Chapter 89: Why Refuse
"Tom, what do you think of these two roles?"
Sitting in the reception room of the Cruise mansion, Pat Kingsley didn't touch the coffee Nicole Kidman had served. "Fox also hopes a star with your box office appeal will appear in Independence Day."
"One of them is a black character." Tom Cruise didn't hide his disgust. "And the President has too little screen time. I can't play a supporting role."
"Besides, this is a Duke Rosenberg film!" That last sentence represented his truest thoughts.
"Interview with the Vampire and The Rock were just normal business competition!"
Pat Kingsley felt a headache coming on. Although Cruise was her biggest client, he was also the most troublesome. "There is no personal conflict between you two! Tom, Duke Rosenberg is clearly on a rapid rise. He's a red-hot director in Hollywood right now. Paramount and Walt Disney both tried to get in on the investment for Independence Day, and Warner and Fox are projecting a North American box office of 200 million dollars for this film!"
"Don't tell me you don't understand the benefits a movie like this could bring you!" Kingsley emphasized. "You still don't have a movie with a North American box office over 200 million! I went to great lengths to get the character scripts from Twentieth Century Fox and secure some people's support!"
"Maybe he'll fail..." Tom Cruise seemed to be thinking.
Ignoring Cruise's muttering, Pat Kingsley turned to look the other way. "Mary, what about you? What do you think of the script and the role?"