America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 397 Grievance

As darkness fell, the black sedan drove into the gate.

Bruce parked the car and said to Martin in the back seat, "I'm going to see Kohler. I won't be back tonight."

Martin reminded them, "Take any gifts the sponsors send."

Bruce didn't stand on ceremony. He went to the garage, grabbed a few things, got into an ordinary Ford, and left the house.

Elizabeth saw the door close and leaped up to pounce on Martin.

Martin quickly caught her, picked her up, and carried her towards the villa, slapping her once on the shoulder as he did so; she felt really good.

Elizabeth, full of energy, suggested upon seeing the pool in the front yard, "Let's go swimming. Whoever swims the fastest will be in control tonight."

It was a bit chilly at night in October, and Martin patted her again: "It won't work at night, the water's too cold, and my pool doesn't have a heater."

Elizabeth, who had grown up in comfortable circumstances, asked directly, "Isn't there an indoor swimming pool?"

Martin wasn't embarrassed and said, "The house is a bit small, no."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck: "Let's work together, and these things will come soon."

"Okay," Martin replied habitually, then realized something was off.

Elizabeth took the initiative to give him a passionate kiss, and the two became intimate as soon as they entered the villa.

The villa, which Lily used to clean every week, quickly became a mess, as if a world war had taken place.

Elizabeth didn't have time to visit Martin's house until she woke up the next morning.

On the second floor, in a side room, she discovered a bedroom decorated in an extremely feminine style.

Martin said, "This is Lily's house. She's my sister in Atlanta, and she's studying in California now. She sometimes comes to stay with me."

Elizabeth had more to say: "Should I move in with you?"

"In a while?" Martin was telling the truth: "You know, the Benjamin crew is about to go out of town to film, and they may not be back for a long time."

Elizabeth also got a role in the production: "That's right, we'll talk about it when you get back."

Martin led her downstairs, saying as they walked, "I'm looking for a new place. This one is a bit small and lacks amenities; you might not be used to it."

Elizabeth was delighted to hear Martin's words.

She felt that Martin's suggestion to find a new house was partly due to consideration of her lifestyle.

Compared to her own home where she had lived for ten years, this place was indeed quite cramped. There was no space to swim in the indoor pool, and the living room wasn't even as big as her dining room.

Elizabeth was raised in luxury, but she also had her own ideas: "Let's find a nice house together? If you're short on cash, I have some savings."

Martin laughed and shook his head: "I could earn tens of millions of dollars a month."

Elizabeth exclaimed with genuine admiration, "Martin, you're truly amazing!"

Martin pulled her to the underground storage room: "Here, I'll give you some good stuff."

Elizabeth followed Martin to the storage room, where Martin opened a metal cabinet and took out several gift boxes.

Martin handed two to Elizabeth, saying, "These are Lily's creations. One is a clown statue she meticulously hand-carved, and the other is a figurine with two Australian saltwater crocodile tooth pendants."

Recognizing the trend of these becoming ubiquitous in Hollywood, he added, "I've given them to many friends and crew members. Keep them if you're interested."

Elizabeth opened it and looked at it carefully, saying, "It's beautiful, I like it very much."

Martin opened the safe again, took out a mahogany gift box, and after opening it, lifted the black velvet cloth, inside was a full green bracelet that Wu Maoting had given him.

Elizabeth picked it up, and under the light, the bracelet shone brightly. She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful!"

Martin said, "Here, wear it."

Elizabeth put it on her wrist.

After touring the house, Martin took Elizabeth out for breakfast, first dropping her off at her home, and then heading to Benjamin's studio.

As soon as I entered the lobby, the receptionist from the film crew came over and whispered, "Martin, have you seen this? Our film crew has made big news."

Martin asked, "What's going on?"

The girl lowered her voice even further: "TMZ reported that Cate Blanchett used yesterday's incident to vent her resentment towards older white men. The report said that Blanchett believes she should have won Best Actress in 1999, not Gwyneth Paltrow, and that the Academy's bias towards older white men led to the upset."

Martin knew that Jody wouldn't disappoint.

He had already figured this out from numerous news reports; otherwise, he would have had Bruce find a new partner long ago.

Martin nodded: "Well done."

The girl smiled and said, "I'm glad I could help you."

This reception desk was one of the information gathering tools that Bruce helped Martin develop on set.

Martin then asked, "Did Blanchett come today?"

"No." The receptionist had plenty of information: "Blancett is on leave."

Martin ignored all that and went to the special effects studio to start his work for the day.

…………

In a house in Santa Monica, Cate Blanchett flipped through the newspapers and magazines in front of her, all of which were reposts of the latest entertainment news disclosed by TMZ.

