Hollywood Domination Chapter 206: Jenny’s madness

"Daniel Day Lewis—" Sidney Pollack moved his body in his spacious sofa and said with great interest, "do you really think he is the only suitable candidate? Jennifer?"

He seemed to be saying, 'Are you so arrogant, Jennifer, do you really think that only Lewis is worthy of your acting skills? ', but Jenny was not swayed by his vague doubts. She said matter-of-factly, "Sidney, one has to have a dream, doesn't he? There's nothing wrong with wanting to work with the best actors."

Although Lewis was also mentioned when the news was released before, there are so many movies that want to invite Lewis every year, and almost none of them can finally invite him, so when Jenny really started to try to contact Lewis, except for Cesare who went to contact her without saying anything, the rest of the people would more or less show expressions similar to Sidney. Of course, due to her current status, there are very few people who directly say 'no' ——Except for an absolute bigwig and senior like Sidney, there are very few people who directly spoil Jenny's interest in person.

"There is nothing wrong with any idea, but people must learn to be down-to-earth." Sidney coughed a few times, and said kindly, "Can you contact Lewis? Maybe, I will make a few calls, I will Seems to have something to do with a good friend of his, a producer, but Lewis is a freak, dear, and if Lucy says he's not in the show, he really isn't in the show, even if he gets in touch. What's the use? He won't agree to star in, Lewis will never accept two film offers at the same time."

Jenny said calmly, "But it's just common sense——"

"And you think you can break away from common sense," Sidney asked with a smile, and he shook his head, "Oh, god, Jennifer, you are really spoiled."

He did not evade the matter perfunctorily, or simply refused, but pointed patiently, "Of course, as an actor, you can do this, this is your right, all talented actors are almost crazy.—— But the producers didn’t do it that way, if you only want the best, you’ll get nothing in the end, sometimes you have to learn to hold on to the bargaining chips you can get, hold on first, and then talk about other things.”

Jennie also heard what Sidney said at the small meeting from Tony-he intends to invite her to star in his next movie. Jenny could still tell, she believed that Sidney's advice came from the heart, and even more believed that he would not come forward to contact Lewis for her under the mentality of an elder, so as not to indulge her willful mentality—of course, more It may be that Lewis is too withdrawn, and Sidney is not sure that he can bypass Lucy and have an interview with Lewis.

In Hollywood, everyone knows that being a producer is the easiest and most profitable job. Compared with those jobs that require burning inspiration and hard work, such as directors, screenwriters and actors, producers are really too powerful Yes, a big producer like Sidney often makes a few phone calls and earns money while standing still. But this is actually because the job of a producer is "kung fu is beyond poetry". In addition to a keen business vision and precise judgment, one must be a good producer, open, identify, and maintain contacts, and always take advantage of intrigues. Location, these are also compulsory courses. Jenny has a great advantage from being a first-line actor to a producer. For example, Sidney, if it is not because of her acting skills, it is impossible to give such careful guidance. And although Jenny failed to get what she wanted from him, it was impossible for Sidney's kindness to go unrewarded.

However, she did not blindly follow Sidney's words, but said in a tone of asking for advice, "But if our goal is not to be a better actor than George, then why should George quit?"

This is a very interesting question, and Sidney immediately showed a relieved smile-an elder like him has suffered from illness for many years, and it is impossible to give him money, honor or beauty. How much fun has it brought? What impresses him is the sense of accomplishment that comes from producing a good work, and the other is the sense of satisfaction that comes from being smart. Otherwise, he would not have to participate in "Michael Clayton". I even made suggestions for this project based on my advanced age.

"George quit because he wasn't good enough." In front of Jenny, Sidney didn't whitewash Clooney. "In Hollywood, there are not many actors of the same age who have achieved more than George, but this shows that only Lewis , Is Hanks better than him?"

He smiled contemptuously, "It's impossible, dear Jennifer, I can assure you that you can easily find it in the acting school in Beverly, in the theater on Broadway, in the streets and alleys of the West End. Better than George—at least actors like him, the only difference between them and George is that they lack George's luck.”

He took a breath and said in a raised voice, "However, more than George, they cherish this opportunity and their desperation to succeed at all costs. George no longer has the courage to break through himself again, In other words, unfortunately, he didn't have one from the beginning, all he thought about was how to shape his own personal image, acting is just his tool..."

