Chapter 189: Unexpected Investment

The movie Wayne mentioned that could help DiCaprio win an award was not The Revenant, which originally secured his Oscar. After all, DiCaprio's current looks and age don’t yet fit the original role.

The film he was referring to is The King’s Speech, which was released in 2010 and received 12 nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards.

It won four major awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

This movie is set during World War II.

It tells the story of Albert, Duke of York, who suffers from a stutter and is unable to speak publicly, causing him repeated embarrassment during large ceremonies.

His devoted wife, Elizabeth, searches for specialists to help him, but traditional methods fail.

By chance, she hears about speech therapist Lionel Logue, whose unconventional methods are rumored to work wonders.

Although the Duke initially dismisses Logue’s eccentric techniques and their first session ends badly, Albert later discovers that when he reads Shakespeare while listening to music, he speaks fluently.

This newfound confidence makes him trust Logue, and he begins to overcome his psychological barriers.

Soon after, King George V passes away, and Edward VIII ascends to the throne, only to abdicate in order to marry Mrs. Simpson.

Albert is then thrust into the role of King George VI.

The great challenge he now faces is how to deliver a rousing speech to his people in the face of the looming Second World War.

By this time, his speech therapy had already shown considerable progress.

However, the weight of addressing the nation during an unprecedented global conflict placed enormous pressure on him.

But with Lionel Logue’s help, he eventually overcame this monumental challenge.

Though the film didn’t gain much attention in China, it was a global classic in both Hollywood and world cinema.

Despite not having a major star to draw in audiences, the film’s touching story and stellar performances led it to huge success at the Oscars and a worldwide box office gross of $484 million.

This was an astonishing achievement.

Now, if the relatively unknown original lead actor were replaced by DiCaprio, the box office would undoubtedly see a significant boost.

At this point, DiCaprio’s star power far surpassed that of Tom Cruise.

Meanwhile, a thought began to form in the minds of Harvey, Howard Stringer, and others: no matter the cost, this movie had to be theirs!

“Wayne provides the script and production, DiCaprio stars as the lead—how could this movie be anything but a money-making machine?”

They exchanged knowing glances, each understanding the other's thoughts.

Wayne didn’t reveal any details about the new film, nor did DiCaprio ask, but the atmosphere became even more lively.

From a distance, Tom Cruise couldn’t help but feel envious, barely able to maintain his smile.

“Damn it! Why is that guy so popular?”

Cruise’s hand tightened around his wine glass.

Despite his Hollywood superstar status, it didn’t help him much at this high-level event, where he was largely ignored.

The root cause of this was his association with Scientology.

His divorce from Nicole Kidman had tarnished his reputation, and the already controversial Scientology became even more infamous.

Most of the attendees, from the entertainment industry to politics, were keen to protect their image and naturally avoided associating with him in public.

As Cruise stewed in resentment, an unexpected guest approached Wayne.

“Hi, Mr. Wayne. This is our first time meeting, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

There was no need for introductions, as this man’s name was well-known not only in Hollywood but throughout California and the United States.

“Hello, Mr. Schwarzenegger. I’ve always admired you. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Yes, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger, accompanied by his wife, Maria Shriver.

Although Shriver was merely a journalist for NBC, she had another notable identity—she was the niece of President Kennedy.

Beside Schwarzenegger stood a slim man with short black hair and a friendly smile, of Latin American descent. Although not the host of the event, he was undoubtedly one of the most important figures present.

“Let me introduce you. This is Antonio Villaraigosa, the Speaker of the California State Assembly.”

“Hello, Mr. Wayne. I’m Antonio Villaraigosa. Though I’m a bit older now, I have to say, my favorite movie of yours is still Accepted. You know, my kid dragged me to the theater to see it three times! And he never wanted to go anywhere with me before, let alone watch a movie together.”

Villaraigosa warmly shook Wayne’s hand, his smile genuine, like a friendly neighbor.

There’s no denying it: politicians are excellent actors.

As a Latino who rose from a modest Mexican family to become the Speaker, Villaraigosa’s acting ability far surpassed that of any Oscar winner.

But while exchanging pleasantries, Wayne keenly noticed that Howard Stringer and Disney's outgoing CEO, Michael Eisner, weren’t too fond of Villaraigosa.

“Even though the Speaker of the Assembly doesn’t hold as much power as a city councilor in Los Angeles, they wouldn’t act so coldly unless…”

Wayne quickly connected the dots to current Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn.

Villaraigosa, at only 48, was already Speaker of the Assembly. The next step for him would naturally be a mayoral position.

Before Silicon Valley’s rise, Los Angeles was the cultural, political, and economic heart of California and the West Coast. Any ambitious person would have their sights set on the city’s mayoral office.

James Hahn came from an old political family in California and was also white.

As a Latino, Villaraigosa’s mayoral bid was not widely supported.

Though someone of his stature wouldn’t face much trouble from the mayor unless he left himself vulnerable, it was still enough to cause some unease.

Hence, the chilly reception from those around him.

