Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 157

157. The World’s Best Star

Manager Park Hanmo’s words, “the world’s best star,” made Lee Minki’s eyes widen in surprise.

‘Who could it be?’

Indeed.

He couldn’t even begin to guess who they were talking about.

There were so many stars in the world.
The acting world was so vast, with dozens of leading figures in each genre.

‘For youth dramas, there’s Tommy Helston; for revenge stories, Tom Neilson; for character acting, Rod; for action roles, The Mountain; for distinguished gentlemen, Westwood.’

It was overwhelming.

While Lee Minki’s brainpower was maxed out, trying to figure out who they meant, manager Park Hanmo nodded emphatically.

“Yes, I figured you might have guessed, actor. You’re so well-informed.”

“…….”

“I was also surprised. Your stock has been soaring lately, but I never imagined that a star of this caliber would come directly to JC to meet you.”

Wait a minute.

There was a clue just now.

‘An actor that someone well-informed would know, and who is currently in Korea.’

Who could it be?

Lee Minki frantically searched his memory.

He could just ask manager Park Hanmo, but the moment he admitted ignorance, his carefully constructed image would be shattered.

To protect his pride, he overclocked his brain for a moment.

“Neil Rautavaara.”

He barely managed to utter a name.

“That’s the one.”

Neil Rautavaara.

A second-generation Northern European, currently the hottest Hollywood actor.

Sharp eyes like a Siberian Husky.
A towering height of over 190 cm [6’3″], long limbs, and a soft, handsome face.

He truly deserved to be called a superstar.

‘Besides, he’s currently in Korea.’

He had heard that he was in Korea to shoot a magazine spread.

If so, it had to be Neil Rautavaara.

There was no other possibility.

That’s what Lee Minki thought, anyway.

“Yes?”

Manager Park Hanmo looked puzzled and said.

“It’s not him.”

“Yes?”

“Was Neil Rautavaara even in Korea right now?”

“Yes.”

“I see. But he’s too low-level. Of course, he’s a star, but…”

Manager Park Hanmo, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly stopped.

“No, I wasn’t clear enough. I thought you would have heard from the director.”

He cleared his throat and continued.

“It’s William Lockhart.”

William Lockhart.

With those words, Lee Minki finally understood his mistake.

The word ‘star’ wasn’t exclusive to actors.

A broader definition.

Anyone in a profession that thrives on public attention could be a star.

William Lockhart.

“Let’s go meet him right away.”
The best-selling singer in the world right now was exactly that.

* * *

William Lockhart.

Why was this person so special?

To explain the reason, there was no need for unnecessary embellishment.

[No. 1 in World Album Sales in 2014]

It was because he had topped the world album sales charts a few years ago.

Moreover.

[No. 1 in World Album Sales in 2015]

For two consecutive years.

The number one spot is special.

Someone might get it once by luck.

If they’re really lucky, they can.

But what if they took that number one spot twice in a row?

Luck alone isn’t enough.

He had undeniable talent.

That alone was enough to explain who William Lockhart was.

[Total Album Sales of 50 Million Copies]

Maybe decades ago, but the world music market had long since shifted from albums to streaming.

Now, albums that sell over ten million copies are rare, maybe one a year.

But in such an era, William Lockhart was a phenomenon, selling over ten million copies for two consecutive years.

He succeeded with just his music, without aggressive marketing, even if he went through various challenges.

[Life is war, the microphone is my gun, bullet is my voice, everyone says bulletproof about me.]

Or he has many people to thank around him.

[I had a hard time. I dreamed of repaying. To my mom, to the people who loved me, I send respect and gratitude.]

These things aren’t that important in the face of overwhelming achievement.

But.

“I want to co-produce my next album as a movie.”

William Lockhart himself didn’t seem to think so.

“As a movie?”

Lee Minki, who had come to the JC office from his apartment, blinked.

In front of him, William Lockhart was passionately explaining, as if he was deeply moved by his own idea.

“Until now, I’ve been consistent with the concept of being mysterious, but now it’s time to change.”

“What is?”

“The public must be curious about my other side!”

“…….”

“Where are the limits of William Lockhart, the unparalleled genius, what kind of music can he make!”

There were many things he was curious about, but Lee Minki just kept blinking, not asking any big questions.

Because.

‘Has this person ever filmed a movie like that before?’

It was a story he had never heard of.

Lee Minki had been in the industry for four years, which was short in some ways, and long in others.

Even so, he knew the upcoming movie market like the back of his hand for the next three years.

But the name ‘William Lockhart’ wasn’t in it.

No, to be exact, it was there.

Only as a singer contributing to the OST [original soundtrack].

‘I’ve never heard of anything being made based on William Lockhart’s songs, or him participating in the production directly.’

But to think he wanted to make a movie with his own song.

‘Was it canceled during the planning process?’

It didn’t take long for Lee Minki to get the answer to that question.

Because William Lockhart revealed it himself while he was speculating.

“I’ve always dreamed of it in my heart, but I never had the chance. There was no one capable enough to make a movie that matched my music.”

“A director?”

“A broader range, someone who shares the same genius as me.”

William Lockhart looked at Lee Minki intently.

It was intense in his own way, but it was a bit much for others.

