American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 80 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Wants a Job

"Hey—you're The Rock? The Rock from WWF?"

"Yeah~ I am the Rock in WWF."

“Oh my god—what brings you here? It’s nice to meet you. Oh—I think I know why you’re here, so you really don’t need me to call? You’re here to talk to Isha about work, right?”

"Yes, you guessed right, but Marge said no, and that's fine, because my schedule is very relaxed and I have plenty of time."

"Okay, would you like to have a seat? I'll get you some afternoon tea. And then we can have dinner here tonight? If that's convenient."

"Thank you, you're too kind. It's convenient for me, but I'll have to ask Mag for the specific details..."

As soon as Johnson took off his sunglasses, Warner Bros. staff recognized him.

Immediately afterwards, a sudden exclamation arose.

This fact prompted Johnson to respond with a smile.

The afternoon tea that was forced upon them made the staff's enthusiasm tangible.

The intense heat that had filled the air gradually subsided only after the other person reluctantly left.

Watching the long-haired, bald-faced man nod and wave his thanks, Robbie pursed his lips—

"Uncle Dawn, it seems you weren't lying to me."

"What did you say?" Johnson looked away.

He looked at Robbie with a curious expression.

"You are indeed quite famous." The young girl shrugged and tilted her head, saying, "I was ignorant."

"hahahaha~~"

The little girl's adorable appearance made Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson burst into laughter.

But less than two seconds later, he put on a stern face again.

“Oh, Marg, I’m glad you recognize your mistake.”

“But—”

He paused.

Noticing the earnestness on the little girl's face and realizing she was listening attentively, he continued, "But if you really haven't heard of my name, it just means I still need to work harder."

"Because I'm not famous enough."

"I did not achieve the feat of making two billion from three films."

"..." Robbie was speechless as he listened to the serious nonsense.

He rolled his eyes, utterly speechless.

The adorable little girl brought Johnson back to his goofy self.

He made a face at Robbie Jr., with that classic raised eyebrow.

Then he picked up the dessert in front of him, took a spoonful, and savored it carefully. "Oh~~ Is this the afternoon tea at the Warner Bros. set? It's so exquisite! Harry Potter truly deserves to be the best-treated film crew in Hollywood..."

Johnson arrived in the UK this morning.

I landed at around 10 a.m. and then went directly to Leavesden.

His purpose was simple: he had already finished filming MGM's "The Greatness of the World," so according to the previous agreement, he was coming to Disney to fulfill his contract, which was to film "The Game Plan."

Although the entire production of "The Game Plan" was in the United States, theoretically, Johnson only needed to go to the Disney set on time. However, as the saying goes, the entertainment industry is the most feudal place in the world.

So……

Is Isabella one of the producers of "The Game Plan"?

Even if she's just a figurehead, Johnson still wants to meet with her.

However, when Johnson arrived in Leavesdon, he discovered that Isabella was not there; she had gone out to film on location.

The fact that he had run into empty air left him with some regret, but it also spurred him to mount his horse again and continue the chase, because an act of sincerity cannot be abandoned halfway. If he were to wait for Isabella to return in Livingston, he might as well not have come at all.

But just as he was about to start afresh, he suddenly discovered that his 'daughter' whom he had never met was on the set.
This surprised him somewhat.

This was not only because they would be partners for a long time to come, but also because Johnson knew that Robbie was an artist under Isabella's company. With these two reasons in mind, Johnson pressed on and took the initiative to chat with the young girl, wanting to build rapport in advance and subtly learn about Isabella's personality and habits.

then……

The fun is coming.

Robbie Jr. didn't recognize the big rock at all.

“Marg.”

"Ok?"

"Do you really not recognize me, or are you pretending not to?"

Although Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had already confirmed this issue with Robbie Jr. multiple times on the way to Oxford.

But he still couldn't quite believe his ears. "Our collaboration was finalized months ago, right? I got your information from Disney months ago, so... you really haven't looked at my information?"

"Uh... I think I have? Or maybe I don't? I don't remember..."

Robbie, who was picking at the afternoon tea cakes, paused.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.

The bewildered answer left Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson speechless. After a pause, he persisted, saying, "While wrestling may not be a very popular sport in Australia, I've already made four movies since 2000."

"Two of them did quite well at the box office."

"You haven't seen either 'The Mummy Returns' or 'The Scorpion King'?"

“Uh… I’ve never even heard of it…” Robbie shook his head apologetically again.

This time, her actions were even more decisive than before.

The fact that "No, No, No" left Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson somewhat frustrated.

He always thought he was quite famous—

He won the NCAA football championship with his college team.

This achievement made him famous throughout North America.

After graduation, he entered the professional wrestling field.

