Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Are you okay? I heard a lot of people talking about you, and it seems that there is something wrong with Malkovich." Ronald called Michelle Pfeiffer, and he also It's not convenient to visit her at home, and it would be troublesome if she got involved in the scandal between Pfeiffer and Malkovich.

"It's nothing. My agent has taken care of it for me. I just can't go out now."

Michelle Pfeiffer was nestled on the sofa at home, happy to have friends who cared about her.

"You and Peter..." Ronald pretended to be concerned for a moment.

"We broke up peacefully. He even helped me pack all my luggage, take it out from home and help me load it into the car."

Well, it would be the same if I could get Kang Di's property division and monthly alimony until the man found a girlfriend. Ronald thought. "So are you still in contact with John (Malkovich)?"

"Oh, this bitch, I don't want to mention this person again." Michelle Pfeiffer was furious when she heard this name.

Malkovich seems to be possessed. After filming the movie and leaving the environment, he still has to pester himself. Now he goes to see a psychiatrist twice a week and is watched by gossip reporters, making it impossible for him to go out.

"The script of that movie seemed to be possessed. I didn't know how I fell in love with him. It seemed that another young couple on the crew also..." Michelle Pfeiffer happened to have no one to complain to, Ronald She talked about this kind of insider for a long time on the phone.

A film about an abnormal love, shot far away from home in Paris, it’s not just Pfeiffer who is obsessed. Another pair of young actors, Uma Thurman, also developed a crush on actor Keanu Reeves, who played the role of a tutor and a brave duel with Count Valmont.

Ronald listened to Pfeiffer's complaints for a while. The main reason he called was to inquire about the situation. If this situation continued, the movie "Steel Magnolias" would have to change its cast. He found an opportunity to interrupt Pfeiffer. "Then you can still..."

"It's okay, Ronald, if you want to change people, I understand. I can't go anywhere now. If I go to shoot Steel Mulan, I will be followed by reporters and they will definitely camp outside the filming location. Just like now they will If you set up a tent in front of my house, you won't even be able to make a movie."

Pfeiffer's biggest problem now is the handling of personal marriage and emotional issues. Her agent Limato has explained other matters clearly to her, and they must be handled in a low-key manner for the time being to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.

After agreeing with Pfeiffer, Ronald had solved half of the problem. He looked at several audition photos and resumes of substitute heroines on the table and began to consider them.

One resume is that William Morris's Limato, Pfeiffer's agent, personally recommended a young actress to replace Michelle Pfeiffer, his colleague Yinlaine Goldsmith, an equally young actress. Clients of female brokers.

This actress is called Julia Roberts. She is just twenty-one years old. She has a charming smile and a big mouth but not annoying. Ronald remembered that Ang Lee's aborted project was for her to star as a prostitute who witnessed a murder, and he almost got the chance to direct her.

The other audition photo was personally recommended by Ovitz of CAA. This actress is already twenty-four, but she does not look old. She plays a newly married girl and has no problems with the mother of her child.

What's more, she was the one who originally bought Ronald's debut screenplay to actress Bridget Fonda, niece of actress Jane Fonda and daughter of Jane's brother Peter Fonda. If the two of them can co-star, they can also create a gimmick of an aunt and niece co-starring, which will attract the attention of some movie fans.

After looking over and over for a long time, Ronald's eyes were still attracted to Julia Roberts. The Julia Roberts in the audition photo had a fragile temperament, as if she would be broken by some ordeal at any time. It is very consistent with the tragic fate of the heroine of Steel Mulan.

Brothers and sisters always have some mysterious similarities, and strangely enough, Julia's brother Eric Roberts, who played Cannon's only Oscar-nominated film "Runaway Train", also has this fragile and persistent temperament. Like siblings Peter and Jane Fonda, both are suited to playing characters on the fringes of society.

Unlike when you are a director, you just focus on who is most suitable for the role and use a standard to select actors. When you are a producer, you have to pursue a balance between art and commerciality. Ronald picked up Bridget Fonda's resume again and weighed it...

…

A few days later, in an audition room, Ronald was seated on the right, with screenwriter Robert Harlin in the center and director Herbert Ross on the left. He didn't watch any other procedural auditions, and mainly observed the performance of the two actual candidates.

“I’ve seen Julia Roberts in a modern-day Cinderella (the English title is actually Mysterious Pizza) and there’s nothing like her in it.”

Director Herbert Ross had a lot of dissatisfaction with Ronald, and his own production company wanted to invest in the film and get a certain share of it. But Ronald was unwilling to withdraw some of the investment lines to him, insisting on the agreement already reached with screenwriter Robert Harlin.

