there anything else?” Charlize nodded and took note.

Adrian thought for a few seconds before adding, “Notify the publishing company that, after the novel is released, I need to know the sales volume immediately. Also, has the matter of leasing a private jet been settled?”

“It can take off tomorrow.” The lady shrugged her shoulders and sorted out the things in her hands before suddenly sighing.

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“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked curiously.

“I think you should give me a raise,” Charlize said seriously.

“You’re asking for a raise less than a month into the job?” Adrian said with a teasing raise of his eyebrows.

“When I applied for the job, I didn’t know you had so many companies to manage,” Charlize asserted, “I was originally hired as a secretary and assistant, and now there is so much more work to be done; it’s clearly unreasonable.”

“I must remind you, Charli, that all this is written in the contract, which you have read and signed,” Adrian looked at her leisurely. Charlize was momentarily choked and stared at him, unable to speak.

“Alright, alright,” Adrian said, not joking anymore, “Anyway, next month you’ll be turning 18, and the details of the contract will need some adjustments and additions. If you really want a raise, we can talk about it then, how does that sound?”

Charlize huffed, stood up, and walked away. If she spent most of her day at the company, she was usually dressed in office attire, so her retreating figure had a certain distinctive charm at that moment, and Adrian almost whistled.

Speaking of work capabilities, Charlize was quite good. Although she was still a newcomer and had made some mistakes initially, she was smart, learned quickly, and with her competitive nature, it only took a few short weeks to get everything running smoothly; no wonder she achieved such success in memory; a raise was really worth considering.

“Speaking of which, most of the women around me are of this uncompromising nature,” Adrian suddenly muttered, tapping his fingers on the table, thinking of Kate, Sarah, Charlize—all like that. A thought suddenly struck him; if his memory served right, they did share an interesting common trait, maybe he could try that on Charlize?

Shrugging his shoulders, Adrian shifted his focus back to his work. The matters in Los Angeles were basically settled, and although the new script still had a few issues, they could be resolved with some time; and on the publishing side, “The Matrix” novel was finally ready to be released, with no major concerns.

Most importantly, the record company’s side had done quite well, having crafted a boy band that was operated quite impressively. With the boost from two songs received from Adrian, not only did their sales reach 500,000 in the first week, but they also occupied high spots on various music charts. If those two songs hadn’t been written in collaboration, the music director of the record company might have persuaded the CEO to personally visit the boss to request songs.

Overall, the development of the various companies under him was not bad, and Adrian’s main focus was on movies, and apart from necessary situations, he did not interfere with the specifics. So, after inquiring, he commenced what would be the last and most important visit before the Oscars ceremony. (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)