Time in the film crew passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time to clock out.
The extras and crew members left one after another, and soon, only Eric, James McAvoy, and the Olsen Sisters remained in the scene.
Judy walked over and said, "Ashley, Mary, let's go. Let's grab some dinner, and then I'll take you to see the real life of a cheerleader."
The two sisters looked at Eric, who nodded heavily.
Then they looked at James McAvoy; the British boy's performance today had truly shocked them.
Everyone was in the same crew, their ages weren't far apart, and he was just a minor supporting actor. Looking at their own performance today, the Olsen Sisters felt quite ashamed.
Originally, in their hearts, they had made this choice only under Eric's pressure, but now there was a more proactive meaning to it.
The three left side by side. Eric patted James McAvoy on the shoulder: "Well done, James."
McAvoy was still a little doubtful: "Director, am I really that good?"
"Hahahaha, of course! You have to believe you're the best. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
Getting into the car, the driver Peter asked, "Boss, where to?"
Eric looked at the phone in his hand. Tonight he wanted to go to Nicole's place. It had been several days since they last met, and he missed the beautiful girl.
However, going to her house involved not only fumbling in the dark but also climbing a wall, which was truly troublesome.
"Peter, shouldn't I buy a house?"
"What?"
Chen Xing and Peter both turned back to look, not understanding why Eric had suddenly said that.
"Chen Xing, these past few days, go out and look around the market. Find a suitable house. Don't be in Beverly Hills; I need a relatively secluded area."
"But don't go to the slums either. Safety is still the primary consideration."
"The house doesn't need to be very big, nor does it need to be a villa. An apartment can also be considered, enough for three or four people to live in."
Chen Xing wrote down the conditions: "Okay, Boss."
He and Peter exchanged glances. When a rich person suddenly wants to buy a house, buying only one definitely isn't for business.
If not for business, what else could it be used for? The two already knew.
A love nest. They were envious, wondering when they could reach that level.
He took out his phone and called Nicole Kidman: "Hi Nicole, what are you doing?"
"Reading scripts, of course."
A somewhat lazy voice came from the other end, its sexy rhythm making Eric's heart itch.
But then he immediately realized something was wrong.
"Hmm? Reading scripts? What scripts? Do you have a new project?"
"Of course! Have you forgotten that I'm an Oscar Winner now? The film crews wanting to invite the newly crowned Oscar Winner to act are already lined up to the outskirts of Los Angeles, you know?"
"But aren't you going to film la vie en rose anymore? We agreed."
Nicole chuckled softly: "Then you have to give me the script! At least let me know what role I'm supposed to play."
"Besides, I'm just looking at other people's scripts, but my schedule is always open for you. Others can be pushed back; now I have that capital."
Eric laughed heartily: "My dear, I'll ask tomorrow how the script is coming along. I only provided the outline, but such an art film requires attention to detail, you know."
"Hmm, to be honest, I actually don't really want to do art films anymore. Do you have any commercial blockbusters like transformers? I want to be the female lead."
"Heh heh, with your current achievements, do you still care about commercial or art films? I remember The Others' global box office exceeded 200 million dollars, right? You don't need to prove anything."
Nicole let out a lazy sound, her charming nasal tone audible even over the phone.
"Eric, that's not the reason. I just want to break a curse."
"A curse? What curse? Did a wicked witch cast a spell on you? Then let me, your handsome prince, come save you."
"Hahaha, haven't you heard? An Oscar Winner will be unlucky for three years."
Eric rolled his eyes. He thought it was something serious, but it turned out she was agonizing over this.
There was indeed a rumor circulating in Hollywood that an Oscar Winner would be unlucky for three years.
Whether it was a Best Actor or Best Actress, once you touched that trophy, the curse would quietly entwine you.
Afterward, you would not only face career failures, but in severe cases, it would also affect your marriage and health, which was truly terrifying.
The New York Times even conducted a special survey once, finding that only 2% of Oscar Winners were able to continue their personal success.
Only 2% had a substantial impact on their box office appeal after winning, while a staggering 36% became box office poison, resorted to clowning around, completely disappeared, or otherwise self-destructed.
Some said that the momentary luck gained at the Oscars might make you pay for it with a lifetime of struggle.
Anyway, looking at the results, it was indeed quite mystical. Psychologists analyzed that it was largely because people became arrogant after winning an award.