Among them was her angry rebuke of Nicholson.

Blanchett was still furious: "Jack Nicholson provoked me first. If he hadn't gone too far, I wouldn't have said those things. I was furious with him at the time. He kept trying to provoke me."

This wasn't a one-time event, but rather an emotional breakdown that escalated from Toronto to Pinewood Studios and then to Los Angeles.

Actors are naturally emotionally expressive, especially when their anger level is constantly accumulating.

Agent Helda Quirley pressed her hands down: "Kate, calm down. The issue right now isn't the cause of the incident."

Public relations manager Dana pointed to the newspapers and magazines on the table: "Because TMZ was the first to disclose it, print media such as The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly did not follow the traditional procedure of contacting me or Querrey beforehand. Now that it has been published in publications that can have a significant impact in the industry, we have to consider the consequences."

She took the laptop, opened the video on TMZ, and showed it to Blanchett.

Blanchett roared, "Despicable! Shameless!"

"That's not the point." Dana played the most crucial sentences and circled media reports several more times: "These words came from your mouth, and the video is proof."

Blanchett gradually understood Dana's meaning: "Nicholson first provoked me to get angry, and then deliberately misled me."

Dana shook her head: "What those people see isn't necessarily the truth as they understand it. Perhaps they think Nicholson is professing his love for you, and his romantic gesture shows sincerity. More importantly, Nicholson is American, one of those old men, one of the white men you angrily cursed. And you, Kate, you're just an Australian..."

Blanchett had already figured out who the old men Dana was talking about were.

Querrey chimed in, "Queen Elizabeth II is about to start its limited release, and you want to use this film to compete for the Oscar for Best Actress."

Dana suggested, "Kate, I recommend that you issue a public apology as soon as possible."

Blanchett nodded: "Okay, I'll apologize for my careless words."

Dana's suggestions didn't stop there: "There's also Nicholson."

"No, I absolutely refuse!" Blanchett couldn't accept it at all: "Nicholson started all of this."

Quirley knew that Nicholson was the culprit, but things don't usually go according to who's right and who's wrong. She could only advise, "Nicholson didn't say anything flirtatious or do anything inappropriate except to express his love for you."

Blanchett sadly discovered that this was indeed the case, but she truly could not accept it: "I can publicly apologize for harsh words, apologize to the group of older white men, even say I was wrong and ask for their forgiveness, but I cannot accept apologizing to Nicholson personally."

She simply used her ultimate weapon: "I'm a woman, and he's a man!"

Dana, who has worked as an entertainment public relations manager for many years, has a deep understanding of the industry: "In most cases, this is very effective, but you are dealing with a more sensitive group who still hold great power in the academy."

Blanchett insisted, "I'd rather skip this year's Oscars."

"If you give up, will the production team agree?" Queenie reminded her of the seriousness of the matter: "The film's award focus is on the Best Actress award. If you voluntarily give up, what will Universal Pictures and various investment funds think? Hollywood is short of money right now, and you may be blacklisted by some investment funds."

Blanchett's attitude showed no sign of wavering.

Querrey was getting really anxious: "Kate, think about this carefully, this isn't just about one Oscar! Many actors who aren't favored by the Academy, did they really do anything really outrageous? They just said a few words casually, and what happened? They've been held grudges for years."

She stated some harsh realities: "You've always followed the path of pursuing awards through art. What do you plan to do if your path to the Oscars is blocked? Do you have the appeal of Julia Roberts or Cameron Diaz? If you do, you can still become a superstar without worrying about those older white men. Once your path in art is cut off, your acting career will be over very quickly!"

Blanchett lowered her head slightly, seemingly pondering Querry's words.

Seeing that her attitude had softened, Dana quickly said, "As long as we remedy the situation in time, things won't get that serious; at most, it will only affect this awards season."

Querrey added, "You've already won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, don't you want to win the Oscar for Best Actress? Once you've won the Best Actress award, you can find a way to retaliate."

She gave an example: "Maybe by then, Nicholson will be as destitute as Marlon Brando."

Blanchett let out a long breath, trying to release all the pent-up frustration in her chest.

Although she knew that with Martin Davis and Leonardo on the team, Nicholson couldn't become the next Marlon Brando, what other options did she have at this moment?

Does accusing Nicholson of harassment completely offend the white male community?

Blanchett forcibly suppressed her inner resentment and slowly said, "Dana, please help me draft a speech and find a suitable time to face the media."

Dana said, "I'll do it right away."

Quirley gently patted Blanchett's hand: "A temporary setback is for better development in the future."

(End of this chapter)