Chương 767: Chapter 768: The Meeting
[Chapter 768: The Meeting]
"This is good. If we leak this information, it could upset Eric Williams," Ron Lather nodded and added, "But after the meeting tomorrow, regardless of the outcome, we can reach out to the media. That would definitely be beneficial for your career in this industry. By the way, have you finished reading the original of Casino Royale?"
Cate Blanchett pulled a book from her bag and said, "I finished it a while ago, along with those few pages of the script. Vesper Lynd should be considered the only true female character in the history of 007, rather than just another pretty face in revealing outfits. I find that I've really come to like this character."
"Of course, if Casino Royale continues with the same production standards as before, Eric Williams wouldn't be directing it himself. Based on the original work, I think Vesper Lynd might also be the only woman James Bond ever truly loved," Ron Lather obviously had done his homework. After he said that, he glanced at his watch and remarked, "It's about time; the meeting is set for tomorrow at noon. Our flight back to Sydney is at eight tonight, so we still have some time. Come with me downtown; you need to pick out a suitable outfit. Cate, now is not the time to save money; making a good impression on Eric Williams is the most important thing."
"Hold on, Ron," Cate Blanchett called out to her manager, "I actually think clothing isn't the most important factor. Look, the invitation came out of the blue; there's no normal invitation procedure here. We don't even know how Eric Williams found me. Besides, the meeting is scheduled during lunch, which means the other party's schedule is really tight. We might only have an hour or two to earn his approval. In that situation, what do you think Eric Williams wants to see most?"
Ron Lather, who was about to get up, sat back down. He looked at the Casino Royale book still sitting on the table and the few pages of the script that had been sent over, and suddenly understood, "You mean this is actually an audition?"
"Exactly," Cate Blanchett picked up the script she had in hand and said, "So what we should really do is not go buy clothes but instead brainstorm about this character together. I also hope you can help me go over my lines."
...
By January 22, Eric had already been in Sydney for ten days. Last night, the 53rd Golden Globe Awards took place at the Hollywood Hilton, and of course, Forrest Gump won Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director, and Best Actor.
The post-production of The Matrix was running smoothly without any major issues. In just a week, Eric had roughly finalized the post-production and editing strategies with the creative team. Negotiations for acquiring the WIFI patent technology had already begun, which Eric assigned to the team responsible for the MP3 player development.
Eric's schedule was quite tight. After completing the meeting at noon, he was set to fly to Cairns in North Queensland in the afternoon. Thanks to last year's preparations, Kathryn Bigelow had started filming The Thin Red Line last year, having acquired the project from Terrence Malick. Since he was in Australia, he surely wanted to check on the production.
After bidding farewell to the Wachowski brothers and others, Eric left the four-story office building where Digital Domain was located, accompanied by his assistant.
Aside from the bustling areas along the banks of the Parramatta River, most of Sydney resembled an ordinary town with few tall buildings -- primarily due to Australia's low population. At that time, the entire country had just over 16 million people, and even though Sydney was the largest city in Australia, it had only about three million residents spread across over a thousand square kilometers. This population wasn't even close to the two-point-four million people Eric was accustomed to living in his previous metropolis.
While it was near Sydney University, logically, the area around the school should have been crowded. However, when Eric stepped out of the Digital Domain building and looked around, he noticed that only a sparse few pedestrians walked down the street. Just beyond the street's southern end lay the iron fence of Sydney University. Despite being someone who enjoyed a quiet environment, Eric found this emptiness a bit unsettling.
As the bodyguard brought the car over, Eric and his assistant got in and drove straight to a nearby restaurant where he had arranged to meet Cate Blanchett.
...
Though the script wasn't finalized yet, the 007 production team had already begun scouting for character leads. Pierce Brosnan was set to continue playing James Bond without question. Among the remaining roles, the most important was undoubtedly the new Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. The original actress who played Vesper Lynd, Eva Green, was only a sixteen-year-old girl, so she was naturally out of consideration.
As Eric pondered potential replacements, the first name that came to mind was Nicole.
Both in appearance and acting skills, Nicole could definitely embody the complex character of Vesper Lynd -- a girl who appeared strong but was actually sensitive inside.
Unfortunately, due to her skyrocketing fame in recent years, Nicole had already committed to three films last year, filling her schedule into the following year. Even if Nicole managed to squeeze some time, the preliminary budget meant the production couldn't afford her -- Nicole's going rate for commercial films was starting at ten million, while Pierce Brosnan's fee for the second film had only just reached seven million.
Aside from Nicole, most of the other recommended actresses didn't impress Eric. It was only when finalizing the Australian trip that he suddenly thought of Nicole's fellow countrywoman, Cate Blanchett.
Eric didn't consider Cate Blanchett to be overly beautiful, but in his original timeline, her acting was above reproach, and her versatility meant she could take on almost any film genre. This was evident from her various memorable characters she had portrayed, and for someone who loved films, watching Cate Blanchett perform was an absolute joy.
They chose a casual restaurant for the meeting.
...
Eric arrived fifteen minutes early, and as his assistant went down to fetch Cate, he sat alone at their reserved table, ordered a cup of coffee, and asked the waiter if there was today's newspaper.
Though Eric had already heard the general results of the Golden Globes, he still wanted to see the detailed reports.
