Alan looked down at the coffee in his hand, the translucent coffee was slowly spinning under the stirring of the silver spoon, as if it had been the past year, going around in the dark, trapping his own path but only making life worse and worse; However, when I looked up, the sparkling blue sea in front of me spread out in my vision, and in an instant, it seemed as if the whole world had become extremely open.

"So, 'Perfect,' what are you worried about?" Alan is still back on business, even if friends aside, Allen is genuinely interested in investing in this project, "I've read the script, and your work is really amazing." You know I'm genuine. ”

Hugo chuckled, "It's important to me. Then he thought about it seriously, "The biggest problem is that I wrote the script according to myself as the leading actor, but now it seems that I am not necessarily suitable for this work." I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, so ...... From this perspective, I still have a long way to go as a screenwriter. ”

"So what?" Allen doesn't seem to see the problem, "It's still a great script, it's still a project worth investing in, there's no doubt about it." ”

Hugo looked at Allen's eyes carefully and found that Allen was actually telling the truth, and the sincerity in his eyes couldn't be clearer, "You mean it really?" Even if I don't play the lead role? ”

"Of course, why not?" Ai Ethics nodded of course, without any doubts at all.

The curvature of Hugo's mouth couldn't help but be lightly outlined, "But Mark told me that the necessary condition for this project to be a collaboration was that I had to be the leading actor - this is understandable, as an actor, I did a good job; But as a screenwriter, my credit limit needs to be raised. ”

"Please, Hugo, you don't need to be humble in front of me." Alan shook his head, and his thin lips showed a relaxed smile, "You're a great actor, there's no doubt about it; But your greatest value to the movie is your accurate grasp of the characters and the script, and you have a keen eye for selecting works. The 'Perfect' script is a worthwhile investment, even if everything else is left out. What's more, the screenwriter column belongs to your name. ”

Hugo raised his eyebrows slightly, "So, you mean, even if I don't play the leading role, you are willing to invest?" ”

Alan spread his hands, "Man, otherwise let's make a bet that even if this work doesn't have your participation, and you just appear in the production list as a screenwriter, this work will definitely be successful?" ”

"Wow, that's a big bet." The smile on the corner of Hugo's mouth completely released, "However, for me, I actually have nothing to fear, after all, I am not the one who signed the check. ”

"So, promise me, you'll give serious consideration to Mark's proposal." Alan made this request again, "I know, you and Steven talked first, and Steven is your friend, so you are bound to consider him first, but...... Add a competitor, I don't think Steven would mind. ”

Hugo chuckled, "I can promise you, I'll think about it." ”

Alan then turned his head contentedly and looked at the endless sea in front of him, his mood opened up like never before, "Hugo, there is another thing, I think you should be able to give me some advice." Hugo raised his head and looked at Allen, expressing his doubts with his eyes, "Actually, some time ago, Steven and I were talking about a real cooperation project, I invested in DreamWorks as a shareholder, and then assisted them in setting up their own distribution department. ”

"But what's the difference between that and Wall Street injections?" Hugo didn't quite understand the significance of this collaborative project, and DreamWorks just didn't want the big consortium to intervene in order to maintain its creative independence. However, accepting Allen's funds now is just a change of soup and not a change of medicine.

Alan shook his head, "No, it's different, not in the name of our family, just in my personal name. "It's like Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Hugo nodded slightly, "But you don't know anything about movies, and then you have disagreements in the filmmaking process?" ”

"That's why I wanted to ask you if this investment is worth it, and, if so, I want you to be my voice in DreamWorks." Before Allen's words fell, Hugo looked at him in surprise, which made Allen wave his hand again and again, "Believe me, this is purely a businessman's calculation, and it has no direct connection with me personally." You know, this is the way to ensure DreamWorks' independence as much as possible, without letting outside money affect DreamWorks' profession, and making you the spokesperson, which is something Steven can accept. ”

"Are you sure? Are you sure you didn't make a decision blindly because you have a crush on me? Hugo didn't hide his doubts, and directly mentioned it.