In fact, Villaraigosa’s mayoral run this year would end in failure, forcing him to lay low for two years.

It wasn’t until Schwarzenegger became governor in 2003 that Villaraigosa succeeded in becoming a Los Angeles council member.

Two years later, he finally won the mayor’s office.

From then on, he remained Los Angeles’ mayor, holding the position through multiple terms, alongside fellow Latino, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, dominating the Democratic Party.

Upon thinking of this, Wayne couldn't help but feel increasingly enthusiastic.

Although Antonio Villaraigosa would lose the election this year, it was actually perfect for Wayne.

After all, providing help in a time of need is far more appreciated than adding more to an already successful situation. Moreover, they wouldn’t need to wait four years—just two years later, when Schwarzenegger became governor of California, the entire situation would flip.

In his early years in office, Schwarzenegger held a terrifying level of prestige and approval in California.

It could be said that as long as Schwarzenegger didn’t abandon Antonio Villaraigosa, and Villaraigosa didn’t make any big mistakes, defeating James Hahn in the election two years later was almost guaranteed.

And Villaraigosa was just a young man rising to this level.

Even if people noticed that Wayne was showing a particular interest in Villaraigosa, they would likely chalk it up to him meeting an influential figure for the first time, completely unaware of the dynamics behind the scenes, and wouldn't pay it much attention.

In fact, even if Wayne publicly joined Villaraigosa's campaign team and supported him, people would probably just see him as an impulsive young man deceived by Villaraigosa.

After all, Wayne had never been involved in politics.

Even if current Mayor James Hahn became displeased, Wayne had nothing to fear—let’s not forget that he now had powerful backing.

No politician wants to offend the media, let alone a media giant like the Hearst Corporation, one of the top three news organizations in the U.S.

So, building a relationship with and investing in Villaraigosa seemed like a surefire win.

And Antonio Villaraigosa indeed had the qualities of a man destined for great things. Despite the cold and distant gazes around him, he remained calm, chatting with Wayne for five or six minutes before exchanging private contact information and leaving with the Schwarzeneggers.

After Villaraigosa left, the previously awkward atmosphere returned to normal. But as Wayne had predicted, no one pointed out the subtle traps in the situation to him.

Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t know, and Howard Stringer and the others clearly knew but chose not to say anything.

They probably hoped Wayne would offend the current mayor, giving them more opportunities to offer Wayne help in the future.

After that, the real hosts of this charity dinner, the Beverly Hills police chief and fire chief, came over with their wives to exchange pleasantries.

About half an hour later, the auction finally began.

Wayne and Mia were seated at the first small round table in the middle of the third row, along with Howard Stringer and Steven Spielberg.

Clearly, in the competition with Harvey and Michael Eisner, Howard Stringer was more invested and had more influence.

However, the items being auctioned off weren’t very interesting.

Most of them were items worth tens of thousands of dollars, with few exceeding $100,000, and there was no intense bidding. After two or three bids, things would settle down, quite unlike the heated, competitive auctions described in the novels Wayne had read, where millions of dollars could be thrown around.

But on second thought, it made sense.

In these times, earning money wasn’t easy for anyone. Donors weren’t going to donate anything too valuable, even for tax deductions. They’d just donate some inexpensive collectibles to fill in the gaps.

Bidders weren’t fools either. Even if they had to pay a "protection fee," they would do so within reason.

After observing for a while, Wayne originally intended to spend a few thousand dollars on some random jewelry. But when he saw a painting titled Innocence by William-Adolphe Bouguereau from his later years, he decided to spend $80,000 to buy it.

"Mr. Wayne, are you a fan of William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s work?" Spielberg asked.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, born in 1825 in La Rochelle, France, was one of the most important figures of the 19th-century French academic style. His art was known for its beauty and idealized scenes, often featuring mythological, angelic, and allegorical themes.

However, because Bouguereau wasn’t particularly famous and many of his works survived, even his signature pieces would only fetch a couple of million dollars nowadays.

For lesser-known works like Innocence, their value was only in the tens of thousands.

But for people like them, the value of a gift didn’t matter as much; what mattered was whether it suited the recipient’s tastes.

It’s like giving Wayne a woman—it wouldn’t cost a penny, and it would still earn them two favors.

However, Spielberg felt a bit uncomfortable with this idea, unable to be as bold and unconcerned with appearances as Harvey or Howard Stringer.

So, if Wayne liked Bouguereau’s work, Spielberg figured it would be a way to build a relationship with him.

But unfortunately, Wayne wasn’t particularly interested in Bouguereau’s work.

“I’m just interested in anything beautiful and pleasing to the eye. This painting is quite beautiful, don’t you think?”

Afterward, Wayne took a liking to another Bouguereau painting titled Two Sisters. This one was even cheaper than Innocence, costing only $20,000.

At that point, Spielberg finally understood.

Wayne’s tastes had been consistent all along—he simply liked beautiful women.

Meanwhile, Howard Stringer, who had been quietly observing, gained further insight into Wayne’s preferences through these two paintings and began to formulate a plan.

(End of Chapter)