Anson looked at the stern-faced Lucas, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "20th Century Fox should have cast you as Darth Vader. Even without the helmet, your face is just as dark."
Lucas: …
Anson burst out laughing. "Relax, Luca. What's done is done. There's no need to panic. Let's stay calm and deal with things one at a time."
Lucas remained unfazed. "I am calm."
But Anson clearly disagreed, noting Lucas' sullen expression. He raised his hands in surrender. "Public opinion. We should continue to play the victim. My situation doesn't look good, and we need to keep Sony-Columbia from making any rash moves."
"From the studio's perspective, they have every reason to prepare for the worst. If I really can't continue filming, they're well within their rights to find a replacement. In that sense, they're victims too."
"But remember?"
"The perfect victim. Being 'perfect' means there can't be any moral flaws, at least not in the eyes of the public. Sony-Columbia should be more concerned about my condition rather than rushing to find a replacement before my status is even clear."
Lucas' face remained as cold as stone. "That's not enough."
For Sony-Columbia, such a counterattack was far from sufficient.
Lucas thought of Brad Pitt.
Brad Pitt wanted more control, no longer content to be just a pawn for movie studios, so he planned to start his own production company.
But Lucas knew that wasn't enough—not nearly enough.
The words used to "hit" Brad could now apply to Anson too. Even Brad couldn't completely shift the power dynamics between actors and studios, so how could Anson?
Of course, Brad's strategy was correct: becoming a player in the game rather than being bound by the studios, following Wall Street's rules, and bringing his own capital to the table.
But this was like DreamWorks.
On the surface, DreamWorks seemed to be thriving, but in reality, they were on the brink of disaster. The success of Catch Me If You Can was just a drop in the bucket.
As Lucas once told Brad, if you want to fully break free, you need hundreds of billions of dollars, not just the salary of one or two actors to keep the company afloat.
So, whether it's Brad or Anson, if they want to gain real influence or make giants like Sony-Columbia struggle, they need to play the long game.
You can't get there overnight.
Anson noticed the deep thoughts in Lucas' eyes. They each had their own way of thinking, clearly coming at the situation from different angles. But Anson could almost hear the gears turning in Lucas' mind: injured, hounded by paparazzi, and now stabbed in the back by Sony-Columbia…
Surrounded on all sides.
No wonder people say it's lonely at the top.
Anson hadn't even reached the peak yet, but he could already feel the cutthroat nature of Hollywood's climb to the top. It seemed Lucas needed some time too.
"Relax, Luca, relax. There's no need to rush. One step at a time, let's deal with things one by one."
"How about I introduce you to a friend?"
Anson tried to ease the tension.
Lucas looked at him, feeling a bit strange. He was supposed to be the older brother, so why was Anson the one comforting him?
Still, Lucas didn't refuse. He knew things couldn't be rushed. Once a plan was in place, he regained his composure and looked at Anson calmly.
"A friend? Why have you been going on about a friend since earlier? Who are you trying to introduce me to?"
Lucas paused as a thought flashed through his mind.
"Wait, you're not trying to set me up on a date, are you? I'll kill you."
He said the last words through gritted teeth.
Anson laughed heartily. "Don't worry, it's not that. It's just a friend. Remember when we went to see that movie in San Francisco? I met a friend there…"
Lucas: "…Anne Hathaway?"
Anson: "Yes, her too, but I'm talking about Jack. He was with his buddies… they slipped away before I could introduce you. Today, he came all the way back to New York to check on me…"
Lucas glanced around. "Wait, you mean he's here now?"
Anson nodded. "Yep, in the bathroom. He got here before you. Jack? It's okay now, you can come out."
Lucas lowered his voice. "Anson, is he trustworthy? He overheard everything we just discussed."
All those secrets, overheard by a third party?
Anson wasn't worried. "Don't sweat it. He'll keep quiet. He's trustworthy. Jack? Come on out, let me introduce you to Luca."
But there was no response from the bathroom.
Lucas decided to investigate, walking over and pushing the door open. "Jack? I'm Lucas Wood, Anson's brother…"
He poked his head in, looked left and right, then turned to Anson with a confused look. "There's no one here."
Anson's voice rose with confusion. "Are you sure? He hid in there when he heard you coming. Jack, come on out. No need to hide."
Lucas checked again, searching every corner and even pulling back the shower curtain. When he came out, he shook his head. "Maybe he slipped out during the commotion?"
Anson was still puzzled. "Maybe."
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Yeah, it's possible. He's no stranger to escaping. His home life involves a drunk with a fist." Anson raised his fist to demonstrate. "He has to protect his mom, so any slight noise makes him jumpy."
Lucas nodded lightly. "How did you meet him?"
Anson: "I saw his dad beating his mom on the street. He was running away, bruised and trying to get help. I couldn't just stand by and watch."
The casual tone couldn't mask the pain and sadness beneath it.
Lucas thought for a moment. "You can't save everyone."
Anson chuckled softly. "I know. Even Spider-Man can't save everyone. I'm no superhero, so I like movies."
"When the lights go down in a theater, for those two hours, we can escape to another world, find brief salvation. And sometimes, a film can be a glimmer of hope, giving people the courage to keep going."
"Movies have power too."
Lucas watched Anson quietly. After his confusion, struggle, and wandering, Anson seemed to have finally found his center. Though Hollywood's fame and fortune might feel like a battlefield, for Anson, the gains outweighed the losses.
That was a good thing.
"Like dreams?" Lucas asked.
Anson's smile spread wide. "Yes, like dreams."
Lucas: "I hope Jack will be okay. Maybe he'll find the courage to chase his own dreams through you. As for the scum who raise their fists to women and children, let's pray they don't die too soon—so they can suffer endlessly before they even get the chance."
Anson: "That's a great idea."