Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Why? If you are serious about returning to Hollywood, a professional agent is the most important thing and the first thing you need to deal with."

Ronald couldn't believe his ears. How could Brooke Shields, who had studied at Princeton for four years, not have a clear sense of direction for her career as intuitively guided by her teenage years? What did she learn in Princeton?

Oh, it seems to be French.

"My mother wants to manage my career like she used to, and she managed it well before. I didn't need an agent before." Brooke Shields replied.

"Brookie..." Ronald felt that as a friend, he had an obligation to do some work to clean up Brooke's confused mind. This former teenage star is still a celebrity known to all people in America. As long as she takes good care of it and continues her star career, it won't be a big problem.

But if she messes up... Hollywood is full of stars who became famous at a young age and then became mediocre.

"Brookie, I don't know how to talk about your matter in a gentle way, but I am giving you advice from the perspective of a friend... so don't think I am speaking directly..." Ronald didn't want to beat around the bush and protect Brooke's self-esteem. This girl didn't seem to know what kind of situation she was in in Hollywood.

"Of course, that's exactly what I need most, a friend's advice. I feel that everything is different after graduation. But I can't tell what went wrong."

Brooke let her hair down, then shook it left and right, looking at Ronald seriously, and the charm of the former most beautiful girl in America began to radiate.

"How many script invitations do you receive every month now?" Ronald asked directly.

"Well... almost none..." Brooke lowered her head. She suddenly felt a little ashamed to be questioned like this in front of Ronald. Before she quit the film and television industry to study, her family received several movie and advertising invitations every week.

"What about your endorsements?" Ronald thought of Brooke's many endorsements, such as the sensational CK jeans.

"Calvin Klein said that my advertisement made everyone remember me, not the brand of jeans, so they didn't renew my contract after the contract ended..." Brooke continued to bow her head.

Not only jeans, but also the Barbie dolls, wigs, toys and other products that she had authorized before, all cancelled their cooperation with Brooke Shields. This is a humiliation for Brooke, who was once a top model, actress, and product endorsement star.

Originally, she thought that as long as she said she wanted to make a comeback after graduation, all these would come back again.

"What you need now is a movie, Brooke. A movie that suits your image. In order to get this movie, you have to find an agent to take care of it. Instead of blindly rushing around like this. This movie is not suitable for you. The movie tells the story of a 30-year-old woman..."

"Ah..." Brooke covered her face in frustration when she heard it. This is definitely impossible. Once an actress plays an old role, she will no longer receive a script for a young girl.

In fact, she also thought of this strategy of acting in a movie first to let the audience remember her again. When she was a junior, her mother Terry contacted DC Comics to shoot a tailor-made comic adaptation movie "Brenda Starr" for her. The reporter character in this comic graduated from a prestigious university, tall and beautiful, which was particularly suitable for Brooke Shields.

If everything went well, the movie would have been released in the summer when she graduated from Princeton this year. But her mother's alcoholism ruined a lot of things. She was drunk and didn't pay attention to the legal details when signing the contract. The author of the original comic and the filming company were involved in legal disputes. No major distributor would be interested in distributing such a movie involved in litigation.

"But I can't find an agent willing to represent me now..." Brooke Shields had no choice but to accept Nicolas Cage's invitation to attend Ronald's movie premiere. Otherwise, she, who was so proud, would not come here to beg for a role like this.

But as soon as she saw Ronald, she regained her trust in him, as if as long as Ronald was making decisions, she could find a way. Just like he was the one who knew how to guide herself best on the set.

"Can't find it?" Ronald looked Brooke Shields up and down again. Except for the Saint Laurent outfit that was not well-known, Brooke Shields' shirt, pants, and earrings were obviously not popular in the season. Her handbag seemed to be the one he had seen her use a few years ago.

Ronald immediately understood Brooke Shields's embarrassment. He thought about it and helped Brooke in a way that would not hurt her self-esteem. "Don't worry, one of my good friends, Paula Wagner, who is also the wife of my agent, remembers that you graduated this year and asked me for your contact information. I will let her contact you and give me your current phone number."

Brooke Shields actually just hasn't met a suitable agent yet, so all aspects have fallen into a vicious circle. With her previous popularity among the public, it is not a big problem to return to the status of a star. Paula Wagner probably won't refuse another such client.

"I live in the apartment I bought a few years ago, on 63rd Street, not far from here." Brooke hurriedly took out a notebook from her bag, wrote down the new address and contact number with a pen, and handed it to Ronald.

When Ronald was taking the note, he walked up to her, and just in time to meet Brooke as she turned around, the two of them bumped into each other, and Ronald's nose hit Brooke's forehead firmly.

