The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 216: Not an Ordinary Person]

After signing the agreement, Tom Cruise handed the materials he brought over to Hawke. Inside were all the details surrounding Pat Kingsley and Nicole Kidman.

The estranged couple had reached a stage of mutual attacks, leaving little room for any lingering feelings. Hawke passed the information along to Edward, saying, "We need to deal with the people behind the scenes who are trying to undermine you before we can shift public opinion. Otherwise, our PR efforts will lose impact."

Compared to Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise harbored a deep resentment towards Kingsley. "We need to make sure she is completely finished."

Hawke couldn't make any promises. "I'll first look into her background."

"I look forward to your good news." Tom Cruise opted not to linger any longer.

Hawke reminded him, "Go back out the side door the same way you came in."

Edward made a call, stating, "The security team has been monitoring the side exit. There haven't been any issues there."

Tom Cruise nodded, then headed downstairs with his lawyer.

...

Hawke, meanwhile, took a seat and began to carefully review the materials.

There was no need to elaborate on Nicole Kidman; she spent the first decade of her Hollywood career completely under Tom Cruise's protection. The public blowup in their marriage had begun during the filming of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Rumors surrounding the film were rampant, and after Kubrick's passing before the film's completion, speculation arose regarding the movie's content.

Hawke clearly rememberd that when he first watched the film, he was completely attracted by Nicole Kidman's large-scale scenes. He felt that the content of the film was dull and boring, and basically only watched certain scenes.

However, as the Hollywood glamour faded and more and more scandals surfaced in North America, reflecting back on Kubrick's film took on a different significance.

Not long after Eyes Wide Shut premiered, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise publicly split, culminating in divorce.

With her main support gone, Kidman quickly turned to a heavyset man; under Harvey Weinstein's backing, she won the Best Actress award at the last Oscars.

Public figures like her still had powerful allies, making things a bit more complicated.

...

Hawke set aside Nicole Kidman's information for the time being to examine the materials on Pat Kingsley.

She had a background in public relations, previously serving as a senior partner and director at PMK Public Relations before moving to CAA for a comprehensive collaboration, also as one of their senior partners.

Having her agent's license and a traditional background as a seasoned PR manager, the 70-year-old Kingsley was no easy opponent.

Engaging in a simple war of words or media battle against someone like her would prove complicated. Hawke understood that she had been in Hollywood since the late 1950s.

On the surface, Kingsley seemed to have no major issues, and the troublesome topics were events from two or three decades earlier -- like her husband's infidelity -- but the distance in time lessened their impact.

As for her immediate family, Kingsley was married to Simon Foster, and they had a son and daughter; the daughter was married and working in New York, while the son was 30 and currently single.

Hawke closely reviewed the materials; they were quite ordinary. As a major star, Tom Cruise didn't have detailed knowledge about Kingsley's life outside of work.

Fortunately, Kingsley and her family all had several photos included in the documents.

Hawke gathered up the materials and called for Edward, instructing him, "Pass these on to Campos. Have him look into this family thoroughly, and as usual, don't alert them."

Edward took the information, tucked it into his bag, and pulled out his phone to call Campos before heading out.

...

As Hawke stored away Nicole Kidman's materials, he thought if the investigation into Kingsley went smoothly, he wouldn't have to worry about her; if she had any sense, she would lie low for a while.

Considering the Best Actress curse, she would likely fade from the spotlight in no more than two years. One large and medium-budget film project after another would face failures, and soon she would find herself relegated to supporting roles. At that point, Tom Cruise would not be perceived as a controlling figure but rather as a lifelong love.

As an actor, making money is not shameful.

...

Hawke walked over to the window, gazing out at Venice Beach and contemplating Kingsley's next move.

The alleged rumors concerning his sexuality would be easy to squash; just find another woman to date or get engaged to.

Tom Cruise's most criticized aspect, without a doubt, was his beliefs.

When faith was involved, things became tricky.

Hawke never considered persuading Tom Cruise to abandon Scientology. That was clearly impossible; he was now among the upper echelons of the Church, and in some respects, promoting Scientology benefitted him as well.

The best strategy was still to create another sensational event to divert public attention.

Moreover, Tom Cruise had immense influence -- he could also help promote Twitter further.

Sitting back at his computer, Hawke began typing out a plan.

...

