"Your office is really..." Sofia intended to make a few sarcastic remarks as soon as she entered Capet Pictures.
"It's temporary, just temporary. Soon we'll move to a bigger office and recruit a team of staff," Charles quickly explained, realizing that the wealthy don't understand the plight of the poor.
"So, when can lost in translation start filming?" Sofia was direct.
"Anytime, as long as you're ready, it can start anytime," Charles said, knowing that even if Sofia's preparations were almost complete, she would still need to handle the crew's readiness. Wouldn't that take at least two or three months?
Sofia nodded, feeling relieved to see Charles so confident!
"Four million dollars, no less. I'll be responsible for filming the movie; you need to handle the rest. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Understood. I'll take care of the distribution. If worst comes to worst, I'll distribute it myself," Charles declared with great ambition.
"Alright, I'll wait for your notice!" Sofia thought Charles was purely delusional about distributing it himself. How many people could a little kid know?
After Sofia left, Charles picked up the script and read it alone. lost in translation was indeed a good script.
Two lonely people in a foreign land, sparks of love ignited, yet both were married, and ultimately, they didn't take that final step.
Los Angeles at night, with its first lights, dazzling neon signs were mesmerizing.
West Hollywood, as Los Angeles' most vibrant nightlife community, boasts the most bars, and many Hollywood stars frequent them for entertainment.
At the Eighth Club bar, Charles went to the counter and ordered a cocktail, deep in thought.
underworld was commissioned by Mubao Pictures to Capet Pictures, so Charles earned the production fee; for lost in translation, Charles had to invest himself, and the distribution company was not yet decided.
In another bar booth, two British actresses making their mark in Hollywood were chatting animatedly.
"Kate, your daughter must be two years old now?"
"That's right, half a year older than your son," the speaker was Kate Beckinsale.
The other person was Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had already married an American.
"You took on an action film? Something about vampires and werewolves!" Catherine inquired.
"That's right, we're going to Eastern Europe for filming in July," Kate Beckinsale didn't hide anything.
"The producer is very young, only 20 years old. He's also the producer of my big fat greek wedding, which is currently showing!"
Catherine Zeta-Jones laughed, "I know Capet Pictures. His name is Charles Capet. When I was filming in Chicago last year, our sets weren't far apart."
Catherine Zeta-Jones remembered that night in the Hilton Hotel lounge in Chicago, where she and Charles had been wild for most of the night!
"I see. He seems very steady, mature beyond his years, serious about his work, and polite to others. A good young man," Kate Beckinsale praised with a smile.
"I'm going to the restroom!"
Kate Beckinsale said and left the private room for the restroom.
"Sorry, I'm very tired!" Charles again turned down a girl's advances, casually placed a bill on the bar, and left.
"Charles."
"Kate."
In the corridor, Charles ran into Kate Beckinsale returning from the restroom.
"What a coincidence, are you alone?" Kate Beckinsale didn't seem to realize Charles was with friends.
Charles nodded, "I was a bit bothered tonight, so I came out for a drink, just came from the company!"
After all, Capet Pictures was just down the street, but Charles himself lived in North Hollywood.
"I came with a friend, Catherine Zeta-Jones, whom you know. Your sets were together when you were filming in Chicago," Kate Beckinsale said, inviting Charles to join them.
From Catherine Zeta-Jones's words, it also seemed that she thought this young man was good.
"Catherine, long time no see!" Charles entered the private room and greeted Catherine with a smile.
"It's been half a year. Congratulations, my big fat greek wedding has received a great response," Catherine replied with a smile, showing no awkwardness.
"When is Chicago being released?"
"End of the year, December!"
"The Christmas slot is also good, it has an advantage for Oscar contention," Charles said casually. Miramax is very good at awards.
"moulin rouge! has a high reputation. It seems there's still a market for musicals," Catherine had heard Charles's skepticism about musicals before, but hadn't moulin rouge!, released last year, been a success?
And internally, people who had seen Chicago thought it was even better than moulin rouge!.
"Let's drink," what could Charles say? Only these two musicals had succeeded in all these years; why weren't the failures mentioned?
"By the way, Charles, how do you decide between commercial films and art-house films?" Kate Beckinsale knew that several actresses under Evelyn were favored by Charles.
Especially the British compatriot Keira Knightley, whom Charles advised his mother to sign, and within a few months, she got the lead role in the blockbuster pirates of the caribbean.
Charles looked at Kate Beckinsale, then at Catherine Zeta-Jones. In Charles's eyes, at their peak, both were only B-list stars.
Catherine was a bit better, almost an A-lister before marriage; as for Kate Beckinsale, in Charles's opinion, she was barely a B-lister, and if it weren't for the underworld series, she would have been unnoticed.