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Chapter 157: Miss Rachel Weisz's Strategy
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 17:45:28 +0000 UTCThe dispute at Disney's board of directors was a hot topic, and Robert Iger had told Gilbert over the phone some details, but for more in-depth matters, it was better to meet in person.
Gilbert had nearly finished his business in London and was about to return to North America to see what Robert Iger wanted to discuss.
Last time, on a whim, he attended a musical and handed his business card to Catherine Zeta-Jones. After that, he completely forgot about her.
Although she was a famous actress in his previous life, Gilbert had worked with several Hollywood stars by now, so he no longer had the awe-stricken attitude he once had when meeting celebrities.
His status had elevated, and now it was Catherine Zeta-Jones who might be eager to please him.
However, Gilbert was surprised when the person who came to find him with the business card wasn't Catherine Zeta-Jones, but another beautiful woman.
Rachel Weisz also had dreams of making it in Hollywood. After secretly putting Gilbert's business card away, she didn't tell Catherine Zeta-Jones that a Hollywood director was looking for her.
Other actresses didn't know either. If they did, they'd probably make the same choice as Rachel Weisz and keep it a secret.
That morning, as Gilbert was enjoying the busy morning of the Thames River, sipping coffee and having breakfast while reading the newspaper, he came across a report about the losses of the Paris Disneyland in The Times.
At that moment, the receptionist called: "Sir, Miss Catherine Zeta-Jones would like to visit you. She's waiting at the front desk."
Gilbert paused, and then remembered giving Catherine Zeta-Jones his card. She had come to see him so quickly.
He replied, "Let her come up!"
"Okay," the receptionist said, hanging up the phone. She told Rachel Weisz, "Miss Zeta-Jones, you can go up now."
It turned out that Catherine Zeta-Jones was the person Rachel Weisz had impersonated. She used her "good friend" status to approach Gilbert.
It made sense, after all, Gilbert might only know Catherine Zeta-Jones, not Rachel Weisz.
What if she introduced herself by her name and Gilbert didn't want to meet her?
Everything went smoothly. After thanking Gilbert, Rachel Weisz took the elevator to the presidential suite on the top floor.
Before ringing the doorbell, Rachel Weisz wondered how to explain why she was pretending to be someone else without causing Gilbert to be offended.
Finally, with courage, Rachel Weisz rang the doorbell. The door opened, and a tall, sharp-featured, strong-looking man with an unmistakable Northern Italian style answered.
Rachel Weisz quickly bowed. "Hello, Director Landrini…"
Gilbert, surprised at the beauty outside the door, thought, This isn't Catherine Zeta-Jones!
However, the beautiful woman soon introduced herself, solving Gilbert's confusion. "I'm Rachel Weisz, a musical actress."
"Rachel Weisz?" Gilbert thought for a moment and then remembered—she was the female lead in The Mummy.
"Hello, Miss Weisz, please come in!" Gilbert invited.
As for why Rachel Weisz was pretending to be Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gilbert didn't ask or have any interest in finding out.
"Please sit down. Have you had breakfast?" Gilbert asked Rachel Weisz as she took a seat.
Rachel Weisz, still a little nervous, spoke in a trembling voice: "I had breakfast on the way here, Director Landrini. I've always liked your films, especially The Rock. I've watched it several times in theaters."
"Really?" Gilbert smiled. "It's rare for a woman to like my films. The media always criticizes my movies for being too masculine and lacking depth in the portrayal of female characters."
Rachel Weisz seized the opportunity, standing by Gilbert's side: "They just don't understand films. They're jealous of your success."
"Haha, let them be jealous!" Gilbert laughed.
Rachel Weisz had carefully dressed for this meeting. Her small curly hair and black dress reminded Gilbert of her look in The Mummy.
"Miss Weisz, you're from London, right?" Gilbert asked.
"Yes," Rachel Weisz replied. Then she asked, "Director Landrini…"
"Just call me Gilbert."
"Uh, Gilbert, have you already toured around London?"
"Of course," Gilbert nodded. "I've been to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. But I didn't have a local guide, so I didn't know which places were worth visiting."
If they were good friends, Rachel Weisz would probably joke, There's nothing interesting to see in London, Paris is much better.
But facing Gilbert, Rachel Weisz smiled sweetly, showing off her beautiful eyes.
"If you'd like, I'd be honored to be your guide," Rachel Weisz said.
"Great," Gilbert responded. "Next time, if I come back to the UK, I'll have you as my guide. Right now, I'm busy with work. You know how the North American summer season is always packed."
Rachel Weisz felt a bit disappointed but quickly gathered her courage and asked, "Gilbert, if I want to develop my career in Hollywood, do you have any advice?"