An unstable mindset naturally led to poor judgment in choosing films, followed by flops. After flopping, they failed to recognize themselves and continued to flop.
After many flops, they finally woke up, their judgment returned, and they soared again.
"Nicole, my darling, any curse is just a joke. I have a way to 100% avoid this."
"Heh heh, I don't believe you. You're definitely going to tease me again."
"No, I'm serious. The way is to consider my advice before taking on each project. As long as you adopt my suggestions, I can't guarantee you'll win big awards, but I guarantee you won't become box office poison."
"Hmph! You talk as if you can foresee the future."
"Exactly, I can."
Nicole snorted: "No more jokes. I want you to come over tomorrow and stay with me. Bring the la vie en rose script with you."
"You miss me."
After a pause, Nicole said a very serious "Hmm."
"Okay, see you tomorrow night, I love you, baby."
"I love you too."
The car drove all the way back to Beverly Hills. Surprisingly, besides his mom and the young nanny Lisa preparing dinner, Joshua was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
"Wow, look who's back. Joshua, you're such a busy man, you actually still remember you have a home."
Joshua yelled towards the kitchen, "Hear that, Mom? I told you Eric would definitely mock me. He doesn't welcome his own brother."
"Hmph, don't play the victim, Joshua. Are you on vacation?"
Joshua sighed: "Sort of. That injured guy is back. He's the player I replaced a few months ago, and now I've been replaced by him. Damn it, why didn't that guy break his bones? He recovered so quickly."
Opening the fridge and taking out a beer, Eric handed it over and said apologetically, "Sorry, brother, so your playing time..."
"It's gone. That guy has been guarding against me since he came back, just like you see. That's why I can sit here. That bastard Barry gave me a vacation anyway, since I'd just be warming the bench on the team."
Eric sat next to him, hugged him, and they clinked bottles, each chugging half.
"Joshua, there will always be things in the world that displease you. It's impossible for everything to go smoothly. You've been training for a long time; a few days of rest isn't bad."
Joshua spread his hands: "Otherwise? I have nothing else to do. Not only is my playing time gone, but even those pretty cheerleaders have said goodbye to me, and the enthusiastic female fans too."
Then he whispered, "You don't know what those crazy fans can do. I used to hear that the basketball world was very chaotic, that Magic Johnson would play a 'rainbow tactic.'"
"Do you know what a rainbow tactic is? It means having a dozen women of different skin colors, all kinds of colors, so it's called a rainbow."
"Ever since I became a starter, I also understood how much fun this tactic was. Unfortunately, now there's nothing, sigh!"
Listening to this guy's improper bragging, Eric said seriously, "Joshua, I advise you to keep yourself clean. Magic Johnson contracted AIDS, you know that, right? If you want to play, find clean ones, and be moderate."
Joshua sighed and shook his head: "Yes, I understand, of course. I only got a two-month trial pass, so I had to make the most of it before it expired."
"Eric, honestly, in college, I was a starter on the school team. I thought I'd still be a starter in a professional team, but unfortunately, reality isn't what you think."
"If no one had been injured, I might not even have gotten a chance to play. Do you think I simply don't have any football talent?"
This question was difficult to answer. From all indications, his inexpensive older brother indeed couldn't be considered a very talented athlete.
In this regard, he was quite similar to the Olsen Sisters. They had talent, but not much. When the competition pressure was low, it wasn't obvious, but once they reached a high-level game, their shortcomings were immediately exposed, and fatigue was evident.
Seeing his brother remain silent, Joshua shrugged: "Alright, don't dwell on it. I understand what you mean. It seems I'm really not cut out for this. Maybe I should consider a career change while I'm young."
"What do you want to do? Do you have any ideas?" Eric asked.
"None for now. What do you think about acting? Look at our brotherly faces, both standard handsome guys. I wasn't a quarterback, but I could still play the rainbow tactic, and this face played a big part."
"You want to be an actor? But acting is also a job that relies heavily on talent. Being handsome is only temporary; a few years from now, there will be actors younger and more handsome than you. To become an evergreen in the film industry, you need solid acting skills."
"If you've truly decided, I can find you a professional teacher for some training, and then we'll see the results. However, I also have a suggestion: didn't you once say you wanted to be a team manager? Instead of switching careers to acting, why not study team management knowledge properly?"