He saw the niece introduced by Jane Fonda, who was close to Ronald, so he naturally opposed this choice. In his view, film shooting is a zero-sum game where you have more and I have less. The more Ronald there are on the set, the fewer people there are and the less likely the director's intentions will be carried out.

"We'll talk about it after seeing the candidates." Ronald was noncommittal. In addition to the human factor, there is also the balance between several major brokerage companies. Michelle Pfeiffer is a client of William Morris. If she were replaced by someone from CAA, then the entire project would be dominated by CAA, so that the influence may exceed her own.

"Hello, Bridget, I know your aunt very well, but whether you can get this role depends on your own performance." Herbert Ross said this and glanced at Ronald . After the little girl Brigitte came in, he spoke first and expressed his standards.

Ronald frowned, but still smiled kindly at Bridget Fonda. Don't scare people. Although he appeared in his father's movie when he was a few years old, he has not acted in any film and television dramas since then. "Do you need some time to prepare? We'll start when you're ready."

"I'm ready," Brigitte smiled at Ronald. She was a talented woman, so she didn't debut as a teenager like other actresses. She first obtained a diploma from New York University Tisch College before turning to a career. Come to the dock.

"What do you think?" Ronald asked screenwriter Robert Harlin, who was sitting between him and Herbert Ross after the audition. Director Roth certainly had to disagree with his own opinions, and the main creator of the film was actually the screenwriter, whose ideas were also important.

"I think she's pretty good and her acting skills are excellent. The scene where she meets her fiancé was the first time the audience was happy when it was released on Broadway." Robert Harlin knew how to act, and he gave Bridget Fonda a high point.

"Please come in next." Herbert Ross said nothing. What happened to this damn screenwriter? He actually supported Ronald. He played a trick and did not give Ronald a chance to comment. He directly Called in Julia Roberts.

"Oh, God." As soon as the screenwriter saw Julia Roberts walking in, he blurted out in a low voice, "It's so similar, the temperament is so similar..."

Seeing the look Ronald gave him, screenwriter Robert Harlin just apologized, his eyes all on Roberts, looking up and down.

"If you're ready, you can start." Ronald also smiled and said to the actress who had a small mole next to her nose.

Julia Roberts smiled. The screenwriter's reaction just now made her a little nervous. Was it because her appearance was not good enough? However, she is a girl who becomes more courageous when encountering setbacks. Her unwillingness to admit defeat makes her work harder...

"She acted very sincerely..." Herbert Ross thought for a long time after Julia Roberts' audition before he came up with a reason to praise her.

It is obvious that Roberts exerted a little too much force. In terms of acting skills alone, the academic professor is not as good as Bridget Fonda before him. Even the director who was interested in him couldn't deny this.

but……

Ronald asked screenwriter Robert Harlin, "You really want to have a special opinion about her performance?"

"Yes, when she first walked in, she made me feel very similar to my sister's temperament. That kind of strength, that kind of stubbornness, desperate for love, but also has a fragile core. But, her acting skills?"

Robert Harlin also saw Julia Roberts's fragile character from her appearance and temperament, which made men want to protect her. Moreover, her face shape is suitable for movie lenses and her smile is friendly. I think the audience will like the close-up of her smile.

"Let me tell you, Robert thinks so too. Movie casting requires an appearance that can be liked by the camera." Herbert Ross did not expect that the screenwriter was on his side, and he was a little overjoyed.

Taking out the video recorder used for audition filming, several people watched the two people's performance in front of the camera in front of the TV.

This time it feels even more obvious!

Bridget Fonda looks worse on camera than she does in real life. This niece of Jane Fonda inherited too much of her father Peter's square chin and her mother's round face, but not the small and delicate faces of her grandfather and aunt.

Julia Roberts has a small face and a delicate chin, which is very suitable for movie lenses. In a way, she looked more like her aunt Jane than Bridget.

Ronald struggled internally and gave up the idea of ​​using Bridget Jones against his will, although he could definitely do it. The opinion of screenwriter Robert Harlin is very important. The heroine is his sister. The reason why this Broadway play is loved by the audience is mainly because of his sister's role and the touching family affection of many "mothers".

This first feeling is indeed the key to the success of this kind of movie without too many dramatic conflicts. The audience must fall in love with the characters at first sight in order to be moved by them. Only the tragic death of the heroine in the end can move the audience.

…

"Yes, Bridget wasn't quite right for the role, and the other girl wasn't as good as her, but her appeal was amazing. And most importantly, she looked just like the screenwriter's sister, who the character was based on. You know this kind of movie , relies heavily on affinity and first impression..."

