Los Angeles, the sun still shining brightly over the city.
Catherine was at an Italian café on Sunset Boulevard, discussing the company's next film project, "The Help," when she received a call from Jennifer Lawrence.
"The Help" is set in Mississippi in 1962, during the Civil Rights Movement. Despite the movement, the South was still deeply affected by the legacy of slavery, and many Black maids faced significant inequalities in white households. The story follows a white girl raised by a Black maid who decides to interview these maids and write a book about their struggles to help them fight for equality.
The script is adapted from the novel "The Help," published last year.
Catherine was interested in female-centric films and decided to take on this project after consulting with Link, who left the decision to her.
Today, she was meeting with the novel's author, Kathryn Stockett, and the director and screenwriter, Tate Taylor, to discuss the film.
While chatting, Catherine received Jennifer's call. Jennifer politely introduced herself and asked if they could talk. Catherine agreed and arranged a meeting at Palm Bay Agency.
Link had previously informed Catherine about Jennifer's agreement to join Palm Bay and asked her to handle the contract details. Catherine was pleased, as Jennifer's decision to switch agencies was a pleasant surprise for Palm Bay.
Another reason for Catherine's happiness was Link's serious attitude towards signing actors. Initially, when Link proposed starting an agency to sign Gal Gadot, Catherine and Mandy thought he was just trying to date beautiful actresses. However, they soon realized Link was serious about the agency's work, recommending talented actresses like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, who could genuinely help the company make money.
Understanding Link's intentions, Catherine felt reassured. Despite his slight playboy tendencies, Link was serious about business and kept personal and professional matters separate, unlike many other wealthy heirs.
---
Around 3 PM, at a Blue Mountain café opposite Palm Bay Agency on Hollywood Boulevard, Catherine met Jennifer Lawrence and her agent, Clausen.
Catherine got straight to the point, confirming that all the terms Link promised could be fulfilled and asked if Jennifer had any additional requests.
Jennifer had two requests: first, she wanted her agent, Clausen, to join Palm Bay with her. Catherine agreed, assuring that Clausen would continue to be her agent at Palm Bay.
The second request was for Catherine to be her primary agent. Catherine smiled warmly and agreed, appreciating Jennifer's intelligence, similar to Emma Stone.
Emma Stone was very respectful and considerate towards Catherine, almost like a daughter. Now, with Jennifer joining, Catherine felt she was another smart girl.
After finalizing the details, Catherine invited Jennifer and Clausen to visit Palm Bay Agency. Jennifer happily agreed and followed Catherine into the company.
Palm Bay Agency occupied the 8th to 10th floors of an office building on the west end of Hollywood Boulevard, with a total area of nearly 1,000 square meters. Despite having fewer than sixty employees, including actors, agents, assistants, and administrative staff, the office was well-decorated.
In the office corridor, Jennifer ran into Emma Stone and greeted her.
Emma's green eyes lit up with curiosity. "Lucy, why is Jennifer Lawrence here? Find out what she's doing at our company," she asked her assistant.
The assistant soon returned with the news that Jennifer Lawrence was joining Palm Bay and was currently discussing the contract.
Hearing this, Emma felt uneasy. Previously, she was the only actress at the company, and Link and Catherine would consider her first for new film roles. Now, with Jennifer, another talented actress, there would be more competition for roles.
Additionally, Jennifer had been rumored to have a close relationship with Link. If the company had new projects, Jennifer might get roles just by spending time with Link.
Thinking about this, Emma felt a sense of crisis.
Last year, she had also wanted to get close to Link, but he was dating Taylor, leaving no opportunity for others. After their breakup, Link was often away filming, and Emma had no chance to approach him. Jennifer, however, had managed to get close to Link during filming and was now being signed to the company, clearly being groomed for success.
"What should I do now?" Emma pondered, sitting in her office chair, her eyes fixed on Catherine's office.
Joining Palm Bay nearly a year ago, Emma had enjoyed her time there, getting good roles and earning money. She had become a rising star in Hollywood, feeling very satisfied.
She also had a good relationship with Catherine, who treated her almost like a daughter. But Catherine, as the company's manager, couldn't only sign one actress. Signing other actors was inevitable.