He won the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Intercontinental Championship that year.

Then, the following year, he won the WWF championship belt.

The fact that he won the card in his first year and reached the top in his second year made him a superstar in the sports world!
Because he's so popular, Magic: The Gathering even created a separate deck just for him!
Because of his immense popularity, he was able to successfully enter Hollywood!

How could he possibly act?

He secured those projects, such as "The Mummy Returns" and "The Scorpion King," thanks to his immense popularity!
Again--

In the entertainment industry, acting skills may be very important, but in the entertainment circle, acting skills are the least important thing.

When he became famous and popular, and the capital recognized his talent, Robbie said he didn't know him.

This……

"Uncle Dawn, I don't think you need to worry about this."

Seeing the big rock that had been teasing him looking annoyed, little Robbie's face broke into a happy smile.

At first glance, you might even get a sense of 'successfully playing a trick'.

But the little girl's words were very sincere—

“Uncle Dawn, since you’ve seen my file, you should know that I’m a circus performer.”

“I’ve been practicing circus since I was a child. Circus training is very tiring, so whenever my day off comes, the thing I want to do most is lie in bed and pretend to be dead without moving, because that makes me feel comfortable.”

“Over the years, I have had very little time for leisure, so whenever I do have a real time to relax, I cherish that time and only spend my limited time on things that interest me.”

"And wrestling...action movies...to be honest, these aren't things I like..."

"Oh, is that so?" Robbie's explanation made Johnson feel a little better.

But at the same time, he asked curiously, "So what are you interested in? Can you tell me?"

"Of course I can talk about it."

Robbie Jr. laughed and said, "People who know me know that I'm interested in Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter is my absolute favorite story."

"And, my favorite character in the whole story is Hermione Granger."

“Oh—you like Isabella?” Johnson chuckled.

“Yeah, everyone knows that. I love her so much.” Little Robbie, biting his dessert spoon, continued to nod.

"Then can you tell me what you like about her?"

Now that the topic had turned to the person in question, Johnson decided to stop dwelling on other things.

As Robbie Jr. narrated, a beautiful, intelligent, and adorable little beaver appeared before Johnson.

According to Robbie Jr., Miss Beaver was exceptionally beautiful and charming.

"Issa is super pretty~ and she's an incredibly nice person~"

"You know what? When I first met her, she welcomed us all on set!"

"We were just supporting actors and extras on 'The Voice of China,' and she treated us like this. It really surprised me!"

According to Robbie Jr., Miss Beaver is kind-hearted.

“I actually practically forced myself to stay by her side, but not only did Isa not kick me out, she even signed me.”

"This surprised me."

"And then, she also helped me find the project that you and I were working on, you should know that."

According to Robbie Jr., Miss Beaver is quirky and mischievous—

“Isa is not a serious person; she also likes to do bad things in her life.”

"Today she teases Daniel, and he's Harry; tomorrow she teases Rupert, and he's Ron; the day after tomorrow she teases Tom, and he's the young master... She makes it impossible for them to film properly, and then the director scolds her..."

"Of course, she wasn't really playing a prank. They have a good relationship. Apart from not helping them with their homework, Isa would help others if they needed anything. Young Master and the others would often sneak out of class under Isa's name."

As one amusing anecdote after another emerged, in Johnson's eyes, the word "perfect" was insufficient to describe Isabella.

Only a goddess could be worthy of her actions.

And goddess?
'This sounds like a fan describing their idol, doesn't it?'

The more Johnson listened, the more uneasy he felt.

Robbie Jr. chuckled inwardly as he spoke.

"You think you can get any information about Isabella from me? Dream on!"

Um--

How could Robbie not recognize his soon-to-be partner?

Then how could someone who can become friends with Keira Knightley, Christian Bale, Jude Law and Sadie Frost in such a short time not understand the purpose of Dwayne Johnson's sudden visit?

In Robbie's opinion, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's uninvited visit was simply an attempt to get closer to Isabella.

Well, she doesn't think there's anything wrong with that idea.

Because Isabella is strong!

But does Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson want to get information from her so he can prescribe the right medicine?

This won't work!
Regardless of whether the visitor is benevolent or malevolent, she will not reveal a single piece of information about Miss Beaver!

She will always be loyal to Miss Beaver~
what?
Someone asked why?
Do you need a reason to like someone?
As Robbie Jr. rambled on, night gradually fell.

With the film crew wrapping up and Rupert and Columbus returning, dinner officially began.

The appearance of Robbie Jr. and Dwayne Johnson surprised the creators of "Azkaban". After everyone learned that the two were there to see Isabella, Columbus immediately wanted to take out his phone to call for help, but Johnson refused.

