Made In Hollywood

"It's finally over."

When Duke called out "Pass," the three actors in the scene walked over. Scarlett Johansson deliberately let out a yawn and said, "This past half year has been like living in purgatory. This is the hardest film I've ever shot."

"Really envy you,"

Robert Downey Jr. chimed in jokingly, "You get to return to a happy life."

"But I still have to roll in purgatory."

"Is my crew that terrifying?" Duke raised his head from behind the monitor. "Do you need me to add a scene just for you?"

"Absolutely not."

That flying scene that relied on motion capture had already made Robert Downey Jr. regret it bitterly. He quickly said, "Duke, I think my scenes are more than enough. You should consider Scarlett instead."

Samuel L. Jackson checked the time and said to Duke, "I have a date with Quentin Tarantino tonight. Duke, I'll take my leave now."

"I've prepared a party at home tonight…"

Hearing Duke's words, Samuel L. Jackson hesitated for a moment, but in the end still shook his head with only one eye, "Sorry, Duke, I made the appointment with Quentin a few days ago."

The first actor Duke confirmed for Iron Man was Scarlett Johansson, while the first actor confirmed for the entire Marvel series by Marvel Comics was Samuel L. Jackson.

In the already-published Ultimate version of the comics, the character Nick Fury was portrayed as an African-American, and from appearance, personality, to behavior, he was modeled after Samuel L. Jackson—with his personal approval. In return, Samuel L. Jackson, who received full compensation, also played the role of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director in the film series.

Leaving Warner Studios, many from the crew rushed to Duke's estate to attend the party he was hosting. However, since filming would continue the next day, the party was limited to drinking only and did not evolve into a typical Hollywood-style wild bash.

"Duke, I heard that in your next Batman movie, the Joker will be the main villain?"

Holding a large glass of beer, Robert Downey Jr. found Duke. "What do you think of me?"

He didn't seem to be joking and clearly wanted to keep working with Duke.

"You want to play the Joker?" Duke could clearly hear what Robert Downey Jr. meant. "That role is very difficult, and it doesn't align with your usual acting style."

Every actor has roles they're suited for and roles they're absolutely not. The kind of actor who can do everything simply doesn't exist.

"I think I can do it."

Perhaps because his performance during recent shoots had been improving, Robert Downey Jr.'s confidence was also rapidly recovering. "Someone once said that he was the best Joker in the world, that no one could surpass his 1989 version."

Duke frowned slightly. It was obvious Robert Downey Jr. was referring to Jack Nicholson.

Robert Downey Jr. took a big gulp of beer. Without waiting for Duke to ask anything, he continued, "Jack Nicholson once mocked me and my father. He said we were a family of idiots. That the Downeys were a fallen family, full of perverts and peeping toms. I want to show him something. But you know, I don't have that kind of power right now."

Hearing this, Duke had already silently ruled out the possibility and replied tactfully, "I'll consider it."

Even without the personal grudge, Duke didn't think Robert Downey Jr. was suitable for the Joker. There's no such thing as an irreplaceable actor. Even Heath Ledger wasn't indispensable. But not every actor fits a given role, and Robert Downey Jr.'s personal traits clearly contradicted those of the Joker.

Last year, Duke had met Heath Ledger. Judging by the timeline, he was probably already in Ang Lee's crew. As long as the conditions were right, he was still the first choice for the Joker.

As for whether he'd end up dead because of it, that never factored into Duke's consideration. Besides, Heath Ledger's drug addiction wasn't something new. Even without this film or this role, given his heavy drug use and personality, the chances of him dying were still extremely high.

And really, how many Hollywood stars who die tragically are actually worth pitying?

River Phoenix died of a drug overdose, Whitney Houston drowned in a bathtub after drug use, David Carradine died in Thailand while playing a sadomasochistic game with a ladyboy, and Heath Ledger died of drug addiction…

This truly is a circle that can't be judged by common sense. But there are also many stars with just as much pressure who remain healthy and alive. In the end, it's all about the choices you make.

Even in the worst case, what kind of outcome would come from rushing to save someone? This is a society that places extreme importance on privacy and personal freedom. Touching someone else's privacy or secrets is often a thankless task.

When it comes to things like that, Duke will always just be an onlooker just like when Nicolas Cage encountered a financial crisis. At most, he could give a few hints and reminders in passing.

