America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 154 I Want You to Be the Male Lead

In Century City, Thomas waited patiently in the Starbucks in the shopping plaza, drinking cup after cup of coffee, until finally his future and prospects were revealed.

Martin and Bruce entered Starbucks and immediately spotted Thomas under the lights.

Bruce asked, "Is it an illusion caused by the lights? Why does Thomas's forehead look brighter than before?"

"Don't you think he's better than before?" Martin strode over to Thomas, pulled out a chair, and sat down, looking like a caring client who felt sorry for his agent. "You've been waiting a long time, haven't you? You must be tired."

Thomas closed his laptop and said, "It's nothing, I often work overtime."

Especially recently, he's gotten used to it.

Bruce took out a memory card and handed it to Thomas: "These are the photos I took."

Thomas took out the card reader, plugged it into the computer, and examined the photos one by one, nodding repeatedly: "They're very well taken, Martin. You and Annie are practically a real couple."

Martin emphasized, "I'm pursuing Anne, and Anne is also interested in dating me; it's a genuine outpouring of feelings!"

Bruce said casually, "Annie's henchmen are also filming."

"You freak, you don't understand love at all." Martin glanced at Old Brooks. "Every love story is different, and there's always something special about it."

After looking at the photos, Thomas said, "I have a draft in mind: the best couple attire of this year's Halloween parade—Martin Davis and Anne Hathaway."

Martin agreed: "Sure. Thomas, I'll trouble you to finish the draft tonight."

Thomas, full of enthusiasm, said, "I'll take care of it."

Martin and Bruce then left Starbucks, and before leaving, they generously treated Thomas to a strong coffee.

Thomas worked through the night, writing until dawn, revising it again and again. He then rushed to the newspaper he was working with and handed it over to the editor along with the selected photos.

As I was leaving, I noticed that dawn was breaking in the east.

With several movies released during Halloween, the popularity of Madame Tussauds was overshadowed by the new releases, but Martin's name and photo still maintained a certain level of exposure.

Especially online, many websites have reposted photos from his blog.

Martin and Anne Hathaway's Batman and Catwoman matching outfits received high praise.

The topic of couples needs to be kept in a good balance; if you keep posting about your relationship every day, people will quickly get tired of it.

Martin's enthusiasm for Anne cooled quickly, and he only contacted her occasionally.

…………

At the Hilton Hotel, Annie returned to her room after attending a script reading session, took out her phone to check the messages, but there were no replies.

Martin sent her a message first, she replied, and then Martin didn't reply for a long time.

Anne was slightly exasperated. What did this mean? Did they not care about her anymore?

Just a few days ago it was as enthusiastic as a...

Annie was restless and couldn't help but send another text message: "Busy with work?"

There has still been no reply.

After waiting a few minutes, just as I was getting increasingly frustrated, my phone beeped with a text message notification.

"I had to attend a meeting with Warner Bros. at the last minute," Martin replied in a targeted text message. "My next film has a release date, and unlike Madame Tussauds, I'm the absolute lead."

Annie asked, "A horror movie?"

Martin continued to throw out bait: "Wes Craven's horror film has just finished its second cut, and the internal screenings have given it very high ratings. It was originally scheduled for April, but I received more attention for Madame Tussauds. Warner Bros. is confident in the film and has specifically moved the release date to February."

Anne, who has been working in Hollywood, knows the significance of Wes Craven. His horror films have been successful for over a decade. What Warner Bros. is doing clearly shows that they are optimistic about the film and Martin's future.

"If the future is bright..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Laura went to open it, and Anne found that her agent, Maha Dakshiel, had arrived.

Maha comes from CAA and is a key figure under CAA co-founder Braun Lord.

Anne quickly sent Martin a text message and stood up to greet him: "Maha, what brings you here?"

Maha, who is much older than Anne, said with a smile, "Come and see if my little princess is immersed in love."

Anne said, "Martin and I are just friends."

"Love is an integral part of an actor's career, and a very important one." Maha, the agent, prioritizes work above all else: "Annie, do you have feelings for Martin?"

"I have feelings for him, but..." Annie readily admitted that, as things stand, Martin has many advantages and only one disadvantage.

Maha had an encouraging smile on his face.

"It's nothing." Annie understood that her agent wasn't a friend, and there were certain things she wouldn't say to him: "I'm from New York in the North, and he's from Atlanta in the South."

Maha stopped her encouraging smile and said, "These are not obstacles." She specifically reminded her, "After the hype surrounding 'The Princess Diaries 2' died down, your popularity kept declining, but recently it has skyrocketed."

Anne knew why: "Because of me and Martin?"

Maha stated directly, "A beautiful love affair should be a boost to an actor's career."

Anne said, "I had Laura secretly take some photos and send them to the newspapers, and I also had her contact the paparazzi."

"You did a great job," Maha encouraged. "You maximized the value of a relationship."

She asked, "Do you need me to speak with Martin's agent?"

