America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 303: Soft Rice Tastes So Good

After removing his makeup, Martin saw Kate and Leonardo waiting for him. He smiled and asked, "How is it? Any good news?"

Kate walked up to him and hugged him: "Congratulations, you're my partner."

Leonardo bumped fists with Martin. "You guys always do a great job playing a pervert."

Martin retorted, "Because I have you as a friend for reference, I don't need to experience life. I can just act like you."

"This is not the place to talk." Kate invited the two to go to the lounge next door: "Don't say anything about each other, you two are both assholes who like everyone you meet."

Leonardo said affectionately: "For so many years, you are the only one I love."

Facing her best friend, Kate was just as aggressive as when she was filming the ship: "Leo, don't you feel guilty about saying this? Look at you, your stomach is bulging with emptiness."

"Don't talk about me." Leonardo sat on the sofa: "You are not much better."

Martin looked at the two of them and said, "Actually, there's a line from Titanic that's very suitable for you."

Leonardo knew that this jerk had no good words to say, so he didn't bother to ask.

Kate was curious and asked, "What line?"

"If you jump, I jump too." Martin gestured and said, "Now, if you are fat, I am fat too."

Kate raised her eyebrows: "Women, it's better to be plump."

Martin nodded: "That makes sense."

Leonardo said, "Kate, I suggest you be careful of this guy. Every time he arrives at a crew, he likes to have a love affair with the heroine."

Martin defended himself: "Stop slandering people. Did the crew of The Hills Have Eyes and The Departed ever do that?"

Kate's gossip fire was ignited: "So, the rumors about you and Jolie and Aniston are true?"

Martin neither confirmed nor denied it.

Leonardo said: "He's just one step away from bringing Jolie and Aniston, two sworn enemies, together for a party."

Martin changed the subject: "Your Appian Way also participated in the investment?"

"Give Kate a hand." Leonardo said half-seriously, "Also, I heard that you, a bastard, are going to be the male lead. As a member of the trio, I have to show my support as well."

Martin didn't believe his lies, so he gave Kate a middle finger and asked, "When will the filming start? Are we going to Germany to film?"

Kate said: "Filming will start next month and end in August if all goes well. Except for some location scenes that will be filmed in Germany, most of the scenes will be filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire."

Martin knew Pinewood Studios, Hollywood's largest filming base in the UK, where all the studio scenes for the Harry Potter and Bond series were shot.

Leonardo said, "By the way, I heard from Old Jack that his old lover will also go to Pinewood Studios to film this summer. There should be quite a few crews there."

Martin said, "It just so happens that I'm bored in London. You and the old bastard can come over to visit the studio and we can set up a party in London."

Kate knows a lot: "You mean Meryl Streep and Mamma Mia?"

Leonardo nodded.

Martin pondered and said, "The firecrackers seem a little weak. Are there any fireworks for sale in London?"

If you don't have fireworks, firecrackers will do, you don't need to get close to them.

"Do you have a good idea?" Leonardo immediately became interested: "Don't worry, I will definitely take Nicholson to London to visit the set."

The three of them were chatting enthusiastically here and were in great harmony.

In another office, the atmosphere was tense and Thomas' negotiations with the crew were quite tense.

It took two full days, and they only reached an agreement on basic remuneration and profit sharing.

In the Hollywood industry, male stars are generally paid more than female stars. Martin is not as famous as Kate Winslet, but his basic salary is the same as the latter, which is 400 million US dollars.

When starring in art films, the stars' pay is naturally lower than that of commercial films. On the one hand, the investors control the early risks and the project investment is relatively low. On the other hand, most of the stars' income is transferred to the later profit sharing, which can also motivate the main creative staff to give a better performance.

The same is true for Martin.

The later distribution mainly involves North American box office and DVD.

When the North American box office exceeds the cost line of 3000 million US dollars, 2% of the excess will be Martin's share, and this is the most common tiered share in the industry. If it exceeds 1000 million US dollars, the share will rise to 2.5%, and so on, with a maximum cap of 4%.

For DVD, in addition to the union standard, there is also a 1.5% net profit share.

This kind of offline net profit sharing basically has no time limit and is a veritable long-term meal ticket. After the beneficiary dies, it can be inherited by designated heirs.

The revenue focus of a film is not the box office, but the offline post-production. The biggest benefit of winning a heavyweight award at the Oscars is reflected in DVD rentals and sales and television rights.

Thomas then negotiated a nudity clause with the crew.

