Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Country Club.
Nicole Kidman arrived at the edge of the horse stable in a sightseeing cart, where Charles Capet was currently riding circles.
"Oh," Charles saw Nicole approaching, dismounted, and handed his hat and riding crop to a staff member nearby.
"Nicole, good afternoon, want to join?"
"That's good riding, but I'm not here to ride today," Nicole Kidman said, looking at her dress.
The two embraced, exchanged a cheek kiss, then went to a nearby lounge and ordered a bottle of champagne.
"I've wanted to ride horses since I was little, but I didn't have the opportunity to do this sport before. Now that I do, I come often," Charles chuckled.
"I have a large farm in Australia, so I can ride horses frequently. You could also run a ranch or a farm; it's vast and wonderful," Nicole said with a smile, taking a sip of champagne.
"That's true, it's all sparsely populated anyway," Charles nodded. Whether it was the United States or Australia, there was too much land compared to the population.
Nicole brushed her long hair behind her ear, looked at Charles, and smiled, "In just two years, you've achieved so much. The film I started producing last year can't even reach your level."
"The Cutting? I heard Naomi mention it," Charles replied. Last year, Nicole Kidman had three films released, cold mountain, Dogville, and The Human Stain, hoping to continue her success, but unfortunately, she couldn't escape the Oscar curse.
All three films had poor box office performance, and the reviews were only decent, as they didn't achieve much in terms of awards.
"You came to see me today because..."
"mr. & mrs. smith is clashing with Bewitched directed by Nora Ephron. It's a real shame I couldn't collaborate with you!"
Charles looked at Nicole Kidman, unsure whether to say her taste was bad or that she was impressive.
Starting from 2003, all the films she starred in for several consecutive years flopped, but she still managed to get resources every year.
"If I remember correctly, you starred in The Stepford Wives last year, didn't you?" Charles inquired, because Bewitched could also be called Bewitched, and she seemed to be going head-to-head with the 'Wives' series.
Nicole Kidman nodded. They were all family romantic comedies.
"For mr. & mrs. smith, we have several potential leads!"
"I heard it's Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta-Jones, right?"
Charles nodded and smiled, "It should just be Angelina Jolie!"
Nicole Kidman understood. Catherine Zeta-Jones's older husband was different. The mr. & mrs. smith script might need to be modified.
Although scripts are usually tailored to the actors' character personas, the overall plot wouldn't change drastically. If it were Catherine Zeta-Jones, it would be hard to say.
Charles and Nicole Kidman had dinner together before heading home.
As he left, Charles specifically looked at the high heels Nicole was wearing. She couldn't wear high heels when she was with Tom Cruise, tsk tsk!
No wonder after the divorce, she exclaimed to the media: "Finally, I can wear high heels again!"
One can only imagine Tom Cruise's psychological trauma.
It's truly not simple for a foreign actress in Hollywood to reach Nicole Kidman's level, because she is indeed smart enough.
She knew what kind of price to pay for what kind of reward. Being Mrs. Cruise for ten years basically saved her from the possibility of being exploited.
After her divorce, she clinched an oscar best actress winner, solidifying her status, embodying both beauty and ability. No wonder she could endure several years of box office flops and still get resources, even with the reputation of being box office poison, and her consecutive film salaries were all over ten million dollars.
It wasn't until after 2008 that Nicole Kidman's salary significantly decreased, and resources dwindled.
When Nicole Kidman announced her withdrawal, Brad Pitt also expressed an intention to withdraw. Even Donna Langley of Universal Pictures personally called to inquire about the specific situation.
Soon, at Charles's instruction, the director sent an audition notice to Angelina Jolie, and she performed a scene with the male lead, Brad Pitt.
It was excellent; director Doug Liman was very satisfied that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt could be a perfect match.
Soon, before the Academy Awards Ceremony, Universal Pictures announced the distribution plan for mr. & mrs. smith, produced by Capet Pictures, for next summer.
At the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Charles, accompanied by director Doug Liman and lead actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, held a grand media release event.
"This is a refreshing commercial action film. The excellence of Pitt and Jolie, and Doug's understanding of film, will not disappoint everyone!" Charles said confidently.
Pitt: "It's exciting to work with Hollywood's youngest producer and one of the best directors and actors."
Director: "Pitt and Jolie will undergo some firearms use and combat training to present realistic and sharp action performances to everyone."
Jolie: "I've had many action roles before, and now I'm continuing with different attempts. It's simply too cool!"
Commercial flattery aside, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie there, reporters didn't care about film rolls at all.
"Charles, the passion of the christ, invested by Capet Pictures, is opening next Wednesday. What do you have to say about the controversy surrounding this film?"
Sure enough, the buzz for the passion of the christ was undiminished as its release approached. Charles wondered if he should be happy or troubled?
fahrenheit 9 is even more controversial. Although it hasn't found a distributor yet, shouldn't you be focusing on that documentary?
Charles sighed and said, "I donated fifty thousand dollars to the anti-war coalition, but it still couldn't prevent the outbreak of the Iraq War!"
"So, the passion of the christ is just a film about love. Why there's so much controversy, only Jesus knows."
The host of the release event, with great professionalism, quickly steered the conversation back to the film mr. & mrs. smith.
Charles didn't know if Pitt and Jolie admired each other now, but Charles did feel some sympathy for Pitt's current wife, Jennifer Aniston.
After the release event, it was, of course, time for the cocktail party, attended by film company executives, celebrity friends, media reporters, and so on.
"Doug, filming starts in April." Universal Pictures' investment share had already been transferred to the crew's account, so filming could begin at any time.
As for Capet Pictures' share, it could wait until after the passion of the christ is released, or Charles could use the saw sequel rights for a loan, or seek other investors. Capet Pictures itself still had over 30 million in cash flow.
Universal wouldn't think Charles couldn't raise the remaining funds.
Doug Liman nodded, "With the necessary script revisions and about a month of firearms training preparation for Pitt and Jolie, we can start filming!"