Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Hi, Ronald! I haven't seen you here in a long time."

Back to the casting studio on East 31st Street in Manhattan, New York, the black door with a few steps above. The door was still the sturdy black doorman. He still remembers Ronald who worked here.

"Hi, long time no see, how are you?"

Ronald hugged him warmly.

"Yes, Ms. Julia Taylor is waiting for you." The black doorman was glad that Ronald treated himself as equal before, and whispered to Ronald, "She's in a bad mood, you..."

"Forget it, Ronald is also a big director now, they should come to please him." The black doorman wanted to remind Ronald not to make Julia Taylor angry, only to realize that it was already a different person.

"What's wrong? Who made her angry?" Ronald hadn't seen these old friends in years, and seeing them again was like time hadn't passed, just taking a break for a cup of coffee.

"I heard she had a disagreement with director Woody Allen, but she didn't tell us much, and we could all tell she was a little upset."

"Thank you," Ronald patted the doorman on the shoulder, and handed him a packet of snacks as before, as a small reward for revealing the news.

"Meow...", a white cat called Ronald, as if it recognized the young man who had been a photographer here for a year, and jumped to the table at the front desk.

"Director Ronald, Ms. Taylor is waiting for you."

There was another young lady at the front desk, and Ronald nodded and entered Julia Taylor's office.

"Oh, Ronald, hahaha, it's such a pleasure to meet you." Julia came out from behind the desk and hugged Ronald to say hello.

After the two chatted, they chatted about the current situation of their mutual friends.

Julia herself is Woody Allen's casting director, making one or two movies a year. Recently, his "Hannah Sisters" have won unanimous praise from film critics.

Margery, who used to be the casting director of "Famous in the World", has gradually become the backbone of the casting studio. When Julia was busy working with Woody Allen, Margery was in charge of the studio's work. .

"So, Ronald, how can I help you." Julia Taylor's temperament hasn't changed much, and she is still a trustworthy middle-aged beauty. She quickly turned to the problem and asked Ronald 's intention.

"I have a movie that, unlike the popcorn movies I've done before, is a really good rom-com with a heavy supporting cast, and I'd better be able to steal you from Woody Allen for a while, if If you don't have enough time, please recommend me a casting director who is familiar with theatrical performances."

Ronald explained his purpose, took a copy of the script from his briefcase, and handed it to Julia Taylor.

"Well..." Julia took it and looked at it. She was very happy for Ronald who was sitting across from him. When he was in the casting studio, Ronald was a very savvy photographer. After becoming famous in Hollywood, he made commercial films for several years.

Finally, this young and promising director from New York has also begun to turn to dramas that focus on performance and plot.

The casting studio is in New York, and the people who come here to find casting services are all directors who are good at making feature films. A large number of commercial films in Hollywood do not pay much attention to the chemical reaction between actors, but more about the similarity in appearance.

So much so that a casting expert like Julia Taylor has nothing to do, but in the film business, he has only cooperated with Woody Allen for a long time. Out of the New York film industry, not many people know what she is capable of.

"Who are you going to use the heroine Loretta?" Julia quickly finished the script,

Just ask Ronald.

"Cher," Ronald replied immediately, "she said yes."

"Why?" Julia Taylor took out her notebook and stared at Ronald, ready to jot down his comments.

"Oh...oh...oh, wait a minute, what do you mean, you're willing to take the time to cast my movie?" Ronald was a little disbelieving.

"Yeah, why not? Now being a casting director for your film would add a very good resume to my job resume."

"Hmph..." Ronald thought it was a bit interesting for Julia Taylor to say this, and she seemed to have other ideas.

"It seems that I said something similar when I came here to apply for a job before. Hahaha." Ronald replied, "When will the new film directed by Woody Allen start? My film and his film will not have time. cross?"

"He should be fine, but I'm not casting him anymore." Julia Taylor shrugged and replied with a smile.

"Very good, then I'll make a call and ask someone from my company to sign with you. Is it in your name or the casting studio?"

"Let's use my own name." Julia Taylor looked around, obviously full of reluctance for this place where she started working as soon as she entered the industry.

Ronald finished the call and came back to continue with Julia.

"Actually, it's very simple. Xueer is famous enough, and the budget for this production is not large, so I am looking for a star with fans to be the heroine. And Xueer happens to be the kind of person who makes people feel that she can Crazy to do that kind of woman who fell in love with her disabled brother when she and her brother were getting ready for their wedding."

Julia Taylor nodded, "And what about Johnny, the hero? It's not an easy role to play. He hated his brother for losing a hand, and then he saw his brother's fiancée, fell in love with her immediately, and invited her Go to the opera. This kind of role is easy to make the audience feel too fake, and an explosive actor is necessary."

"I was going to let Nicolas Cage play, and he agreed," Ronald said. "You know him, right?"

"There is his file, you wait." Julia Taylor went to the filing cabinet where the audition photos of the actors were kept, and found the audition photos and resumes of the two male and female protagonists at the beginning of C.

"Other people, do you have a favorite candidate? Or when the screenwriter wrote the script, he wrote it in the image of the actor? We can all try it."

"No, I don't have a clue about the others, so I came to you for help. The casting of this movie was a big challenge for me."

"Why do you say that?"

"I talked to the screenwriter Shanley, each of his characters has the prototype of his childhood Italian friends, and many scenes take place in the kitchen where they are eating, such a scene where the family gathers around a large table to eat, especially Test the chemistry between the characters. I don't know who has this ability, you have a lot of time in New York, and you go to Broadway plays a lot."

