I am Hollywood

Chapter 913: Chapter 915: A Brand New Era

Chapter 911: Chapter 913: Then I'll Go Too



[Chapter 913: Then I'll Go Too]

Joss Whedon watched as Eric talked animatedly with the two girls, occasionally making them burst into giggles. He felt a mix of helplessness and envy.

Though the girls glanced at him from time to time as if worried he'd be left out, their eyes and thoughts were almost entirely focused on Eric. At such a young age, holding power that was practically unheard of in Hollywood, Eric's allure to women was unmistakable -- like a moth drawn to a flame in the dark.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to discuss business tonight, Joss decided not to linger as a third wheel. During a pause in their conversation, he said, "Eric, take your time to think about that thing we discussed. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be on my way."

Eric paused in his banter with the girls, stood and replied, "Don't worry; I'll think it over carefully."

As Joss noticed Jennifer Love Hewitt, who had recently taken the seat next to him, shift aside to give him space, he thought for a moment before subtly gesturing at his chest.

Eric understood the hint; Joss was reminding him to be aware of the girls' ages. Both Sarah and Jennifer were under five feet tall, which was quite rare in Hollywood, where tall starlets reigned, making Joss concerned that the two girls were still underage.

With a knowing smile, Eric exchanged understanding glances with Joss as he watched him leave. Turning to Jennifer Love Hewitt, who now occupied Joss's former seat, he asked, "So, where were we?"

"Oh, we were talking about the Victoria's Secret Angels. Both Sarah and I are really curious about how they maintain such amazing figures. It's practically perfect!"

"It's not easy, really. You might not realize this, but many Victoria's Secret Angels barely eat anything in the week leading up to the big show to maintain their physique."

Since she sat next to Eric, Sarah Michelle Gellar just happened to notice the gesture Joss had made. Having been in Hollywood from a young age, she understood what those signals meant. Remembering what could potentially unfold next, she felt a little warmth rise to her cheeks. Hearing Eric's words, Sarah chimed in, "Don't they get hungry from not eating?" "Hunger is something you just have to endure," Eric replied. "So, there's really no reason for you two to envy them, nor do you need to aspire to become Victoria's Secret Angels."

Jennifer made a playful face, sticking out her tongue. "Even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able to! We're too short."

"Actually, being shorter can be an advantage for you! Many Victoria's Secret Angels find it hard to transition to Hollywood due to their height," Eric explained, then curiously asked, "So, what movies are you two filming lately?"

Jennifer's eyes lit up for a moment before she composed herself, acting nonchalant. "Sarah and I just auditioned for a movie this afternoon. I don't know if we'll land any roles, though."

Eric noticed the change in Jennifer's expression and looked at Sarah, then back at Jennifer. "You two are too much alike -- height, looks, even your vibe is nearly identical! Even if you're not competing for the same role, the production team might decide to keep just one of you."

"What do we do then?" Jennifer glanced apprehensively at Sarah. She knew this well and didn't consider Sarah to be too close of a friend. Their similarities in personality allowed them to coexist peacefully, but she still felt the competitive tension.

Eric shrugged, saying, "That's just how it is."

Jennifer mustered her courage, her eyes earnest as she looked at Eric. "Eric, what about you? Don't you have some influence? This is an MGM film after all!"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what's the movie called?"

"They haven't finalized the title yet; it's still going by the original name from the novel,

which sounds really long, called I Know What You Did Last Summer."

Eric recalled. "Kevin Williamson's script, right?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Exactly," Jennifer nodded, "Eric, you know about this script?"

From what he remembered, in his previous life I Know What You Did Last Summer was associated with Sony-Columbia. However, Kevin Williamson had sold five scripts to MGM for $500,000, including plans for three Scream films, and he wouldn't be able to provide scripts for any other companies until the contracts were fulfilled.

In recent years, due to the success of Scream, Williamson had become one of the hottest horror screenwriters in Hollywood. MGM had showered him with additional bonuses, making their collaboration quite pleasant. However, a horror film like I Know What You Did Last Summer wouldn't have a production budget exceeding $20 million. Even within Firefly Group, Eric had rarely taken on projects under that budget, let alone might MGM.

"I don't know for sure; it's just a guess," Eric said, shaking his head. "But a movie like that would be perfect for you."

Seeing Eric focus mostly on Jennifer, Sarah decided to distract herself from her trailing thoughts and chimed in, "Eric, I heard Firefly is casting for Spider-Man. Is that true?"

Eric turned to her, "Oh, are you interested in Gwen Stacy?"

The question made Sarah shy away from Eric's gaze for a moment, but she ultimately nodded. "Actually, well, I really admire Director Cameron. I've watched Titanic five times."

"Complimenting other directors in front of me will only make me upset."

Sarah immediately shook her head. "No, no, Eric, um, you're actually even better."

Jennifer hadn't expected Sarah to bring up Spider-Man; it was something she had been thinking about earlier. Given the overnight fame of Rachel Weisz in Titanic, the role of Gwen Stacy in Cameron's new film was one that every eligible woman in Hollywood surely coveted. Watching Sarah trip over her words, Jennifer smirked before stating, "Eric, I think you're actually greater too! My agent once told me that producing a single film that grossed over $2 billion globally could be called a miracle. But to do it twice with films grossing over $1 billion each is a miracle on top of miracles."