He said he had already been waiting there for 'an afternoon' and didn't care about this one more time.

He also said that Disney has given them plenty of time, and they don't need to immediately return to the US to film. He also expressed his belief that Isabella will be back soon.

"I heard that Isha is going to perform in a play tomorrow?"

"Since she has work tomorrow, she shouldn't be back too late today?"

Since Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had said so, Columbus agreed.

And just as Dwayne Johnson predicted, Isabella returned with her mother and sister before eight o'clock.

then--

The sudden appearance of the two people startled them.

After learning what had happened, the little girl apologized to Johnson and started lecturing Robbie.

"Margot! What's going on with you?"

"They're guests, aren't they? How can you make them wait here for hours?"

After going upstairs, Isabella pulled Robbie aside.

“Because rest time is precious,” Robbie whispered back. “Why did he come over without telling us? And during your rest time no less? If he had told us beforehand, everything would have been fine, but he didn’t…”

"Isn't that taking up your rest time?!"

"You haven't had a break for a long time because of negotiating collaborations and filming promotional videos for 'The Voice of China'."

"..." Isabella blinked.

To be honest, at that moment, she really felt that Robbie's logic was sound.

She's a bigger star than Johnson right now, so if Johnson suddenly visits and finds her not there, then it's only natural he'd wait for her.

This isn't because she looks down on Johnson; it's just how society works.

People in high positions have privileges.

but……

"Don't do that again."

She glared at Robbie. "Because you never know if someone else will make a comeback, and you never know when you'll be forgotten. So, as long as it's not a matter of principle, it can be resolved amicably, okay?"

"Oh," Robbie replied acknowledging his mistake.

But looking at her nonchalant attitude...

I guess he didn't listen.

Since nothing much had happened that day, Isabella let the matter drop after saying a few words to Robbie. She went back to her room to change her clothes and then went to the hotel's lounge to meet Johnson.

After a brief chat, Isabella learned the other party's purpose.

First, Johnson's main purpose for this trip was to take Robbie Jr. to the United States to film a movie.

“This was originally supposed to be done by Disney, but I told them I could do it myself.”

Johnson smiled at Isabella and said, "After all, we play a father and daughter in the movie. If we don't get to know each other beforehand, we'll probably run into a lot of trouble during filming..."

Johnson was referring to common issues in children's films, so Isabella nodded in agreement.

Secondly, Johnson's secondary purpose for this trip was to show the script to Isabella and discuss production, since Isabella is the producer.

"To be honest, I was nervous when I learned that Margot would be playing my daughter."

"Because Marg is about to turn 13, while the girls in 'The Game Plan' are set to be 9 to 10 years old."

"A three-year age gap could affect the film's effect."

"And now? Do you still think there's a problem?" Isabella asked with a smile.

“No—” Dwayne Johnson shook his head, shrugged, and raised an eyebrow. “I feel great right now because Margot is lovely.”

As he spoke, he winked at Robbie Jr.

Little Robbie played along and acted cute.

Ten years old is a very special age in the entertainment industry in Europe and America.

Or, to put it another way, child stars in Europe and America generally debut around the age of 10.

Because if you go any further, the children will be too young to understand human speech.

As for older children, they are too old. Europeans and Americans are basically fully developed by the age of 14 or 5. When a child's appearance is no different from that of an adult, even if they are not an adult, they can no longer play a child.

Therefore, when a child is 10 years old, they are both adorable and capable of understanding speech...

Only then will related creative works be born.

Since Johnson had no objection to Robbie Jr. joining the team, Isabella smiled and accepted the final draft of the shoot from him.

After a quick flip through, the story told in the "Competition Plan" was officially presented to her.

The core structure of the film is not much different from the synopsis Isabella had seen before. The key point is the film's genre. The creative team decided to use a comedy approach to make the film, so there are many absurd plots in the script.

For example, people who like sports or have worked out should know that if they want to have good athletic performance and a good physique, they must be very particular about their diet. They can't eat junk food, they have to say no to high-sugar and high-fat foods, and they also need to consume more protein, otherwise their muscles will not grow.

Of course, one can only develop thin muscles naturally. If one wants to grow larger, one can only ask the Nine Dragon Ancestor to grant one the power of the Nine Dragons.

But spraying pesticides is something that won't happen in movies, even though it's very common in reality.

Therefore, when the protagonist in a movie is a rugby player, the reason he can demonstrate strength is his self-discipline, his hard training, and his extremely clean and strict diet. And, of course, extreme foods are usually very unpalatable.

