[Chapter 133: Lunch]
In an elegant restaurant, Eric placed his order and watched with a smile as Julia expertly communicated with the waiter, her grace evident as she adeptly maneuvered her utensils. "What are you looking at?" Julia quickly noticed Eric's gaze and asked curiously.
Eric shook his head. "Nothing, just suddenly thinking about the first ti I ran into you at Jeff's restaurant. You seem so different now."
Julia visibly didn't want Eric to bring up that rough patch of her life and shot him a playful glare. "Are you trying to take credit for sothing?"
"Of course not," Eric laughed. "I just think it's... interesting. Cinderella transford into a high-and-mighty princess in the blink of an eye."
"Please don't bring up the 'Hollywood Cinderella' stuff in front of . I'm about ready to scream from that title," Julia rolled her eyes. While the label ca with a hint of admiration from the dia and public, it was also laced with mockery.
"Alright then, why did you suddenly co back?"
"I picked up a comrcial endorsent and rushed back to shoot the ad, and... well, I wanted to check on you," Julia admitted, stuttering a bit at the end.
Truth be told, her primary reason was to see Eric. The ad was more of an excuse; if she wanted, she could have fild it in Louisiana without issue. After all, she was already part of a
production with plenty of equipnt and personnel on hand.
But considering Eric had been unconscious for over ten hours, and though everything turned out fine, the incident had created quite a stir in Hollywood. He had helped her rise from a nobody to a Hollywood superstar, and if she didn't show up during his recovery, so dia outlets might label her as ungrateful.
So, waiting for Eric outside the studio instead of visiting him privately was a little tactic of Julia's, not for anything else but to create so buzz. She had been out of the dia spotlight for a month, and even though her film was still going strong, the remote Louisiana town made it tough for reporters to find her. Director Herbert Ross was keen on keeping the filming location under wraps, so even if so nosy paparazzi found their way there, they had little chance of getting real news.
At the sa ti, Julia felt a bit apprehensive about visiting Eric privately. She recalled the harsh reprimand he gave her during that sneaky visit before, which brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't help but feel a mix of resentnt towards that unflattering man.
"Thanks for your concern, Julia," Eric responded seriously, then curiously asked, "By the way, what kind of ad are you shooting?"
"For Lanco perfu," Julia said, proudly lifting a few fingers to show him, "A whole year, mind you."
"Wow, that's... quite a sum," Eric casually noted, feeling a bit weary of her small vanity. While he didn't object to her wanting to brag, he wondered if this was really the right audience for it.
"Okay, I know you think it's not a big deal. No need to make that face," Julia said, pursing her red lips. Rembering how it made her appear, she quickly tightened her smile. "I'm no match for you. You get a scrape and suddenly all of Arica is watching; you even stole so of the Oscar's spotlight."
"I should say I acted as a shield for this year's Oscars. If I hadn't gotten hurt, they would've received a lot more backlash," Eric shrugged. "The Academy should really be thanking ." "Well, I'm not so sure about that. All I saw in Louisiana was that the Oscars' director, Alan Carr, declared he would never accept such an invitation again, but it can't be as bad as you say, right?"
"It's much worse than you can imagine, but I can't go into detail. I've signed a confidentiality agreent with many other presenters and perforrs, guaranteeing that we won't ntion anything about this year's Oscars for twenty years. Plus, Disney's been stirring the pot, threatening to sue the award show for using Snow White's likeness without permission. It's I a ss. Without my injury attracting half the dia's attention, the Academy would've had to issue a public apology to quell the outrage."
Julia listened with wide eyes, but she couldn't fully grasp the situation as she hadn't participated in this year's Oscars. In fact, on that night, she had been busy trying to shoot so scenes and hadn't managed to catch the ceremony. The topic then shifted to Eric's injury, which Julia was most interested in.
"Hey, it wasn't convenient in the car to ask, but can we talk about your forehead injury now? I don't believe you just simply fell down the stairs."
Eric helplessly shrugged. "But that's how it happened."
"Definitely not," Julia said with a sly smile. "I read the newspapers the other day, and it said you were taken to the hospital by Drew and your girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston."
