Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Today I bought a variety of Chinese vegetable dumplings for breakfast. You can try them." In the morning, Ronald had already gone for a run and ordered a box of morning tea takeaway from a Cantonese restaurant, including many steamed buns and dumplings with vegetarian fillings. , anyway, Americans call it dumpling, which is just right for Helen who likes to eat vegetarian food.

"Well..." Helen, wearing silver silk pajamas, came over to have breakfast with a bit of laziness. She was about to fly to British Columbia to film the remaining scenes of "In Love", and her lover bought her breakfast as before, which made her very happy.

Helen was as full of progressive ideas as any girl growing up on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Getting together with Ronald every once in a while made her feel perfect. Both sides slept soundly after the fierce battle last night, and both of them felt full of energy.

Under Ronald's influence, Helen gradually began to eat a small amount of meat, eggs, and milk, and her weight was well controlled. Her energy level was much better than that of the skinny Hollywood actors.

…

Ronald said goodbye to Helen at the airport and returned to work at Daydream Pictures. His agent was waiting for him in the office. His first words were: "Miss Basinger invites you to watch a movie at her home again..." Moving on to the editing choices for 'Nine and a Half Weeks to Love You.'"

"Oh, Richard, you are my acting agent, not...an agent..." Seeing that Richard was so interested, Ronald went too far.

"I'm just passing on a message. A good agent will tell the client all the appointment requirements. A better agent will screen them in advance... The best one will arrange in advance the people the client needs to meet..."

"You really..." Ronald shook his head and sat down.

"To be honest, I really came here to find a celebrity for you to meet. The original owner of your small house who paid the down payment, Mr. Nicholson, wants to meet you and have a chat."

"Okay, you help me arrange it." Ronald heard that it was Jack Nicholson, the owner of the small house, who made an appointment, so he agreed. The financing of Hollywood movies follows the stars. It is not a bad thing to meet more of these male stars.

"He is hesitating whether to join Warner Bros.' Batman... Maybe he will talk about it when you meet." In the afternoon, Ronald finished his work, and Richard came to remind Ronald that the evening During the meeting with Nicholson, Ronald needed to know some background to avoid awkward conversations.

"He plays Batman?" Ronald asked.

"No, he plays the villain Joker." Richard said something about the situation. Batman is played by former comedian Michael Keaton, a close friend of director Tim Burton.

As for the villain Joker, Warner Bros. is pushing for a big star to play the role.

Jack Nicholson was a bit hesitant, and Warners was heavily PR-focused. Director Burton hired a replacement, another comedian, Robin Williams. This person's reputation is much lower than that of Nicholson, so although the director likes him, the distributor Warner still tries its best to sign Nicholson.

Except for some senior executives at CAA, this matter has not spread in the circle. Ronald understands the background and is able to appear well-informed.

"In addition, Miss Basinger is also trying her best to win the heroine..." Richard said another sentence after finishing the business.

"Oh, for God's sake, Richard...", Ronald waved.

Hey, I said I didn't want Richard to be too active. Ronald, who was sitting in the car, was thinking about Kim Basinger, that tall German-born blond beauty.

"Ronald...how long have we not seen each other?" Jack Nicholson is the kind of character who usually doesn't want to deal with people deliberately. But if he's deliberately trying to impress you, few can resist his Hollywood libertine charm.

"If we start talking, it was at Jane (Fonda)'s house seven or eight years ago..." Ronald also didn't expect Nicholson to be a very enthusiastic person.

"Ha... we should see each other more often. I always feel that you have the same smell as me..." After finishing speaking, Nicholson took a few breaths in a deliberately funny way.

"That must be because of Roger Corman. I worked in his company for a long time, and he even gave me that twenty-minute director training class."

"That's right..." Nicholson sat on the sofa in the living room of his Mulholland Drive house, leaning back on the cushions, and then pointed at Ronald with his hand, "I'll just say Your use of the film's budget is very clever, and you are one of the rare directors in Hollywood who knows how to use money."

Speaking of Roger Corman, Jack Nicholson opens up memories. He met Roger Corman at an acting class. Later, he not only worked as an actor, but also as a screenwriter, and wrote several scripts for Coleman that were successful at the box office. Eventually, he tried his hand at directing, and it was only after the success of "Easy Rider" that he established himself as an actor in Hollywood.

