America 1987

Chapter 78 Civet Cat Stewed with Soft-shelled Turtle Penis

However, the female lead, whom he felt had limited room for development and limited value, was seen as a hot commodity by others.

"What?" David asked, quite surprised. "You're interested in this role too?"

"I'm not interested in the role itself, but in the final choice of the actor for that role."

On the set of "When Harry Met Sally," Nicole, who was sitting next to him, said this.

Filming for this movie is nearing its end, with only a few kissing scenes for the female lead left to film. Nicole and Quentin called him together to ask him to come to the set to supervise.

David hadn't expected the latter to call him about this. Quentin was originally seen by David as a distinctive, eccentric, and uniquely styled genius director.

I didn't expect them to even notice such a detail.

It seems that people are indeed complex. Thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, someone who climbed from a video store clerk to the top of the Hollywood pyramid must have more than just talent.

He was also very adept at interpersonal relationships. In the original timeline, he even took the initiative to buy the international distribution rights of Wong Kar-wai's "Chungking Express" to help it gain international fame and intended to befriend him.

When Michelle Yeoh was injured while filming "The Story of Ah Kam," she was admitted to the intensive care unit. Quentin Tarantino happened to be in Hong Kong at the time promoting "Pulp Fiction." Upon hearing the news, he immediately went to the hospital to visit her. He placed a pillow at her feet, claimed to be her number one fan, and verbally described the storyboard of her action scenes frame by frame to encourage her not to give up.

As for the relationship between Jiang Wen and Quentin Tarantino, it is a well-known fact.

From this perspective, Quentin is indeed exceptional in terms of emotional intelligence.

The former surprised him even more. He remembered that Nicole in the original timeline was always willing to sacrifice herself for art. When she was with Tom Cruise, she didn't make many films like that, except for the movie "Eyes Wide Shut" which the couple made together.

When she was with her second husband, she basically ignored him completely and took on a bunch of art films that were essentially fan service for the audience.

It seems that not only do you need to become famous early, but you also need to start picking up girls early.

"Being interested in the casting choice means you're interested in the role itself. Since when have you started speaking in such a roundabout way, Nicole?"

"I never thought about playing this role," Nicole said, distancing herself from the question. "I wanted to ask you how you plan to find the right person for this role."

"For auditions, you just need to be young, pretty, and able to endure hardship. The filming environment for this movie is probably very harsh, and I will make that clear in the notification before the audition."

"What?" David raised an eyebrow. "You have ideas for the role?"

"Hmm, a little, but I don't know..."

"David, Nicole, it's your turn." Quentin's voice interrupted their conversation.

After he arrived on set, Quentin encouraged him to play a cameo role in the movie where he had a kissing scene with Nicole Kidman.

Upon hearing this request, David suddenly realized that Quentin was indeed still the same eccentric and talented director from the original timeline. He even wanted to gossip about the producers. How could he not be eccentric?

As for Nicole, she naturally agrees wholeheartedly. Being able to openly display affection on screen allows her to catch up with Catherine to some extent.

David thought it over carefully and decided that his less than three-minute appearance shouldn't have much of an impact. At worst, when Catherine brought it up, he could just blame Quentin, since it was Quentin who had instigated it and should take responsibility for it.

"You mean, you want to recommend a friend for the role?"

After leaving the film set, David took Nicole to a nearby Cantonese restaurant. From the mid-70s, Hong Kong-style cooking flourished in California, ushering in the "Golden Age of Cantonese Cuisine in America."

By the early 80s, seafood restaurants and Cantonese restaurants were ubiquitous in Los Angeles' Chinatown, Monterey Park, and other areas.

So David chose Cantonese cuisine not because he had a particular fondness for it, but because it was the mainstream cuisine in Los Angeles in the late 80s, and if he wanted to eat a meal of Eastern cuisine nearby, this was the only option.

“That’s right,” Nicole glanced at the table next to her, “I think she should be able to handle the role.”

"Hey, handsome!" David called over a waiter in Cantonese, "Do you have any dishes that can be eaten without chopsticks?"

"Yes, sir. Steamed fish, lobster noodles, shrimp dumplings, siu mai, char siu bao... these can all be eaten without chopsticks."

David thought for a moment, then, "How about General Tso's Chicken and Egg Flour?"

The waiter was about to leave after writing down the names of the dishes when he was suddenly called back.

"Oh, by the way, do you have a dish here called Civet Cat Stew with Turtle Penis?"

"Civet cat stewed with soft-shelled turtle penis," the waiter flipped through the menu. "Yes, yes, sir."

"Then give me a bowl."

Nicole looked at David, whose mood had inexplicably become unusually cheerful, and was somewhat puzzled.

After all, Jackie Chan's "Police Story 3" hasn't been released yet. Even if it is released and she goes to see it, she probably won't get the joke about "civet cat stewed with soft-shelled turtle penis".

"You can speak Cantonese?"

"I learned it from watching Hong Kong movies, so I only know some common phrases," David didn't elaborate further before quickly getting back to the main topic, "You just said you wanted to recommend a friend to play the female lead?"

"Hmm, more or less."

David thought about it for a moment and concluded that the friend the other person was referring to was probably a female friend, and that he was recommending his female friend to play the lead role in his movie.

"Are you sure you two are friends, not enemies?" David was completely baffled. "What kind of person am I? Others may not know, but surely you do?"

What kind of person are you?

What kind of person is David? Someone like Ji Xianlin.

The latter wrote a diary entry that became more famous than anything President Chiang wrote in his entire life—May 17, 1934: Today I read an old novel, *The Stone Nods*, a short story. The descriptions weren't particularly obscene, but for some reason, it easily aroused my sexual desire. I have no other hope in this life; I only hope to have more…

"Aren't you pushing your friend into a fire pit?" David skillfully picked up a scrambled egg with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, swallowed it, and then continued, "While I appreciate honest women, you're being far too honest. Pay a little attention to your image."

"Why are you making yourself sound like a devil?" Nicole asked, puzzled. "My friend is still stuck playing minor roles. I was just introducing her to you, and that's considered pushing her into a fire pit?"

……

"What's your friend's name?"

David, carrying a heavy responsibility, fulfilled his duties while inquiring about the other party's business.

"Naomi, Naomi Watts." Nicole quickly adjusted her tone after getting used to the rhythm and intensity, and answered as calmly as possible.

David didn't hesitate at all upon hearing the name, because it was exactly what he expected.