Rose Byrne was a promising young Australian actress. Back in August, she'd snagged the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her standout role in The Goddess of 1967. But that was an Aussie film. In Hollywood, she was still a total newbie, fresh-faced and untested.
In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, she'd landed a small part as Natalie Portman's handmaiden—a stark reminder of the massive gap between a European film festival win and Hollywood's reality.
That harsh contrast hit Rose hard, showing her just how deep the waters of Hollywood ran.
Things shifted when the "Aussie crew" brought her into the fold. Learning that Aussie icons like Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts had climbed the ladder with Dunn's help? That was a gut punch.
But seeing Dunn in action right now? That was something else entirely—his sheer influence was undeniable!
This wasn't just about blockbusters like Titanic, The Phantom Menace, or Spider-Man. The way Dunn held court among Hollywood's elite, chatting and laughing with ease, screamed power.
What draws women to men?
Surface level: looks. Mid-tier: money. Top-tier: power.
Dunn? He had all three in spades!
To women, that was the ultimate allure.
From a distance, Rose watched Dunn's tall, commanding figure standing at the center of a pack of Hollywood titans, and something stirred inside her.
"He's my shot!"
"I want to be as big as Nicole!"
"They did it—why can't I?"
Rose clenched her jaw and marched over to her best friend, Cate Blanchett, keeping her voice low. "Cate, I've made up my mind."
"About what?"
"I want to be a huge star."
Cate chuckled. "Who doesn't?"
"No, I mean it!" Rose tilted her chin up stubbornly, biting her lip. "I… later, could you play middleman and introduce me to Dunn?"
Cate's eyes widened with realization, a mix of surprise and amusement crossing her face. "Rose, you… I thought you weren't into that kind of thing?"
"There's something about him—he's got this glow, he's incredible!" Rose said earnestly.
Cate sighed. "Yeah, he's got a kind of magic. No one can say no to him."
"Cate, you… did you and him ever…" Rose hesitated, struggling to get the words out.
Cate blinked. "Sleep together?"
Rose nodded, a little embarrassed.
"Nope."
"What? You turned him down?"
"Are you kidding?" Cate rolled her eyes. "I told you, no actress in Hollywood can turn him down."
Rose frowned, confused. "Then why didn't you two…?"
Cate shrugged. "Maybe… he didn't think I was pretty enough?"
"No way!" Rose's eyes nearly popped out. "You're gorgeous, so elegant—you're like a queen!"
"A queen?" Cate smiled faintly. "Maybe that's exactly why he wasn't into me."
"Huh?"
Cate laughed softly. "Could be his taste. He… likes women who are soft, obedient, gentle as water. My 'queen vibe' might've stressed him out. After all, you know, he hooks up with girls to unwind from work."
"But Natalie Portman played a queen too."
"Exactly—there's only one Natalie Portman! If you're aiming to ride Dunn's coattails, she's the line you don't cross," Cate warned seriously, then waved it off. "Forget it, come on. Let's find Nicole—she's been there, done that. Ask her for tips."
"Is… is that okay?" Rose's cheeks flushed, her nerves kicking in.
Cate brushed it off. "Why not? This is Hollywood. We're outsiders here—we've got to stick together. Don't worry, Nicole's the vice president of the Aussie crew. She won't mind."
"Okay," Rose mumbled, her voice shaky.
Nicole Kidman was a legend in Aussie entertainment—a true icon, a spokesperson for their country!
But to Rose's surprise, Nicole was shockingly down-to-earth. After hearing her out, Nicole sized Rose up with a small smile. "Great figure, and pretty too!"
"Thanks," Rose said, squirming under Nicole's unabashed gaze, even though she was fully dressed and it was just another woman looking.
Nicole nodded lightly. "You sure about this? No second thoughts?"
"No second thoughts!"
"Alright then, I'll take you to meet Dunn in a bit."
"Um… thank you." Rose bit her lip, nervous. "Is there… anything I should watch out for?"
