Exploiting Hollywood 1980

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Ronald was surprised to find Richard appearing next to his breakfast table again. He asked the single agent to go to Rome over Christmas time to represent him in relation to Winona Ryder and the set of The Godfather Part III.

Richard has always tried his best to complete the things he told him. Did you go too far this time by asking him to go on a Christmas business trip? But Jews don’t celebrate Christmas.

"I'm not going, Winona Ryder's is in Los Angeles now." Richard picked up the coffee on the table and drank it with the barbecued pork buns. Although he didn't get on the plane, the commute from the airport to home made Richard hungry and he wolfed down, "Hi, Nick, good morning."

As he was eating, he saw an actor coming to the other side of the living room. It was Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage, who was also coming to the breakfast meeting. Say hello to him by the way.

"Thank you for your hard work, you eat something first... Nick and I will talk about something." Ronald stood up and asked Cage to go to another room next to him.

"Thank you for considering this movie, Nick..." Ronald thanked Nicolas Cage straight to the point.

"Hey, please help me. I really want to work with you again. Why don't you consider directing it yourself?"

"I can't direct it. This is an Army project. The Navy will be unhappy with me."

What Ronald was talking about was a script that Diane was interested in. The "Firebird" in Disney's hands had another name that was even more clear, called "Apache Wings".

This is a movie that the Army actively cooperated with Hollywood to reflect the Army's latest high-tech weapon - the Apache helicopter.

A story about several helicopter pilots, under the command of their instructors, who defeated the former ace helicopter pilot who was resentful of America because of the Vietnam War, and finally destroyed the secret base of drug traffickers abroad and protected national security.

This script was originally chosen by Ronald for Diane, but it would take a long time for her to recover enough to film, and this script unexpectedly got the favor of another government agency, hoping that Ronald would start filming as soon as possible.

This is the DEA Drug Enforcement Agency in the United States. In the script, there is a story about a betrayed veteran who transports goods for Central American drug lords. This is consistent with the current White House’s policy of cracking down on the southern border, ensuring security, and eliminating the import routes of illegal drugs.

The DEA also knows that the public's perception of them is not very positive, so it wants to use a Hollywood movie to shape the image of its department.

In addition to providing a lot of filming conveniences, DEA also jointly solved some filming funds. Disney was very satisfied and urged Ronald to start the movie as soon as possible.

Problems often arise in projects with two major sponsors. Which sponsor's heroic image is highlighted in the script? Ronald found it a bit troublesome, so he decided not to direct it himself. After consulting Diane's opinion, she also gave up letting her play the heroine - a communications helicopter pilot.

In the end, director Emil Adolino, who had been working with Disney and was trained by daydreams, just finished filming the sequel to "Three Boy Dads and a Baby", so he simply offered him a lot of money to continue filming another film. Disney commercial film.

Directing is actually a very hard job, but the money is attractive. After seeing the salary that was several times higher than that of the previous film, Emil Adolino agreed immediately. He made a request for a famous male star to play the leading role.

After searching around, Ronald finally found Nicolas Cage. His net worth and popularity rose rapidly after filming "Moonlight", but it was within the scope of Disney, which focused on small productions.

"You really don't want to persuade Diane to work with me again. Last time her role was taken away by Matt Dillon, but this time she can be with me..." Nicolas Cage winked. , making a face at Diane next to him.

Last time they played boyfriend and girlfriend in "Betta" directed by Cage's uncle, Coppola. Of course, the role of Diane in the end was back to the brave and fierce male protagonist, played by Matt Dillon. The protagonist's arms.

"The DEA and Disney are urging us to start filming..." Ronald explained to Nicolas Cage with a smile.

"Oh..." Cage just blew a kiss to Diane, and then fell to the ground sadly.

"Hahaha..." Diane laughed at him.

"How's Christina doing now?" Ronald asked Cage. This is his current girlfriend.

"We are very compatible..." Cage smiled, and his expression when he mentioned this girlfriend was different from others.

"That's great. Is your schedule okay? I'll ask the director Emile Adolino to call your agent Limato and make an appointment for an audition."

"The schedule is okay, but I won't be playing The Godfather Part III..." Nicolas Cage said.