The young waiter hesitated for a moment while staring at Eric, seemingly unsure of his identity. Eric's arrival in Sydney hadn't been widely reported, leaving ordinary people completely unaware. Upon hearing Eric's inquiry, the waiter realized he had been a bit rude, collected himself, and pointed to a makeshift bookshelf against the wall, saying, "Sir, it's over there. What paper do you need? I can fetch it for you."
"No need, I'll get it myself," Eric shook his head and walked over. He picked out a film-related weekly magazine. Just as he was about to return to his seat, a particular magazine caught his eye. It was a teen magazine called DOLLY, featuring a doll-faced girl in a pink skirt on the cover.
Easily retrieving the magazine, he returned to the table and opened it, discovering it was hosting a modeling competition for young girls. A thirteen-year-old named Miranda Kerr was announced as the latest winner.
"Wow, you wouldn't have guessed it; at thirteen, she already has some allure," Eric smirked, flipping through pages filled with youthful photos and recalling a ridiculous news story from his past life about two business tycoons brawling over Miranda Kerr.
Casually leafing through the magazine, Eric found himself struck with a mischievous idea.
In the original timeline, many of the major supermodels of the new century had just begun their careers. Perhaps he could seize this opportunity to plant a deeper easter egg in this 007 film.
The original Casino Royale conveniently featured another supermodel, Alessandra Ambrosio, in a cameo as a tennis girl.
So why not collect a group of rising stars for a similar cameo? A few years later, when these supermodels dazzled the fashion world, audiences might find it amusing that they all had once appeared together in Casino Royale.
Reflecting on this idea, besides Miranda Kerr and Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen definitely came to mind among the up-and-coming models, hmm, and Adriana Lima. The rest...
Eric shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. He planned to shoot some emails to various agencies later that evening to request portfolios and select from there. By industry standards, most girls who made a name for themselves had already been scouted and signed by modeling agencies around the ages of thirteen or fourteen.
...
While mulling over this, he heard the sound of clicking high heels approaching and looked up.
Cate Blanchett, dressed in a white shirt and black pants with a large women's handbag slung over one shoulder, made her way toward him. Her outfit had a somewhat masculine feel, and while she hadn't tied her hair up, the purposely shortened blonde hair gave her a sharp, competent aura of a working woman.
Eric nodded with satisfaction, clearly, she had come prepared. Given Cate's current demeanor, he could even sense the essence of Vesper Lynd radiating from her.
He stood up to greet her with a handshake but noticed a hint of scrutiny and challenge in her eyes. Smiling slightly, he remained seated.
From Cate's gaze and body language, she already seemed to have immersed herself in the role.
As expected, Cate sat down across from Eric, tossed her handbag onto the empty chair beside her, and immediately stated, "I'm the money."
As the director, Eric didn't need to memorize lines, but that wasn't a challenge for him since he had the original film's complete imagery in his memory. Although the new version had a significant storyline adjustment, the iconic banter between Bond and Vesper during their first encounter was mostly retained.
Taking a keen interest, he assessed Cate from head to toe and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Every penny of it."
Even though Cate had delved into her character, she still retained a part of her own awareness. Initially, she worried Eric might be difficult to work with, but hearing him follow along with the script, she quickly found her confidence and became more immersed in the long-prepared role.
Reaching into her bag, Cate produced a prepared card and handed it to Eric, continuing, "The Treasury has agreed to stake you in the game."
Eric glanced casually at the card, remarking, "'Vesper'? I hope you gave your parents hell for that."
Cate completely ignored Eric's teasing; absentmindedly flipping through the menu, she retorted sarcastically, "Your boss must have some influence. I've never seen so much go out the door so quickly."
Eric took a sip of his coffee, unbothered. "Or so stylishly."
Cate cast him a disdainful glance but didn't reply.
Waving away the waiter who had come nearby, Eric furthered the conversation, "May I ask where it is?"
"Ten million was wired to your account in Montenegro, with a contingency for five million more, if I deem it a prudent investment," Cate lifted her head from casually scanning the menu and added, "I suppose you've given some thought to the notion that if you lose, our government will have directly financed terrorism. So, can you be sure that you will win?"
Cate had made some slight adjustments to the script she received from Eric, but he was unfazed, easily replying, "Unless you can determine for certain that others will lose."
Eric also modified his lines, and Cate effortlessly responded, "So everything relies on chance; God knows, that's what concerns me the most."
Eric shrugged, saying, "You know the term. Then you may have also heard that in poker you don't play your hand, you play the man across from you."
With a distrustful look, Cate shot Eric a glance and replied, "And you're good at reading people."
"Exactly," Eric remarked, looking back at Cate who radiated confidence, "which is why I've been able to detect the undercurrent of sarcasm in your voice."
Cate leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. Although she wore a smile, the sharp mockery was all the more evident. "I am now assured our money is in good hands."
Eric originally intended to conclude the conversation there; he was already very satisfied with Cate Blanchett's brief performance over the past minute. However, perhaps having inadvertently been drawn into Cate's confident aura, he instinctively continued, "From which one might surmise you aren't overwhelmingly supportive of this plan of action."
"So there is a plan? Excellent. Somehow I got the impression we were risking ten million dollars and hundreds of people's lives on a game of luck," Cate asked, her tone sharp and quick, subtly laced with anger as she leaned forward to press further, "So tell me, Mr. Bond, What else can you surmise?"
*****
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