Emma understood and accepted this but blamed Link for being too flirtatious, signing actresses he had been involved with. Was he trying to turn Palm Bay into his personal harem?
"Okay, goodbye!"
The office door opened, and Jennifer Lawrence walked out. Emma blinked her green eyes, adjusted her dress and hair, and walked out.
"Hi, Jennifer!"
"Hi, Emma!"
They greeted each other in the corridor.
One was blonde with green eyes, the other brunette with brown eyes. One was petite and slim, the other taller. One wore a dress, the other a T-shirt and jeans.
Though neither was a top beauty, both were attractive and young, with talent and potential in the entertainment industry.
They sized each other up.
Emma wondered about Jennifer's relationship with Link. Were they lovers?
Jennifer also wondered if Link and Emma had been involved. She hadn't heard any rumors about it.
"Jennifer, I watched your performance in 'Winter's Bone.' Your acting is excellent," Emma said with a smile.
"Thank you. Your acting is great too, very funny," Jennifer replied.
"My office is here. Would you like to come in for a cold drink?" Emma invited.
"Not today, I have some work to do. Maybe another time," Jennifer politely declined.
"Okay, it's a date then."
Emma shook Jennifer's hand and personally saw her to the elevator.
After seeing Jennifer off, Emma thought for a moment, then walked to Catherine's office and knocked lightly. Hearing Catherine's invitation, she entered.
Inside were Catherine, the head of the talent department, Mr. Mihash Fiss, and the head of the legal department, Mr. Colin Coleman. Catherine briefed them on Jennifer Lawrence's situation and assigned them the task of handling the contract.
After they left, Emma diligently poured a cup of iced tea and placed it on Catherine's desk.
"So diligent, trying to find out about Jennifer Lawrence?" Catherine smiled.
"No, I just met Jennifer. I knew her before. She's a great actress," Emma said.
Catherine smiled slightly. "Yes, we signed her because she's good. But you don't need to worry about competition. You're on the comedy path, and she's in leading roles. There's no conflict for now."
"Yes, I understand. I'm just curious about her relationship with Link. Are they still dating?" Emma leaned on the desk, looking gossiping.
"I don't know. His current official girlfriend is Ivanka. I haven't asked about his other girlfriends."
"I read in the papers that he has seven or eight. He's such a player. Don't you control him?" Emma laughed.
"No, the more girlfriends he has, the more trouble he'll have in the future. Over time, he'll get tired and consider settling down, getting married, and having children. All men are the same, so just let it be," Catherine said, flipping through documents.
Emma nodded thoughtfully.
---
"Jennifer, how did it go?"
Outside Palm Bay Agency, Jennifer Lawrence, wearing sunglasses, got into the car and heard her agent Clausen ask.
"Everything went smoothly. Palm Bay will handle all legal matters and pay the breach of contract fee according to the contract. There's no problem with the signing," Jennifer said.
Clausen nodded, hesitated for a moment, and told her that Weinstein International had called, saying Harvey Weinstein had seen her performance in "Winter's Bone" and appreciated her acting. If she performed well, he would consider giving her the lead role in a new film.
"Weinstein International?"
Hearing Weinstein, Jennifer was excited.
Weinstein International was a new film company founded by the Weinstein brothers in 2006.
Since the 1970s, the brothers had produced dozens of classic films and over 600 indie films, including "Pulp Fiction," "The English Patient," "Gangs of New York," "Infernal Affairs," "Chicago," "Kill Bill," "Cold Mountain," "Shakespeare in Love," "Good Will Hunting," and "The Lord of the Rings." Their films had received over 300 Oscar nominations and won more than 70 Oscars, earning them the title "Saviors of Modern Cinema."
The Weinstein brothers had also launched the careers of directors like Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino, and actors like Gwyneth Paltrow, Russell Crowe, and Renée Zellweger, earning them the nickname "Oscar Kingmakers" and "Golden Producers."
Being noticed by Weinstein International was a great opportunity.
But there was a problem. She was about to switch agencies, and Weinstein International was a resource from IMG. Could she still get the role after switching?
Thinking about this, Jennifer felt torn.
end,