King of Hollywood-Chapter 212 - 212 Meet and Greet

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Meet and Greet Chapter 212 -212: Meet and Greet “Cut!” Adrian cried out, his brow furrowed. Although he showed no other expression, everyone around knew he was in a bad mood and stayed silent.

After looking at Natalie sitting in the chair, head bowed and fidgeting uncertainly for a long while, Adrian sighed, made his way through the crowd to a corner, and waved to the girl, “Can you come here for a moment, Nata?”

But the girl did not respond. Adrian then gestured to the assistant director and Renault who was acting opposite her, “Gina and Ray, you come over too. Everyone else, take a break.”

With Renault and Gina by her side, Natalie finally went to the corner but remained silent, her head hung low.

“Nata, is something on your mind?” Adrian asked, looking at her, “Can you tell me? If you’re not comfortable talking to me, you can talk to Ray. If you’re not comfortable talking to a man, Gina is here too.”

“I’m sorry, Ed, I’m just… I’m just… sorry…” Natalie shook her head, biting her lip, a look of sadness and helplessness on her face, as if she might start crying at any moment.

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Adrian glanced at the girl and then at Renault and Gina, unable to help but give a wry smile of helplessness.

“Is it something at home?” Renault asked.

“Or is there some conflict among friends?” Gina added.

“No, it’s not like that. I’m sorry, but please… I promise I will adjust as soon as I can. I promise, but right now…” The girl bowed her head, shaking it like a bobblehead doll.

“How about this,” Adrian suggested after thinking for a moment, “let’s let her be alone for a bit. Ray still has a few solo shots to do, we can start with those.”

It seemed that was the only option left. Adrian originally wanted to comfort the girl with a few words, but considering how she had reflexively kept her distance from the start of the shooting, he gave up that idea.

No matter how clever and mature, she is still a child. Adrian thought to himself as he had a female staff member go over to keep her company. Although he was somewhat surprised by Natalie’s intense reaction, he did not take it completely to heart. It would probably take a few more days for her to adjust.

However, Adrian had not anticipated that this was just the beginning. For the next three days, she showed no improvement, causing nothing but NGs, and the shooting schedule suffered significantly.

“Here’s what we will do. I have some matters to attend to in Los Angeles anyway. The crew can take a few days off to rest and relax,” Adrian decided after lengthy discussions with several heads.

Although Renault still had some solo scenes left, they were connected to a lot of other content, and it would be a waste to set up scenes just to shoot those. Oldman still had a fair bit of shooting left, but not as much as the two main actors. So his schedule was broken into two major blocks, and he was busy with other things at the moment. Should they call him back?

So, Adrian simply decided to give the whole crew a break. After all, he was only directing one movie this year and had plenty of time as long as he could control the budget and avoid excessive waste. And, his trip to Los Angeles was indeed necessary—he wasn’t just a director after all.

As for Natalie, although her reaction exceeded his expectations, at least it left him with a profound impression. How to eliminate the unfavorable aspects from this impression—roughly 60% of it—was now Adrian’s concern. There were still a few days left; if things in Los Angeles could be handled smoothly, it would match up nicely, which would be good timing for a young girl.

Thus, Adrian temporarily disbanded the crew and boarded a chartered private plane back home with Charlize, along with two other people, making a stop in New Orleans on the way.

“I’m a businessperson as well as a director, Ms. Rice. Of course, I will ensure that the adaptation remains true to the book while also making sure that it draws viewers to the theaters,” Adrian said, sitting by the airplane window, speaking unhurriedly to the middle-aged woman in front.

This woman was none other than Anne Rice, known as the “Mother of American Vampires.” She had expressed her dissatisfaction with Tom Cruise playing Lester while Adrian had been directing “The Professional” in New York. Adrian had promised, then, to invite her to join him on his return to Los Angeles and to give her a satisfactory response. Since he was heading back to Los Angeles earlier than planned due to an accident, he invited Rice to join him as well.

“I understand, Mr. Adrian, so I have no other reservations,” Rice said after reviewing the relevant material, her hair styled into a sleek bob with neat bangs, dressed all in black with a crucifix hanging around her neck, looking somewhat conservative.

“Thank you for your consideration, but I still have reservations about Mr. Cruise’s portrayal,” Rice lifted her head and said.

Adrian smiled nonchalantly, then leaned in and called out, “Qiqi, can you come here for a moment?”

