I'm in Hollywood

Chapter 312: Occupational habits

At a brightly lit estate in Beverly Hills, the celebration for the commencement of filming "The Godfather Part III" was in full swing. Next to the swimming pool outside the mansion, a middle-aged man in his forties, who was slightly overweight and balding, was gesticulating wildly while speaking to a black-haired girl.

"I served as Mr. Coppola's assistant director for two consecutive 'Godfather' movies. You should know that I was only in my early thirties then, and it was not an easy feat to become an assistant director in Hollywood at such a young age. Over the years, I have maintained contact with Mr. Coppola. He introduced the investors for my movie. They were very optimistic about my screenplay. So, Miss Connolly, as long as you can perform well, I guarantee that this time you will successfully make the transition."

Although Jennifer Connolly was somewhat impatient, she did not dare to show it. Since she lost the role of the romantic interest in "Running Out of Time" last year, her agent, Jim Reston, had stopped focusing on her. As a result, she had not gotten any roles for a year.

If she continues to drag on like this, she may be completely forgotten by Hollywood. Whenever she thinks about this possibility, she feels a strong sense of unease. What else can she do if she leaves Hollywood? She has no other skills besides acting. Although she can accept the option of marrying a man and becoming a full-time housewife, she does not want to live that kind of boring life where she only cares about household chores. Even if she gets married, she hopes to live a more affluent life.

However, among the people she knows, the only ones who can provide her with this kind of life are those with a certain reputation and status in Hollywood, like the man in front of her who is in his forties or fifties. Not to mention that these people are usually as old as her father, and their marriages in Hollywood are also the most unstable. She might be dumped at any time, and what will she do when she gets older and loses her beauty?

"Hey, Miss Connelly, are you listening to me?"

The young woman had only briefly drifted off, and soon heard a slightly displeased voice in her ear. She quickly perked up and flashed a smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Brant."

Tony Brant was pleased with the woman's attitude, and without leaving a trace, his gaze glanced at the woman's bosom, which was lifted high by the black dress. Only then did he say, "Miss Connolly, it's quite impolite to be distracted on such a grand occasion. Those bigwigs won't be as forgiving as I am. Oh, Mr. Coppola is coming out now, and there's Al Pacino, and that... seems to be his nephew, Nicolas Cage."

Jennifer Connolly also saw the group of people walking out of the villa, laughing and chatting. The bearded man in the middle with glasses was clearly Francis Coppola. The people who had been chatting in the yard all gathered around to greet them.

"Miss Connolly, come on, let's go say hello," Tony Brant said, raising his arm slightly.

Jennifer Connelly hesitated for a moment but eventually took the man's arm and walked towards Francis Coppola and his companions.

Once they reached the vicinity of Francis Coppola, Tony Brent quickly let go of Jennifer Connelly's arm and approached the group with a look of eager friendliness.

"Congratulations on directing the final installment of The Godfather series, Mr. Coppola. I'm sure it's going to be another sensational movie," he said.

"Thank you, Tony. How's your movie coming along?" Francis Coppola shook hands with Tony Brent and casually asked.

"We're almost ready to start shooting. Oh, and this is the lead actress I've selected. Jennifer Connelly, she starred in Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America". She played the young Deborah, in case you don't remember," Tony Brent introduced Jennifer to Francis Coppola.

Francis Coppola scrutinized Jennifer Connolly up and down, his gaze resembling that of examining an object. For Hollywood bigwigs like them, no beauty could surprise them anymore.

Under this scrutiny, the lady who had planned to greet Francis Coppola suddenly felt a wave of restraint and unease. Her right hand, which had been prepared to be raised, gently lowered, clutching the hem of her dress in discomfort.

"Hmm, not bad, just a bit too pretty. Tony, your movie is a drama, and having an overly beautiful female lead is not a good thing."

Tony Brent was about to speak, but Francis Coppola waved his hand and said, "Of course, that's your movie that you've been preparing for a long time, so it's up to you to choose the female lead. I won't interfere."

"No, no, no, Mr. Coppola. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know where to get the investment from. Moreover, your eyesight is much better than mine. If you think it's not suitable, I will definitely consider it carefully."

