Global Film Emperor

Chapter 371 Dinner with Camilla

"Say it again, who?"

"Kamia Kidman Schugula, or you can drop the maiden name Kidman, Kamiya Schugula, buddy, you heard me right, it's the person you remember!"

According to German law, children should take either their father's or mother's surname. In other words, they can take either parent's surname, and it is also allowed to combine the parents' surnames. That is to say, Kamiya's mother's surname is Kidman and her father's surname is Shugula.

This name is well-known in the European film industry and even in the history of world cinema. She debuted as a child star in 1997, playing the female lead in "Little Angel vs. Thief" and was successfully nominated for the Berlin Golden Bear Award.

Although she didn't win an award, she set a record for the youngest actress to be nominated for Best Actress that remains unbroken to this day, creating a classic and unforgettable image of a cute girl for the film industry. Some filmmakers even commented that if you don't know how to portray the cuteness of a little girl, go watch "Little Angel vs. Thief" and watch it thirty times, and you'll get it.

But her legendary story didn't stop there. In 1998, "Sunflower" topped the European box office for the year.

In 2000, she starred in "No Golden Hall in Vienna," which won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival and earned her a nomination for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2003's "Merchant Ship," which has an IMDb rating of 9.3 and won Best Supporting Actress at Cannes, she completely overshadowed the lead actress, leaving all viewers with the impression that she was the lead.

In 2005, "Dancing Shoes" won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received an 8.7 rating on IMDb, making him the youngest member of the billion-dollar box office club in European film history at the age of seventeen.

She then took a four-year hiatus from acting to focus on her university studies. In 2009, she successfully graduated from Cambridge University. Three years later, she made a comeback with "JI Girl," which silenced all European art films in 2011 and earned her the Best Actress awards at both the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear.

In 2015, she moved to Hollywood and made her superhero film debut in "X-Men: Apocalypse," playing the young Jean Grey, a role that brought her widespread recognition and made her one of Germany's most famous actresses of the 21st century.

In 2016, he starred in "The Toad," and in 2017, he was confirmed to reprise his role in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." In 2019, he starred in "Deep Autumn in Berlin." That same year, his contract with Fox expired, and he left the X-Men franchise.

In 2021, she starred in the TV series "When a Woman Gets Married," which received an 8.3 rating on IMDb and a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. A social survey showed that 81% of women aged 20 to 30 in Germany considered Kamiya Schigura an idol.

She then retired from acting again, no longer representing herself as an outstanding actress, but instead founded a gallery and launched her own European art tour. Just in the first half of last year, her painting "Gypsy Girl Has No Home" was sold to an Italian tycoon for 8.2 million euros.

It can be said that Kamiya Schigula, at only thirty-five years old, has lived the life that every woman wants to live. Beneath her beautiful appearance lies an extraordinary soul. In her twenty-six years in the industry, she has starred in sixteen films and nine television series, won four Best Actress awards, and is a renowned painter, ambassador for the African Wildlife Conservation Association, among many other titles.

Unlike Lu Ze, who became a master of performance through hard work, she showed extraordinary talent for performance from a young age. Like a rough jade, she could shine with a little polishing. Of course, this was inseparable from her family background; she was a proper descendant of a prestigious family.

Her mother was a high-end fashion designer and a trendsetter, and her father was also a designer, but he designed men's "concubines".

Mercedes-Benz G-Class, S-Class, AMG S63L, and other models were all made by him. Such a family is definitely high-end. However, Camilla's acting talent was not inherited from her parents, but from her grandmother, the famous German actress of the 1960s, Jättina Schigura, who will not be introduced in detail here.

In short, the female lead for Mickey's new movie was decided without Lu Ze's knowledge or through methods unknown to him. If this news gets out, it will definitely be explosive news.

"Are you serious? Are you sure? Kamiya Schickura? The one who played Phoenix?"

Lu Ze still couldn't quite believe that Mickey had landed such a ruthless role after only a week apart. It wasn't that Lu Ze looked down on Mickey; that was just the situation. Although Mickey was known as a maverick genius, he only had a few films to his name. Even if experience wasn't that important, Camilla might have valued Mickey's talent. But what about the salary?

Her salary wasn't like Lu Ze's, where he could just give her a little money and be done with it. Her salary started at eight million dollars, which is six or seven million euros. With the little money Mickey had in his pocket, could he afford to hire someone to act?

Lu Ze knew exactly how much investment Mickey was planning to raise—only seven or eight million euros. And the funds weren't even secured yet; it was uncertain whether anyone would actually invest. With a script that wasn't finalized, no funding, and only one actor, how could they possibly bring in a big star to make a film? They'd be better off bringing in a big bowl of wide noodles!

Mickey seemed a little guilty, glancing around before handing Lu Ze's luggage to the waiter, paying a small tip, and then nodding vaguely.

