Donald Trump shook his head and sighed, “I really liked the script after reading it at noon. I feel like this role was made for me. To say something strange, even though I’m very popular right now, I think every line in the script speaks straight to my heart.”

“I completely agree.” For an actor to recognize a role and a script is extremely important. If you can’t even accept it yourself, how can you perform it well? It’s hard to get a straight male actor to play a homosexual—either he’ll mess it up, or he’ll end up acting like a real homosexual!

“What’s more, after today’s incident, I realized something: the Xiangjiang triads probably won’t let go of such a lucrative industry as the film business.”

“I agreed to Mr. Bolton because tonight I discovered that Mr. Bolton is different from ordinary people in the underworld. He’s willing to do someone a favor, and maybe there’ll be more benefits in the future.” Donald Trump pressed down Charles Grant’s hand gesture and said, “I don’t think the incident at noon was instructed by Mr. Bolton; let’s just treat it as his subordinates acting on their own.”

Most importantly, Shaw Brothers wants to sign him exclusively, which would greatly limit his development.

He doesn’t want to give anyone leverage over him. Settling things privately tonight might be the best solution. Besides, Robert Bolton doesn’t seem like the type to just cash in and leave… uh… well, in some ways he does… but since he’s the first to try this, no one’s familiar with the routine, so no one can tell he’s basically pulling off a “something for nothing” scheme.

Making movies, after all, is a good thing for actors.

Chapter 009: Flying to London to Feed the Pigeons

After securing the soul of the cast, Donald Trump, the next step was to get the film’s director, “Samuel Dove.” Without “Samuel Dove” at the helm, “A Better Tomorrow” just wouldn’t have that special flavor…

It’s not that Robert Bolton couldn’t direct himself, but it would be easy to flop. If you want to be a director, you need to hone your skills on set first.

Directing is not just an art, but also a complex job. Without hands-on experience, all your beautiful fantasies will be shattered by harsh reality.

To persuade Samuel Wood, Robert Bolton specifically had Lawyer Clark acquire a bankrupt film company, bringing its cinematography, props, and script supervisor teams under his control.

Then, he had the company’s cinematographer, Old Howard, pass a message to Samuel Wood to arrange a meeting about making a film.

Currently, the Xiangjiang art world is very strict about passing down opportunities. Ordinary people can’t become directors, let alone secure investment or hire actors.

Samuel Wood’s mentor is Xiangjiang’s first “million box office director,” Charles Bolton.

He signed with Shaw Brothers in 1971 and learned filmmaking under director Charles Bolton. Like John Martin, he started out writing scripts, but his artistic vision is a hundred times sharper than John Martin’s.

His contract with Shaw Brothers has expired, and he later joined Golden Harvest. In 1977, he directed “Money Crazy” for Golden Harvest, earning 5 million at the box office and becoming the year’s runner-up in ticket sales. Since then, he’s made one film a year, officially becoming a renowned director in Xiangjiang’s film industry.

Getting him to direct a film—

Is no easy task.

“Old Howard” once worked as a cinematographer for Charles Bolton, so he has some ties with Samuel Wood, making it easier to pass along a message.

Just delivering this message cost two thousand bucks, but Old Howard brought roast duck and the script to Samuel Wood’s door, only to be politely declined.

“Sam said he’s busy helping Golden Harvest prepare this year’s new film and doesn’t have time for outside projects.” The next day, Old Howard sat in the film company’s office on Temple Street, looking a bit embarrassed as he spoke.

“It’s fine, Uncle Howard, as long as you delivered the message.” Robert Bolton smiled warmly and said, so far, everything in the film’s preparation had gone relatively smoothly. Running into a small obstacle was no big deal; just clear the bottleneck and move on.

“Thank you, boss. I’ll head out now.” Old Howard offered a suggestion: “I saw a lot of Chaplin DVDs on Sam’s desk. He might be interested in making a Chaplin-style film.”

Samuel Wood started out making comedies, and the core of comedy is tragedy, so Samuel Dove’s films often have a tragic undertone at the end.

He’s heavily influenced by Chaplin.

Old Howard also hoped the company would start production soon. Otherwise, living on a basic salary every day, how could he feed two wives at home? Still, he didn’t care what kind of film the boss wanted to make, so he offered a tip, hoping to help the company land the collaboration.

“I see, thanks for the heads-up.” Robert Bolton sat in the simple office. After Old Howard closed the door and left, he recalled Samuel Wood’s creative journey and thought to himself, “Why bother with Chaplin? Work with me—making gangster films is your true calling.”

The next day.

Temple Street, vegetable market.

Robert Bolton found Samuel Wood, who was out shopping for groceries, and placed two plane tickets in front of him. Samuel Wood, who was bending over to pick vegetables, looked up, and Robert Bolton smiled and met his gaze: “Director Wood, are you interested in going to London to feed the pigeons together?”

When it comes to artists, don’t even think about conquering them. Gaining their recognition is enough.

As long as he recognizes “A Better Tomorrow,” he’ll naturally be willing to direct it.

Samuel Wood shook off a few sprigs of cilantro and put them back on the stall, his eyes shining as he looked at Robert Bolton: “Sir, may I ask your name?”

“I am the general manager of Global DreamWorks, Robert Bolton,” Robert Bolton replied.

“You’re the screenwriter of ‘A Better Tomorrow’?” Samuel Wood asked.