America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 300 Aggressive Personality

After a period of intense post-production, Coca-Cola's latest annual GG has landed on major media platforms across the United States, just before the traditional North American summer movie season.

With the boost from the Coca-Cola cult, the full version of the GG short film received an astonishing number of views on major internet websites.

In prime locations across American cities, a brand-new image of Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the Cola Cult, is erected, gazing upon his followers.

On television, a heavily edited version of GG was broadcast on a loop, reaching every household.

GG caused a strong reaction.

The online discussions were particularly heated.

"It's somewhat similar to the Avalon bar brawl incident from last year."

"Martin taking down the provocateur was definitely the inspiration for GG."

"Pete is so unlucky. He gets humiliated by Martin in real life, and now he gets trampled on in GG..."

"Haven't you heard? There's been a lot of talk online that Jolie broke up with Pitt because of Martin, and then Pitt tried to win Aniston back, but Aniston ended up dating Martin again!"

With the launch of the new GG, Coca-Cola sales increased, Martin's fame rose, and the influence of the Coca-Cola cult expanded further.

Even Elizabeth Olsen, who made a brief appearance in the new Gossip Girl, has become known as the Red Maiden of the Cola Cult.

After GG aired, Aniston specifically sought out Martin and used every trick in the book to make him understand where the limits of enjoyment lay.

Julie, who then returned to Los Angeles and was determined to become a saint, excitedly sought out Martin to extract even more pleasure.

In contrast, Brad Pitt, a celebrity who has nothing to do with GG, has been ravaged by public opinion time and time again.

This is a world where only Brad Pitt gets injured.

In his Beverly Hills mansion, Pitt stared intently at GG on the projection screen, the actor whose appearance somewhat resembled his own, making him feel nauseous.

The lawyers, agents, and managers sat in various places, looking even more serious than Pitt.

After GG finished playing, Pete immediately asked his lawyer, "Cole, can it be determined that GG infringed upon my legal rights and is suspected of defamation and inducement? Can we send a lawyer's letter to Coca-Cola?"

"No, the actor's face is different from yours, and their attire is different from yours or any other character; they're only somewhat similar in temperament." Cole had specifically studied this: "It's like in filmmaking, someone imitating another person's acting style..."

Pete pointed at the projection screen: "The problem is, everyone thinks I'm the unlucky guy!"

Attorney Cole said, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Agent Maggie Daxshire said, "CAA held a special meeting to investigate and contacted Coca-Cola, but they denied any connection to you and refused our requests. We'd better think this through carefully."

What else can they do? If they really want to confront Coca-Cola head-on, what can a brokerage firm with a peak annual revenue of just over $2 million use to fight back?

Furthermore, due to sponsorship contracts with many of its sports stars, a significant number of partners are biased towards Coca-Cola.

Before Pitt could say anything more, his manager, who was closer to him, advised him, "You'd better keep quiet. The public and the media are forgetful. Once this period is over, they'll be attracted to other gossip and news, and they'll naturally forget about this."

Knowing that Pete wasn't in a good mood lately, he added, "Coca-Cola must have been prepared for this kind of 'GG' announcement, and so is Martin Davis. They're probably waiting for you to jump out and confront them, then they'll hype it up..."

Pete understood these principles, but it was really uncomfortable to have a lump in his throat.

Maggie further advised, "Let's not worry about these things right now. 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' is finished. Hurry up and urge Warner Bros. to sign the distribution contract and confirm the release date. As long as the film is well-received, all the criticisms surrounding you will disappear."

She is a relatively traditional entertainment agent: "Ultimately, actors have to let their work speak for itself."

Pete listened to these words, glanced at the time, and said, "Let's go out for lunch, and then go to Warner."

Maggie and her manager exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

What they fear most is that Pete will act impulsively and insist on going head-to-head with Martin Davis.

Doing that would not benefit Pitt at all; on the contrary, it would only make Martin Davis and Coca-Cola's GG even more popular.

…………

Afternoon, Warner Bros. office building.

In the small conference room, Thomas glanced at Martin and said, "There are only four months left until the start of the next awards season, which is the Toronto International Film Festival. Our plan and goals are clear. Although 'The Departed' has two male leads, we only want a nomination for Best Actor."

Daniel, representing Warner Bros., said, "The Toronto International Film Festival is just the beginning of the awards season. The Gotham Film Awards, which follow, represent Hollywood's full-fledged sprint into the awards season. Warner Bros. will send specialists to lobby Martin for the Critics' Circle Awards, the four independent film awards, the four barometer awards, the four antelope awards, and the most important Guild Awards."

