In the evening..
Simon patiently waited for Janette to change into a more formal cocktail dress before the two of them left the villa.
The bodyguards had already prepared the car for them.
Simon and Janette came out, politely nodding to the two middle-aged men, around forty years old, named Neil Bennett and Ken Dixon, respectively. Although they had become very familiar over the past few days, Simon still felt a bit strange.
The two bodyguards were not hired by Simon from a security company; instead, Janette had borrowed them from her own family.
Since they met, Simon had never proactively asked about Janette's family background, but the information flooding the newspapers during this period was enough for him to learn a great deal.
Janette came from the old Australian Johnston family.
Although the family's wealth was around $2 billion, it wasn't particularly prominent on the list of global billionaires. However, the Johnston family held a very powerful underlying influence in Australia.
Eight years ago, Australia suddenly abolished inheritance tax, becoming the first developed Western country to do so, causing a global sensation at the time. It is said that the Johnston family was a strong driving force behind this event.
Subsequently, Janette's grandfather, Nicholas Johnston, passed away in 1983. Due to the abolition of inheritance tax, the Johnston family completely inherited the previous generation's wealth.
Today, relying on multiple equity structures and the family's deep-rooted influence, the century-old Johnston family still firmly controls the Johnston Holding Group, which is involved in multiple pillars of the Australian economy, such as mining, animal husbandry, and transportation.
As the commotion subsided, the paparazzi gradually realized that it was too difficult to dig up news from a young director like Simon, who didn't frequent nightclubs, do drugs, or get into fights. As a result, the number of media personnel pursuing Simon had significantly decreased during this period.
Of course, this was only relatively speaking.
Simon's SUV left the Palisades mansion, and a number of cars still followed closely behind. The dining location agreed upon with Mike Medavoy was a restaurant next to the Ranch Park Golf Club in Century City.
Upon arriving at their destination, the two bodyguards skilfully shielded Simon and Janette from the pushing paparazzi. Once inside the restaurant, Janette linked her arm through Simon's and whispered in his ear, "If you don't like it, once we have money and hire our own bodyguards, we can send Neil and Ken back to Australia".
Simon spoke to the approaching waiter, then followed him deeper into the restaurant, whispering back to Janette, "They're both quite good, actually. I just feel a bit, well, strange."
These were Simon's true feelings.
As one of the professions closest to the employer, capable and trustworthy bodyguards are equally rare. Although they had only known each other for a few weeks, Simon could feel that Neil and Ken's professionalism was absolutely impeccable. As for trust, since it involved Janette, the Johnston family would naturally not be careless in this regard.
Janette chuckled lightly at Simon's words and didn't reply.
After walking a distance with the waiter, the two arrived at a table, where Orion Pictures president Mike Medavoy had already risen to greet them warmly.
The three then took their seats.
After ordering and exchanging pleasantries, the conversation was subtly shifted to the upcoming 59th Academy Awards ceremony by Mike Medavoy.
This year's Oscar ceremony was scheduled for March 30th, which was next Monday.
Orion was not only seeing booming box office sales for its distributed films, but it had also garnered a total of 18 Oscar nominations this year with films like 'Platoon' and 'Hannah and Her Sisters', making it a period of immense glory.
Therefore, Mike Medavoy had a distinct air of high spirits in his every gesture recently.
"It's like this, Simon," Mike Medavoy said, looking at the young man and woman sitting across from him, "Would you and Janette like to attend next week's Oscar ceremony?"
Simon hadn't expected Mike Medavoy to bring this up.
With the large number of nominations Orion received this year, it would naturally be easy for them to arrange for one or two people to attend the Oscars. Due to the box office success of 'Run Lola Run', the Academy would also certainly not be stingy with two extra invitations.
Moreover, attending the Oscar ceremony would definitely boost the subsequent box office performance of 'Run Lola Run'.
However.
As Mike Medavoy made the suggestion, a single word immediately popped into Simon's mind.
Leeching!
It was too embarrassing.
So, Simon immediately shook his head and said, "Mike, I'm not going".
Mike Medavoy was surprised that Simon would so unhesitatingly refuse an opportunity that many minor celebrities would fight tooth and nail for. He was a bit stunned and even looked at Janette beside Simon, hoping she might say something. Women should be very eager to attend such events.
However, Janette clearly looked as if she hadn't heard, diligently arranging a napkin for her boyfriend with downcast eyes.
Alright…
Another very individualistic couple.
Thinking this, Mike Medavoy smiled casually and said, "Then never mind, Simon. I invited you tonight simply to ask, how are your thoughts on your next film progressing?"
Simon knew that Mike Medavoy's main reason for inviting him tonight was for this, so he didn't hide anything and said, "I already have a complete concept, but the script won't be started until next month. Mike, you know how busy I've been recently".
"Of course, Orion isn't in a hurry," Mike Medavoy said, though his body clearly leaned forward slightly, "So, Simon, tell me about it roughly first".
Simon organized his thoughts and said, "This is a crime drama leaning towards a B-movie style, composed of six independent yet interconnected short stories. Similar to 'Run Lola Run,' I still hope to interweave and present all the stories in a unified way through an alternative, non-linear narrative mode".
During this time, Simon had been constantly considering his next film.
After 'Run Lola Run', it wouldn't be difficult for Simon's next directorial film to achieve commercial success. But if Simon wanted to continue maintaining his popularity, or even advance further, his next film had to, like 'Run Lola Run', give people a fresh and stunning feeling.
After repeated deliberation, Simon finally chose the classic 'Pulp Fiction'.
'Pulp Fiction' also belonged to a non-linear narrative structure, and it pushed the non-linear narrative in film to an even more imaginative realm. After its release, the film not only caused a strong sensation in its release year but also had a very profound impact on many directors in Hollywood, the UK, and even across the ocean.