American Life

Chapter 190 Changing corners, bath water and elevators

Faced with Natalie's constant apology, Charlie didn't show much.

This time Natalie auditioned for the role of Jane, Thor's girlfriend on Earth. She has starred in "Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy" and "V for Vendetta" with many well-known directors, such as Tim Burton, Luc Besson, It is not difficult for her, who has worked with Woody Allen and Wong Kar Wai.

The role was even a little too simple for her.

"To be honest, I'm not interested in such boring commercial movies." Natalie Portman revealed her heart while chatting with Charlie.

"The female characters in this kind of movie are just mindless vases. Maybe in a few years, they won't be replaced by other younger actresses. Their faces are full of collagen and their busts are bigger. They can Better to satisfy the male audience’s fantasies, oh, this is so vulgar,” she complained.

The words are full of disdain for commercial movies like Thor.

"But commercial movies will bring you enough commercial returns and provide you with enough financial returns. With this money, you can also better complete your artistic pursuits." Charlie smiled.

"Besides, if the price we gave you hadn't been high enough, I believe you wouldn't have appeared here. Am I right?" Charlie asked.

“So, be honest and get paid to do things, it’s that simple.”

Charlie would not compliment her dream of an art film. In fact, if Megan Fox is a typical example of a good hand being played badly, Natalie Portman is not much better.

She became famous at a young age, but with the exception of the Star Wars prequels, there were almost no blockbuster commercial films to speak of. Instead, she took on some literary films, and everyone in the industry knew that she was famous for choosing scripts.

If she had enough acting skills, this might be the right choice.

But she just didn't know it, otherwise she wouldn't have won the Oscar after Black Swan.

Moreover, the only Oscar-winning actress is somewhat suspected of "fraud". Many of the ballet dance scenes in the film were shot by professional ballerinas. However, during the promotion, both the film producer and Natalie claimed that most of the dance scenes were shot by professional ballet dancers. Some of the shots were shot by myself.

As for her future career as a director, it was just a joke that no one cared about. Her subsequent return to the Marvel Universe was not to make up for the depletion of her commercial resources. At the beginning, she vowed that she would not appear in Marvel movies again. Movie.

Looking at Charlie with a smile on his face, Natalie Portman realized that the young man in front of her looked like an out-and-out businessman.

She said with a somewhat stiff expression: "Okay sir, I know what to do. In addition, I have something else that you may not know. The selection committee of the Cannes Film Festival invited me to be a judge of the Cannes Film Festival this year. In May , I need to attend relevant events."

In May, the filming of the movie has been completed.

"Sorry, madam, I can't agree to your request. At that time, the movie will enter an intensive promotion period, and you will still be needed." Charlie shook his head.

"Promotion is coming in May? How long do you plan to shoot?" Natalie has not really realized Charlie's pursuit of "efficiency."

"In fact, Marvel projects may be different from the movies you have shot before, so you have to be prepared to work overtime." Charlie added.

Natalie Portman shook her head: "I'm afraid I can't accept that."

The great success of the Iron Man 1 remake made Natalie see the commercial potential of Marvel movies, and now she suddenly realized it.

Maybe that's just a coincidence, because the young man in front of me seems to have no understanding of the filmmaking cycle.

Farmers before the Civil War would never let their black slaves work like this, because at least they knew the growth cycle of cotton.

See Natalie Portman showing hesitation.

Charlie immediately said generously: "You can go back and think about it."

The meaning is very clear, he is ready to change. There are so many female stars in Hollywood, no one looks the same, they are just vases to enhance their beauty anyway.

Moreover, Natalie’s price was exaggerated and she had so many things to do, so she really had no value in Charlie’s eyes.

And in the Marvel universe, it barely plays a role, and the impact of changing roles is smaller.To take a step back, maybe changing the role of a female star will achieve better results.

Without saying anything, Natalie quickly left with her agent, mother, and assistant.

"Nata, this may not be a good choice. Marvel movies have broad commercial prospects, and it is almost certain that they will become a series of movies. Are you sure you want to reject it?" The mother called Natalie's real name. She had a very special name. The Judaized surname "Heshle".

