King of Hollywood

Chapter 402: Chapter 124 A Character

“You’ve surprised me again, Ed, although you’ve given me plenty of surprises before,” Spielberg said with emotion after moving his gaze away from the stream of people entering.

“Maybe it’s because I’m fundamentally different from you and Stanley in some ways,” Adrian shrugged, showing little reaction.

“That’s exactly what surprises me the most,” Spielberg shook his head, “I know you’re different from me and Stanley, Ed, but you managed to persuade Stanley to take over his new work, and it’s nearly complete. I know Stanley; he’s slower than anyone else when it comes to filmmaking. He’s too much of a perfectionist. It takes him at least a year or two to finish anything, which is why he has so few works. But you…”

He stopped speaking and gestured with his hand, his eyes intent upon Adrian as if waiting for an explanation.

“Just persuasion for now. We’ll only know how it turns out after it’s made. Maybe it’ll be completely different from what Stanley wanted to express, or maybe it’ll turn into a second-rate erotica, like some media suggested. Who knows?” Adrian waved his hands with some exaggeration, deliberately avoiding a direct answer to Spielberg’s unasked question.

“Don’t think I’m a fool, Ed,” Spielberg laughed, “I said I understand Stanley. If he hadn’t seen something in you that he recognized, he would never have agreed to let another director take over his work. Not even if it meant leaving this world with regrets. He’s more stubborn than you think.”

“Well… to be honest, I read ‘Dream Story’ before, back in college,” Adrian scratched his head and gave a wry smile, “The tabloids should have told you, I was nothing but a wastrel back then. That book was regarded as erotica in those days. Over time, as I got more involved in making movies, many of my views started to change. I started to understand certain inexplicable emotions, like the crisis between husband and wife.”

At this, Spielberg uttered a soft “oh,” then looked enlightened. Adrian laughed as well; his reputation as a playboy was well known—not just to the general public but, even more so, to those within the industry—especially since Spielberg’s two goddaughters had both been to bed with him.

“I had the idea of turning it into a movie back then, but I knew Stanley had already got the adaptation rights early on, and besides, my thoughts on the matter were different from his, so it was just a thought. Until one day I heard from Clarkson that he had unfortunately suffered a stroke and might not be able to finish the film,” Adrian continued, “At first, I just wanted to give it a try; after all, it was a good opportunity. As I learned more about Stanley’s life, my interest in taking on the project grew—not about how to get the production rights from Stanley, but about how to make the film the way Stanley envisioned it.”