America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 494 Have Fun and Stay Safe (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)

"Are you sure Martin came to the party?"

Walking through the crowd, Tom Cruise asked his assistant, who was beside him, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

The assistant quickly replied, "It's confirmed. I went to the entrance and asked. Martin came with Leonardo and Nicholson."

Suddenly, a cheer erupted. Tom Cruise turned to look and saw that not far away, more than 20 girls were playing a game with three men.

Among them, sandwiched between four or five girls like meat patties, is Martin Davis, one of Hollywood's most popular male stars right now.

In terms of popularity and buzz from last year to this year, even Tom Cruise would have to concede defeat.

But this delicious soup has been simmering in Hollywood for nearly thirty years and hasn't gone bad, which shows he's a smart man.

Finding a suitable opportunity, Tom Cruise walked over and greeted him, "Hi, Martin."

Hearing the voice, Martin turned around and saw Tom Cruise. Slightly surprised, he spat out the strap of his bra that he had just untied and went up to shake hands with him: "Tom, you're my idol."

He'd said this countless times, and it sounded completely genuine: "Back then, 'Top Gun' shocked me so much I almost became an air force pilot. Later, 'Mission: Impossible' made me consider joining the CIA, but unfortunately, I'm not educated enough, so they wouldn't accept me. Otherwise, I would have been in big trouble!"

Tom Cruise laughed and said, "Your two most recent movies were fantastic. Now I'm a fan of yours."

"We're mutual fans?" Martin gestured to the pretty girls around them and asked, "Want to hang out together? That would be fun."

Tom Cruise waved his hand: "Want to talk somewhere alone?"

Martin handed the corset back to Holly and said, "You two play by yourselves for a while."

Holly put it on: "I know where's a good place to talk business, shall we?"

Martin and Tom Cruise followed her to the backyard, which was much quieter than the bustling front yard. There were some tables and chairs scattered on the porch and lawn for people to rest.

Holly asked the waiter for wine and glasses, placed them on the table under the gazebo, and pointed to the distance: "I'm over there. Call me anytime if you need anything."

Martin nodded slightly, and only after she had walked away did he ask, "Tom, what did you want to see me about?"

Cruise opened the bottle, poured two glasses of wine, and said directly, "I'd like to learn from your secrets to success."

Martin was quite surprised: "You're Tom Cruise! My idol, Tom Cruise!"

With a 30-year acting career, Cruise has experienced a lot, and he said with a smile, "That doesn't stop you from being more successful than me in the last three years."

He raised his glass to Martin: "Countless examples tell me that learning from the strengths of successful people makes it easier to succeed."

Martin gave the same response, had a drink with him, and said, "Actually, everything I've done is out in the open; there's nothing special about it."

Seeing that Martin didn't refuse, Cruise asked directly, "Your action scenes in 'John Wick' were particularly outstanding. Did you perform all those high-difficulty action scenes yourself?"

"High difficulty?" Martin thought for a moment and said, "The really high-difficulty action scenes were all done by stunt doubles; the insurance company wouldn't allow me to take the risk."

Cruise frowned: "Impossible, those long takes..."

Martin said, "I did all the long takes myself. I rehearsed them a few times. It wasn't difficult."

Cruise realized that the two men's understanding of the difficulty of the moves was on completely different levels.

He believes that the extremely difficult move is not difficult for Martin to do, and may even be very easy, so much so that even the insurance company has no objection.

Cruise said, "No wonder you didn't emphasize the high-difficulty action scenes you performed yourself in your marketing campaign."

These words reminded Martin, who slapped his forehead lightly: "We overlooked this aspect; it was originally a great point for publicity."

Cruise, however, figured out the reason: "Warner Bros. thinks it's normal for you to do these things, the crew thinks it's normal for you to do these things, so they don't think there's anything to promote or market about these things."

Martin thought about it and realized that made sense. He picked up the bottle, poured drinks for the two of them, and toasted Cruise: "Thanks for reminding me."

Cruise clinked glasses with him: "Even if I don't say it, you'll figure it out soon enough."

The two chatted for a while longer, and Martin noticed that Tom Cruise was adopting a rather humble attitude.

A superstar who has been popular for nearly 30 years, unlike Depp and others who ruined their careers, has remained popular for a long time, which naturally has its merits.

Cruise thought for a moment: "I'm not as old or physically fit as you. If I'm going to do action scenes, how can I create a selling point like 'John Wick'?"

This is what troubles him, Brad Bird, and the entire team the most.

In the last decade, by learning from Hong Kong's action style, Hollywood has basically exhausted all the action routines that can be played.

John Wick emerged out of nowhere and was immediately hailed as a classic of a new type of action film.

Tom Cruise felt it was only natural to learn from successful people.

Martin tentatively asked, "Excuse me, Tom, are you planning to make a sequel to Mission: Impossible?"

Cruise laughed: "The fourth installment is already in the works."

Martin considered it briefly. Tom Cruise represented a major force in Hollywood. Even if he didn't say anything, the other side would probably figure it out after a while. Why not curry favor with him?

