America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 551 It's too hard to be a good person

Los Angeles, at the headquarters of Martin's fan club, Phoebe is checking the promotional materials that Jessica sent over.

Rachel arrived with a large group of fans to collect the event items they would need for the afternoon.

The cast and crew of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are going to a promotional event to show their support.

Phoebe went around handing out posters and banners.

A male fan asked, "Some media reports say that Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, and Brad Pitt orchestrated the 'illegitimate child' incident, instructing Toni Fairman to frame Martin. Is that true?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, what the newspapers reported is true. The LAPD has arrested those three bastards!"

Immediately, someone shouted angrily, "They've gone too far!"

"I've said it before, Martin must have been framed. Many people online still don't believe it. They want to smear Martin, and they can always find a reason to do so."

"With Martin's charm, why would he need to force himself? If he wanted, what kind of woman wouldn't he have?"

"My friend works as a photographer in the fashion industry, and I heard that Victoria's Secret supermodels' favorite male celebrity right now isn't Leonardo DiCaprio, but Martin Scorsese. Apparently, Martin Scorsese is even a prerequisite for becoming a supermodel!"

"How do I get verified?"

Hearing these people's comments vulgarizing them, Rachel quickly spoke up to stop them, saying loudly, "This afternoon's event will not only focus on supporting Martin, but also on calling on all parties to pay attention to this incident and severely punish the culprits who framed Martin!"

Phoebe chimed in, "If we don't punish them severely, next time Bonnie or Jenny might pop up, grab any baby and claim it's Martin's child. Martin won't have to work anymore, he'll be providing us with high-quality films, and we won't be able to handle all of this."

Others voiced their support.

"Yes, the murderer must be severely punished!"

"They must pay the price!"

"We need to put pressure on the Los Angeles justice system!"

Rachel opened a box, took out various posters and banners that had been prepared in advance, and distributed them to the leaders of the various fan groups.

Rachel and Phoebe organized several hundred people to participate in today's interactive event.

…………

At Los Angeles International Airport, Martin saw Elizabeth and Lily off and headed to the Hollywood Bowl to prepare for a promotional event for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

The Olsen twins' fashion promotional activities in Milan were not yet over. After confirming that Martin was alright, Elizabeth returned to Europe to continue her busy brand promotion work, after all, she is the brand's third largest individual shareholder.

Lily was going to Rome and Florence for a visit and study, and she went to Italy with them on the way.

When Martin arrived near the Hollywood Bowl, he saw that it was already packed with people.

The crowd wearing red T-shirts practically took over Highland Boulevard north of Hollywood.

Upon seeing the black Cadillac Escalade, the men realized Martin had arrived.

The sound rang out in near unison.

"Martin! Martin!"

All the people in red T-shirts shouted in unison, "Martin! Martin!"

Martin didn't dare open the car window, so he asked Bruce to open the sunroof. He stood up, waved to both sides, and smiled and nodded to express his gratitude to his supporters.

The event organizers' security personnel formed a human wall, creating a path to allow the Cadillac Escalade to drive into the theater's back entrance.

As Martin approached the door, he picked up the electronic megaphone he always kept in his car and shouted, "Thank you for your support!"

A loud response came from outside.

Even after the back doors of the Grand Theatre closed, thousands of people outside were still chanting Martin's name.

As the main gate opened, groups of people in red T-shirts entered the venue one after another, and the cameras of hundreds of reporters in the media section turned to the audience.

Banners and posters were held high in rows.

"Support Martin, punish the real culprit severely!"

"Those who break the law should be punished accordingly!"

"The law should protect our heroes!"

I don't know where it started, but soon everyone in the audience was shouting.

"Protect the heroes, punish the real culprits! Protect the heroes..."

The media cameras faithfully recorded these events, which subsequently created immense public pressure.

The voice reached backstage, and Thomas sounded a little worried: "Won't this affect your relationship with the Los Angeles authorities?"

Martin smiled and said, "This was done after we communicated with each other."

Bruce whispered to Thomas, "Ben isn't unrelated either; McClain is asking for some public pressure."

Thomas understood and said no more.

David Fincher then came in, hugged Martin, and said, "I was a little worried. I'm so glad to see you're alright."

Martin laughed and said, "Just a little trouble."

He will hold onto this matter firmly and deal with it with a tough attitude.

If he shows even the slightest weakness, similar troubles will inevitably arise one after another. His subordinates will be overwhelmed just dealing with these issues and won't have time to do anything else.

As for ordinary collaborators like David Fincher, Martin can't ask for too much. It's perfectly normal for him to assess the situation before expressing his opinion.

Besides David Fincher, Kathleen Kennedy also came over and chatted with Martin for a bit.

