"Write down what Mr. Leon said. I want to emphasize what he said today to all employees at the meeting next week!" Russell said to the female assistant behind him, "Not a single letter should be missed!"
"There's no need for that..."
Seeing the serious look on the other party's face, which didn't seem like a joke, Leon whispered a reminder.
"No! These words of yours are very important for cultivating our corporate culture! Maybe one day I will print what you said into a book!"
Russell turned to DeMonaco.
A second ago, facing the boss, he had a fawning smile, but now he immediately switched to a high-and-mighty posture. "Mr. Leon has made it very clear. Apocalypse Pictures will give you full creative freedom. So, regarding casting, do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"
"If not, I can recommend a few people. Jon Hamm and Casey Affleck are both very suitable for the male lead role. I can ask about their schedules right now..."
"Jon Hamm? Please, The Purge is just a low-budget movie," Leon reminded.
For the first ten years of his acting career, Jon Hamm was a fringe figure in Hollywood, climbing up from bit parts all the way, finally struggling to third-tier status in his thirties.
But all this changed in 2007. In this year, AMC broadcast a TV series called Mad Men. Alcohol, cigarettes, suits, the 60s, marriage anxiety, midlife crisis...
There was not a single shot showing guns and violence in this TV series, yet it was full of masculine hormones everywhere...
Winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years, beating high-scoring masterpieces like Breaking Bad among its competitors, showed the weight of its awards.
The Emmy Awards organizing committee commented on Mad Men: "People call the great movie The Godfather the man's bible, so Mad Men should also receive equal honor in the field of TV dramas."
Jon Hamm, who played the male lead in the series, saw a turn for the better in his career in middle age. He is currently in quasi-first-tier status, only one or two big-budget movies away from breaking through the first-tier threshold.
His current pay is $5 million, in the same bracket as world-renowned actors like Halle Berry.
Although Casey Affleck's limelight in recent years cannot compare to Jon Hamm, according to information disclosed by the crews of Ocean's Thirteen and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, his minimum pay would not be lower than $3 million.
"Can you give some practical suggestions?" Leon held his forehead. "For any movie, actor pay exceeding 50% of the budget is stupid enough. Don't be too superstitious about the box office appeal of big-name actors."
Seeing the boss a bit unhappy, Russell quickly shut up and gave up the idea of recommending actors.
For a low-budget independent film, the audience watches the content, not the cast.
Superb acting can add color to the movie, but it is by no means the decisive force driving up the box office.
Just based on the brat in the script who is stupid enough to make people want to slap him twice, The Purge is not a movie that attracts audiences by character settings.
Just when Leon was about to announce that the casting issue was tentatively decided, DeMonaco, who had been silent, put forward his own idea: "I have a perfect candidate in mind. He is a talented screenwriter and an outstanding actor..."
"He has been nominated for Oscar awards in both screenwriting and acting fields. He is my best friend."
"Who?" Leon listened a bit impatiently, knocking on the table to urge.
"Ethan Hawke."
It's him.
Although Leon didn't know much about this capable actor who became famous with the Before Sunrise trilogy...
He knew the works of Ethan's ex-wife, Uma Thurman, like the back of his hand.
Mia in Pulp Fiction and "The Bride" in Kill Bill are both great female characters worthy of being recorded in Hollywood history.
This union of a talented man and woman ended in 2004, staging a tearing war according to the conventional Hollywood process.
Ethan accused Uma of having improper relationships with Andre Balazs and Quentin Tarantino, and even revealed that when visiting the set of Kill Bill, he witnessed Quentin kissing his wife's size 11 feet with his own eyes.
Quentin's greedy gaze facing a woman's feet, like seeing a treasure, almost made him vomit his lunch.
Facing her husband's accusations, Uma Thurman immediately fought back, claiming that her husband cheated with multiple young models first.
Whatever she did afterward was revenge for Ethan's cheating.
Leon didn't care about the scandalous affairs of Hollywood; he only cared about one question—pay.
Although Ethan has no achievements in the commercial film field and only sees nominations for starring in literary films, rarely winning awards...
His own fame and resume are there, and his price is not cheap.
"Maybe just $1 million can settle it," DeMonaco said.
"Are you sure?"
"Ethan and I appreciate each other. During the directing of Staten Island, he only took a symbolic pay of $500,000..." DeMonaco explained, "Acting has become a side job for Ethan. He invested in many restaurants in Los Angeles, and he is also the owner of a modeling agency..."
Modeling agency owner?
Just from this side job, regardless of who was at fault first between Ethan and Uma, the former couldn't possibly be innocent.
Leon found that Hollywood's literary youth-type actors seemed to have a special liking for tall beauties.
Uma is an actress who switched from modeling halfway, with a height and aura maxed out.
Ethan's senior Sean Penn captured the hearts of Madonna and Robin Wright successively.
