In Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, at Nicole Kidman's villa.
Her Agent, Pat Kingsley, was sitting opposite Nicole on the sofa. "Capet Pictures said they're starting to film mr. & mrs. smith in April, and Brad Pitt has been cast as the male lead."
"This is an action film, and Brad Pitt, the male lead, will attract too much attention, which might not highlight my status," Nicole Kidman, currently at the peak of her career, preferred films with a strong female lead.
"My films from last year, Birth and Bewitched, will both be released this year. One is an art-house film, the other a commercial film, and both revolve around my character!"
After speaking, Pat Kingsley pointed to another script placed nearby. "Look, this is Bewitched, directed by Nora Ephron. Sony Columbia offered the highest foreign actress salary of 17.5 million US dollars."
"Although the budget is only 85 million US dollars, which can't compare to Capet Pictures' mr. & mrs. smith's over 100 million dollar production budget, the focus is on you."
"You're familiar with Nora Ephron's track record; she's very capable!"
She was the screenwriter for When Harry Met Sally, and later wrote and directed highly acclaimed romantic films like Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, making her a leader among female directors.
From every angle, Bewitched certainly looked more promising than mr. & mrs. smith, and the salary was also higher.
"Then decline Capet Pictures! After all, I still have another drama, The Interpreter, that needs to be filmed this year," Nicole Kidman made her decision. If she hadn't encountered Bewitched, she might have taken it. Two films a year, one commercial and one drama, didn't leave much room in her schedule.
After all, Charles Capet, this Young Man, was also not simple. She had helped him submit the underworld script to Mubao Pictures, so Charles Capet owed her a favor.
"Never mind, I'll arrange to meet Charles Capet to chat. It's been a while since I last saw him; the last time was at the Chateau Marmont Hotel," Nicole Kidman also had a good impression of Charles. Regardless, he cast her as the leading actress in his first blockbuster, which surely had the intention of repaying a favor.
Pat Kingsley nodded. Charles Capet was indeed not simple; his development was too fast.
It was really important to maintain a good relationship with a young Hollywood producer.
"Oh, by the way, is Tom changing Agents?" Nicole suddenly asked.
Tom Cruise's Agent was also Pat Kingsley, with whom she had worked for many years. After Nicole Kidman came to Hollywood and married Tom Cruise, she also signed with Pat Kingsley.
However, since Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise divorced, their careers diverged greatly.
She had one quality film after another and even won the Oscar that Tom Cruise had always dreamed of.
"The Last Samurai only received a Golden Globe Awards nomination for Best Actor in a Drama, and wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. He's had a lot of complaints about me these past few years. He'll probably announce a change of Agent soon," Pat Kingsley was helpless, but now that Nicole Kidman's career was flourishing, she was focusing a bit more of her energy on Nicole.
The veteran Agent Paula Wagner discovered Tom Cruise. In the 1990s, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner established their own film production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions. Paula Wagner could no longer continue as an Agent.
She became the head of Cruise/Wagner Productions, and Pat Kingsley became his Agent, a role she held for over ten years until now.
"I presented the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Drama, which Sean Penn won for Mystic River. The Best actress in a Drama was Charlize Theron, which was a bit unexpected," Nicole Kidman was very clever. Charlize Theron was now an artist under Evelyn Capet. Could it also be related to Charles Capet?
After all, Charles Capet was good at spotting the brilliance in low-budget independent art films.
"Charlize has a very high chance of winning the oscar best actress winner this year; her disfiguring performance in monster adds a lot of points," however, Nicole Kidman's cold mountain was not nominated for an Oscar for Best actress, only receiving a nomination at the Golden Globe Awards.
Pat Kingsley also knew it would be very difficult for Nicole Kidman to win the oscar best actress winner twice, but she still had some ideas.
"By the way, have you broken up with Lenny Kravitz?" Pat Kingsley generally didn't interfere with the relationships of big stars, but sometimes it was necessary for public relations, so she needed to know.
Lenny Kravitz was a powerful black rock star from New York, and he had a relationship with Nicole Kidman last year.
Nicole Kidman nodded. "We had some different ideas, so we broke up. It ended before Christmas last year!"
"Some newspapers said you were engaged, but it's just tabloids, no big deal," Pat Kingsley didn't ask further.
In the evening, Nicole Kidman specifically called Charles Capet.
"Who is it?" Charles's voice came through the phone.
"This is Nicole Kidman, Charles, are you in Los Angeles?"
"Oh, Nicole, good evening! I'm still in New York. I'll be back in Los Angeles in two days. Is there something you need me for?"
Charles, far away in New York, was chatting with Britney by the fireplace when Nicole called.
"I'm inviting you out for coffee. You're a celebrity in Hollywood now, and as actresses, we need to maintain good relationships with producers," Nicole Kidman's cheerful voice came from the other end.
"Ah, okay, no problem. I'll call you when I get back to Los Angeles," Charles replied while holding Britney to keep her from playing tricks.
"Okay, I'll wait for you to return to Los Angeles!"
Charles put down the phone. Nicole Kidman calling must mean something, probably to discuss the mr. & mrs. smith script!
"Charles, are you very familiar with Nicole Kidman?" Britney asked, wrapping her arms around Charles's neck.
"Not very familiar, but my mother has an artist, Naomi Watts, who is friends with Nicole. She introduced me to her before, and Nicole helped me once. Recently, I have a film I'm preparing to ask her to star in, so it should be about discussing the film," Charles felt sure he hadn't guessed wrong.
After all, Nicole Kidman's relationship with Miramax was extraordinary now; Harvey Weinstein had many collaborations with her.
Come to think of it, could he now compare himself to the king of independent cinema, Harvey Weinstein? After all, he didn't even have an Oscar for Best Picture.
How many Oscar awards had Harvey Weinstein won? best picture, best director, and Best Actor and actress — those important awards were numerous.
"So you're going back to Los Angeles?" Britney was a little unhappy about this.
Charles kissed the Lady and laughed, "I have a film coming out next month, it's very important! I'll spend these two days well with you indoors!"
"Alright then!"