The promotional event then kicked off, with Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Cate Blanchett, and other key members of the creative team taking to the stage to share behind-the-scenes anecdotes and answer questions from the media and fans, as planned.

As darkness fell, the film crew also screened some clips from the movie.

Compared to David Fincher's other works, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is more upbeat and positive.

At the end of the event, David Fincher and Martin had a special chat.

The two were discussing their next collaborative project, "Gone Girl".

David Fincher emphasized the casting process: "Gillian Flynn and I reviewed all the actresses who were considered for the lead role. Martin, there's something I need to tell you beforehand."

Martin said, "Go ahead and say it."

"The actress you and WMA jointly recommended, Natalie Portman, isn't quite suitable for the role," David Fincher said bluntly, explaining his reasons: "Her acting is fine, but her appearance doesn't match the magical Amy. In the original story, Amy is described as a very beautiful girl, and after her disappearance, she possesses a cold and ruthless aura..."

He was blunt: "In short, Natalie Portman isn't pretty enough; her looks are too average."

Martin agreed with him, saying that his recommendation was based on Ali's influence, and added, "You and Gillian can decide the specifics; I won't interfere."

David Fincher was relieved to see that he had no objections, but he still had to consider Martin's and WMA's feelings: "I will inform her to attend the third audition. I will see how the audition goes to determine if she is suitable for the role of Amy the Amazing."

Martin said, "Okay."

That's what they say, but Martin knew very well that Natalie Portman would most likely be eliminated because of her average looks.

If it weren't for appearances, David Fincher would have chosen his longtime friend Reese Witherspoon long ago.

The two chatted for a while about the movie that was being promoted.

Neither of them is too worried about the box office and market performance of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". The Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival has a certain boost to the film, Martin Scorsese's popularity and appeal are currently very strong, and the joint distribution by Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures means there are no problems with the publicity and distribution.

Of course, this kind of movie can't compete with purely commercial movies at the box office.

It was pitch black outside, and Martin got into his Cadillac Escalade and headed home.

Bruce reminded him, "Don't forget, you have an appointment with Harvey Weinstein tomorrow."

Martin said, "Let me ask about the situation over there first."

He took out his phone and dialed Georgina's number. The scumbag and womanizer had a complete grasp of Harvey's situation over the past few days.

Georgina even gave Martin a room number, telling him to come find her after he finished talking to Harvey the next day, as she wanted to be tested once again.

The other party even sold her husband out; how could a good person like Martin refuse? Refusing would be too despicable, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

Bruce turned his head and saw Martin hang up the phone, saying, "You're really having a tough time, selling yourself to get people."

Martin sighed. "Old Brooks, you've had it tough too, Jody... are you having any pelvic pain?"

Bruce thought of Jody, who was now perfectly fine, and couldn't help but shed tears: "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Two rotten people started complaining, recounting their respective hardships.

As the car entered the northern section of Sunset Boulevard, Martin noticed a van pulling out of Charlize Theron's house next door, followed by a black Mercedes, just before he arrived home.

Two cars approached each other. Under the Cadillac Escalade's headlights, Martin could clearly see that the person driving the Mercedes was Stuart Townsend.

There were several bags piled up on the passenger side of his seat.

It seems like the back seats are all full.

As they were about to pass each other, Stewart recognized Martin's Escalade, rolled down the driver's side window, reached out, and gave Martin the middle finger.

Bruce saw it: "Should I run him over? I can knock him over."

Martin shook his head: "Why hit him? He'll soon be getting a paternity test and facing even bigger trouble."

Bruce pondered a question: "If someone does what Tony does, is the man responsible?"

"I don't know." Martin couldn't recall a similar case: "Perhaps this will become a precedent in the American legal system."

Bruce pointed behind him: "He wasn't kicked out by Charlize Theron, was he?"

"Let me ask." Martin dialed Charlize's number, and when she answered, he said in a very concerned tone, "Hi Sally, I found out something. A van loaded with stuff drove out of your house? Did you know? If you didn't, I called the police."

"No need to call the police, I know what's going on." Charlize remembered the slanderous words Stewart had said to her, and deliberately added, "I broke up with Stewart Townsend and I'm demanding that he move out today."

Martin said, "I'm sorry..."

Charlize said, "It's none of your business. I know everything he's done. I can't believe I've stuck with such a scumbag for so many years."

Martin reassured him, "Everything will be alright."

She sighed deeply: "Are you free this weekend? Let's grab a drink together."

Martin replied, "The weekend is fine. You decide on the time and place, and you can call me anytime."

After Martin hung up the phone, Bruce said, "Leo and Jack are right, this is still your favorite."

(End of this chapter)