Nicole smiled. "Nah, with a face like yours, you're set. Just be sweet and easygoing—he likes girls who don't push back."
…
Michael Eisner came in hot, but he'd forgotten one thing: cash might be Legendary Pictures' weak spot, but their future prospects were their ace in the hole!
Dunn loved nothing more than waving a big flag to rally the troops. Facing a sea of skeptical eyes, he kept his cool and smiled. "Don't forget, the whole co-investment idea's only been around for three months, and Legendary Pictures has barely been up for two."
Michael Ovitz jumped in, oozing confidence. "That's right! Sure, we've only got a couple hundred million in liquid funds right now, but that's just from two or three months of work! Wall Street's still watching, and—full disclosure—I'm already in talks with two private equity funds."
Dunn added, "Movies take time to pay off—two or three years at least. Whether co-investment works hinges on how Legendary performs over that stretch. If, in two years, we're raking in fat returns, we won't even have to chase Wall Street—they'll come throwing money at us! Capitalists don't pass up a market like that!"
Michael Ovitz chimed in seamlessly. "I know some of you are quietly sniffing around Wall Street too—no need. Hollywood's got swagger, and Wall Street's no pushover. It all comes down to profit. Give it two years, and we'll see who's standing!"
Warner's president, Barry Meyer, was riding high. Terry Semel was set to step down in January, and with the board's blessing, Barry was lined up to take over as CEO of Warner Bros. He stepped up with a grin, playing peacemaker. "He's right—co-investment's a brilliant concept. If it works, it'll pump unprecedented cash into Hollywood, maybe even juice up the whole film market. Warner's proud to be Legendary's first client. This partnership's built on trust and responsibility."
Pretty words—everyone could sling those.
The room was full of sharp minds, not easily swayed by Michael Eisner's rabble-rousing or Dunn's smooth talk.
Tom Rothman, Fox's head, squinted with a sly smile. "Legendary's second deal carries a lot of weight, but at the end of the day, it's business. The choice is theirs, not mine. Co-investment's got a bright future—imagine, five or ten years from now, it'll be baked into Hollywood's movie-making DNA. So why squabble over short-term scraps and mess up the bigger picture?"
Michael Ovitz climbed right on that pole. "Exactly! We're all in this game together—rivals, sure, but allies too. Keeping Hollywood's collective interests first is the baseline. Don't let some schemer stir the pot and ruin what we've got going!"
A shot across the bow, aimed square at Michael Eisner!
The two were mortal enemies—way frostier than Dunn and Eisner's beef.
Even with all these big shots around, Ovitz didn't care one bit, openly flaunting his disdain and hatred for Eisner.
And he wasn't alone—Jeffrey Katzenberg was right there with him!
Couldn't be helped. Back in the '90s, when Eisner ruled Disney with an iron fist, he'd pissed off way too many people.
"Disney's got four big divisions—media, TV, parks, and resorts make up 75% of their revenue! The film studio's just a side gig now. Some people… they'd love to muddy the waters and fish in the chaos!" Jeffrey Katzenberg sneered, not holding back.
Michael Eisner's temper flared, veins bulging in his neck. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I don't want Hollywood stable?"
"Heh, if you really meant that, what was with the blacklist back then?" Katzenberg didn't flinch, flipping the table wide open. "Big studios flexing on newbies? Fine, that's fair competition. But a blacklist? That's your idea of 'fair'?"
"The blacklist… Disney dropped that ages ago!" Eisner snapped, fuming.
He hadn't seen this coming. After getting booted from Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg had laid low for five or six years, biding his time. Now, using Dunn's stage, he was coming out swinging.
Even Dunn was caught off guard.
His arrival had shaken up Hollywood's stagnant pond, and now even the patient, plotting Katzenberg was calling shots out loud. And what he said next? It nearly had Dunn doubled over laughing—
"Yeah, Dunn had a knife to your throat. What choice did you have but to lift that blacklist?"