King of Hollywood-Chapter 241 - 239 Argument About Adaptation
Chapter 241: Chapter 239: Argument About Adaptation
Chapter 241 -239: Argument About Adaptation
“Benilang Restaurant is the third part of the opera house, and their Queensland Drunken Crab is the best in New South Wales, barely different from Queensland’s. It sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Anyway, after watching an opera or listening to a concert, coming here to taste Australia’s cuisine is a popular choice among tourists.” Seated in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and looking at the rolling seascape, Adrian sipped his coffee while listening to Blanchett’s explanation.
Today, Blanchett had tied her hair into a ponytail and wore a gray long-sleeved coat, still pairing it with jeans and knee-high boots, though the boots were flat-heeled. This gave her an air of competence, yet her youthfulness added vibrancy.
“From the outside, the Sydney Opera House looks like a massive ship with its sails unfurled, so people say Jorn Utzon got his inspiration from a ship. However, others say it was inspired by a shell, and up close, this majestic shell hardly resembles a sail. Unfortunately, they were all wrong, as Jorn Utzon personally admitted that the inspiration came from a peeled orange,” Blanchett said, her lips curling up slightly in a grin, and admittedly, she was charming when she smiled.
“Thank you for your explanation, Kate,” Adrian raised his coffee cup and said, “It was definitely right to invite you as a tour guide; otherwise, I surely would have missed something.”
“In fact, I’m not very fond of Sydney,” Blanchett suddenly said, “I know the opera house the most, so if you wanted me to guide you elsewhere, you’d likely be disappointed.”
“Why?” Adrian was a bit surprised.
“I was born in Melbourne and prefer its vast beautiful woodlands over Sydney’s poor green spaces—Melbourne is simply Heaven. Of course, it’s more of an innate dislike, much like how some Sydney residents naturally dislike Melbourne. Just typical regional views, right?” Blanchett’s smile was cunning, making it hard for Adrian to tell if she was being serious.
“Alright, Kate, can you give me an answer now?” He took a sip of his coffee, raising the topic from the previous night again.
“To be honest, in Shakespeare’s four great comedies, I prefer ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for its romantic fantasy feel. ‘Twelfth Night’ we saw earlier at the theater felt a bit too realistic,” Blanchett replied seemingly off-topic, lowering her head to sip her coffee while her gaze drifted slightly.
“Kate!” Adrian called her name with emphasis, “In a few hours, I will be returning to Los Angeles.”
Blanchett’s eyelids drooped, and she crossed her fingers, playing with them continuously, seemingly conflicted. Adrian leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense and unyielding.
“Do you enjoy staring at people like that, Ed?” the lady finally couldn’t hold back, her tone a mix of annoyance and reprimand, “It was like this yesterday, and now again.”
“Oh, if this bothers you, I apologize,” Adrian said with a smile, his hands open, “In fact, many have said this about me; I always tend to stare at people non-stop. But please understand, as a director, it’s overwhelming and thrilling to finally see an actor who fits a role perfectly. Don’t question my judgment and insight—some actors are just so special that one look is enough to know that they are the right person. I hope you believe that you’ve come to know me a bit better now and that I have never failed in this aspect, so I sincerely hope you will… at least attend an audition, okay?”
A hint of blush crossed Blanchett’s cheeks, and after hesitating for a long while, she finally sighed with a wry smile, “You know, Ed, just yesterday, I was confidently telling myself: ‘Kate, you will be the best stage actress.’ But in the evening, someone told me: ‘I have a suitable role, hoping you would audition and even perform it.’ And this person also happens to be the celebrated ‘Miracle Director’ from Hollywood. Oh God, this sort of thing you only expect in movies suddenly happens to me—it’s dizzying, overwhelming… I need time to think, Ed, I need time to truly consider what I need…”
As a sigh passed between them, silence fell. Blanchett stirred her coffee, head bowed, while Adrian rested his hands crossed on the small table, staring absently at the seascape outside.
“Alright, I understand,” Adrian finally spoke, looking directly into Blanchett’s eyes, “Whether you refuse or accept, please be sure to give me a call. Besides, if you refuse, then I’ll just archive this screenplay and stop filming it.”
“You said… what?” Blanchett looked shocked, “Stop filming?”
