Chapter 26
Nothing really to say here, but here is another chapter. Honestly, I am suffering a bit of writer's block right now, so this chapter is very short. So if someone can share some ideas for the next chapter, that would be helpful.
Now, there were not many reviews or comments on the last chapter. Hope that means it was so good you were all stunned, but I have my doubts lol.
Anyways, Ikkiphenix25 Angelina will be one of the women he hooks up with down the line, I am just not sure when.
Anyways, on with the story.
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"Can you tell us how you two met? I mean, aside from Dr. Dre, how significant is Ceaser to your story?" Anderson Cooper asks the man sitting across from him.
Taking a moment to reflect, Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known to the world as Eminem, considers his response.
"More important than most people would think," Eminem replies.
"How so?" Anderson inquires.
"Well, he's the reason Dre even knew who I was at the time. Not many people realize this, but Ceaser is an avid collector of underground music. And when I say he is a collector, I mean he is a collector, know what I mean? In his house, if you ever visit, you will find a library filled with underground tapes and CDs. From 50 Cent and Lil Wayne to Nicki Minaj and more, it's all there, and among those shelves is a tape of a rap battle I participated in back in the early '90s," Eminem explains.
"Was that the one Dre heard you on?" Anderson asks.
"That one, along with two other cassettes I made with Proof," Eminem replies.
"Wow, that must have been huge for you," Anderson says.
Laughing lightly, Eminem responds, "You know it would have been if I had known."
"What do you mean?" Anderson inquires.
"Ceaser never mentioned it. In fact, I didn't find out that he gave my tape to Dre until after 'The Eminem Show.'" Eminem explains.
"Dre didn't tell you?" Anderson asks, surprised.
Shaking his head, Em responds, "No, he thought I knew. After all, Ceaser and I had known each other for years and were good friends, so he had no reason to believe I didn't know."
"Wow, that must have been a surprise," Anderson says.
"You know it was, but at the same time, it wasn't. People always see Ceaser as one of two things: either a one-of-a-kind genius with no equal or a money-grubbing dick. Neither perspective is wrong, by the way," Eminem explains, making Anderson laugh. He then adds, "But there is more to him than that as well. You see, he is also a loyal friend who will never ask for anything or hold anything over you if you're loyal to him. That's why he never brought it up. I never gave him a reason to think of me as anything less than a friend."
"Speaking of your friendship, how did it begin? Was it when you two first met?" Anderson asks.
Eminem shakes his head and replies, "No, when I first met him, he was just someone working on the album. We only became friends after I realized we had something truly in common."
"And that is?" Anderson inquires.
Eminem pauses for a moment before answering, "Come hell or high water. We both would do anything for our children and destroy anyone seeking to harm them."
-60 Minutes interview featuring Eminem-
-1999-
If I could make one wish, even if it meant giving up everything I have accomplished in my life, it would be to freeze this moment in time. Watching my children play in the backyard at Salma's house, chasing each other around and laughing in pure joy. It was the most beautiful and peaceful thing these eyes had ever seen. Though it may be just a fleeting moment, the joy it brings is worth all the gold in the world. It was something I believe only a true father can fully understand or appreciate.
Behind me, Em quietly observed as his own child played gently with my children. He said nothing, just stood there sipping his beer, his face reflecting a sense of peace. The fucked-up persona of Slim Shady was nowhere to be seen. Despite his well-known struggles, he kept drinking and drugs away from his child, just as I would strive to do for my own. I've seen too many people fall down that path, and I knew all too well where it leads—nowhere good.
Taking a sip of his beer, Em says, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't you be on a movie set right now?"
Looking back at him, I respond, "And miss this?"
Taking another sip of his beer, he replies, "Right, stupid question."
Em understood. After growing up without a father and with a mother who struggled with addiction, he had learned one important lesson: never miss a moment to spend with your children. There is only a short window when they want you around. Just moments before they grow up and leave you behind. There were no moments to waste on doing other things if it could be helped.
It was a lesson I had thankfully already learned, which was why whenever I saw them, I recorded them with my camcorder and took as many pictures as I could. All because I knew this moment wouldn't last forever.
