On the weekend of January 23rd, the 57th Golden Globe Awards were held at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Richard was invited to attend the ceremony. The movie he starred in, The Talented Mr. Ripley, received five nominations: Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Score. Director Minghella, Matt Damon, and Jude Law were each nominated.
Girl, Interrupted received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, with Angelina Jolie as the nominee.
In the end, American Beauty emerged as the biggest winner, taking home three major awards: Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
Denzel Washington won Best Actor in a Drama for his performance in The Hurricane.
The Hurricane is a biographical film about the famous middleweight boxer, "Hurricane" Rubin Carter, who was wrongfully imprisoned. The film was released in December of last year, grossing over 70 million dollars at the box office and receiving positive reviews. The film's success made boxing a popular sport, and more people began seeking Richard's collaboration.
Angelina Jolie won Best Supporting Actress, and Tom Cruise delivered an outstanding performance in Magnolia, earning him the award for Best Supporting Actor.
"Ms. Jolie, congratulations!"
That evening at the Hilton Hotel, during the Golden Globe Awards after-party, Richard raised his champagne glass and greeted Angelina Jolie as she approached.
"Are you envious?"
Jolie shook the Golden Globe trophy in her hand and smiled.
"Envious!"
"Too bad, it's not yours."
Jolie smiled as she put away the trophy.
Richard chuckled and greeted Bob Thornton, who was standing nearby. Thornton was a screenwriter and award-winning supporting actor, with an average appearance and a lean physique. Based on this, Richard concluded that Jolie wasn't solely attracted to good looks, which meant she might like him for his talent and capability.
"Richard, how's the role in Tomb Raider coming along?" Jolie asked.
"We're still negotiating, but there should be a result next week."
Richard smiled. He was up for a supporting role, and considering his rising fame compared to last year, BAA had offered a $2.5 million salary. However, Paramount, the studio behind Tomb Raider, hadn't agreed yet, and the two sides were still haggling over the price.
After chatting for a bit, Jolie and Thornton left, and Richard walked over to Denzel Washington, who had worked with him before, to congratulate him.
"Richard, congratulations on becoming the champion of the three major boxing organizations. Before filming The Hurricane, I trained in boxing for two months. I found out that mastering boxing isn't easy, and becoming a champion is even harder, but you did it. I must say, you're quite impressive."
Denzel Washington smiled.
"Thanks. Winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor isn't easy either. Denzel, any secrets to your success?"
Richard smiled.
"Haha, it's simple: choose a good script, pick a great director, and act seriously. Everything will fall into place."
"Hmm, sounds good. Thanks for the advice."
Richard smiled lightly and clinked glasses with him.
"Hey, Denzel!"
Tom Cruise walked over with his trophy, hugged Denzel, then turned to Richard with a slight smile. "Hello, Richard!"
"Hello, Tom!"
Tom Cruise frowned slightly, displeased with Richard's casual use of his first name. He felt that Richard should have addressed him as "Mr. Cruise."
"Richard, the recasting for Mission: Impossible 2 was a production decision. I found out later, so I apologize. If there's another opportunity, I'll make sure to save a good role for you."
Tom Cruise smiled, but with a hint of sarcasm.
"Haha, no worries, Tom. Thanks for the kind offer. Denzel, we'll talk later!"
Richard raised his glass and turned to walk into the crowd.
As Richard's back disappeared into the crowd, Tom Cruise frowned. Giving him a chance, yet he doesn't appreciate it? This kind of person still wants to make it in the film industry?
Tom Cruise shook his head and then looked at Denzel Washington. "Denzel, I have an interesting script about a hitman and a taxi driver. Want to chat about it?"
"Sure, let's sit over there."
Denzel Washington smiled.
Richard walked into the crowd, glancing around at the people. There were many famous actors, including Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Russell Crowe, Matt Damon, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Sharon Stone, gathered in small groups, chatting animatedly.
Richard knew all of them, but wasn't familiar with many, only a few.
"Hey, Richard, what are you looking for? Are you looking for a beautiful woman?"
Jude Law walked over with a smile.
"Yes, I'm looking for you, my beauty. I'm about to leave. Are you coming?"
"Why so early?"
"Early to bed, early to rise, staying fit."
Richard clenched his fist and smiled.
