America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 315 An Artist Who Fears No Power

Under the clear blue sky of early September, Martin, wearing a Dodgers baseball cap, sat alone on a bench in front of the art gallery, patiently waiting for someone to come over.

A few minutes later, Lily, who had finished class, jumped down from the steps of the art gallery.

She landed behind the bench and called out to Martin, "Hah..."

Martin turned around: "How old are you to still be playing this kind of game?"

Lily tied her long hair into a simple ponytail at the back of her head and said, "It wasn't fun, I didn't scare you."

Martin stood up: "I knew it was you from the sound of your footsteps."

Lily raised her long eyebrows in surprise: "So you care about me that much."

Martin walked towards the college gate: "I've known you since you were a little kid. I know everything about you – your running and jumping, your accent, your likes and dislikes, your foul language."

"I've stopped swearing," Lily said softly. "Actually, there are some things you don't know."

Martin turned to look at her and asked, "What don't I understand about you?"

Lily laughed: "A girl's secret, I won't tell you."

Someone came towards her and greeted her, "Hi, Lily."

Lily waved to the other side.

From the art gallery to the parking lot near the college entrance, at least six or seven people greeted Lily.

Martin asked, "It seems like a lot of people know you?"

"I've made a lot of friends, just like I did at Marietta High School." Lily used to be a bully at her public high school: "Many bitches envied and were jealous of my looks, and they would try to sabotage me behind my back. I always teamed up with them to deal with them."

Martin cautioned, "Don't go too far."

Lily said, feeling wronged, "No way, they all say I'm nice."

Martin understood Lily's style; she was a girl who grew up under her sister's iron fists, and then applied that same iron-fisted discipline to her younger brother Hall, which continued at school.

Lily and Martin were never polite: "Don't worry, I'll call you if anything happens. And Louise, she knows a lot of people, she's called me a few times..."

Martin approached the Escalade and opened the driver's side door: "Get in."

Lily got into the passenger seat.

The car drove out of the college and headed straight for Sherman Oaks. Martin turned into the Coty neighborhood and, as he approached his house, he ran into Jenna, who was walking her cat.

Jenna waved when she saw Martin's car.

Martin stopped the car and rolled down the window.

Jenna walked over, glanced at the passenger side, and asked, "Girlfriend?"

Lily immediately greeted her with a smile, "Hello, miss, you're so pretty!"

Martin shoved her back: "This is my sister, Lily."

Jenna nodded and looked her over carefully: "She has a great figure and appearance, and is extremely talented."

Lily had a good first impression of Jenna and eagerly chimed in, "Everyone I know says so, do you think so too?"

Martin glanced at Jenna, who immediately changed her tune: "I invited you to the film set, but you've been too busy..."

"I'm too busy with work," Martin said casually, "Let's talk about it later."

Jenna nodded, then said to Lily, "Little beauty, come to the set with Martin sometime."

Lily replied, "Okay."

Martin drove up to his house.

Lily glanced back and said, "She's a nice person."

"She's really good." Martin had gotten to know her a bit through their multiple interactions, and putting aside Jenna's special profession, he found her to be a person of high character.

He simply said, "One of your letters of introduction is from her father."

Lily asked, "Should I visit her film set, express my gratitude, and maybe we can get to know each other better?"

She recalled what Jenna had just said: "What movies has she been in? She's so good-looking, I'll definitely remember her if I see her."

Martin stated directly, "She's the director and lead actress in Saint Valley's film."

"Uh..." The answer was so unexpected that Lily's mind went blank for a moment, and she didn't know what to say.

Martin added, "Jenna Jones' family all work in the arts, and she reportedly got into this field because of a hormonal problem."

As for whether it's true or false, no one bothers to investigate.

As the car drove through the gate, Lily's attention shifted. When the Martin stopped at the garage door, she jumped out and exclaimed, "What a beautiful house!"

Then, she smelled the aroma of barbecue, turned around, and said, "Hey, Old Bu, long time no see."

Bruce was grilling meat and waved over, saying, "Lily, you're getting more and more beautiful."

Martin drove the car into the garage.

A long dining table and several chairs were set up by the pool.

Martin didn't invite anyone else; it was just him, Lily, and Bruce having dinner together.

Simple grilled meat, vegetables, and fruit.

Unlike the people I met after arriving in Los Angeles, all three of them were from Atlanta, truly one of my own.

The three of them enjoyed their dinner very much.

After eating, Lily visited Martin's house, sat in the G-Wagon in the garage, and immediately jumped out.

Martin didn't seem to mind and casually said, "You can drive it if you need a car."

Blake was very particular; all the valuable gifts he gave him were placed here, with only a few keepsakes kept.

Lily noticed that the car's previous owner was a girl and shook her head: "I don't need a car now. Once I'm familiar with the school, I'll find a job to earn money and buy my own car."

