Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Jennifer?"

As Ronald got closer, he recognized the black-and-white beauty as Jennifer Beals, the heroine of "Flashdance." After "Flashdance", she turned down all invitations and came to Yale to attend college.

This beauty knew what she wanted very well and left immediately. After the movie was released, she declined all movie invitations and advertising invitations to concentrate on reading.

Unlike Lisabeth Su, who went back to Harvard after filming "The Kid", Su often receives advertising invitations, such as the recent Burger King commercial, in which she starred with another beauty who replaced Leigh Thompson.

"It's really a coincidence. I came to Yale to do some other things, and I didn't expect to meet you."

"What is this?" The short beauty with blond hair and blue eyes next to her looked at her good friend Bills.

"Isn't this the famous director you were talking about this morning?" Jennifer Beals twisted her friend's waist.

"This is my friend Ronald. He is the co-producer of 'Flashdance' and helped me a lot on the set. Ronald, this is..."

"Hello, Miss Jodie Foster needs no introduction." Ronald held out his hand.

This famous actress who was born as a child star and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" and then was involved in Hinckley's assassination of the commander-in-chief is already a fourth-year student at Yale. .

Jodie Foster debuted at a young age and is considered to be two or three years younger than Ronald. She pushed the wind-blown hair on her forehead behind her ears with her hands, and then hugged Ronald cordially.

"I watched two new films directed by you and they were very interesting."

"Thanks."

"Let's go sit at the Java Cafe." Jodie Foster took the initiative to invite, and Ronald happened to want to ask them about the details of the alumni association, so the three of them went to the cafe near the tourist reception center and sat down to chat. .

Ever since Jodie Foster was implicated in the Hinckley case, she has been polite to reporters and walked away. College students at Yale who want to have a chat with her are often rejected by her.

This is the first time that I have taken the initiative to talk to someone like this.

"Although I haven't made a movie in Hollywood, every year during my vacation, I go abroad to make a movie to keep my feelings alive. I hope to return to the film industry after graduation next year.

"

Jodie Foster talked about filming "Hotel New Hampshire" in Quebec, Canada last year, and "Bewildered" which was filmed in New Zealand this summer and just turned off the phone.

Ronald hadn't heard any of it, but he only heard her tell some anecdotes about the filming. Natasha Kinski and Rob Lowe, who were filming together, were mutual acquaintances of the two, so they could chat for a while.

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"Do you have any new film projects recently?" Foster directed the conversation to Ronald.

"I haven't decided yet. I'm on vacation now." Ronald answered honestly.

…

"Ronald has a deep understanding of movies. You can talk to him directly about your matters." Seeing Ronald's confused face, Jennifer Beals could only gently touch her friend's back and then remind her.

"I saw the Hollywood report today, which included your interview. It mentioned a new film from Cannon Pictures, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, with a script by Akira Kurosawa."

Seeing this, Jodie Foster had no choice but to express her thoughts directly.

During her four years in college, her film selections were all based on travel, taking into account both the pay and the quality of the films. Who would have known that the filming would get worse and worse, and by the time "New Hampshire Hotel" was just released this year, it had already hit rock bottom.

With a production budget of 7 million, the film starred two actresses, myself and Natasha Kinski, and the famous teen movie actor Rob Lowe starred. It only had two weeks in theaters and ended up with a huge loss.

Hollywood is cruel. People who were originally pursued can no longer receive good scripts. There are also no traces of those reporters who followed me and could write a large report just by uttering a few words.

My agent has warned me that if I don't make a movie that hits the box office or is recognized for its artistic quality, I will realize my 80-year dream, quit the film industry, and become an ordinary college graduate.

Jodie Foster studied literature. This major is very helpful for her film career, but as an ordinary graduate, she has very no employment prospects. Many of the students in the same major are from wealthy families, learning a little bit of literature and art to improve their conversation.

At that time, I wanted to leave Hollywood and hide in Yale. On the one hand, it was because of the seriousness of the Hinckley case. On the other hand, I also saw the ignorance and stupidity of many actresses in the industry, and I didn't want to repeat that kind of life.

But as she neared graduation and gained knowledge and perspective, she began to miss the things she wanted to get rid of at that time - film appointments, fame, fans, and reporters.

"Ah, that's right." Ronald frowned, "Is it so difficult for an actor to return to the film industry after going to college? Do former Oscar-nominated actors also have to take the initiative to fight for a role in a second-rate company like Cannon? ?”

He tilted his head and took a closer look at Jodie Foster's delicate face.

Foster knew this was a professional behavior and didn't take it seriously. He turned his head left and right and lifted his hair to let him see enough.

"I can't guarantee anything. Konchalovsky is a director trained by the Soviet Union. Directors there have strong autonomy over the use of actors, so he attaches great importance to the casting of 'Runaway Train.' I have The recommended actors were also rejected immediately by him.”