Upon hearing Tony Brent's words, the lady opened her mouth slightly and looked towards Francis Coppola. Her fingers, which were clutching the hem of her dress, were trembling with frustration. She had fought hard for this role, and now it seemed like it might all be for nothing just because of a passing comment from these people. In that moment, she wished that all these big shots would be dragged down to hell.

Coppola noticed Connelly's expression and quickly patted Tony Brent's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Don't be like that, Tony. This little girl is actually quite good. If you replace her, I don't know how many times she'll curse me in secret."

"How could that be? Miss Connelly really admires you. We were just talking about your movie," Tony Brent quickly added. He even gave a little nudge to the lady standing next to him. Jennifer Connelly tried to compose herself and sniffed before she could speak, but Francis Coppola had already walked away with Al Pacino and Nicolas Cage to another area.

"Frank, who was that person just now? I feel like I've seen him somewhere," Al Pacino asked after the three had left.

Francis Ford Coppola replied casually, "He was my assistant when we made the first two Godfather movies, so that's probably where you recognize him from. We've kept in touch over the years and recently he came to me with his own movie project. I couldn't turn him down, so I introduced him to some investors."

Al Pacino thought for a moment but still couldn't remember who Tony Lambert was, so he pushed the thought aside.

Seeing Nicolas Cage still looking towards the door on the other side of Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino chuckled and said, "Okay, Nick, I've already told you that Eric rarely attends parties. He doesn't really like these kinds of occasions. You should focus on preparing for your audition. As long as you can impress Eric and with the added advantage of being a member of the Coppola family, I believe Eric will give you the leading role in 'Ghost'."

Upon hearing Al Pacino suddenly mention Eric, Francis Coppola also showed a thoughtful expression, "Speaking of which, during the recent turmoil, many people thought that the young man wouldn't make it, but not only did he survive unscathed, he also made Michael Eisner suffer a loss and gave away a script. Al, you've worked with Eric Williams before. What do you think of him?"

Al Pacino thought for a moment and shook his head gently, "I can't say for sure. At the end of the year before last, when I just made my comeback to Broadway, Eric came to me in a café and told me about his script. I didn't find anything special and was about to refuse, but then the young man talked to me confidently about the script of 'Scent of a Woman' and I found myself intrigued. Soon after, I went with him to Los Angeles. If I had to say, he...is very mature, far beyond his age, and when you are with him, you quickly forget that he is a young man under the age of twenty, but rather feel like you are chatting with someone of the same age."

"After hearing what you said, I would also like to meet this miraculous young man," said Francis Coppola with a smile. "It seems that Steven had contact with him and wanted to get the adaptation rights for 'Jurassic Park,' but the young man refused him. Ha ha, in Hollywood, there aren't many people who can make Steven eat his words."

"He certainly has the qualifications now," Al Pacino said, also smiling.

Francis Coppola was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "Yes, he certainly does have the qualifications. It won't be long before Hollywood's Big Seven becomes the Big Eight. I really don't know how he managed to create so many blockbuster films. Last year, half of the top ten highest-grossing films were produced by Firefly, which is truly astounding."

As the three were talking, they saw a commotion at the entrance of the estate in the distance. They exchanged a glance and all walked in that direction, wanting to see what was going on.

... ...

"Eric, why do you look a bit uneasy? Is the dress not fitting properly?" While driving towards the Coppola estate, Eric looked at Famke Janssen sitting in the passenger seat and asked curiously.

At this time, the lady was wearing a rose-colored one-shoulder waist-tight evening dress, and her hair was also tied up into a bun. Although she only applied a layer of simple makeup, she still looked much more beautiful than when Eric had just seen her in the afternoon.

"No, it's nothing, just a professional habit," Famke Janssen said, embarrassed, and finally put her hands on her knees.

"A professional habit?" Eric became even more curious.

"Yes," the lady smiled awkwardly and explained, "When I used to participate in fashion shows, the clothes I wore were made by the designers who just finished their work. If I accidentally broke them, we small models couldn't afford to pay for it, so as soon as we finished walking the runway, we couldn't wait to take them off."

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