There weren’t many people in the restaurant, and it was quiet enough. Gal Gadot had already put down her knife and fork. Her delicate face was tightly tensed, and her eyes were fixed intently on her agent. Her entry into Hollywood had been thanks to the introduction of Natalie Portman. Natalie was her only friend in the circle. Gal Gadot pressed her lips tightly together, hesitating. To betray a close friend ... "Gal, some things you have to understand clearly!" Blake was just an unremarkable agent at William Morris, and Gal Gadot was his most promising client his hope for the future. "They’re not asking you to do much, just to keep them informed of Natalie’s public relations efforts for the Best Actress Oscar in real time. In exchange, you’ll get the lead role in a blockbuster with an investment of at least 150 million dollars!" Gal Gadot’s eyes started to waver... "This isn’t some marginal character like in Fast & Furious, but the absolute lead," Blake added upon seeing her reaction. "And Nancy Josephson has already contacted me. Regardless of whether Natalie Portman succeeds or fails in her bid for Best Actress, we can join ICM afterwards, and they will treat you as a top-tier client!" "Is..." Gal Gadot finally spoke, softly saying a name, "Is this his promise?" Blake shook his head immediately. "Don’t be silly, Gal. How could he possibly get involved in something directly? But Nancy Josephson’s promise is just as reliable." Gal Gadot slowly lowered her head, and her tense expression gradually gave way to hesitation. "One step forward is a chance to become a superstar..." Blake continued to persuade, "This kind of opportunity isn’t something everyone gets in Hollywood." Opportunities were always rare in this circle, opportunity mattered more than acting skills. Gal Gadot understood that very well. Which was more important: her friendship with Natalie Portman or stepping forward toward stardom? The source of thɪs content is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽 Gal Gadot slowly closed her eyes. This choice wasn’t that difficult, was it? A lead role in a blockbuster with over 150 million dollars in investment! Top-tier client status at ICM! These things were out of reach for her at this moment. Perhaps this opportunity would only come once in a lifetime. If she missed it, she might end up drifting through Hollywood like most other actresses... She came to Los Angeles from Israel, transitioning from the modeling world into acting all to become a superstar, wasn’t it? As she slowly opened her eyes again, the hesitation on Gal Gadot’s face vanished completely. She nodded at Blake, slowly but firmly. Taking this step really wasn’t so difficult. She believed that anyone else in her position would make the same choice. Walking out of the restaurant, Gal Gadot told herself this. As for Natalie Portman’s dream of winning Best Actress at the Oscars what did it have to do with her? Natalie winning that little golden statue wouldn’t benefit her! Once she made up her mind, Gal Gadot no longer hesitated. At Malibu Port, the Duke sounded its horn and slowly sailed out of the coastal waters along the channel. On the spacious upper deck of the yacht, Sofia Coppola closed the script, looked at the distant sea, and then at Duke. With a slight nasal tone, she asked, "You want Scarlett to compete for Best Actress at the Oscars with this film?" Duke shrugged. "Why not?" "It’s a science fiction movie!" Sofia pushed the script back toward Duke. "How could that be possible?" "If it were easy, I wouldn’t have brought you on board." Duke tapped his fingers lightly on the script. "Besides, the sci-fi elements in the script aren’t that strong." If a movie like that could produce a Best Director, then creating a Best Actress from it wasn’t impossible either. He said to Sofia again, "Scarlett still has her strengths. She started with art films, she’s of Jewish descent, and her fame is big enough..." Sofia couldn’t help but curl her lips. "Those are strengths?" "Dear, Scarlett has known you since she was under ten. You’ve always treated her like a little sister..." Duke spread his hands and said, "Don’t tell me you really won’t help?" "Personally, I have no problem. But..." Sofia shook her head. "No worries. I’ll schedule a golf game with your father soon." Duke looked at her and said, "When the time comes, you just need to put in a few good words with those Italian-American Academy voters." "Alright." Sofia could only nod. After all, she had deep ties with both Duke and Scarlett. "I’ll do my best." She saw Scarlett carrying a tray up the stairs to the deck and added, "Don’t forget Leonardo. He can help too." "He came to fish with me a few days ago, and I already told him." Duke stood up, took the tray from Scarlett’s hands, and placed the drinks and fruits on the table in front of everyone. Scarlett picked a grape, tossed