America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 225 Gain a Firm Foothold

In the wrecked textile factory, Martin, guns in both hands, battles a group of assassins from the League of Assassins. Every time his M9 fires, an assassin on the other side is shot and falls to the ground.

Director Leterrier sat in a sliding car, with the director of photography each controlling a camera to capture panoramic and close-up shots.

He designed a long take specifically for this scene.

All the props, the spinning machines, were destroyed in the gunfight, and one by one, the assassins fell to the ground, gushing blood.

The film inevitably gets rated R, meaning it's quite explicit.

The Frenchman Leterrier even suggested that Martin expose his penis, but Martin firmly refused.

After the long take was filmed, the studio was in a mess. Most of the props and sets could be sent directly to the landfill. There was no way to check the accounts.

Martin didn't care how much the production team actually spent; his share would be guaranteed.

"Cut! That last take is good!" Director Leterrier shouted, standing on the chair on the sliding track. "I hereby declare all filming for 'Wanted' finished!"

The crew erupted in cheers, with confetti and confetti exploding and falling.

Then they started dividing the spoils.

Most people receive a souvenir; for example, Martin received the two prop M9 pistols he used in the film.

Producers Louise Meyer and Kelly Gray then entered the studio together, their assistants carrying a large suitcase.

Louise clapped her hands loudly to attract attention, and then said, "Everyone has worked hard and cooperated seamlessly over the past two months. It's been a very tough time. I want to say thank you all and, on behalf of the crew, I've prepared a special souvenir for you."

Assistant Nikki opened the suitcase, revealing a small gift box inside.

Martin sighed inwardly.

Bruce said in a low voice, "Should we call Australia again?"

Martin replied in a low voice, "We'll talk about it later."

Louise personally delivered the gift boxes to everyone in the crew.

Someone eagerly opened the box and found a fang pendant inside, with Martin's name engraved on it.

Morgan Freeman asked, "This doesn't look like a coyote's tooth."

Louise said, "When Martin was filming 'House of Wax' in Australia, he hunted down more than a dozen saltwater crocodiles that were over six meters long."

She smiled at Martin and said, "Don't worry, everyone. It was a legal hunt, and all the items are legal. This is actually a token of Martin's appreciation, and I'm delivering it on his behalf."

No one doubted these words, nor did anyone doubt Martin's ability to hunt a saltwater crocodile over six meters long. They had all witnessed how fierce Martin was; he had blown the heads off thugs armed with automatic rifles with Coca-Cola.

Martin thought to himself, "No matter how much I brag, it's only about the size of the crocodiles. In Louise's mouth, one has become more than a dozen."

All the crocodile tooth pendants were distributed to the crew members.

Most people thought it was a good gift, after all, it was a very special keepsake from Martin when he became a superstar.

Louise and Kelly then left, the former catching a flight back to Los Angeles.

Martin invited director Leterrier and action choreographer Chad, among others, to Elena's housewarming ceremony.

Back at the hotel, Kelly happened to be returning from the airport, and they went into Martin's room together.

Martin asked her, "Did you send them away?"

Kelly grabbed a bottle of sweet wine and poured a glass for each of them: "That demanding slut is finally gone."

Martin also breathed a sigh of relief; finally, he didn't have to endure the endless battles, and he could finally take a break again.

Kelly told Martin some new information: "Coca-Cola wanted to include GG in the wanted poster, and I agreed on behalf of the crew."

Martin doesn't object to this: "It's about adding things later. You're the producers, you have the right to decide."

"I feel this project has a very high chance of success." When speaking to Martin, Kelly, of course, wouldn't tell him Senator Erica's exact words, but instead said, "I will continue to support you. If you have any good projects in the future, call me anytime. With me backing you up, you can seize any opportunities in Hollywood."

Martin pulled her over to sit down: "I'm so touched! How can I possibly thank you?"

Kelly raised an eyebrow: "That slut's gone, you figure it out."

When facing his female sugar daddy, Martin was sincere in his hands, heart, and words, and even more sincere in his actions.

In terms of action, this means manual action, verbal communication, and physical exertion.

With absolute sincerity, the female sponsor sang a song with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" held a grand world premiere in Los Angeles.

This film has garnered significant attention due to the sensational gossip surrounding it.

It grossed nearly $5500 million at the box office during its North American opening weekend.

For an original film that is neither an adaptation nor a sequel, this is a very impressive commercial achievement.

Under the guidance of teacher Martin, Julie successfully turned her fortunes around, sweeping away the slump of recent years and making a comeback.

More importantly, the image of a loving mother who has turned her prodigal daughter back to her roots has gained mainstream public opinion.

The film's opening week box office results were released. After securing support from 20th Century Fox, Jolie, together with officials from the UNHCR, and in front of numerous media outlets, led her children, one hand holding her older child's hand and the other carrying her younger child, on a journey to Africa and the Middle East to visit and help orphans who had lost their families due to war.