Instead, Alan laughed at Hugo's confession, "No, absolutely not, I'm not Italian." This sentence also made Hugo laugh, "Actually, I originally considered other candidates, and Steven was also considering candidates like Rick Rosen, but this position is too sensitive, and it needs someone that we can all trust each other - even David and Jeffrey can trust, so we set our sights on you." Of course, you can refuse, and when I mention this matter today, I don't want you to take this position, but to ask you, what do you think of this investment from DreamWorks? ”

Hugo felt for a moment that countless messages were pouring into his brain, the recent dilemma faced by Endeavor elite agencies, the recent big moves by companies such as Sony Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., and the recent shining debut of DreamWorks...... There is so much information in the ever-changing mall that Hugo finds it difficult for him to control the overall situation, but it is worth noting that DreamWorks has really set its sights on building a distribution department, which also means that the trajectory of history has changed again.

"It's worth it, I think so, and I really think so." Hugo gave his own answer, which left Alan deep in thought, "As an actor." Alan couldn't help but ask, "As for your proposal...... I can't give you any reply just yet, but I'm sure I'm willing to think about it. However, I can give you some warning beforehand, I am very good at film production, but when it comes to management and management, I am a complete incompetent. ”

A smile welled up in Allen's eyes, "Don't worry, that's not something you need to worry about, we all know that very well." ”

I thought it was just a reunion of old friends, but I didn't expect so many things to happen, it seems that since he became the producer of "L.A. Confidential", the door to a whole new world has opened, and the whole world has begun to change dramatically. These changes are too fast, and Hugo needs time to learn and digest slowly.

"Your coffee is cold, let's go back and change another one, I don't want to be a bad host." Hugo said politely.

Alan looked back, then lowered his head and smiled, "I guess it's better to wait for next time, don't forget, you have another guest." Hugo was stunned, and when he looked back, he saw James Franco, who was standing cautiously behind the pillars of the hall, and he almost forgot that this little guy was there, "Although I don't know who he is or what happened, but, Hugo, as a friend, can I give you a piece of advice?" ”

Hugo looked at Alan in surprise, because Alan has always stuck to the bottom line of his friends and will not infringe on his personal privacy, not to mention, he probably doesn't know anything about James, but why would he say this at this time? Although confused, Hugo nodded.

Alan smiled and said, "A lot of times, the problem doesn't exist at all, it's just that we don't want to let ourselves go." ”

Alan really didn't know what was going on, and he didn't know anything about James, but Alan could see his own shadow in James's worried look, and in the same way, he could see the oppressive intricacies in Hugo's eyes. He has been through this process himself, and for more than a year, he has been tormenting himself and allowing himself to sink into pain. However, after really letting go, I found that those tosses were just my own attachments. So, although Alan didn't know anything, he knew that Hugo had a knot.

"If I overstep, then I once again express my sincere apologies, and I hope that the friendship that has just been restored between us will not be destroyed." Alan then regained his gentlemanly demeanor and said politely, which made Hugo tug the corners of his mouth slightly, "Let me send you out." ”

Hugo and Allen walked all the way out of the villa, and when they saw two people approaching, James immediately looked away, pretending to just look at the surrounding scenery, but the eyes followed Hugo's figure closely, anxiously waiting for his verdict.

James even thought that if Hugo was going to kick him out, then he would hide in his room with a dead face and not come out, not because he had nowhere else to go in Los Angeles except here; It's because he wants to stay here, even if he doesn't know why, he just wants to stay here, to be precise, he wants to stay with Hugo.

Raising his head, James saw Hugo reappearing in front of him, at this time Hugo happened to be backlit, and the bright sunlight behind him surrounded Hugo like a halo, making him look tall and majestic, which actually made James have a moment of sparkle. But then, James began to turn and run away, he didn't want to face Hugo, because he was afraid to face Hugo.

"Stop! I guess we need to talk. ”