"Thinking about training even now? No wonder you became a super champion. I should learn from you."
Jude Law sighed.
"It's a kind of occupational hazard. Boxing has me in its grip, and I can't escape."
Richard said helplessly.
"Why would you want to escape? If I had three championship belts, I'd be satisfied for life."
"Don't worry, you'll get an Oscar someday."
Richard patted him on the shoulder and then moved through the crowd to find Reese.
"Hey, Richard, I was just looking for you."
Reese grabbed him and said.
"What's up?"
"Dance with me. I don't have a partner, so it's you."
Reese smiled.
"Alright, one last dance!"
Richard smiled lightly and took her hand, leading her to the dance floor.
---After the Golden Globe Awards, Richard stayed in Los Angeles as the production of The Fast and the Furious was in the preparation stage. He joined the production team, working as an assistant to producer Neal Moritz.
This was a racing movie, and the production process was highly complex with a significant workload. The first task was to select a suitable director.
After Universal Pictures announced the racing project, many directors came forward to self-recommend, including both top-tier and second-tier directors. Seeing these directors coming to seek opportunities, Richard began to appreciate the perks of being a producer.
After several rounds of interviews, Neal Moritz selected Rob Cohen, with whom he had previously collaborated. Cohen was known for his expertise in action films, having directed Daylight, The Skulls, and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, all of which had received favorable reviews.
After finalizing the director, Rob Cohen recommended Paul Walker for one of the lead roles. Paul Walker had just starred in Cohen's recent film, The Skulls.
In addition to the director and lead actor, the crew had another major task: finding the coolest car models and designing the racing stunts.
To film this movie properly, the production team spent six months from the previous year selecting the cars that would appear on screen. According to statistics, the shoot would require at least 1,500 vehicles, including both regular sports cars and actual race cars.
Richard, lacking experience in racing, had only average driving skills. During the preparation process, he hired a racing driver as a coach to teach him racing techniques. Although a stunt driver would be used for most of the scenes, there were still some shots he needed to handle himself.
By early February, the CFO, Miss Ellie, called to inform him that the deadline for selling his tech stocks had arrived. Richard thought for a moment and then decided to hold on for another four weeks, believing that late February was the true deadline given by analysts.
Ellie accused him of being crazy, saying he was too greedy.
Richard defended his decision. Given that his advice the previous year had led to the stock's value increasing several times over, Ellie agreed to follow his lead one more time but insisted that the end of February must be the final deadline.
"Okay!"
Richard smiled lightly, put away his phone, and walked into the production office.
Inside the office, producer Neal Moritz, executive producer Doug Claybourne, director Rob Cohen, and casting director Ronna Kress were discussing the choice for the secondary female lead.
This character was cool, with a bit of a boss lady vibe.
Initially, Richard had thought of recommending someone he knew, but the suitable candidates among his acquaintances were all big names like Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie. Since this role had limited screen time and the production team wanted to save on costs, they didn't plan to use a big star, so Richard didn't bring it up.
After two rounds of auditions, three actresses made it to the final round: Michelle Rodriguez, Salma Hayek, and Eva Mendes, all relatively low-profile actresses with affordable fees.
"Hey, Richard, what do you think?" asked Neal Moritz.
Richard glanced around the room and smiled lightly, "Do I have a say?"
"You're part of the production team, of course, you have a say," Neal Moritz smiled.
"Richard, the second female lead is your partner, so you should give your opinion as well," added casting director Ronna Kress.
Richard nodded and looked at the photos, "Michelle looks cooler, like someone who'd be into racing."
"Haha, Richard, you picked the same as us, so let's go with her," Neal Moritz laughed.
Richard secretly smirked. Michelle's photo was placed first, so it was clear that everyone had already agreed on her. Anyone with a modicum of social intelligence would know how to choose.
"Next, let's discuss the lead actress. This character is Dominic's sister. There are currently three candidates: Jordana Brewster, Jessica Biel, and Katie Holmes."
The staff put up photos and audition tapes of the three actresses. Neal Moritz then asked everyone to share their opinions, with most supporting Katie Holmes because she looked like she could be Richard's sister.
Richard frowned. Shouldn't it be Jordana Brewster?
"Richard, do you have any objections?" asked Neal Moritz.
