King of Hollywood

Chapter 220: Chapter 220 Better than the Original

Chapter 220 -220 Better than the Original

Although the new version of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” had changed a lot in terms of plot compared to the original version in Adrian’s memory, Mike Newell still captured the two main highlights of the story.

The first was the omnipresent British humor, which, although possibly affecting the impact when delivered with a deadpan expression and serious tone, was definitely going to provoke belly laughs from the audience upon reflection. The second was the ’90s youth’s attitude towards marriage, which older people always regarded as sacred, but to the youth of that time, was merely a ceremony.

Newell skillfully utilized the three weddings and one funeral, as well as the contrast between Julia’s conservative character Kelly and Dennis’s liberal Charles. He both affirmed the significance of marriage and perfectly expressed this viewpoint, coupled with interesting humor, it was still an outstanding romantic comedy.

In the end, the protagonist Charles did not get married. His deaf-mute friend finally had a third idea during the wedding ceremony. When the priest announced that anyone who believed the bride and groom to not be suitable could speak up, he stood up and used sign language to indicate that he believed the groom was in love with someone else.

Faced with this situation, the tormented Charles had no choice but to admit it, and then was knocked to the ground by a punch from the furious bride. However, as a blessing in disguise, after canceling the wedding, Kelly finally mustered the courage to see Charles, and so, in the pouring rain, the lovers were finally united.

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To be honest, this preview was more rudimentary than “Schindler’s List”. “Schindler’s List” merely lacked opening and closing credits, and in some places, lacked a music score. But “Four Weddings and a Funeral” resorted to using storyboards with sketched shots for some scenes of the first wedding and the funeral!

Of course, this couldn’t be said to be laziness on the part of the director. From the beginning of filming at the start of the year until now, almost half a year had passed, and to have produced to this extent was already quite impressive. Despite various reasons like the film being low-budget and convenient to shoot, Newell’s and Curtis’s scriptwriting abilities were also a part of it.

Adrian was clear about this point after comparing the two versions of the film in his mind. So when the film ended and the lights came up, the clapping started inside the screening room.

“Well done, Dan, I told you my judgement wouldn’t be wrong,” said Adrian after praising Newell for a while, then came over to Dennis and chuckled, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

Dennis’s performance in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” was a major highlight, not to mention his accurate British accent. Both his expressions and body language were incredibly eye-catching, definitely better than Hugh Grant’s. Even Newell, who had been initially reserved, had nothing but praise for him later on.

“Thanks, Ed, now I can finally relax,” said Dennis, not returning the punch, but extending his hand for a high-five with Adrian, looking very happy.

“Are you trying to say that I put a lot of pressure on you?” Adrian joked.

Dennis didn’t answer directly but looked at Adrian for a while before saying, “Indeed, that’s true.”

Adrian immediately looked surprised but before he could ask, Dennis already started to explain, “While it was a lot of pressure, it was also a great motivator. You recommended me, so of course, I had to do my best.”

“Thank you, that’s the best compliment I’ve received.” Adrian laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder. Honestly, the decision to cast Dennis in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” was largely based on intuition and an initial judgement. Now it had been proven that his potential was indeed very strong; no one could have anticipated that they’d find such talent in a café at the time. Chance indeed played the most significant role in an actor’s rise to prominence.

“That’s my sincere word, Ed,” said Dennis earnestly, “If I hadn’t impulsively accepted your invitation, I might still be working as a waiter in a café. Now, just two years later, I’m able to star in medium-budget films, leaping from a famous and promising newcomer to a star on the brink of the A-list. Some gratitude can’t be expressed with just a ‘thank you’; I can only repay you with my efforts.”

Adrian smiled and said nothing, patting Dennis strongly on the shoulder.

“You’re going to be a superstar, Dan,” he said with certainty.

He had decided to promote Dennis because aside from his competence, Dennis was smart and… perceptive. His ability was self-evident—if in Adrian’s previous four films his image had been somewhat similar, then in this current “Four Weddings and a Funeral” it proved everything; Dennis portrayed that elegant-yet-slightly-rogue feel very accurately. And in social interactions, he managed to be smooth without being objectionable while also not losing his individuality and charm, qualities essential for a big star.