"It's just a shoddy work produced by a businessman who is eager for quick success. He thinks that Hollywood will make profits by relying on complex operations like Wall Street? It's a bit overestimating its capabilities." Natalie said with some disdain.

"We still have many scripts in hand, and this one is not missing."

·
"It doesn't look like the situation is particularly optimistic?" After Natalie and the others left, Kevin began to ask Charlie.

"Most of the time, things don't go in the direction we expect." Charlie shook his head.

"You know, before this I thought you were omnipotent." Kevin Feige said in a dumbfounded voice.

"Let's talk about the backup candidates, such as the French Rose who was rejected by us before?" Charlie said suddenly.

From the perspective of acting, Natalie Portman follows the elegant and elegant "Audrey Hepburn route", and the noble and gorgeous Eva Green is not much different from it.

The release of "007: Casino Royale" the year before last made many people remember this Bond girl from France, and some people even compared her with Sophie Marceau, who also starred in the 007 film series.

Charlie felt that she possessed a charm that did not exist in Sophie Marceau.

"She hasn't had a suitable acting opportunity in two years, right? Why don't you bring her the good news." Charlie looked at Kevin Feige.

"She was calling me yesterday to ask about the Hulk, but I pushed her away. I'm afraid she already has a grudge against me. Why don't you tell her about it in person?" Kevin Feige said in a backhand. Passed to Charlie.

While the two were still discussing this matter, a blond woman walked out of the studio.

She was wearing thick sunglasses and her wavy blond hair was spread out. She was alone, holding a cup of iced American coffee in her hand. She looked like a stranger who had stumbled into it.

She came to the crowd quite naturally, taking off her glasses and saying hello in her characteristic hoarse, low voice: "Gentlemen, how did the casting work go this afternoon?"

"Actually, it's not good enough. Natalie Portman just refused to play." Kevin Feige responded with a smile, obviously recognizing who the person was.

"No, she didn't refuse to play, but she was fired by me. There is an essential difference between the two." Charlie followed up.

"Then you'd better let me join the set, otherwise I will say bad things about you to Natalie Portman in private." She stretched out her hand towards Charlie.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Scarlett Johansson. No one has ever told me that Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman know each other personally." Charlie smiled and shook her hand.

"In fact, both of us are child stars, so we have a lot of topics to talk about each other." Scarlett Johansson responded.

"Your facial features are really impressive. No wonder some media say that you make men unable to help but commit crimes." Charlie looked at her face.

"Thank you sir, you are the youngest film company boss I have ever met."

"That's probably because young people aren't keen on it."

"Not only that, your taste is very unique, at least you are just observing my face." Scarlett Johansson joked.

This joke is quite self-deprecating.

The Hollywood sex goddess was wearing a very ordinary white shirt today. She looked like an office clerk, but the large white shirt could not cover up her iconic plump bust.

Twice listed as the "sexiest woman today" by Esquire, listed as the "sexiest celebrity" by "PLAYBOY"; selected as one of the top ten sexiest actresses in the world by "Glamour"; "the sexiest actress today" , "Hollywood's most beautiful woman", "Marilyn Monroe of the 21st century", "unparalleled sex symbol" among countless names that will be spread in the future, the most famous one is NBA star Durant's Twitter: "Scarlett, I want to drink your bath water."

Woody Allen once said: "Scarlett is as sexy as Monroe, radiant and criminally seductive. But she has always been better at acting than Marilyn Monroe."

Charlie approves of this.

If Natalie Portman is the Audrey Hepburn of this era, then Scarlett Johansson is the perfect reappearance of Marilyn Monroe.

The reason why she said this was because at the red carpet of the Golden Globe Awards last year, Scarlett Johansson was asked by reporters in front of the camera: "Can I touch your bubbles?"

Considering that this was somewhat of a joke and that it was under the camera, Scarlett did not refuse.

As a result, Scarlett's bubble became a meme.

"I didn't expect him to actually do it." When talking about the incident two years later, Scarlett still seemed dumbfounded.

"That's just big news deliberately made by a person who is eager to gain a foothold in the television industry. Let's get back to the movie itself." After chatting, Charlie changed the topic appropriately.

