Chapter 734 - 735: Return to Canada_I am Hollywood

<h4>Chapter 734: Chapter 735: Return to Canada</h4>

 [Chapter 735: Return to Canada]

 Due to an unintentional conversation, the women, despite their differing thoughts, cleverly refrained from showing any signs of disturbance in front of Eric.

 Cindy proactively changed the topic, asking Elizabeth Hurley, "Liz, weren''t you recently seeking a coboration with Estee Lauder? How did that go?"

 Elizabeth Hurley shook her head with a hint of regret. "Estee Lauder ns to renew their contract with Paulina Porizkova, so I won''t have the opportunity."

 After saying this, she subtly nced over at Eric.

 "I wasn''t aware that Paulina still had a contract with Estee Lauder," Eric casually remarked. Paulina Porizkova had been one of the Victoria''s Secret Angels the previous year, and Eric always thought she bore a resemnce to Audrey Hepburn.

 From Elizabeth Hurley''s reaction, it seemed that Estee Lauder''s contract with Paulina was set to expire that year. Originally, Estee Lauder had intended to change their spokesperson, but Paulina''s poprity fromst year''s Victoria''s Secret Fashion Show had led them to reconsider. For high-end, mid-range, or fast-moving consumer goods brands, the most important factor in choosing a spokesperson was often their poprity. The models who had participated inst year''s fashion show were undoubtedly among the most well-known in the industry.

 Linda joked, "I have quite a few endorsements myself, Eric. Want to hear about them?"

 "Oh," Eric shrugged. "Not really interested, but it''s safe to say you definitely have a Victoria''s Secret endorsement."

 Lindaughed and replied, "Well, of course! You''re the one who set that up."

 Hearing the discussion shift to Victoria''s Secret, Elizabeth Hurley seized the moment to ask, "Eric, will you be involved in producing this year''s Victoria''s Secret annual show?"

 "I won''t be participating this time," Eric said, looking at Cindy and Linda. "Do you feel relieved to hear that?"

 Linda, being straightforward, nodded and added with a faux sense of relief, "Yeah, yeah! You tyrant! It''s nice to know you can''t torture us this time!"

 In reality, since the beginning of the year, LTD had been working continuously to prepare for the uing Victoria''s Secret show. With Eric stepping back from the project, not only would the supermodel ountable for the show be affected, but they would also have to find their own background music, which had been another highlight of the show.

 Many prominent musicians were keen on coborating with the Victoria''s Secret show due to the immense poprity garneredst year.

 Cindy and Linda had already been informed that the show was under new direction this year, led by an MTV director who had previously shot Victoria''s Secret ads for them. However, he was still in Los Angeles working on his own film and wouldn''t be able toe to New York to take over the Victoria''s Secret show project until next month.

 As a top British supermodel, Elizabeth Hurley had also had the chance to participate inst year''s Victoria''s Secret show. Unfortunately, at that time, she had been engaged in the filming of a UK production and had felt, like Cindy, that she was approaching the age limit for modeling. Both women had begun to shift their aspirations toward acting.

 By the time the Victoria''s Secret show garnered worldwide attention, Elizabeth found herself regretting not participating, especially since the film she starred in barely made a ssh. As a judge on America''s Next Top Model, she hoped to connect with Cindy and find a way to step onto the Victoria''s Secret stage this year.

 The surprise for her came during lunch when she encountered Eric, the young Hollywood mogul. She knew all too well that if she wanted to make her way onto the Victoria''s Secret stage, bing best friends with Cindy wouldn''t have the same impact as having conversations with Eric.

 As they continued their chat, a server quickly arrived with their meals, poured wine for everyone, and quietly stepped away.

 Elizabeth casually sliced her steak, turning to Eric and saying, "Speaking of, I regret missing the Victoria''s Secret showst year due to scheduling conflicts. Do you think I have a chance of participating in this year''s show?"

 The Victoria''s Secret Angels lineup was essentiallyplete, having formed several tiers. The group of five clearly dominated the top tier, followed by a batch of equally hot models, and finally, arger number of potential candidates waiting for their moment. Even though the production for the second Victoria''s Secret show hadn''t officially begun, the roster for Angels was already determined. Plus, considering Elizabeth''s standing in the second tier of poprity, foisting her into the show would disrupt the established production and marketing strategies.

 Just as Eric was about to dodge her question, he felt a small leg brushing against his under the table, yfully nudging against him.

 He looked up to see Cindy beside him and Linda across from him, with Elizabeth sitting diagonally. Cindy appeared unbothered and shed a charming smile as Eric looked her way, and when he turned to his left, he caught Elizabeth lightly winking at him.

 That leg stretching over was certainly a bold move, putting him in a ridiculous position of wanting to lift the table to see their arrangement beneath it.

 He had witnessed her daring behavior earlier, so he wasn''t too surprised. Sticking with his previous line of thought, he said, "I don''t think that''s possible, Liz. The lineup for the Victoria''s Secret show has already been set."

 "Eric, as long as you speak up, they''d definitely be willing to switch people, don''t you think?" Elizabeth pursued, not sensing any need for reservation in front of a big shot like him. Any hint of favor from him would be a precious opportunity for her.

 Eric smiled and nodded, "Of course, that''s why I can''t do that. It would throw everything into chaos. Didn''t you start shifting towards acting? I think you should focus more on that."

