America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 282 Too much pressure
In a reception room at the Brooklyn police station.

Accompanied by the crew's associate producer Damian and the crew's lawyer, the NYPD took routine victim statements from Martin, Bruce and Aniston.

Except for the slightly exaggerated part about Aniston, Martin and the other two only needed to repeat the rest verbatim.

Even Aniston's part did not ignore the facts.

"Mr. Davis, Ms. Aniston." The police officer taking the statement shook hands with the two of them one by one. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. If there is any situation later, I will contact you in time."

Martin said with a serious expression: "I have always heard that the NYPD is known for being fair and just. I believe you will handle this matter properly."

The officer smiled and said, "Of course."

Those involved are not ordinary people, but the situation is clear. On one side is an Australian star, and on the other side is an American hero and the number one sweetheart. Just handle it impartially.

Aniston has been hiding beside Martin, looking particularly helpless.

America's No. 1 sweetheart had such an influence that when the police officer saw how frightened she was, he felt it was not excessive to punish the perpetrator with the maximum severity.

After coming out of the reception room, the crew's lawyer Ward went to find out the situation.

After returning, he whispered to Martin and Aniston, "The NYPD found a prescription drug and an illegal drug on Heath Ledger. The amount he possessed seriously exceeded the prescribed standard. The preliminary urine test was positive. Further blood tests will be conducted tomorrow. According to New York regulations, driving is prohibited after taking those two drugs."

Martin didn't hesitate to accuse me: "He almost hit me and Jane in the parking lot. Is he suspected of dangerous driving?"

“If you guys insist on holding him accountable, he’s going to be in trouble,” Ward said.

Aniston glanced at Martin and said softly, "I don't care about him!"

There are many people like Heath Ledger in Hollywood, but those people had no disputes with her, while Heath Ledger actually threatened her safety.

Martin's cell phone rang. After answering the call, Thomas' voice came through the receiver: "I'm on my way to the airport. I'll be in New York in the early morning."

When a client encounters a problem, the agent rushes over first. Apart from anything else, Thomas' attitude is impeccable.

Aniston also received a call from her agent and found Martin and said, "My agent told me not to face the media yet and wait for him to come over."

Martin thought about it and asked an important question: "Is Heath Ledger also a client of CAA?"

Aniston didn’t know, so she called to ask, and said, “Yes.”

Martin said, "Let's go back and talk about it."

He needs time to think and plan how to maximize the value of this emergency.

Things have happened and must be dealt with. What practical benefits can you get by making the other party suffer?

As soon as he entered the hall, Martin found two women coming towards him.

One is Blanchett and the other is the famous actress Michelle Williams.

"Jane, Martin, this is Ledger's fiancée Michelle." Blanchett introduced them briefly. "Can we talk for a minute alone?"

Michelle bowed to the two men and said sincerely, "I'm very sorry for what Heath did. I'm sorry."

Martin said directly: "Ma'am, if you have something to say, please speak as soon as possible."

Michelle understood the situation and knew that it was crucial to gain the understanding of the two men. After bowing and apologizing again, he said, "Heath definitely didn't mean to target you. He's a very good person. It was an accident this afternoon. It was the drugs..."

Both Martin and Aniston believe the afternoon was an accident, but that's not the point.

Michelle spoke skillfully: "Just over two months ago, Heath became a father. He and I had a lovely daughter. He was under a lot of pressure after the birth of our daughter. He had not yet fully adapted to being a father, and he had to separate from his daughter to go to work. The pressure of the award season was all on him, so he had to see a doctor and take medicine to avoid mental problems."

Daughters, fathers, stress and mental illness, these are all easy to sympathize with.

But Martin didn't buy it: "So the culprit is the star father who is under too much pressure!" He glanced at Aniston: "Shall we go?"

"Let's go." Aniston took Martin's arm and walked out.

"You two!" Michelle was anxious and wanted to chase after them, but was stopped by Bruce.

Old Bull was muttering to himself: Stars who earn millions of dollars in film pay and enjoy the benefits of the Actors Guild are under so much pressure that they become addicted to drugs, and they even use this as an excuse. Are ordinary people who work several jobs or work overtime for more than ten hours a day going crazy?

Even he, a super bad guy, scoffed at this.

Martin and his group got into their cars.

Before the car reached the Brooklyn Bridge, Bruce received a call and said to Martin, "There is a car following us."

Aniston was a little nervous, after all, she had just encountered Heath Ledger.

Martin had encountered enough bad things to say, "Find out who they are."