Through Jenny's actions to exclude George at the beginning, the old man seems to have confirmed the discord between her and George, so he expressed his dissatisfaction with George in front of Jenny without any scruples, "I am very disappointed, George gave up without even trying—Of course, I asked Steven to talk him out of it, because we all thought he couldn't make another breakthrough, but you know, Jennifer, when everyone else thinks When you can't break through, it's not a big problem."

He pointed to Jenny, "If even you believe that you can't break through, then there is a big problem. If George begged us to give him another chance, if he tried and the result still didn't change, then whatever How embarrassing he is in the eyes of others, I will still respect him..."

Sidney shook his head and didn't continue, but the meaning was already obvious: at least with him, George had lost his impression so much that the boss no longer cared about his emotions, so straightforward He began to show affection to Jenny.

In fact, Jenny has a good understanding of George's mentality. After all, George is her senior, and there may be some airs that cannot be put down. Besides, Sidney's perception may not be that important to George. She wasn't here today to argue with Sidney, though.

"Good point." She applauded and praised, showing an image of listening carefully, "Indeed, this is a line of thought that I have ignored. Since well-known actors are difficult to find, then we can find some newcomers Actors, there is no need to be fooled by George's halo, the box office of this film will not be greatly affected by the choice of a new actor for the leading actor, will it?"

"It is impossible to be completely unaffected, but this is better than continuing to stop. If you find the right person, the halo effect of word of mouth and newcomers-easy nominations can also satisfy investors." Sidney also came Liao Tanxing said, "For big companies like Warner, they are more flexible about projects than small companies. As long as they can make a profit in the end, Warner will not be our trouble. And if you are working with some newcomers in the industry, they will not Knowing the ever-changing nature of this business, if you just cling to the contract and never let it go, then the current situation will be infinitely more difficult, which is why we like to cooperate with large companies, they are more flexible."

Jennie also nodded in a taught way, listening to Sidney talk about the producer's know-how and experience-he is not only a talented director who straddles the art and business circles, but also a major producer The number of produced works is much higher than that of the director, and he has emerged in Hollywood since the 1960s. He is a contemporary figure with Chaplin. He has been ups and downs for more than 40 years, and he can still produce "Cold Mountain" in the 21st century. 》This kind of high-quality goods. If such a great person is willing to give advice to her, if she still can’t concentrate on studying, then she must have lost her brain. You must know that even a person like Weinstein would probably be willing to pay a lot of money just to accept Sidney’s advice.

And I have to say that although Sidney's views have a strong personal style, Jenny has also benefited a lot from a strategic position. After all, both she and Cesare are just starting out as producers, and Cesare can't provide her with much help and education, and he himself doesn't take the route of a big producer, but more about management For the company, in the future, even if it is named as a film producer produced by Dameng, it will only be a title. Of course, he knows a lot of producers, but when necessary, relying on strength and letting a producer pass on his life's "skills" to you are completely different things. Therefore, as a producer, Jenny herself is also stumbling and learning. Her advantage is that she is a big star, and there is much more room for mistakes than others. The accumulation of ten years of wisdom has greatly helped Jenny in terms of thinking - she must have wanted to find Lewis before, in addition to her wanting to cooperate with Lewis, but also because the remaining few well-known actors who are expected to impress are not so suitable for the role, And she didn't expect to choose an unknown person again for a while, and she was not so sure whether she could find an actor of Clooney's level in the market. Sidney was so sure that he could choose someone who was not inferior to Clooney. The way was planned out, and she felt a lot more at ease: at least it was more realistic than the illusory hope of impressing Lewis.

Of course, how to convince other investors that this is a good choice is not a problem at all. If Sidney and Jenny share this opinion, Soderbergh will not say much, he is basically Half-retired from the production work, and the other Anthony is British. If the crew went to the UK to cast a role, it would be a great opportunity for him to sell private goods. He has little chance of objecting. Even if he has something to say, the combination of Sidney and Jenny It is also easy to suppress his different opinions.

After chatting with Sidney for more than half an hour, Jenny saw Sidney's accompanying nurse shaking back and forth at the door twice, knowing that it was time to leave, she looked at her watch, "You should take your medicine , Sidney, but before that, can you copy me the phone calls you just mentioned?"

These are all the connections that Sidney Xing mentioned. Jenny got the call and signed up to call. The other party naturally knew who it was. If she didn't take care of her, at least she wouldn't cheat her—this is hugging The benefits of the thighs, of course, this also proves that Jenny has listened to Sidney's words, and is ready to start casting operations immediately. After all, Sidney can just say a few words, and it is impossible to really put effort into casting. . Sidney chuckled, "Anita, bring me my PDA—I hope we can select a suitable new character within two weeks, so that the time loss may be recovered."