"Ah... well... it's settled, let's hurry up and go, we have a dinner date, it wouldn't be good to be late."

"Don't give me that nonsense. It's settled? What's settled? Did you settle it or did she settle it? So you've already cast Camilla as the female lead, but we don't even know if she agrees yet?"

If Lu Ze still couldn't see Mickey's guilty conscience, he would really be a fool. After looking Mickey up and down, he gained a new understanding of him and realized that this bastard really did lie without batting an eye.

"Hey, we've made contact, so why are you looking at me like that? Now that we've made contact, we should give it a try. What if we're lucky and they agree? If all else fails, we can at least get an autograph. Let's go, let's go."

The two didn't drive the flashy 918. After all, she was the daughter of a Mercedes designer, and there was no guarantee she wouldn't be unhappy to see a Porsche. There was no need to upset her over such a trivial matter. After hailing a taxi on the street, the two, with their scripts in hand, headed towards the agreed-upon restaurant.

……

The restaurant was upscale, and the men and women in suits chatted and laughed quietly, but it didn't affect the overall atmosphere at all. The pianist's skills were superb, and the light music was indeed appetizing. Listening to the music made one want to eat two more bowls of rice. However, the guy sitting next to Lu Ze had a blank stare and kept stirring the water in his glass with his fork like an idiot, which made the environment somewhat less elegant.

"It's been half an hour already. Although it's normal for ladies to be late, I'm fucking starving... Knowing that we'd be eating at such an expensive restaurant tonight, I didn't even have lunch. I had to go to the toilet several times to force myself to go, and I finally managed to empty my bowels..."

"Shut up! Are you out of your mind? Besides, you really made plans with her? Is she not coming... Mickey! Stop playing in the water! She's here, she's here!"

The black skirt swayed slightly, the cinched waist accentuating her curves. The Hepburn-style black dress featured two lace detailing on each shoulder, and the V-neck added to her allure. Beneath the black fisherman's hat were long brown hair, and her green eyes, just like on screen, were fixed on Lu Ze and his companion in a corner.

Although Asian and Western aesthetics differ, Lu Ze didn't consider this slightly square face to be a stunning beauty. However, seeing the other diners in the restaurant discreetly adjusting their clothes, their eyes filled with barely concealed admiration, he knew just how attractive she was. "Cleopatra of Berlin," Camilla Kidman Schugula, truly lived up to her name—a beauty!

"Hello, Miss Xu Gula, thank you for accepting my invitation. This is my partner, Lu Ze. Lu is his surname. Please have a seat. Waiter, you can serve the dishes now."

"Hello Mr. Taylor, Mr. Lu, I'm so sorry I'm late. I was so engrossed in my painting that I forgot the time. I apologize for taking up half an hour of your precious time."

She inadvertently revealed specks of unwashed paint to the two men. Just as people said, she was elegant and intellectual. Although they knew it was just an excuse, and that she might have kept a box of paint in her car just for this kind of situation, Lu Ze and Mickey were happy to accept it. Giving her a way out was already a good thing.

The three of them ate French food, with a rather elaborate menu. After exchanging a few compliments, they got down to business. Lu Ze glanced at Mickey, who was sitting upright with a serious expression. Knowing that Mickey was about to start showing off, Lu Ze subtly made room for Mickey, picked up a cabbage from the cold salad, and took a crunchy bite. "I believe Miss Camilla is aware of our purpose. I do indeed want to invite you to join my film crew to shoot a movie that you might find a bit crazy."

Her demeanor was impeccable. Even this renowned French restaurant couldn't satisfy her appetite. She simply picked up a cherry tomato, parted her lips slightly, and bit it off with her teeth to avoid smudging her lipstick. She looked at Lu Ze and saw that he was silent, preoccupied with his food, and didn't show any disdain. He just smiled warmly and picked up a napkin to wipe the area a centimeter below his lips.

Not a shred of curiosity, crazy? She's made so many films, many of which could be called crazy. Mickey isn't the only director in the world who can be called a genius. To her, such words made her feel that Mickey was a bit arrogant. If he said anything more that she didn't like, there might be no point in continuing the meal. But given her upbringing... she needed to give Mickey a way to back down gracefully.

"Crazy? What kind of movie is it specifically?"

"I want to overthrow beauty."

"What's wonderful?"

"Family, friendship, love, marriage, family, children, career, system, welfare, all the good things... I believe that this world has been carefully designed. Our mission in life is not who we can become, but who we must become. We are a screw, a cog in society. We are not unique, because factories can continue to manufacture us. We can be replaced. We can not exist. The meaning of our existence is only to meet death after fulfilling our mission."

"Could you please give me a glass of water? Thank you."

