America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 495 Battle Goddess

The following morning, Martin met Steven Soderbergh, who had come all the way there, at the Davis Film Studios office.

Accompanying the bald director was an acquaintance of Martin's, his old neighbor Jenna Jones.

Soderbergh explained, "Jenna was the female lead I cast for the experimental film."

Martin shook hands with Jenna and said, "It's been a while. How is your father?"

"He's a good guy. He even attended the AVN Awards recently and witnessed me win another award," Jenna said with a smile. "You haven't come back to visit us neighbors since you moved."

Martin laughed and said, "I'll invite you, Mr. Jones, and Gillian to dinner another day."

After exchanging a few polite words, the three got down to business.

Soderbergh is arguably the most experimental director among Hollywood's top film directors, frequently making avant-garde and daring short films or experimental movies.

Experimental projects are unlikely to be profitable, so Soderbergh would never invest his own money and always seeks sponsorships from various sources.

Martin wouldn't have invested in his film if it weren't for the availability of funding from South Koreans.

It's impossible to screen it in theaters; if it's dumped on DVD and videotape, it might take five or six years or even longer to break even.

Soderbergh's experimental film was originally set in Manhattan, New York, with high-class prostitution as the protagonist and background. Because it involved extremely explicit scenes, it was difficult to find suitable actresses even in Hollywood, where taking off one's clothes is as common as eating and drinking. So he simply went to Saint Louis to find actresses.

Naturally, Jenna, who is known as the best actress in the San Valley, was chosen. The story was simply adjusted according to Jenna's background, and it was set in the San Valley and Los Angeles area. The female lead was also set up with the dual identity of an artist in the San Valley and a high-class escort.

This is also the most realistic situation for actresses from Saint Valley: while pursuing art, they also do some part-time jobs.

As for Soderbergh's comments about the thematic depth and deeper meaning of the experimental films, Martin seemed to listen very attentively, but in reality, he didn't care at all.

It wouldn't be difficult for Martin to leverage Soderbergh's reputation to secure investments from South Koreans.

Moreover, he arranged for someone to communicate with the South Korean side, and the South Korean side was willing to pay.

When Martin went to South Korea, he grasped the pulse of the South Korean film industry. Some of them and their companies, after winning awards at the three major European film festivals, set their sights on the Oscars.

I think the lollipops at my dad's house taste better.

Foreign films need cinematic artistry to win major Oscar awards, but an even more crucial factor is where they stand.

Soderberg only needed a $180 million investment, and after Martin mentioned Cannes, he readily agreed to make a call to Isabelle Huppert.

Although the two had never worked together, they had developed a certain relationship in the 1990s.

Isabelle Huppert is the president of the jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Martin wasn't very familiar with purely European filmmakers. The biggest impression Isabelle Huppert left on him was her shocking film, "Mother, the Limits of Love," which even the Cannes Film Festival, which was so open that it dared to publicly screen films like "3 Farts," refused to have the film screened.

Soderbergh was the first to leave, but Jenna, the lead actress in his new film, stayed.

This wasn't the first time the two sides had collaborated, so Jenna asked directly, "Can we discuss the adaptation rights for John Wick: The Holy Grail movie?"

Martin nodded: "Go talk to Jessica."

Jenna brought up another matter: "You're friends with Julie and Aniston, right?"

This gossip is known throughout the United States and is widely circulated, so Martin has no need to deny it: "The relationship is pretty good."

"I heard some news recently." Jenna's company is one of the largest in Saint Valley, so she has access to a lot of the latest news in that circle.

She said, "A company next door to me is supposedly going to sign Brad Pitt and build a super series around him."

Martin was somewhat surprised: "Pete went to the Sacred Valley?"

Jenna explained in detail: "This news was all over my circle. People like Jenna, Kaden, and Jessica were all very eager to work with Pitt."

She changed the subject: "They were probably going to sign the contract, but recent news says Pitt rejected the lucrative deal, saying he wants to return to Hollywood. Are there still people in Hollywood offering him movie roles?"

Martin shook his head slightly. The biggest feminist organization in Hollywood, #MeToo, has two major opinion leaders, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston. One is Pitt's ex-girlfriend, and the other is Pitt's ex-wife. They wish they could throw Pitt into the Pacific Ocean to feed the fish.

Whenever a film crew hires a character, #MeToo will inevitably launch a collective attack.

Martin countered, "Haven't you heard what he's going to do when he returns to Hollywood?"

"No," Jenna said honestly. "The company that wants to sign Pete is our competitor."

Martin said, "Do me a favor and find out what's going on with Pete in your circle. Call me if you have any new information."

Jenna readily agreed: "No problem."