Ronald called Jane Fonda to say hello. Although the relationship between Jane and her brother Peter is average, she still takes good care of her niece.

Like other Hollywood superstars, she doesn't like her relatives and younger generations to join the entertainment industry and work hard in this extremely competitive industry. But as a junior, I was still attracted by Vanity Fair’s selection of me. After I chose to be an actor, she tried her best to give me some support.

"Ha, I understand, her chin." Jane Fonda shared the same regrets as Ronald about the shape of her niece's face. Although in real life, Bridget's appearance is more in line with public aesthetics than that of a Hollywood actress, the lens distortion makes her face look big and round on the screen.

"Since Brigitte is no longer acting, I have no obligation. I'd better take a break now. Ronald, you understand, my presence on the set now may not be a good thing for your movie."

"I understand, I understand, I will find someone else to take your role." Ronald knew that this was the right thing to do. Jane Fonda came to play a supporting role, purely because she helped her niece and had a good relationship with Ronald.

She's currently in similar trouble with Michelle Pfeiffer. The relationship with her husband Hayden of fifteen years has gradually become cold, and the two are gradually living apart. Not long ago, she was hiding from the limelight when she was spotted dating Lorenzo Cascialanza, a member of the West Coast Football League's Hollywood Kickers and a transfer from the Italian League.

…

After settling on the heroine, Ronald basically let it go. The heroine's mother finally chose Sally Field, a two-time Oscar winner like Jane Fonda. Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLean star as Sally Field's two old best friends.

The male lead was a handsome guy named Dylan McDermott, who played the husband of Julia Roberts. Tom Skerritt, the flight school instructor Viper in Top Gun, was cast as Sally Field's husband and Julia Roberts' father.

The other young female character in the play, the girl who ran away from marriage and came to a small town and ended up working in a hair salon, is the quota left for Ronald's female friends.

This role requires some acting skills, and the image is a bit sacrificed at first. He wears big glasses, deliberately looks ugly, and stays away from violent men like her husband, so it is not very good-looking.

She later got rid of her abusive husband and met a man in town at Shelby's (Julia Roberts) wedding. It was only at the end of the film that she regained her good looks, and finally she named her unborn child after Shelby, giving the story a hopeful ending.

This character is a bit like Tom Cruise's role in "Rain Man". He is the introduction to the entire story and becomes the center of the story at the end. This woman who escaped from marriage is actually the twin shadow of the protagonist Shelby.

Shelby had a mother and friends who loved her, and loved people. She only has an abusive husband and an indifferent family. In the entire dramatic structure, it is a character that moves from tragedy to a happy ending. It begins with Shelby's wedding, and ends with her tragic death after giving birth to her son, which is exactly a corresponding relationship in terms of drama structure.

This kind of cute character was loved by film critics because she acted ugly at the beginning, and several dramatic turns were drawn from her. Of course, Ronald let Diane Lane choose first. After all, among the young female friends, she is the only one with such compound acting ability.

】

"Is this a role reserved for me?" Diane had just finished filming the "Lone Dove" TV miniseries and was resting in Los Angeles. I was overjoyed to see Ronald come to me with the script.

Sometimes, just one or two roles between actors can lead to a big difference in fate. After playing many boring roles, this time I was finally able to play an important role in a big production with female stars. This marks Diane's return to mainstream front-line production in Hollywood.

Although Lonesome Dove is good, it is a TV series, and Steel Mulan is a movie after all, and it contains two Oscar winners and one for Best Supporting Actress. This is a movie destined to be loved by film critics. There are so many veteran actors starring opposite her, and her role is no less than that of Julia Roberts, who plays Shelby.

Diane only felt a sense of joy coming directly from the bottom of her heart. It has been many years since I started playing "The Urchin" back then, but I can finally appear in a major Hollywood production. She hugged Ronald directly, closed her eyes, and waited for her lover to kiss him.

Ronald was very happy to see Diane so happy. On the closed eyes, the long eyelashes were trembling slightly, and Ronald felt that Diane's eyelids were trembling with excitement.

Before Diane could wait for the kiss, her trembling eyelids revealed her inner excitement. Suddenly, a burst of sadness came over her, and hot tears flowed out uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with you?" Ronald gently wiped away her tears.

"I'm just, so excited." Diane simply hugged Ronald's body, and a warm feeling came over her, making her feel like she could rely on him.

The two cuddled together like this for a long time, and Ronald felt that Diane's body gradually stopped shaking and returned to calm.