Joshua looked speechlessly at his brother: "That was a joke, did you take it seriously? The way I am, retiring to coach a high school team is probably my future path."
"If I'm lucky, I might cultivate one or two football stars, and they might mention my name in interviews. That would already be perfect. As for team manager, hahahahaha..."
"Joshua, I'm not joking with you. Anyway, your contract with the 49ers still has a long time, so don't waste it. Make good use of it; you might need it in the next few years," Eric said in a very serious tone.
"Hmm? Are you serious?"
"Yes, things are unpredictable, you never know what will happen in the future."
"I know that. That line from Forrest Gump, 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.'"
"Exactly. Maybe in a few years, MGM will grow stronger, and its tentacles will extend into the sports field. Culture and sports are not separate; generally speaking, they are all related to art."
Joshua crossed his arms, propped his chin on the sofa, and fell into thought. Soon after, he seemed to have figured it out and nodded.
"Eric, you're right. This is also a good path, but I don't know if I can learn it."
"What's impossible? Set a goal for yourself. At that finish line, countless beautiful cheerleaders are waving at you. Doesn't that instantly fill you with motivation?"
Joshua immediately showed a doting smile: "Oh yeah~~ A wonderful scene."
Click!
The door opened, and his dad walked in.
"Joshua, why are you back?"
"Of course, to come back and see my beloved mom and dad. I've missed you so much."
Walking over to help his dad hang his coat, Joshua conveniently hugged him.
Eric nodded: "That's it. A manager needs this kind of social skill. See, you can do it very well!"
After dinner, Eric soaked in the bathtub, resting. Bathing was truly a wonderful thing; it could make one forget fatigue.
Ring!
The phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Elena, that sassy woman. The two hadn't seen each other for over a month, only occasionally talking on the phone.
"Hi, Elena, good evening."
"No, I'm not good at all, Eric Cooper."
"What's wrong? By your tone, who made you angry?"
"Whoever I'm calling is who made me angry."
"What! You can't just falsely accuse people. We haven't seen each other recently. How could I have made you angry?"
"Hmph! You know yourself that you haven't been to New York in a long time, you bastard. You used me and then forgot about me, didn't you?"
Eric cleared his throat a few times: "What are you talking about! Am I that kind of person? Elena, you always have a place deep in my heart, but I've just been really busy lately. Follow some entertainment news, and you'll understand."
"Of course I'm following it! You've been busy messing around with Nicole Kidman, everyone knows!"
"Hey! That's not right for you to say. Strictly speaking, the two of us were also 'messing around'! Why insult yourself when you're insulting someone else?"
There was a pause on the other end, and the sound of teeth grinding seemed to come through.
"Eric Cooper, you are truly a rare, pure-bred scoundrel! You pull up your pants and don't recognize anyone!"
After being cursed at several times, Eric's temper flared: "Fuck! Madam, I warn you, you can curse me, but don't curse my lineage, or I'll show you!"
"Come on then! Why don't you come to New York? You can fuck however you want to fuck. I'll be waiting this weekend. Don't tell me you're a coward!"
The phone hung up. Eric frowned. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen for this woman's provocation.
Sigh! Having too many women was also a happy problem. Should he go or not?
If he didn't go, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, their relationship was more of a mutual benefit, but if he needed to ask Elena for a favor in the future...
Like with Hasbro, for example, it probably wouldn't be so simple. She would at least give him the cold shoulder.
If he went, he would inevitably be'squeezed' again, and he still didn't know what this woman's true intentions were.
Besides, he had to accompany Nicole tomorrow, then fly to see her the day after. Gadot would most likely not let him off the hook on Sunday either.
Then he couldn't even think about starting work on Monday. Even the youngest body couldn't handle being used like that.
Thinking about it, he decided not to think about it anymore. Eric decided it was best to rest early.
Rest and recuperate, prepare for emergencies.
Ring!
In his sleep, he didn't know what time it was, but another call came in, waking Eric up.
He looked at the screen; it was Judy.
Yawning, Eric answered the phone.
"Do you know it's the middle of the night? Disturbing your boss's sleep, I'm going to dock your pay!"
But Judy's somewhat annoyed voice came from the other end: "Come help quickly! These two sisters can't leave!"