"Huh?" Ronald heard that there was something wrong with this, "Isn't it that you don't want to act?"

"I actually learned that my uncle was going to film The Godfather Part 3, so I recommended myself..." Nicolas Cage said with a bit of resentment in his tone.

After all, this is the sequel to one of Hollywood's most beloved films by critics and fans over the years. Who wouldn't want to play Vincent, the illegitimate son of Michael's eldest brother Sonny who had an affair outside? It just so happens that Nicolas Cage's explosive power has many similarities with Vincent's fiery temper and instinctive character.

Ronald thought it was because Cage was aloof and unwilling to use Coppola's surname when he first debuted, so he specifically changed his stage name to Cage. The last time he starred in Coppola's "Peggy Sue is Getting Married" he didn't get good review.

I thought he didn't want to take advantage of the heat this time. Unexpectedly, Cage, who has been immersed in Hollywood for many years, has long since put aside all face issues and knows that he should use all available connections.

This time he really wanted to take advantage of the heat, but after revealing his intention, Coppola flatly rejected him. We can only watch helplessly as Vincent, the outstanding role, falls to newcomer Andy Garcia.

Looking at Cage, who wanted to show Ronald his lines for playing Vincent, Ronald showed a smile. Cage seems not to have understood that this is not a problem with his acting skills, nor is it a problem with Coppola disregarding the friendship between uncle and nephew.

This is a simple budget issue. The Godfather Part III has become a money-making tool for Paramount and Coppola. Cage is currently a second-tier male star. How can he be cheaper than a newcomer? Besides, when movie fans come to watch the third film, how many of them come to see the ending of the elderly Michael played by Al Pacino? How many came to see the story about Sonny’s son?

It goes without saying that whether this role is outstanding or not will not have such a big impact on the box office.

"Who are you going to cast as the heroine?" Diane tilted her head and asked Ronald after Cage left.

"Don't worry, I'm already working on your script..." Ronald changed the topic and said what Diane liked to hear.

"Really..." Diane's eyes lit up when she heard there was a good script.

…

"Tell me, what's going on?" After Ronald finished dealing with the "Firebird" matter, he came out to apologize to Richard, and everyone started talking about Winona Ryder again.

"I got the news at the airport that she disappeared from Rome. After waiting for a few hours, the news said that she had been found in Los Angeles..."

"Huh? Didn't her agent say that she was suffering from severe anxiety and was facing a mental breakdown?" Ronald frowned, what kind of trick was this?

"Her agent is not to blame for this. She was also deceived. It was Winona's boyfriend who instigated it..."

Richard drank coffee in small sips, and he told Ronald the ins and outs of the farce.

It turned out that the day before filming started, Winona Ryder came to the set to familiarize herself with the scene, and she was very cooperative in trying on various clothes on the set to get a feel for Mary.

But on the day of the start-up, she did not show up. Coppola made more than a dozen calls, but no one answered the phone at the hotel.

Just when everyone didn't know what was going on and was about to call the police, Winona Ryder's new boyfriend, Johnny Depp, called the crew and reported on behalf of his girlfriend that Winona was not feeling well and there was nothing she could do. get up.

Coppola and the crew's doctor went to Johnny Depp's room. The doctor went in alone to examine Winona Ryder. Based on her self-report, it was judged that she might have had an anxiety disorder caused by filming two movies in a row without any time off in between.

Coppola has been around Hollywood long enough to know that there is precedent for this kind of thing. It takes a lot of energy for an actor to concentrate on acting, especially a method actor like Winona Ryder.

However, he was experienced and did not have a good impression of Johnny Depp standing outside the door looking at him. He also has ex-girlfriend Sherlyn Fenn's name tattooed on his arm.

After reassuring Winona Ryder not to worry and to rest well, Coppola contacted a famous psychiatrist in Rome to give her an evaluation.

However, when they arrived at the hotel the next day, they found that the building was empty. Johnny Depp and his girlfriend Winona Ryder had already checked out and disappeared without saying hello.

But in Hollywood, how could two actors just disappear? Richard quickly found out through CAA's network that they had returned to Los Angeles overnight and were already resting in Depp's cozy little nest.

