America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 466 The Good Neighbor Doesn't Have the Surname Wang

As darkness fell, the lights in the courtyard came on, and Martin and Elizabeth stood in front of the fountain, welcoming their guests as the hostess.

Leonardo and Nicholson arrived early.

Martin's core team, including Menez, Chad, Marcus, and Bradt, also arrived.

Luxury cars drove into the northern section of Sunset Boulevard.

Soon, the road in front of Martin's house was lined with parked cars.

Because it's a gated community, paparazzi who came to join the fun could only wait outside the community and couldn't get any photos or videos.

Martin greeted one guest after another, but the only one that surprised him was Wes Craven coming over in person.

In the past two years, the old man's health has not been very good, and he rarely goes out to have fun anymore.

Martin only extended the invitation as a courtesy.

Craven looked around Martin's new house and said, "A very beautiful house, and an even more beautiful lady of the house."

Elizabeth smiled sweetly.

Martin said, "There were also very lively parties."

Craven glanced at it and said, "I still miss that party where Jason and Freddy came out together. It's a pity I'm too old to play those games anymore."

Elizabeth was curious, was she talking about Jason vs. Freddy?

Martin said with a smile, "When do we have time to wash our faces together again?"

Craven waved his hand and said, "I won't go. These activities aren't for me anymore. But Martin, you have to remember one thing: we Face Gang's traditions must never be lost!"

Martin said very seriously, "The Face Gang's traditions must never be lost."

Craven patted Martin on the shoulder: "Become a superstar soon." He pointed ahead: "I'm going to talk to some old friends."

Martin watched him walk to the lawn on the left, where Leonardo and Nicholson, who had washed their faces together, along with Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, and others, were gathered.

Elizabeth said softly, "I can tell you respect Director Craven."

Martin said, "Without Craven's guidance, I probably wouldn't have developed so smoothly."

Thomas then strode over and said, "Ali and Jim Witt are here."

These two were the top figures at WMA. Martin stepped forward to greet them, and after walking a short distance, Ali and Jim came towards him.

Martin shook hands with them and gestured for Elizabeth to accept the gifts they brought.

Ali spotted the group of older white men at a glance and said to Martin, "Jim and I will go talk to them about the Oscars."

Martin retorted without mincing words: "There are some things I can't say, and Thomas isn't qualified either."

WMA still doesn't have a single super-large client, but Ali saw hope in Martin: "Leave this to me."

Jim also told Martin, "You were nominated for Best Supporting Actor the year before last, and Best Actor last year. You're no longer a complete newcomer; you've already gained experience."

The two of them went hand in hand to the place where the older white men were gathered.

Besides veteran actors, prominent Los Angeles critics such as Kenneth Turan and Todd McCarthy also gathered in this small circle.

Nicholson, who was thoroughly enjoying his role as commander, steered the conversation toward Martin and the Joker: "When it comes to good acting, you can't ignore Martin. He played a comic book superhero character so well."

He was having a great time and didn't mind praising his younger brother: "To be honest, the clown I played wasn't as good as Martin."

"It's rare to see someone so humble," Warren Beatty said.

Nicholson took a glass of wine from the waiter and said, "I'm only saying this to you guys in private. I'll never admit it outside. Jack Nicholson gets an Oscar, and Martin gets zero!"

The group burst into laughter.

Ali chimed in at the opportune moment: "Martin is indeed a very dedicated person. In Hollywood today, how many young actors are willing to immerse themselves in darkness and solitude to truly understand the inner world of their characters?"

These older white men have the utmost contempt for young actors who become incredibly arrogant after achieving fame easily, and the persona Martin created perfectly suits their tastes.

Warren Beatty said, "Indeed, Martin perfectly captured the character's darkness, madness, and perversion."

Kenneth Turan, chief film critic for the Los Angeles Times, views Martin Scorsese today with the same satisfaction he feels watching a student he personally mentored grow step by step.

It was a strange feeling, yet it could affect one's emotions. He continued, "A performance that went straight to the bone! Martin made such a complex character as the Joker into a role that everyone respected."

Leonardo casually remarked, "That bastard Martin, after playing the Joker, he really became a complete bastard. He's been seeing a therapist for a while now and has had a long break to finally get over it."

Ali added, "Many people around me say they fell in love with a movie because of a villain. Martin played a supporting role, but he stole the show from the main character."

He specifically pointed out: "When was the last time such a classic villain appeared? I remember now, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter!"

"The Joker is indeed comparable to Hannibal Lecter," Warren Beatty said slowly. "If this weren't a comic book adaptation, I'd even vote for Martin for Best Actor."