It's a spy thriller from the start.

He paused to gather his thoughts and said, "Personally, I think Mission: Impossible and John Wick are completely different in style. Using the action patterns of John Wick would greatly diminish the effect."

Tom Cruise listened attentively and nodded slightly.

Martin continued, "Tom, I can do those moves because I've trained hard for years."

Considering his past life as a stunt double, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's spent ten years honing his skills: "Since it's an impossible mission, why not go all out? Find one of the world's top super landmarks, climb it yourself, pilot a plane yourself, or do a skydive or something. Then the publicity will be that you personally accomplished it, and the publicity effect... BOOM, explosive!"

Cruise thought of someone: "Jack Chen from Hong Kong?"

Martin nodded: "Go even further than him, a super landmark plus the most modern transportation, plus high altitudes, mountains, and cliffs! You're one of Hollywood's top superstars, performing yourself, how many people will be amazed?"

Martin glanced at Cruise and, seeing that he was really listening, emphasized, "It can also create an image of super professionalism and salvage your image."

This last sentence made Cruise take Martin's words even more seriously.

Tom Cruise has had a rough few years. Since firing his agent, coupled with messy family affairs, scandals and negative news have been emerging one after another.

It was only because he had painstakingly built up his strength over more than 20 years that the situation did not collapse.

Why reboot Mission: Impossible? Because this series is the most reliable and can help him reverse his decline.

Tom Cruise poured himself another drink and said, "Martin, I'd like to toast you."

Martin raised his glass: "You're welcome."

Tom Cruise clinked glasses with him and said, "I owe you a favor."

Martin didn't say anything, but downed his drink.

Tom Cruise exchanged business cards with Martin, saying, "Give me a call if you ever need my help."

Martin replied without hesitation, "I will."

Tom Cruise left quickly.

Holly walked over from a distance and asked, "Are you finished talking?"

Martin stood up: "Shall we go back and continue our game?"

Holly accompanied him back to the front yard, saying as they walked, "Let's play a few more rounds, then I'll call my girlfriends and we'll go out and have some fun together."

Three people approached, their clothes disheveled.

The man's pajamas were nowhere to be found; he was only wearing a pair of elephant trunk shorts, which swung from side to side as he walked, making it rather comical.

He put his arms around the shoulders of a girl on each side, and the three of them were already moving their hands and mouths in unison, as if they were looking for a suitable spot.

Martin noticed the man looked familiar, but couldn't remember his name. He glanced at him a couple more times before walking past them.

Holly, ever perceptive, whispered, "That's Charlie Sheen, a Hollywood star who's acted in Platoon and Two and a Half Men."

Martin immediately recognized the person and the name: "Charlie Sheen! Does he come here often?"

Holly casually remarked, "He comes occasionally, and each time he brings a few girls with him. Don't worry, I've never gone out with him..."

Martin cursed under his breath, quickened his pace towards the front yard, but instead of going to the game area, he found Bruce, who had been watching him from a distance.

He said directly, "If it's urgent, call Chad, Marcus, and Thomas and have them come to my place. Tell the housekeeper to prepare some wine and supper. I'll go find Leo and Jack."

Bruce didn't understand what was happening, but he did as instructed.

Holly asked, "Are you leaving?"

Martin pulled out a check he had prepared beforehand and slipped it into Holly's pocket: "It's just a small token of my appreciation. Thank you for your service. I had a great time tonight, but I have an urgent matter to attend to and must go."

Holly pulled out the check, glanced at the number, and was very satisfied. She smiled and said, "Next time you come, be sure to look for me."

Martin nodded casually and went to find Leonardo and Nicholson, hoping that the two bastards hadn't been blinded by beauty.

When he heard Charlie Sheen's name, he recalled a widely circulated rumor from his past life that Charlie Sheen had been diagnosed with AIDS, causing panic among everyone in Hollywood.

People might be suspicious of each other's private interactions and flirting, but putting it in this kind of setting...

Martin didn't remember the exact year, but safety was the top priority in this kind of thing.

Among a group of women, he found Nicholson and Leonardo, who were just playing around.

"Something urgent, want to come with me?" he seemed to ask, but instead pulled Leonardo and Nicholson up with him. "Come on, let's go to my place for a drink."

"I haven't been here long," Leonardo said, puzzled.

Nicholson, a shrewd old man, noticed Martin's seriousness and patted Leonardo on the shoulder: "Let's go."

The three of them didn't go looking for Hefner; they got in the car and drove off.

Leonardo asked, "What happened?"

Martin said, "I just saw a lot of girls having sex in the backyard without any protection. This is definitely not a one-off thing. There have been rumors about AIDS in the industry before. I think we should stay away from here."

He looked at Nicholson: "Jack, can you handle Jennifer Lawrence alone?"

Nicholson, rubbing his aching back, said, "Ah, I'm getting old."

Martin then asked Leonardo, "How can you date so many supermodels?"

Leonardo thought it made sense: "This place is indeed a bit low-class."

Martin shrugged: "We want to have fun, but we also want to be safe, right?"

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(End of this chapter)