Johnny Depp didn't know what he said to Winona Ryder, so that the girl willingly gave up this very good opportunity of The Godfather Part 3, causing a situation that was out of control.

As for the poor agent, he didn’t even know the situation. After learning that Winona Ryder was faking illness, he was notified by phone to terminate his contract...

Hollywood producers hate this kind of "actress saboteur". This is also an important reason why it is difficult for female stars to appear.

"Winona is a female star with good opportunities, a bright future, and great performance potential. She was suddenly abducted by this little gangster... If in old Hollywood, there was only one way to deal with such people, break their legs. , left on the roadside to beg..."

The speaker was new Paramount executive Sidney Ganis. This ridiculous farce had already alerted him to come forward personally. Depp doesn't know what's wrong with him, but he actually thinks that such a little cleverness can succeed...

Holding his responsibility to Winona Ryder, Ronald went with Sidney Ganis to have a showdown with the two lovebirds.

"I heard some news that Winona Ryder was approached by 20th Century Fox to be the lead in a movie 'Edward Scissorhands' directed by Tim Burton, the director of the recent hit Batman. . Winona Ryder was originally one of the candidates for the heroine, but she was chosen for the third part of The Godfather..."

Sidney Ganis gave Ronald a very grateful look, picked up the car phone and called his subordinates.

"Hmm...fuck it, I'm going to break his legs!"

Sidney Ganis was suddenly furious. His subordinates told him that Johnny Depp was also one of the leading male candidates in this movie. His advantage was undoubtedly that if the heroine was Winona, the two of them would chemical reaction between.

Now if Winona Ryder is on board for The Godfather III, then Coppola, who has always been meticulous in his work, will definitely have a very long production cycle, so he will definitely not be able to keep up with the filming of Edward Scissorhands.

This must be Johnny Depp instigating Winona Ryder to star in a movie with her...

As soon as Sidney Ganis finished complaining to Ronald about this heart-stealing little rascal, the phone rang again. He grabbed the phone and said, "Hey, oh, it's yours..."

"Hello? Paula? What's going on?" Ronald picked up the phone and heard Paula Wagner's voice.

"Yeah, um... I understand. I won't affect Tom's decision. He can just follow his own heart. I'm just doing my job as a recommender..."

"Hey, there aren't many old-school Hollywood gentlemen like you left. I'll talk to Tom." Paula Wagner hung up the phone. As long as this doesn't affect Tom and Ronald's relationship.

Paramount President Sidney Ganis looked at Ronald, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

Ronald also found it funny to see a CEO of the Seventh Company being played like this by a gangster actor. He no longer wanted to be pretentious, "Tom Cruise was also cast in the Edward Scissorhands movie, and now director Burton prefers it." Cruise, but Tom hopes to change the tragic ending..."

"Shxt!" When Sidney Ganis heard that Tom Cruise and director Tim Burton could not reach an agreement over there, he knew that it would be unlucky to meet Winona Ryder today.

…

"Winona, I promise you that the local conditions for filming will be improved. You can raise any conditions you have..." Sidney Ganis, a big CEO, now put down his body and pitifully asked Winona... Ryder assured.

After all, changing roles at the last minute would be a huge loss to Paramount. Coppola is also a famous procrastinator. If this domino falls, this sequel will be delayed for who knows how long.

"But my doctor said that I can no longer participate in stressful activities such as movie shooting in the near future..." Winona Ryder has black hair and a very distinctive appearance.

"Bitch..." Sidney Ganis cursed in his heart and turned back to look at Ronald.

"Winona, let's talk in private?" Ronald asked Sidney Ganis to go out first, and then Johnny Depp looked at Ronald with a ruffian-like, attacking and warning look. But Ronald's persistent vision, tall figure, and temperament of practicing fighting skills all year round still made him withdraw.

But the footsteps stopped when they reached the door, which was ajar and shaking slightly.

"boom!"

"Ah..."

Ronald closed the door and ignored the scream from behind. He looked at Winola Ryder and said:

"If you still want to maintain a good reputation in Hollywood, I can guarantee that no one will mention this episode again, and Director Coppola will be the same as before... no, give you better conditions and be more patient than before. guidance.

