Chapter 225: Neck and Neck

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Neck and Neck

Maggie in Million Dollar Baby is a weed crawling out of the mud, requiring the tempering of flesh and the resilience in her bones.

She must lower herself to be beaten, to be exposed to the sun, and to gain weight, turning herself into a rough, powerful boxer.

While the genius writer in The Hours is a prisoner of the mental world, requiring the extreme pull of internal drama, the shatteredness and paranoia in her eyes, that kind of "living towards death" literary tragedy.

One releases power outward, the other digs into pain inward, yet both are excellent vehicles that allow an actor to shine.

Cran Gerard on the other end of the phone heard the hesitation in her voice and hurriedly added,

"The team for this project is very solid. The director, Stephen Daldry, previously filmed Billy Elliot, which was a success in both reputation and box office.

The screenwriter is the famous David Hare. The other two lead actresses have been tentatively finalized as Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. They are both Oscar regulars. Such a lineup inherently carries the aura of awards season."

Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore... these two names were like weights, pressing heavily on Nicole’s heart.

Being able to act alongside such veterans is a rare opportunity for an actor, allowing them to both complement each other and use the momentum to elevate their own level of performance.

But thinking of it the other way, Irene Coppola’s directorial skill is also not to be underestimated.

Her ability to coach actors has already been proven in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Maggie in Million Dollar Baby is also the absolute core protagonist, with concentrated scenes and a complete character arc.

Two temptations, neck and neck.

Nicole took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. "Come over tonight and bring the script for The Hours. We’ll talk in person." She needed to see the textual quality of the script with her own eyes and feel the character’s soul before she could make a final decision. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Okay, I’ll be there in an hour." Cran Gerard agreed readily. He knew that the choice between these two projects would directly determine the direction of Nicole’s career next, and there was no room for any carelessness.

An hour later, the doorbell rang punctually, and the servant led Cran Gerard to the drawing room.

The light in the drawing room was warm, yellow, and quiet. Two glasses of red wine on the coffee table were emitting a faint, mellow aroma.

Nicole Kidman was already sitting on the sofa waiting for him. Her face lacked its usual brightness, leaving only a bit of gravity. She reached out: "Let me see the script."

Cran Gerard placed the script in front of Nicole and pushed it over: "Take a look at it first. Focus on the scenes for the character Virginia Woolf. Her struggle and awakening are the soul of the entire movie."

Nicole picked up the script, her fingertips lightly brushing over the pages. She took a deep breath and slowly opened it.

Nicole gently closed the script for The Hours, the paper making a soft sound as it rubbed together.

She had to admit that this was a fine script polished to the extreme. Virginia Woolf’s brokenness, struggle, and mental resistance—every detail hit the Oscar preference for "complex female characters." If performed well, a nomination would be within reach.

But the most fatal problem lay before her: the three-parallel narrative meant her character was not the absolute core.

Her screen time might even be less than Meryl Streep’s. When campaigning, she could be either lead or supporting, which was far inferior to the absolute lead actress Maggie in Million Dollar Baby, who is present from beginning to end and monopolizes all the highlights.

The scales in her heart were completely unbalanced. She looked up at Cran, her voice carrying an undeniable internal conflict: "Tell the truth, which one do you prefer?"

Cran leaned forward slightly, his words hitting the mark: "I suggest you choose The Hours. Don’t be in a hurry to say no. The script for Million Dollar Baby is indeed top-tier, but you and Maggie are fundamentally not a match."

"You are an English Rose, the most iconic elegant beauty in Hollywood. Refinement and detachment are etched into your temperament.

But Maggie is a bottom-tier restaurant waitress, a boxer who rolls in the mud and relies on a raw drive to push upward. Makeup can change your appearance, and acting can support the details, but can you handle four months of intensive boxing training and a weight gain of at least 20 pounds?"

Cran’s words were ruthless, yet they were all the most realistic considerations:

"Half of your commercial value is tied to your image. High-end luxury endorsements like Chanel and Dior, and cover resources for fashion weeklies all depend on your current fitness and sense of refinement.

To completely overturn your image for a role—even if you win an award—can you make up for the subsequent loss of your commercial foundation?"

Nicole was speechless. She couldn’t argue. These were the very concerns she had hidden in her heart and didn’t dare to think about carefully.

Just as her fingertips tightened on the script and she fell into extreme hesitation, the study door was pushed open gently.

Tom Cruise walked in slowly carrying two glasses of decanted red wine. His black silk shirt accentuated his sharp profile, and he carried the calm aura of a top Hollywood superstar.

"Hi, Cran, long time no see. Preparing a new project for Nicole again?" Tom Cruise smiled as he handed a glass to Cran, his posture friendly yet carrying an undeniable presence.

Cran hurriedly stood up to take it, bowing slightly with a smile: "Yes, there happen to be two good scripts, and I’m discussing them with Nicole."

"Oh?" Tom raised an eyebrow and sat down on the sofa with interest, his arm naturally resting on the back of the chair behind Nicole. "Let’s hear it. What kind of characters are they?"

Cran glanced at Nicole, and seeing no objection, he briefly summarized the stories, characters, and teams of Million Dollar Baby and The Hours. As soon as he finished speaking, Tom said directly without almost any thought: "Choose The Hours."

Nicole looked up at him sharply, a flash of astonishment in her eyes. She had thought her husband had understood the artistic value of the Woolf character, but Tom’s next words were like a thin needle, gently piercing the last bit of expectation in her heart.

"Million Dollar Baby is a good story, but for the role of a female boxer, gaining muscle and weight is unavoidable, right?" Tom picked up the script on the table, his fingertip pointing at the paragraph marked "physical training," his tone natural.

"Nicole just lost so much for Moulin Rouge!, and her body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Gaining weight suddenly is too harmful to her health and also affects her image."

The words sounded like concern for her body, but Nicole and Cran both knew the truth in their hearts.

What Tom truly cared about was never her health, nor the success or failure of the character, but whether her appearance remained glamorous and met his requirements for a "wife’s" decency.

He was used to her being the perfectly fit English Rose on the red carpet, the refined beauty sought after by the fashion world, and could not accept her turning into a rough, powerful, and out-of-shape female boxer on the boxing ring for the sake of a role.