America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 353: Photographers on Professional Ethics

In the spacious courtyard, Nicholson and Leonardo rubbed their backsides, each holding a broom, pretending to help Martin tidy up the yard.

Elizabeth stood inside the villa entrance, curiously watching the two people, then turning her gaze towards Martin at the main entrance, unable to understand why these big stars were like this in private.

She also found the friendship between men strange.

Martin briefly explained the situation to the LAPD officers who came to inquire, and after the LAPD officers saw that there was nothing wrong and reminded him not to disturb the neighbors, they drove away.

Neighbor Jenna looked embarrassed: "I thought something had happened to you, so I called the police."

Martin said, "It's okay, it's just that my friends went too far."

Jenna wanted to ask about the copyright licensing of "Limitless," but it was too late to discuss it, so she said, "I'm going back."

Martin waved: "Goodnight."

Martin returned home after watching Jenna turn into her house. After closing the door, he stared at Nicholson and Leonardo.

Nicholson seemed oblivious to the mess in the yard: "Alright, the work's done. Time to try Martin's prized wine."

Leonardo, still resentful that Martin had kicked them in the butt, was determined to get drunk and not go home that night: "You said last time you got a batch of good Eastern wine?"

Martin, who didn't consider himself a heartless scoundrel, said, "Come on, let's drink."

The two bastards arrived at the villa's entrance. Instead of feeling embarrassed upon seeing Elizabeth, Nicholson asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Martin, worried that Elizabeth might not know how to respond, said, "I forgot my phone over there, and she brought it to me."

Leonardo turned around and looked slightly surprised.

Elizabeth Olsen is too young, and there's no news of her having a boyfriend or husband, so logically speaking, she doesn't fit Martin's usual aesthetic.

Martin went to the wine cellar and took a few bottles of wine. When he returned, Elizabeth said goodbye.

"My sister called and told me to go home early." Reluctantly, she glanced at Leonardo and Nicholson with a hint of annoyance. "Martin, you see me out."

Martin handed the wine to Leonardo and saw Elizabeth out.

Those two bastards were smart enough not to follow.

Martin walked her to the car and said, "The three of us are used to fooling around, don't mind us."

Elizabeth was bothered by it, but she didn't show it and said with a smile, "It's okay."

She opened the car door but didn't get in: "I'll call you later."

Martin nodded: "I'm always online."

Elizabeth wanted to get on the bus, but she was also reluctant. Her eighteenth birthday passed by in a daze.

We've been waiting for almost two years!

She turned around solemnly, opened her arms, and hugged Martin tightly.

A soft touch came from his chest, and red lips were right in front of him. As a good person, Martin would never refuse something so cruel that it would cause him lifelong pain.

So he kissed her without hesitation.

The two kissed passionately. Elizabeth felt Martin's intense advances and instinctively took a step back, bumping into the car door. The door slammed shut, and she leaned against the car body.

After a passionate kiss, Martin cupped her face in his hands: "I'll wait for your call."

Elizabeth nodded and finally got into the car, which drove toward the gate at a snail's pace.

The people on the bus kept looking back until they left the vehicle.

Martin went back and saw Leonardo and Nicholson, those two bastards, and asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

Nicholson messed with someone tonight, but ended up getting messed with in return. That shameless old bastard said, "I'd rather die here."

Martin glanced at Leonardo, who remained unmoved, then opened a bottle of Moutai, intending to teach those two bastards a lesson.

As a result, the two men were plied with alcohol and knocked to the ground by Martin.

Leonardo DiCaprio cried and shouted that Gisele Bündchen was his favorite.

Nicholson yelled that the biggest regret of his life was not taking advantage of Marlon Brando's youth to butterflix his ass.

Martin took a picture of it, and the next day, when the two bastards woke up, he sent a copy to each of them.

The two eventually fled in disarray, and Martin, demonstrating the professional ethics of a photographer, completely deleted the video recording.

He then went to Davis's studio and met Thomas and Chad.

"There's bad news," Thomas said first. "Yuen Woo-ping has declined our invitation."

Chad said, "In close-quarters combat, the teams in Hong Kong do have something special. Even though Hollywood is studying them, they are still far behind."

Because of the time constraints, Martin has more memories of the "John Wick" series, especially the close-quarters combat scenes, particularly the third and fourth installments. Keanu Reeves was older then, and his physique wasn't well-maintained, making him appear particularly clumsy, and the execution of the action sequences was relatively poor.

Of course, this is also related to the action design.