All conditions can be improved, and we will just pretend this never happened..."

"I..." Winona Ryder looked at Ronald. She couldn't tell a lie to this noble person who supported her. Looking at the sincerity in his eyes, she thought of the Heather Sisters gang that he helped her in her debut novel. When I went to a film festival and had the opportunity to come to the set to tell myself about The Godfather Part III, I really felt like a big cousin in the family...

Winona Lai's heart felt hot and she was about to agree.

"Winona, are you okay? Are you feeling flustered? I'm worried about you..." Johnny Depp's voice came from outside the door.

"I'm sorry, Ronald, Mr. Li, my physical condition..."

"Okay, you and Mr. Coppola go and apologize..." Ronald thought to himself that this was only the end of the day. He knew that there was no way to persuade the woman in love, so he turned around and opened the door to leave.

"Hmph..." Seeing the smile on the face of the little ruffian at the door, a restrained person like Ronald couldn't help but express his anger.

"I really should break my legs..." Ronald thought to himself. This method would be devastating to the reputation of this young actress. More importantly, if she succeeds, it will give her a wrong experience when she first enters the entertainment industry. She can get what she wants by being clever.

…

"Ronald", that night, Coppola also returned to Hollywood and was the first to visit Ronald.

"Nicita has told me what you mean. Julia Roberts has agreed to star, but her schedule conflicts and she has to wait four weeks. You can only convince Paramount..."

"I am already very grateful... After so many years in Hollywood, I have only made a few real friends. George (Lucas) now only concentrates on his special effects. Now the only person in Hollywood who can talk to me is you. .

We Italians value family. When I make movies, I always work with the whole family, such as Taliyah (who plays the Godfather’s daughter, Coppola’s sister) and my father (who composes the music for The Godfather). You are like my family members. I will never forget this friendship..."

Coppola talked a lot about how it was not easy to work hard in Hollywood with only the support of his family. He might have said more, but Paramount's Sidney Ganis was here too.

Ronald has done everything he should do, and he is ready to leave, leaving the two parties here to talk about things.

"Ronald... don't leave!" Both of them called to Ronald. In order to avoid a quarrel, they still had to act as a middleman.

"Julia's schedule cannot be shortened, we can't afford to wait, Frances..."

Sidney Ganis's meaning is very clear. Now The Godfather III is waiting for the rice to be cooked, and there can be no further delay. Otherwise, the shooting budget will exceed 50 million, and the next Heaven's Gate will be their turn.

"But we need stars like Julia..." Coppola said the producer's line instead.

"Don't you like these actresses?" Sidney Ganis brought some audition photos of several actresses, some of whom were eliminated before and some who were added later.

"If it weren't for young acting representatives like Julia and Winona, we would have to find a real Italian actor, otherwise ordinary actresses wouldn't be able to play Mary..."

Coppola took one look and sternly refused. Mary and Vincent, the protagonist, have a love affair that is taboo between cousins. Only a sensitive and delicate actress like Winona Ryder can handle such a scene well. It turns out that the casting choice was right.

But Julia Roberts... Ronald touched his chin. It was sensitive enough, but delicate... She really couldn't tell. What was Coppola's plan? Is Julia Roberts destined for fame after "Steel Magnolias"?

"Italians, there are some here too..." Sidney Ganis couldn't stand it anymore, Master Coppola, just choose one.

"Well, how are her acting skills? There is something special about the role of Mary..." Coppola was still finding fault.

"This man has also photographed beautiful women that Ronald participated in. Look at it..." Sidney Ganis handed over the photo.

Ronald took a look and saw that it was Laura San Giacomo, who played Kitty, Julia Roberts's companion and the character she shares with her on the street in Pretty Woman.

This role is a bit difficult to play, but the performance is not bad. Moreover, Laura San Giacomo’s face looks Italian at first glance, which seems to be very suitable for the role of Mary.

"Her acting skills...are passable..."

"So, can I audition?" Coppola looked at Ronald.

Ronald saw some fatigue and helplessness in Coppola's eyes, as if to say, has the sequel to The Godfather now reached the point of being picked on? However, his eyes were very complicated and seemed to have some unclear meaning.

"You can audition..." Ronald told the truth...