America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 115 Awards and Male Lead (Alliance Leader +12)

As dawn broke, the female artists boarded a bus and left, and the villa finally quieted down.

Wes Craven, wearing a brand-new bathrobe, went up to the second-floor terrace to admire the azure sea view.

Martin came up from behind, stood by the railing, and greeted him, "Good morning, Wes."

Craven, now refreshed, asked, "You came up with all of this yourself?"

"Mostly," Martin said, turning back and beckoning outside. When Menez came in, he added, "And him too, he helped me with a lot of preparations."

Craven asked, "What's your name?"

Menez glanced at Martin and replied, "Menez-Seth, a minor actor."

Craven nodded: "I'll remember you. I'll have Martin contact you if anything comes up."

Menez was pleasantly surprised and quite excited. He wanted to say something, but knowing that his loose tongue was likely to cause trouble, he simply nodded vigorously and left the terrace.

Craven asked, "Do you have any cigars?"

Martin went back and got the cigars.

Craven sat at the table, leisurely lighting a cigar, and said, "I've seen 'Zombie Dancer,' which you starred in."

Martin wasn't surprised. Craven would definitely do some research on the party's hosts if he came to attend, so he immediately smiled and said, "It's my pleasure."

"It was a really interesting performance." Craven didn't forget to boast about himself: "Just as energetic as I was in my youth."

Martin praised, "Wes, you're still going strong for your age. You can imagine how amazing you were back in the day."

"Men, who doesn't care about that?" Craven laughed. "I'm getting old, I can't do it anymore. Last night, with Freddy and Jason together, I had a really hard time."

His tone abruptly changed, and he asked directly, "Martin, you've put on such an interesting party, what are you after?"

Martin said, "Zombie Dancer has been nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Young Actor."

Craven took a puff of his cigar: "I know, no big deal."

What actors of Martin's caliber could only dream of was insignificant to Wes Craven.

Martin didn't elaborate on that, and instead asked, "What would you like for breakfast?"

Craven exhaled a puff of smoke: "It's almost noon. We can't let that interesting bet from last night go to waste. I'm going to bankrupt Patrick!"

Martin said, "They're still fast asleep."

"Look at them, they're nowhere near as good as the two of us," Craven said proudly. "If they don't take care of themselves, they won't be able to play anymore."

Martin astutely noticed that Craven was particularly interested in and fond of boasting about his masculine abilities, and specifically asked, "Wes, do you have any beauty secrets? Can you share some with me?"

Craven said, "You're still young and talented, you don't need to use that talent."

Martin said, "I want to be as powerful as you someday."

These words struck a chord with Craven, who laughed again and said, "There's no secret. It's mainly about having good talent, and then it's about training hard and eating lots of meat."

Martin nodded: "I wish I had Jason's strong body and his ability to recover so quickly."

Craven thought back to Jason from last night; those two good kids had really pleased him, and he was still feeling smug. Plus, he found Martin very agreeable, so he said, "If your whole family were murdered by a psychopath, what would you do?"

Martin saw an opportunity: "I'll turn to the dark side, even more depraved than a serial killer!"

Craven casually pointed: "Perform a scene."

Martin adjusted his breathing slightly, immersing himself in his new role and putting on a show of a vengeful maniac.

Craven held his cigar in his hand but didn't smoke it, watching Martin's performance closely. His acting was far superior to Depp's when he starred in "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

"That's enough," he said to Martin, "Keep the contact information you gave me accessible."

Martin nodded: "You can get through anytime."

The two chatted idly on the terrace, their conversation never straying from women.

Hearing Martin mention the trapeze act, Craven was incredibly envious: "I never did it when I was young and healthy, and I wouldn't dare to do it now."

Martin offered a wild suggestion: "Get a crane, design a rotating box, and let it swing around in the air."

Craven was deeply impressed: "You really know how to play!"

“Yes, Martin is the best at having fun.” Patrick went up to the terrace and said, “Those nurses are so alluring, both terrifying and sexy, even more tempting than the T800.”

Martin laughed: "Robert, something's not right with you."

Patrick pulled up a chair and sat down: "Never mind the details, last night was really good."

Jamie, Benjamin, Alexander, and Michelle also came up to the terrace; they couldn't be happier with last night's party.

The conversation then shifted from women to movies, and the group chatted enthusiastically.

Wes Craven stated directly, "I have a new idea, which is roughly about a group of psychopathic killers, but unlike before, I want to further incorporate the concept of family, so that the tragic deaths of family members inspire the protagonist's inner courage, and in the end, he slaughters that group of psychopaths in a wilder way."