In the movie, when the male protagonist makes breakfast for his daughter, he stuffs all the high-quality carbohydrates, protein, and a small amount of fat into a blender and blends it into a puree, then makes her drink it all in one gulp. This is his daily routine. But this stuff is practically inedible for most people. To avoid eating this, the daughter says she wants to make breakfast with her dad, and then…

She deliberately didn't close the blender lid tightly.

And then...

She turned the blender to its highest speed.

At last……

The unrestrained goo shot into the sky, spraying everywhere.

The fact that she didn't have to suffer made the girl very happy.

The scene was so unfamiliar that Dad was completely bewildered; he thought the blender had broken down.

The sudden contrast is the soul of formulaic comedy.

Isabella thought the arrangement was quite good.

Because "The Game Plan" is a commercial film.

Making the audience happy is the most important thing.

So, after quickly flipping through the script and finding that the internal design was roughly the same, Isabella returned the script.

She exercised her rights as a producer and had no objections.

Just when she thought the meeting was over and she could go back to rest, and that Robbie would be traveling to America with Johnson the next day, The Rock, with his frizzy haircut, suddenly rubbed his hands together and said with a smile—

“Isa, besides picking up Marg and delivering the script, there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”

"I heard you and Disney are going to make a music-themed variety show?"

"I'm a singer too? So..."

"Could we collaborate sometime?"

Robbie, sitting to the side, inwardly scoffed at his blunt self-recommendation.

Look -

What did she say?
She knew that this big hairy egg's visit was not innocent!

Isabella was somewhat surprised, "Dawn... what did you say... you're a singer?"

"Yeah~"

Seeing that Isabella seemed unaware of this, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson immediately became excited and introduced himself: "I'm a singer. I released a song back in 2000."

"That's 'It Doesn't Matter'..."

The entertainment industry is a big catch-all; as long as you're famous, you can do anything.

That's why, when he crossed over into other fields, Johnson did everything.

He acted in movies and sang songs, and the song he mentioned, "It Doesn't Matter," was a collaboration with hip-hop legend Welchever, which reached number 80 on the Billboard RnB and hip-hop charts in 2000.

This is a very good result.

Later, he and Shrek Rick the One-Eyed Pirate recorded a promotional disc for WWF in 2001.

It ranked second on the Billboard album sales chart.

Because Dwayne Johnson's crossover career has been so successful, he has another nickname in North America.

That's the 'King of Rock'.

'Rock' = 'The Rock', right?

"Oh—Dawn—so you had this kind of experience?"

Isabella felt a bit like a country bumpkin.

Even if she had lived two lives, she would not have known that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had ever played music.

"of course."

Johnson laughed and nodded, but his tone was rather humble. "Besides singing, I've also been a host. You know Saturday Night Live? I was a substitute host for three episodes."

"So, uh... if The Voice needs a host, I think you could consider me..."

The sudden offer of self-recommendation was something Isabella had never considered.

Because her knowledge of Dwayne Johnson was limited to movies like "Fast & Furious," "Black Adam," and "Jumanji."

As for the rest?
“Dawn, you know I’ve never even been to America, so I don’t know how far along the preparations for ‘The Voice’ are. But if you really have the time, you could talk to Disney, I think…”

"Bob shouldn't miss out on any talented people."

Isabella passed the buck to Disney.

She won't be involved in the production of "The Voice" because she has already sold the franchise rights to Disney. At the same time, she doesn't have time to manage it. Hermione's role in "Azkaban" is very important, and her scenes won't be finished until August or September at the earliest.

But none of this matters to Johnson.

"Of course, I'll definitely go to Disney, but I should let you know first, shouldn't I?"

Mao Dan winked at Isabella, "After all, this is your project..."

"Hahaha..." Isabella burst into laughter at the opportune compliment.

Although this was her first time interacting with Mao Dan, she still had to admit that Ju Shi was quite an interesting person.

"Okay, then good luck."

The appearance of a blessing signifies the end of the conversation.

Just as Isabella was saying goodbye to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, another question suddenly popped into her mind.

"Dawn, judging from your expression, it seems like you're following 'The Voice'?"

"Of course~ How could I not pay attention to such a well-known project?"

"So you know how far along its preparations are?"

"That's it."

"So, how far along is it in its preparations?"

"It's going to be officially announced soon."

Is an official announcement imminent?

"Ah? Don't you know?"

"Oh—I've been busy filming Azkaban and haven't had time to think about anything else, so all I know right now is that I recorded a promotional video for Disney. As for the rest? You probably know more about it than I do."

"Haha~ It seems you're busier than I thought, but I understand~ As for 'The Voice'..."

Johnson paused for a second, then continued, "I don't actually know much. I only know that Disney is going all out this time. They're going to announce the start of 'The Voice' through multiple channels across the US, including radio, newspapers, and movie theaters."

(End of this chapter)