Just like the heroine Kate Winslet, the key part in the front cannot be exposed.

If the film is to be released in North America, it must be rated R at least. If the birds are allowed to come out to find food, it will become NC-17. After Thomas negotiated all the terms, Martin signed the actor's contract and took a photo with Kate.

The crew of "The Reader" officially announced that Martin and Kate Winslet will play the male and female protagonists, and released a promotional poster.

On the poster, Martin and Kate each occupy one side, showing equal ranking.

As soon as the relevant news came out, Los Angeles critics, who usually make a point of building good relationships with the film, praised Martin's choice.

Kenneth Turan, the top critic of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, highly praised Martin's choice in his column in the Los Angeles Times.

"After solving basic life problems through commercial films, Martin Davis showed his artistic pursuit and ambition to fulfill his acting talent. In the future, Hollywood is bound to give birth to another artist."

Several other well-known critics also mentioned this matter in their columns.

The critics have a considerable influence on award-winning films and the Oscars.

Before leaving Los Angeles for London, Martin came to Louise's mansion.

Not only was Louise there, but Kelly also came over from Atlanta.

Martin was a little surprised: "Why did you come here suddenly?"

Kelly drank a cup of expansion screws prepared by Louise and said, "I heard this bitch talk about something about you, so I came here specially."

Martin came to the bar, took a glass of wine from Louise, pulled out a high chair and sat down, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Louise raised her glass, gestured to the two of them, took a sip of wine, and said, "In the past two years, Kelly and I have made a lot of money through your project. I won't tell you how much we have made."

Martin deliberately said, "It must be tens of billions."

Kelly laughed so hard that she fell backwards. She pointed at Louise and said, "She definitely has it. I'm not sure if I have it."

Louise pulled Kelly over and pinched her cheek hard: "Let's talk business, don't mess around in the hair salon."

She said seriously, "You care about us very much. Kelly and I are not conscienceless people. Don't you want to be nominated for the next Oscar? Kelly suggested that she and I jointly invest and hire a public relations team to help you with publicity and public relations."

Martin certainly wouldn't refuse: "You guys finally found your conscience and are ready to support me?"

Kelly laughed: "It's only $100 million."

Martin, however, considered: "Can I keep a record of it and use it at a critical moment in the future?"

Although their relationship has become somewhat distant over the past year, Louise still remembers the Alexander the Great incident, and the money invested in projects starring Martin has received a generous return.

She said, "This is just the first time. There will be more in the future. When you really go all out for the prize, Kelly and I will also show our appreciation."

Kelly continued, "We will hire a top PR team for you then."

This soft rice tasted so good that Martin could not refuse it from both his body and his heart: "When I win the Oscar statuette, I will chop it into three pieces and each of us will take one piece."

Louise added: "Don't forget, the role is the foundation. Although there have been situations like Shakespeare in Love, do you want to be dragged out by the media and flogged like Gwyneth?"

Martin said: "Of course not, although black and red are still red..."

Louise said, "I will find the right PR team and arrange a meeting for you when you return from London after filming with Kate."

Martin put away his joke and said, "You have made arrangements here, I will listen to you."

Kelly couldn't stop getting angry anymore and said, "We can talk about these things later."

She came close to Martin, and maybe because she drank too much or she tripped, she lost her balance and fell to her knees on the floor. She supported herself with one hand and looked up at Martin eagerly: "Let's talk about how to thank us."

Martin knew that a business worth hundreds of millions was about to begin again.

He has been exercising and taking supplementary food on a daily basis, so there is no problem at all.

Kelly said, "I don't want a broken Oscar statuette. I want a complete Oscar. How about this? Use you as a model and ask someone to carve an Oscar trophy and give it to me..."

"No problem!" Martin agreed immediately.

I'll call Atlanta and ask Lily to carve a few out quickly.

Kelly laughed and said, "I will give you a reward."

Louise walked around the bar.

Martin has extensive experience in group fights. No matter how strong his opponent is, he will first target one and hit him hard. After he has completely defeated that one, he will go on to beat up other opponents.

What's more, in a group fight, the more opponents there are, the more divided they will be, and they may even end up doing more harm than good.

These experiences include both Martin’s practical summary and on-site teaching from real bigwigs in the previous life’s actor group.

In the next few days, Martin dealt with affairs in Los Angeles, took a chartered plane with the crew, rushed to London, and then went to Pinewood Studios to participate in the shooting of the new film.

(End of this chapter)