America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 282 Excessive Pressure

In a meeting room at the Brooklyn precinct.

Accompanied by the film's assistant producer Damian and the film's lawyer, the NYPD took routine victim statements from Martin, Bruce, and Aniston.

Aside from slightly exaggerating Aniston's part, Martin and his two companions only needed to repeat the rest verbatim.

Even Aniston's part doesn't ignore the facts.

"Mr. Davis, Ms. Aniston." The officer taking their statements shook hands with both of them. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. I will contact you both promptly if there are any further developments."

Martin said with a serious expression, "I've always heard that the NYPD is known for its fairness and impartiality, and I believe you will handle this matter properly."

The officer smiled and said, "Of course."

These are not ordinary people involved, but the situation is clear: on one side is an Australian celebrity, and on the other is an American hero and the nation's sweetheart. Just handle it impartially.

Aniston stayed close to Martin, appearing particularly helpless.

The influence of America's No. 1 Sweetheart is so great that when the police officer saw her in such a terrified state, he felt that it was not excessive to punish the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law.

After leaving the meeting room, Ward, the crew's lawyer, went to find out what was going on.

Upon returning, he whispered to Martin and Aniston, "The NYPD found a prescription drug on Heath Ledger, an illegal drug. He was in possession of a quantity far exceeding the legal limit. The initial urine test was positive, and further blood tests will be conducted tomorrow. According to New York regulations, one cannot drive after taking either of those drugs."

Martin didn't hesitate to accuse him: "He almost hit me and Jane in the parking lot. Wasn't that dangerous driving?"

Ward said, "If you insist on holding him accountable, he'll be in trouble."

Aniston glanced at Martin and said softly, "I don't care if he dies!"

There are many people in Hollywood similar to Heath Ledger, but those people had no dealings with her, while Heath Ledger actually threatened her safety.

Martin's phone rang. When he answered, Thomas's voice came through the receiver: "I'm on my way to the airport. I should arrive in New York by midnight."

When a client encounters a problem, the agent rushes over immediately. Putting everything else aside, Thomas's attitude is impeccable.

Aniston also received a call from her agent, who told Martin, "My agent told me not to face the media yet, and to wait for him to come over."

Martin, however, had something to consider and asked an important question: "Is Heath Ledger also a CAA client?"

Aniston wasn't sure, so she called to ask and said, "Yes."

Martin said, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

He needs time to think and plan how to maximize the value of this unexpected event.

When something happens, it naturally needs to be dealt with. But if the other party suffers, what practical benefits can one side gain?

As soon as Martin entered the hall, he noticed two women approaching.

One is Cate Blanchett, and the other is the famous actress Michelle Williams.

"Jane, Martin, this is Ledger's fiancée, Michelle," Blanchett introduced briefly. "Would you like to speak with her alone for a bit?"

Michelle bowed to the two of them sincerely: "I am very sorry for what Heath did. I'm so sorry."

Martin said directly, "Madam, get to the point."

Michelle, having learned of the situation, knew that gaining the two men's forgiveness was crucial. After bowing and apologizing once more, she said, "Heath absolutely did not mean anything against you. He's a very good person. It was an accident this afternoon, it was those drugs..."

Martin and Aniston both believed the afternoon incident was an accident, but that wasn't the crux of the matter.

Michelle spoke skillfully: "Just over two months ago, Heath became a father. We had a lovely daughter. He was under a lot of pressure after her birth. He hadn't fully adjusted to being a father before he had to be separated from his daughter to work. The pressure of awards season was all on him, which forced him to see a doctor and take medication to avoid mental health issues."

Daughter, father, stress, and mental illness—these are all things that easily evoke sympathy.

But Martin wasn't buying it: "So the culprit was the celebrity father's excessive pressure!" He glanced at Aniston: "Shall we go?"

"Let's go." Aniston took Martin's arm and walked out.

"You two!" Michelle cried out anxiously, trying to chase after them, but Bruce stopped her.

Old Bu thought to himself: "Stars who earn millions of dollars in pay and enjoy the benefits of the Screen Actors Guild are under so much pressure that they become addicted to drugs, and they even use this as an excuse. Are ordinary people who work multiple jobs or work more than ten hours a day going crazy?"

Even someone as utterly despicable as him scoffed at it.

Martin and his group got into their respective cars.

Before they even reached the Brooklyn Bridge, Bruce received a phone call and then told Martin, "There's a car following us."

Aniston was a little nervous, after all, she had just encountered something like Heath Ledger.

Martin, who had encountered far too much awfulness, said, "Find out who they are."

From the moment Heath Ledger was purged at the studio, he was already considering the related follow-up matters.

