Chasing Stars in Hollywood

"May, have you seen the script for the project that Daenerys and Disney are collaborating on recently?"

"Of course, 'Sleepless in Seattle,'" Melanie Griffith nodded and then sighed disappointedly, "But I asked Joe, and he said the lead female role has already been cast with Simon, so I don't have a chance."

"That's a shame. I read the script and thought the lead role would suit you well."

Beverly Hills.

Jonathan Friedman was hosting a party at his mansion in the Coldwater Canyon neighborhood. It was one of many during the awards season.

Hearing Joanna Cassidy mention this, Melanie Griffith showed a look of regret.

After giving birth to Dakota Johnson, Melanie Griffith only took a few months off before resuming her acting career. However, the movies she had appeared in over the past two years were lukewarm in their reception. The last hit she had was "Working Girl," which came out a year before Dakota was born.

In contrast, her husband, Don Johnson, originally just a TV actor, had seen his career rise after "A Boy and His Dog." The once "strong woman, weak man" dynamic was clearly reversing.

Melanie Griffith, from a family of actors, keenly felt the rapid changes in Hollywood in recent years, partly due to the emergence of a certain young man, giving her a strong sense of crisis.

If she couldn't land one or two blockbuster projects to maintain her popularity, her already unstable A-list status might slip back to the B-list.

Hollywood values personal connections but can also be very ruthless. If you lose your popularity, securing quality projects becomes increasingly difficult, leading to a downward spiral.

While chatting, a couple came over to greet them: actress Ellen Barkin and her husband, Gabriel Byrne. This couple was also a "strong woman, weak man" pair.

Despite this, even Ellen Barkin, in her thirties and having appeared in several films, was only a B-list actress.

Melanie Griffith and Joanna Cassidy paused their conversation to politely respond to the couple's greetings.

They originally weren't qualified to attend such a party. However, Highgate Pictures had recently taken an interest in the rights to a memoir called "In the Name of the Father" that Gabriel Byrne owned.

Gabriel Byrne had bought the rights to this book a few years ago, intending to star in and produce a low-budget film with hopes of winning some awards. After several discussions, Byrne handed over the rights to Highgate Pictures, becoming an executive producer in name only. The project was recently finalized and titled "In the Name of the Father," with Highgate Pictures planning to have Daniel Day-Lewis star in it following "The Last of the Mohicans."

This deal brought the B-list couple some attention in the industry.

Although they weren't familiar with each other, a nod and greeting would suffice. However, after a few words, Melanie Griffith suddenly warmed up to Ellen Barkin, lowering her voice to ask, "Ellen, your lip line is so beautiful. Did you just have it done?"

Noticing Melanie starting a women's topic, Gabriel Byrne wisely excused himself with a smile, raising his cocktail.

Although puzzled by Melanie's sudden enthusiasm, even feeling a slight sense of caution, Ellen Barkin thought that befriending her could not hurt.

Hollywood does not shy away from plastic surgery. From top A-listers to newcomers, many spend millions each year on cosmetic procedures to enhance their looks. Truly untouched by surgery are rare among Hollywood stars.

Gently touching her plump lip line, Ellen Barkin smiled and said, "I got it done at a clinic in Orange County. If you're interested, I can give you the contact."

"Absolutely, right now would be great," Melanie Griffith eagerly pulled out a pen and paper from her handbag, adding, "I've been looking to get a lip enhancement but haven't found the right doctor yet."

Joanna Cassidy listened with a smile, and when Ellen Barkin glanced at her, clearly wondering if she was interested too, she just shook her head with the same smile.

After Ellen Barkin left, Joanna Cassidy commented, "You're so bad, May, encouraging her to go for another surgery."

In recent years, many Hollywood actresses have become aware of a new rule: Simon Westeros doesn't like enhanced lips.

The news first came from Simon's casting director, Linda Vargos, who inadvertently revealed that the powerful young man had repeatedly rejected actresses with lip enhancements during casting, allegedly saying, "Enhanced lips look unnatural and completely ruin the natural beauty of a woman's lips."

This insight caused the long-popular trend of lip enhancements in Hollywood to rapidly decline. However, the news spread slowly, as those in the know kept it to themselves to maintain a competitive edge, and some, like Melanie Griffith, even encouraged others to 'self-sabotage.'

Simon Westeros was one of the few people in Hollywood history whose personal preferences could shift industry trends.

For most actors, a career-long wait for a breakthrough often hinged on just one chance, and Simon Westeros held the power to make or break careers. Even if the odds of working with him seemed slim, aligning with his preferences was always a wise move.

In today's Hollywood, even established stars couldn't afford to be as arrogant as in the 1980s, knowing that failing to align with Simon's preferences could mean losing out to others.

Thanks to several recent collaborations, Simon Westeros wielded significant influence over all major studios in Hollywood.

Melanie Griffith's prank on Ellen Barkin was both a casual joke and an attempt to push her peer further away.

As for Ellen's reaction when she realized she had been misled, Melanie didn't care at all since she had no intention of becoming friends.

Ignoring Joanna Cassidy's teasing, Melanie glanced at her husband Don Johnson, chatting with Brian De Palma nearby, and said, "I wonder if Simon will come tonight?"

Joanna Cassidy glanced instinctively toward the villa's rear entrance.

After being cast as Hippolyta in "Wonder Woman," Joanna's career had revived thanks to the increased exposure, and she now had two films lined up. In contrast, Sandra Bergman, her main competitor for the role, was now relegated to low-budget thrillers and erotica films.

Hollywood's cutthroat nature meant that a single missed opportunity could drastically alter career trajectories.