He could endure it up to this point.

But his next words were the final straw.

“Lee Minki, you are the oasis in the desert that I have been searching for until now.”

“……Ugh.”

“Hmm? Is your stomach not feeling well?”

“No. I didn’t eat breakfast.”

He almost lost his composure.

‘……He’s a musical genius, but as a person, he’s a bit… yeah, a little much.’

Still, he didn’t feel too bad.

William Lockhart’s musical achievements were undeniable.

And he was the one who had sought him out and made the offer.

“I’ll do the music, you’ll do the movie. Don’t you think we can be the best together?”

He was suggesting that the best in each industry should join forces and create something amazing.

‘I’ve been recognized, there’s no reason to feel bad.’

Music-themed movies also tended to do well.

If he made it well, he was guaranteed at least a minimum level of success.

Given the genre, it would be easy to get critical acclaim.

What about marketing?

‘There’s no need to worry about that.’

Lee Minki had a huge hit this year, and the person in front of him was the best-selling recording artist of the 21st century.

‘He’s going to make a movie with a song by a singer who sold 50 million copies of his album, so at least tens of millions of people will come to see it.’

Overall, there was no reason to refuse.

Even if he tried and it didn’t work out, he could always scrap it, but there were no major problems at the planning stage.

But.

One by one, worries and questions remained in Lee Minki’s mind.

‘Can I really make a movie that I don’t know well?’

Could he direct a movie without knowing the source material?

Even if he went into film production, he would ask other people to take on the role of director without any regrets.

And another question was.

“If it’s a movie with Lockhart’s autobiographical elements… then we’ll have to find someone else as an actor, right?”

Could an Asian play a character based on the white man in front of him?

But this was his miscalculation.

“Why bother?”

William Lockhart hadn’t even considered it.

“What matters is that the actor is good at acting, what does race have to do with it?”

“…….”

“The main character must be Minki himself. Otherwise, it’s better not to shoot it at all.”

He was truly an open-minded person.

“No, if you think about it, it doesn’t matter if it’s not my story. I don’t care about street bums either. If Minki acts.”

Looking closely, it seems that the word ‘open’ is not enough.

Anyway, he was a human being who didn’t have even a trace of prejudice or anything like that.

“What about racial issues?”

“Do you consider the singer’s race in classical music? Do you consider the actor’s race in musicals? Those are all minor elements.”

“Still, it’s a pretty sensitive part of the film industry.”

“Ah, it can be sensitive.”

William Lockhart chuckled and said.

“If the work isn’t fun.”

That’s right.

The common denominator of works that cause controversy regarding racial casting was always the same.

That it’s not entertaining.

Because the movie itself wasn’t made well, the issue of racial casting was brought up while looking for criticisms.

Furthermore, the problem was that even criticism of the movie itself was recognized as criticism of racial casting.

“Yes, it’s true that there’s no problem if it’s fun.”

The truth that becomes obvious just by looking at movies based on original works.

It doesn’t matter if they changed a black person to a white person or a white person to a black person.

If the movie itself is fun, few people criticize these elements.

Right now, who would say anything if Morgan Freeman was given the role of an Asian woman?

[From now on, I will define Morgan Freeman as the synonym for Asian women.]

[I am Morgan Freeman.]

[Ah, I’m jealous. I want to be Morgan Freeman too.]

[I’ll make you Morgan Freewoman instead.]

In the end, what matters is entertainment and acting skills.

Overwhelming perfection that makes racial differences trivial.

William Lockhart judged Lee Minki to be someone who could achieve that.

‘If he’s okay with it, there’s no point in others arguing.’

But there was one thing that had to be clearly pointed out.

Lee Minki took a small breath as if he was making a confession and opened his mouth.

“Strictly speaking, ‘Manman-Too’ is not a work I made.”

“Yes?”

The moment William Lockhart’s eyes widened, Lee Minki continued to speak as if he wouldn’t give him a chance to breathe.

“The two directors who filmed with me made 98% of it, and I just added my opinions in the middle.”

That’s right.

This needed to be clearly stated.

Right now, the world was focusing more on his ability as a director than his ability as an actor.

In the style of a genius director.

‘William Lockhart probably thinks so too.’

He was the one who used this as a marketing point for [Manman-Too], so he has no intention of blaming others.

But shouldn’t he reveal it without hiding it to the person he’s working with?

Even if William Lockhart refuses because of this.

But.

Even this was close to Lee Minki’s misunderstanding.

“Then we can entrust the production to those two people!”

“…….”

“Our Minki will be the main character.”

William Lockhart was literally a person who only looked at the results.

“Are you okay with that?”

Lee Minki, who was rather dumbfounded, asked.

“It’s not me, but the other two who are actually holding the megaphone [directing].”

“Hmm? Is there any reason why it shouldn’t be? Or do you not like it?”

“No, it’s not that. Let’s see.”

Lee Minki, who had solved the problem in an instant, put his hand in his pocket.

Then, he took out his cell phone and said.

“I can’t decide on my own, so I’m going to ask my partners for their opinions.”

How many days has it been since you filmed [Manman-Too] and you have to work again right away.

No.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Lee Minki’s mind like lightning.

‘Should I just release this under the name of Neutral Zone [their production company]?’