制霸好莱坞

"Lost in Translation," "Girl with a Pearl Earring," "Love You Most"... How could she have imagined it so beautifully at that time?

Two nights passed, and Jenny still hadn't decided on a strategy to persuade Cesare. What's worse, after investigation and research, she found that she couldn't say that she had a sure win in the competition for these three films. The leading actresses of these three films were Scarlett Johansson (Tokyo, Earring) and Zooey Deschanel. When Alex traveled through time in 2014, these two were both powerful actresses. Now, in 2002, Scarlett, who was born as a child star, had been nominated for awards and had experience starring in art films. Although The Horse Whisperer received mixed reviews, her performance had won unanimous praise. Worse yet, Jenny called Jim and found out in a casual chat that Scarlett was also an actress of CAA and was being fully cultivated by the company. Compared to the resources Jenny had, she had almost nothing to show off. Though Scarlett was three years younger than Jenny and only 19 years old, she had already gone much further in the acting world than Jenny.

Objectively speaking, Scarlett had awards, acting skills, experience, and beauty. She had also been recognized by critics and acted in several art films. Meanwhile, Jenny, who only had one well-received drama, was reluctant to compete with her for "Lost in Translation" or "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

As for Zooey Deschanel, she came from an acting family. Her father was an Oscar-nominated director, and her mother was an actress. She entered the industry in 1998 and had played important supporting roles in various films, including Almost Famous—a classic. She was a second-generation director's child. Zooey just needed the right film to make her the lead actress. Jenny was confident that she was prettier than Zooey, but she was not as well-connected or experienced.

What Cesare didn't mention was that among the 550 small-scale films released every year, the competition for leading actresses in films with better sales was just as fierce as in the big-budget films.

Although Jenny hadn't figured out how to land roles in these two films yet and couldn't convince Cesare, she had to keep moving forward. Jenny continued starring in Chicago and worked with Ann, step by step.

Speaking of musicals, their collaboration had been widely praised by critics. Brantley of the New York Times wrote "Velma is good, but Roxy is better" as the title, and the New York Post titled their review "Chicago is finally flawless," both praising Jenny's performance. Brantley wrote, "Stimulated by the new blood from London, our American beauty Jennifer finally burst out with all her charm. Ann Benson's Velma is nearly perfect, but the more eye-catching performance is Jennifer Jefferson's Roxy. Her explosive power and potential are intimidating. Future actresses working with her should be afraid."

Compared to the restrained praise last time, this praise was rather corny, but it was far from unwarranted. Jenny had broken through again, winning over critics and audiences. The box office for Chicago continued to rise. Now, scalper tickets were selling for thousands of dollars. She'd even been featured on CNN as a symbol of the revival of New York's cultural scene post-9/11. Her discussion boards were more active than ever, with fans discussing coming to New York to watch the performance or speculating about the upcoming tour.

In general, the response to Chicago was overwhelming, but Jenny couldn't find herself fully happy. After Cesare shared his vision with her, her perspective widened. She realized why he was indifferent to her achievements. Perhaps her success was a miracle among ordinary people, but when she looked at the larger Hollywood landscape, Jenny understood that compared to her peers, her current accomplishments were minuscule—almost just a desperate catch-up.

Of course, her weekly salary might increase to $20,000 in three months, but what did that mean? When people looked back on 2002, they would think of Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and even Emma Watson, not Jennifer Jefferson, who earned more than a million dollars a year.

For the first time, Jenny felt a deep desire for success. This wasn't the first time she'd tried to succeed, but it was the first time she truly wanted to succeed. Just a year ago, she could rationally weigh the pros and cons of a rich lady's life versus a celebrity's life. She thought being a lawyer's trophy wife wouldn't be so bad. If she found the right person, she could share in her husband's millions without lifting a finger—at least not as hard as she worked last year. Sure, the top people in the entertainment industry made a lot more than she did, but... they also paid a high price, didn't they? From a cost-effectiveness perspective, being a trophy wife seemed more appealing.

