When Paul Walker got the news from his agent, he even remembered the pleasure of chatting with Daniel at the "Wild Beatles" bar.

He realized at the time that Daniel seemed to be under a lot of pressure, but he didn't know why, Daniel didn't tell him, and Paul certainly didn't ask abruptly.

Now it seems that he should have been fighting for the role of "Gladiator" at that time.

Even an open-minded person like Paul is somewhat apprehensive, of course, this has nothing to do with jealousy or anything else, after all, Paul was once an actor recommended by the investor Universal Pictures, but was forcefully rejected by Ridley. It's almost unequivocally saying that Daniel's acting skills are superior to him.

Well, this is nothing new, and some people can't always infer it with common sense.

"He should have been treated that night, you say, Neeson?"

Neeson is his agent, a shrewd and capable middle-aged man, a little balding, but good-looking.

As a senior agent, Neeson jumped from CAA to Universal, Paul is the main young actor in his hands, backed by Universal, he has almost no shortage of dramas, and his own qualifications are also very good. In recent years, he has participated in several works, and the response has been very good, and his popularity has risen step by step.

But Daniel's unexpected rise in "School Blues" seems to have affected Paul's plans to enter the mainstream film industry with this film. Of course, this is wishful thinking on the part of Nissen, and even without Daniel, it is unknown whether Paul will be able to come out on top. So I had to continue to star in a thriller "Skull Club", and it was logical to become the protagonist of "Fast and Furious".

Neeson had heard the inside story of Daniel's role as Commerdius in "Gladiator", after all, many people in Universal's agency department had targeted the role.

The resources used by both sides for this, as well as the Jedi counterattack on Daniel's side, Neeson has a vague understanding.

Paul didn't know any of this, and his role didn't have to be intrigued.

"Maybe you can tell him this at the celebration banquet on the 25th."

"Number 25? Isn't it the middle of next month? ”

"School Blues" should almost end its large-scale release next month, and the final box office in the United States will also be settled, so everyone thinks it is more appropriate to hold a celebration banquet in the middle of the year.

However, the staff of Paramount's distribution department communicated with them before, and it may be held in advance, because the celebrities' schedules are involuntary, so they are asking for everyone's opinions.

Of course, Paul has no problem, "Rush" has not started filming yet.

But he was curious about the intention of the celebration to change the time, "Is it because of ——? ”

"As you think."

"Oh~~, okay!"

The news of Daniel's participation in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and "Gladiator" was enough to attract a large number of media, which obviously could add fuel to the fire in the second half of "School Blues".

"He's a big celebrity now."

Paul is right, Daniel is indeed a celebrity, and the most immediate reaction is that he is starting to discover the paparazzi.

The paparazzi ambushed near his rented house, hoping to take some photos of his life, and if it was too different from writing the truth, it would be even better. In addition, if Daniel can be photographed with a blonde or a black girl with a strong body, it is enough to attract attention.

And Daniel's current rental house really can't avoid the paparazzi, and his window is only a few meters from the road.

Kusa had to put aside other things and look for a house for him first.

"Danny, there are a couple of options right now, a high-end apartment on Merocco Avenue, a small cottage in Wilray City, and a medium-sized home in Malibu that CAA is willing to offer you at a relatively low rent."

"Malibu?"

The world-famous Malibu Beach in Los Angeles is filled with single-family homes of all sizes, and is popular with Hollywood stars for its beautiful scenery and hilly terrain. Staying in Malibu is often seen as one of the hallmarks of star status.

"Can we really afford it now?"

Daniel knew he had just made a fortune, but to be honest, it wasn't much at all. As an actor, he is still good, at least it is necessary to spend too much on the costume, but for occasions such as the celebration banquet of "Campus Blues", he still needs to wear decent clothes.

Of course, he also has some small brands willing to sponsor now, and some second-tier brands will also lend dresses. But Kusa has a long-term vision, and he wants Daniel not to accept sponsorships for the time being, because big brands are often reluctant to share a single person with second-tier brands.

But moving into a Malibu home is not at all about this level of ownership.

Daniel has every reason to suspect that even if he were still thrifty, his savings would not last long, and that he would now need to save for a pension, save or invest, following Cussa's advice.

These are to prevent a financial crisis if the business falls into a slump.

Although it seems that he went to Italy this year to shoot "Gladiator" and then flew to New Zealand before Christmas to continue filming "The Lord of the Rings", there is not much he can do in the meantime, Peter is a serious director, and Daniel is unlikely to ask for a focus on his own scenes. This means that in the first year of the new millennium, he will basically spend the "Lord of the Rings" crew, so at least until the end of 2000, he will be busy, and with the appearance of "Gladiator" and "The Lord of the Rings", he will not have to worry about not having a job for the next two years.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Kusa and Daniel can relax a bit.

Far from it!