Heath Ledger is not a single person.

Martin from the Australian gang didn't care; those people wouldn't go too far because of Heath Ledger, who was still a member of the Face Gang and the Assassins Trio.

Martin was considering Heath Ledger's agency, as well as the production and distribution companies behind the project.

"Brokeback Mountain" is currently showing in theaters, and Heath Ledger plays the male lead. He received a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Globe Awards, which concluded a few days ago.

In other words, the CAA, the production company, and the distributor may be working to get him an Oscar nomination.

The car quickly arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Upon entering the hotel lobby, Bruce said to Martin, "We've figured it out. A team of reporters from the News of the World may have heard the news and want to get the inside scoop."

Martin said as he walked, "The News of the World, an old friend."

While in Washington, it was a group of reporters from the News of the World who sneaked into his room.

Once upstairs, Bruce first thoroughly inspected Martin's room to ensure there were no abnormalities before allowing Martin and Aniston to enter.

Aniston went to take a shower, and Martin looked through his contacts and found the business card of Mokrich, the editor-in-chief of the News of the World.

Martin had negotiated the manuscript and payment with him beforehand.

Similar behavior to Heath Ledger's wouldn't be a big deal in Hollywood if Martin Scorsese and Jennifer Aniston weren't involved; neither the production team nor the investors would take it seriously.

Driven by profit, capital may even actively help celebrities suppress their fame.

…………

The reception room at the Brooklyn precinct was still bustling with activity.

The production team of "I'm Not There" not only notified the production company, but also the distributor, The Weinstein Company, headquartered in New York.

Producer Shams Charania from the Brokeback Mountain production team happened to be in New York doing public relations work, and he and a representative from another major production company, Paramount Pictures, rushed over immediately.

This film won multiple awards at the recently concluded Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, which has already generated considerable buzz and expanded its release. They will not let the male lead fall into the abyss.

Heath Ledger's agency is also CAA, and his managing agent, Kevin Hoveon, a senior partner at CAA, is on his way by plane.

Whether it's Brokeback Mountain or I'm not there, it involves the interests of many companies in the industry.

This awards season, CAA has invested heavily in Heath Ledger, helping him secure a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor is also highly likely.

Like Martin, a rising star like Martin is involved with various interests behind the scenes.

Kevin Howard spoke to Harvey Weinstein on the phone: "Harvey, if Heath Ledger goes to jail right now, we'll all suffer huge losses. New York is your home turf, so think of something quickly."

Harvey came out of the bedroom and said, "Focus Media and Paramount have invested heavily in Brokeback Mountain and are about to reap the rewards. They won't allow this to happen. You call them and have them communicate with Warner Bros. My contact with Warner Bros. will only make things worse."

Kevin said, "I have already spoken with both companies and reached an agreement. I will be able to arrive in New York first thing tomorrow morning."

Harvey thought for a moment and said, "Let's go meet the other side together tomorrow."

"I'm Not There" was filmed extensively in Minnesota before moving to New York, and replacing Heath Ledger at that point would have been a huge loss.

…………

Outside the Brooklyn Studios, there was a very ordinary car parked.

The people on the bus were waiting for news.

Hazard, in the passenger seat, glanced at his News of the World press pass, then put it away, asking his colleague who had just finished a phone call, "Any news from the NYPD?"

Lukaku shook his head: "All I can confirm is that a conflict occurred at the Brooklyn studio near the end of the workday today, involving many Hollywood stars including Martin Scorsese, Aniston, Bale, Blanchett, and Heath Ledger. I can't get any details right now."

Hazard looked out the car window at the studio complex: "There's so much rubbish surrounding Martin Davis, he must know all about it."

Lukaku cautioned, "Don't act impulsively; think about the bizarre Washington espionage scandal!"

Although Hazard didn't know exactly what was happening in Washington, there were some rumors circulating inside, and there had even been a special message from above warning him not to use any underhanded tactics to provoke Martin Davis.

Just as I was thinking about these things, a man wearing a common dark coat and an ordinary cotton hat walked past the car, and a large envelope tucked under his arm fell to the ground with a thud.

Hazard heard the sound, turned around and saw the envelope lying by the back door. He waved and said, "Hey, buddy, you dropped something."

The man didn't stop at all; he walked to the intersection ahead and turned into an alley.

Hazard realized what was happening, immediately opened the door and got out of the car, picked up the envelope and came back to open it. Inside was a typical A4 sheet of paper, densely printed with words.

There are also a few photos, all of which show the same person.

Heath Ledger was handcuffed behind his back and put into a police car by the NYPD.

(End of this chapter)