Ever since the studio subdued Heath Ledger, he has been thinking about the follow-up matters.

Heath Ledger is not alone. The Australian gang Martin doesn't care, those people can't do anything too extreme because of Heath Ledger, he is also a member of the Face Gang and the Asshole Trio.

Martin was considering Heath Ledger's agency, the production and distribution companies behind the projects.

"Brokeback Mountain" is currently in theaters, Heath Ledger is the leading actor, and he was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards which ended a few days ago.

That is to say, CAA, producers and distributors may be working on his Oscar nomination.

The car soon arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Entering the hotel lobby, Bruce said to Martin again, "It's clear that a team of reporters from the News of the World may have heard the news and want to get first-hand news."

Martin said as he walked: "News of the World, old friend."

When he was in Washington, it was a team of reporters from the News of the World who sneaked into his room.

After going upstairs, Bruce first carefully checked the room where Martin was staying, and made sure there was nothing unusual before letting Martin and Aniston in.

Aniston went to take a shower, and Martin looked through the address book and found the business card of Mockridge, the editor-in-chief of the News of the World.

It was with him that Martin had originally negotiated the manuscript and remuneration.

Similar behavior to Heath Ledger's, if it hadn't involved Martin and Aniston, would have been nothing in Hollywood, and no one from the crew to the investors would have taken it seriously.

In the context of capital pursuing profits, they will even take the initiative to help celebrities suppress it.

…………

The reception room of the Brooklyn police station was still busy at this time.

The crew of "I'm Not There" not only notified the producers, but also notified the distributor, Weinstein Company, which is headquartered in New York.

Shams, the producer of "Brokeback Mountain", happened to be doing public relations in New York, and representatives from another major producer, Paramount Pictures, rushed over as soon as possible.

This film won multiple awards at the just-concluded Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and has already sparked a wave of popularity for expansion. They will not let the leading actor fall into the abyss.

Heath Ledger's agency is also CAA, and his managing agent and senior partner of CAA, Kevin Howe, is on a flight over.

Whether Brokeback Mountain or I'm not there, it involves the interests of many companies in the circle.

During this year's awards season, CAA invested a lot of resources in Heath Ledger, helping him get a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and a Best Actor nomination for the Oscar is also likely.

Similar to Martin, a rising star has many interests involved behind him.

Kevin Howe called Harvey Weinstein and said, "Harvey, if Heath Ledger goes to jail at this time, we will all suffer huge losses. New York is your home turf, so find a solution as soon as possible."

Harvey came out of the bedroom and said, "Focus Features and Paramount Pictures have invested a lot in Brokeback Mountain and are about to reap the rewards. They will not allow this to happen. You call them and ask them to communicate with Warner Bros. If I contact Warner, it will only make things worse."

Kevin said: "I have communicated with both companies and reached an agreement. I will be able to arrive in New York early tomorrow morning."

Harvey thought for a moment and said, "Let's go meet the other party together tomorrow."

"I'm Not There" filmed a lot of scenes in Minnesota before moving to New York. Replacing Heath Ledger at this time would have been a huge loss.

…………

Outside the Brooklyn Studios, there was a very ordinary car parked.

The people in the car were waiting for news.

Azar, who was sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at his work ID from the News of the World, put it away, and asked his companion who had just finished a phone call, "Is there any news from the NYPD?"

Lukaku shook his head: "All I can confirm is that there was a conflict at the Brooklyn studio near the end of the workday today, involving many Hollywood stars including Martin, Aniston, Bale, Blanchett and Heath Ledger. The details are not available for the time being."

Hazard looked out the car window at the studio area: "There are so many bad things surrounding Martin Davis. He must know it."

Lukaku reminded: "Don't be impulsive, think about the weird Washington spy incident!"

Although Hazard didn't know what exactly happened in Washington, there were some rumors inside, and the higher-ups had also specifically warned people not to use those lousy tactics to provoke Martin Davis.

Just as I was thinking about this, a man wearing a common dark coat and an ordinary cotton hat walked past the car, and a large envelope tucked under his arm fell out with a click.

Hazard heard the sound and looked back. The envelope fell beside the rear door. He waved: "Hey, man, you dropped something."

The man didn't stop at all. He walked to the intersection ahead and turned into an alley.

Hazard realized something and immediately opened the door and got out of the car. He picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was common A4 printing paper with densely printed words on it.

There are also a few photos that only show one person.

Heath Ledger was handcuffed behind his back by the NYPD and put into a police car.

(End of this chapter)