I'm in Hollywood

Chapter 306: Eric thinks so too

"Hello, Miss Kidman, I'm Tom Cruise; you can call me Tom. Wow, you're really beautiful—even more beautiful than in the movies. May I call you Nicole?" Eric was conversing with Paula Wagner when he heard Tom Cruise's eager voice behind him.

"Of course, Mr. Cruise," Nicole's voice rang out, with a hint of aloofness in her tone, but Cruise seemed to be unaware of anything and started to speak about other topics.

Paula Wagner smiled awkwardly at Eric, silently blaming Cruise for his inappropriate behavior. Nicole Kidman was Eric's companion, and their relationship was clear.

Eric turned his head and saw that Cruise had already sat opposite Nicole, so he said to Paula Wagner, "Well, Ms. Wagner, let's sit down too."

"Okay, Eric, it's... I'm sorry," Paula Wagner said apologetically in a soft voice.

"This is nothing," said Eric, returning to the table and sitting down. He signaled for the waiter, and the group began ordering their meal.

"Nicole, the pan-fried foie gras here is really exceptional. I hear all the ingredients are airlifted directly from France. I think you should try it," Cruise flipped through the menu for a moment and then looked up, smiling at Nicole.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cruise, I'm on a diet," Nicole gently shook her head, then ordered a salad from the waiter and closed the menu.

Cruise was taken aback, and his smile faded a bit. But his eyes showed an increased interest.

Eric and Paula soon finished ordering as well. After the waiter left, Cruise spoke without hesitation: "I'm sorry, Eric. I've read the script for "Ghost." But my and Paula's production company is preparing to start shooting our film soon, so I can't take that role. To be honest, I think it sounds silly to play a ghost. Furthermore, I have studied the entire script, and I don't find anything remarkable about it. I suggest you try another film, like the second installment of "Running Out of Time." Although I can't participate, I'm sure that with the popularity of the first film, box office success can be guaranteed."

Upon hearing this, Paula Wagner rubbed her forehead with one hand. Gently tapping her temple a couple of times, it was clear that Cruise had fallen prey to his self-important tendencies and completely forgotten her prior instructions.

Nicole raised her mouth slightly upon hearing this and then surreptitiously lifted the juice in front of her to her lips, blocking the smirk at the corner of her mouth.

Eric placed his hands on the table and rubbed them back and forth with a criss-cross motion, eagerly listening to Cruise's words. After the latter had finished speaking, Eric looked at him with interest. "So, Tommy, you invited me here today. Is there something on your mind?"

Fearing that Tom Cruise might say something inappropriate, Paula Wagner quickly picked up Eric's question, saying, "Mr. Williams, Tommy is just that kind of person who doesn't like to hide anything. So, please don't mind him. We feel that the script for 'Ghost' is quite good, but Tommy's schedule is already arranged, so this time, we won't be able to collaborate."

"Oh, so this time..." Eric continued to inquire.

Tom Cruise was about to open his mouth but felt his legs being kicked under the table. He glanced at Paula Wagner. Upon seeing the faint look of plea on Paula's face, he sighed and closed his mouth.

After Tom finally stopped speaking, Paula let out a sigh of relief and spoke to Eric, "As you see, Mr. Williams, Firefly's Blossom Studio began acquiring a multitude of novel and film copyrights last year, including a television drama titled 'Mission: Impossible'. I was wondering, would you be able to transfer it to us? We would definitely offer a very reasonable price."

Eric raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Ms. Wagner, why are you interested in this television drama? If it were made into a film, it would be a spy-thriller action movie, which is quite different from Tom's current screen image."

Upon hearing Eric's statement, Tom couldn't help but speak up again, "You see, Paula? Eric also thinks this way. I think it's better not to mention this anymore. I've already said I'm not suitable for pure action movies. That's something that Schwarzenegger or Stallone should play. I'm more suitable for dramatic films, even if they contain some action elements. They should focus on the storyline, just like the movie 'Top Gun' a few years ago and our recent film. Eric, you should think so too, right?"

Eric smiled slightly and said: "Of course, I also think Tom is more suitable for a type of film dominated by narrative, blindly transforming carries a great risk."

