I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1185: The Arrangement]

"You're perfect for the role of Black Widow, but I need to make sure you won't encounter any issues while portraying this character. That's why I had a psychiatrist evaluate you," Eric leaned back in his chair, seemingly oblivious to the defensive posture of the woman before him, who was bristling like a porcupine. "After being crazy for so many years, you want to break free from your current state, right?"

Jolie didn't respond to Eric's question; she only appeared more guarded.

Seeing her silence, Eric continued, "Last year you filmed Gia, and this year you want to take on Girl, Interrupted. The roles in these biographical films have many similarities to your own life. It's clear you wish to examine yourself through them. Now, you're also vying for a major role in a mainstream blockbuster, which means you're planning to change yourself and live a different life. So, I decided to give you a shot, but it's the only chance you're going to get."

Although she really wanted the role Black Widow, Jolie instinctively resisted the feeling of being completely exposed in front of Eric. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up, "Mr. Williams, I don't need this handout of an opportunity."

Eric glanced at the woman across from him and couldn't help but chuckle, "What makes you think you deserve my charity?"

Jolie's lips moved as if to form a response but faltered, suddenly finding the grin on his face quite annoying, so she shot him a defiant glare in retaliation.

"In fact, I am a person who advocates that there is a reward for hard work, and I rarely do things like charity. You're getting this chance solely because you're suited for the character and not for any other reason. And wanting this role doesn't mean that mere assurances and oversight will suffice; you'll need to do more." Eric added, "Of course, I never force anyone to do anything. If you're unwilling, you can leave right now. But if you want this chance, we can continue our conversation."

Jolie's expression showed struggle; she clearly understood that rejecting this opportunity would mean firmly closing the door on several major studios under the Firefly Group. As for the others, influenced by the Firefly Group, her chances of securing roles in the future would be minimal.

The choice Eric Williams offered was effectively whether she wanted to continue as an actress. But quitting acting meant losing her only direction in life.

After a long deliberation, Jolie finally made her decision. She looked up at the man across from her, her expression again marked by a habitual rebelliousness, mixed with a hint of nonchalance as she said, "Alright, Mr. Williams, what should I do next?"

Eric pulled a few pages from the folder in front of him and handed them over. "UNICEF is currently running a medical assistance project in Southeast Asia, primarily providing free vaccinations, check-ups, and health consultations for underprivileged children in countries like Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. I need you to volunteer for three months. When you return, you can have this role. But, for the duration of your contract, you'll have to volunteer for three months every year."

Upon hearing Eric's somewhat baffling request, Jolie's earlier defiance vanished as her brow furrowed while she flipped through the pages. She looked up, "Mr. Williams, I don't quite understand."

"You don't need to understand; you just need to answer whether you're willing," Eric shook his head, unwilling to explain further.

In Jolie's past, an essential turning point came while shooting Tomb Raider in Cambodia.

During filming, the poverty and underdevelopment in Cambodia struck her deeply. In a later interview, she stated that after witnessing the struggles for survival in Africa and Southeast Asia, her teenage troubles seemed trivial in comparison.

Many often questioned her acts of adoption and charity as mere stunts, but to Eric, these actions emerged from Jolie's genuine compassion.

A woman who would exchange vials of blood with her lover while hoping for everlasting love was fundamentally a naive child still with many hopeful expectations of the world. There was no way such a child could lack a kind side.

Jolie gave the materials another glance. Her tone showed less resistance as she remarked, "But I'm not a doctor."

"Volunteers don't need to be doctors. Once you're there, they will assign you tasks suited to your capabilities," Eric replied. "If you agree, you can fly to Laos next week; the foundation's team has already started work."

"Okay, I agree." Jolie nodded. Compared to her initial expectations for this meeting, being sent to Southeast Asia to volunteer for a few months was relatively acceptable. Her life lacked purpose; besides acting, she often squandered time on various trivial indulgences, so she even looked forward to this different experience.

"Then you can go next door to grab a bite," Eric pointed toward the small door, getting up. "In the coming months, you'll definitely miss life in Los Angeles."

Volunteering in Southeast Asia was hardly a vacation. Although Eric had never experienced it firsthand, he had a friend who participated in educational support in the Southwest. He had gone in with high hopes, believing it would be a fascinating life experience. A year later, he returned, having gained twenty pounds from eating whatever he could find, and whenever he reminisced about that experience, he would tear up, sounding like a character from a film lamenting their fate.

Jolie, having no clear understanding of what lay ahead, sat still upon hearing Eric's words, shooting him a questioning glance. "So, Mr. Williams, is that it?"

Although she wasn't used to accepting kindness, Jolie recognized that Eric's arrangements were likely attempts to help her move past her current state. She also wasn't one to express gratitude readily but suddenly found the idea of something unfolding between her and this man to be quite appealing.

Planning to head next door, Eric paused, walked to the woman, and gently lifted her beautiful face. Although he had a penchant for thin-lipped women, he had to admit Jolie's full lips possessed a tempting allure.

Jolie was clearly unaccustomed to Eric's dominating demeanor; after a brief pause, she suddenly turned her head, biting down lightly on one of Eric's fingers, her eyes sparkling with provocation.

Eric smiled as he slowly withdrew his finger from her luscious lips, leaving a wet streak on her cheek. "Let's go. I mentioned earlier that if I were to sleep with you, I would tie you up first. Right now, I don't have that kind of time."

