[Chapter 245: The Perfect Man]
"Link was just an amazing guy -- young, handsome, funny, talented, and had a gentle smile. It seemed like he had no flaws at all," Diane Lane remarked as she watched TV in her Golden Oak Apartments.
"Yeah, Link really is perfect," Michelle Pfeiffer agreed, even convinced Link was even more perfect than Diane had said.
"Hey, let's not forget that the guy's a bit of a playboy with a lot of girlfriends," Jodie Foster reminded them.
"The fact that so many women liked him showed he was quite the charming man. Wouldn't you rather like a guy who attracts women?" Michelle Pfeiffer laughed.
Diane Lane nodded, adding, "Though Link has a lot of tabloid stories, he was also very dedicated to his work. He juggled running his company and constantly filming. I heard he just wrapped up The Butterfly Effect and then rushed off to produce and edit on other sets. After that, he went back to Los Angeles for promotion and is already preparing for a new film project. Who in Hollywood could say they're working harder than he is?"
Jodie Foster pursed her lips, unable to rebut. Despite all of Link's flaws, his work ethic was beyond reproach. He had strong self-discipline and a healthy lifestyle; rather than hitting the parties like others after work, he often stayed home to keep working. It was reasonable to call him a workaholic.
Michelle Pfeiffer looked at Diane Lane with surprise as she said, "Diane, you seem to know Link pretty well. I heard Link doesn't just have those public girlfriends; he also has some more private ones. Are you one of them?"
"Not at all. Link is a big star; I would never get the chance to meet him. I heard it from Jennifer Connelly. Don't forget, I'm also a client of WMA," Diane replied.
"Jennifer Connelly is lucky to have Link backing her up, and she's been getting more and more popular," Michelle Pfeiffer said.
"Yeah, every time Jennifer talks about Link, she looks so happy. I asked her if she didn't mind that Link is a bit of a player, and she said she could tolerate it a little because Link was just that amazing. The way she talks about him is so dreamy; it's quite enviable," Diane Lane remarked with a sigh.
As Michelle Pfeiffer thought back to the days and nights spent with Link, she could understand Jennifer's feelings a little. She squeezed her knees, still feeling a rush that made her quiver.
"Michelle, what's wrong? You smell really nice," Jodie Foster suddenly reached out to hug Michelle.
"Knock it off!" Michelle Pfeiffer laughed, pushing her away.
...
On the TV, Billy Crystal continued asking, "Link, you mentioned that you chose to become a mainstream director instead of purely pursuing film as art. Now that you've made it, do you regret that choice?"
"Not at all," Link said. "Everyone knows I started out poor. For someone in my situation, solving survival issues came first. The pursuit of art is built upon the foundation of having enough to eat and wear. If I hadn't made money from Buried, I wouldn't have had the chance to direct films at all. So, I have no regrets because I had no other choice."
Clap, clap, clap!
Billy Crystal applauded. "Link, let's get back to movies. I have a bold question -- if it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip it."
"Let's hope it's not about personal stuff," Link chuckled as he took a sip of water.
"Ha, it's not that! Rumor has it that during the summer blockbuster season, Guess Pictures went head-to-head with the Big Seven Studios. You went one against seven, and in the end, your films Speed and Se7en made you the summer's biggest winner. What do you think of that?"
Link shook his head and smiled. "Can we even discuss this openly?"
"As long as you're willing, we can talk about anything."
"Well, first, your statement isn't quite accurate. It wasn't Guess Pictures against the Big Seven; it was Guess Pictures against all the film companies in Hollywood. And it wasn't one against seven; it was one against a hundred."
"Oh? How do you figure that?" Billy asked, puzzled.
"In any industry, competitors are rivals. It's the same in film. The summer season is limited, and total box office is pretty tight, usually around 2 billion dollars. For the films Guess Pictures released to achieve solid box office numbers, they had to compete with all their rivals, including the Big Seven.
This year, with strong audience support, both films we released managed to perform well at the box office, making Guess Pictures the only company with two films crossing the hundred-million mark in North America during the summer season. So, you're not wrong to call us the biggest winner."
Billy Crystal stared at Link, feeling the cleverness radiate from him. What had started as a controversial question had turned into a bland discussion about business competition.
Seeing that Link didn't want to delve deeper into the issue, Billy Crystal wisely moved on to other questions.
...
"Link really is something else," Harvey Weinstein said, cigar in mouth, squinting at the TV screen.
Before the summer blockbuster season, Michael Ovitz collaborated with Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, Fox, Paramount, Castle Rock, and Carolco Pictures to intensify pressure on Link and Guess Pictures, aiming to take their box office revenue and return the Hollywood market to the pre-1992 era dominated by the Big Seven and numerous small independent producers.
When Harvey heard about this, he assumed Link and Guess Pictures were doomed, with no chance of winning.
But during the summer season, films released by the Big Seven flopped, while Guess Pictures released Speed, which grossed over a hundred million, winning a crucial round.
By July, the Big Seven unleashed a torrent of blockbusters, planning to take Link down with the Se7en project while the media conglomerate sided against Guess Pictures, raising their promotional costs.
At that time, Harvey expected Link to submit, possibly giving up more shares to surrender to their influence. But Link didn't play it that way.
He faced tremendous pressure and risk, investing tens of millions into marketing, waging a PR war against the Big Seven as if he didn't care about losses at all.
With his support, Se7en managed to release against heavy competition. The film had high quality, but due to media influence, it had a lukewarm response during the first few weeks and was far behind Link's earlier films at the box office.
Many believed Se7en had no chance of turning around and that Link would experience his first professional defeat.
No one expected that O.J. Simpson, in a fit of madness, killed his wife, and someone had written "Greed" on the villa wall before it all unfolded, perfectly tying Se7en into this shocking case.
Link, a master of publicity, seized the opportunity to promote Se7en using the case.
The film became a box office hit, successfully taking down big films like Forrest Gump and True Lies, launching a counteroffensive against the Big Seven.
This film's success marked the first failure of the Big Seven in their attempts to undermine Guess Pictures.
Link had single-handedly defeated Michael Ovitz's coalition, showing he was not just a successful director but also a savvy businessman.
Harvey puffed on his cigar, contemplating whether to reach out to Link for deeper collaboration.
"Don't think of Link too highly. If it wasn't for the sensationalism surrounding the Simpson murder case, Se7en could have easily lost money. Link just got lucky," Bob Weinstein commented while eating a hot dog.
Harvey shook his head. "It's not just luck. If Link hadn't pushed back against the Big Seven's pressure and hadn't been willing to invest heavily in marketing early on, even with the Simpson case news, Se7en wouldn't have sold out. From this perspective, Link acted calmly and decisively, proving he was smart and daring. Success isn't just about lady luck."
Bob chewed on his tasty sausage. "Are we going to deepen our collaboration with Link?"
"I'm still considering it," Harvey said, his gaze lingering on Link on the TV, wrestling with uncertainty.
Although the Big Seven's attempt to undermine Link had failed, they still held a favorable position in Hollywood.
Moving forward, Guess Pictures just needed to keep making profits while taking market shares originally belonging to the Big Seven.
The Big Seven would undoubtedly strike again against Link and Guess Pictures, possibly with increased force.
If they extended their collaboration with Guess Pictures to co-produce films, they'd find themselves allied with Link once the battle began -- and become collateral damage in the Big Seven's vendetta.
Conversely, if they chose not to cooperate, they'd lose many money-making opportunities.
This dilemma left Harvey in a state of hesitation.
*****
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