On November 20th, the preliminary round of the WBC Boxing Championship began. Paul returned to New York for the match and won his first fight. After the match, he stayed in New York to train, vowing not to return to Los Angeles until he won the championship belt.
Richard supported this decision, noting that compared to Los Angeles, there were fewer distractions in the Bronx, making it a better place for training—especially for someone whose willpower wasn't particularly strong.
As the year drew to a close, Richard also became busy. A week after the release of The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Bone Collector was released nationwide. Richard had initially played a minor role with only a few lines. However, due to his growing fame, his role was adjusted to a supporting lead, and he even appeared on the movie poster.
The distributor originally planned to use the slogans "Boxing Champion Richard's First Police Drama" and "Boxing Champion Richard's Transformation" to create hype with misleading advertising. When Richard's management company got wind of this, they immediately objected. Richard had only been paid $200,000 for the role as a minor character, so they didn't want anyone taking advantage of him.
The distributor offered to pay more, but Richard declined. He understood that fame is a consumable resource—overuse it, and it loses its impact. So, the distributor dropped the idea.
On the day of the movie's release, Richard attended the premiere. After watching the final cut, he noticed that his screen time had increased. What was originally ten minutes of screen time had turned into twenty minutes, with his character frequently appearing in the background of scenes featuring the lead actors.
His increased presence led some audience members to suspect that his character, Solomon, might actually be the killer—motivated by unrequited love. Solomon was attracted to the female lead, Amelia, but she was in love with the paralyzed male lead, Lincoln.
Initially, Richard found this theory amusing, but as he thought about it, he realized his character might indeed have had feelings for Amelia. Some of his close-up shots were particularly suggestive.
"Angie, I don't recall Solomon having a romantic subplot with Amelia, right?" Richard asked softly.
Angelina Jolie smiled lightly. "That was added during editing. They originally wanted to make you the supporting lead and create a love triangle between Amelia, Lincoln, and Solomon. But this change would have disrupted the main storyline, so the director's team decided against it. Instead, they added a few close-up shots of you to subtly imply that Amelia is a very attractive woman."
"That's outrageous! My character almost had a love story, and I didn't even know it," Richard said, rubbing his forehead.
Jolie bit her lower lip, smiling. "Aren't you happy to have more screen time?"
"There's nothing to be happy about. My character just wanders around aimlessly, serving as a backdrop for the female lead and running errands for the male lead. He has no agency at all. His sole purpose is to highlight the male lead's intelligence and the female lead's bravery. This is the most incompetent role I've ever played. I bet people will criticize me for this—how a boxing champion can't even compare to a woman in a movie."
"Don't worry. Criticism can be a good thing. The harder they criticize you now, the more they'll praise you in the future. As they see you improve, from a bad actor to a good one, your fans will appreciate your efforts even more, just like with me."
Jolie smiled.
"We're different. I've always been a good actor."
"You mean I was a bad actor before?" Jolie squinted at him.
"You said that, not me."
Richard laughed.
"Fuck you!" Jolie flipped him off.
Richard shook his head. "I heard you're dating Billy Bob Thornton?"
"Yes, feeling a bit jealous?"
Jolie licked her lips and smiled.
"A little, but also relieved. I used to worry that you'd come after me. Now I don't have to worry."
"Pfft~, fuck you!"
Jolie laughed and cursed.
"Just kidding, don't get mad. I hope this relationship lasts at least two years."
"What do you mean by that?"
Jolie asked, annoyed.
"Nothing, uh..."
As they laughed, Richard suddenly grimaced, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"You don't believe I could crush you, do you?" Jolie whispered.
"Don't move!"
Richard whispered back. Although the seats around them were empty and the theater was dimly lit, there was still a risk of being caught.
"Gwen used to tell me about this, but I didn't believe her. Now I see she was right," Jolie said, pursing her lips.
Richard shrugged.
Clap, clap, clap~ A while later, the movie ended, and many people stood up to applaud. Richard sighed in relief, clapping his hands and congratulating director Phillip Noyce on making a great film.
The movie had a tight plot, with one twist leading to another, keeping the audience hooked. The performances by the main actors were also excellent, making it a solid suspense film.
"There's a party later. Are you going?" Jolie asked as they left the theater.
"No, I haven't finished my training for the day. I need to go lift some weights." Richard shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled.
"Training every day—does a boxing champion's life have to be so dull and monotonous?" Jolie asked.
"It's neither dull nor monotonous. A champion is like someone standing on top of a mountain, watching countless others constantly climbing up to take his place. It feels pretty good," Richard replied with a light smile.
"But you're not the number one in boxing yet," Jolie teased.
"I will be soon," Richard said confidently.
"If you win a heavyweight title, I'll sleep with you. If not, you sleep with me—how about that?" Jolie chuckled.
"We've already made that bet, Miss Jolie."
"That was a long-term bet. How about a short-term one? If you win a heavyweight title within three years, I'll sleep with you. If you don't, you sleep with me. Do you dare to bet?" Jolie crossed her arms and smiled.
Richard gave a faint smile, "OK!"
"Haha, so you do find me tempting, don't you?" Jolie grinned.
"You've got it wrong. It's just a delaying tactic. People's feelings and interests constantly change. What we love today, we might hate tomorrow. And who knows what will happen in three years?" Richard said, shaking his hand as he got into the car.