"Oh", the fire in Jodie Foster's eyes dimmed a little.

"I can only arrange one audition. As for Andre's idea, no one can influence it. The boss of Cannon Pictures also attaches great importance to his joining and hopes to attract more big-name directors to film there, so this time he has a lot of room for autonomy. big."

"I'm overjoyed to be able to do this." Jodie Foster still has a little baby fat left and has not completely faded away. She smiled and twisted her body left and right. Her small white T-shirt was stretched out. bulging.

"What's the reason you're here?" Jennifer Beals was very happy when Ronald agreed to help her when she met her good friend, and then asked about Ronald's purpose.

"Well, I just recently learned that my great-grandfather had a PhD in engineering from Yale University. The first time I learned about this, I was very surprised. I was just an ordinary kid who went to high school in Staten Island, New York, so I want to look for him and see if I can find any trace of him."

Ronald took a sip of his watered-down Americano, "So I'd like to ask if any of you have time to take me to the department that records alumni. Maybe there may be my great-grandfather's school records. If possible, I I want to make a copy and take it with me as a souvenir.”

"You don't have to go to the alumni association to find this. Yale's library has detailed student attendance records. When did your great-grandfather..."

"He was a fighter pilot in World War I in 1918 and was shot down by the Germans and died. He probably graduated from Yale as an undergraduate around 1910. It is not clear when he graduated with a doctorate. It should be no earlier than 1914."

Ronald only had the name and year on the photo and a few words in his hand, so he told the two beauties.

"Around 1910, there were probably only a few hundred graduates at that time, and even fewer PhDs. It shouldn't be difficult to find. What's his name?"

"Gilbert V. Lee."

"Okay, I'll take you there." Jodie Foster took the initiative to take Ronald to the library to check out the graduate information of that year.

Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library is the second largest university collection in the United States, housing more than 12 million volumes. Facing the front is a very old Gothic building with two towering spiers, which has a relatively advanced air conditioner with constant temperature and humidity.

There is no need to register for a visit here. Ronald followed Jodie Foster to the snow area of ​​the school history museum where Yale’s early graduates are collected. A student’s library card is required to enter.

After finding the directory of graduates around the 1910s on the index card, Jodie Foster took Ronald to the microfilm office to check it for a long time, and then said to Ronald regretfully, "Sorry, Ronald. Nader, I didn’t find any information about your great-grandfather. It may be too old and his information was not properly collected and kept.”

"Thank you." Ronald actually knew that schools like Yale attach great importance to alumni information. Their main source of income is alumni donations and the income from subsequent business investments.

The so-called lack of proper preservation over time is nothing more than an excuse. It's also possible that Ronald's great-grandfather was bragging and falsely reported his resume.

"My grandfather James also graduated from Yale as an undergraduate. He studied there in the 1930s, before World War II." Ronald reported his grandfather's name again and looked at Jodie Foster with hope.

"Okay, I'll look for it for you." Jodie Foster went back and checked the directory of graduates from the 1930s.

"James V. Lee, graduated in 1935, Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Mechanical Engineering." This time Jodie Foster found the graduation materials as she wished. She asked the administrator to make a copy of the graduation record and submitted it to To Ronald.

"Thank you, thank you." Ronald, who was overjoyed, hugged Foster hard and spun her around twice in the air.

"Hahaha, let me down, why are you so happy? Don't you have any records of your grandfather in your family?"

"I am an orphan. I never knew the history of my father's family before. This is the first history about my ancestors that I have gotten." Ronald put her down and explained his situation.

"Oh, poor Ronnie." Jodie Foster touched Ronald's face.

"I'm so happy. I'll treat you to dinner. You have to tell me more details about your life at Yale and let me know your thoughts on the movie role. I'll go see Konchalovsky when I get back to Los Angeles. That's right. , also give me one of your audition photos.”

"Then we have to go to the town of New Haven. There is a very good Chinese restaurant there, and it is also very quiet and suitable for chatting."

Jodie Foster has regained a little bit of her former state of mind, and the good old days when men in Hollywood lined up to treat her to dinner are back.

"Wait for me. I'll put my things away. We can ride bicycles there later. Bicycles are the most convenient way to get around Yale."

As she spoke, Jodie Foster took out an ancient copper key and walked to the student area of ​​the library.

"Please wait a moment." Ronald felt that the copper key looked familiar. "What kind of key is this?"

"Is this one?" Jodie Foster picked up the big copper key in her hand. This is the key to the storage cabinet in the library. Not every student has it. Because of my background as an actor, I often read literary works here. , the school gave me some preferential treatment in order to prevent harassment from reporters. "

"Can I take a look?" Ronald asked for the copper key, and it turned out that it was very similar to the one in the relic box left by his father. There was also a cursive letter Y on it, and a series of small letter numbers. .

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