After a conversation between the two men, Paula Wagner was at a loss for what to say next, with a look of distress on her face. She glanced at the man who was proud of receiving recognition next to her, and at Eric with a faint smile on his face, not knowing why, she always felt Eric's smile was strange.

Having bypassed the matter of the original version of "Mission: Impossible," Eric quickly said, "Tom, let's talk about the movie you're currently raising funds for; I'm sure many fans are very eager."

"Definitely," Tom Cruise immediately became enthusiastic and glanced at Nicole from time to time. "A few years ago, when I worked with Mr. Paul Newman on "The Color of Money," I was interested in racing, so I have always wanted to make a racing movie. In the script setting, the racing scenes in this movie will be grand and thrilling. Paramount promised to invest 60 million dollars in this movie. I believe this movie will definitely create the same box office success as "Top Gun" in 1986. By the way, Nicole, the movie currently lacks a female lead; would you like to try it? From the first time I saw you, I felt that you are very suitable for the role of Claire."

"Nicole heard about the 60 million dollar investment in the movie and suddenly felt moved, she glanced at Eric and saw the unmistakable expression on the man's face before tentatively asking, "Mr. Cruise, can you tell me more about this role?"

"Of course. Claire is a physician, and after a car race accident, the male lead, Cole, meets her. Claire is quickly moved by Cole's strength and perseverance, and she falls in love with the male lead..."

Cruise excitedly spoke for seven to eight minutes, only halting reluctantly when the server was serving a few people, with Nicole following the rhythm with a few probing statements.

Listening to the conversation between a man and a woman nearby, Paula Wagner worriedly looked at Eric across the table, but seeing that he was enjoying his food with indifference, she gradually relaxed.

"Ms. Wagner, are you still working as Tom's agent?" Eric ignored the conversation next to him, took a few bites of food, raised his head, and suddenly asked Paula Wagner across from him.

"Paula Wagner was unsure of what Eric's sudden inquiry meant, but still answered quickly, "No, I am now responsible for managing the C/W production company, so Tommy has a new agent, named Pat Kingsley."

Eric muttered inwardly, Tom Cruise was indeed fortunate, even as an outsider who inserted himself into this time and space, the two women who were extremely important for his career development still appeared beside him.

Paula Wagner can be said to be Tom Cruise's benefactor, directly bringing Cruise from an unknown soldier to the ranks of A-list Hollywood stars, then assisting Cruise in establishing a production company and serving as producer for a series of Cruise's films, half of Cruise's success can be attributed to Paula Wagner.

Afterwards, Cruise and Paula Wagner established the Cruise/Wagner production company, with Paula Wagner as the head of the production company and Cruise having another agent, Kingsley. This female agent was also very capable, taking over Paula Wagner's position and conscientiously managing Cruise's agency affairs for 14 years. Over the past decade, although Cruise has generated a lot of incidents and has been a mess in personal affairs, under Pat Kingsley's maintenance, Cruise's public image has always been maintained perfectly."

Previously, the agents of Tom Cruise and Nicole were both managed by Pat Kingsley, but after Cruise and Nicole's divorce, Cruise's career did not flourish much while Nicole's skyrocketed to fame, not only winning the title of Oscar Best Actress but also entering the 20 million dollar salary club.

Unbalanced by his emotions, Cruise arbitrarily found a pretext to fire Pat, his hard-working agent, by accusing her of being detrimental to his Oscar PR, then recklessly appointed his inexperienced sister as his agent.

Not long after, Cruise tasted the consequences of his actions as a series of events came one after another without a strong agent to negotiate and manage his public image. He broke negotiations with Paramount, had the couch-jumping incident, had his beliefs attacked by the media, and was frequently implicated in scandals involving female stars. In just over a year, Cruise's public image plummeted, and his acting career was greatly impacted.

In the following years, Cruise's production company lost Paula Wagner and several other key personnel. Apart from the Mission Impossible series, Cruise's films were on a losing streak. This is why Cruise couldn't show any strength against Paramount in negotiations over the Mission Impossible series, and his reputation of earning $75 million for one film was forever gone.

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