it into her mouth, and asked, "What are you two talking about?" "Miss Scarlett Johansson’s Best Actress Oscar campaign!" Sofia Coppola teased. Sitting beside Duke, Scarlett said, "That’s still far off. Isn’t it a little early to start planning now?" "For something ..." Duke set the tray on the table behind him and returned to his seat, "the earlier the planning, the better we can shape a favorable environment. That way, we’ll have a greater chance when the time comes." An Oscar campaign was essentially a systematic project. Since he had decided to stop someone from winning, Duke naturally had to come up with a comprehensive plan to implement it. After spending two days on the Pacific, Duke took a helicopter off the yacht and flew back to Los Angeles alone. He had to attend the North American premiere of Up. The premiere of this animated feature film was held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, rather than the Los Angeles Dome Theatre where Pixar had previously hosted the premieres for Ratatouille and WALL-E. Changing the venue, in a sense, also signaled that Pixar was ending the highbrow artistic direction represented by WALL-E, and returning to the commercial mainstream. For many years, there had been an unwritten rule in Los Angeles: any film shown at the TCL Chinese Theatre would not be shown at the Dome Theatre. The TCL Chinese Theatre had always been synonymous with commercial films, while the Dome Theatre was known for showing independent and art-house films. The two were clearly distinct. Both Duke and Warner were happy with this situation. After all, they hadn’t acquired Pixar to have them make Oscar-bait films. Pixar had earned its spotlight in Hollywood not because of WALL-E, but because its animated films could generate massive revenue from both box office and merchandise. If Pixar were to evolve into a studio that could only produce films like WALL-E, it would be meaningless to Duke and Warner. From a personal standpoint, Duke preferred WALL-E far more than Cars, but from a business perspective, he wanted Pixar to create more films like Cars. This was business. Personal preferences could never be the standard of judgment. Up was an adventure-themed comedy with two main characters: an old man and an energetic young boy. After going through many things together, they became friends. Due to their personality differences, they often bickered, and their journey was full of arguments and adventure. This story brought laughter to the audience, and amidst the lightheartedness, the film also conveyed messages like courage or how precious beautiful memories are. Up completely abandoned the highbrow route. It had children and elders, generation gaps and reconciliation, dreams and disappointment. Its structure wasn’t complicated. The transition of the two protagonists from opposition to harmony was a common movie trope, and the 3D technology made the visuals more appealing. These simple elements, when put together, created a film that was anything but simple. In its 84-minute runtime, the emotional adventure, with both tears and laughter, not only amused children but also brought tears to the adults accompanying them. This movie contained the childhood of adults. During its first weekend, Up earned nearly $70 million at the North American box office. In less than twenty days, it grossed $230 million in North America, making it one of the most profitable animated films in recent years. This film also helped Pixar escape the slump of critical success but commercial underperformance. Its popularity among the public guaranteed higher merchandise sales. For Duke and Warner, that was Pixar’s greatest value. Just like in Pixar’s early development, they created all kinds of technology but remained an ugly duckling until Toy Story became the top-grossing film of 1995 in North America and turned them into a white swan in everyone’s eyes. A Pixar studio that couldn’t turn a profit would never attract Hollywood’s attention. Meanwhile, the screening of Fury Road was gradually nearing its end. Even Duke, the director, had to admit that although this R-rated film had received universal praise from media and audiences alike, its theatrical run couldn’t last as long as those hit PG or PG-13 films. Fury Road had now earned $256.23 million at the North American box office, and its theatrical potential was nearly exhausted. The remaining screenings were just routine efforts to collect the last bits of audience revenue. On the global front, the film’s combined overseas and North American box office surpassed the $600 million mark, reaching as high as $621.55 million. But just like in North America, the overseas market also showed signs of stagnation, and another explosive box office boost was no longer possible. Duke’s focus had also shifted away from Fury Road as he began preparing for his new film, Inception.