Chapter 154: Chapter 154 I Want You to Be the Male Lead

Century City, Thomas had been waiting inside the Starbucks at the shopping plaza, drinking one cup of coffee after another, until he finally saw his future approaching.

Martin and Bruce entered Starbucks and spotted Thomas under the lights in a glance.

Bruce asked, "Is it an illusion caused by the lighting? Why does Thomas's forehead seem shinier than before?"

"Don't you think he's become stronger than before?" Martin strode over to sit opposite Thomas, pulling out a chair with the air of a caring agent looking after a good client, "Have you been waiting long? It must've been tough."

Thomas closed his laptop and replied, "It's nothing, I often work overtime."

Especially recently, he had gotten used to it.

Bruce took out a memory card and handed it to Thomas, "These are the photos I took."

Thomas took out his card reader, plugged it into his computer, and started reviewing the photos, nodding repeatedly, "They're pretty good, Martin. You and Annie don't look any different from a real couple."

Martin stressed, "I'm in the process of pursuing Annie, and she's also interested in dating me. This is the burst of real emotion!"

Bruce said indifferently, "Annie's assistant was also taking photos."

"You pervert, you don't understand love at all," Martin glanced at Old Cloth, "Every love is different, there's always something special."

After Thomas had gone through the photos, he said, "I've got a draft of the copy ready. The best-dressed couple at this year's Halloween parade—Martin Davis and Annie Hathaway."

Martin agreed, "That works. Thomas, I hate to trouble you, but could you write up the draft tonight?"

Thomas was full of eagerness, "Leave it to me."

Martin and Bruce then left Starbucks, and before they did, they generously bought Thomas a cup of strong coffee.

Thomas worked on the draft through the night, revising it repeatedly until dawn, and then hurried to the collaborative newspaper office to submit the edited piece along with the selected photos to the paper's editor.

When he left, he noticed that the eastern sky was beginning to brighten.

Several movies were released during the Halloween period, which lessened the buzz of the wax museum, but Martin's name and photos still maintained a certain level of exposure.

Especially online, many websites had re-posted the photos from his blog.

Martin and Annie Hathaway's Batman and Catwoman couple costumes were met with rave reviews.

Keeping a love topic at the right pace is important. Feeding the public with romance news every day will quickly wear out its welcome.

Martin's enthusiasm for Annie cooled quickly, only getting in touch with her now and then.

......

Hilton Hotel, after attending a script reading session, Annie returned to her room and checked her phone, but there was no reply.

Martin had sent her a message first, to which she had replied, and then there had been silence from his end for a long time.

Annie was slightly infuriated. What did this mean? Wasn't she on his mind anymore?

Just a few days ago, he was as passionate as a...

Annie, unsettled, couldn't help but send another message, "Are you busy with work?"

Still no reply.

After a few minutes of waiting, just as she was about to lose her patience, her phone alerted her to a new message.

"Had to attend an unexpected meeting at Warner Bros.," Martin's response was calculated, "The release date for my next film is set. Unlike the wax museum, I'm the absolute lead."

Annie asked, "A horror film?"

Martin continued to bait her, "A Wes Craven horror film, currently edited to the second version, internal test screenings are highly rated. The original release was planned for April, but due to the attention I received at the wax museum, Warner Bros. is confident in the film, so they moved it up to February."

Since Annie was striving in Hollywood herself, she knew the weight of Wes Craven's name; his horror films had succeeded for more than a decade. The actions taken by Warner Bros. clearly showed they had confidence in the film and belief in Martin's future prospects.

"If the future is promising..."

Just then, a knock on the door came, and Laura went to open it. Annie saw that it was her agent, Maha Dakshir.

Maha came from CAA, a right-hand woman of CAA co-founder Braun Lord.

Annie quickly replied to Martin's message and stood up to greet her guest, "Maha, what brings you here?"

Maha was much older than Annie and said with a smile, "I came to see if my little princess is basking in the glow of love."

Annie said, "Martin and I are just friends."

"Love is a part of an actor's career, a very important part," Maha first considered the work, "Annie, do you have feelings for Martin?"

Annie openly admitted it, "I do have feelings for him, but..." So far, she saw many good points in Martin and only one downside.

Maha's face was all encouragement.

"No problem," the agent wasn't a friend, and Annie knew how to distinguish between the two. There were things she wouldn't say to an agent, "I'm from New York in the north, and he's from Atlanta in the south."

Maha's encouraging smile faded, "None of these are obstacles." She reminded her specifically, "After 'The Princess Diaries 2' hype died down, your popularity has been on the decline, but recently, it has surged."

Annie knew why, "Because of Martin?"

Maha went straight to the point, "A beautiful romance should serve as a boost to an actor's career."

Annie said, "I had Laura secretly take some pictures and sent them to the newspapers, and even had her contact the paparazzi."

