Made In Hollywood

Sitting in his luxurious office, Martin Bob quickly flipped through the script outline in front of him, tilting his head in thought before setting it aside. Mel Gibson clearly wanted to venture into directing, but now was not the time. CAA had only just managed to secure him two leading roles; everything would have to wait until he fulfilled his acting contracts.

After a brief phone call with Mel Gibson, Martin Bob laid out his views, and the other man hesitated only slightly before agreeing.

CAA was the real power player; its actors and directors were merely pawns in its game. CAA's longstanding dominance had ingrained this belief deeply in Martin Bob.

Even someone as unruly as Mel Gibson, after joining CAA, would have to bow to the whims of these super agents. At the current pace, it wouldn't be long before CAA controlled two-thirds or more of the Hollywood market.

Although this thought sprang unbidden to his mind, Martin Bob was not without a sense of crisis. He had heard that Viacom's Sumner Redstone had been eyeing Paramount Pictures hungrily, while Walt Disney was shifting towards a media conglomerate under the guidance of former friends. The era of independent film production in Hollywood was nearing its end. What could CAA use to confront those true supergiants?

Only one thing: a steady stream of successful projects. As long as CAA's bundled services could generate enough profit, those media conglomerates would elevate them to the skies.

If *The Rock* performed well, it would surely alleviate the negative impact from the failure of *Alien 3*, strengthen the partnership between CAA and 20th Century Fox, and showcase CAA's strength to other film companies under media groups.

For instance, Warner Bros. had always been skeptical of CAA, even rejecting CAA's bundling services for *The Rock*, opting instead to trust Duke Rosenberg. They were probably feeling the heat now, struggling in the wake of setbacks on that project. The more difficulties their team encountered, the greater the chance of failure. If *The Rock* flopped, Warner Bros. would abandon Duke Rosenberg while reconsidering CAA's value.

The news of *The Rock*'s temporary halt in production had already spread, a fact that insiders like Martin Bob were well aware of. CAA and 20th Century Fox had merely encouraged the injured stunt performer and, after the other side filed a complaint with the actors' union, had subtly nudged them, pushing Duke Rosenberg's team into crisis.

Of course, Martin Bob understood that the production was only temporarily halted, but that was enough. Disrupting a crew's rhythm and shooting schedule could be a potentially fatal blow for some rookie directors.

Could a promising director simply fade away because of this?

To be frank, this maneuver was more about Warner Bros. than Duke Rosenberg. Despite the significant embarrassment Rosenberg had caused him during *Speed*, Martin Bob still saw him as a minor player.

A series of urgent knocks broke his train of thought. As he said "come in," Lovett rushed in, his expression anxious.

Seeing the man's troubled face, Martin Bob frowned slightly.

"Mr. Bob, I just received a call from the *The Interview with the vampire* production team…" Lovett took a moment to steady his breath, "The Children's Protective Services and the actors' union have just arrived on set."

"What are they doing there?" Martin Bob's face remained unchanged, but unease began to gnaw at him.

"They received a complaint," Lovett stated as concisely as possible, "Someone filed a joint complaint about Miss Dunst working five consecutive days each week on set, with daily hours exceeding six hours. The production's learning time also falls short of the mandated three hours. The association believes the crew is not ensuring Dunst's legal rights."

"Is that all?" Martin Bob let out a sigh of relief; these were matters easily resolved.

"There's more…" Lovett seemed to clench his teeth, "It's unclear how the children's association got wind of it, but they claim there are kiss scenes involving Dunst and adult male actors, and they suspect the crew may have violated child protection laws."

"What?" Martin Bob jumped up, "Don't they know there are methods for filming out of context?"

"But the children's protective services and the actors' union insist on investigating," Lovett said helplessly. "They claim that if the crew obstructs them, they will seek legal intervention."

"…"

A stream of profanity erupted from Martin Bob. If the other side insisted on an investigation, wouldn't the *The Interview with the vampire* crew be temporarily halted just like *The Rock* had been?

Obstruction? That was even more out of the question; who didn't know how difficult the children's association could be? Minors were a forbidden zone across North America. If they truly sought legal intervention, the *The Interview with the vampire* production team would become pariahs in North America, and even the North American Film Alliance might refuse to screen the film.

