Heart of the Earth was released by Universal Pictures, so it was pretty much a given that Gilbert would bump into some of their bigwigs.
Gilbert chatted for a bit with Lou Wasserman, the Vice President of Universal Pictures. Wasserman seemed really interested in the Final Destination project.
"Gilbert, seriously, I never imagined Disney would snatch that project right from under my nose," Lou Wasserman said, looking pretty regretful.
Gilbert replied, "Mr. Wasserman, Disney's offer was just too good to pass up, it was a rare opportunity, so..."
"Say no more, I get it," Lou Wasserman cut him off, getting straight to his point. "I just hope that for your next movie, you don't forget about us, Universal Pictures. Don't forget the foundation of our first collaboration..."
What he really meant was, 'We gave you your first directing gig, so don't you dare forget who helped you!'
But that kind of talk didn't really faze Gilbert. From his perspective, the movie's success was inevitable. Universal Pictures only invested because they got lucky and stumbled upon him. Besides, the person he should really be thanking is Spielberg. Without him, Gilbert would still be slogging away as an assistant director!
He thought all that, but he couldn't actually say it.
So, Gilbert just said, "We'll have plenty more opportunities to work together in the future."
"Alright, then, for your next project, you absolutely have to prioritize Universal Pictures."
"Absolutely, absolutely..."
So, why was Lou Wasserman in such a hurry? Well, news had leaked from Touchstone Pictures. Gilbert's new film, Final Destination, was supposedly an incredibly outstanding horror movie.
Just like Universal Pictures had spies planted in other companies, they also had their own ninja informants hidden away.
Even though the specific details of the film weren't known, the word within Touchstone Pictures was that the movie was amazing, and that news spread like wildfire.
After just one successful project, film companies were already showing immense confidence in Gilbert. Universal Pictures, especially, had tasted the sweet joy of his success.
Now, that joy was about to belong to Touchstone Pictures, to Disney, and Universal Pictures felt like something that was theirs had been stolen. Of course, they wanted it back!
This change was actually a good thing for Gilbert. If the movie succeeded as expected, he could demand even better terms for his next project. With multiple film companies fighting over him, it was entirely possible that a company as eager for talent as Touchstone Pictures would simply agree to whatever Gilbert asked for.
After his chat with Lou Wasserman, Gilbert grabbed a drink and wandered around the party.
Parties come in many types, with many purposes. The party Tom Cruise was hosting was a private one; if you weren't invited, you couldn't get in. Reporters weren't allowed either, though they were all lurking outside taking photos. Stars and reporters are like two sides of the same coin: stars need exposure, and reporters chase hot celebrities.
Then there are gatherings organized by film companies, which are a bit more formal than private parties, requiring guests to wear formal attire.
But there's another kind of party that many "free spirits" would probably love to attend: the multi-person activity party. This kind of party caters to humanity's most primal desires: weed, drugs, women, even men, and those who are neither...
Hollywood has these sketchy talent agencies that specialize in providing pretty girls and handsome guys for these kinds of parties. After Gilbert became somewhat famous, he got plenty of invitations to these parties, but he just wasn't interested. He wasn't into men, and definitely not into people who are neither. He also had no desire to share a woman with other guys.
After Gwyneth Paltrow "moved on," Gilbert never contacted her again. Cameron Diaz seems pretty grounded, but if she ever dared to go to one of those parties and Gilbert found out, he'd kick her to the curb without a second thought. He's not a clean freak, and he can't control the past, but if she's with him, she needs to be loyal. Plus, Gilbert never forced anyone to stay; if she wants to leave, she can go anytime, but coming back wouldn't be so easy.
Cameron Diaz probably understands Gilbert's personality. Even though when she first arrived in Los Angeles, she often attended all sorts of wild parties arranged by her agent, she basically doesn't go to them anymore.
In return, Gilbert takes care of Cameron Diaz. He always brings her to legitimate parties like this one. And it makes sense too, since the gossip tabloids under Disney now portray him and Cameron Diaz as a couple.
As Gilbert was walking around, he suddenly noticed someone in a corner. Compared to the glittering crowd around her, she seemed incredibly humble. Her dress and jewelry looked rented, a bit ill-fitting, and clearly not expensive. But that couldn't hide her beauty; her small frame seemed to contain immense energy.
But that wasn't Gilbert's main focus. He just felt like this beautiful woman looked familiar. In his previous life, he wasn't really a Hollywood insider, so other than a few extremely famous Hollywood goddesses, he usually only had a vague impression of others. He might know their name but not what they looked like, or he'd mix up their appearance and name.
Intrigued, Gilbert raised his glass and approached her. "Are you alone?"
The girl was visibly startled, clearly not expecting anyone to talk to her, but she still flashed a sweet smile. "Yes, and you are?"
Before Gilbert could introduce himself, the girl's eyes lit up. "Oh, I remember now! You're Director Gilbert Landrini! I saw your film, The Shallows. Hello, I'm Naomi Watts."
"Miss Watts, nice to meet you," Gilbert invited Naomi Watts to sit on a nearby sofa in the corner. He asked, "You're not from around here, are you? Your accent sounds different."
"No, I'm British. I was working in Australia before, and I just moved to Los Angeles this year to try my luck," Naomi Watts's voice was very pleasant to listen to, as sweet as she was.
"Australia? So you and Miss Kidman are...?"
"She's a friend of mine. We've worked on movies together."
"I see," Gilbert realized. "It looks like your Australia gang is about to get even bigger."
Even though she was British, she had developed her career in Australia, so Gilbert calling her part of the "Australia gang" wasn't wrong. Currently, the "Australia gang" had Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman, and they were quite united, making their influence pretty significant.
Naomi Watts gave a wry smile. "Compared to Nicole, I'm far behind. I've been in Los Angeles for half a year and have only been able to work odd jobs in bars and restaurants, just trying to find audition opportunities for small, unknown roles..."
Living from hand to mouth, struggling financially—that was Naomi Watts's current situation. Many people come to Los Angeles chasing dreams every year, but only a handful succeed. Naomi Watts had almost given up hope and was considering returning to Australia. Just a few days ago, she said goodbye to her friend Nicole Kidman, but Nicole Kidman told her to wait a bit longer and invited her to today's party.
And this party indeed gave her a pleasant surprise: Gilbert, a director who was already somewhat famous in Hollywood, actually initiated a conversation with her. For Naomi Watts, this was a rare opportunity.
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