"mr. & mrs. smith needs an additional 10 million dollars in budget?" Donna Langley, on the phone, sounded a bit confused when she received Charles call.
"Brad Pitt needs to take some time off in the middle to film ocean's twelve..." Charles briefly explained.
"I think we should agree. What we need to do is make sure the movie is filmed properly!"
"Okay, we can agree."
Universal Pictures and Capet Pictures each adding 5 million dollars to the budget was not a big deal for Donna Langley.
As soon as Charles hung up, he received another call, this time from his mother, Evelyn.
"What's wrong?" Charles picked up the phone again.
"When are you going to France?"
"In a week. The Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony is on the 13th and lasts 10 days. I'll probably arrive around the 15th and stay for about half a month!"
"Okay, I called to tell you, you asked about a young adult novel called the sisterhood of the traveling pants before, didn't you? Warner Bros. has invested in adapting this novel, and the movie is set to start filming this year," Evelyn paused for a moment.
"Megan Fox has a role; there are four major female roles, and she is one of them."
"Hmm, thanks!"Charles then asked, "There's a reality show this year called 'Project Runway,' produced by Victoria's Secret Supermodel Heidi Klum. Has it started production yet?"
"Heidi Klum is an ETA artist, isn't she?"
"The fashion design reality show?" Evelyn sounded a bit unsure.
"Yes, the fashion designer selection competition!"
"I heard before that a reality show was going to be developed. Heidi Klum signed an acting contract with us. I heard she wanted to produce a reality show, and this year she found Miramax to support her show. She's serving as both host and executive producer, and has already signed a production contract with Miramax."
Charles realized he had missed out. The other side, seeing Charles hadn't said anything, asked, "Are you very optimistic about it?"
"It's alright. We've just established Cape Television production company and are preparing to expand in this direction!"
In New York, Charles not only discovered the "Desperate Housewives" project being produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures but also "Project Runway."
Unfortunately, he was a step too late. They had already found support from a production company, and it was likely that the television broadcast contract had also been finalized.
After chatting with his mother for a few more minutes about everyday things, Charles ended the call and then drove to the "mr. & mrs. smith" set in Brentwood, Long Island.
When Charles arrived at the set, he found Brad Pitt's wife, Jennifer Aniston, visiting.
"Hi, Jolie!"
"Charles, good afternoon!"
Charles stayed on set for a few days and got to know most of the main creators. He didn't care whether Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were secretly dating at the moment.
"This morning's scenes were shot well," For the past few days, they had been filming the domestic scenes of mr. & mrs. smith, including the highlight action sequence of the couple's showdown.
Angelina, dressed in a long dress, indeed had a very sexy and glamorous figure. At least in many people's eyes, she was definitely a top-tier sexy and wild beauty.
"I kept exercising for a while when filming lara croft: tomb raider before, and I've accumulated a lot of experience and insights in action scenes!" Angelina Jolie said with a smile, picking up her coffee and drinking it.
"Commercial films are mainly action films and sci-fi special effects films. The filming difficulty takes more time and effort than art films," Charles himself didn't feel anything for Angelina Jolie, and she was also someone who appealed to both men and women.
However, Angelina Jolie's sexy image also made her popular in Hollywood, and she also possessed impressive acting skills.
It's just that she took on many commercial films, and her sexy label overshadowed much of her cinematic talent.
"I've also taken on many art films before; good scripts are not easy to come by," Angelina Jolie was originally a very wild person, and never cared about film scale.
"Taking Lives," which was released last month, also featured explicit sex scenes. For a stylish action film like "mr. & mrs. smith" that showcases coolness and sexiness, it was very suitable for her.
Angelina Jolie's acting awards before that were just for Best Supporting actress at the Oscar.
Soon after, Brad Pitt and his wife, Jennifer Aniston, walked over.
"Charles, it's nice to meet you!" After they greeted each other, Jennifer Aniston specifically chatted with Charles for a few more minutes.
Jennifer Aniston, 35, was also ranked first in people magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list for 2004 this year.
"Won't we see Rachel anymore?" Charles tone seemed a bit regretful.
"Friends" aired its tenth season last year and has since concluded.
Jennifer Aniston was quite normal, and said with some amusement, "Well, I can't keep filming until I'm so old that everyone dislikes me, can I?"
"That's true," Charles also nodded in agreement, a slight sense of guilt seemingly rising in his heart. Should he not have let Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie collaborate?
"Now I'm an actress and you're a producer, so there might be opportunities to work together," Jennifer Aniston has been developing her career on the big screen in the film industry ever since "Friends" became a hit.
Jennifer Aniston still has a strong market in romantic comedy roles, and her 8 million dollar salary makes her cost-effective very high.
"I think so too, but I heard from Pitt that you're filming in Los Angeles?"Charles asked.
"Brad's movie troy just premiered last week, didn't it? I came for the movie's premiere and stayed for a few days," Jennifer Aniston had nothing to hide.
"troy, I remember now, that ancient Greece epic war film," Charles seemed to have been too busy lately, not paying much attention to a lot of entertainment industry news.
"Alright, Charles, I'm going now. We can chat again when you have time," Jennifer Aniston said, hugging Charles, then went over to Pitt.
Charles shook his head. It seemed Jennifer Aniston truly loved Brad Pitt, and there was certainly no doubt about Brad Pitt's charm.
Seeing Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie in the same frame now was truly a great irony.
Shaking his head, Charles quickly put away that trace of guilt. After all, even without "mr. & mrs. smith," there would have been other opportunities for them to meet.
Moreover, "mr. & mrs. smith" indeed needed their hype for marketing, otherwise Charles had no doubt that the box office would not reach its previous height.