"And then?"
Julia leaned in a little, lowering her voice. "I bet your girlfriend Aniston suddenly showed up at your place that morning, saw you in bed with Drew, and went nuts, probably threw sothing at you, right?"
Eric's expression shifted in surprise for a fraction of a second. While Julia's guess was way off the mark, there was a kernel of truth in it; he had been hit hard by Aniston's emotional skills. Fortunately, Virginia was smart enough to stay away during the whole ordeal and only showed up to visit him once his condition was stable.
Julia picked up on Eric's fleeting expression and, with her lips slightly parted, looked surprised. "No way, did I guess right?"
"Absolutely not. I swear on the light," Eric pointed his finger at the chandelier above. "It was just an accidental fall. My dical report got featured in a bunch of newspapers; you surely saw it. I had bruises all over my body. You can't seriously think Aniston is capable of causing such widespread damage, right?"
"Maybe," she retorted, eyeing him with skepticism, as if contemplating how she would inflict similar injuries herself.
"Never mind, let's drop the unpleasant topic. I only spoke with Herbert Ross a few tis over the phone, and now that you're here, how's it going?"
Julia honestly shook her head; even now, she wasn't sure why Eric even selected this film and pressured her to lower her compensation to participate. To Julia, it seed like a disjointed, mundane story about housewives living ordinary lives and the various ups and downs, from celebrations to loss, the trivialities of life.
"I still think the story is too ordinary, without... without any standout monts."
Just then, the waiter brought their food and poured them so red wine before stepping aside. Once the waiter had finished, Eric began to arrange the food on the table and asked, "So what do you think makes a movie stand out?"
After taking a sip of her wine, Julia put down her glass and thought for a mont, waving her hand, "At the very least..."
"At least there should be a heart-wrenching love story, where the leads are utterly devoted to one another, or so big spectacle -- car chases, explosions, fiery flares, whatever?" Eric
said, raising an eyebrow.
Julia nodded eagerly. "Right! At least we should have those things, right?"
"In public, I won't criticize you," Eric replied with a teasing smile. "If you want to know the reasons, co to my place tonight, and I'll detail the elents of a successful film for you." "Um... I think I'll pass," Julia responded, instinctively leaning back as if his gaze had pricked her. She quickly refused, knowing that if she went, she'd probably get scolded again, and this insufferable man might try to drag her into bed.
Eric rely intended to flirt a little, but he quickly sobered up and explained, "The success or failure of a film primarily hinges on whether the director's story resonates with audiences. I've studied the script carefully -- it's a good story that embeds warmth in the ordinary chaos. It evokes familiarity in the viewers while subtly drawing out emotion."
Julia looked at him with an "I see" expression, nodding earnestly. She then asked her most pressing question, "So... how do you think the movie will perform at the box office?"
"What do you think?" Eric countered.
Julia hesitated for a mont, held up two fingers, and then felt it was too low. She added two more but hesitated and pulled one back. She thought thirty million would be a respectable box office, and given the film's budget, Firefly Films could still make a decent profit. Truthfully, she believed that if she continued to star in romantic codies, even similar- thed ones, they would easily reach the fifty to sixty million mark. But, for this family- centered film, she couldn't muster any confidence.
"Is that really all the faith you have in ?"
"I'm just... just not confident about this film," Julia replied candidly.
Eric calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin, smiling. "How about we make a bet? I bet this film
won't gross less than fifty million."
"What's the wager?" Julia asked, intrigued.
Eric flashed a mischievous smile. "If you lose, you have to co to my place for a week as my maid. If I lose, I'll be your driver for a week."
If Eric hadn't looked so wicked when he said the word "maid," Julia might have agreed imdiately. She figured her chances of winning were above seventy percent, and even if she fail, being maid was fine. But noticing Eric's smirk, Julia quickly caught on that sothing wasn't right and firmly rejected, "No way, I'm not betting with you."
"How about sixty million?" he pressed.
Julia was not only unmoved but beca even more resolute in saying, "Not a chance."