If the development of Hollywood super-A stars is compared to a tree, now Daniel has just climbed the first branch, he can choose to sit here and look at the scenery below, yes, there are always more people who can only walk on the ground or try to climb around the tree.

But that's not their goal.

There is filming or a small fortune.

For Daniel, as he spent more time in Hollywood and the United States, his years of silence in front of the camera became more and more turbulent.

He is no longer satisfied with explaining other people's stories in front of the camera, he wants more people to see his stories and how he interprets himself in the process of interpreting others.

This desire itched on the tip of his heart, and he couldn't scratch it, so he could only let the surging blood wash over and over again.

And for Kusa.

The goal is even clearer, and he's always looking for the seeds that will allow him to achieve great things, and Daniel has the potential to do that so far.

The dream was in the palm of his hand, how could he resist stopping the pace.

The most important thing that two careerists have in common - insatiable.

So Kusa doesn't seem to have much to do right now, but in fact he is very busy, looking for a production list for the next three to four years, screening suitable roles for the show, analyzing the cast, production team, the ability of the investment and distribution departments, whether it is a commercial film or an Oscar, and even which producers can accept more stringent entry conditions.

Such as box office sharing!

The actor agent is a group of vampire bats who don't know how to get enough, when they get 100,000, they want 1 million, and when they get 1 million, they want 10 million, if you really give him 10 million, he will start to think about the box office.

And these conditions have to be talked about one by one for different films and different situations.

A simple example, in "Gladiator", Kusa almost did not put forward any conditions, not to mention that the producer gave 1 million, even if he was only willing to give 200,000, he would not ask for an increase in salary.

But if Daniel chooses to take over Legally Blonde, then Kusa may add to the 400,000 they offered, calling 600,000 or even 800,000. In addition, the filming cycle, publicity obligations, etc., will also be negotiated in a more competitive manner.

Some resources are able to add value to you, while others want to consume you.

Of course, the price code is different.

Even with Daniel's position today, Kusa already has a lot to do, so you can imagine how much Tom Hanks needs to be arranged, and how much of a team is there for him.

Kusa was also able to find time to choose a house for Daniel, which Tom's big agent certainly didn't have.

In contrast to Daniel's suspicions, of course, about whether he could afford to pay the bills, Kusa was much more optimistic.

"I built yì you chose this, this is Kevin, did I tell you? CAA's Vice President, Kevin Galley, who previously called Universal for your role, now sees you as his potential stock. This house is prepared for you by him, and you only need to pay $120,000 a year, which is still within our affordability. ”

"Okay, we should accept his kindness, right?"

"Preferably. We didn't expect CAA to be able to help you before, but there is no need to make Kevin unhappy, besides, why not take advantage of it? ”

The options were uneven, and the home in Malibu was significantly better than the others, and since there were no financial problems, Daniel wasn't going to grieve himself.

The two of them decided to move over as much as possible, and everything over there was ready-made, and Daniel didn't have any luggage, at most some simple gym equipment that had been added recently.

Daniel now knows how difficult it is to stay in good shape.

Diet, exercise and sleep are all essential.

As for those female stars, they can only be more strict than him.

After arranging the house, Kusa quickly forwarded another letter.

"What is this?"

A pink rose was printed on the letter.

"An invitation from Cameron Diaz?"

"Yes, Wesley just gave it to me, Cameron is going to have a banquet in her new house, in Malibu, not too far from your house, but there are four of you, and they bought it themselves."

Cusa's expression was a little unavoidable, but Daniel decided not to share his knowledge.

"Looks like they're going to open their arms to me?"

"Of course, they also have a special knife for you to stab you in the body without hesitation as soon as they feel the need."

"Oh, don't be so scary. Well, it's not necessarily who stabs whom. ”

"If you decide to participate, of course you can't refuse, Cameron is their temptation, you are an unruly hairy boy or a sensible and good boy, they will know soon."

Daniel put the invitation aside, he had less than ten days to go to Los Angeles, the 25th to attend the "School Blues" celebration party, and Cameron's party on the 30th, leaving him less and less time to familiarize himself with the "Gladiator" script.

He has recently been researching Commerdius, the young Roman emperor, who has so many qualities worth excavating that how to put them in the same role is a very challenging thing for the actor, and it also makes him deeply involved.

It wasn't until Cusa brought a Chicago girl to change his costume that he realized it was the 25th.

Paramount rented a Beverly Hilton and set up a short red carpet to welcome the invited stars and guests. So Daniel had to put himself on a decent look, at least to be worthy of the craze he had sparked.

Kusa purchased a Burberry suit for him, which cost 60,000 US dollars, and other leather shoes, ties, shirts, etc. were worth more than 100,000 yuan.

It's a big deal.

"It's inevitable," Cusa's tone was unmistakable, "it's Andy, your assistant, and I must free myself from your trivialities. And if you leave the U.S. to film, you have to bring an assistant. ”

Daniel nodded clearly, generally speaking, after signing with an agency, an assistant will be sent to the artist, of course, not full-time, he may be responsible for several people, and he will not be very concerned about your affairs. When you think you need a full-time assistant, you can communicate with your agent or hire it yourself, because the salary of a full-time assistant is entirely set by the artist.