These words were hard for Camilla to accept. She realized what Mickey meant by "somewhat crazy." Somewhat crazy? He was completely insane! Many of the art-house film directors she had worked with had strange ways of thinking, but she had never met someone with such extreme ideas as Mickey.

Legend has it that Mickey is outwardly unruly and spends his time making movies, drinking, going to bars, causing trouble, and womanizing. But in reality, he has a unique and pessimistic view of the times, which she witnessed today. She glanced at Lu Ze again, but he remained silent, like a passerby who had come to freeload a meal. He poured half a glass of red wine and gulped it down in one go.

The waiter brought her a glass of water, but she didn't drink it. She placed it aside on a tablecloth. She wasn't thirsty; she just wanted some time to think. After a brief and chaotic thought process, she finally gave Mickey a negative answer.

"I don't think the world is as pessimistic as you imagine. If even emotions are a necessity of the times, then what's the difference between us and machines? Besides, I'm a good example. My future is not fixed. Just like I was an actor before, and then I started painting. No one can decide what kind of person I will become. Only I can decide. I am not a screw or a gear. I am me, with my own personality and emotions."

"That's because the class you belong to belongs to the creators of the times, not the recipients of the times. Do you know the pacifier theory?"

"But this theory is absurd. When people's economic conditions allow, the entertainment industry will naturally develop on a large scale. This is people's free choice and the result of the free market, and it has nothing to do with society."

"Of course I know this is absurd. What truly imprisons people is not the internet, nor the forms of entertainment. Otherwise, we all know the consequences of a lack of spiritual civilization. I will not deny my work, after all, I am the one who created the forms of entertainment, and I am one of the participants in entertainment culture. What truly imprisons people is the powerlessness of having no hope of climbing up. There is one thing I think is wrong: do most people's economic conditions really allow it? They have just accepted the fact that they are just a cog in the machine."

"So you want to make a movie that shatters people's dreams? Don't you think that's cruel?"

"It is you creators of this era who have given the word 'cruelty' a new meaning. I may be exaggerating a bit, but that's really how it is. And I'm not that great. All this talk about changing the world is bullshit. Moviemakers will always be moviemakers; they'll never become heroes. I just want to see a screw stripped. Lu Ze, give me some red wine."

The main course had arrived. The steak, brown on the outside, was pink inside. I dipped it in a little sauce and put it in my mouth. The butter was still a bit hot, so I blew on it to cool it down. The beef was quite tender, but the sauce was just so-so. I poured Mickey half a glass of red wine. The two of them didn't say anything, just clinked glasses and gulped it down...

For people from well-off families, there's nothing wrong with how the two of them eat, but their eating manners are a bit too wolfing down. Little do they know that one of them was already starving after getting off the plane, while the other had a pretty clean bowel movement.

"Mr. Lu, what is your opinion? Do you agree with Mr. Taylor's idea?"

Chinese people are generally reserved and rarely express their opinions on people or things, but they are very principled. This is Camilla's impression of Chinese people, so she doesn't think Lu Ze would be without his own thoughts. On the contrary, he definitely has a lot of ideas.

"Me...? Seeing is believing, not seeing is deceiving, and subjective impressions are meaningless."

As expected, the reserved Chinese man remained reserved and did not participate in her and Mickey's debate. She sighed inwardly, but outwardly remained calm and smiled encouragingly.

"Idealism? Being a little self-centered is good; at least it makes life easier. Thank you both for your hospitality. I think I should go back and think carefully about the inspiration Mr. Taylor has given me. May I have a copy of the script if possible?"

"Because the script needs to be kept secret, I only brought one-third of it out, so I can only give you one-third. You can take it if you need it."

Lu Ze must be out of his mind to say the script wasn't finished, and Camilla also expressed her understanding, saying that giving you a third of it before signing a confidentiality agreement was already quite generous.

"Then I'll be leaving now. I'm very sorry. I wish you both the best of luck at the film festival tomorrow. I will give you an answer within three days. Goodbye."

After putting the script into his Cartier limited edition backpack, Camilla shook hands with the two men again, turned and left, leaving only the two of them to sit down again. Mickey reached out and put the steak that Camilla hadn't touched into his own plate, and began to communicate with Lu Ze in Chinese, a language that probably no one here would understand.

"This woman is quite clever."

"Well, a rich heiress can't be a naive and innocent girl."

"Sigh... I don't know if I can get it done. I dream of having Kamiya as my leading lady. I hope I can make my dream come true. Are you full? If you're not, I'll eat it all."

Give me some.

"Hmm~ This steak is really good, delicious."

"Really? I think it's just so-so. If you braise it, the flavor will really come through."

"How about we buy some beef and find a Chinese restaurant to cook something ourselves?"

"No, it's too much trouble."

"..."

(End of this chapter)