Since Eric had filming commitnts later in the day, their lunch wrapped up in half an hour but provided plenty of material for the paparazzi; surely, headlines about Eric and Julia's rendezvous would pop up in the papers the next day.
After lunch, Julia dropped Eric back at the set.
"When are you returning to the crew?" Eric asked as they parted at the studio door.
"My flight's at four," Julia replied, not getting out of the car. "By the way, Eric, the production budget seems to be running short. We might need to add at least two million
bucks."
"Did Ross have you say that?"
Julia nodded. Herbert Ross had no idea Eric was already aware of the budget issues and had even prepared a budget increase. Considering Julia's close relationship with Eric, Ross asked her to gauge Eric's response when she returned.
After all, this was a low-budget film; adding two million would bring the total cost to ten million, aning the box office needed to hit over thirty-three million to break even. Although Julia's presence was a boost, Herbert Ross wasn't certain that a family drama lacking codic elents would pull in that kind of revenue.
"That's no problem," Eric nodded. "Pass the ssage to Ross; he can just ask Jeffrey for the
money."
"Well, thank you on behalf of Mr. Ross," Julia smiled as she bid Eric farewell before driving
off.
...
The afternoon began with filming the scene between Andie and Yoyo at a small diner. For reasons unknown, after sharing a al, Brooke Shields reverted to that unprepared state once again. The scene was shot several tis with continual flubs, and despite her repeated apologies with a woeful expression, Eric couldn't help but lose his temper, ntally marking Brooke off his list.
He didn't want to work with her any longer; this pretty trophy was just too much trouble. All those tis she was nominated for a Razzie hadn't been unjustified; maybe she should head back to those independent films to cause trouble for others instead.
Eric also dismissed any thoughts of having a close friendship with Brooke; after all, Hollywood was vast, and there were plenty of beautiful won around.
After half an hour of this, they finally wrapped up the diner scenes.
...
"Eric, I'm really sorry for not performing well," Brooke said after she completed her scene,
which also marked the end of the day's work. She tidied her things and, after changing outfits, approached Eric again just as he was about to leave.
At that mont, she sported a pair of tight, high-waisted blue jeans with her shirt tucked in,
the outline of her figure unmistakably clear.
Almost all the male crew mbers cast curious glances her way, recalling Brooke's iconic
jeans comrcial. Many even found themselves wondering if there was nothing between her and the jeans anymore.
Though Eric had dismissed so thoughts, he didn't mind indulging in the view offered by Brooke's well-defined curve and stunning beauty. His expression softened slightly as he said, "It's alright, Brooke. I hope once you go back, you can fully appreciate your remaining scenes. Those are all exterior shots, and wasting too much ti like this will undoubtedly affect filming progress and deplete budget unnecessarily."
"I will do my best," Brooke nodded, looking earnestly at Eric. She shifted her high heels,
swaying her long legs into a slightly flirtatious pose, but waited a few seconds only to find
Eric had already shifted his attention away, showing no signs of inviting her to dinner or anything more.
Brooke hesitated to be too forward; if she was that obvious and he rejected her, the crew
would mock her, especially Tom Cruise, whom she had turned down before. With a hint of disappointnt, she finally said, "Well, goodbye then, Eric."
"Goodbye. Soone will let you know about your next scenes," Eric nodded, lifting his chin in
acknowledgnt while marking a few points in the script, then turned to instruct his
assistant.
Brooke lingered for a mont longer, feeling deflated as she left. She had hinted so clearly,
but Eric remained unmoved, leaving her feeling sowhat defeated.
...
"How long until Hanks arrives?" Eric asked, not paying much mind to Brooke's departure. He
had noticed her hints, but having made his decision, he wouldn't waver. In Hollywood, giving
in to temptation could lead to disastrous results.
"Ten more minutes," Allen replied. "Alright, let's wrap things up here and move to another scene," Eric said, glancing at his
watch, deep in thought.
With Cruise finishing his solo scenes, Eric planned to shoot so interactions between Cruise
and Hanks in a small bar. Today would mark the first on-screen encounter between the two stars. Rembering how these two icons' trajectories had paralleled in their careers, Eric felt a thrill of anticipation about the sparks that would fly when they perford together.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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