"Let me ask you something," Diane showed rare embarrassment, "I'm not greedy, but why don't you let me audition for the role of Shelby?"

Ronald hugged Diane and said with a smile, "This role is the focus of the dispute between me and the director Herbert. I originally wanted you to audition, but the screenwriter Robert Harlin particularly liked Julia Roberts. If I If you insist, he may lean towards the director, and you may not get the role.

After all, this is not a project led by me personally. The production budget is only 15 million, and there are so many movie queens, so some balance is needed. "

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, if this role is played well, the depth will not be worse than Shelby." Diane has been studying acting recently, and an Off-Broadway theater company originally invited her to star in a new play. Of course she knows the goods, and she can tell at a glance that this is the configuration of a shadow heroine. Maybe it will give the audience a better impression than the heroine on the surface.

"Hey, hey... As long as you understand, I haven't reached the point where I can speak without objection in Hollywood." Ronald exhaled and finally got over it.

He had another reason why he didn't want to let Diane play Shelby.

The person who plays the role of Shelby's husband must be an earth-shatteringly handsome man. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why Shelby would insist on giving her husband a biological child despite the objections of the doctor.

In the third chapter of Shelby's parents' agreement with him to have their daughter and their pre-marriage agreement, Shelby was infertile and they wanted to adopt a child.

A man like him who has accomplished nothing can make Shelby, one of the richest families in a southern town, turn against his mother in order for him to have a biological child. He must take risks to have a child. He must be very handsome to make Shelby Afraid of losing him, I agreed to this condition.

Dylan McDermott, who was chosen to play this role, has a first-rate appearance even among actors.

Actresses are afraid that when acting, the fake things will come true. The movie plots are the kind that transcend the ordinary that you don't encounter in life. When filming this kind of romantic love scenes, there are uncontrollable risks.

Even a beautiful woman like Michelle Pfeiffer can fall in love with an ugly man like John Malkovich because of the plot and fake acting. This kind of handsome guy Ronald is even more worried.

"Ronald, you are truly a man of your word." After hearing the good news about his daughter, Diane's father, Bert, also called to express his gratitude.

At that time, Bert was brought to a low point by Coppola because of his daughter's acting career. Knowing that the path he had arranged for his daughter to be a great director failed, he once entrusted his daughter's career in Hollywood to Ronald. How could he not see that this movie, in which multiple movie queens were supporting roles for two young women, was an opportunity specially arranged by Ronald for his daughter?

"This was a great opportunity. Film critics would love this kind of complex and transformative role. I arranged for Diane to have a speaking coach, and during this time, she concentrated on learning the Dixie accent of the South. I remember her maternal grandmother was Tennessee It shouldn't be difficult for her." Ronald did a great job in this regard.

"Hey, Diane's mother still loves her very much. Before, she objected to Diane becoming an actress because she felt that she had paid too much in Hollywood and had no chance. Now their relationship is much better. This is also my fault. It was because of that back then. I didn’t find a good enough Hollywood opportunity for Diane’s mother…”

Bert was very emotional. Ronald had accomplished what he couldn't do back then. If he hadn't given his wife the chance to become a movie star, she wouldn't have divorced him and left him to drive a taxi to make a living and raise his daughter. .

…

"Ronald, you are truly a man of your word." Another female star also praised Ronald.

Jane Fonda withdrew from the project, and several mother-level roles were reassigned, so that there was still one less female hair salon owner to play.

Ronald's last choice was country singer Dolly Parton. She worked with Jane Fonda in 9 to 5, and her hot figure was impressive. When she was starring as a brothel owner in "Texas Chicken Room", she and Ronald were filming in the studio next door.

At that time, she even joked that Ronald would give her a role. Unexpectedly, after many years, Ronald actually invited her to play this role that fit her personality very well. He escaped from marriage in his early years and came to a small town to do women's hair. He became a true friend of many women in the town. She's actually an earlier version of Diane's character from a time when hair salons weren't as accepted as they are now, and the drama is full of such elaborate touches.

However, this casting made director Herbert Ross very unhappy.

He couldn't stand this kind of female singer with no acting skills playing an important supporting role. Find Ronald and start spraying.

"Dolly Parton, can she act? She can't act, you know? This is a Broadway adaptation, not your B-grade exploitation film! Apart from her breasts, is there anything else that stands out about Dolly Parton? Apart from her high voice , is there anything else that is higher than others?

