Chapter 194: Vulgar Advertising Concepts

During the last weekend of October, Duke Studio became the center of attention for paparazzi and entertainment reporters. With top actresses like Demi Moore, Julia Roberts, and even Madonna Ciccone showing up one after another and being linked to Chicago, avoiding the notice of well-informed journalists was impossible.

Although Duke had not participated in the initial auditions, the crew had followed his strict demands—demands stricter than for any previous casting. Acting ability and a solid foundation in singing and dancing were absolute prerequisites for playing Velma and Roxie. If an actress fell short in either category, the crew immediately cut her.

Stage actresses and professionally trained actresses naturally held the upper hand here. Even a pop star like Madonna Ciccone, despite approaching Duke personally, was eliminated after a single audition.

Because he had been a bit heavy-handed during their encounter in London, Duke still pointed Madonna—who wanted to make her mark in film—in a new direction. He guided her attention toward Argentina, settling the grudge between them and severing any further ties.

"Duke, you have a call."

He had just reached the front of the soundstage when Tina Fey handed him a mobile phone. "It looks like it's from Britain."

Duke nodded, took the phone, and held it to his ear. "Hello, this is Duke Rosenberg."

"Guess who?"

The voice on the other end spoke English with a London accent. Duke was busy and had no interest in this kind of game. He instinctively wanted to hang up, but he held back; this was his private phone, and very few people knew the number.

"Miss Zeta-Jones?" he asked tentatively.

"Zeta-Jones? Who is she?"

The voice in the receiver seemed unhappy. "I just called you last week. Do you not remember me?"

"Vicky?"

Duke immediately remembered. "Is something the matter?"

After their vacation in Spain, they had maintained some contact over the phone for a while. However, their relationship had not been particularly deep to begin with, and it could not withstand the erosion of time and distance. They had gradually drifted apart.

"Nothing much..."

As an open-minded Northern European, once their already limited affection had worn away, Princess Victoria did not care too much. "I just wanted to chat with you."

"I'm thinking of visiting America sometime soon." She seemed genuinely interested. "I heard you're preparing a new movie. Can I come see the set? I really want to know how Hollywood films are made."

"Of course."

If she came over, Duke would not mind hosting her.

They exchanged a few more words before hanging up. Duke returned the phone to Tina Fey, shook his head, and headed toward the soundstage.

Although Victoria lacked the looks of Hollywood's top beauties and her personality was relatively open, she was not loose and casual like those female stars. Moreover, there was no entanglement of interests between them. During the ten or so days they spent together on Ibiza Island, she had left an excellent impression on Duke. The two had relaxed and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It was absolutely the most pleasant temporary relationship Duke had experienced since entering Hollywood.

For some reason, a faint pang of bitterness welled up in Duke's heart, but it vanished without a trace before long.

He would eventually have a steady partner and perhaps even marry and start his own family, but not now. Right now, he only wanted to fight for his career and, like everyone else in this circle, enjoy the glitz, glamour, and intoxicating lifestyle of Hollywood.

Glancing at the afternoon sun, Duke stopped thinking about these things. He turned and walked into the spacious soundstage, asking the female assistant following beside him, "Tina, is there anything else today?"

"Miss Johansson called to ask if you had time to pick her up. She wants to have dinner with you."

Looking at the work log, Tina Fey continued, "I already declined on your behalf. You promised Nancy you would dine with Ms. Kingsley and Mrs. Cruise tonight."

Ever since his mother moved to New York, Duke rarely went to see Scarlett Johansson anymore. Girls that age were the most troublesome, and he had no desire to play babysitter.

Entering the soundstage, Duke passed through several set areas one by one. This massive soundstage was primarily divided into four sections for set construction: a theater from last century's Chicago, an old-style prison in Illinois, a vintage courtroom, and a rehearsal hall for the actors.

Together with a medium-sized soundstage across the way, this made up the filming location for Chicago.

Set construction had only just begun, and progress was not fast. Duke only took a brief look before heading toward the actors' rehearsal hall. Although the casting for the main roles had not yet finished, people were already rehearsing here.

This was a group of professional backup dancers from Broadway. Under the guidance of Lily Fred's assistant, they were familiarizing themselves with several basic dance routines.

Duke stood in the distance and watched for a while. When the backup dancers stepped off the floor to rest, Tom Cruise, who had been sitting on the sidelines, took the floor. Under the guidance of a professional, he practiced the tap dance that was most important for his character in the film.

Right now, Tom Cruise looked entirely different from his usual self. He appeared both humble and diligent—the very image of a hardworking actor.

