Finishing up his day's work, Gilbert headed back to his apartment to rest.
The film was almost done, and it was nearly time for the results to be revealed. Gilbert was feeling a little nervous.
When he reached his apartment door, Gilbert found a girl with short, dark brown hair, wearing a leather jacket and skirt, and knee-high boots, waiting for him.
The girl saw Gilbert and greeted him, "Five-Finger Lady?"
"Uh," it seemed Gilbert had only said that to Gwyneth Paltrow.
"You must be Gwen's friend," Gilbert said.
"Gwen? You call her quite intimately. Nice to meet you, I'm Winona Ryder." The girl extended her hand and shook Gilbert's.
"I know you. You were in Edward Scissorhands last year with Johnny Depp," Gilbert said, realizing why she looked so familiar. So, this was her.
Winona Ryder waved her hand. "Don't mention him to me; we broke up."
"Huh?" Gilbert was even more surprised. "You actually dated Johnny Depp?"
"That's all in the past. Aren't you going to invite me in?" Winona Ryder tilted her head, gesturing.
"Oh, right, right!" Gilbert quickly opened the door. "Please come in, make yourself at home. What would you like to drink?"
There wasn't much, so Gilbert casually grabbed a can of soda for Winona Ryder.
After coming in, Winona Ryder looked around the one-bedroom apartment. It was a bit messy, looking like it wasn't often tidied.
"You do yoga here with Gwen?" Winona Ryder rummaged through the nightstand and even found some condoms.
"She told you about that too?!" Gilbert was dumbfounded.
"Look at you," Winona Ryder said, as if he was inexperienced. "We talk about everything. She even discussed your 'abilities' and 'size' with me!"
"Pffft..." Gilbert was drinking water, and when he heard this, he couldn't hold it in, spitting water out of his mouth.
What was this? American besties?
Winona Ryder continued, "I don't believe it. Your yoga skills are that strong? I think Gwen was just bragging."
Only then did Gilbert understand what Gwyneth Paltrow had meant. So that's what it was.
"Hey, can you be more proactive? Hurry up and take off your clothes."
"Ah? Okay..."
And so, it naturally happened. Gilbert and Winona Ryder did a yoga session together, until they were both drenched in sweat.
After their workout, they lay on the bed. Winona Ryder pulled out a cigarette and began to puff away, offering one to Gilbert too.
However, Gilbert declined. He hadn't smoked in his previous life, and he wouldn't now.
"You really are a strange one," Winona Ryder glanced at Gilbert, drawing circles on his strong pectoral muscles with her finger.
"I can see why Gwen is so attached to you. You're really strong, and popular with women, just like your father," Winona Ryder added.
"You know about my father?" Gilbert asked curiously.
Winona Ryder explained, "I've heard people talk about some things."
Gilbert was speechless. It seemed his old man's youthful romantic escapades were well-known in Hollywood.
His old man himself often bragged about having a one-night stand with legendary Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe and having dated Audrey Hepburn.
Whether it was true or not, being popular with women was definitely true.
His old man was sixty-six this year and could still go out with bar girls and have a good time. He was certainly capable.
"Alright, I should go. Thank you for such a pleasant night." Winona Ryder got up and got dressed.
"Leaving already? Aren't you staying the night?" Gilbert asked.
"I'm not Gwen. If my agent found out I stayed overnight at another man's place, I'd probably get yelled at." Winona Ryder gave Gilbert a light kiss on the lips.
"I'll come find you anytime, strong man. Bye-bye..."
With that, Winona Ryder glided away, leaving behind a lingering scent for Gilbert to savor.
Perhaps her agent was keeping too close an eye on her, as Gilbert didn't see Winona Ryder for the next few days. Instead, Gwyneth Paltrow called, asking Gilbert how he felt.
"You called just for this?" Gilbert couldn't understand.
"What else would I call for?"
"No, our movie is almost finished. Aren't you curious about it?"
Gwyneth Paltrow then remembered. "Oh, right, we also made a movie.
I've been so lost taking acting classes lately.
By the way, how's the movie coming along?"
"Almost, almost done. It'll be ready soon, and you'll get to see it," Gilbert replied.
Gwyneth Paltrow was happy. "That's great! Be sure to call me when you promote it. I've been wanting to go out and have fun for ages, and now I'll have a chance."
Gilbert was speechless. It seemed Gwyneth Paltrow didn't care at all whether the movie succeeded.
Of course, she was Spielberg's goddaughter. Her debut was in Hook, and her second film, Shark Beach, she directly landed the lead female role.
Even if Shark Beach failed, it wouldn't affect Gwyneth Paltrow's resources in Hollywood.
Gilbert, on the other hand, had to worry constantly, praying to God, Buddha, and Allah for Shark Beach to succeed.
If it didn't succeed, Gilbert would have to wait a very long time before getting another chance to direct a film.
Flings with women were just a way to unwind. And honestly, it really was stress-relieving to let loose like that when under pressure.
No wonder so many people in Hollywood were keen on networking, all sorts of connections, both male and female.
But then again, compared to others, Gilbert was practically a lotus flower in the mud, pure enough.
Others not only networked, but also indulged in drugs, marijuana, and narcotics.
Compared to mere networking, these were the things Gilbert absolutely had to stay away from.
Putting trivial matters aside, the film was the foundation. After various twists and turns, Shark Beach finally completed all its post-production work.
Now there were two versions of Shark Beach for Universal Pictures to choose from.
After watching Gilbert's version, Dormer Blake strongly recommended Gilbert's cut of Shark Beach to the higher-ups.
This made Universal Pictures very curious as to what kind of editing would make such an experienced producer as Dormer Blake recommend it so strongly.
Although they didn't fully adopt Dormer Blake's opinion, his recommendation did, to a certain extent, pique the curiosity of Universal Pictures' executives towards Gilbert's cut.
This, to some extent, compensated for Gilbert's shortcomings, allowing Universal Pictures' executives to judge the two different cuts from a relatively objective and fair perspective.
An internal screening was announced quickly. This internal screening would not only include Universal Pictures President Akio Tanai, Vice President Lou Wasserman, but also executives from various departments like distribution, marketing, and publicity.
Additionally, Universal Pictures' film selection experts would participate in the screening to provide opinions to the executives.
Furthermore, Spielberg sent Frank Marshall. He hadn't seen the final cut and was very curious about what tricks Gilbert had up his sleeve.
But due to his busy schedule, he couldn't attend the screening himself, so he sent Frank Marshall to watch and report back to him.
Gilbert sat in a corner, observing the Universal Pictures executives. He recognized the Japanese president at a glance, and he'd also met Lou Wasserman, but he didn't know anyone else.
In this setting, he was just a minor player.
But what was about to happen today would decide his fate.
So, he was very nervous...