Following "Basic Instinct," erotic thrillers had become popular in Hollywood, thriving on cable TV and the home video market.

Reflecting on these trends, Joanna Cassidy returned her gaze and said, "Isn't Simon in Japan? I thought he was there for Universal Studios Japan. I saw something in the paper about the 'Westeros Effect' in Japan."

Two years ago, during Japan's economic turmoil, Simon's moves in the stock market had garnered significant attention, leading to the term 'Westeros Effect' after his actions caused the Tokyo Stock Exchange to drop. There were even jokes that Simon might be denied a visa to Japan to prevent further market disruptions.

Coincidentally, when Simon arrived in Osaka for the Universal Studios project, the Tokyo market fell by nearly 3%, reviving the 'Westeros Effect' joke.

Melanie Griffith also knew about this and laughed about it, then added, "I heard he came back yesterday."

It was already Saturday, February 15th.

Simon had only spent a few weekdays in Japan.

Joanna Cassidy wasn't aware of this detail. If Westeros could attend, it would be ideal, so she glanced at the entrance again.

And she indeed saw him.

Melanie Griffith also spotted Simon immediately, not due to sharp eyesight but because the crowd's attention naturally shifted to him.

However, as Westeros chatted with Jonathan Friedman, no one dared to interrupt.

"The preliminary agreement is for 100 acres to initiate the design work for the theme park. However, Osaka's government wants to take equity instead of cash. I prefer not to bring in another shareholder, so we need to keep negotiating."

Under the crowd's gaze, Simon casually grabbed a cocktail from a server and stood in the garden chatting about his recent trip to Japan.

Jonathan, also holding a cocktail, analyzed, "Japanese land prices have fallen significantly. Moreover, Osaka's government should understand the economic boost from Universal Studios and shouldn't demand too much, right?"

Simon nodded, "If they insist on equity, the share would be about 10%. However, we might see a turnaround in a couple of months, with the European Disneyland opening in Paris in April."

Jonathan caught the implication, "You're not optimistic about Disneyland Paris?"

"It's hard to say. The cost is severely overrun, and cultural conflicts are apparent. Unlike Japan, which embraces American culture, France is quite anti-American."

Jonathan understood. If Disneyland Paris underperformed, combined with Japan's economic downturn, Osaka's government might abandon the equity demand for cash to mitigate risk. Insisting on equity could mean no profit and depreciating shares if the theme park fails.

"Let's not dwell on that. Simon, Meg is here tonight. Want to discuss 'Sleepless in Seattle' with her?"

Without waiting for Simon's response, Jonathan signaled Meg Ryan.

Despite her switch to WMA, Meg Ryan wasn't Jonathan's direct client. However, WMA was pushing for internal cooperation to emulate CAA, and Jonathan wanted to set an example.

"Good evening, Simon."

Meg Ryan approached like a meek little quail, given her previous experiences with Simon.

Simon, appreciating her black spaghetti strap dress, said, "Hanks is very interested in the script, and he's pretty much confirmed for the lead. You can discuss the script with Tom privately."

Meg Ryan nodded earnestly, noting it down, and sensing Simon's disinterest, she discreetly walked away.

Jonathan sighed. Simon showed little interest in the Hollywood sweetheart, beloved by countless fans.

With Meg Ryan gone, Melanie Griffith pulled her husband over, accompanied by Joanna Cassidy.

After some small talk, Melanie brought up

 Dakota, trying to connect with Simon due to the naming connection. Dakota Johnson had become widely believed to be Simon's goddaughter, possibly encouraged by the Johnsons themselves, though Simon didn't mind the detail.

Tonight, Simon's main focus was discussing Brian De Palma's new project, "Carlito's Way."

After chatting with the Johnsons for a while, Simon and De Palma, along with Jonathan, retreated inside the villa.

Now, if Simon didn't want to socialize, most people would understand.

"Carlito's Way" was another biographical gangster film Universal had been slowly preparing for two years. Simon remembered it performing reasonably well and, combined with De Palma's involvement, it was added to Daenerys Entertainment's slate for next year.

However, Al Pacino, De Palma's preferred lead, was still committed to "Scent of a Woman," so "Carlito's Way" could only start shooting later in the year, and its release date would depend on the final product.

After a ten-minute discussion on the villa's second-floor terrace, most details were settled.

Knowing many guests were eager to interact with Simon, De Palma, not wanting to be resented, wrapped up the conversation quickly, indicating he needed to greet others.

De Palma gone, Jonathan suggested, "Simon, the Byrnes who sold 'In the Name of the Father' are here. Shall I bring them up?"

The adaptation of "In the Name of the Father" was handpicked by Simon, remembering it as an Oscar contender and commercially successful film about Gerry Conlon, who fought to clear his name after being wrongfully convicted of a bombing.

Simon shook his head, glancing down and spotting Kris Jenner.

Noticing her watching, Simon signaled her to come up.

Kris Jenner, seeing the nod, approached the terrace.

For some reason, Simon always felt a teasing urge around the woman who once claimed they were 'close.'

The terrace, enclosed, led into a sitting room. Kris locked the door behind her, ensuring privacy, earning a smile from Simon.

"Hi, Simon."

Kris, intending to explain her presence, was interrupted by Simon calmly emptying a candy dish, placing it on the floor, and filling it with some of his drink.

Remembering the airplane incident, Kris knew she couldn't refuse. The benefits from "The Real Housewives of New York City" over the past year left her no room for defiance.

She hesitated briefly, then slowly knelt down, aware they were unseen, complying with Simon's unspoken command.

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