"Bingo, you're right, Ronald, this movie has to go to Broadway for casting." Julia Taylor nodded and said yes, "It's best if you think so, I wanted to convince you how to find Broadway. actor."

"Don't just look at the appearance of the actors, but also look at their chemistry together. You taught me that before." Ronald laughed.

In fact, since the filming of "Spicy Dance", he has actually admired the professionalism and efficiency of Broadway actors.

"Okay, then let's have a meeting with the screenwriter, Mr. Shangley, and then chat with the heroine Cher and the hero Cage. Let's start with their chemistry. I declare in advance that if their chemistry is not good, I will I'll give my opinion, and I'm an opinionated person."

"Of course, I came to you because I hope you can give me more professional advice. This movie is not the kind of random TV actor. A lot of dialogue, a lot of indoor dining scenes, if not the acting has that kind of If the ability to make the audience feel truly engaged, the film is likely to become boring.”

"No problem, I have a lot of actors who have worked on Broadway for more than 20 years, and it happens that your supporting roles are all middle-aged." Julia Taylor is confident that she can help Ronald find the most suitable actor.

The two went through the character table in front of the script one by one. Julia Taylor documented a lot of Ronald's understanding of the character and asked a lot of questions.

"I'll look for a suitable candidate first, and then I'll make an appointment with you for an interview when there is news."

"There is one more thing, I need your caution." Ronald held Julia's hand, "No one in Hollywood knows about this, the heroine Cher has severe dyslexia, so you have to help me find one An actor who can speak a standard Brooklyn-Italian accent, read her lines and have her memorize them."

"It's not a big problem, Brooklyn accent, Italian, middle-aged, female..." Julia wrote down the request in detail, "Don't worry, it's not uncommon, I know how to deal with it."

"Okay, let's go to the Ukrainian restaurant next door for lunch. We just signed the contract."

Ronald took Julia Taylor to the Ukrainian restaurant near the original apartment, ordered a lot of dishes, and ate while chatting.

"I think I need to know more about Italian family life. Do you have any candidates for me to visit their homes, eat with them, drink wine, and listen to their complaints."

"It's easy to set up, there's a lot of Italian on Broadway. If you're willing to put them in a few minor roles, you'll get a warm reception."

"No problem," Ronald wiped his mouth. It just so happened that a colleague from the Daydream Company also brought the contract with Julia Taylor, and the two signed a contract in the restaurant to hire her as "Moonlight Sultry". Casting director's contract.

"By the way, I haven't asked you, why are you not casting for Woody Allen's new film?"

"It's nothing, I've been working with him for a long time, and he needs some new people to stimulate himself to make changes." Julia Taylor said.

"Apart from that, is there no other reason?" Ronald frowned. Casting is not a position to participate in the filming of the crew. Is there any creativity that needs to be replaced to stimulate it?

"It's a secret between us, and I won't tell anyone what happened when you were casting for you," Julia Taylor smiled, "Maybe when I'm old, I'll write a memoir to put you guys together. write everything down.”

"Hahaha, if you don't say it, I'll let you say it. I'm going to find a documentary director this time to shoot some behind-the-scenes footage as marketing materials."

Ronald was in Xujiahui and saw Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" crew, and several people carried VCRs and kept filming him working on the crew.

He thinks this method is very good, so when he plans to shoot a new film himself, he will do it again.

"That's ok, I rarely appear in the camera." Julia giggled, "Actually, I don't have much conflict with Woody, it's just that I have some discomfort with his working methods and some personal life, It just so happens that I also want to work more as a casting director than as a casting studio manager."

"Working methods? Can you be more specific? I happened to go to the scene of Spielberg's filming this time, and I found that I rarely had the opportunity to see how other directors worked, so progress was slow. If you If it's convenient, tell me about Woody's working methods."

"I can tell you something that most people in the circle know." Julia ordered a cup of coffee and stirred slowly, "Woody has a habit of shooting movies in places he is familiar with."

"Hmm..." Ronald listened to what Julia Taylor would say to learn from.

"This time he shot 'Hannah Sisters' at the house where he lived with Mia Farrow. And in this movie, Mia plays his character's ex-wife. "

"Is this exposing too much personal matters?" Ronald felt something was wrong. It is impossible for me to make movies in my own living room and bedroom anyway.

"Yeah, Woody always makes movies as a part of his own psychotherapy, but it inevitably puts his personal life in the movies, and I always feel very uncomfortable."

After Julia started, she couldn't stop. She picked up a lot of dissatisfaction in her cooperation with Woody Allen, and said a lot.

"And that script, me too..." Julia finally frowned, showing a disgusting expression.

"What happened to the script?"

"Have you seen that movie?"

"I've seen the Hannah sisters, and it's very well done. I don't think there's anything wrong with the script. Except that the middle class has too much hesitation."

"Do you remember that the ex-brother-in-law played by Woody Allen was infertile?"

"Remember, in the end, after he married the second sister, he made the second sister pregnant. Very interesting arrangement."

"The characters that Woody usually plays have their own true portrayals." Julia said abruptly, "He and Mia also adopted a child..."

"Ah?" Ronald felt even more uncomfortable. This kind of personal matter would never be made into a movie and released to everyone.

"That's why I don't want to take more Hollywood business, like you, hahaha..."

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There is something today, only four thousand words, and it will be back to normal tomorrow.