He said it in front of everyone to let them know that Wes Craven is a socialite, not a miser: "Haven't you all noticed that Martin is even more twisted than a psychopath, so he's the perfect fit for this role?"

Patrick chimed in with a helpful suggestion: "Wes, you don't want to throw a wild party on set, so you specifically asked Martin, that jerk, to do it."

Craven chuckled, "That's a great idea, Robert. I'll definitely invite you."

Michelle asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to invite us?"

Craven said, "Not a single one of you bastards can be missing!"

Martin said seriously, "I need to think carefully about whether there are any new ways to play. By the way, you guys help me come up with ideas; one person can only think of so few solutions."

The others echoed his sentiments.

After a few jokes, Craven got back to the main topic: "Martin, I'll be putting together a film crew soon. The script might be a little late to finish. I'll call you then, and you can come to me to pick it up."

"No problem," Martin replied.

The money spent on the party was totally worth it.

Sure enough, men who have practiced their weapons together have a special relationship.

Martin also truly understood why there were so many group parties in Hollywood.

Benjamin then asked, "The production team is almost set up, but the script isn't finished yet?"

Craven asked in surprise, "Isn't this normal?"

Patrick explained to his fellow countryman, "In Hollywood, often the project and crew come first, and then the script comes in."

Benjamin understood: "No wonder screenwriters have such a low status."

Craven is a screenwriter by training: "If you can be a lead actor, a director, or a producer, who the hell would choose to be a pure screenwriter?"

Alexander Aja said, "I do have a story idea, Wes, that would fit your story perfectly."

Craven said, "I gave you my contact information yesterday? Okay, come find me sometime when you're free, and we can have a proper chat. Right now, all I can think about is how to bankrupt Robert."

Patrick glanced at his watch and said, "Guys, it's almost noon. I lost yesterday, and a bet's a bet. Let's head out now to the Citrus Restaurant for a French meal."

Everyone left the restaurant and went to find rooms to change their clothes.

When Martin came out, he found Alexander Aja leaning against the door waiting for him. He pulled him over, put his arm around his shoulder, and asked, "What's up?"

Alexander said, "Nothing else, just want to say thank you. I just arrived in Los Angeles and you introduced me to Wes Craven. I make horror movies, and Craven has a huge influence in the Hollywood horror and thriller industry. One word from him can save me years of hard work."

Martin shook his shoulder: "We're all in this industry, helping each other out. The more people you meet, the wider your network, the easier your future will be. Who knows, I might need your help someday."

"That's right," Alexander said with a smile. "Michelle told me that you're a very good actor, and that we should work together sometime."

Martin replied, "None of these are problems, given the right opportunity."

The group gathered in front of the villa and got into their cars, heading straight to downtown Los Angeles.

Bruce, the professional cleaner, stayed behind to handle the subsequent cleaning and other issues, leaving no trace of Martin and his crew.

Martin's driver was replaced by the loyal Menez.

Before setting off, Martin introduced himself to everyone.

Menez hadn't stopped talking since Martin got in the car: "Boss, if you ever need anything, just tell me. Even if it's praising Antonio, I won't hesitate. I'd even be willing to let Old Brooks pull strings!"

Martin warned, "Watch out, Old Brooks might get rid of you."

Menez quickly said, "I didn't say that last part." He tried to look serious: "Over the years, I've met several people who immediately dumped me when they had an opportunity. Unlike you, Boss Martin, who stood up for me to my face."

Martin waved his hand: "These are all minor matters. If I had the chance to be the lead, I wouldn't let you have it."

Menez confidently declared, "Anyone who dares to steal your lead role, I'll fight them to the death. Boss Martin, I can't guarantee anything else, but I've slept with a lot of old women. As long as I go back and make them feel good, helping them out isn't a big deal, but digging a hole for them along the way won't be difficult."

Martin said, "I won't hesitate to ask you for help if you need it."

Menez chuckled: "My silver tongue is among the best in the entire club... no, in the entire Los Angeles."

Martin recalled the casting director: "Don't lose touch with Mary Gale. Finding a woman is always ten times luckier than finding a man."

Menez is aware of this: "I don't want to be exposed either."

No straight man would want to be gay; he can't accept either being the one being exposed or the one being exposed.

When the group arrived in Los Angeles, Patrick had booked a table at the Citric Acid restaurant the day before. French cuisine is too elaborate, and the atmosphere was rather strange for several grown men to dine together.

Craven said, "We should go get some Brazilian barbecue."

Martin chimed in, "Next time we have a party, let's go to a more relaxed restaurant."

After lunch, the group, who had honed their skills together, decided not to go for more drinks and went their separate ways.

(End of this chapter)