In a villa near Pacific Coast Highway in the Santa Monica Beach area, music was blasting, wild and exhilarating. Stepping into the pool area behind the villa, you'd find a dozen or so stunning blonde, long-legged beauties in revealing swimsuits. They were swimming, lounging on beach chairs, playing in the water, splashing around, slapping their butts, sipping drinks, and batting their eyelashes. Beyond that, words just can't describe it; you'd have to experience it yourself.
When Gilbert walked in, Nicolas Cage was chilling with two blondes, and another blonde was kneeling in front of him, on his lap, and then... Gilbert was speechless. He just walked in and saw that. Was Uncle Cage trying to test him or something?
"Ahem," Gilbert faked a cough.
Nicolas Cage finally noticed him, nodded for him to sit down, and then patted the blonde in his arms, telling her to go get some drinks. The other two blondes acted like Gilbert wasn't even there, just kept doing their thing. Once the drinks arrived, Nicolas Cage finally shook Gilbert's hand: "So, you're Gilbert."
"That's right, I am." Gilbert glanced around the villa, watching the blondes playing and laughing. Gilbert smiled slightly and said, "I heard about you from Sofia. I hear you're a pretty good actor, so I was hoping to work with you."
"Haha," Nicolas Cage shooed the blondes away and sat next to Gilbert, staring at him as if trying to see through him.
Gilbert rubbed his nose and said, "Mr. Cage, when you have a guest, you should at least put on some clothes instead of running around naked, swinging that thing everywhere."
Nicolas Cage didn't care, just casually said, "I heard your Landrini family is pretty strong. I don't buy it, so I wanna challenge you."
"Challenge me with what? Size?" Gilbert asked.
"No, we'll challenge each other with women," Nicolas Cage said, pointing at the dozen or so blondes. "We'll see who can conquer these women."
Gilbert was instantly speechless. So Nicolas Cage brought him here for a wild party. To be honest, Gilbert wasn't against wild parties, but he was a bit selfish. He preferred not to have other men around when he was having one. So Gilbert flat-out refused: "Sorry, Mr. Cage, I came here to talk about movies, not this. If you don't want to act, you don't have to go to such lengths."
With that, Gilbert started to leave. Nicolas Cage quickly stopped him: "You're just like they say, living like a Puritan. No wonder you've achieved so much at such a young age."
Gilbert had a million questions. He had three girlfriends already; was that really considered a Puritan lifestyle? He just wasn't into wild parties, that's all!
After that, Nicolas Cage sent the blondes away, finally put on some clothes, and started chatting normally with Gilbert.
"Alright, tell me, what movie do you want me for? Just so you know, I'm not interested in playing a boxer," Nicolas Cage declared upfront. Previously, many stars and actors had expressed interest in working with Gilbert in interviews, saying they'd be willing to play a boxer dad or a boxer mom. Of course, Nicolas Cage, with his unique style, wasn't among them.
Gilbert shook his head and then said, "Of course not. Actually, I want you to play a bioweapons scientist. Sounds interesting, right?"
"A little interesting," Nicolas Cage asked, "Can you give me a rough idea of the story?"
The entire script, with the help of two screenwriters, had been finalized, and the story framework was already set. Gilbert gave a simple rundown: "The story starts because General Hummel is unhappy with the government's compensation and benefits for retired and fallen soldiers and their families. He leads his men to steal the U.S. military's latest bioweapon, a VX gas bomb, and smuggles it to Alcatraz Island. He then takes 81 tourists hostage on the island. They've taken control of the island and are demanding a hundred million dollar ransom from the government within 48 hours, or they'll kill the hostages and attack San Francisco with the gas bombs. Alcatraz used to be a super secure prison, easy to defend, tough to attack. The government accidentally finds an old file revealing that former British agent Mason successfully escaped from that prison, so they bring Mason in and ask him to lead a special forces team to storm Alcatraz within 30 hours. The character you'd play is Goodspeed, the bioweapons expert who helps Mason take over Alcatraz. So, what do you think? Still got some appeal?"
"Yeah, it's got some appeal, way better than your 'Real Steel.'" Nicolas Cage seemed a little more interested now. "Talk to my agent; I'll keep my schedule clear."
"Alright, it's a done deal then," Gilbert nodded.
The two then chatted about other things. Gilbert politely declined Nicolas Cage's dinner invitation and took his leave.
---
### Awards and Revelations
A few days later, Gilbert attended the Saturn Awards ceremony with Cameron Diaz. This was another pretty high-profile film award, established in 1975. The Saturn Awards primarily honor sci-fi, horror, fantasy, adventure, action, and thriller films. Unlike the Oscars, blockbusters are the main event here. Because of that, this award ceremony gets a lot of attention. Gilbert was nominated for Best Director at the Saturn Awards but didn't win. However, "Speed" took home the Saturn Award for Best Action/Thriller Film this year, and Gilbert got to give an acceptance speech.
"I'm super happy to win this award. I used to watch the Saturn Awards on TV all the time, and I never thought I'd actually be standing on this stage one day. This means so much to me, it's like a big thumbs-up from the fans. I'm gonna keep working hard to bring you even better movies, and I hope I get another chance to be up here."
His speech was short and sweet, not as long as his Oscar speech, but still powerful. As a highly talked-about director, Gilbert's every word and action were under the media's microscope, constantly bathed in the spotlight. This level of attention made some Hollywood B-list and even A-list stars envious.
It's worth noting that Sandra Bullock won Best Actress at this year's Saturn Awards for her role as Annie in "Speed." With the MTV Movie Awards and the Oscars in March, "Speed," a commercial film, actually did pretty well in terms of awards.
