Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

What kind of box office would Brokeback Mountain achieve if it starred himself and Leonardo DiCaprio? Martin couldn't help but wonder.

In the original timeline, this awards-focused film had unleashed incredible box office potential, almost single-handedly saving Ang Lee's career.

With a production cost of $14 million and a global box office of $178 million, it turned a massive profit.

It was even hailed by the LGBTQ+ community as a "monument to same-sex love."

If it were Martin and Leonardo playing the leads, the production cost would undoubtedly rise—after all, their fees were substantial. But—

Martin had a hunch that the box office might reach an utterly astonishing level.

A year and a half ago, during the peak of Martin's Legolas fame, someone had posted a thread expressing their wish to see Martin and Leonardo—two devastatingly handsome men—fall in love on screen.

Even now, the post remained active, accumulating over 50 million comments and nearly 1 billion likes.

The spending potential of fangirls and LGBTQ+ audiences should never be underestimated!

Miramax.

In Harvey Weinstein's office.

"Oh, Bob, give me an update on our PR situation?"

"No issues. Those old fogies are completely in our pocket. With the gifts and women we send every year, as long as the film's quality is decent, they won't give us any trouble."

"Greedy vultures!" Harvey sneered. "At their age, still fooling around with women—they're not afraid of dying in bed, huh?" He scoffed, then continued, "Chicago has received critical acclaim. Keep up the contact—I want Best Picture and a few technical awards to go with it."

"What about Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress? Do we need PR for those?" Bob asked.

Harvey's eyes narrowed as he recalled Catherine's alluring figure. "Best Actress doesn't need it. Renée Zellweger is handling her own PR. Let her do her thing."

Harvey's tone soured as he spoke. Renée had rejected his invitations several times.

But with Jim Carrey, George Clooney, and a certain Texas congressman faintly backing her, Harvey didn't dare force the issue.

(Author's note: Renée Zellweger and Jim Carrey were engaged in 1999 but ended the engagement a year later, maintaining a close relationship afterward.)

Catherine, on the other hand, was more cooperative. Harvey decided it was worth pouring resources into her. If he could produce another Oscar-winning actress, his reputation as a "kingmaker" would be firmly established.

"We'll focus PR on Best Supporting Actress. Catherine's acting definitely deserves an Oscar."

"Oh, by the way," Harvey suddenly remembered, "has Nicole Kidman's film been released?"

Bob hesitated but decided to tell the truth. "The Hours has already premiered, and Nicole Kidman is gunning for Best Actress. I've heard Martin is helping her campaign. The film was co-produced by Myers Pictures and Paramount."

Harvey's face darkened immediately.

He despised both of them, yet they continued to thrive—and only seemed to get better. How infuriating!

Paramount.

In Sherry Lansing's office.

Tom Cruise was fuming. "Why the hell would you work with Martin Myers and that woman? Damn it! I only found out after the movie premiered that you were an investor!"

Sherry Lansing looked at the furious yet handsome man before her, feeling a twinge of annoyance. Would Tom ever grow up?

Her expression turned cold as she said indifferently, "Tom, you need to understand that Paramount doesn't need your approval to invest in any film. Know your place."

"You—!"

Tom's face turned red. "Don't forget, without my Mission: Impossible series, you wouldn't be sitting where you are today."

Sherry was both angered and amused by his audacity. The overly generous contract with Cruise's production company had already led to multiple boardroom challenges. Did this man really think she owed her position to him?

She opened her mouth to respond but then sighed instead. Waving him off, she said, "Leave, Tom."

"You're kicking me out?" Tom's eyes widened in disbelief. "How dare you?!"

Sherry's gaze turned icy. "This is my office, Tom. Don't make me call security."

Her commanding presence deflated Tom's momentum.

"You— I—"

Flustered, Tom stormed out without another word.

Sherry shook her head. Her relationship with Tom Cruise had brought her gains and losses.

At one point, she had felt immense satisfaction from the power and intimacy that came with having a stunningly handsome younger man like Tom in her life. Securing the Mission: Impossible series for Paramount had also bolstered her reputation.

But as time passed, her feelings waned. Her declining hormones freed her from the grip of infatuation, and Tom's flaws became glaringly apparent.

Arrogant, impulsive, irrational.

Though smart, Tom's success seemed to have inflated his ego to the point where his emotions often overruled reason.

Especially his vendetta against Martin Myers.

They had no feud over a woman—why was he so determined to oppose him?

Reflecting on Martin's current standing in the industry, Sherry deeply regretted not fighting harder to secure him for Paramount back then.

If only she had tied Martin to Paramount, her position would be unassailable now instead of precarious.

Her political backer only had two more years in office...

Sherry could already see the writing on the wall—her days in Hollywood's top circles were numbered.

"What? MGM is up for sale?"

Martin was at home when he received a call from Drew Barrymore.

This woman's Hollywood connections were incredibly extensive, even more so after Flower Films merged with Myers Pictures. As Myers Pictures' CEO, backed by Martin, Drew's networking efforts became virtually unstoppable.

At Martin's level, however, connections needed to be more selective—he couldn't just befriend anyone.

Of course, since Drew was his person, her news was his news.