Chapter 393: Harvey's Party

"Link, would you like a massage?" his father-in-law asked, taking off his clothes and lying on the massage table with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm feeling fine," Link replied, glancing at the two attractive masseuses and wondering if he should leave to give his father-in-law some privacy.

"Link, don't judge me by my current state. When I was young, I used to run marathons and even won third place in the New York region," his father-in-law said, panting as he was being massaged.

"Yes, I can see you're in good shape," Link said, leaning against the balcony with a lollipop in his mouth, gazing out at the small lake and green lawn. The scenery was quite nice.

"Link, you and Ivanka have been dating for over half a year. When are you planning to get married? Ivanka isn't getting any younger," his father-in-law suddenly changed the subject and asked.

Link smiled wryly, surprised to be asked about marriage so directly. He thought for a moment and said he would seriously consider it after finishing his current work.

His father-in-law grunted a few times and fell silent, his hands gripping the masseuse's ample buttocks.

Link rubbed his forehead. With his father-in-law like this, even if he were elected, he would likely be ousted. For the sake of his own interests, perhaps he should find a time to advise him to be a better person.

---

After finishing his work in New York, Link flew to Los Angeles to attend a celebration party hosted by The Weinstein Company.

The party was held at Harvey Weinstein's Beverly Hills mansion, which was adjacent to the Beverly Gardens Park and covered an area the size of five football fields. Based on current Beverly Hills real estate prices, this mansion was worth over 30 million dollars and was one of the most famous in the area.

"Hey, Link, what are you doing here?"

As Link and Jennifer Lawrence got out of the car, they happened to run into Casey Affleck driving a red Porsche. In the car with him was his wife, Summer Phoenix, who was also Joaquin Phoenix's younger sister.

"Harvey invited me," Link smiled, greeting Summer and then saying to Casey, "I forgot to congratulate you on winning the award at the Berlin Film Festival. Now many people are saying that you brothers are the all-around talents of Hollywood."

"Haha, no matter how talented we are, we can't compare to you. You're the world-renowned all-around superman," Casey Affleck laughed.

At the end of last year, Casey's debut film "You Are Still Here" was completed and participated in the Berlin Film Festival in January, winning the documentary biography award and gaining considerable attention in Hollywood.

His brother, Ben Affleck, was a top Hollywood actor, known for his role in "Pearl Harbor." In recent years, he had transitioned to directing, filming "Gone Baby Gone," "The Town," and last September's "Argo."

"Argo," written, directed, and starring Ben Affleck, grossed 154 million dollars worldwide on a budget of 37 million dollars. It also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Jeremy Renner at the Oscars, making it a critical and commercial success.

Ben Affleck had thus become a successful Hollywood director, receiving much praise and being called "the second Clint Eastwood."

Brothers like Casey and Ben Affleck, who were both successful actors and directors, were rare in Hollywood. The two brothers were also named "Film Twins" by Variety magazine.

As the two were talking in the parking lot, two more luxury cars pulled up next to them.

One was Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe's white Fiat 8V, and the other Porsche carried renowned director Robert Rodriguez. Both had female companions.

Link hadn't worked with them but knew them, so he greeted them and entered Weinstein's luxurious estate with Jennifer.

At the party, there were even more stars.

There were old acquaintances like director Quentin Tarantino, director Steven Soderbergh, who had become famous with "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," director Martin Scorsese, who had collaborated with Harvey many times, and director Tom Hooper of "The King's Speech."

There were also big stars like Richard Gere, Kevin Spacey, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Colin Firth, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, and Heidi Klum, among over two hundred other film actors and television professionals.

The entire party was star-studded, with even more celebrities than the "Oscar Night" party.

This was the busiest time in Hollywood. Seeing so many people put down their work to attend Harvey's party, Link couldn't help but admire his connections.

If he had directly clashed with Harvey during that phone call last year, given Harvey's connections in the industry, Palm Beach Pictures would probably have had trouble finding suitable directors and actors.

And he himself, along with the actors under Palm Bay Talent Agency, would likely be isolated by these people.

This wasn't an exaggeration. Many actors and directors present were very "loyal" to Harvey.

For example, Matt Damon and Russell Crowe.

