America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 283 Each Has Their Own Stance

"Yesterday, Heath Ledger, the male lead of 'Brokeback Mountain,' was detained by the NYPD, suspected of driving under the influence of drugs at the Brooklyn studio, nearly injuring Martin Davis and Jennifer Aniston, the male and female leads of 'Limitless'..."

In the moving van, CAA agent Kevin Hough quickly read the text and then looked at the accompanying pictures, all of which showed his client Heath Ledger being taken into custody by the NYPD and put into a police car.

During the incident, the NYPD used handcuffs and other police equipment.

He handed the newspaper to Shams and said, "The news has leaked."

The latter is the producer of Brokeback Mountain and the founder of Focus Features, as well as a shareholder of Paramount Pictures.

This report will more or less negatively impact Brokeback Mountain's Oscar chances. Shams said, "Too many people saw it yesterday, it's too difficult to keep it a secret, and Martin and Aniston are not ordinary people, they are very difficult to deal with."

"I hope the trip goes well." Kevin glanced at his phone and said, "Harvey will be at the studio later."

The van arrived at the border of Brooklyn and Queens and entered a somewhat old-fashioned film studio.

Kevin and Shams each made phone calls and waited patiently.

What happened yesterday is still happening, but filming for "Limitless" is still going on as normal. However, some of Martin and Aniston's scenes have been postponed.

Thomas and Aniston's agent, Steve, then approached them and said, "They're here."

The two had discussed it carefully last night, and Martin said, "What's meant to happen will happen. Let's go see them."

Aniston, worried that her little puppy wouldn't be able to handle it, specifically told him, "If anything happens, just push it onto me. I'm also a member of the producers' alliance."

Martin had experienced the kindness of a caring older sister more than once, and he was the first to leave the film studio and go to the studio office area.

Kevin approached her, ignoring Martin, and said, "Jane, you look radiant, you're getting more and more beautiful." He then shook hands with Steve behind him, "Shall the three of us talk privately?"

Steve glanced at Aniston, and seeing that she didn't object, they went into the office together.

Shams came over and shook hands with Martin: "This is our first time meeting. After hearing Heath's account of yesterday's events, I can say that your skills are even better than rumored."

"If I weren't skilled enough, Jane and I would probably be in the hospital right now," Martin said as he entered the adjacent conference room. "If my bodyguard hadn't sensed the danger and alerted me, and if I hadn't reacted quickly, we wouldn't be able to meet today."

Thomas, who was last to enter, closed the door: "We didn't contact the media at all from beginning to end. We thought we'd let it be resolved within the industry since we're all insiders. And what happened? You even pressured us through Warner!"

Shams said, "The news has already broken, putting us in a very passive position..."

"So it's my fault?" Martin sneered, his anger bordering on rage. "I put Heath Ledger on drugs? I made him lose control of his car? I leaked the information to the media?"

Shams was there to resolve the issue, not escalate the conflict, so he quickly said, "That's not what I meant. Heath Ledger's current situation is his own fault; he made his own mistakes."

He said with a smile, "Martin, I've come here sincerely to discuss how to handle the aftermath."

Martin knew he was the producer of Brokeback Mountain and a representative of Focus Features and Paramount Pictures, so he said directly, "I'm not necessarily going to pursue this matter relentlessly or take legal action. After all, we're all in the same industry."

Shams breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Martin, of course, wouldn't let it go so easily: "Yesterday, Heath Ledger insulted me, and later, in front of so many people, he even said he would kill me. I want him to publicly apologize to me in a major national media outlet like The New York Times, and explain why he apologizes."

Shams, recalling that some newspapers had even published photos of the scene, said, "I'm fine on my end, but we need to communicate with CAA again."

Martin added, "I was severely traumatized yesterday and have been unable to work properly. The Endless crew had to postpone my filming because of this, and I'm not sure when these psychological issues will be resolved. I need Heath Ledger to make amends for this."

He glanced at Thomas: "You can discuss the specifics."

Thomas was particularly motivated because he could also take a cut of the compensation he negotiated: "Leave it to me."

Martin nodded politely to Shams: "I'm emotionally unstable right now, so I'll head back first."

Shams had confirmed Martin's stance and did not wish to speak with him further.

This guy throws out a whole bunch of troublesome reasons and excuses.

…………

In another office.

Kevin first reminisced with Aniston about their supposed long-standing friendship, then mentioned the difficulties: "The awards season has reached a critical point where the judges are choosing their votes. You know, many people like to vote with their feet, and a lot of negative news can cause judges to avoid those involved."

He spoke very quickly: "CAA invested a lot of resources and connections in Heath Ledger's Oscar nomination. If we let this news escalate, the negative impact will be too great, and all the resources we invested will be wasted."