Before it got completely dark, Martin took Lily back to school and told her to contact Louise if she needed anything.

He has already reached an agreement with Louise at a cost of several hundred million.

When Lily left, Martin gave her a large bag filled with gifts.

Although she had a million objections in her mind, Lily accepted it with tears in her eyes.

With awards season just around the corner, Martin will soon be heading to Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival.

The promotion and awards campaign for "The Departed" began at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film premiered at the film festival and will be released nationwide in North America in October.

"The film has held one internal screening and one screening for theater managers and media representatives, and the feedback has been very positive."

In a conference room at the Warner Bros. building, producer Graham King briefed the production team on the current situation: "The MPAA has rated it R, the distributor has secured a theatrical release in around 3200 theaters, and the North American box office is expected to be no less than $1 million."

Many people's attention is focused on Leonardo and Martin.

Aside from Matt Damon, who was filming "The Bourne Ultimatum" in London, these two were undoubtedly the most commercially successful members of the creative team present.

Sitting next to Martin, Nicholson suddenly said, "Don't look at me. If I don't hold you back, you should thank me."

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh.

Scorsese said, "Jack, what new tricks can you come up with?"

Nicholson pointed at Martin: "You need to talk to him about the lousy ideas that are outside of the usual publicity."

Martin spread his hands: "I just got back from London, I haven't figured out what's going on yet."

In public, he was adept at praising the trio's eldest and second eldest members: "With Leo and Jack around, commercial appeal is no problem. Leo appeals to all ages, and Jack is an idol for middle-aged and elderly women."

Graham said, "The three of you will be attending every major promotional event for the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and in Los Angeles."

Martin and the other two said they had no problem.

The discussion then focused on matters related to the Olympics.

The production team is focused on Best Picture and Best Director, and Martin Scorsese will also be aiming for a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The only surprise is that Leon Andre won't be vying for Best Actor with this film.

After the meeting, the trio of scoundrels naturally got together.

Martin asked curiously, "Aren't you going to use this role to try and get an Oscar?"

"The film's resources are all concentrated on Best Picture and Best Director, leaving too little for others." Leonardo DiCaprio's thinking was very practical: "With the character Billy, getting a nomination wouldn't be difficult, but winning would be out of the question."

There was no one else there, just the three of them. Nicholson didn't forget to sabotage them: "With your acting skills of glaring, frowning, and yelling in one move, you wouldn't have any hope in any other role."

Leonardo DiCaprio was so angry he wanted to kill someone: "Fine! Fine! You're a great actor, you're amazing!"

Nicholson mimicked him, widening his eyes and deliberately showing off: "I'm nothing special, just two Best Actor Oscars and one Best Supporting Actor Oscar."

Leonardo was so shocked he couldn't speak.

Nicholson delivered the final blow: "In my opinion, Martin has a much better chance of winning an Oscar than you do."

Leonardo looked up at the sky speechlessly, almost in tears from the blow.

"You're not going to get depressed, are you?" Compared to Nicholson, Martin was at least human: "So many beautiful blonde, long-legged models are waiting for you."

Leonardo leaned closer to Martin: "Dude, you're my brother."

Martin hadn't finished speaking: "They all want to see what an 11-second sprint is like."

"I'm going to kill you both!" Leonardo unleashed a three-hit combo, glaring and roaring, "You two bastards!"

Nicholson said, "See? Compared to that scumbag Martin, I'm the good guy."

The three of them laughed and joked as they got into Nicholson's extended Lincoln.

Martin put aside his frivolous remarks and asked, "Leo, which film are you planning to use to compete for an Oscar?"

"Blood Diamond," Leonardo DiCaprio explained simply. "It's a film I made before The Departed, co-starring with Jennifer Connelly. The male lead's role in that film was more significant than in The Departed, and importantly, the production team's primary goal was to win Best Actor."

Martin still remembers this movie; it's about an incident triggered by a red diamond.

It seems that the film also caused controversy. Debbie's Company was worried that the film's influence was too great, which would cause consumers to turn against diamonds, and even joined forces with some diamond companies to boycott the film.

Martin mentioned it.

Leonardo said, "They had already protested to the production team, but it's okay, it's a good thing from an artistic point of view."

Martin understood: "An artist who is not afraid of power."

Nicholson interjected, "That's right, both Best Actor and Best Actress at the Oscars need packaging." He looked at Martin, "Didn't you do any packaging on your end?"

Martin subtly revealed, "It's done. The agency has invested a lot of resources, and I'm preparing to become a children's ambassador."

Leonardo nodded: "This one isn't likely to break down."

Martin said, "That's why I chose this one."

Initially, he intended to pursue equality, but for some inexplicable and unspeakable reasons, this path could no longer be followed.

The three of them went to a bar for drinks and made plans to travel to Canada together in a few days to participate in promotional activities for the Toronto International Film Festival.

(End of this chapter)