章 51: **Chapter 51: Anxious Miss Fox**
To get a bigger paycheck, Wayne added himself as a co-producer in both *The Acceptance Letter* and *Happy Death Day*.
Even though he didn't actually do any of the production work, as an investor and the one making the final casting decisions, he was the real producer. As for Sarah and Mia, they were merely executive producers.
"But I figured you wouldn't really care about those details, so I didn't bother telling you," Mike added.
And he was right. Wayne was too busy acting in his own movies to need WMA's resources. The most he might use WMA for was their reputation and connections, which could make it easier to rent filming locations. After all, Hemera Pictures was still a mid-sized production company, not very high on the ranking list, while WMA was Hollywood's second-biggest talent agency, just behind CAA.
If you mention Hemera Pictures, people might not recognize it, but say WMA or one of their stars, like Schwarzenegger or Stallone, and hardly anyone wouldn't know.
"By the way, I heard your *Happy Death Day* sold for $39.5 million, and you're planning to invest around $10 million into making an indie film. A few agents representing secondary clients from our company have reached out to me."
"Even Natalie Portman, who you didn't have the best interaction with last time, expressed interest in working with you. She's even willing to take a pay cut."
"But I know the lead roles for *Gifted* have already been cast, so I turned them down for you."
Mike continued explaining the work he'd been doing for Wayne. While Wayne was busy promoting his movies and enjoying life, Mike had handled plenty of annoying and tedious things for him. Even though none of it was particularly important, it made Wayne's life much smoother and gave him a newfound respect for Mike.
In terms of skills, Mike wasn't extraordinary, but he was certainly dedicated to his job. And that was exactly what Wayne needed in an agent.
"Jessica's been unhappy with her agent lately," Wayne suddenly said. "You know, CAA is always trying to exploit her connections to get more of their clients into my productions."
Mike was momentarily stunned.
"Is this a warning, or..."
Mike quickly thought it over, and his breathing became more rapid. Wayne's words were indeed a warning, but more than that, they were an offer.
"Once she drops her current agent, I'll have her reach out to you and sign with you. Jessica's my official girlfriend, and she won't need any of WMA's resources, so when it comes to discussing commission rates, make sure to keep them as low as possible."
Mike's eyes lit up with excitement at the confirmation.
Low commissions? No problem!
As Wayne said, Jessica wouldn't even need WMA's help to secure roles from Wayne's projects. For WMA and Mike, it would be like getting free money. And with Wayne's support, Jessica would only become more popular, earning higher and higher pay. Even at a 3% or 2% commission, Mike could easily make tens of thousands!
One commission check could be more than what he made in the last two or three years combined!
Even now, he was confident he could secure a 6% rate for Jessica and still make plenty.
"No problem, Wayne! Leave it to me! I'll be the agent you both need," Mike quickly promised.
As they arrived outside the dressing room, Wayne gave Mike a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading in. This small gesture made Mike so excited he could hardly contain his joy.
That is until the door to the women's dressing room opened, and Megan Fox, freshly made up, stepped out. It snapped him out of his excitement.
"Hey, Mike, what are you doing here?" Megan asked instinctively, but then she seemed to remember something and asked excitedly, "Is Wayne here?"
"Yeah, Wayne's here," Mike paused, then added with a knowing tone, "but don't get any ideas. Just focus on acting. You're too young, and Wayne won't go for you. If you try too hard, you'll just annoy him."
Megan's smile froze.
Mike's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly quenching her excitement. She studied Mike carefully, recalling past interactions with Wayne. After a long pause, she reluctantly accepted his advice.
"Fine, thanks for the advice, Mike. I'll keep it in check."
By 11 a.m., the set designers and prop masters finally had everything in place. Director Doug Liman adjusted the lights and camera, and after a two-minute test shot, they were ready to start filming.
"Wayne, just lie down here like this..."
"Got it, director."
Wayne tossed aside the towel draped over his shoulders, leaving him in nothing but wet shorts. He lay down in the position Doug Liman had indicated, showing off his muscular back and the carefully crafted wound created by the makeup artist.
There was no exaggeration—just from this one scene, several women on set couldn't help but gulp, eyeing Wayne like hungry wolves spotting prey.
"Bunch of bitches," Megan cursed internally. She approached with the surgical tools provided by the prop master, ready to check Wayne's wound as scripted.
But—
"Cut!"
She had barely touched Wayne's back when Doug Liman's voice interrupted.
"Miss Fox, why are you in such a hurry? Slow down! Be more composed, like during the test shot!"
Megan's face flushed.
Acting opposite air in the test shot was one thing, but working with Wayne in person was entirely different.
She quickly apologized and returned to her starting position, realizing she wasn't so different from the other women she had just judged.
Fortunately, she soon collected herself, following the acting coach's advice from the lessons Mike had arranged for her. She frowned slightly at Wayne's wound, casting a quick glance at the 'old captain' nearby, conveying a subtle, unspoken emotion.
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