America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Chain Reaction

WMA, United Talent Partners' office.

"Thank you for the recommendation, Ali," Martin formally thanked Emanuel, "It played a crucial role in the competition for the role."

Ali didn't look like your typical high-level agent, more like a mafia boss; he patted Martin on the arm, "The company has invested a lot in you, you must secure this role, don't let us down."

Martin, of course, expressed confidence, "There's no way I'm losing the role!"

Ali nodded, "Good, Martin, I have great faith in your future, seize every opportunity..."

Originally, Thomas was by his side, relatively composed.

But as the boss spoke, alarm bells rang in his head, his hair stood on end.

Thomas vaguely sensed the danger of a third party meddling.

He felt like a loser who had finally won over the goddess Martin after years of difficulty, only for Ali, the rich and handsome man, to suddenly appear, wanting to step in. What to do?

Right now, Thomas was tormented by uncertainty, yet unable to voice it; he just hoped the goddess would quickly ditch the rich and handsome man.

After chatting with Ali for a bit, Martin suddenly noticed Thomas's gaze lingering on him.

Like a pervert who had spotted a beautiful woman.

With his sharp mind, he roughly guessed what Thomas was thinking and promptly excused himself from Ali.

Exiting the partners' office, Thomas secretly sighed in relief.

It seemed, for the short term, the third party wouldn't successfully interfere.

Martin put the matter plainly, "Worried I'd switch to working under Ali?"

"No!" Thomas denied instinctively, then shrugged, "A little bit, but not much."

Martin put an arm around his shoulder, "I'm a top client with you, but would be at the bottom of the list with him. Who do you think I'd choose? Besides, we're not just partners and collaborators, we're also friends."

Thomas felt reassured, "I knew you wouldn't cause a problem, it's just my own insecurities."

"Then climb as high as you can and become a partner, then you'll have more confidence," Martin took the opportunity to push Thomas with some CPU strategy, "Although I'm tempted by the resources in Ali's hands, I've always believed that you can bring them too."

This sense of trust made Thomas feel particularly comfortable. He thought to himself, was quitting work every day a bit too early? Even outside the company, he could attend some industry events or parties, meet heavyweights, bond, and expand his network.

The opportunity for "Infernal Affairs" originated from his network, didn't it?

Upon reaching Thomas's office, Bruce, the jerk, had Natasha laughing and smiling, the two of them chatting happily.

Martin didn't enter the office and waved to Old Bruce, "I'm off."

As they descended to the lobby, he asked, "What did you find out?"

Bruce said, "For his career, Thomas gave up love."

Martin laughed, "With a career, there'll be endless love."

"Thomas is still reliable for now," Bruce added succinctly, "For the role in 'Infernal Affairs,' he volunteered to serve Ellen but unfortunately, she wasn't interested in him."

Martin sighed, "To climb higher, there will always be someone who has to carry the weight."

Leaving the building, they walked toward the parking lot.

As the publicity drive wrapped up, news about Martin in the entertainment industry also dwindled, with paparazzi following him only occasionally.

Upon entering the parking lot, someone suddenly approached.

Bruce looked at him warily.

The person said, "Mr. Davis, my boss wishes to meet with you."

Martin sized him up, certain he didn't know this person, "And your boss is?"

The man said, "Harvey Weinstein."

A nearby van's door opened, revealing Harvey's rotund face.

Martin nodded to Bruce and boarded the van.

Understanding Martin's intention, Bruce pulled out his phone, found Sophia's contact, and was ready to call for backup in case Martin ran into trouble, suppressing any fear he felt.

Martin got into the car, sitting beside Harvey.

Harvey smiled, "I've heard you're an impressive young man for a long time, and finally today, I get to meet you."

Martin responded, "I've heard of Mr. Weinstein's renown from quite early on."

Matt Damon was one of Harvey's loyal followers, and Harvey had long wanted to have a chat with Martin, but since Martin had suddenly disappeared from Los Angeles, and chasing after him to Boston was out of the question, he had to wait until now.

"You've starred in three horror thriller type films in a row, building a certain draw in this genre," Harvey wasn't one to apply mindless pressure; instead, he was tactful. With the films "Ghost Chase" and "The Hills Have Eyes" being successive hits, Martin had value to be utilized.

He extended an invitation, "Dimon Films has a horror thriller project, a new installment of the 'Ghost Chase' series. I'm thinking of casting you as the lead actor."

Believe it or not, Martin remembered this series; the bald villain in it is truly one of Hollywood's classic horror icons and also the prototype for the saw-blade head in "Cabin in the Woods".

Was the other party sincerely inviting him? Martin couldn't be sure; he remembered quite clearly that this was the first time he had faced Harvey in person.