"Let me tell you, Roger allowed me to be a screenwriter and actor for ten years, and he, this bastard, refused to pay me one cent more than the union minimum wage. Fortunately, later, Peter (Fonda) and Dennis (Hawley) The movie 'Easy Rider' from Pu) was snatched away from me..."

Jack Nicholson also told a story from the past that few people know. The film "Easy Rider" that opened up the history of the New Hollywood movement was first decided to invest in Roger Corman's New World Pictures.

AIP Pictures, which was responsible for the distribution afterwards, did not trust Peter Fonda and added many additional conditions. It just so happened that Jack Nicholson was familiar with the people at Columbia Pictures, so he secretly contacted Columbia and asked them to poach Peter Fonda.

Roger Corman could have been a producer and enjoyed box office and critical success. In the end, Jack Nicholson, who had been paid minimum wage for ten years, pried the project away, and lost the opportunity to leave a mark in film history. You must know that Easy Rider is largely imitating Coleman's previous film "The Wild Bunch".

Not only was Jack Nicholson successful as an actor, he also made a lot of money. In addition, he himself replaced Bruce Dern, the original supporting role candidate, and stole Dern's luck. He became a great success in Hollywood and has been popular to this day (Bruce Dern has always been half-popular...) .

This was the first time for Ronald to hear the details of this public case from the parties concerned. It seems that after all, we cannot treat artists with the same cost-effective attitude as we treat the Taoist. If you blindly squeeze manpower, you may lose much more.

"I'm here this time, and I also want to ask you, what do you think about whether to pay the remuneration and use the post-production income share instead? Is this a good idea?" Nicholson saw that Ronald was a little distracted and poked him. . In fact, what Nicholson wanted to know most was this.

The crisis of delay has also affected Warner Bros. The "Batman" project has been delayed for more than half a year, and the budget has been ridiculously overrun. Distributor Warner is trying to cut the biggest cost, stars' salaries.

This time, he turned his mind to the biggest star, Nicholson, and proposed a plan to exchange his remuneration for shares.

Nicholson was a little undecided. He struggled on the poverty line for ten years and might have given up on acting if Coleman hadn't often given him minimum-wage projects.

Such people are very sensitive to money. Nicholson wanted to change to a larger house before, so he wanted to buy another one in Hollywood Park, which is closer to the business district. But with the sudden contraction, he smelled something wrong and immediately cut his losses and ran away.

Sure enough, now the "Batman" crew can't even pay his salary. They have to pay him after the movie is released and after receiving a share of the box office.

"If the quality of the movie is good, sharing is a better option. It depends on your expectations for the quality of the project."

"So..." Nicholson is very confident in his acting skills. There are rumors in Hollywood that Ronald made a lot of money from the independent release of "Dirty Dancing." Otherwise he wouldn't have taken over his house. What this person said deserves respect.

"It seems that I still have to talk to Warner Bros. If the heroine is suitable, the movie may be a big hit." Nicholson is now inclined to accept it.

"Who did you choose as the heroine Vicki Vale?" Ronald also felt that the huge sales of the Superman series actually indicated that American audiences were interested in this kind of comic book adaptation movie. I just wanted to ask the heroine for help.

"I'm looking for Sean Young, the girl in Blade Runner..." Jack Nicholson's interest greatly increased when he talked about female stars.

"God, how dare you choose this crazy woman?" Ronald was shocked. This actress was very nervous. She was not normal when he met her last time.

"Oh yeah?" After hearing this story, Nicholson frowned slightly and his mouth was crooked. There is actually a crazy woman who keeps forcing the director to reshoot because she thinks the film was not good. Playing opposite this kind of actor, wouldn't it mean that he would go home very late every day?

Do you want to exert some small influence on the film producers? "Let me see what I can do..."

"Hmm..." Ronald thought to himself, wouldn't Kim Basinger have a chance? I went to her house to watch a movie, and she talked tough... huh? Why did you think of this again? It's all Richard's fault for always mentioning her name in front of him.

Ronald and Nicholson hit it off because of Coleman and drank a lot of beer.

"You and I are on the same page. Money should be spent wisely, and don't spend it frivolously. For a fool like Stallone, Cannon won't make movies for him, and his cash will be in trouble.

I originally wanted to build a second home in Hollywood Park, but now there are a lot of houses around Mulholland Drive that have been significantly reduced in price. I'm going to buy the neighbor's house and expand it..." Nicholson took Ronald up to the rooftop and looked around, and he could see Marlon Brando's house not far away.