If Duke had not been standing there, everyone else in the entire soundstage combined probably still could not sit on equal footing with Tom Cruise. There was completely no need for his pride to be displayed in front of these people; it served no purpose. Furthermore, even someone as arrogant as Tom Cruise understood the simplest of truths: every success in Hollywood was hard-won. Elevating one's status required continuous effort.

How could any director or actor expect to succeed if they spent their days tangled up with women, taking it for granted that others would handle all their work?

After watching for a moment, Duke walked over as Tom Cruise's practice came to a pause.

"Hi, Tom."

Duke waved to Tom Cruise, who was wiping away his sweat, and stood beside him. "Nice dancing. I believe you'll become a tap-dancing master by the time the film starts shooting."

"I definitely will." Tom Cruise imperceptibly raised his chin a fraction. He walked toward the resting area and said to Duke beside him, "Have a seat anywhere, Duke."

Even though Duke could not say he particularly liked Tom Cruise, he would not mind such a minor slight. The man had shot to fame during his most young and hot-blooded years, and after remaining extremely popular for so many years, he had naturally developed many bad habits. He often spoke without paying attention. Otherwise, so many people would not have scrambled to kick him while he was down when his luck turned bad.

Duke had just sat down when he heard Tom Cruise say, "I heard the first round of auditions is over?"

"Yeah," Duke nodded. "The crew will select the actors as quickly as possible."

"Can I attend the second audition?"

It sounded like a question, but Tom Cruise spoke as if it were a matter of course. "I can offer the crew some suggestions."

"That won't be necessary." Duke naturally would not agree to such overstepping. "The crew has enough manpower."

The smile on Tom Cruise's face gradually faded, his handsome features growing slightly tense. "Duke, the audition is to select my co-star. I believe I should have a say in this."

'Without a publicist, agent, or Nicole Kidman to remind him, is he really just an arrogant, ignorant idiot?'

Turning his head, Duke looked at Cruise and said with utmost seriousness, "There's no need!"

"I insist!" Tom Cruise showed no intention of giving up.

Duke stood up, too lazy to pay attention to a guy who had always had things go far too smoothly for him. He simply dropped a single sentence, "I'll have someone speak with Ms. Kingsley."

'Was casting this guy for commercial gain a mistake?'

This thought suddenly occurred to Duke as he got into his car and headed to a nearby restaurant. However, he had no immediate plans to recast the role. After all, Pat Kingsley was not someone who only advanced and never backed down like Tom Cruise.

As long as the profits were high enough, he would dare to cooperate with Satan, and he would dare to personally jump out to grab headlines like he had during Independence Day, let alone deal with a Tom Cruise.

At six o'clock in the evening, Duke walked into an Italian restaurant right on time. Nancy Josephson, Pat Kingsley, and Nicole Kidman were already waiting for him.

Duke sat next to Nancy, casually ordered a few dishes, and turned his gaze across the table. These two had used Nancy's connections to get here; it was definitely not as simple as just treating him to Italian food.

"Hello, Duke," Nicole Kidman said with a smile. Her golden-red curls were neatly pinned behind her head, revealing a pale, smooth forehead. "It's been a long time."

"Hello, Mary. Hello, Pat."

After greeting the two people opposite him, Duke returned to silence. He could guess that this dinner was definitely related to Chicago. If he remembered correctly, Nicole Kidman herself had a certain foundation in singing and dancing.

Nicole Kidman did not seem to be in a rush. All the way until the food was served, she did not mention the movie or the roles. Instead, she brought up the still-rising box office numbers for Saving Private Ryan, as well as the incredibly dismal North American and overseas box office for Braveheart, her words continuously and subtly flattering Duke while putting down Mel Gibson.

This was the simplest of social tactics. Only if Duke was happy would the following topics go more smoothly.

Neither side ate much, merely taking a few polite bites. Nicole Kidman kept observing Duke's reactions, and his face constantly wore a polite and appropriate smile.

"Pat..." Nicole Kidman gave Kingsley a look. The latter immediately understood and said to this side of the table, "Nancy, there is something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

Nancy immediately understood Kingsley's intentions. She whispered a sentence in Duke's ear, stood up, and left the area with the other woman.

"Duke," Nicole Kidman said directly, no longer beating around the bush. "I participated in the audition for Velma."

"I know."

This was a very smart woman. She had likely guessed that there was some sort of promise or deal between him and Naomi Watts, so she had not tried to snatch the role of Roxie.

Looking at Nicole Kidman's smooth, pale face, Duke could not help but remember Tom Cruise's attitude from that afternoon. Suddenly, he wondered if he should do something between the two of them.