Why take the children to such a dangerous place? Julie had already taken precautions: on the one hand, she couldn't bear to be separated from her children, and on the other hand, she wanted her children to understand the importance of freedom and democracy from a young age.

These ideas perfectly align with the needs of mainstream American public opinion.

A Virgin Mary has already begun to take shape.

Correspondingly, Jolie also knows that Hollywood is her base, and film success is still very important to her. In a series of interviews, she mentioned the name of her new film "Wanted" quite often.

She also praised Martin: "Martin's acting is outstanding. It's hard to believe he's only 24 years old. He's more like a veteran actor in his fifties who has been making movies for thirty years. Moreover, he is an ideal partner. He is gentle and humble, and physically strong. If I had met him when I was 20, I would have fallen hopelessly in love with him."

After the interview was published, reporters also came to find Martin.

Martin responded specifically: "The Julie I know is a truly good mother. I grew up without a mother, so my concept of a mother is rather vague, but Julie brought the image of a mother to life in my mind. A good mother is probably like her."

It's just mutual flattery in business, so of course they have to exaggerate that to the skies: "Julie has a truly compassionate heart. When we were on set, she would often bring up news about war and discuss it with me. She cares a lot about the children suffering from war, whether they have enough to eat and drink, and whether they can receive a basic education. She has a lot of courage, and now she's actually doing it."

To be a celebrity, you have to be bold enough to take your pants off, be ready to confront others head-on, and be shameless when it comes to praising someone.

Before leaving Atlanta, Martin did another important thing: he invited friends and family to Elena and her siblings' housewarming party.

…………

Northville community.

Before the sun had set, Elena came to the door to greet the guests.

Harris and Lily were in charge of greeting guests inside the room.

The neighbors accepted Elena's invitation and came over with gifts.

Robert invited several members of the community council, including one of the leaders, Ms. Gianna.

"Elena is an exceptionally talented bartender." Robert's status has changed dramatically; he is now a partner and artistic director at Atlanta's largest entertainment agency, a position that sounds quite impressive.

He was in charge of hosting Gianna: "She won the Georgia State Bartender Championship last year, her paper airplane cocktail is widely known, and she is hailed as the second best female bartender in North America after Louise Mayer."

Jaina, who had been following the new member of the community, said, "A remarkable achievement."

Robert then pointed to Harris: "The Carter's second son, who started his own business in college, is the founder of the Atlantic Astronomical Society, and earns more money than me."

Jaina, who hadn't paid much attention to Harris before, was immediately impressed: "Young man, you're daring and adventurous, you have a strong fighting spirit."

Of course, they didn't take it too seriously; the family had only recently become wealthy and lacked a solid foundation.

Just as she was thinking this, a few people came in through the door. Gianna recognized one of them: Justin, a high-ranking executive at Coca-Cola.

Another familiar face, which I quickly recognized, was Martin Davis, a celebrity from Atlanta and a hero of America!

Those people were busy greeting others and didn't come over here yet.

Gianna glanced over there and saw Martin Davis and Harris embracing tightly, their relationship clearly more than just friendship.

She couldn't help but ask, "Who are they?"

Robert didn't need to exaggerate; he told the truth: "Martin and Elena and her brother were neighbors and grew up together. To be precise, he grew up in the Carter family."

He continued, "The shorter one is Justin, the vice president of marketing at Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is interested in collaborating with Elena on a brand new bottled cocktail drink. The composed-looking one is my boss, Jerome, the owner of Atlanta's largest entertainment agency."

Jaina smiled and said, "Could you introduce me?"

Robert waved to Martin, and Martin, Justin, and Jerome came over together.

After they got to know each other, they chatted politely for a few minutes.

When Morgan Freeman appeared and congratulated the hostess Elena, Gianna was already used to it.

This is indeed a newly emerging middle-class family, or strictly speaking, a nouveau riche, but they have an impressive network of relationships and a deep-rooted background.

During the party, Gianna, on behalf of the community committee, extended a formal invitation to Elena to attend the community foundation's fundraising dinner the following week.

This represents community acceptance and integration.

A housewarming party was enough to help Elena establish herself in the Northville community.

Martin lingered a little longer after the party ended.

Elena had her younger siblings clean the house while she accompanied Martin to the small garden behind the house: "I published a notice announcing that I'm severing ties with Emma, ​​and your people helped me get custody of Lily and Hall, so they can't use these things to threaten me anymore. I didn't deal with Clayton's house; it's theirs."

Too many disappointments led to despair, and she made up her mind: "We've all changed our phone numbers."

Martin nodded: "Call me if you have any trouble. Robert and Jerome can usually handle it. If they can't, there are others."

Elena didn't refuse: "I will."

Martin then stayed in Atlanta for three more days before returning to Los Angeles.

(End of this chapter)