Standing up, I walk to a nearby chair and sit down. "Besides, today we're primarily filming background shots, and Mr. Perry needs the experience of managing a movie set without someone there to guide him."
"Ah, the school of hard knocks. I get it—throw him into the deep end and see if he swims," Em responds.
"That's right. Both Wes and Steven did the same thing to me. After today, I'll know if he can handle things on his own or not," I reply.
"And if he swims?" Em asks.
"Then I can move forward with helping him get his own opportunity to direct a major motion picture," I say with a smile as he sits down next to me, and we continue watching the children play.
"You really have that much faith in him?" Em asks.
"As much as I had in a cracker from Detroit," I respond jokingly, making Em laugh a little.
For a while, we remain silent until I finally say, "Listen, I called you here for a reason. I'm sure Dre already told you what comes next, right?"
Stretching the back of his neck, Em replies, "Yeah, he gave me the rundown."
Nodding, I say, "Good. Remember, you're a big deal now. Your album is number one right now, but people both inside and outside the industry will soon try to come after you in any way they can. They'll either try to control you or shut you the fuck up. That's why I'm telling you this: trust no one but Dre and those who were there for you from the start."
Nodding in agreement, Em asks, "Does that mean I shouldn't trust you either?"
I glance over at him and notice how his eyes narrow. I laugh and reply, "Good, you're learning. To answer your question, don't worry about me. I have my own battles to face. Once *The Sixth Sense* comes out, my stock will rise even higher than it is now, which means there will be even more pressure on me to succeed. I won't have time to try and screw you over."
Em remains silent, and we both sit quietly, watching the children play until Salma walks outside with Gwyneth, who is showing a small but noticeable baby bump.
"Are you guys doing alright over there? Making sure the kids don't hurt themselves," Salma asks.
"Yeah, everything is fine, Salma," I reply.
Looking at me, Em says, "Okay, I have to ask: How are they not trying to kill you right now?"
I let out a sigh and respond, "Who says they didn't try? You saw Tiff's interview on TV, right?"
Em nods, taking another sip of his beer as I reflect on how I ended up in this situation. Honestly, it all boils down to one thing: I refused to pull out or use protection, and I had bad luck. The pill may offer 74 percent protection against pregnancy for women, but that still leaves a 26 percent chance of getting pregnant. Clearing anyone who saw Gwyneth, could tell the 26 percent chance had won out over the 74, as she was now carrying my 3rd child.
Surprisingly, this news doesn't bother me; I already have two children whom I love more than anything in the world. Having one more wouldn't change anything, and I would love this child just as much as my others. However, not everyone felt the same way, especially since Gwyneth isn't keeping quiet about it, as Salma and Tiff did. In fact, she has been very open about the situation, announcing to the world that the child is mine and expressing her happiness at becoming a mother. Though she had also gone on record to point out she was more than a bit nervous about becoming a mother. As for me, while I may not have been her first choice for the father of her first child, she wasn't unhappy about it either.
Sadly, Gwyneth's seemingly carefree attitude had the unfortunate effect of rubbing Tiff the wrong way. To the point that she went on public television, attacking me—thankfully, only me. She called me things like irresponsible, a jerk, and a man-child, among many other colorful insults. During Tiff's rant, she even let it slip that I had another child the same age as hers, which essentially confirmed what everyone already suspected: that Salma's child was mine.
This revelation understandably angered Salma, who called me to vent her frustrations. Thankfully, her anger was directed more at me than at Tiff, who had let the information slip. It's interesting to observe that while women are often willing to tear each other down whenever it suits them, they can also quickly unite against a common adversary. I didn't mind this dynamic, especially since they weren't really trying to take me down. Tiff was the only one who had publicly criticized me, while Salma, though unhappy, made her own public appearance, finally revealing the identity of her child's father. She even went so far as to describe me as a good father, albeit a bit awkward with kids.
After that, things settled down as I continued working on The Sixth Sense. Gwyneth, however, ended things between us after she knew she was knocked up. Not that there was much to end anyway, considering we were just fuck buddies who were now having a kid together. Tiff and I weren't really speaking at the moment, but she didn't stop me from seeing our child. As for Salma, we were clearly getting along, given that I was at her house right now.