"I hope so." Jenny also took advantage of the momentum to explain her arrangement, "I will make a call, and hope that the three places will start casting within a few days-of course, at the same time, I will also make the last effort, see Let's see if we can get in touch with Lewis—"

For Sidney who pointed at herself, she made a grimace with a smile, and said coquettishly, using the privilege of a beautiful woman, "If you have a spare tire, why not try it, Sidney, this is you As you said, you must always have a second-hand preparation—this of course means that in the case of a first-hand preparation, the second hand can bet bigger."

'Only the audience likes the last minute. For the production process, the last minute is a taboo. Always finish your work before the last ten minutes, and always have a second choice' - this is West Germany One of the experience talks that Ni mentioned to Jenny just now, he waved his hand at Jenny funny and angrily, but he didn’t deny Jenny’s statement, “Okay, okay, this is the world of you young people, even if you dream big Some."

"Thank you, Sidney." Jenny said sincerely, "Without your guidance, I think this project might have stopped for a long time."

"This is a very good script." Sidney said sadly while opening the address book and looking for the name, "Maybe this is my last work, and I certainly don't want to see it halfway Died."

"Don't you still want to direct a new work?" Jenny said jokingly, but she also expressed her desire to act, "I'm still waiting for another Oscar for your masterpiece, dear Sidney, So this is definitely not your last work, put away this unrealistic idea."

The old man is generally not difficult to coax. Sidney gave her enthusiastic guidance in exchange for Jenny's love. At home to take medicine and take a nap, Jenny embarked on a journey back to Malibu.

"...I couldn't find a way with Sidney." She simply reported the progress to Cesare, "But Sidney gave me a new idea..."

"Very valuable resource." After listening to Jenny's report, Cesare also commented, "Save these numbers, and I will maintain these contacts with you."

Of course, Hollywood has a well-established overseas casting system. If you go through the normal channels, you can also choose good actors. But Hollywood’s overseas casting agencies are actually in contact with local agency companies. With the scale of Jenny’s current production of films, all you can see are newcomers who have been discovered by the agency company and are ready to promote. Of course, Jenny and Cesare You know, in addition to personal strength, how much company strength is hidden here. Most of the numbers Sidney gave are well-known local people. They have been immersed in the local showbiz for many years, and they know better which small theaters will have leftovers, and which ones are actually very good. , Actors with good appearance conditions have not received the attention they deserve from brokerage companies, and can only make a living in movies and TV. Using these numbers to match the formal casting system, the probability of finding a good actor is of course greater. If you can maintain these connections, you will have a few more contacts if you want to find high-quality and cheap actors in the future. It can even constitute a new channel for actor delivery. The benefits here cannot be explained clearly in a few words.

"It really means a lot to the casting." Jenny also felt a little bit of taking advantage of it. She knew that the calls from Sidney were very precious, so this somewhat diluted the fact that it was impossible to get in touch with Lewis. bad mood. "However, there is still no progress in the business, and Sidney has no way to get in touch with Lewis."

"What are you going to do?" Cesare asked directly, "Should I give up, or do I need to contact Leo for you?"

"Are you willing to get involved in this matter?" Jenny asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

Cesare has always avoided getting involved in the disputes between the two male stars under him. He avoided it completely when they were competing for roles in "Avatar". Now if he came forward to contact Leo, it would be a bit of a sympathy for Chris. Because of Cesare's analysis, Leo might just talk about the matter, help Jenny, and take advantage of the situation to turn the fight with Chris into friendship. However, there is a great possibility that he thinks that Cesare has already joined Chris. If he thinks so, the relationship with Cesare will definitely be alienated. risks of.

"First of all, this is a very childish fight, they have no actual conflict, and they are different from the director." Cesare said, "Secondly, you can treat this as a privileged treat for you—— If you really want to contact Lewis so much, you can give it a try."

Jenny hesitated for a moment—he really hesitated this time, and she asked, “Then you think, even if Leo doesn’t make things difficult for Chris—he’s—god, that’s too literary—OK , what is the chance of him being injured?"

"I don't know," Cesare said quickly, "and I'm not interested in being dragged into a client's emotional entanglements, Jefferson."

"You can guess." Jenny sneered, "It's just - guess, Chesa, can't you expand my privilege one step further?"

Cesare must have rolled his eyes on the other end of the phone, but in the end he replied, "This is actually a very simple calculation problem, Jenny, you are not trying to force Chris to do something that violates morals or laws, he will not Die, I don't think I will break up with you, of course, it will definitely hurt his feelings, so I guess what you need to calculate is how much you want to contact Lewis."