 While Eric intended to change the subject, looking at her somewhat untamed yet pretty face reminded him of the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

 Though Elizabeth was merely eye candy in that film, it was likely her only noteworthy work.

 He recalled that Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a parody film simr to a few years earlier with Hot Shots!, which parodied many films. However, Austin Powers specifically spoofed the James Bond series. While many jokes only resonated with American audiences and had limited internationalmercial potential, its low production cost allowed thepany to reap significant profits.

 The writer and star, Mike Myers, wasn''t an unknown either; he had produced another parody series, Wayne''s World, a few years prior, earning an even higher box office figure than Hot Shots!. Unfortunately, simr themes often fell prey to the sequel fatigue trope where the first film enjoyed immense sess, but Wayne''s World 2 suffered after a $60 million budget, resulting in it flopping. As for Mike Myers, he had faded into quietude over the past two years.

 In another timeline, Austin Powers managed to produce three films, making it a rare trilogy among parodyedies. The box office numbers must have been quite impressive; perhaps he could find time to check if Mike Myers had picked up the script.

 Seizing the opportunity to steer the conversation toward films, Elizabeth quickly chimed in, "Eric, I really love acting too, but I just haven''t found the right opportunity. Does Firefly have any movies suitable for me?"

 Before Eric could answer, Linda jumped in, "Eric, I want to act in a movie too."

 Caught off-guard with how to respond to Elizabeth''s persistence, Eric almost felt like kissing Linda''s cheek as she conveniently redirected the topic, although he forced a look of impatience. "You should focus on Project Runaway, and if you can''t do that well, I''ll send you back to Canada."

 Linda pouted, showing no signs of remorse at all. "Why be mean? I don''t need to act if I don''t want to."

 Cindy then spoke up, "Eric, your next film still doesn''t have any prospects. Are you really nning on retiring?"

 "I just can''t find the right project," Eric casually replied.

 Linda urged, "So what kind of project would excite you?"

 "I can''t shake the feeling that I''ve been asked that before," Eric quipped, contemting, he said, "Perhaps a project that could top the box office of Jurassic Park."

 "Ha, surpassing Jurassic Park? That''s not so easy. Everyone says the box office was aplete surprise."

 Eric smiled and said, "Every film''s box office is a surprise because no one can urately predict the numbers before a film is released."

 Linda countered, "I think you shouldn''t set your standards so high. I really liked the early films you shot; Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman, and yes, even Running Out of Time. I loved that film! I even thought about auditioning for the Yoyo role. Whileter ones like Twister and Jurassic Park were thrilling, their storylinescked."

 The two women yed off each other perfectly, subtly usurping Elizabeth Hurley from the center of attention and leaving her with no chance to interject.

 ...

 Their meal wrapped up quickly, and after leaving the restaurant, they stepped into the elevator. Elizabeth looked at Cindy, who seemed somewhat reluctant to say goodbye to Eric and Linda before driving off. Elizabeth then slid up beside Eric, taking the spot where Cindy had just vacated, and asked, "Eric, are you guys going to the set of Project Runaway this afternoon?"

 "Yeah," Eric nodded.

 "Can Ie along to take a look?" Elizabeth asked, then added, "I''ve watched Survivor and have always been curious about how reality shows are made."

 "Liz, that might not be convenient. These kinds of shows require a high level of confidentiality."

 "I just want to observe; I promise I won''t disclose anything. Really," Elizabeth said, then casually wrapped her arm around Eric''s.

 Eric looked at Linda, who gave him a look thatmunicated ''you decide.'' She turned aside, knowing that if Elizabeth approached them, she certainly couldn''t serve as an effective barrier, especially considering she wouldn''t even qualify as Eric''s girlfriend.

 "Well, alright," Eric decided, sensing Linda''sck of any objection and feeling Elizabeth gently nudging against his arm, he agreed. After all, very few people could resist the advances of a stunning beauty.

 ...

 The three of them headed towards Eric''s luxury car, where the driver opened the door. Eric ushered both women inside and drove off to the set of Project Runaway.

 Even though Eric had taken Linda to the America''s Next Top Model set earlier that morning, Project Runaway''s production had not ceased.

 Arriving at the filming location for Project Runaway a few blocks away, the crew had already begun working. The pace here was slowerpared to the America''s Next Top Model set, and due to the different program format, Project Runaway''s filming locations were mostly fixed,prising a sewing room, contestants'' dormitories, and apetition stage within the studio.

 While the finished episodes made it seem like the contestants had very tightpetition timelines, in reality, the shooting time for each episode could stretch up to a week.

 Upon arrival, Linda merely informed the production team to reconvene in the morning to reconsider the editing direction of the show, and then did not disrupt the crew''s work, instead standing by as a mere observer alongside Eric and Elizabeth.

 Elizabeth''s thoughts were definitely not on the reality show. Throughout the process, she remained glued to Eric''s side, feigning curiosity with multiple questions and presenting herself as eager to learn.

 While managing the persistent attention of the beautiful Elizabeth, Eric took a moment to call Kelly, who had already returned to Los Angeles, asking her to look into Mike Myers'' background for any scripts rted to Austin Powers.

 *****

 /Sayonara816.

MillionNovel

Chapter 734 - 735: Return to Canada