Ali said, half-jokingly, "Shouldn't a Best Supporting Actor award be acceptable?"

This is an inherent disadvantage of non-realistic themes. If The Dark Knight weren't closer to a realistic crime film, these people probably wouldn't even be interested in discussing it.

The discussion here is in full swing.

Meanwhile, Martin was greeting Charlize Theron and a man whose name he couldn't recall.

"It's an honor for us to have you here." Martin, the host, said nothing but nice things tonight.

Charlize Theron's gaze swept past Martin and landed on the numerous directors, actors, and producers. Knowing she hadn't made a mistake coming tonight, she smiled and said, "Martin, we're neighbors, no need to be so polite."

Martin said, "In my hometown of Atlanta, there's a saying: 'A good neighbor is better than a relative.'"

The premise is that the good neighbor's surname is not Wang.

Charlize laughed: "That makes a lot of sense."

Stuart Townsend seemed a little impatient.

In reality, this couple, where the woman is more successful than the man, has had several intense conflicts.

For some reason, Stuart didn't quite like Martin. He quietly tugged at Charlize and pointed to the distance to the right: "I see a friend. Shall we go say hello?"

Martin smiled and said, "Please, make yourselves at home."

Elizabeth watched Charlize's retreating figure with a hint of envy: "She has such a great figure, a natural clothes hanger."

Martin remained nonchalant in her presence: "She's just a clothes hanger."

Charlize Theron is tall, has long legs, broad shoulders, and a large frame. She looks exceptionally good in the right clothes, but if she takes them off... well, she doesn't seem bad either.

Martin vaguely remembered that this actress, who had a long-standing tradition of winning an Oscar, often took off her clothes in front of the camera.

The engaged couple also talked about their new neighbor.

"This person makes a very bad impression on me. I'll avoid him in the future." In contrast to their wealth and fame, Stewart was very assertive in front of Charlize.

Charlize said, "He has a pretty good reputation in the industry."

Stuart looked around and, seeing no one was around, whispered, "He doesn't seem like a good person to me. I told you to stay away from him, so you should."

Charlize didn't want to argue in this place, so she took the initiative to back down: "I understand."

The last person to arrive was David Fincher. He shook hands with Martin and said, "I've been busy with post-production on 'Benjamin' all day and lost track of time."

"It's alright," Martin asked. "Haven't you had dinner yet?"

David Fincher has been incredibly busy lately: "I didn't even have lunch this morning."

Martin simply took him to the dining area.

David Fincher didn't stand on ceremony; he decided to fill his stomach first before talking about anything else.

After eating some barbecue and having a drink, he said, "Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures have submitted the film for the competition section of next year's Cannes Film Festival. Remember to reserve a slot for mid-May next year, so we can go and experience the romance of France together."

Martin asked deliberately, "David, it seems you've experienced the romance of France?"

David Fincher said, "I would love to experience the romance of Isabelle Adjani, but I've never had the chance. My former French goddess has grown old."

Martin asked, "I remember she's been single since she broke up with Daniel Day-Lewis."

David Fincher shook his head repeatedly: "Even if I were single, I wouldn't pursue her. I can only admire goddesses from afar because I won't get married; marriage is too terrifying."

Hearing him mention how terrible marriage is, Martin suddenly remembered that Gillian Flynn had just started writing a novel and said, "By the way, I have a novel here about love and marriage. The themes and background are rather dark. I think it would be good to adapt it into a movie. Would you like to take a look?"

David Fincher immediately became interested: "A dark marriage?"

Martin roughly said, "It's a thrilling and darkly humorous tale of a couple going from loving each other to hurting each other."

David Fincher knew Martin as a very serious person at work. Seeing his high praise, he said, "Perfect timing. You're going to the set for post-production dubbing in a couple of days. I'll take a look when you bring it over."

"Okay, I'll bring the manuscript over then." Martin had seen films directed by David Fincher in his previous life, and now that he had collaborated with Fincher and they had a good relationship, he naturally prioritized contacting Fincher.

David Fincher understood: "The work isn't finished yet?"

Martin nodded: "The original author is a deputy editor of an entertainment weekly. The novel is only partially completed. My studio has already signed a film and television adaptation agreement with her, and it may take about another year for the novel to be fully completed."

David Fincher calculated the timeline and found that "Benjamin" wouldn't be released for another year, which was about the same as the release date.

After Martin finished his brief chat with David Fincher and met up with Elizabeth, he mingled among the guests, fully displaying the hospitality of a host.

(End of this chapter)