"I still really want to contact Lewis." Jenny said frankly, "—but I don't want to hurt Chris either."

"Then you seem to be making trouble for no reason now." Cesare replied, but he still asked patiently, "What do you need me to help you—what do you think I can do to help you?"

"You have." Jenny has actually been thinking about this idea for a long time, but she is still a little afraid to propose it. However, after Sidney's road is blocked, it seems that Leo's side is not considered. is the only way out, "The first thing you can do is, listen to me, and then—don't scold me."

"...You said, I may not be able to guarantee it." Cesare seemed to have begun to be wary.

"Two words." Jenny began to shrink her neck instinctively, "Rob Marshall—Chesa, this is really not that crazy——"

And Cesare has already spoken to her at the same time, "Jenny Jefferson, you still say that this is really not that crazy? Hurt Chris - for God's sake, let him do it Leonardo knelt down, don't realize this idea—are you listening to me?"

Of course he was fully alert, and his tone was rarely broken. Obviously, he had already felt Jenny's firm intention. Jenny said, "Actually, this is not as crazy as it sounds-listen to me, Chesa, in fact, although doing this is very risky, it may be beneficial to several parties-"

Cesare visibly sighed on the other end of the phone—but, perhaps because of his privilege, he didn't interrupt aloud, but let Jenny continue.

#

"Long time no see, dear Jennifer." Rob Marshall happily hugged Jenny and shook hands with Cesare, "What wind brought you to New York? By the way, go up It's terrible to return to that news, have you caught that **** pervert?"

Although the relationship between each other is still good, since Rob lives in New York most of the time, there are not many opportunities for the two sides to meet each other. After a long absence, there must be many things to talk about, especially Rob and Cesare The relationship between Jenny and him is almost as good as that between Jenny and him. Even though he is now a famous Hollywood director, the two of them are not alienated. On the contrary, the frequency of contact is higher than that of Jenny and him. In Rob’s new mansion, the three of them chatted After a long time, Rob asked the reason for their visit again, "Seriously, why did you come to New York all of a sudden? Haven't you found any suitable candidates in Hollywood?"

He obviously heard the news about George Clooney's retirement. He also heard that Jenny was the producer of "Michael Clayton" just now, so he asked this question.

Jenny and Cesare looked at each other and took a deep breath, "Actually, we are here to find you—to be honest, Rob, we have something to ask for your help."

"Oh?" Rob was obviously a little confused. Instead of agreeing enthusiastically, he looked at Jenny and Cesare thoughtfully, and said tentatively, "You want to—"

Although he used the tone of 'you are thinking', it was obvious that the tone was 'you must not be'. Jenny lowered her mood and showed a very confident and sure smile, taking it for granted. Said, "We just want to put you in touch so we can get in touch with Lewis—we want to have him on Michael Crichton."

Although he guessed that he had guessed it a long time ago, when he heard Jenny really say it, Rob still exaggerated his surprise on his face, as if he didn't believe that they would make this request, he asked suspiciously, "You Can you repeat that, Jennifer?"

"Yes, Rob, we know he's going to perform your "9" the next year - honey, you also booked my schedule - how could I forget that." Jenny still maintained that With a confident smile as if all the reasons were on him, he said unhurriedly, "We also know that Lewis needs a year-long precipitation period before playing a role, so of course you don't want him to play again before "9". Accepting a new film, this seems like a very excessive request."

She and Cesare looked at each other, and they leaned forward together, creating an invisible pressure on Rob, and Cesare said, "But if you can listen to my analysis, Rob ——"

His tone was calm and full of courage, making people want to believe his words involuntarily. Cesare looked directly at Rob Marshall, as if intimidating him, and looked into his heart, showing a trace of confidence With a smile, he said in a low voice, "I promise, you will find that this is a win-win idea."

Facing these two faces with similar imposing manners, only subtly different, but both seem to be very convincing, Rob's instinctive anger and disgust seem to have little room to play, but his frown still does not ease , the reservation in the tone was very obvious, and he just said very reluctantly, "ok...."

Jenny and Cesare exchanged glances, knowing that the simplest and most important hurdle of this challenge has finally been passed, and Rob is willing to listen to what they have to say, rather than simply shutting them out. ——However, difficulties still lie ahead.

"I've seen the musical version of 9," she cleared her throat, starting with Rob's next work, "Rob, I wonder if you've noticed that Daniel's recently This type of character has rarely been portrayed over the years..."