So now, Daniel has to raise an Andy in addition to the Cusa and CAA's rake.

It's a lot of pressure.

CAA's makeup artist did a simple light lifting for him, and if he wanted to shine a little more in the lens, he always needed to use makeup, both men and women.

Then Andy changed his clothes.

"It's like the first time you've worn a formal suit." Kusa was slightly stunned, "Dazzling." ”

Suits are very demanding of the figure, whether the shoulders are stiff enough, whether the chest muscles are full, whether the legs are O-shaped or X-shaped, etc.

Daniel spun around twice on the spot.

"Andy, how's it going, handsome?"

"Yes, the clothes fit you well, but please don't move too much, it will look inappropriate."

Daniel squeezed his eyes at Kusa, where did you get that?

Kusa shrugged and urged him to go.

They had to arrive before five o'clock, then meet the crew in the lounge, and then chat with the guests for a while.

The red carpet starts at six o'clock, and the main creators of the crew are the first wave, and they need to greet guests on the other end of the red carpet.

It's already early three o'clock, and considering the occasional traffic jams, it's really time to go.

……

Everyone but James has already arrived.

Daniel really surprised them when he came into the breakroom.

The slender figure and tall body shape are full of flavor for Burberry's classic formal wear.

As soon as Paul saw him, he met him and punched him hard, and then was startled by Andy behind Daniel.

Andy was staring at him with wide eyes.

"This is my assistant, Andy, and my body is in her care today."

Paul raised his hands, "Okay, empathy. ”

Daniel hurriedly stepped forward and hugged Brian with open arms, Brian was to him, and it was indeed Bole to Maxima, of course, Daniel did not disappoint him.

Then there are Michael Tollin, Ellie and Amy, James is not in the country and can only regret his absence.

"Daniel, when are you going to Rome?"

"At the beginning of July, there is probably a week left, and Ridley and the team have already passed first."

Brian said with some regret, "When we were filming, I wanted to invite you to participate in my next work, but now it's definitely not possible." ”

"Your new movie? Will it be powered up this year? ”

"It's also July." Brian was a little excited, directing "School Blues" was a test of his ability, and the current box office of nearly 70 million was obviously a perfect answer for him, and the next plan was logical.

"I'm going to be in Italy and Malta for at least three months, oh, it's scary to think about."

"At the time of the premiere, probably next June, will you be there?"

Ellie nudged Paul Walker at this point and asked in a pretended whisper, "Did Brian invite you to the premiere of his new movie?" ”

Of course, everyone heard.

Brian himself laughed.

By 5:20 a.m., guests had arrived.

Daniel didn't know who both Paramount and Brian had invited, and he didn't know about Paramount's hand until Ben Stiller was the first to arrive.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Aniston, and Russell Ella Crowe, who surprised Daniel.

That is, the actor of Maximus in "Gladiator".

He's been losing weight in his hometown of Australia — reportedly working on his own farm, and just returned to Los Angeles the other day, and he'll be flying to Italy in early July to shoot with him.

In any case, this time Daniel is going to come out of the main creative group, and the previous entertainment was basically Brian, Michael or Paul to take the lead, after all, they are the real creators of this movie.

But now it's different, and despite his own bad feelings, Crow's decision to attend the celebration party doesn't really have nothing to do with him.

Daniel stepped forward and smiled and hugged Crowe.

"I didn't expect to see you here, I thought I would have to meet in Italy." Daniel kept his duty to be a latecomer, affectionate but not overly flattering.

"They invited me, so I came," Crowe whispered, "knowing that I don't like to be there on these occasions, it's all about your face." ”

Daniel blinked, "...... Really? You're a righteous man. ”

Crowe winked at him.

Then both laughed happily.

Crowe looks nothing like the character he portrayed.

Everyone also knew that they were about to work together, and Daniel took Crowe and the main creators of the crew to meet one by one.

After a short break, the crew came to inform them that the red carpet was about to begin.

Reporters and fans have been waiting on both sides of the red carpet.

The creators of "Blues" struggled with their positions, and in the end, Brian stood in the middle, with Ellie and Amy next to him, Paul next to Ellie, and Daniel on Amy's side.

On today's red carpet, they are undoubtedly the protagonists, as soon as they walk on the red carpet, the flashing lights immediately flash, and there are screams in their ears.

There is no doubt that Daniel is the loudest, then Paul, and of course there are fans of Ellie and Amy, but it is completely overshadowed by the scenery of the two men.

It was a strange field to Daniel.

He hasn't walked the red carpet, even the red carpet in Cannes and Venice, but no one will scream his name, and there will be no such purposeful, almost pouring flashing lights.

A whole new experience.