Eric chuckled and said, "Honestly, I can assure you that only actors who have never worked with Jim would have feelings like yours. Once you've worked with him, you probably won't want to act in his films again for a lifetime."

Sarah looked concerned, saying, "I've heard he can be quite harsh on set, but it can't be that bad, right?"

"Speaking of that," Eric glanced between the two girls with a grin but maintained a serious expression. "I happen to have a tape of behind-the-scenes footage from when Jim filmed Titanic. You won't find it anywhere else. Want to come watch it with me?"

Both girls immediately blushed, exchanging looks before shifting away from one another. Deep down, they were both a little excited about tonight, unsure of which invitation Eric had in mind for which of them. To their surprise, Eric invited them both at once. Despite being child stars, the two felt like they needed to figure out how this could possibly happen.

Eric chuckled as he put on a pair of sunglasses that hung from his collar. "Okay, I was just kidding. I'm leaving now. See you next time."

The two girls, still momentarily dazed, locked eyes again. Jennifer, more decisive, being two years younger than Sarah and having less success in Hollywood, felt that if she passed on this opportunity, she'd likely always be overshadowed by Sarah's increasing fame.

Standing up with Eric, Jennifer said, "Eric, um, I really want to see it."

Sarah, who was standing beside Eric, felt a spark of competitive spirit upon seeing Jennifer's pleased expression. Casually wrapping her arm around Eric's, she smiled sweetly, saying, "Eric, I'll go too."

...

Once outside the bar, the two girls climbed into Eric's car. They didn't fully relax until they arrived at the Liberty City estate and followed Eric into the shell villa, where they felt a little

out of their depth.

As the three entered, the lights in the villa's hallway turned on automatically. Eric glanced back at the two girls, who looked hesitant, and said, "No need to change your shoes; just come

on in."

Both Sarah and Jennifer felt like rolling their eyes -- did it look like they were hesitating over whether to change shoes?

After this, Eric headed toward the kitchen, and the girls exchanged glances before carefully following him. Though their hearts raced, their eyes wandered around the luxurious space, and some silly fantasies began to stir in their minds.

Once they entered the kitchen, watching Eric standing by the open fridge, Jennifer Love

Hewitt let go of her reservations. Being in this opulent villa made her acutely aware of Eric's status and influence in Hollywood. Such a bigshot inviting both of them seemed quite

reasonable.

She quietly approached, asking, "Eric, um, can I have another drink?"

Eric handed her a box of juice from the fridge and handed Sarah another one as he said, "It's

getting late; let's skip the alcohol. How about we just watch a movie? Honestly, it's been a long time since I've sat down quietly to watch one."

As Sarah pulled out the straw from her juice box, she looked up and asked, puzzled, "Eric, didn't you say we were going to watch behind-the-scenes footage from Cameron's film?" "Come on, what's so entertaining about watching Jim yell on set?" Eric replied, gathering snacks and drinks on a tray before closing the fridge. "Follow me; how about a horror film? It's bound to be scarier than any scenes of Jim losing it, right?"

The girls exchanged glances again. Sarah took the tray from Eric's hands, feeling warmth across her cheeks as they left the kitchen.

They walked through the spacious hall, high heels clicking against the floor, making their way towards the private screening room. It was Jennifer who finally broke the silence. "Wow, it's so big in here. I could get tired just walking around."

Eric turned on the lights and joked, "Want to stay here for a while? It's great exercise, really

helps in keeping fit."

Sarah set down the tray, wanting to retort but thought better of it.

"So, what movie are we watching? If you really want to see Jim's behind-the-scenes footage,

you definitely can here," Eric said, leading the girls into a room filled with copies of films in

various formats.

The girls took in the countless tapes, DVDs, and film copies filling tall shelves, marveling at

the sight, and spent several minutes browsing. A few moments later, Jennifer pulled out a film copy, saying, "Eric, this is The Exorcist! I've always wanted to see this movie, but I've been too scared to watch it."

"Then we'll go with The Exorcist," Eric said as he walked over and took the film copy from Jennifer. "Actually, I haven't seen it either."

As Sarah walked over, she teased, "Are you scared too?"

Eric shrugged, saying, "We'll see."

Though he said that, Eric underestimated the sheer terror of William Friedkin's horror classic.

Not long after the movie started, the two girls nestled against Eric on the sofa, repeatedly letting out frightened little squeals, while Eric occasionally felt his scalp prickle. Eventually, when the girl possessed by the evil spirit rotated her head 180 degrees, Eric casually grabbed the remote and turned the lights in the screening room completely off.

"Ah..."

The sudden darkness sent the girls into another round of shrieks.

Then, Sarah reacted first, a little shaky in her voice. "Eric, wait, did the power just go out?"

"I turned it off."

After a brief silence, both girls, leaning against Eric, began to chuckle.

"Ha ha, ha ha! So, you're scared too?"

"Ha ha! You really tried to scare us with a horror movie, Eric!"

Feeling the warmth of their bodies pressed against him with little inhibition, Eric wrapped an

arm around each of them, warning, "Stop laughing; I'm getting mad."

"Ha ha..."

The giggles continued for a moment, but soon, with Eric's movements in the dark, their

laughter transformed into something different.

"Eric, um, don't do that. Be gentle; you're going to rip my clothes."

"Hmm... the button is in the front."

Perhaps thanks to the cover of darkness, the two girls, already somewhat mentally prepared,

didn't resist much as a series of suggestive sounds began to fill the dark screening room.

*****

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