[Chapter 257: Nicole Kidman Takes Action]
After Christmas, Winona, Sophie Marceau, Cristiana, Monica, Jennifer Connelly, Heidi Klum, Izumi Sakai, and Noriko Sakai all left and were busy with their own projects.
Especially Winona. As Linton had expected, Sony Columbia started pushing The Age of Innocence for the awards season.
Among the major competitions was Best Supporting Actress, and Winona fully committed herself to preparations during this period.
Luckily, most Oscar judges lived in Los Angeles, and Winona's PR activities were also centered there, so she still went to the manor every night.
Madonna, Catherine, Shania, and Cameron stayed on at the manor for vacation, partying joyfully every day.
Linton returned to his daytime work at the company doing post-production editing on The Man from Nowhere, coming back to the manor on time every evening.
He also kept his promise to Winnie, visiting her villa weekly for a night alone.
After the four women's vacation ended, seeing Linton so consistent with his work routine and his punctual return to the manor every night, they felt this was a rare opportunity and chose to continue working in Los Angeles while returning to the manor at night to accompany Linton to their gatherings.
They were all major stars now, capable of deciding their own schedules.
Even Shania was a well-established first-tier female singer, with over 5 million copies sold worldwide of her album released earlier that year. Naturally, she had the freedom to make her own choices.
---
Time quickly entered 1994, and the post-production of The Man from Nowhere was progressing smoothly.
One morning after a cheerful celebration, Linton was having breakfast while the housekeeper was reading the newspaper next to him when he caught an unexpected headline.
The Hollywood Reporter featured "The Untold Story of Tom Cruise and Scientology..."
Could it be that Nicole Kidman had returned to her old path and started criticizing Tom Cruise, setting them as enemies? If so, he thought, it was better to stay out of her way in the future.
Thinking this, he took the paper from the housekeeper and read carefully. Luckily, the article only introduced that Tom had been a Scientology member for many years and was a senior participant, attending meetings weekly. The article criticized Tom subtly without any sensational details.
It seemed Nicole Kidman was following his advice, managing pace, and making no public big moves.
Linton picked up his phone to call Nicole but then thought better of it and put it down.
"Let's see how she performs next," he thought. "I hope they break up completely. This will be a test for her."
---
After nearly four months of filming, The Rock finally wrapped.
Sophie Marceau naturally returned to Linton Manor, joining the group for lively parties, now six people strong.
On the wrap night, Charlize didn't attend the crew's party but instead invited Linton for a date at the hotel. When Linton arrived, his eyes lit up seeing Charlize.
Charlize had clearly dressed up for the occasion: her charming large sapphire eyes slightly melancholic, long golden hair draped over her shoulders, fiery red lips, and a form-fitting red dress emphasizing her slender figure, complemented by a subtle Dior perfume.
Seeing Linton, Charlize threw herself into his arms, planting a sweet kiss and embracing his soft body. Linton responded enthusiastically without hesitation.
It wasn't their first time together; soon, they let loose and passionately made love.
A sweet, uplifting song played...
...
"Thank you, dear. I've signed with the crew of The Fault in Our Stars and start filming tomorrow."
"Baby, that's a great movie. Act well and aim to make a big splash."
"My dear, I heard you wrote the script."
"Yes, I plan to turn it into a novel and publish it."
"You're so talented. The script is moving. It brings tears every time I read it."
"Baby, I have big confidence in this movie. You should perform well to hit both box office and award goals."
"Don't worry, honey. I want to be a popular female star like Naomi, Catherine, Jennifer, and Cristiana."
---
After a passionate night and regaining strength, Charlize hurried to the set of The Fault in Our Stars.
After one and a half months of preparation, everything was on track to start filming mid-February.
The cast was chosen, though except for Charlize, Linton left the decisions to Kenneth and Anne, trusting their abilities and professionalism.
After three auditions, Freddie Prinze Jr. was cast as the male lead, Augustus, a boy battling bone cancer.
Freddie, not yet 18, was smart with good skills but only had TV experience, and his salary was modest at $100,000.
Willem Dafoe, who played the villain in The Man from Nowhere, was also cast in a supporting role in The Fault in Our Stars.
The main cast had joined the crew and started studying the script to learn their roles. To help actors perform authentically, the crew arranged a stay in a local hospital where the protagonists spent two weeks living and eating with patients to truly understand their experiences and emotions.
Charlize was the heroine, and Anne eagerly awaited her arrival, though she wanted to discuss and negotiate more with Linton, she had no choice but to remind him repeatedly to visit the set whenever possible, then quickly headed there herself.
---
With The Rock production completed, executive producer Frank finally had some free time.
Linton, not wasting a moment, interrupted Frank's vacation plans, calling Frank and Ryan to the office, handing them the script of Get Out.
"This is the company's next project. Take a look."
Get Out's story is very simple.
Chris, a black man, and Ruth, a white woman, are in love.
To take things further, they plan a meeting between their parents.
Chris is invited to spend a weekend at Ruth's family home.
In this small town, Chris senses odd behavior from the locals.
As clues build, he uncovers a terrifying conspiracy behind the visit.
What awaits Chris is a journey full of darkness and blood...
"Boss, this story is so thrilling! Do you want me to direct?" Ryan was excited after reading.
"Do you think you can handle directing?"
"Boss, don't worry. This movie brilliantly mixes horror with racial satire. I'm sure it'll do as well commercially as Happy Death Day."
"Alright, I'll let you direct. Frank, what do you think?"
"Boss, you're a genius. You keep creating amazing stories. Given the current racial equality movement, if done right, this film will not only succeed at the box office but also win major artistic awards."
"Yes, work hard everyone. We'll strive for this movie to be a success both commercially and artistically."
*****
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