"You did well," Maha encouraged, "maximizing the value of a relationship."

She asked, "Do you need me to talk to Martin's agent?"

Annie was silent for a moment before asking, "Specifically, how would you talk to them?"

Maha replied, "Whether he confesses to you or you to him, your first time holding hands, the first kiss, going on vacation together, visiting each other on set, and the subsequent cohabitation arguments, and so on—all of it has media report value."

Though Annie was psychologically prepared, she was still somewhat shocked, "Isn't this making my private life public?"

"Bryan Lord was Madonna's agent, and I was Bryan's assistant back then," Maha suddenly brought up something unrelated, "Madonna's status was brought by her career, but how did she get that level of popularity back then?

She dated one male star after another, including those outside the entertainment industry, seduced Rodman, sent a bathtub to Jordan—these made her America's top-notch talk of the town."

She had asked around before coming, "Martin's next work is a horror film by Wes Craven, the absolute male lead, with a success rate of over eighty percent. It looks promising."

Annie was a bit overwhelmed, "I need to think about this."

Maha reassured her, "Don't rush, if you miss this one, there will be others."

Annie said subconsciously, "Could the next one be as outstanding as Martin?"

Maha sighed inwardly, the young girl had not yet taken the first step out of judging people by their appearance.

However, Martin Davis indeed was handsome and had a good temperament, especially that zombie machine-gun dance, which made one can't help but want to experience it for themselves.

"Remember to inform me as soon as there's progress," Maha didn't stay long, she gave a few words of advice and left the hotel.

After Halloween, taking advantage of Martin's recent attention, "The Hills Have Eyes" production team released the first official poster for the film.

The poster had a mountain town as its background.

Martin, covered in blood, held a baby in his left hand, which was missing two fingers, and clutched a bloody, flesh-and-bone-covered bat in his right hand. Beside him was a scar-riddled German Shepherd, with two grotesque and terrifying corpses lying behind him.

At the top of the poster, it read the film's title The Hills Have Eyes.

Below, in extra-large letters, the cast was labelled with only one name—Martin Davis!

As one of the three giants of the production team, no actor shared the spotlight with Martin.

The poster also had a subtitle: Save the child, confront the evil!

A timeless theme in Hollywood movies, the favorite of North American audiences!

Then there was the release date, easy to remember, the weekend after next year's Super Bowl.

With more than three months to go before the film's release, and well before the promotional explosion, the production team used Martin's popularity to release a poster, then quickly went silent again.

Both the production team and the distributor, Warner Bros., recognized Martin as the focal point for promotion.

In this day and age, whether it's actors known for their talent or their popularity, they are all made with resources.

Martin's schedule gradually stabilized; he went to Warner Bros. Studios every day to participate in the post-production of The Hills Have Eyes, occasionally met with Annie, and followed his schedule to work out and practice shooting.

…

Venice, a seaside hotel.

Kim Kardashian, disguised, arrived at the top floor of the hotel and knocked on a door.

Bruce let Kim in first, looked left and right, closed the door, then suddenly opened it again for a quick check. Seeing no anomalies, he closed the door and returned to the room.

Kim lunged at Bruce, "You finally decided to see me!"

Her pounce differed from that of ordinary women—Kim pounced backward into Bruce's arms.

Bruce asked, "Have you met with Paris?"

"Yes," Kim said, both happy and somewhat forlorn, "Paris and I have officially split."

Bruce said he read in the newspaper, "You two almost came to blows."

Kim raised her voice without realizing it, "She's jealous of me, jealous that I went from being a nobody carrying bags to becoming a celebrity just like her."

Bruce gestured for her to continue.

Kim went on, "That bitch said I only became famous by using her name, and the popularity will soon fade, I'll never compare to Paris Hilton."

Bruce thought there was some truth to this; once Kim consumed Paris' limelight, her own fame would naturally fade.

Kim looked up at Bruce, eyes full of hope, "Do you have a way to keep me famous for a long time?"

She had experienced the dazzling spotlight of being the center of attention and didn't want to return to obscurity: "I have nightmares every night, dreaming that I've become a nobody again, no! I will never be a nobody!"

Bruce came here to bid farewell to Kardashian; the movie marketing was over, and his role as a practice run was finished, he said, "Sorry, Kim, I don't have any other solutions."

Kim sensed something, took a step forward, and turned with a twist of her waist, "You… you're leaving me?"

Bruce adopted Martin's cad nature, "You can call me anytime, and I can always come out."

Kim turned back, leaning on the table, "Actually, I thought of a way. Why is Paris famous? Why do people always remember her? Because her tape is always there."

Bruce looked at Kim, guessing what she meant.

Under Bruce's tutelage, Kim quickly became aware of certain possibilities, "If I also had such a tape, would it have the same effect? I think it could!" Searᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She turned back to him, "I want you to be the leading man!"