"Oh..." Ronald cried out, a sour feeling rushed into his nose, and he almost cried. He turned around and covered his nose with his hands, waiting for his consciousness to return.

"Ouch..." Bo Ji also screamed out in fright. When she saw Ronald turning around and ignoring her, she felt sad. Could it be that he saw it?

Brooke was shocked and frightened. In the last two years of college, Brooke Shields also inherited her mother Terry's addiction gene. But instead of drinking, she indulged in potato chips and snacks. Compared with the most beautiful girl with golden figure who was a model, she has now gained twenty pounds.

In order to prepare for this meeting with Ronald, he specially used a body-shaping magic girdle. Could it be that Ronald already felt that he had turned into a fat girl when they hugged each other just now? She quickly adjusted her clothes so that her belly wouldn't be exposed.

"Ronald, what's wrong with you?" Brooke slowly discovered that Ronald was not because of the fact that he had become a fat girl, but because his nose was injured. She helped Ronald sit back on the sofa, "Are you okay? You seem to have a nosebleed..."

After fussing for a while, Ronald's nosebleed stopped. However, after this accident, the two of them lost interest in rebuilding their old relationship for a while. Ronald saw Pooji holding her bag as if she was about to leave at any time, so he asked Pooji, "Where is your driver? I remember his name is Dick? Can he?" Come to pick you up? It’s late at night.”

"Now Dick only works for me part-time..." Brooke replied.

"Hey..." Ronald felt that Brooke's financial situation might be worse than he thought.

"How about you sleep here, I have a lot of rooms here." Ronald said.

"No...I'd better go back..." Bo Ji stood up in a panic. If Ronald saw her belly, even the best memories between the two of them would be destroyed.

"This..." Ronald was a little speechless, why did it happen like this, "I'll ask the driver to take you back, and Paula will call you in two days." Ronald called the housekeeper of the apartment and asked him to He arranged the car.

After sending Brooke off, Ronald looked at the time. It was still early in Los Angeles, so he called Niceta's home.

"How's your pursuit going? Rick."

"It's only been two days since the assistant resigned, and now we can't find anyone," Niceta said seriously. "I suspect it was someone from within CAA. Many people want to add actors to your movie. If you don't go through me and Richard, De, they don’t have a chance, but after the quarrel breaks out, everyone will have a chance in the open audition.”

"The private detective I introduced to you is good. If you start with the actor named Brad Pitt, you might be able to make a breakthrough."

The two discussed some next strategies, and Ronald changed the microphone to one side and said, "Is Paula at home? I have something to ask her about."

"Ronald, why do you have another actress for me to take over?" Paula had just played with the child and came to answer the phone and joked.

"Uh...yes", Ronald smiled bitterly, "You will be happy this time. The former most beautiful girl in America, Brooke Shields, wants to make a comeback."

"Oh my god, do you really have one?" Paula Wagner was also surprised, "Brooke Shields, how come she doesn't have an agent when she wants to come back?"

"Her mother is very troublesome, but I made an agreement with her, and she is looking forward to it." Ronald explained a few words, and then gave Paula Brooke's phone number.

"By the way, if you sign a contract with her, the initial packaging fees and early acting training will be treated according to her previous treatment. Leave the bill to me."

Both Android and Apple are available. 】

"Don't worry, Brooke Shields has great potential, I will take care of it."

…

The next day, Ronald made a special trip to visit the casting director of "Moonlight", Julia Taylor, whom he had worked for before to take audition photos.

"Julia, I heard that the Casting Directors Guild (gsoerica) will nominate you for the best casting award in a theatrical film this year?"

Ronald first moved the two gifts he brought, a Sony latest model camera, into Julia's office, and Sony staff were busy setting up the camera.

Ronald gave him a second gift, cookies baked by Aunt Karen (modified by his boyfriend Eric).

He asked about the current situation of Julia Taylor, his former boss.

"Thank you, Ronald." Taylor happily accepted the biscuit. The camera is a very convenient tool for the casting director, and the biscuits can replenish the energy consumed by various weird performances during the casting process.

"It's not all thanks to the fact that you made 'Moonlight' so well. What our Casting Directors Association likes most is your kind of film that combines the style of a stage play with the good reviews from film critics."

"It's a pity that there is no Best Casting Award at the Oscars." Ronald smiled.

Whether the success of casting should be attributed to the director or the casting director has always been a difficult problem to solve. Hollywood has its traditional so-called "casting directors" who handle casting chores like assistants.

There are also talents like Julia Taylor who can recommend the most suitable actors to the director and truly play a role in casting.

Julia Taylor had been casting for Woody Allen, and before "Hanna and the Sisters," Woody left her without knowing how to make a movie.