*The Interview with the vampire* was CAA's opportunity to reestablish its bundled services across Hollywood after the failure of *Alien 3*. If it couldn't be screened…

"Cooperate with the investigation…" Martin Bob resignedly sat back down. "I'll communicate with 20th Century Fox about this."

Kirsten Dunst's kiss scenes were filmed out of context, and Martin Bob knew this well, so he was not afraid of the investigation. While it was true that Dunst's working hours exceeded regulations, that was standard in Hollywood. How many child stars and their parents truly followed industry regulations when entering a production?

California law stipulated that minors could work in the entertainment industry, but they couldn't work more than five consecutive days or more than six hours a day. If a student took more than five sick days in a school year, schools and relevant rights organizations could prevent the student from continuing to work. If the crew violated a minor's rights, the producers would face severe punishment.

In reality, child stars working overtime was common in Hollywood, and few paid attention to this issue. Most parents who sent their children into Hollywood were driven by greed, eager to make money while neglecting their children's education and future.

Take the currently popular Macaulay Culkin and Christina Ricci, including Kirsten Dunst. Their parents were far from responsible guardians.

CAA and 20th Century Fox could easily encourage internal personnel from *The Rock* to file complaints with the actors' union, and Warner Bros. could find a way to settle a few members from the *The Interview with the vampire* production.

*The Rock*'s crew had come to a temporary halt. Money and time losses were inevitable, something Duke couldn't avoid. However, he was definitely not someone who would remain silent after being slapped; he would find a way to return that slap to the *The Interview with the vampire* crew and their backers.

Indeed, there was no evidence indicating that *The Interview with the vampire*'s halt was connected to CAA or 20th Century Fox, but such matters didn't require evidence. It was sufficient to recognize who the immediate enemies were. Duke still had Warner Bros. as a backup, and he was not lacking in the ability to retaliate.

I halt, you halt; let's all bear the losses together. Although the anger stemming from pressure and the halt would not dissipate easily, Duke could still feel a bit of satisfaction.

Of course, Duke maintained his silence, never publicly voicing any opinions. With Warner Bros. taking the lead, that was enough. He would continue to be a "pure" director now and in the future.

"The *The interview with the vampire* crew is currently undergoing a joint investigation by the actors' union and the children's protective services."

In Burbank's Rock Studios, Sofia stared intently at Duke across the table. "They've temporarily halted production."

"That's unfortunate." Duke shrugged, matching her gaze. "Why look at me like that? Do you think this is related to me? You know me, Sofia; I've never liked to engage in conflict."

"I understand," Sofia deliberately emphasized, "You are a focused and pure director."

After her monotonous nasal tone echoed, Duke shifted the topic. "You should change your pronunciation."

"Why should I change myself?" Sofia Coppola retorted, "Just because my pronunciation has been mocked by critics and insulted by them?"

"They mocked my lips, my teeth, my eyes, my figure…"

This topic clearly touched on Sofia Coppola's most painful spot. "And my performance, my lines, my family relationships. Should I change all of that?"

"Hey, hey, dear." Duke quickly raised his hands. "I didn't mean that."

"Sorry, I got too worked up…" Sofia took several deep breaths before calming herself. "I'm not targeting you, Duke. You know how those professional critics have insulted me. One day, I will return the favor!"

"Why care about them?" Duke lowered his arms, spreading his hands. "Remember how they insulted George and *Star Wars*? And now? They would do anything to hail *Star Wars* as a classic among classics. So, Sofia, one day when you succeed, those guys who can barely withstand the Mississippi River flood will be eager to shower you with the sweetest praises."

"Not everyone has your mindset." Sofia pouted.

"I feel pressure too; I feel panic." Duke admitted directly. "I fear failure as much as I crave success, craving a continuous stream of it."

Suddenly, the phone rang. Sofia picked up the receiver, spoke briefly, then hung up.

"Your guests have arrived." She stood up and said to Duke. "Hans Zimmer and the people from Warner Records are already in the meeting room."