Chapter 173: Unashamed and Unruffled
Gérard Depardieu's accident was, without a doubt, major news in the French entertainment world.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—the instigator behind it all, Aaron Anderson, was instead living a life of calm indulgence in a hotel with Christiana Reali, entirely unashamed and unperturbed.
"Still… that's pretty miserable," Aaron said with a look of mock sympathy as he sat on the hotel sofa, holding Christiana while watching the news footage of Gérard Depardieu's battered face on television.
"1492: Conquest of Paradise is about to be released," Christiana remarked, with more than a hint of schadenfreude. "Now that the male lead is injured like this, how are they even supposed to do promotion?"
After all, Depardieu hadn't exactly shown her any respect.
"Promotion?" Aaron shook his head lightly. "That movie is already beyond saving. Whether they promote it or not won't change much."
"What really matters is what happens to Depardieu's upcoming projects."
As one of France's top male actors, Depardieu had multiple films lined up. With injuries this severe, many of those projects would inevitably be delayed.
Christiana looped her arms around Aaron's neck and kissed him softly.
"Aaron, I heard Ridley Scott is in Spain shooting The Mask of Zorro for Dawn Pictures, with an investment of over 300 million francs."
"Now that 1492: Conquest of Paradise has failed so badly, doesn't that affect you at all?"
"Not really," Aaron replied calmly. "Ridley Scott is still Ridley Scott. A single flop doesn't change the fact that he's a top-tier director."
In truth, Aaron still had plenty of confidence in Scott—after all, this was a filmmaker who had delivered Alien, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise.
He paused, then looked down at Christiana, gently rubbing her shoulder.
"By the way, when are you planning to come with me to Hollywood?"
"Dawnlight has more and more projects lined up now. Even if there's no lead role right away, there are plenty of supporting parts. You could start by getting used to the Hollywood environment."
Christiana smiled. "I could go anytime. I just have a few small things to wrap up here first. How about early next year?"
"Sounds good," Aaron replied easily.
___
Spain, Ibiza.
Aaronand Sophie Marceau were enjoying an idyllic holiday together.
Beach, sunshine, bikini-clad beauties—Aaron lounged by the pool with a glass of champagne in hand. Glancing at Sophie Marceau sunbathing beside him, he said with a smile, "That French romance Fanfan turned out pretty well. Honestly, it's no worse than your debut, La Boum."
Sophie Marceau slipped off her bikini top, stretching comfortably as she basked in the sun. "Really? I thought you preferred romantic comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral."
"Or Sleepless in Seattle," Aaron replied. "Those are standard American-style romantic comedies."
"They sell tickets," he added with a shrug. "Not because I particularly love them, but because the market does. A lot of them don't exactly have the healthiest values."
After a pause, Aaron asked casually, "How about going to the UK with me?"
Sophie Marceau blinked. "The UK? Is there something going on there?"
"Bram Stoker's Dracula is holding its premiere in London. I need to attend."
She shook her head lightly. "London in winter isn't exactly pleasant—cold, foggy, gloomy. That's why so many wealthy Brits come to Spain for vacation. Half of Ibiza is full of English tourists."
Aaron stood up, poured a glass of juice, and handed it to her. "Fair enough. Then you'll head straight back to the States?"
"Los Angeles," he continued. "The weather's much better than New York. I've bought two more villas—one in the Manderville Canyon area of Beverly Hills, another up in the Hollywood Hills. You can move straight in."
Sophie took a sip of juice and smiled. "I've heard you made a fortune in the foreign exchange markets this year. Looks like the rumors were true."
"No doubt about it," Aaron laughed. "You know what happened to the pound. I made tens of millions of dollars."
Sophie nodded. "Then congratulations are in order. No wonder you can afford such a long vacation."
"Exactly," Aaron said, sliding a hand over her body with a grin. "And right now, we should just enjoy it."
---
While Aaron was savoring his European holiday, back in Hollywood, Dawnlight Pictures' The Crying Game continued to expand its theatrical run as word-of-mouth grew stronger. Another art-house release, Scent of a Woman, was also slated for November.
But November was packed with blockbusters: 20th Century Fox's family comedy Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Disney's animated feature Aladdin, Warner Bros.' action hit The Bodyguard, and Columbia's gothic romance Bram Stoker's Dracula were all set to premiere.
---
London, at the Grosvenor Theatre.
Bram Stoker's Dracula held a grand premiere. Stars Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder, director Francis Ford Coppola, and supporting cast members Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves all walked the red carpet.
Backstage, Aaron chatted with Coppola.
"I hear you run a winery in Napa Valley," Aaron said.
"That's right," Coppola replied. "I bought the Rubicon Estate and over fifteen hundred acres of land not long after The Godfather came out. Napa Valley is America's wine country—perfect soil, perfect climate."
For Coppola, the winery had become one of his most important assets. Directing Dracula was largely about paying off the $27 million debt accumulated by Zoetrope Studios.
"So," Coppola asked with a grin, "are you interested in the wine business too?"
Aaron smiled. "I spent some time in France recently and started thinking about investing in a vineyard. Then it occurred to me—America has Napa Valley."
Before long, the interviews wrapped up and the screening began.
Several of the cast members had already worked with Dawn Pictures: Keanu Reeves starred in Speed, Winona Ryder appeared in Reality Bites, and Anthony Hopkins had just played the aging Zorro in The Mask of Zorro.
As the lights dimmed, Aaron took a seat beside Winona Ryder. She was wearing a blue, cinched dress—playful yet undeniably sexy.
"I didn't expect you to come all the way to England," she said, tapping his thigh lightly.
Aaron chuckled. "I was already in France, so I figured—why not?"