Capítulo 59: Chapter 59: Apology
[Chapter 59: Apology]
A petite brown-haired white woman in her thirties walked out of the film set, her high heels clacking loudly against the concrete, the sharp sounds echoing the frustration brewing within her.
Following her was the tall and handsome Brad Pitt, who looked utterly defeated.
They both got into a car, and the woman slammed the door shut with a thud, casting a disappointed glance at Brad. "Alright, Pitt, now tell me what really happened. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get you that role? Just two days in, and you've already been kicked off the set. I just spoke to Henry, and he hinted that the problem came from you. The producer personally intervened."
Brad shook his head. "Sheryl, I gave it my all. The director praised my performance just yesterday. And didn't we sign a contract with the crew? They're in breach; we can..."
"Shut up! Do you think you're Tom Cruise? If you were a big star, they wouldn't dare breach a contract, but you're just an unknown actor."
Brad clenched his fists and lowered his gaze. He and Tom Cruise were about the same age, both came from similar backgrounds, and he felt that in terms of acting skills and looks, he was not far behind Cruise. But fate had a cruel sense of humor; Tom was now the hottest star, while he remained a nobody.
"Pitt, did you do something to anger the director or the producer? Don't think about hiding anything from me. I'm your agent. If you're not being honest with me, I might have to consider dropping you."
Brad looked up, anxiety creeping in. He had struggled in Hollywood for years and understood just how crucial it was to have a solid agent with connections. Having signed with Sheryl Cody less than a year ago, he had already landed several roles. Her last words made him anxious.
His mind raced, recalling the events of the past couple of days, and he hesitantly said, "It shouldn't... be about that, right?"
"What thing? Hurry up and tell me."
Brad replied, "You know Jennifer Aniston, right? Yesterday, the shoot wrapped up quite late, so I... I offered to drive her home, and then her boyfriend caught us. He didn't seem too happy."
Sheryl, being an astute agent, was well-informed. "You mean Eric Williams, the young director from Home Alone?"
Brad nodded.
Sheryl frowned and held her forehead in frustration. "Pitt, how do I even address this with you? A few months back, if Tyson hadn't held back, you might have just walked away with a shattered bone or two, lying in a hospital for months. I can't believe you didn't learn your lesson and went after Eric Williams' girl."
"But didn't the papers say they broke up? And anyway, sure, Home Alone made a killing at the box office, but he's just a newcomer director, right? How could he have that much pull?"
Sheryl sighed, growing weary of explaining to someone like him. "Hollywood may seem small, but the networking is intricately linked. There are countless ties between film companies and broadcast networks. Eric Williams is a young and promising director. Many people would want to be on his good side. If it's just to deal with a no-name actor like you, making a few calls would be easy for them. Plenty would gladly do anyone a favor."
Brad sat in silence for a moment. "So... what do we do now?"
After some thought, Sheryl replied, "Don't you know where Eric Williams lives? You'd best go apologize in person and be sincere about it."
"Why should I apologize when I didn't do anything wrong?" Brad felt resistant.
"It doesn't matter if you did anything or not. What counts is that he's taken offense."
"If I apologize, will I get my role back?"
Sheryl shook her head. "Of course not. The crew already found an excuse to kick you out; they're not about to go back on that. I just hope that once you apologize, he won't hold a grudge against you. If you plan to stay in this low-tier acting world, it might not matter much. But if you aspire to move up, you can't afford to not humble yourself this time. If not, you might lose future opportunities over just one word from him."
Brad lowered his gaze in silence for a moment and finally said, "Fine, I... I'll go apologize."
...
"Hey, Jen, are you free?" After waiting outside the set for over an hour, Brad and Sheryl finally spotted Aniston walking out.
"Hello, Mr. Pitt, Ms. Cody," Aniston responded, instinctively stepping back as Brad approached.
Although they had only interacted for two days, Aniston had developed a slight fondness for Brad. He had a way with women that wasn't as pushy as Eric's, and both of them were struggling actors, creating a sense of ease between them. That's why she agreed to let Brad drive her home the night before.
But Eric's unexpected appearance had extinguished those budding feelings towards Brad, dousing them with cold water. Aniston instinctively kept her distance from Brad after seeing her boyfriend's uncontrollable emotions the previous night.
"Pitt, I'm really sorry about what happened with the crew, but I need to go now. Eric's waiting for me at home."
Seeing Aniston's closed-off demeanor, Brad cursed inwardly but maintained a charming smile. "Jenny, here's the thing. Mr. Williams might have misunderstood me yesterday, so I wanted to invite you both to dinner and to apologize in person."
Aniston's mind raced, quickly recalling snippets from the conversation she overheard after showering, connecting Eric's phone call to Brad's dismissal from the crew.
Just as she pondered how to respond, a taxi pulled up, and Eric stepped out, dressed in a black trench coat and walking toward them.
Upon seeing Brad, Eric instantly frowned. He had just received a call from James Brooks, confirming that everything had gone as planned. Shouldn't Brad be packing up to leave by now?
He strode over to Aniston, concerned. "Jen, what's going on?"
Aniston glanced at her boyfriend, a complicated expression on her face. Before she could speak, Sheryl smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Williams. I'm Peter's agent, Sheryl Cody."
"Hello," Eric replied, shaking her hand. "Ms. Cody, why are you blocking my girlfriend?"
"Well, Mr. Williams," Sheryl unfazed by Eric's chill demeanor, kept her smile, "Brad's behavior last night was a bit forward, so we were hoping you both would join us for dinner to express our apologies."
Eric glanced back and forth between Sheryl and Brad. Although Brad was forcing a smile, his resentment was evident, while Sheryl maintained an unyielding composure.
Eric didn't care about Brad's feelings. In another life, he had been a notorious Hollywood womanizer. Many men envied his long list of conquests, and even the two actresses from Friends weren't safe from his charms.
At that moment, Aniston seemed rather naive about love. If Eric hadn't shown up, she might have been easily swayed by Brad's charming words. And once that happened, given Aniston's stubborn nature, it would be hard for her to walk back from it.
To keep them apart, Eric made a decisive move to oust Brad from the crew, even if it meant owing a big favor to James Brooks.
"No need for dinner. I accept Mr. Pitt's apology as long as he avoids my girlfriend from here on out. I won't pursue this further." Eric said, wrapping his arm around Aniston as he turned to leave, but then he added, "Ms. Cody, you're quite an impressive agent. Brad Pitt is lucky to have you. If you're interested, you're welcome to come to L.A.; I'd be more than happy to have you join UTA."
Sheryl breathed a sigh of relief at Eric's willingness to let Brad off the hook but quickly put on a shocked expression. "Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Williams. I will consider it."
*****
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