In the industry, using banned drugs is not a big deal, but almost running into fellow actors Martin and Aniston at the studio, many judges will inevitably consider their own situation. The studio is their most frequented place, and they wonder if they will become victims in the future.

Furthermore, few people would vote for Aniston in the Oscars, and most people would not have a good impression of the perpetrator if someone publicly harmed Aniston.

Aniston suppressed her displeasure for the time being and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Kevin tentatively suggested, "How about this: Heath apologizes to you privately and compensates you, while you and Martin issue a statement saying it was a misunderstanding?"

He emphasized, "The compensation amount will definitely satisfy you. Over the next six months, I will leverage my connections to provide you with resource support."

Aniston looked at her agent, Steve: "Kevin, is this your decision, or the company's?"

Steve immediately stated, "I know nothing about this." He added loudly, "Jane is the victim, why should she keep quiet?"

Not wanting to offend Aniston too much, Kevin quickly said, "This is just a suggestion."

Steve understood Aniston's meaning: "We absolutely will not accept this!"

"There's no need to continue." Aniston got up and left.

Steve was about to leave when Kevin called out to him, "Wait a minute."

"What's up?"

Kevin closed the door: "Don't forget your position."

Steve said, "Customer first!"

CAA publicly claims that all brokers are equal, but in reality, it's a different story. Senior partners and joint partners make up the company's top management, and Kevin, one of them, stated sternly, "The premise is that it must be in CAA's best interests!"

His tone softened slightly: "Steve, try to persuade Jane. She's where she is today thanks to CAA's efforts."

Steve, however, saw things clearly: the other party was only thinking about his client—"I can't go against my client's wishes!"

Kevin spun around in anger: "Haven't you, me, and Brian all done enough things against the client's will?"

It's like a superior reprimanding a subordinate: "You're a member of CAA!"

Steve didn't respond, and turned to leave the office.

Aniston, who had worked with him for many years, asked, "What's wrong?"

Steve said, "Being a senior partner is really impressive!"

Aniston said thoughtfully, "I can sense that, for me, since Friends ended, CAA is no longer the CAA it used to be."

Meanwhile, Martin, leaving the office building, ran into Harvey Weinstein.

Or rather, the other party was specifically waiting for him here.

Harvey Weinstein said, "It's been a long time."

Martin smiled and asked directly, "For Heath Ledger?"

Harvey put his hands in the pockets of his wool coat and walked forward: "As soon as 'I'm Not There' was approved, I signed a distribution contract and made an investment in the name of another studio."

Martin followed up: "No wonder you were able to get so many big-name actors; it's all thanks to Harvey's star power."

Harvey emphasized, "We can't let tens of millions of dollars of investment go to waste because of what happened yesterday."

Martin said, "I never intended to do anything to Heath Ledger. He published a public apology to me and gave me some compensation, and that was the end of it."

"Do you know why I chose Heath Ledger as one of the main characters?" Harvey didn't need Martin to answer: "Because based on my years of experience managing the Oscars, I judged that Heath Ledger would be a huge star after this awards season."

He shook his head slightly: "His fire, just lit, may go out."

Martin quoted Michel Williams: "He was under too much pressure."

"I have a suggestion for CAA," Harvey said something similar to what Kevin Howard said.

Martin, of course, refused: "I believe in honesty and integrity. I would never lie to the public. Such a lie is too easy to be exposed, and I would be the one whose reputation is damaged in the end."

Harvey suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, I have high hopes for your future. You're a very good actor, and the Oscars shouldn't overlook you."

"Thank you for the compliment." Martin said truthfully, "I have a film called The Departed this year."

Harvey stopped pressuring: "Good luck."

Martin turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Bruce, trailing behind, quickened his pace and caught up with Martin: "Looks like things aren't going well?"

"This was the most peaceful conversation I ever had with him," Martin said with a clear conscience. "Cutting off someone's livelihood is no easy task."

Bruce suggested softly, "Should we call Sophia?"

Martin shook his head: "This is New York, where the Weinstein brothers made their fortune, not Georgia or Los Angeles."

Bruce then asked, "Work with him?"

"I've thought about it, but it's too difficult." Martin genuinely had concerns: "I'm a member of the Face Gang, and I might not be able to handle the Foot Gang's initiation ceremony! Also, even if I switch to the Foot Gang, he wants me to deal with the actresses he raped. What am I supposed to do? Deceive them, endure it, and then I'll become a big star?"

Bruce said, "That only proves one thing: you're not as bad as this fat guy!"

Martin walked slowly forward, thinking as he went. After a while, he said, "Old Brooks, call Atlanta and tell Ivan to come over."

"Are you getting worse and worse?" Bruce suspected that Martin was planning to make a move on Ivan.

Martin said, "Don't worry, just talk."

Bruce was puzzled. Shouldn't they have asked Mene if they wanted to talk?

(End of this chapter)