But now, it wasn't just about money. For the first time, Jenny felt her competitive spirit. She didn't only want to make money, she also wanted to prove she was no less than her fierce competitors...

She wanted to prove she could stand at the top of this industry, so more people—more people than those waiting outside the theater, more than her online fans—would praise her performance, celebrate her successes, and share in her struggles. She wanted to influence people on a much larger scale.

But for now, all she could do was lie dormant, wait for the opportunity, move forward slowly, and watch her competitors run forward at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.

That feeling was terrible.

"Jenny! Jenny!"

As Jenny walked out of the theater, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd, blinking and smiling at her, waving and shouting, "Jenny, it's me! Do you remember me?" Jenny smiled at the fan in the front, signing autographs and posing for photos. Meanwhile, she noticed the enthusiastic fan from the corner of her eye. After a few seconds, she remembered, "Ah, Will!"

At her signal, Will Hilton pushed through the crowd, squeezed past the security guards and Mary's attempts to block him, and hugged Jenny warmly, prompting a burst of envious protests. He beamed, "So, you haven't forgotten me?"

Jenny hadn't forgotten him—after all, Will was one of the young heirs of the Hilton Group. She vaguely remembered that they had made a deal: she'd date him once Chicago wrapped. But she'd been so busy afterward that she completely forgot. "Of course I haven't forgotten you. But why didn't you call me? Instead, you waited for me here?"

"Oh, I lost my phone." Will grinned, not entirely telling the truth. "Are you free tonight? Where are you going? Do you remember what you owe me?"

As always, his excessive enthusiasm left Jenny a little flustered. She smiled and moved away. "Hey, can you let me finish signing first?"

Mary stepped forward to stop Will so Jenny could finish her work. Fans looked at Will with envy and jealousy. Several male fans warned Jenny, hoping the world wouldn't end in chaos, "Don't date him. He doesn't deserve you."

"Hey, kid, what do you mean by that?" Will shouted at one of them, causing a wave of support to erupt from the fans. This only gave Jenny a headache. She quickly sped up her autographing and signaled for Mary to calm the crowd.

As if all this wasn't enough, flashbulbs suddenly erupted around Jenny as a strange paparazzi appeared out of nowhere. First, he snapped a few photos of Jenny, then of Will, and asked in a familiar tone, "Jennifer, is this your boyfriend? I know he's a Hilton—"

His words sparked a commotion among the fans, and the tension with Will seemed to vanish. The fans, now eager for a scandal, seemed to accept Will's status.

"No, he's just a friend," Jenny explained, smiling. "Seriously, where did you come from?"

"So, the handsome guy who left the afterparty with you a few nights ago—your boyfriend? Or just a date?" The paparazzi asked casually, "I didn't get a picture, but I heard he was so hot he could light a glass of whiskey."

He waved to the fans and joked, "I bet half of the female fans here just took one look at him and switched teams, huh?"

Jenny realized that he must have overheard the fans' gossip. If it wasn't for the security guards stopping them, she and Cesare would have been stopped and followed on the street.

In Asia, it might be taboo for a female star to have a love interest, but in the U.S., this was far from a problem. Unless a fan was obsessed, most people accepted that celebrities dated. A star who never dated raised suspicions about their sexuality. Jenny's fans, who were still infatuated with appearances, seemed to support Cesare more than Will.

"The handsome guy you're talking about is my agent," Jenny clarified. "I mean, you should at least do some research on me."

In the chaos, the signing ended quickly. Jenny smiled, thanked her fans, and greeted them as best as she could. She got into Mary's car, and Will slipped in during the confusion, but Jenny didn't stop him.

"You're not planning to date me now, are you?" Jenny asked.

Will rubbed his nose. "Of course I want to, but the paparazzi are right behind me. Just drop me off after we shake them off—haha, didn't expect I'd be your gossip before we even started dating."

He remained his usual cheerful self. Jenny smiled at him, feeling a little better. "So, you didn't go on your Gap Year?"

Will poured out a ridiculous tale of his experiences and continued teasing Jenny about her fame.