Martin kept this in mind and made a special call to Bruce and Thomas, asking them to keep an eye on Pete's latest situation.

In addition, have Bruce hire a professional female bodyguard to accompany Lily and Elizabeth.

Martin thought for a moment, then called Julie and Aniston separately.

There was nothing unusual on their end; in fact, they invited Martin to play poker at the hotel.

Martin, unable to refuse his hospitality, went to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Unlike before, this time the two were vying for the position in front of Martin, while the other person pushed Martin's back.

After several attempts, they found that the position in front of them was the most comfortable.

The harder the one pushing from behind uses, the more enjoyable it is for the one in front.

Julie and Aniston argued endlessly about it.

Martin held them down and smacked each of them in the face several times with a stick before they calmly took turns switching places.

After playing cards, the three of them had lunch together.

The hotel restaurant wasn't crowded. As Aniston ate, she said, "You don't need to worry about Pete. He'll be completely finished soon."

Jolie chimed in, "They'll never be able to turn things around!"

Martin swallowed the steak in his mouth and asked, "What did you do that I don't know about?"

Aniston and Julie looked at each other and smiled, no longer bickering like enemies as before, but instead showing a special understanding between people of the same origin.

Martin deliberately frowned: "Stop beating around the bush, confess now, or you'll get a beating!"

Julie chuckled, "We like to be slapped in the face with a stick, so we won't say anything!"

Aniston was more compliant with Martin, saying, "After I married Pitt, our assets were always separate. A few years ago, when the real estate market was booming, Pitt invested tens of millions of dollars in Fannie Mae. Last year, due to the economic recession, Fannie Mae was forced to delist, and Pitt's shares could not be liquidated."

Martin had also heard about this, and immediately nodded slightly.

Julie retorted, "Did he hit you hard enough and make you feel good? Talk to me, just say it!"

Martin looked at Julie: "Do you have any other conditions?"

Julie's eyes kept darting around: "Honey, could you call Elizabeth Olsen over? We can have the four of us."

"Shut up!" Aniston snapped. "The three of us are already crowded!"

Julie shrugged and said nothing more.

Martin looked at Aniston: "Let's continue."

Aniston said, "Pitt needs money and definitely wants to revitalize this asset. Jolie and I secretly found someone to set up a scheme for him, proving to Pitt that we could revitalize the money with just around ten million dollars."

Martin asked, "Pete took the bait?"

Julie chimed in, "We secretly sent people to spread the word at San Gabriel Valley, and sure enough, some companies there were interested in Pitt and approached him. Pitt was initially tempted by the offers from San Gabriel Valley, but he recently left the Valley. We don't know exactly where he went in Los Angeles."

Martin finally understood why Pete had become involved with Saint Graham; it turned out that the two of them had secretly made some moves.

"You guys are amazing." Martin already knew that ex-wives and ex-girlfriends who knew the inside story could be incredibly dangerous if they really turned against each other.

On second thought, Leonardo DiCaprio has been around for so many years, and none of his ex-girlfriends have come out to expose his dirty secrets or scandals. At most, they've said things like his relationships were short-lived. He's really not an ordinary person.

Martin cautioned, "You should be careful lately."

Julie reached out and scratched Martin's palm: "Whatever Pitt wants to do, your first target will be you. You stole Pitt's woman, house, and endorsements. As long as you stand in front of us and don't fall, Pitt won't target us."

Martin found Julie's words to be so reasonable that they were impossible to refute.

Aniston said, "To deal with Pete, we'll definitely push you hard from behind."

Previously, Martin had been pushing them from behind, and they stood up to confront Pete head-on, like fighting goddesses.

Julie, still determined, said, "How about this, Martin, you call Elizabeth over, and the four of us can discuss it together! I can assure you, we'll have someone throw Pete into the sea!"

Martin finished eating, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and saw that the two of them had already put down their cutlery. They were dragging Julie with one hand and Aniston with the other, heading straight upstairs.

"Jane, I'll control Angie in a bit," he said as he walked. "You bump into me from behind, about ten meters away, and sprint into my back like you're going to run a hundred meters."

Aniston immediately retorted, "I've been working out and running all the time."

Upstairs, back in their room, Martin released Julie and held out a hand to Aniston: "Where's your clown statue? Give it to me. I'm going to teach this crazy woman a lesson today!"

Aniston opened her bag, intending to take the one she used, but remembering how hateful Julie was, she took out the 40-centimeter-tall version that she had specially ordered from Lily.

Julie, a saint and a staunch freedom fighter, how could she be afraid? She spread her arms and declared loudly, "Though I lost Elizabeth, I gained precious freedom!"

She remained resolute and fearless: "Let the war rage on!"

(End of this chapter)