Jolie blinked and smiled slightly. "Hey, Richard, Paramount is preparing a new movie based on the game Tomb Raider. The lead role could be perfect for you. If you're interested, you should check it out."
"Thanks, and congratulations to you. I'm sure you'll be awesome as Lara Croft," Richard replied with a smile.
"Haha, of course!" Jolie confidently smiled and sauntered to her car, her sexy figure moving gracefully.
Richard honked the horn lightly and drove away from the theater.
Back at his hillside villa, Richard continued his boxing training, occasionally taking acting lessons at his agency, practicing fight scenes with Charlize, chatting with Gwen about film projects, visiting Keanu to see the little ones, and dropping by Reese's film set.
After seven days passed, he suddenly recalled what Alvin had said: "Women are a boxer's greatest enemy."
On the surface, this phrase warned him to avoid indulging in women, lest it weaken him physically. But there was a deeper meaning: the more women in your life, the more complex the relationships, and handling these relationships would inevitably consume time, leaving less for training.
If there were no women, one could train 24 hours a day, year after year. How strong could one become? The thought was unimaginable!
After a week in theaters, The Bone Collector grossed $17.71 million, ranking fourth in the week's box office. The Talented Mr. Ripley earned $13.09 million in its second week, with a total gross of $29 million, projected to reach over $80 million by the end of its run. Both films performed well at the box office.
Riding the success of these two films, Richard, despite being a supporting actor, gained significant attention.
The Hollywood Reporter summarized the box office performance of his films over the past two years. A Perfect Murder grossed $65 million in North America, Dangerous Games earned $58 million, and One Kiss also brought in $58 million. His latest releases, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Bone Collector, were also performing well.
These films weren't heavily invested, but they did well at the box office.
The Hollywood Reporter commented, "Although boxing champion Richard's acting has yet to be recognized by critics, the films he's starred in or participated in have been well-received by the market and supported by audiences. He's a promising newcomer and one of the most valuable new actors this year. His future looks bright."
"Look at this, Richard. The Hollywood Reporter says you're this year's best new actor," Charlize said, waving the newspaper as she lounged on the couch.
"There's no trophy, so it's not worth fussing over. Alright, let's get ready to go," Richard said, turning off the TV.
"Alright!"
Charlize stretched, propped herself up on his shoulder, and wobbled into the dressing room.
Richard shook his head and started tidying up the living room.
"Richard, which one should I wear?" Charlize asked, holding up three outfits.
"Anything will look good on you with your figure. But nothing at all would be best," Richard teased.
"Shut up! Pick one—no excuses," Charlize demanded.
"That black skirt looks good," Richard suggested.
"Black is too serious. It's Ava's birthday, so I should dress more casually."
"Then the blue slip dress," Richard offered.
"Alright!"
Charlize took the dress back to the dressing room. A moment later, she emerged wearing a white knit sweater, blue jeans, and high heels.
"I thought you were going with the blue one?" Richard asked.
"Em~ I just noticed it was dirty from the last time I wore it and forgot to wash it," Charlize shrugged with a smile.
"Fine, fine. When's your mom coming over?"
"Why do you keep asking about my mom? Could it be that you…" Charlize raised an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously.
Smack! Richard gave her a light slap. "If your mom isn't here, I can mess with you all I want, so I need to know in advance."
"Bastard! I'll fight you! Take this!" Charlize threw punches and kicks at him, using the combat techniques she had learned from him.
Richard grabbed her leg, spun her around, causing her to shriek, then gently patted her and pulled her into his arms.
"You jerk! Why is it that after all this time, I still can't beat you? You must be holding back the core techniques!" Charlize complained.
"No matter what fighting style, it's all about strength and speed. If you want to learn the core techniques, you'll have to train with me and build muscle. How about becoming a muscle-bound powerhouse?" Richard teased.
"Haha, no way, that would be terrifying! I already have muscles," Charlize laughed, flexing her arm, showing off a tiny bit of muscle.
"Stop showing off. Let's get going."
"Wait, I haven't put on my makeup yet," Charlize said, kicking her legs playfully.
"You don't need makeup—you're already beautiful."
"No way, I can't go out without makeup. Just give me three minutes," Charlize said, kissing him quickly before dashing into the makeup room.
Richard sighed, took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and dropped to the floor to do push-ups. He set a small goal: to keep going until Charlize was ready.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…"
He hit 300 push-ups in eight minutes, but Charlize still hadn't come out.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed to 600 in 15 minutes.
His arms began to tremble, his breathing became labored, and his abdominal muscles burned with heat, but Charlize was still singing in the makeup room.
"Oh baby baby, hit me baby one more time," Richard heard her sing as he gasped for breath and pushed himself to do another 200 push-ups, taking 20 minutes.
A total of 800 push-ups—he had reached his limit. His arms were on the verge of giving out, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor. But Charlize was still not done.
He was about to get up, but then he remembered his small goal. If he gave up now, wouldn't he be going back on his word? He'd be lying to himself.
So he pushed on, struggling to complete each rep—one, two, three… eighty-nine, ninety, ninety-one…
"Richard, we can go now!"
At the sound of her voice, Richard's body gave out, and he collapsed on the floor, exhausted.
"Richard, what's wrong?!"