Anne was silent for a moment, then asked, "How exactly should we discuss it?"

Maha said, "Whether he confesses his feelings to you or you confess your feelings to him, your first time holding hands, your first kiss, going on vacation, visiting each other on set, and the arguments that follow when you live together, all of these are newsworthy."

Although Anne was somewhat prepared, she was still slightly surprised: "Isn't this going to expose my entire private life?"

"Bryan Lord was Madonna's manager, and I was his assistant back then." Maha suddenly brought up something unrelated: "Madonna's status came from her career, but how did she get such high popularity back then? Dating one male star after another, including those outside the entertainment industry, seducing Rodman, and sending Jordan a bathtub. These things made her a top-tier celebrity in the United States."

Before she came, she specifically inquired: "Martin's next project is a Wes Craven horror film, in which he plays the lead role. The chances of success are over 80%, and his future looks promising."

Annie was a little confused: "Let me think about it."

Maha reassured him, "Don't rush, if you miss this one, there will be another."

Anne blurted out, almost instinctively, "Can the next one be as good as Martin?"

Maha sighed inwardly; the young girl hadn't yet reached the rudimentary stage of judging people by their appearance.

However, Martin Davis is indeed handsome and charismatic, especially his zombie machine gun dance, which makes people want to experience it for themselves.

"Remember to let me know as soon as there's any progress." Maha didn't stay long, gave a few more instructions, and left the hotel.

Following Halloween, the crew of "The Hills Have Eyes" capitalized on Martin Scorsese's recent popularity by releasing the film's first official poster.

The poster features a mountain town as its background.

Martin was covered in blood, his left hand, with two fingers missing, was holding the baby, while his right hand was tightly gripping a baseball bat stained with blood, flesh, and bone fragments. A badly wounded German Shepherd followed beside him, and behind him lay two deformed and horribly grotesque corpses.

At the top of the poster is the film title, "The Hills Have Eyes."

The actor listed below in extra-large font is only one person—Martin Davis!

As one of the three leading actors in the production, no one dared to challenge Martin for top billing.

The poster also has a subtitle: Save the children, confront evil!

Hollywood movies never go out of style; a favorite theme for North American audiences!

Then there's the release date, which is very easy to remember: the weekend after the Super Bowl next year.

With more than three months until the film's release, far from the peak of its promotional campaign, the production team released a poster capitalizing on Martin's popularity before quickly falling silent.

Both the production team and the distributor, Warner Bros., recognized Martin as the focus of their publicity.

In this day and age, whether you're a talent with real acting skills or a celebrity with just a lot of influence, you've built your career by accumulating resources.

Martin's schedule gradually stabilized. He went to Warner Bros. Studios every day to participate in the post-production of The Hills With Eyes, and occasionally met up with Annie to work out and practice shooting according to his schedule.

…………

Venice, a seaside hotel.

Disguised, Kim Kardashian arrived at the hotel's top floor and knocked on a room door.

Bruce opened the door and let Kim in first. He looked around, closed the door, and then suddenly opened it again after a moment. After observing again and finding nothing amiss, he closed the door and went back inside.

Kim lunged at Bruce: "You finally came to me!"

Unlike most women who would pounce on someone, Kim pounced on Bruce backwards.

Bruce asked, "You met with Paris?"

"Yes." Kim was both happy and lost. "I've officially broken up with Paris."

Bruce said, "I saw it in the newspaper; you two almost got into a fight."

Jin's voice unconsciously rose: "She's jealous of me, jealous that I went from being a handbag carrier to becoming a celebrity like her."

Bruce gestured for her to continue.

Kim added, "That bitch said I only became famous by using her name, and that my popularity will soon fade and I'll never be able to compare to Paris Hilton."

Bruce thought this made sense; once Kim had used up Paris's popularity, the hype would naturally fade away.

Kim looked up at Bruce with pleading eyes: "Do you have any way to keep me famous for a long time?"

Having experienced the dazzling spotlight, she doesn't want to return to obscurity: "I have nightmares every night, dreaming that I'm back to being an ordinary person. No! I will never be an ordinary person again!"

Bruce came here to say goodbye to Kardashian. The movie marketing was over, and he had successfully practiced his skills. He said, "Sorry, Kim, I had no other choice."

Jin sensed something, took a step forward, and turned back as she twisted her waist: "You...you're leaving me?"

Bruce learned Martin's scumbag nature: "You can call me anytime, and I'll be out anytime."

Jin turned back and lay on the table: "Actually, I've thought of a way. Why is Paris famous? Why do people always remember her? Because her videotapes still exist."

Bruce looked at Kim and guessed what was going on.

Under Bruce's tutelage, Kim experienced a rapid awakening in certain areas: "If I also had that videotape, would it have the same effect? ​​I think it could!"

She turned back again: "I want you to be the male lead!"

I just finished writing Chapter 3. I need to revise it a bit, and I expect to post it before noon. Please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)