"What a good idea..." Ronald also thought this was a good idea. Buy more, expand your house, and use your neighbor's space as a quarantine zone. How about doing the same for your new house? Two together? When the sales share of the next video tape arrives, you can find a designer.

"Do you have any other advice about remuneration and dividends?" Jack Nicholson had never tried this method of paying film remuneration before, and wanted to get more from Ronald.

"If possible, include video tapes and overseas box office." Ronald raised his beer and took a sip.

"Is the video tape really so profitable?" Jack Nicholson knew that the overseas market would bring him a lot of dividends, but the video tape... When his agent went to negotiate, there would always be a balance between the two. If video tapes really make money, then the share ratio of this channel must be increased.

Ronald gave an expression that said, "Of course, I won't tell most people," "So where do you think I got the money to buy the house?"

"Hahaha..." Nicholson smiled so hard that the corners of his mouth were crooked, "You are a good friend, Ronald. Do you have any female partners who want to play Batman? Go to the audition, I can help you say a few words .”

"Huh?", Ronald didn't expect Nicholson to repay him like this.

"It seems that you are not quite used to the nightlife in Hollywood. Relax, Ronald. Hollywood is a city of dreams. As long as you help others realize their dreams, they will be willing to give you anything in return."

Jack Nicholson's nightlife had just begun. As soon as Ronald showed up at his party, he found that it was too decadent for his taste.

But Nicholson's words still made sense, and Ronald decided to put it into practice. So I asked Richard to contact Kim Basinger and go to her house in the evening to discuss film editing techniques.

"Kim?" With a new mentality, Ronald came to Basinger's residence.

"Is it you, Ronald, come in, the door is open." Basinger's magnetic voice came from the intercom at the door.

"I'm coming in..." Ronald walked into the door and closed the door smoothly. The room was very dark, only the living room connected to the kitchen was lit.

"Kim?" Ronald asked.

"I'm here...baby", and sure enough, Jin's voice came from the living room.

Turning around the aisle, Ronald's eyes lit up. The white light shines brightly, the door of the refrigerator in the kitchen is opened, and a large bucket of ice is placed on the dining table. Not far away there are strawberries in large glass pots...

Next to it is a large bucket of milk, and a bottle of high-quality honey.

Ronald couldn't help but swallow his lips. Isn't this a reappearance of the scene in "Love You for Nine and a Half Weeks"?

Basinger was wearing a white shirt with a men's number, and the hem barely covered her... She was sitting on the kitchen table with her long legs spread apart.

The toenail polish on her toes, paired with her blond hair and red lips, is exciting.

Ronald understood that Basinger had heard the good news from Richard, and that his already failed casting had hope again, so he must repay Ronald well. Let him remember his passion and help him fulfill his wish.

"Hmm..." With a coy voice, Basinger simply lay down on the kitchen table, with his two long smooth legs spread out, his chest raised, his head arched backwards, and his golden curly hair flowed like a waterfall. Coming down, her hot body seemed to be trembling with excitement... "Come and conquer me..."

Ronald also saw a white strip of cloth, and Basinger was well prepared. Ronald picked up the cloth and covered Basinger's eyes.

"Are you shaking?" Ronald suddenly realized that Basinger was not excited, but was stimulated by the cold on the metal and marble cooking table.

There is really no need to reproduce the movie 100%. Ronald hugged Basinger, putting her arms around his neck and her long legs around his waist. With one force... he picked up Basinger steadily and said, "Ms. Basinger, it's time to go to the bedroom now..."

…

"What, you don't like..." Kim Basinger asked differently when she saw that Ronald didn't want to stay in the kitchen any longer. She had seen too many men who wanted to reenact every scene in "Love You for Nine and a Half Weeks." For example, Jon Peters, who has a good relationship with Warner Bros.

"It's just a movie, and I know it's definitely uncomfortable to shoot. I don't want to be the leading actor in a movie, I just want to be in a warm bed with you..." Ronald then reached out and let Basinger lean on his shoulder. Re-enacting movies makes me feel chilly, nothing can compare to the comfort of a bedroom.

"Oh...god", Kim Basinger hugged Ronald comfortably. She is already over thirty, and it is not easy to keep a man's heart without using some tricks. Ronald is really a gift from God. He doesn't have to play the role in the movie, which makes Basinger feel a lot more relaxed.

"Everyone wants to conquer me, but only you can make me happy. Let me repay you..." Kim Basinger smiled and touched Ronald De's sculpted face.