Sitting not far away, Kirsten immediately put down the magazine she was holding and trotted over with a smile.

“You should have already spoken with Qiqi, Ms. Rice, what do you think of her?” Adrian asked, gesturing.

“Hmm…” Rice scrutinized Kirsten up and down, her facial features softening considerably, “Although I can’t give a definite answer, I must admit that she indeed possesses a maturity beyond that of ordinary children. She truly is one of the most suitable candidates for Claudia.”

“Thank you for your praise, Ms. Rice.” Kirsten, smiling broadly, pretended to lift an invisible skirt hem and gave a small curtsy.

Rice finally smiled, clearly taking a liking to Kirsten, and she looked at Adrian again, “Well, Mr. Adrian, I look forward to the surprise you have for me.”

As she spoke, she got up and walked toward the airplane’s restroom, not turning back until Rice’s figure had disappeared behind the aircraft. Adrian then turned his gaze to Kirsten, “You did quite well, Qiqi.”

“Thanks to you for providing the opportunity, Ed,” Kirsten blinked innocently.

“By the way, isn’t acting in two consecutive movies too exhausting?” Adrian looked around quickly, noticing that the girl’s mother and Charlize were both reclining in their seats, napping, before lightly brushing his finger across Kirsten’s rounded cheek.

“It’s alright, I’ll follow your arrangements. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. You surely wouldn’t harm me, right?” Kirsten said cheerily, her lips slightly parted, her eyes twinkling and irresistibly charming.

What a little fairy! Adrian couldn’t help but think to himself, his smile deepening, “Speaking of which, you seemed to have spoken with Natalie the other day. What did you two talk about?”

“Not much, just wanted to get to know her and see what kind of person she is,” Kirsten shrugged, her expression clearly reading “that’s all there is to it,” a look that truly made her seem like a little girl at that moment.

But she quickly picked up on Adrian’s noncommittal attitude and chuckled again. “Alright, Ed, I know the limits, and besides, don’t you think a little joy is only human?”

“You know, Qiqi, I’m starting to like you more and more,” Adrian finally said, his words rewarded with the girl’s coquettish smile and a light kiss on his cheek, although she was not familiar with the term “playing hard to get,” her instincts were serving her very well.

Back in Los Angeles, after arranging for Rice and Inez and her daughter Kirsten to stay at the hotel, Adrian returned to his villa. After spending nearly a day resting and adjusting, he immediately began dealing with the preparations for “Interview with the Vampire.”

“Are you ready, everyone?” After Charlize had come over and whispered a few words to him, Adrian looked at the man and woman in front of him and said this. The woman was naturally the author Anne Rice, and the man was Neil Jordan, who had contended against him for the best director at the end of March and had agreed to direct “Interview with the Vampire.”

After both nodded, Adrian immediately gestured to another assistant standing by the door. The door was opened, and three fully made-up actors entered one by one, then Rice showed a surprised expression.

The first was naturally Tom Cruise. After about half an hour of makeup, although there was not much change in his appearance, his powdered and pale face dressed in 18th-century opulent clothing did not have the flavor of a matinee idol but instead conveyed a demonic and morbid aesthetic.

The $15 million was well spent. Adrian nodded inwardly. After all, Cruise was a hot star in Hollywood, so he had offered $15 million in fees when extending the invitation. Though Cruise had said he looked forward to working with the Miracle Director and would accept $13 million, Adrian had politely refused.

“There will be many more opportunities to collaborate in the future; no need to fuss over these $2 million,” Adrian had said at the time, jokingly. He could tell whether the other party was sincere or just being courteous.

Following him was Brad Pitt, who, though 29 years old and still somewhat immature in his acting, had managed to look quite captivating after the makeover, especially with the long hair he was deliberately sporting.

As for Kirsten, there was not much needed to be said; she had already won Rice’s favor on the plane. Now dressed in a gown and wearing a wig made of numerous tiny curls resembling wire, she was bound to gain further approval.

“I must admit, Mr. Adrian, at least in terms of appearance, they all have my approval,” Rice sighed after Adrian had invited them to sit down.

“That’s right, Adrian’s insight must be the best in Hollywood,” Neil Jordan nodded in agreement at this moment, fully endorsing the trio’s looks.

“Thank you.” Adrian smiled and nodded. The reason he had gone to such lengths to arrange this meeting was to allow the actors, director, and the original author to fully communicate. Once they had mutually recognized each other, the film would be produced even better. (To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)