At the banquet, the most eye-catching figures were undoubtedly the three heavyweights of the film industry: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, and Jan de Bont.
Helen and Bill were the stars of the hit movie twister, and Jan de Bont was its director.
As part of the film community, Kazir and Reese naturally wouldn't miss the chance to go congratulate them.
As of June 30, 1996, twister had already grossed over 220 million at the North America box office, and its international opening weekend raked in 45 million. Such achievements made everyone optimistic that the movie would continue to generate more revenue in theaters.
With such brilliant success, Warner Bros. naturally had to throw a grand celebration banquet.
"Miss Hunt, congratulations. twister was truly spectacular."
Kazir and Reese stepped forward, shaking hands warmly with the famous actress, then extended their congratulations to Bill Paxton and Jan de Bont.
Bill Paxton was a true evergreen in the film industry; he had starred in many classic films like Aliens, True Lies, and Apollo 13, and now he was once again popular thanks to twister.
Moreover, as soon as the celebration banquet ended, he was to fly to Baja California, Mexico, to prepare for filming the later classic, Titanic.
"Honestly, I'm a bit afraid of Director Cameron, afraid she'll scold me."
Bill joked with a laugh, while Kazir listened quietly, nodding occasionally to show his understanding.
After chatting with the actors, Kazir then sought out Jan de Bont.
As fellow directors, they found their conversation particularly engaging.
"You know, Kazir, just creating the computer effects for the twister took us almost three months. I was really worried the film wouldn't make its release date. I can't even count how many all-nighters we pulled during post-production," Jan de Bont remarked with emotion.
"Sometimes, to make the audience more tense, I couldn't help but want to shorten the shots," Kazir interjected, understanding the director's internal struggle and dedication during the creative process.
"You're right. I even asked the actors to reshoot a scene, and Warner Bros. almost went crazy," Jan de Bont said with a helpless wave and a laugh.
The two nodded involuntarily, knowing that as directors, they always strived for perfection in their creations, sometimes making seemingly unreasonable demands, such as increasing the budget or shooting seemingly unnecessary scenes.
But such things were common on set and were compromises directors had to make for the quality of the film.
Jan de Bont was a renowned multi-talented individual; he not only directed but also produced and even worked as a director of photography.
He directed classic films like Speed and twister, and served as executive producer for the haunting and producer for Minority Report.
Before becoming a director, he also shot classics like Basic Instinct, Lethal Weapon 3, and Die Hard.
Kazir always admired talented people and held Jan de Bont in great respect.
After their conversations with the main cast, Kazir and Reese were about to leave when Warner Bros. executives, particularly Terry Semel and Enrico Pusi, approached them with beaming smiles, their faces practically creased with joy.
The double success of twister and the hangover ensured this year's profits, and the bonuses from Time Warner were certainly going to be substantial.
After greeting Jan de Bont and others, Terry Semel turned to Kazir, grinning, "Kazir, I finally found you! How was your week?"
"Terry, the hangover made 49 million this week, so how could I not be doing well?" Kazir replied with a smile.
"Haha, that's right! Partnering with you was the right choice!" Terry Semel chatted with him for a few moments before turning to socialize with others.
After all, a celebration banquet's core purpose was to strengthen relationships.
"Actually, I auditioned for the lead role in Titanic," Reese Witherspoon whispered in Kazir's ear.
"Oh? Really?" Kazir was a bit surprised.
"Really, but I was cut in the first round. There were too many people auditioning, over a thousand young actors alone came and went," Reese said with a hint of helplessness.
"Maybe they weren't looking for someone sweet like you! But I think you're very cute," Kazir said, comforting her with a smile.
"You have good taste... Don't give me that, you can't charm me," Reese said, rolling her eyes at him with a smile.
"Then why are you blushing?" Kazir teased her intentionally.
"Shut up!" Reese playfully punched him, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"By the way, you said you were going to audition for Face/Off and scream. Have you been practicing your scream lately?" Kazir changed the subject.
"Why does that sound like you have ulterior motives? But don't worry, my scream can shatter glass. Are you suggesting I take on scream?" Reese countered.
"Hmm, that series is a classic horror film, much more reliable than Face/Off," Kazir nodded seriously.
"I'll let you hear my 'scream' later," Reese intentionally teased him.
"You're annoying," Kazir said, smiling and glaring at her, but with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Just as they were speaking, a man walked over: "Director Gray, Miss Witherspoon, hello. I'm Jeffrey Epstein, I'm in finance."
The man extended his hand for a shake, a fake smile on his face.
Kazir's heart sank. He hadn't expected to run into this 'famous' 'financier' here.
He showed no expression but didn't extend his hand to shake.
Seeing that Kazir had no intention of shaking hands, Jeffrey Epstein instead offered a business card: "I know many important people, and I love organizing parties to make everyone happy. I think you'd be interested. If you're willing, I can send an invitation, and I can even invite you to my private island to have some fun."
Indeed, this was the infamous Jeffrey Epstein, known for 'hosting gatherings' and inviting celebrities.
"Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, Alec Baldwin, Kissinger, Charlie Rose, Stephen Colbert, Will Smith... Many people have been to my island, and they all say it's great. If you don't believe me, you can ask Tom Hanks," Jeffrey Epstein rattled on, as if his island were a paradise on earth.
"I'll think about it."
Kazir didn't take the business card; he had no intention of going to any 'parties,' nor did he want any involvement with such a person.
"Well, I wish you both a pleasant evening," Jeffrey Epstein said, seeing the situation, and turned to leave.
"Kazir, are you okay?" Reese asked with concern, noticing his unease.
"I'm fine," Kazir shook his head, his mind racing.
He knew perfectly well that no matter how glamorous Hollywood was, it couldn't hide the filth beneath. In this circle, how many people seemed infinitely glorious on the surface but were secretly engaging in unspeakable deeds?
"Honestly, there are many pedophiles in this circle, and they're good at hiding it. I'm not saying everyone who goes to Epstein's rotten island is a bad person; some might be unwitting, but these people are indeed very suspicious, all pretending to be decent," Kazir remarked with emotion.
He had long seen through it: Hollywood was no paradise; Jeffrey Epstein was a living example. This place was a cesspool of hidden dirt.
Yet, it was also the dream of all actors and directors, including himself.
All he could do was stay far away from those disgusting activities.