As for his intelligence, even though Dennis only graduated from high school, he understood the importance of self-cultivation better than many overnight sensations. He also liked to party and occasionally smoked marijuana, but always within limits. He also took to heart many good suggestions from his agent, such as working out to maintain his physique, even having a room in his villa especially for watching tapes, making it easy to study at any moment.

As for being perceptive, his earlier words said it all.

“That’s all for now,” said Adrian, about to leave, but Dennis immediately called out to him, “Oh, right, Ed, I’m having a party at my place tonight, maybe you’d like to join?”

“No problem,” Adrian agreed without a second thought.

“Great, then I won’t keep you any longer.” Dennis smiled and gestured for him to go ahead.

“This kid.” Adrian chuckled to himself and turned to walk towards his target. It was truly a pity that Rachel Weisz didn’t come to the United States for the premiere; of course, she was British and not the main character, so there was no need for her to make the trip just for a screening. The problem was, even though he had given her his business card before leaving London, she hadn’t even called him once to date, and he had no clue what she was up to.

Maybe he shouldn’t have slept with her that last time. Adrian sighed inwardly. To this day, he found it very surprising, as he certainly hadn’t planned on furthering the relationship with Rachel. If you’re going to pursue a woman, it’s best not to sleep with her the first time you meet.

But it just happened, naturally and inevitably, as if it were meant to be. Adrian remembered discussing English literature and famous authors’ works—perhaps a woman as well-versed as Rachel had a particular fondness for such topics?

Was this truly a one-night stand? A smirk crossed Adrian’s heart, but he quickly shook his head and tossed the thought aside. Even though Rachel wasn’t here, there were other women he found appealing.

“Hi, Julia,” Adrian said with a smile as he approached Julia.

“Hi, Ed,” Julia started, then coughed softly, looking down and straightening the hair at her temple.

“Haven’t seen you for a few weeks; you seem even more beautiful,” Adrian’s smile deepened as he glanced at the lady who had been talking to Julia just before. She got the hint and quickly excused herself, leaving so fast that Julia hardly had a chance to ask her to stay.

“Damn it, what do you want now, Ed?” Julia glared at Adrian. If it weren’t for the screening room, she might have put her hands on her hips and leaned in for extra emphasis.

“I just want to ask you out, Julia,” Adrian said innocently, spreading his hands.

“Sorry, I have other things to do,” Julia gave him a fierce smile.

“But Rebecca said you had no plans today,” Adrian replied amiably.

“She betrayed me?!” Julia looked shocked.

“No, I just had someone ask around for me,” Adrian shrugged.

Julia fell silent and just glared at him. Adrian sighed, “Don’t be like that, Julia. I just want to hang out, have dinner, and then take you home. Of course, if you like, you can join me at Dan’s party before going home.”

After a pause, he then feigned irritation, “Alright, Julia, I think I still have some credibility, right? Last time at the Vanity Fair party, you said you didn’t want to… ”

“Enough, Ed, enough!” Julia interrupted him, clearly embarrassed, waving her crossed arms, “No matter what you say today, don’t expect me to get into your car!”

Thirty minutes later, with a bang, Julia looked helplessly at Adrian closing the car door and spoke with a spiteful and somewhat defiant tone, “So, where are you planning to take me?”

“A nice place,” Adrian smiled, started the engine, and drove onto the street.

Since the film company was already in the outskirts of Los Angeles, the car quickly reached the sparsely trafficked Route 66, then Adrian put on his sunglasses, rolled down the window, floored the accelerator, turned on the car’s CD player with rock music blaring, and sped northward through the roaring wind.

Julia, who had firmly decided not to initiate conversation, began to turn pale as the car sped up and the whooshing of the wind grew louder in her ears.

“Where are we going!” she yelled out.

“What did you say?” Adrian replied in an equally loud voice, but his playful expression clearly showed he was pretending not to hear.

Though irritated, Julia didn’t want to make a scene, so she had to ask again more loudly and distinctly, “Where—are—we—going?”

“A place with a very nice view!” Adrian responded.

A few minutes later, he finally slowed down, left Route 66, and headed towards the mountains near Santa Monica.