We had actually discussed giving our relationship a real chance. With the knowledge of our shared child now out in the open, there seemed to be little point in pretending there wasn't something between us. However, neither of us was quite sure what that something was. Maybe she was waiting for me to make the first move. That's what men are expected to do, after all, but if that were the case, she would be waiting a long time. Marriage was the farthest thing from my mind right now or ever.
If it made her happy, though, I would go along with it if she asked. For now, I had other things to focus on, like the final stages of filming.
-A few months later-
Things were progressing well now. Despite all the challenges and problems WB tried to throw at me, it didn't slow me down. This was evident as we were filming the final scene today—nearly four months of filming, and we were a whole two months ahead of schedule. I had a number of people to thank for that. It wasn't just because I already knew what the movie was supposed to look like. I learned something from both Steven and Wes. Knowing how a movie should look is one thing, but making it look that way is another. To get it where I want it, I have to lean on others to make it happen. Which I did.
Speaking of people to thank, here comes one of them now. "Mr. Willis," I say to the man who walks up to me.
"Ceaser," Bruce replies as he stands by my side while the crew finishes setting up for the final scene of the movie.
Taking a steady breath, I said, "Thanks again, Bruce, for staying on set for as long as you have. I know you have other things to do."
After a brief pause, Bruce replied, "Think nothing of it, Caesar. You did well."
And wasn't that the truth? If Bruce were being completely honest, he wasn't sure how everything would turn out. He had known Caesar for about three years, having met him at the Academy Awards after-party at Mel Gibson's house. Since then, he had gotten to know the young man before him and was impressed with what he saw. Although still young, Caesar had the determination and desire to succeed, much like Bruce himself. More importantly, he understood that it was all about the money.
That said, Caesar was still young, and honestly, Bruce felt like the young man was taking a step too far by trying to direct at just 22. Bruce knew men over 40 who had yet to get a real shot at directing, and they had far more experience than Caesar did. Unlike Caesar, however, they were not once-in-a-lifetime geniuses, as some people called him. All it took to get Bruce on board was good pay and one look at the script for "The Sixth Sense," which made him realize they had a hit in the making. After all, while it may have been all about the money, Bruce didn't reach the heights he was at by not being able to recognize a good script.
Sure, he had his share of flops—every actor does—and had jobs he hated, but most of those jobs he knew were bad even before filming started. This wasn't a flop; this was a blockbuster waiting to happen, and because Caesar was a friend, Bruce was willing to do everything he could to help make it successful. If you asked Bruce, they did a pretty good job, too. Caesar quickly demonstrated that he knew what he was doing on set. It may have been his first time directing a major film, but he wasn't the type to go crazy with power. If anything, Caesar understood—most likely due to his experience working with Wes and Steven—that you had to delegate and rely on others' expertise without appearing weak. It was why they were so far ahead of schedule.
"After this, everyone will have to stop talking shit about you behind your back. They won't be able to deny your talent anymore," Bruce says.
"And that's when they'll start trying to tear me down," I reply, watching as Bruce nods in agreement.
"That's true. Rumors about your comic book movie are spreading all over Hollywood," Bruce continues.
"So I've heard. What are they saying behind my back?" I ask.
"Some people are calling you stupid for trying to produce your own film without having directed one before," Bruce explains.
"That's very kind of them," I say with a smirk.
Bruce chuckles softly and adds, "That's the nice way of putting it. What they are really saying is that you're finished. When this movie flops, and you potentially go bankrupt, they believe you'll end up back on the streets where you belong."
I laugh even more and ask one question, "And what do you think?"
Looking at me, Bruce replies, "I think you follow the money. You wouldn't be doing this unless you knew you would succeed."
"That just means you're smarter than everyone else, Bruce. Trust me when I say that X-Men will only be the beginning of something they won't see coming." I say this as Haley strides onto the set, confidence radiating from his youthful face.
He looks at me and nods, and I return the gesture, silently conveying the same message I share with all the actors I've worked with when it's their time to shine: It's your stage. Go out there and own it.