Chad continued, "I remember Yuen Woo-ping had a student who left his team. When filming the last two Matrix movies, it was that student who was actually training the actors and doing the action direction on set."

Martin remembered, it seemed to be the guy who filmed "Man of Tai Chi." He racked his brains trying to recall the name, and asked, "Chen Hu?"

“Yes, that’s his name,” Chad added. “People in Hollywood call him Tiger.”

Martin immediately told Thomas, "Find a way to contact this tiger, as soon as possible. Chad, if the tiger is willing to cooperate with us, you'll be in charge of the interview; you're the expert in this area."

Chad replied, "No problem."

Thomas was unaware of such a person in the industry: "Let me find out which agency he belongs to first."

Martin then inquired about the script's progress, and Chad and Bradett had already begun writing the first draft.

Bradley arrived quickly and discussed the relevant storyline with Martin and Chad.

Martin was very clear about the importance of the "you want my dog's life, I want your dog's life" topic, and the main storyline of the script was kept as concise and clear as possible.

In addition, the first installment also needs to establish a bit of the world view of the High Table.

As for whether it will be linked with other films, that will be something to consider after the first one is successful.

After Chad and Bradt left, Thomas and Martin went to the Warner Building together.

After Thomas contacted the production team of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", David Fincher requested to meet with Martin to have a personal talk.

Martin met this Hollywood black director in an ordinary office in the Warner building.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two got down to business.

David Fincher bluntly stated, "Originally, my first choice was Brad Pitt, and I hadn't considered anyone else, but unexpected circumstances forced me to make other choices."

Martin knew that Pitt had worked with Fincher on "Fight Club," and under normal circumstances, he couldn't compete with Pitt for Fincher's attention.

But Pete succumbed to the #MeToo wave.

"Last year, I heard that director Fincher was preparing this project." More than 90% of what Martin said was true: "I've read the original book and I really like the character of Benjamin Button. He has a special meaning to me."

They snatch women and their endorsement fees, and then snatch iconic movies and roles, finding a strange sense of satisfaction in it.

Nicholson, who had been a scoundrel for decades, once summarized his experience with the saying: "A scoundrel always needs to do some perverted things to get real satisfaction."

David Fincher was very curious: "Special significance?"

Martin subtly revealed his unique strengths: "Last year, I took on a role in Sam Mendes' film project 'The Reader,' acting opposite Kate Winslet. My character spanned from age 16 to 60. This unique acting experience was incredibly rewarding, and I want to challenge myself with more complex roles..."

David Fincher, having heard of *The Reader*, remarked, "Such an experience is indeed rare." He then asked, with a hint of inquiry, "What are your thoughts on Benjamin Button's childhood?"

Fortunately, Martin had recently read the original book carefully and had some memory of the movie. After thinking for a moment, he said, "My personal understanding of the characters in the novel is that this stage involves questioning the fragility of human life and emotions. Benjamin was surrounded by elderly people during his childhood and often faced death."

He tried his best to immerse himself in the role and experience everything: "Benjamin's psychological maturity was extremely low at that time; he was just a child. This was a huge psychological challenge, extremely difficult. I tried to imagine what would happen if I were a child facing a large group of 85-year-olds. I probably would have broken down."

David Fincher remained silent for a moment before deciding to end the meeting, saying directly, "You will participate in your third in-form audition. Once the audition date is confirmed, I will inform your agent."

Martin knew it was time to take his leave, and said, "It was a very pleasant meeting, and I hope we can reach an agreement."

David Fincher shook hands with Martin and saw him off.

Martin met up with Thomas and briefly explained what had happened during their conversation.

Thomas cautioned, "David Fincher's film projects are known in the industry for their long preparation times; your audition will take at least two months, and sometimes more than six months."

He added, "We also have an advantage in this project: Daniel, who has been working with us all along, is in charge of the film's distribution and has a certain amount of influence."

Martin said, "Let's wait patiently."

Currently, he has two projects he is focusing on for roles: Nolan's Batman sequel and this film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The two had just returned to Davis Studios when Louise came over from Pacific Film Studios across the street.

"I just replied to Alan Horn and turned down the investment offer for Terminator 4."

In the office, Louise handed Martin a copy of the script: "This is Jonathan Nolan's Batman movie script, currently codenamed Rory's First Kiss. ​​The official name of the project should be The Dark Knight."

Martin took the script and quickly flipped through it; the main plot was exactly as he remembered it.

"Thank you, honey." He then looked at Thomas: "Find a suitable opportunity to reply to Alan Horn and tell him that I need to prepare for two projects and my schedule doesn't fit."

(End of this chapter)