...

Two days later, Jolie flew to Southeast Asia while casting calls for the Marvel Cinematic Universe had mostly wrapped up. As for Fox's X-Men series, it remained in pre-production and wouldn't officially kick off until early the following year.

Time flew, and by mid-October, with just a month until Gravity's release, the film's promotional campaign entered its final sprint.

The promotion for Gravity was closely linked to its 3D and IMAX viewing formats, favoring showcasing these innovative presentations. The Firefly Group planned to open small-scale preview screenings over the next month, inviting industry critics and movie enthusiasts to experience the film early, laying the groundwork for promoting these new screening formats.

...

On the Nasdaq market, last month's rebound was cut short after the collision between Microsoft and the Firefly Group. While the Firefly Group showed no signs of slowing down, market conditions gradually stabilized. Amidst Wall Street's speculations, the Nasdaq index began to rise steadily.

Investors generally understood that once Wall Street capital fully cashed out, the tech sector's winter would also arrive. Consequently, frequent integration and trading began to emerge in the internet industry.

While firmly holding onto the two major segments Microsoft sought to penetrate, the Firefly Group's expansion remained completely unaffected.

Aside from a few firm mergers, the Firefly Group's next strategic goal was to take advantage of this stock market crash and use its substantial capital resources to increase its stake in core enterprises, expanding its influence.

The convertible bond investments in Amazon and the roughly 5% stake the Firefly Group had begun to retrieve were part of its broader strategy.

The Firefly Group's operations in the open market weren't particularly secretive. Furthermore, the entire capital market closely monitored the Firefly Group's actions.

As a result, the Firefly Group's significant acquisition of Sprint and Comcast, two fundamental operators, quickly became public knowledge.

Earlier in the year, after releasing the new Forbes Billionaires list, the financial analyst Howard Glassman, who had penned an insightful analysis of Eric's personal investment strategies for the Washington Post, revisited the topic following his predictions about the Firefly Group's expansion into the basic operator sector, which addressed its missing vertical integration. He again published a lengthy 5,000-word article, proudly tooting his own horn, while urging the federal government to curb the Firefly Group's expansion.

Though this article inevitably sparked media discussions, it more importantly provided a positive stimulus to the Nasdaq stock market.

Wall Street vigorously promoted that if the Firefly Group maintained its optimism about the new tech industry's prospects, investors had no reason to worry excessively about the tech sector.

In recent years, the federal government had relaxed restrictions on large corporate expansions.

In Eric's memory, over the next decade, U.S. economic policies would increasingly mirror that of industry oligarchs. Several consecutive presidents would primarily serve as representatives for various industry leaders, so he wasn't concerned about the Firefly Group's expansion facing administrative obstacles.

Of course, as news of the Firefly Group's further expansion gradually broke, responses from various sectors began to emerge.

...

While Eric busied himself with promoting Gravity, Steve Bernstein, who had transitioned to Comcast as COO the previous year, flew in from Comcast's headquarters in Philadelphia.

In Santa Monica, Steve Bernstein stepped out of the car and surveyed the music hall-like building in front of him, along with the enormous 16 by 22-meter IMAX poster for Gravity, feeling a sense of awe.

"Mr. Bernstein, please follow me," Caroline patiently waited for Steve Bernstein to take in the poster before politely gesturing for him to proceed.

Steve Bernstein nodded and followed Caroline into the IMAX auditorium.

Inside the spacious auditorium, Eric was the only one seated up front after staff members, who had just finished a discussion with him, had left.

After exchanging pleasantries, Eric gestured for Steve Bernstein to sit beside him, indicating the IMAX screen in front of them, and smiled, "How does it feel?"

Steve Bernstein replied with a smile, "It's utterly breathtaking."

"Too bad there are some technical issues; otherwise, I would have invited you to watch a movie," Eric gestured around. "With a standard of 455 seats and a carefully designed fan-shaped layout, all those bad seats have been removed to ensure that every spot offers the most stunning experience for viewers. The 100 IMAX theaters in North America essentially adhere to a unified standard; Firefly didn't waver due to location issues and even built a whole new set of venues when they couldn't find suitable locations. So, the '4200' plan absolutely leaves no room for failure."

Listening to Eric's words, Steve Bernstein sincerely stated, "It will definitely succeed."

"Of course, I'm confident. Actually, succeeding in the film industry is relatively easy. You just need to put in a bit more effort. However, many failed film projects aren't due to a lack of dedication from creators; they often face too many constraints."

Steve Bernstein replied, "Like Warner Bros., for instance?"

Eric smiled and nodded, "Exactly like Warner Bros."

Steve Bernstein followed this lead, "Eric, the reason Time Warner has issues is that the company has grown too bloated. The Firefly Group's current strength far surpasses that of Time Warner. Don't you have any concerns about that?"

"You're mistaken, Steve," Eric shook his head. "In terms of scale, General Electric, at its peak, had hundreds of subsidiaries, but it continued to thrive over the years. Although companies like Cisco and Microsoft saw their market caps exceed General Electric's for a time, the $500 billion valuation of General Electric is well-deserved. Jack Welch is about to retire; I've actually been in touch lately, hoping he would join the board of some Firefly companies."

*****

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