"Advice?" Gilbert carefully assessed Rachel Weisz before responding: "Your beauty is distinctive, unlike those blonde bombshells. You'll leave a deeper impression."
"But you're too thin, with a small frame. You need to gain some weight."
Saying this, Gilbert pointed at his own cheek. "Especially here, your cheekbones can't be too sharp or it'll look off. That's a beauty tip."
"Every actor wants to make it in Hollywood. North Hollywood is full of young dreamers. If you want to stand out in Hollywood, you must distinguish yourself from other young actors by highlighting your strengths."
"What kind of strengths?" Rachel Weisz asked.
Like an enthusiastic mentor, Gilbert was happy to offer advice to the future stars of Hollywood.
He then asked, "You're from a musical and theater background, right?"
"Yes," Rachel Weisz answered. "I studied British literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, and wrote a play called Small Property, which won an award at the Edinburgh Festival."
"Look," Gilbert spread his hands. "That's your advantage. You have a solid literary background. Many Hollywood stars haven't even attended university and are seen as uneducated. But you're different—highly educated, with outstanding looks and temperament. That will be your brand and help you stand out quickly."
What Gilbert was describing was actually the common method of building a public persona that would later become popular in the entertainment industry.
Many stars set up a "high education" persona, only for it to be exposed as false later, causing a backlash.
But Rachel Weisz didn't have to worry about this. She was a genuine graduate of Cambridge University, unlike Matt Damon, who dropped out.
Originally, Rachel Weisz came to meet Gilbert hoping to shamelessly ask for a role, and was even prepared to do whatever it took, but she didn't expect to receive a career strategy from him instead.
If Rachel Weisz knew The Three Kingdoms, she might compare this conversation to the "Longzhong" strategy. She was Liu Bei, and Gilbert was Zhuge Liang.
However, Gilbert's advice was heartfelt, and Rachel Weisz was deeply moved.
To show her gratitude, Rachel Weisz offered to treat Gilbert to dinner and invited him to watch the rehearsal for her stage play in the afternoon.
"Isn't the theater rehearsal closed to outsiders?" Gilbert asked.
"Not for others, but you can come," Rachel Weisz smiled.
Gilbert thought about it for a moment and, with nothing else to do, agreed.
That afternoon, in London's West End theater, there was no performance, but the actors were preparing for next month's performances, so they were rehearsing.
Rachel Weisz was the lead in this play. She had already changed into her costume and was rehearsing with a group of actors on the empty stage.
When Gilbert arrived at the theater, the rehearsal had already begun.
Following Rachel Weisz's instructions, the theater staff didn't stop Gilbert and allowed him to enter freely to watch the rehearsal.
He was the only audience member in the theater. The rest were theater staff and actors, making it feel like he had booked the whole venue for himself.
Honestly, Gilbert wasn't very interested in musicals or stage plays. He was just there for the fun, to see something new.
The handsome actors and actresses on stage, in their colorful costumes, were pleasing to the eye.
The actors on stage had already noticed Gilbert, and during a break in the rehearsal, they asked each other who he was. At this moment, Rachel Weisz explained: "This is an American friend of mine. He's a director in Hollywood."
"A Hollywood director?" one of the actors questioned skeptically. "So young? Rachel, are you sure you weren't fooled? It's not like he's Gilbert Landrini, anyone can be a director at such a young age."
Because of the rehearsal, the theater lights were dim except for the stage, so they couldn't clearly see Gilbert's face.
Of course, in those days, media coverage wasn't as advanced. Unless someone was particularly interested, even if they saw a young man face to face, the actors on stage wouldn't necessarily recognize him as Gilbert.
At this moment, Rachel Weisz smiled and said, "Who says it's not Gilbert Landrini?"
She waved and greeted Gilbert, saying, "Hi, Gilbert, you're here! How did the performance go?"
"It was great, Rachel. Your dance was beautiful," Gilbert responded.
"Would you like to come up? My friends all want to meet you. They've never seen a big director from Hollywood," Rachel Weisz invited.
A Hollywood big director? One of the leading actresses, Catherine Zeta-Jones, was still discussing the performance with the director.
Upon hearing this, Catherine Zeta-Jones suddenly looked up and saw the famous Gilbert Landrini from North America stepping onto the stage.
Catherine Zeta-Jones had been in Hollywood, and had visited twice, but unfortunately, neither visit had made much of an impact.
However, compared to the actors in the UK, she understood more what Gilbert represented. He was a big director in Hollywood.
Once he took notice of someone, it was not to say they would soar to the skies, but at least they could establish themselves in Hollywood.