When Sofia raged against Harvey at the studios of The Hills Have Eyes, Martin had made himself scarce early on.

Harvey asked, "So, interested?" He went on to say, "Your acting is superb, and after Dimon Films, Weinstein Films could collaborate with you too. You know what I'm best at."

Martin did know, he was best at getting people to go to hotels to discuss scripts, and then getting a 'wash'.

He wouldn't make a rash decision and asked, "Do you know when the shooting will start?"

Harvey's words were very flexible, "The project is in preparation, it's not yet confirmed."

Once the actors signed the contracts, he would have the upper hand.

Martin's mind was always racing, recalling news from a past life that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had done countless dirty work for Harvey.

He was competing with Matt Damon, and Harvey, whom he had never dealt with, suddenly invited him to star in a Dimon Films project, with a schedule that was not yet confirmed...

Just to be on the safe side, Martin decided to have Thomas deal with Harvey, "I'll think about it and get back to you later."

Seeing that Martin didn't outright refuse, Harvey said, "As soon as you can."

He also handed Martin a script; clearly, the offer to star in a horror flick wasn't just talk.

Martin took the script, got out of the car, climbed back in, and after watching Harvey's business van drive away, he asked, "You didn't call Sofia, did you?"

"You weren't gone for even ten minutes." Bruce, the scumbag, said in his sleazy tone, "I think even though he's physically bigger than you, it's impossible for him to subdue and get you in such a short time."

Martin flicked him the middle finger, ripping open Old Cloth's not-yet-healed wound till it was bleeding again, "You're just scared of what Sofia might do to you, right?"

Bruce suffered a critical hit and fell into silence.

Scumbag Martin quickly flipped through the script and then called Thomas, who soon came down from upstairs.

The two found a spot in the lobby of WMA and Martin explained the situation to him in detail.

Thomas asked, "You're not interested in this project?"

Martin replied, "It's not about being interested or not, but I feel there's a problem. I remember Matt Damon has a close relationship with Harvey."

This reminded Thomas, who knew more, "Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's rise to fame was thanks to Harvey Weinstein, and there are many rumors in the industry that these two are Harvey's staunch supporters."

Martin bluntly said, "I'm worried there's a trap inside, find a tactful way to decline it for me."

Thomas showed a sense of duty, "Leave it to me." He had plans of his own, "I'll try to get Oscar-Isaac into this cast."

Martin simply left the script behind and left WMA.

Thomas immediately called another client, Oscar, to hurry over, mentioning a potential project.

After that, he started communicating with people from Dimon Films and began busily hopping around.

Martin went to Warner Bros. Studios, rehearsing scenes with Mene, continuing to prepare for the audition for "Infernal Affairs".

Until the results were officially announced, Martin wouldn't relax.

The audition invitations for "Infernal Affairs" had all been sent out to the respective actors.

The one Matt Damon received, however, was an audition notice for the supporting role of Dignam.

"Why not for Colin Sullivan?" Damon was perplexed.

Doug from Dyson Films explained, "Scorsese and the casting director Ellen unanimously think that you are slightly too old for the character of Colin and more suited to play Dignam."

He emphasized, "Leonardo, Plan B, Pacific Pictures, Warner Bros., all support Martin Davis; I can only assure you an important role."

Matt Damon frowned, "I don't understand why Scorsese would choose him? I'm from Cambridge, and I have an advantage with the accent."

Doug had heard a lot of news in the past two days, "Since December, Martin Davis has been preparing to compete for this role, practicing the Boston accent, and he even contacted the BPD for a 20-day real-life experience..."

Damon said, "I planned to immerse myself in the actual life after getting the role."

Doug spread his hands helplessly, "You're too slow. Martin Davis had his preparatory work for the role ready before the audition and laid it all out in front of Scorsese, while you're still preparing at your own pace, he's already given a hundred percent, what do you think Scorsese will do?"

"This bastard is insane, going all out for a role he hasn't secured yet," Matt Damon said in disbelief, "Hollywood competition is already fierce; does he want everyone competing for the role to drop dead from exhaustion?"

Doug was indifferent to these concerns and just asked, "Will you take the audition?"

Damon responded, "Yes! I have the Rohan series and Bourne in my commercial arsenal, but lack acting awards. Why wouldn't I take a project from Scorsese?"

Elsewhere, Mark Wahlberg, who also had his sights set on the "Infernal Affairs" cast, was campaigning for a role.

When he heard that the main actors were invited for auditions and he received no notice, he had his agent inquire about it.

The news he got back was that the production had nearly finalized Matt Damon for the role he was competing for.

Mark Wahlberg saw all his preparation go to waste and felt a hint of anger, making a mental note of the debt he owed Matt Damon.