Martin doesn't need to say anything; Thomas will make the request. In fact, Martin can act as a lubricant between the two.

Milner, representing Coca-Cola at the internal meeting, then spoke up: "Warner Bros. will also be organizing film screenings and campaign events, and Coca-Cola will sponsor all related expenses."

With someone willing to pay, the biggest problem was solved. Daniel readily agreed, "No problem, I'll confirm it and send it directly to your office."

Finding funding, doing publicity, garnering votes—the Oscars are essentially an entertainment version of Washington's political games.

Compared to the sales increase that Coca-Cola saw after signing Martin, this amount of money was nothing. Milner, representing Coca-Cola, told Martin, "Go for it! Coca-Cola is always behind you."

Daniel glanced at Martin, then at Milner, who represented Coca-Cola, and made a decision in his mind.

The Coca-Cola cult has tied the two together, and crucially, it can effectively boost Coca-Cola sales.

Although Coca-Cola is outside the industry, their sponsorship of Martin Scorsese and his films has made him an undeniable movie star.

Daniel glanced at the digital clock on the wall; there was still a preview session coming up. He said, "Let's call it a day."

Martin stood up and shook his hand: "We're in touch."

The group shook hands and left the meeting room separately.

Milner chatted with Martin for a few minutes before heading to the parking lot at the front entrance.

Martin and Thomas were heading to the back of the studio complex to meet Bruce, so they took another elevator.

The three of them went downstairs, exited the elevator, and bumped into another three people.

Brad Pitt and his manager, as well as his agent Maggie.

Martin showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and greeted her with a smile, "Good afternoon, Maggie."

Most of the actors were very expressive, and Pitt was a prime example. He made no attempt to hide his disgust as he stared coldly at Martin and the other two.

Maggie Dakshire responded to Martin, then shook hands with Thomas, and specifically said, "Martin, your new guy is hot. I remember we made a deal..."

Martin said very seriously, "I'm a man of my word, and I've always kept my promises."

Maggie knew perfectly well that, in terms of sheer shamelessness, Pete couldn't even match Martin in driving, so she mumbled, "I saw it."

Martin seemed not to see Pete, shook hands with Maggie, and said, "I have to go now."

When Martin walked over, Pete gave a cold snort.

The sound reached Martin's ears, and he turned around abruptly.

The events that had occurred at the Avalon Bar flashed before Pete's eyes, and he instinctively took two or three steps back.

Martin smiled at Pete, then turned and walked away.

Pete quickly stopped in his tracks, his already gloomy face turning even darker.

Maggie came over and said, "Never mind him. CAA specifically had psychology experts analyze Martin Davis. Several psychologists believe that he is mentally unstable. Beneath his peaceful exterior lies a prickly and aggressive personality."

Pete let out a sigh of relief: "I'm not going to argue with a lunatic!"

The manager reminded us, "Let's go upstairs, the Warner people are still waiting for us."

The three of them entered the elevator.

Meanwhile, Martin, Thomas, and Bruce left the Warner Bros. building and entered the studio area.

Bruce drove up in an electric scooter.

After Thomas got into the car, he said to Martin, "I've read the entire original text and the novel of 'The Reader'."

Martin asked, "How are you feeling?"

Thomas stated directly, "It's quite different from your current style and approach, but the subject matter and role are good. It leans towards an artistic direction, which is beneficial for winning awards and broadening your acting range."

He asked, "This type of film wouldn't have a very high budget, didn't Winslet mention the cost?"

Martin investigated carefully: "Kate has secured a lot of investment, following the German film tax rebate model. She assured me that there would be at least $2800 million in investment."

"You might not even get $5 million in salary, and the film's box office performance won't be very high. Even if it does well at the Oscars, it's unlikely to easily gross over $100 million in North America like 'Wanted.'" Thomas needed to clarify some things: "You want to use this role to try and get an Oscar?"

Martin shook his head firmly: "It has little to do with these things; it's mainly to repay a favor."

Thomas was surprised by the answer: "Repaying a favor?"

"Yes," Martin said briefly.

Thomas understood that personal connections in Hollywood were equally important, and favors owed would eventually have to be repaid.

His clients' interests were closely related to his own, so he said, "Given your rapid growth, repaying favors later would come at a much higher price. Winslet has a good eye for choosing films, and the screenwriter and producer, Anthony Minghella, is an Oscar winner. I think this project is good."

Martin asked, "Your suggestion is that I take on this project?"

"Connections are very important, especially these kinds of relationships at the top of the industry," Thomas said. "Unless we completely abandon our reputation, we'll have to repay this favor eventually, so it's better to do it now than later."

(End of this chapter)