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“Yes, it’s better to just leave it in the cupboard rather than casting any actor randomly,” Adrian shrugged, then grabbed her hand. “Please don’t think I am pressuring you, Kate. I just don’t want to make a film that isn’t perfect, although I’m not directing it and though it’s just a commercial film, but… please forgive me for being so insistent on this, and don’t take it to heart.”
Watching Adrian’s wry smile, Blanchett couldn’t help but tighten her grip on his hand. After a long while, a smile reappeared on her face, “I promise I’ll consider it seriously, Ed.”
“That’s great,” Adrian said, relieved, “Let’s talk about something lighter, or shall we visit some other spots before I leave Sydney?”
Although Blanchett didn’t give him a definite answer, Adrian believed she would eventually come to Hollywood. Stage plays are not the best career for an actor, and Australia’s film industry is practically negligible, so Australian actors either develop their career in the United Kingdom or in Hollywood. Clearly, gaining a foothold in Hollywood would be better.
Her hesitation was only because of her youth, not yet realizing the importance of opportunity for an actor, or perhaps she realized it but had other considerations since they had only known each other for less than a day. It didn’t matter, Adrian could wait. If Blanchett truly rejected the invitation, he wouldn’t go back on his word, and the script would remain archived. Though it wasn’t his own script and it’s just a box-office-oriented film, what of it? It was merely a matter of money.
What’s more important, career or women? The answer is that women are more important when they do not majorly impact one’s career! Don’t forget the desires and ambitions that Adrian had in the beginning. When all these glamorous, exotic women were brought up by him and owned by him, the pleasure of collecting them was unmatched.
Adrian had always been clear about what he wanted and how to achieve it, managing everything well from the beginning. Some women were just for fun, but some were worth keeping close, and Kate Blanchett certainly belonged to the latter category. She might not be a top-tier beauty, but her cool, aloof temperament had a unique charm, still unripe but enticing—a wonderful thing to conquer and tame.
Speaking of the name “Kate”, he couldn’t help but think of another woman, although spelt differently, the pronunciation was very similar. According to the information he had, the season of harvest was about to come.
Adrian only stayed in Sydney for three and a half days before returning to Los Angeles, not that he didn’t want to stay longer, especially since this was his “first time” in Australia, and moreover, there was Blanchett, a woman of quality—if he asked her out, she would likely not refuse.
But there were many things still to be handled in Los Angeles, like the final touches on “The Professional,” discussing the promotion of “The Piano Lesson” with Laverne, or arguing with Winston Gluum.
“Do you understand what your modifications mean, Ed? Gan’s character is completely overturned! The whole story now lacks any necessity!” an old man with graying temples shouted angrily in Adrian’s office, his gesticulating arms and fierce eyes clearly expressing an ultimatum for a satisfactory explanation.
“I think I made it very clear from the beginning, Winston,” Adrian said from behind his desk with a frown, “I want to adapt this novel into an inspirational movie, not a political allegory. He had agreed to that, so why now claim there’s no necessity for the story at all?”
“Yes, I did agree, but I also emphasized that Gan’s character shouldn’t be overly changed!” Gluum was stunned by his words for a few seconds but didn’t calm down, instead becoming even more agitated.
“Look, Ed, look!” he protested, flipping through the script, “In my novel, Gan is both a genius and a fool, who could be an astronaut or a garbage incinerator, but you’ve turned him into a naive imbecile! I don’t mind you only want to film the first eleven chapters, given the book’s extensive content it’s not possible to narrate everything in two to three hours, but you completely changed the character’s personality. How can I accept this?!”
“Alright, Winston, calm down first, have some water, then we can discuss this slowly,” Adrian said somewhat helplessly, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Arguing won’t solve the problem.”
Such arguments had happened several times before, ever since the adaptation of the novel began. They had previously been confined to phone calls, and Adrian had hoped to keep it that way, but Gluum, the stubborn old man, unexpectedly came all the way from Alabama. Now the argument continued in the office.
Adrian had thought about being more assertive, but Gluum was both stubborn and tough, responsive only to soft tactics, not harshness. If things were pushed too harshly, they would inevitably fall out. Although he was prepared for such eventualities, it was still better not to provoke such a confrontation if not absolutely necessary.(To be continued… For more updates, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)