After Hawke had been working for a while, he called for Caroline.

In under three minutes, Ms. Baa came in wearing red high heels that clicked against the floor.

Hawke went straight to the point. "Do you know Pat Kingsley?"

His direct approach caught Caroline off guard.

Before coming in, she had taken a minute to touch up her makeup and donned a business suit.

The unconventional questioning left Caroline with few options; she pulled out a chair and replied, "She can be considered one of the pioneers of Hollywood entertainment PR. Rooney Chasen, who has a long history, entered the game at least thirty years after her. However, her approach to PR is traditional, and she's rather conservative."

Hawke nodded and pressed on, "Do you know anything about her personal life?"

"I don't know." Caroline shook her head, "There's too much of a gap between us for me to have had contact with her."

She continued, "But I could inquire a bit."

Hawke raised his hand to interrupt, "Can you guarantee that you won't alert her?"

Caroline candidly responded, "She has such extensive connections in this industry; I'm not sure I can."

Hawke said, "Then don't take any action at all. Just leave it as is."

"Alright," Caroline agreed.

Hawke waved his hand, signaling for her to leave.

...

Just then, his phone rang. Looking at the screen, he noticed it was Quentin calling. He answered, "Hello, Mr. Tarantino."

A hearty laugh came from the other end. "Hey, Hawke! Remember we talked about the collaboration yesterday regarding the promotion of Kill Bill?"

"Of course, I remember. You can come over anytime," Hawke replied.

Quentin continued, "I won't be coming over. I'm not exactly the expert in this area. I've sent Parker from the studio to handle the promotion. He will represent the crew in full."

Hawke said, "That works."

The two chatted for a short time before hanging up.

Hawke relayed this information to Caroline, "You're in charge of the collaboration talks. Price it against Yahoo."

Caroline was confident about it: "Our active user numbers match Yahoo's."

...

Less than an hour later, Parker, representing the Kill Bill team, arrived at the Twitter office to discuss the advertising partnership with Twitter's operations director, Caroline.

Ultimately, the two parties finalized a $1 million advertising deal.

For Twitter, in addition to the licensing fees from Will Smith and Kobe Bryant, this also provided another revenue stream.

...

The next morning, Caroline brought more good news to Hawke: the $20 million loan from the state's economic development plan had arrived.

Although it was earmarked for specific uses, Twitter's funding was now robust again, alleviating urgent concerns and allowing them to more easily prepare for the financing and equity expansion in the second half of the year.

...

In between his busy schedule, Hawke organized Twitter employees to take two afternoons off work to watch Dark Journey, supporting a friend.

Eric's film had generated an impressive response; at the end of July, it made some waves.

The film, distributed in North America by Warner Bros., premiered in 2,347 theaters, bringing in $21.51 million over its opening weekend. Although it didn't break the $10,000 per theater barrier, it was still a remarkable success for a newcomer director's debut feature.

Moreover, Dark Journey received positive reviews, boasting a 72% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.4 rating on IMDb, ensuring good future earnings.

Internally, Warner Bros. estimated that the film's North American box office would land around $50 million.

There was no question that Eric Emerson had achieved a significant success, opening the door for his next project.

...

While Hawke continued to strategize concerning Tom Cruise, the actor's production company had officially contacted Eric, planning to invest in his new film and expressing interest in casting him as the director.

Eric and Catherine were keen on this opportunity; collaborating with the famous Tom Cruise was undoubtedly a chance for a breakthrough.

Tom Cruise's works had a global draw.

Additionally, Jacqueline had specifically called Hawke, revealing that Eric had clearly stated he would reserve an audition opportunity for her in the new film, urging her to further refine her acting skills.

As a part-time actress, she used her earnings from night gigs to pay for acting classes during the day, showcasing her dedication.

Hollywood was indeed filled with some bizarre trades, but those who managed to make a name for themselves during this time typically had solid acting skills.

After all, it is not yet the era of chaos and disorder that will come later.

...

On the Campos front, investigations into Pat Kingsley had produced no concrete results.

The woman who could give Tom Cruise such headaches was not an ordinary character.

At that moment, Hawke received a phone call from Emma Batson of Bay Area Consulting.

Since their first contact, she had periodically reached out, demonstrating BlackRock's strong interest in investing in Twitter.

This time, she came bearing a preliminary plan.

*****

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