After Harvey's downfall, there were reports that in 2004, Sharon Waxman, a reporter for The New York Times Magazine, was preparing to write an article exposing Harvey's arrangement with Fabrizio Lombardo, a manager who scouted for beautiful women in Italy.

Matt Damon and Russell Crowe, under Harvey's instruction, called Sharon and pressured her not to publish the story, which eventually died down.

There was also Judi Dench, who, to thank Harvey for helping her win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, had "JD loves HW" tattooed on her buttocks.

And Nicole Kidman, who had been collaborating with Harvey since the 1990s, including films like "The Others," "Moulin Rouge!," "The Hours," "Cold Mountain," and "Nine." She was considered the actress most closely tied to Harvey.

There were also directors Rodriguez, Tarantino, and Soderbergh, whose success was largely due to Harvey.

If he were to compete with Harvey, even with his billions of dollars, these people would likely choose to support Harvey because Harvey could help them win Oscars, something Link couldn't do yet.

"Hey, Link, I didn't expect to see you here. This is a big surprise," Quentin Tarantino shouted from the crowd.

"Director Tarantino!"

Link saw the fierce-looking director and went over to chat. Quentin was a genius director, a representative of the black comedy and violent aesthetics genre. His films almost always achieved both critical acclaim and box office success, making him a worthy collaborator. However, with Harvey around, Quentin wouldn't be seeking collaboration with other companies for the time being.

When others saw him at the party, they turned to look at him, some surprised and confused, some envious and jealous, some with passionate eyes. Although everyone present was a star, few could match Link's global fame, let alone his net worth, especially considering he was only 22 years old.

Others also came up to greet him, mostly female stars like Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, supermodel Heidi Klum, Elizabeth Banks, and more, one after another.

Seeing the women flocking to him, Jennifer Lawrence subconsciously grabbed Link's arm, preventing him from being lured away by these women.

Link squeezed her fingers, telling her to relax. Although he was known for his flirtatious nature, he wasn't interested in these older women.

---

Not far away, Harvey Weinstein was discussing movie matters with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

He had seen Link arrive, but Link had repeatedly declined his invitations to private parties, not giving him any face or the chance to drag Link into trouble.

Harvey was angry about this.

Seeing Link arrive, he had intended to ignore him for a while, letting Link take the initiative to greet him.

But as soon as Link arrived, the women at the party swarmed him enthusiastically, practically clinging to him. The men also talked about him in whispers, their words filled with praise and envy.

Link instantly became the center of attention at the party.

Harvey narrowed his eyes, his heavy eye bags twitching. He let out a laugh and said to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, "Being young is great. Women love young and handsome men."

"Harvey, you're not old. The beauties here are all here for you," Matt Damon said, raising his glass with a smile.

Harvey was pleased with this comment and laughed heartily, subtly gesturing to his assistant. He then walked towards Link with a glass of wine.

"Haha, Link, welcome to my party."

Link was chatting with director Martin Scorsese when Harvey emerged from the crowd, his belly protruding and his toad-like mouth grinning with an inscrutable smile.

The big stars in the way retreated, making space for him.

Link reached out and shook his hand. "Mr. Weinstein, your party is the coolest I've ever seen. It's full of big stars, it's amazing."

"Haha, Link, don't forget you're a big star too. But you're more famous than them and harder to invite."

"I wouldn't dare call myself famous, I just have a lot of side jobs. You must have heard that I'm a workaholic."

Link joked about himself.

Harvey laughed, and the surrounding stars laughed along.

After some small talk, Link brought up the matter of "Silver Linings Playbook." The film had started shooting in February, and after more than a month, the main scenes were about to be finished. The next step was post-production and scheduling the release.

However, during filming, The Weinstein Company had only allocated the first batch of funds, and the second batch of about 6.5 million dollars hadn't arrived yet. If the funds weren't allocated on time, it would affect the film's post-production.

Producer Bruce Cohen suspected that Harvey wanted to use this method to control the film's editing and distribution rights.

During the initial negotiations, it was agreed that the film would be jointly promoted and distributed by both companies.

If the film's distribution was handled by one company, they would have the opportunity to manipulate the accounts, inflating the distribution costs several times over. They could recoup their investment through distribution alone, and even if the box office suffered losses after the film's release, they would still be in a winning position.