Because filming was scheduled for the next day, the party ended before ten o'clock. Everyone, including Robert Downey Jr., gradually bid farewell and left, leaving only Scarlett Johansson lingering behind.

Walking out of the banquet hall, Duke entered the villa's living room, and Scarlett Johansson followed from behind.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she suddenly asked.

Due to her mother's connection, there had always been a room for Scarlett Johansson in this villa.

Duke had also had a few drinks tonight. Upon hearing this, he turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised slightly. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

Although the look he gave her was like that of a hunter eyeing prey making Scarlett subconsciously recall how Duke looked when he was ** in her childhood—she still straightened up and said, "Of course I want to stay here. This is my home."

"Your home?" Duke stared at her.

Scarlett met his gaze with equal intensity. "Duke, you know what I went through in my childhood. You and my godmother were the ones who gave me the warmth of a family…"

As she spoke, a hint of resentment entered her eyes. "Even though you later grew distant from me because I talked too much and was a bit of a troublemaker those are just trivial flaws I've always been paying attention to you. Your growth, your success, every single achievement you've made, has accompanied me through my own growth…"

"I…" She suddenly sighed. "When a girl enters puberty and is supposed to start dating, I sadly realized I had no interest in people my age. I was too used to seeing rationality, maturity, and strength. People my age seemed to me the very definition of childish and foolish. That's when I understood I liked mature men. Do you know why that is?"

The earlier Scarlett Johansson had a deep obsession with older men. The current Scarlett, who had grown up following her mother, had changed quite a bit in character and temperament from before. Duke hadn't expected that the one thing that hadn't changed—her obsession with older men—was actually because of him.

The little girl who used to babble endlessly before him had completely grown up.

Their relationship had indeed gone through a period of coldness due to Scarlett's talkative and troublesome nature, but in the end, they still ended up on this path.

Just like with Ivanka Trump, when it came time to make a decision, Duke never lacked the courage to do so.

In the next moment, Duke took Scarlett Johansson's hand and walked up the stairs to the second floor. In a place he couldn't see, the corner of Scarlett's mouth suddenly curled into a very wide smile.

"This manor is about to welcome its second hostess."

So thought the housekeeper standing in the corner of the living room. Having served Duke for many years, she knew that Scarlett had her own advantages. Compared to Ivanka Trump and her troublesome father Donald Trump, Scarlett Johansson's family basically posed no problems.

Scarlett Johansson and Ivanka Trump had completely different personalities. Over the years, Scarlett's talkativeness and tendency to cause trouble had lessened considerably, but she still wasn't the quiet and introverted type.

However, Scarlett also wouldn't cause any business-related conflict with Duke or the Rosenberg family.

Even to this day, Donald Trump's investment in the Instant Share website remained a huge obstacle between Duke and Ivanka Trump. Although the two had broken up peacefully, they never met again. Duke also never loosened his stance on Donald Trump's involvement in that investment.

Ivanka Trump wanted to bring the Trump family's funds into this company, which was highly favored by Wall Street and countless IT giants. But Duke, with his one-vote veto power, was the mountain she could never cross.

Of course, Duke's main career was in film, and Instant Share wasn't something he couldn't give up but he simply didn't want Donald Trump, who had taken advantage of him so many times, to profit from it.

Everyone has a bottom line. Donald Trump's past actions didn't warrant Duke's retaliation, but they had touched that bottom line.

Besides, there were many companies interested in the shares Duke held. He could easily exchange them for things he actually wanted.

For example, the two founders of Google had always wanted to acquire Instant Share and had contacted Duke several times. However, they were hesitant about Duke's offer of a stock swap, because even after multiple rounds of equity dilution in recent years, Duke still held nearly twenty percent of Google's shares. If his holdings increased further, it would inevitably impact the founders' control over the company.

Such stock swaps wouldn't happen without sacrificing Class A shares with voting rights.

So, Google had continued to engage with Duke. The shares of Instant Share were not his untouchable treasure the two sides just needed to find common ground amid the differences.

There was also Apple. Steve Jobs was very interested in this site as well, but most of his focus remained on developing new mobile products. When Duke attended Apple's latest shareholder meeting, he also saw the concept version of the new product.