"Can I go change my costume now?" Scarlett put the coffee on the table and stood up, then was led away by the staff.

All roles were auditioned with makeup, including Natalie Portman just now.

Soon, when she came into Charlie's sight again, Kevin Fitch couldn't help but whistled.

"Wow, this is a perfect fit!"

At this moment, Scarlett was wearing the prop tights from the play, with long brown-red hair, and walked in front of several people with cat-like steps.

"Traitor of Hydra, prepare to accept the sanctions of SHIELD!" She made a shooting gesture towards Charlie with her finger.

The content of the audition was a simple fighting scene in a script.

"The skill is not bad."

"Why don't we make a decision now? Scarlett is not easy to make appointments with. I heard that she is still looking for several movies. If she signs late, there will be no schedule." Kevin Feige whispered in Charlie's ear.

Charlie shook his head. Natalie Portman's lesson was still fresh in his mind. Now he couldn't believe whether these famous Hollywood actresses would cooperate. If they couldn't reach an agreement, the only alternative was to use Gal Gadot as a backup plan. .

After the audition, Charlie told Scarlett some of the plans for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Scarlett showed a completely different attitude from Natalie Portman regarding the possible request to rush work.

"I'm just a movie maker. I have no right to interfere with your company's arrangements. As long as the payment is settled, I can do whatever you want." Scarlett smiled and looked at Charlie.

Charlie was quite satisfied with the result, so he asked: "How about taking the elevator together?"

"It's not impossible." She looked at Charlie with interest, but she didn't refuse.

She is also famous for her spontaneity. She got married at the age of 23, but it only lasted two years. Later, her marriage only lasted for three years. She also had an old-young romance with Sean Penn, who was 30 years older than her.

"In that case, Ryan Reynolds might not be happy." Charlie said suddenly.

"That sneaky fox is not qualified to do that." Scarlett Johansson shook her head.

"Getting married at the age of 23 is not necessarily a good thing. At that time, I only thought it was a very romantic thing, but now I realize that it will quickly consume the passion between two people." She said with a wry smile.

"Maybe you just met the wrong person."

"I didn't think it through at all." Scarlett Johansson said of herself at the time.

"Are you planning a divorce?"

"Does this have anything to do with making movies?" she said suddenly, looking at Charlie.

"Just out of personal curiosity."

"Then I have to think about it." She glanced at Charlie.

The casting of Black Widow is progressing smoothly and the contract will be officially signed in a few days.

Before leaving, Scarlett also expressed that she wanted to be a guest at Charlie's home.

"A mansion worth several hundred million, the former residence of Elvis Presley. To be honest, I really want to go and have a look." She stared at Charlie and said suddenly.

"Okay, I will stay in Los Angeles these days. You can come over at any time." Charlie said generously.

Of course he would not refuse a friend to visit his home.

"Then be there or be square." Scarlett blinked at him.

After she left, Kevin Feige and other core creators present looked at Charlie with a smile on his face.

"It seems that she has taken a fancy to you." Kevin Fitch joked.

"I'm just a guest at home. You can relate better than those tabloid reporters." Charlie said nonchalantly.

"Yes, we are just speculating." Kevin Feige said.

But looking at their expressions, it seemed that they had already made up their minds.

But with Scarlett Johansson’s bold character, it’s not impossible.

Could it be that the thief Cao is actually myself?

Charlie couldn't think about it, the next actress had already arrived, 31-year-old Liv Tyler, walked into the office.

I don't know if it's because of the comparison between the two top-notch actresses before. At this time, Liv Tyler doesn't look very good, and the appearance in the Lord of the Rings movie a few years ago is even farther away.

Kevin Feige is right. She does have some problems with her figure management. She looks a little fatter. Even with makeup, she can't hide the signs of aging.In addition, she is already very tall and has relatively broad shoulders, which gives her a somewhat slender appearance.

"Ms. Liv, Universal has agreed to let you star, so you don't need to audition at all." Kevin Fitch shook his head.

"I'm not here for an audition this time, but I'm here specifically to see Mr. Charlie Rossi. I want to ask for his help." Liv Tyler looked at Charlie and said.

(End of this chapter)