This was a common practice among the six major Hollywood studios.

The six major studios, including Universal, Disney, Warner Bros., Fox, and Sony, all had television stations, newspapers, magazines, and other distribution channels under their parent companies, making it easier for them to promote films than independent production companies.

Some films might seem like huge losses, but they made money through distribution channels, which was still profitable for the parent company.

This was why the six major studios could remain strong in Hollywood. The original seventh major studio, MGM, went bankrupt because it lacked distribution channels and was eventually divided up by the six majors.

"Link, this was an oversight by the finance department. I'll call later to inquire about the situation. If they haven't, I'll allocate the funds right away so as not to delay the filming. Today is a celebration party, let's not talk about work. Come with me, I'll introduce you to some good friends."

Harvey said enthusiastically, pulling him along.

Link didn't refuse and followed Harvey to meet several famous directors and producers in the industry.

Among them was Julie Taymor, a producer and director known for the 2002 film "Frida" starring Salma Hayek, which received five Oscar nominations. She had also directed "Titus," "The Tempest," and "Across the Universe."

Last year, her art film "The Tempest" received a Best Costume Design nomination at the recent Oscars.

Both of these films were collaborations with Harvey.

When Julie Taymor saw Harvey, she tactfully brought up the issue of the "The Tempest" box office share, saying that her company hadn't received the first payment and asking Harvey for the reason.

Harvey's face immediately turned cold. He turned to his assistant and said, "She's no longer my guest. Get her out of here."

"Mr. Weinstein, I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring this up here. But I've been to The Weinstein Company to see you more than ten times, and I haven't been able to meet with you. I had no choice but to talk to you here," Julie Taymor said with a dejected expression.

Harvey waved his hand impatiently and had two assistants escort Julie Taymor away.

Julie Taymor's husband, a composer, tried to stop them.

He said that according to the contract, their company should have received 22% of the North American box office revenue after "The Tempest" was released.

Now, nearly half a year after the film's release, the company hadn't received the first payment.

The company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and they had no choice but to come to the party to find Harvey Weinstein.

"Shut up!"

Harvey pointed at his nose and cursed, "The film only grossed 13.5 million dollars in North America, less than a third of the production cost. You still want a share? Not a penny. Get them out of here."

Harvey's face was grim, the muscles on his face twitching. His short, thick neck and big belly also bulged with his heavy breathing.

The assistants, along with several burly security guards, escorted Julie Taymor out, dragging her husband away from the luxurious and lively villa hall.

Many people at the scene witnessed this, but no one dared to intervene. Weinstein was known as a "tyrant" in the entertainment industry, with a bad temper. If anyone interfered, they might face the same treatment as Julie Taymor.

After the Taymors were taken away, the party resumed its lively atmosphere.

Link looked at the bustling party and smiled slightly.

It was rumored that Harvey was arrogant and ruthless, warm to those who could make money for him and cold to those who couldn't. Now it seemed the rumors were true.

"Haha, Link, don't misunderstand. What happened between me and Julie Taymor isn't what you think. Before the film was shot, we had a contract that stipulated a share of the box office only if it was a big hit. If the box office failed, there would be no share. I'm just acting according to the contract," Harvey explained with a smile.

Link nodded but didn't say much.

He could roughly understand the cooperation model between the two parties. Julie Taymor's company invested in the film with her director's fee and some funds, and they were supposed to receive 22% of the North American box office revenue after the film's release. This model was common in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, the film only grossed 13.5 million dollars in North America, while the production cost was as high as 35 million dollars, resulting in a loss of tens of millions of dollars.

Harvey was unhappy about losing money, and to reduce his company's losses, he pocketed all the box office revenue, refusing to give his partner their due share.

Julie Taymor had two choices.

One was to take the contract to court, which would cost money and might not even result in a win. This wasn't a good option for someone with financial difficulties.

The second was to pay out of pocket to cover the crew's losses. If she couldn't come up with the money, she and her company were likely to go bankrupt.

This was Hollywood, a casino bigger than Las Vegas.

Link didn't sympathize with Julie Taymor's situation, but he became more cautious and wary of Harvey.