After the Saturn Awards, Gilbert was interviewed by Vanity Fair, where he talked about how he felt after becoming famous, the pressure he faced, and so on.
"After I got into Hollywood, I never imagined I'd get so much attention. People always say directors are behind-the-scenes guys; the actors always get the cheers. But with me, it's totally different, and I wasn't sure how to handle it at first."
"Does being in such a spotlight make you feel a lot of pressure?" the interviewer asked.
"Of course," Gilbert nodded. "Every movie I put out gets scrutinized by the market and criticized by audiences. This pressure even affects my personal life. The other day, when Sally and I were out shopping, paparazzi even followed us, and someone even went through the trash can at my apartment building. All of this made me feel lost at first, but now I'm gradually getting used to it."
This was indeed a change in Gilbert's mindset, and he wasn't making it up. When he first entered this world, everything was indeed a bit overwhelming for Gilbert. But after the initial nervousness and sleepless nights, Gilbert was now able to calmly face his current situation. His change in status brought a change in mindset; the online movie director from his past life had now made a name for himself in Hollywood.
He also hinted at ideas for his new project: "My new movie is going to be an explosive action film. I hope audiences will love it."
The Vanity Fair article was quickly published, giving fans a little insight into Gilbert's journey and his mental state. However, fans were more interested in the new project Gilbert mentioned. But no matter how fast Gilbert made movies, his next film wouldn't be out until next year. This left fans itching for more, wishing Gilbert would turn into a diligent workhorse on a farm and churn out movies faster. But people aren't machines, and even machines need oil and maintenance. People certainly need rest.
---
### "True Lies" and New Projects
In his spare time, Gilbert even made a point to attend the premiere of James Cameron's "True Lies." Just as he remembered, it was a thrilling two hours, a typical Hollywood blockbuster action film about terrorism, with a perfect blend of comedy and family elements. He really enjoyed it. The scene where Jamie Lee Curtis falls while trying to do a pole dance because she missed the pole was pretty funny, but that wasn't scripted; it was a real accident. During filming, Jamie Lee Curtis lost her balance, but James Cameron didn't yell "cut," so that accidental shot made it into the movie. When you watch the film, you can even see Arnold Schwarzenegger try to catch her. Another classic scene has to be Schwarzenegger flying the Harrier jet to wipe out terrorists and save his daughter. Also, you can see a lot of the same filming techniques Gilbert used in "Speed" in this movie, like the first-person tire view and freeze-frame bomb shots. In terms of tension and excitement, it was even better than he remembered.
Even though the movie was awesome, it was unfortunately rated R. In terms of excitement and quality, "True Lies" was better than "Real Steel," but its R rating would clearly hurt its box office. The rating system has a huge impact on a blockbuster's success. So far, the highest-grossing R-rated movie is another James Cameron film, "Terminator 2." That movie pulled in 210 million dollars domestically and 520 million dollars globally, but it still wasn't enough to keep it in the top ten highest-grossing films worldwide.
After the movie, Gilbert chatted with James Cameron for a bit. James Cameron said to Gilbert, "Gilbert, I'm thinking of getting into underwater photography. Are you interested?"
"Underwater photography? Are you going to film the Titanic?" Gilbert asked.
James Cameron's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands: "Yeah, I can go to the Titanic wreck site and do underwater photography! That's a great idea!"
"Uh," Gilbert was speechless. Did he just inadvertently remind James Cameron to make the famous Titanic? However, Gilbert didn't have any interest in that movie. He wasn't going to spend a year doing underwater photography for it, and then dedicate the next two or three years to such a massive project. For one, he didn't feel he had enough skills yet, and for another, "Titanic" was no easy movie to make. Rumor had it that James Cameron even brought a knife to the set, ready to commit suicide if the movie failed. If someone as wild as him was pushed to that extreme, Gilbert didn't think he was any stronger than James Cameron. So, he decided to stick to his original plan: "The Rock," then "Saving Private Ryan."
---
### Cameron Diaz and "The Mask"
In late July, Gilbert also showed up to support Cameron Diaz's new movie, "The Mask." Just as he remembered, this movie, which didn't have a huge production budget, was indeed fantastic. After attending the premiere and seeing the movie in theaters again, Gilbert believed it could replicate its success from his previous life. And now, Cameron Diaz was an even stronger force; she wasn't an unknown newcomer like she was in his past life, which would only help the movie's box office.
After the premiere, Cameron Diaz linked arms with Gilbert and asked him, "What do you think of the movie?"
"Hmm," Gilbert thought seriously for a moment before answering, "I think it's good. It'll do well in the summer. Jim Carrey's performance was amazing."
"Wasn't I awesome too?" Cameron Diaz clearly wanted Gilbert to praise her.
"My bad, the moment I saw you, I was so captivated by your sexy figure that I didn't even notice how you acted," Gilbert said with a smile.
Cameron Diaz playfully glared at Gilbert: "I'm a professional actress, you know!"
"Yeah," Gilbert pulled Cameron Diaz into his embrace and lightly bit her ear, "but for me, your performance is nowhere near as appealing as you are to me in bed."
Those words, coupled with his tone, whispered into Cameron Diaz's ear, made her body go weak. At that moment, Cameron Diaz didn't care that the premiere had just ended and the media reporters hadn't left yet. She spun around, and without even having to stand on her tiptoes like Naomi Watts, she planted a fiery kiss on him.
What happened after that was much simpler: they went straight home, where dry wood met raging fire, and they battled it out for a hundred rounds.
The next day, Cameron Diaz called in sick and didn't show up for promotional activities. On the very first day of the movie's promotion, the female lead was absent. However, considering Cameron Diaz's not-so-simple relationship with Gilbert, New Line Cinema temporarily forgave Cameron Diaz's impulsive behavior.