Ronald invited her to lead the casting of the film "Moonlight", which even found several gold medal supporting actors from Broadway. The success of the film in the critics' circle is really due to this slightly plump middle-aged beauty.

"Hahaha, this is not a problem that can be solved in a short time", Julia Taylor also laughed and let go of this topic. In fact, as a separate award, the best casting will enter the Oscars like the Emmy Awards. The biggest obstacle is the Directors Guild. They don't like someone to share the power of the director.

"But if you can get a nomination for Best Director, I will vote for you. I am also a member of the Academy." Julia Taylor is also a formal member of the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences and Arts and has voting rights.

Although she cannot vote for the nomination for Best Director, she can vote in the final decisive stage.

"How will you publicize this movie next?" Julia Taylor also hopes that "Moonlight" can be recognized by the award, so that her casting work in commercial films will be recognized by Hollywood, and she will no longer be a casting expert for niche films like Woody Allen.

"I will go to the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, then the Kansas Film Critics Association, then Chicago, and finally back to New York. I will try to socialize with them as much as possible for these Film Critics Association Awards.

Then there is the Directors Guild Best Director Award, which is the most important."

Ronald knows everything about Julia Taylor. She is the most influential person in the New York casting director circle and can influence several votes.

The two chatted for a while about the award-winning arrangements for "Moonlight Temptation". Ronald saw that the time was right and brought up another important matter for his visit this time.

"Julia, let's work together again this time. My new film needs a casting director like you to help. There are many actors in it that are difficult to find..."

"So your rumors are true? Many Hollywood stars are eyeing it now." Julia Taylor has also heard rumors about Ronald's directorial "Working Girl".

"Yes, I will probably be bombarded with intensive criticism when I return to Los Angeles."

"But this is a star project of Fox, are you sure you want me to be the casting director?" Julia Taylor did not agree to it immediately like she did with "Moonlight".

"Moonlight" was a medium-sized project with a cost of several million dollars at that time, while this "Working Girl" is a big project that will definitely require big stars to participate. According to the recent average cost, the cost will generally be more than 20 million US dollars.

Julia Taylor's professional opinion will be interfered by many stars, and it is very likely that the most suitable actor for the movie will not be selected. She does not like this kind of casting work.

"The first thing I will do when I return to Los Angeles this time is to try my best to convince Fox to choose female stars instead of male stars. So I need your help..."

"Hahaha, Ronald, you are now an experienced Hollywood director and producer." Julia Taylor heard the meaning behind Ronald's words.

Female stars are relatively easy to manipulate, while male stars are very difficult to deal with on the set. But if he could let female stars as a guarantee of box office to promote to distributors, Ronald would have much more freedom.

Ronald would be more likely to get cooperation from female stars when directing. On the one hand, his status as a director of hit films gave him more say in front of female stars. On the other hand, the heroines of his past few films were very outstanding, and female stars would be more willing to listen to him.

Julia Taylor was very confident that such casting would be of much greater use to her. She decided to clear her schedule and contribute her casting skills to Ronald's "Working Girl". When Ronald was done with his work in New York, she would fly back to Los Angeles with him.

"Do you have any candidates in mind?" After Ronald and Julia had agreed verbally, he showed her the script. The two had known each other for a long time and had deep trust in each other. As long as they agreed verbally, it would be like signing an employment contract.

"You want to change Tess's direct boss to a woman. In this case, I would definitely recommend Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep first."

Julia Taylor mentioned two candidates that Ronald was not surprised by.

"What about Tess? The key is Tess." The heroine is the key. The film mainly relies on the contrast between the two female characters to tell the story and show the theme. So the general process is to select the heroine first, and then find the supporting actress to audition to see the chemistry between the two.

"Well..." Julia sighed, "I know you want to choose a star to support the distribution business, but this role, from the ugly duckling at the beginning to the white swan later, is a great challenge for the actress's acting skills. I can't think of a good candidate.

You have to find a new era Bette Davis."

Bette Davis is one of the most famous female stars in the golden age. The most interesting thing about her is that she can play not-so-beautiful roles, and she can also be convincing when she dresses up carefully to play a beauty.

"My agent gave me a list. What do you think of Demi Moore?" Ronald said a candidate in his mind.

"She?" Julia Taylor, as a casting director, has to watch new movies every year. Demi Moore is a new-age female image, especially her recent movies, "St. Elmo's Fire", "Last Night", and the Coca-Cola ad, which are all images of professional women and college graduates. It's no problem for her to wear working girl's clothes.

"Then we need to see how she looks like an ugly duckling." Julia Taylor thought for a while and finally said.