"No, Ms. Kress has a great eye for casting," Richard smiled lightly.
"Richard, thank you. I'll definitely find a good role for you next time," Ronna Kress joked.
"That would be great."
Richard smiled.
"If there are no objections, we'll finalize Katie Holmes as the lead actress," Neal Moritz decided.
With the main cast settled, the team moved on to the specific preparations, including scouting locations, setting up the scenes, filming outdoor sequences, and designing the racing stunts.
This part of the work was detailed and professional, requiring a long period of preparation.
In the afternoon, after finishing work at the company, Richard drove back to his hillside villa. After dinner and some training, Gwenyth paid him a visit in the evening.
"Is your movie finished?" Richard poured her a glass of juice.
"Yes, I can rest for a month now. What about you? How's the preparation for The Fast and the Furious going?"
"We've completed the preliminary work, but there's still a lot to do. It's quite a hassle," Richard shrugged.
"When a movie has a budget of tens of millions or even over a hundred million dollars, there's bound to be a lot of work," Gwyneth smiled lightly as she put down her glass. "Are you still determined to invest in a film company now?"
"Of course. The challenge is what makes it interesting. I like doing challenging work. Have you completed the plans for the new company?"
"This is the preliminary information," Gwyneth pulled out a thick stack of documents, over a hundred pages.
"The top section is about some potential managers. You can take a look. Neither of us is professional enough for the detailed work, so we need experts."
Richard flipped through the documents. The candidates had impressive work histories, most having worked at major production companies.
"Do you know any of them?"
"Yes!" Gwyneth pointed to two names. "Frank Marshall, 54 years old, has worked at Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. He served as an assistant producer and producer on films like The Money Pit, Dream, and Cape Fear.
Five years ago, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and retired to recover. Now that his condition is stabilizing, he's looking to return to work but hasn't found a suitable position.
He's an acquaintance of my father. I looked into his background and asked my father's opinion. He seemed promising, so I reached out to him. When I first mentioned my plan, he waved it off, saying I was being foolish.
I approached him three times, made my case, and showed him the data I had collected, proving that I was serious. He reluctantly agreed to join, but only temporarily. If we don't achieve anything within a year, he'll leave the company. Richard, do you think we can accomplish something within a year?"
"Of course we can!" Richard smiled lightly.
"Haha, that's what I think too, so I agreed to the one-year timeline. I'm planning to invest in a small-budget movie first, with a budget of around four to five million dollars. What do you think?"
Gwyneth asked.
"That's a good idea too. Just make sure we take a steady first step and find a solid project."
"Yes," Gwyneth smiled and then introduced the second candidate, Jane Wilson, 42 years old, previously the head of distribution at Lionsgate.
Gwyneth had worked with her before and admired her, so she wanted to bring her on as one of the new company's leaders. They're still in talks, and if it doesn't work out, they'll consider other candidates.
"Richard, what do you think?"
"It sounds good. Let's tentatively decide on them."
"We still need an operations manager, a finance manager, and a director. Do you have any suitable candidates?"
"Yes, what about Kopelson Productions? He retired from Warner Bros. last year. I spoke with him around New Year's, and he said he would consider it."
"That's great! Mr. Kopelson is an experienced producer. If we can get him on board, that would be fantastic. But he used to work at Warner Bros. Do you think he'd be willing to join our small company?"
Gwyneth asked with a hint of doubt. Having worked with him before on The Murder Case, she knew Kopelson's capabilities well, but she also knew that the more capable a person is, the harder it is to collaborate with them.
"I'll talk to him again. Hopefully, I can convince him."
"Great, how about we talk to him together?"
Gwyneth smiled.
"Sure, by the way, have you come up with a name for the company?"
"How about Richard and Gwyneth Productions?"
Gwyneth smiled.
"Don't joke around, be serious."
"Alright, I've come up with eight names: New Century Films, Perfect Films, Combat Films... Which one do you like?"
Gwyneth pointed to the list.
Richard looked them over several times, "Has New Century Films been registered yet?"
"Yes, we can buy it for a reasonable price."
"Alright, let's go with that one!"
"Haha, we're on the same page."
Gwyneth jumped into his arms and gave him a light kiss.
Richard smiled, feeling it was a familiar routine.
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