Model to Holywood

Pant, pant~~

At night, in the villa, Luca lay on the pool table, staring up at the starry sky, drenched in sweat.

"How are you feeling?"

Britney was resting in the crook of his arm, her face flushed with a dreamy smile.

"Fantastic!"

Luca shifted his gaze from the stars to the beauty in his arms and gently kissed her hair.

"Yeah, it was great!"

Britney smiled, hugging his neck and snuggling closer to him.

Luca wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then lightly asked, "Britney, are you feeling down?"

"How did you know?"

"You were a bit wild just now!"

Luca pointed to his waist. "Almost broke it!"

Haha~

Britney burst into laughter, then sighed softly.

"Yeah, my album is about to be released, but the pre-sales aren't looking good.

In the past, two weeks before release, I'd have pre-sold three to four million copies. My second album reached six million, but now it's barely hit a million. But I'll get used to it."

Luca patted her on the shoulder.

Britney was trying to reinvent herself, aiming for a more mature and sexy image.

Unfortunately, her transformation wasn't successful. Compared to Madonna's sex appeal, she was still lacking.

With the current music scene being so competitive, many loyal fans had drifted away.

Britney was only 22, so feeling anxious about this transition was understandable.

Her future controversial actions would largely be influenced by this change.

Just like him, no one liked being the supporting role.

Luca thought for a moment, wishing he could come up with a good plan to help her maintain her stardom.

Unfortunately, he couldn't.

Britney's rise was heavily influenced by societal trends, and her decline was tied to them as well. The internet age was coming, and a few classic songs couldn't change that.

"Britney, I'll always support you!"

Luca held her face tenderly.

"Thank you, darling!"

Britney clung tightly to him.

"Honey" was released, earning $15 million in its opening weekend, second only to Richard Linklater's "School of Rock".

It placed second on the weekend box office chart, making it another dark horse hit of the year.

With a production cost of under $17 million, its $15 million opening was quite a success.

However, the movie received terrible reviews, with a 17% approval rating and a 6.5 on IMDB.

"Haha, Luca, look at these newspapers, they think exactly like I do."

In the villa, Britney pointed at the news, laughing.

"Yep, you sure called it!"

Luca shrugged and picked up a paper, which was full of negative reviews.

The Hollywood Reporter commented that the movie felt like an extended MTV video, with nothing noteworthy except for Jessica Alba and the dancing.

The Chicago Sun-Times criticized the film, saying that while the music and dance were cool, the story was clichéd, and the plot thin, comparing it to Mariah Carey's flop "Glitter."

Renowned film critic Robert wrote a lengthy review in The Los Angeles Times, tearing the movie apart from script to direction, narrative structure, and performances.

He wrote: "Honey is a poorly made, formulaic inspirational film. The writer tried to make the story more compelling by manipulating the inspirational angle, but the result was meaningless.

The film follows an ambitious girl, Honey, who works hard to become a star, eventually achieving her goal.

We've seen this storyline many times before.

However, in this film, the plot is riddled with inconsistencies. We learn Honey is ambitious, but we also see her doing ridiculous things.

Director Michael gives her his business card to work together, but after one call, she gets dismissed by a receptionist, so she throws the card away. This makes no sense for a character so ambitious.

And then there's Luca Kelly, who plays director Michael. He's a good-looking, talented young man.

I have no idea why Honey rejected him. It's not the kind of choice an ambitious girl would make."

"Luca, look at these!"

In the afternoon, at Ford Modeling Agency, Ed placed a stack of newspapers on the table, highlighting certain passages in bright colors.

"What's this?"

"Criticism of you!"

Ed picked up a cigarette, sniffed it, and put it back in the box.

Luca chuckled and flipped through the papers.

In addition to criticizing the movie, many reviews targeted the actors.

Most praised Jessica's figure in a sycophantic tone.

As for the male lead, Mekhi Phifer, and the young actor Lil, the reviews acknowledged their talent, saying they brought some joy to the film.

But Luca was harshly criticized, with the reviews tearing him apart.

The Hollywood Reporter bluntly stated: "A disastrous screen debut!"

At the premiere, Britney and Luca Kelly's first public hand-holding caused a stir, drawing attention to the movie.

But Kelly's debut was terrible — no, beyond terrible.

Though his character was made to look ugly, in reality, he's a handsome man. This might mislead the audience into thinking he'd transform into a handsome prince by the end.

But no, the frog didn't turn into a prince, and he even got slapped by the heroine."

The San Francisco Chronicle was blunt: "A model obsessed with tabloid rumors will never be a good actor."

They criticized Luca's stiff acting, noting a slight improvement towards the end, but overall found it underwhelming.

Reportedly, Luca wants to transition into acting, but he needs to focus on acting, not scandals.

Apollo News commented: "Luca was a terrible choice. He's a model, skilled at showing off his looks and physique. Casting him as the villain was a poor decision."

"What do you think?"

Ed tapped the table.

"They're right. The role wasn't for me. I'm too handsome,"

Luca said, rubbing his chin with a grin.

"You don't mind?"

Ed raised an eyebrow.

Luca frowned, then laughed. "I'm just a supporting character, yet all these reviews treat me like the lead. It means I'm worth writing about. If there were no reviews at all, that would be bad."

Luca said casually.

"I'm not as optimistic as you. You're still auditioning, and these negative reviews could affect how producers see you."

Luca fell silent.

He'd recently auditioned for several roles: a minor part in "Constantine", a key supporting role in "Phone Booth", and a second male lead in "Fantastic Four".

He didn't get the "Constantine" or "Fantastic Four" auditions.

He made it through two rounds for "Phone Booth", but wasn't sure if he'd land the role.

Now, with all the negative reviews, it seemed unlikely any director would take a chance on him.

Ring, ring~

The phone on the desk rang.

Ed picked it up, listened for a moment, thanked the caller, and hung up, his face somber.

"What's up?"

Luca asked.

"The casting assistant from "Phone Booth" called. You're not moving on to the next round."

Ed spread his hands.

Luca frowned. "Do you think someone's sabotaging me to make sure I lose this role?"

"It's possible. But the bigger issue is you. You're too close to Britney. These rumors give you exposure, but they also create a lot of backlash."

Ed released the newspaper and spoke slowly.

Luca nodded. "I get it. I'll be more low-key in the future."

"You? Low-key?"

Ed shook his head. "I don't believe it."

He opened a folder and said, "Fashion Week is coming up. Armani and CK have a few shows in Los Angeles and New York. If you've got time, you should attend."

"OK!"