You said Diane Lane, and I agree. After all, she was a Broadway child star, and she was mentored by George Roy Hill (the director of Diane Lane's debut film Sunset Bridge), and she was also chosen by Coppola. Yes, the acting is not too bad. Dolly Parton sang and danced in her scenes in 9 to 5 and Texas Chicken House. You want me to have the hair salon lady sing a song or dance in Steel Magnolias? "

Herbert Ross, who had been suffocating since the beginning of the project, had reached the point where he could stand it no longer. Nothing about this project was what I wanted. I had no decision-making power in casting him, and I had no share in the investment. In addition, my fiancée also put on airs from time to time and wanted to invite a lot of New York celebrities to the wedding.

If it weren't for the film director's halo, which allowed him to maintain a bit of dignity in front of his fiancée, whether the wedding of the two could have been held would have been a problem... Now Ronald actually wants to film this serious Broadway drama as a musical, and he is simply furious. …

"No, there will never be singing and dancing scenes. I guarantee you, director to director." Ronald saw the old director Herbert getting angry and seemed to give up his choice, so he immediately sincerely assured, "This is entirely an artistic and commercial consideration. .”

Ronald explained. Dolly Parton's latest album has a rejuvenating feel. After a long period of decline, country music has shown some signs of rebounding this year, repeatedly breaking into the top ten on the charts.

Moreover, this kind of country music is the favorite of audiences in conservative areas of the South. The audience represented by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who taught him it back then, and his parents in Oklahoma, just like this tune.

Dolly Parton's participation will definitely bring a large number of southern audiences into the cinema. Moreover, this character is carefree, yearning for romance and very emotionally exposed, and is very similar to Dolly Parton herself. She has no children and shares an emotional experience with Dolly Parton herself.

Dolly Parton is not a talented actor like Cher. In fact, she is only a semi-amateur actor who can only play suitable roles according to her true nature.

"On the set, I want the right to decide." Herbert Ross gradually lost his temper, but he didn't trust acting idiots like Dolly Parton at all. Thinking of being interfered with on the set, he simply took this opportunity Ask Ronald for power.

"Of course, you are the director. I will not go to the set every day without your permission. Of course, if you agree, I also want to learn on the set. You know that I am not an actor like you, and I have no experience of asking the director on the set. Opportunities to learn.”

Ronald still has great respect for Herbert Ross's ability to complete projects. He may not be able to make an 80% script into a 100% film. But it can run smoothly, and it will never let an eighty-percent script be filmed into a sixty-percent film.

"In addition, the distributor Samsung Pictures has given very good conditions. They are willing to provide six million US dollars, but they only occupy five million of the investment quota. You can choose the remaining one million. You want to use the director's salary to invest , or it can be converted into box office dividends."

Ronald then laid out the bait, and if he felt artistically wronged, he would make up for it in terms of remuneration.

This time, Samsung Pictures, like "ces are", only talked about investment in Ronald's project without asking any conditions. They offered the best terms in the industry, as if they were afraid that Ronald would be considered a failure if he didn't choose them as a publisher.

They were willing to sit in the third round of dividends. After screenwriter Robert Harlin's production company and Ronald Daydream took the dividends, they used the profits to subtract the dividends of both parties as the basis for calculating their dividends. . In this way, if the domestic box office does not become a big hit and exceeds 50 million US dollars, Samsung Pictures will probably not make any money.

Ronald was very touched that the other party valued him so much, and he also mobilized the strongest resources he could mobilize to work on this project, striving for perfection in even the smallest supporting role. As a producer, he wants to create an environment for artists to produce excellent works.

He is in Louisiana and has already found a filming location with the best facilities and team to repay the trust of TriStar Pictures and all the artists.

Ronald wanted to set a benchmark for this kind of daydreaming first-time star-studded masterpiece.

"This..." Herbert Ross didn't expect Ronald to give himself an investment quota. He hesitated.

Originally, he wanted his production company to invest in the creation, but after all, this is the last round of investment share. You have to make sure that the movie box office can reach more than 60 million and get more money than the salary, Herbert ·Ross doesn't have the confidence to take risks.

Moreover, after filming the movie, the wedding between himself and the former commander-in-law’s sister-in-law was about to take place, so it was better to settle for nothing.

"I'd better get paid. How much dividends can I get?"

"Hahaha, a lot." Ronald smiled happily. Only capable producers can take risks and enjoy this kind of excess profits. "If our box office is good enough, your remuneration plus dividends will not It'll be less than Sidney Pollack got in 'My Fair Lady.'"

"I believe you are a man of your word." Herbert Ross was satisfied, not only because he had the money to take it, but also because Ronald and Ronald were considered by critics to be the second most capable Jewish photographer at the moment. Director Sidney Pollack has been compared (first to Spielberg).