This 52-year-old Oscar winner is currently dating Charlize Theron passionately, his heroic spirit undiminished.
A pay of $1 million is extremely cost-effective relative to Ethan's fame. Leon agreed to the other party's suggestion without taking much time.
"Alright, Mr. DeMonaco, do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't exceed the budget."
Three days later, a piece of heavy news landed on the headlines of major newspapers across the United States—Beyoncé has entrusted a lawyer team to formally file for divorce from Jay-Z.
She personally liked this rumor on Twitter and was photographed by paparazzi contacting famous divorce lawyer Laura Wasser in a coffee shop in Los Angeles.
Various signs indicated that the Destiny's Child was playing for real this time.
"Awesome... Bonnie, come here quickly, Bonnie!"
Leon waved The New York Times excitedly. After exhausting despicable means, he finally got his wish to bury the marriage of the number one couple in the music industry.
And the crown of the "New King of Brooklyn" will grow in front of their tombstones.
"Any orders, BOSS?"
"Send an email to iHeartMedia. Tell Bob that after re-evaluation, we decided to withdraw the previous offer of $70 million for radio station Z100. The latest offer is $60 million!"
"Okay, I understand."
Leon turned and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in pockets, grinning from ear to ear.
$60 million was certainly not his psychological price; this offer was just bait.
His ultimate goal was to force Bob to agree to sell radio station Z100 at market valuation.
According to Luka's revelations, Laura Wasser, the divorce lawyer hired by Beyoncé, is not a simple woman.
Her figure frequently appears in celebrity divorce cases:
In 2004, Kim Kardashian divorced music producer Damon Thomas;
In 2007, Britney Spears divorced Kevin Federline;
In 2010, Christina Aguilera announced her divorce from Jordan Bratman, etc...
The divorce case causing a sensation this year, former California Governor Schwarzenegger and Kennedy's niece Maria Shriver wanting to end their 25-year marriage, was also taken over by Laura.
At the busiest time of her career, Laura handled more than forty cases in a month, worthy of being called a marriage gravedigger.
Her asking price is very high, with a consultation fee of over $1,000 per hour, and she rarely represents clients with a net worth of less than $10 million.
Laura's code of conduct is—property and children, men don't even think about taking anything away!
Leon could imagine with his toes the scene of Jay-Z panicking like a desperate stray dog in the office.
Although he signed a detailed prenup with Beyoncé in 2008, the boundaries of their post-marital property were actually very blurred.
Under Laura's crazy tearing, Jay-Z's assets after divorce will definitely shrink significantly.
After hearing rumors of Jay-Z and Beyoncé's divorce, major record companies were also eager to make a move, unable to wait to incorporate the highly competitive label Roc Nation under their banner.
The "tape incident" was like a matador's sword, accurately piercing into the heart of this bull!
Of course, the sprayed blood also dirtied Beyoncé, who shouldn't have borne the cost for this.
Business is war; Leon never held a single shred of guilt about this.
The disparity in strength between him and Jay-Z was huge. If he didn't use some special means, he would be strangled before he could grow up.
Whether commercially or physically.
Since the birth of the Republic of Venice in 687 AD, capitalism began to sprout.
Then in 1581, the Dutch established the world's first capitalist country. Opening its history of development, only one word can be seen—"competition."
Competitors are allowed to use any means to prove the simple truth of "survival of the fittest."
Just as Leon was looking at the traffic outside the window smugly, a knock came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Anya walked in wearing a white woolen coat with a very British style.
The British girl returned to the UK before Christmas to spend Christmas with her family and only flew back to New York last night.
"Welcome back. After leaving London for so long, how did it feel going back this time?"
Leon brewed a cup of black tea and looked Anya up and down.
Not seen for just over ten days, this girl's figure seemed a bit fuller, and she looked a bit taller than before.
The most important thing was the change in temperament. She was 16 this year.
Sixteen is the most important and sensitive moment in a girl's life; she is undergoing a series of drastic psychological changes.
"Still the same. London hasn't changed much in the past hundred years." Anya sighed. "Maybe it won't change in the next hundred years either."
"How are your mom and dad? They haven't seen you for so long; they must have been chattering around your ears non-stop."
"You guessed right." Anya covered her mouth with her hand, trying to make her smile look ladylike. "Your name was almost the entire theme on my family's Christmas table."
"Me?"
"Your name often appears in the entertainment section even in the UK. Everyone around me has heard your songs. My brother told me to protect myself in America..." Anya's voice became smaller and smaller.
She is the youngest of six children in the family and is favored by her brothers and sisters.
The younger sister signed with Street Jesus's company. Facing Leon, this notorious entertainment industry villain, Anya's brothers did what every brother in the world would do—talk tough.
They told their sister many times in private: "If that bastard dares to bully you, we'll let him taste British boxing!"