Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1318 Male Celebrities Also Want to Fight for Seattle's Sleepless Night
The theory of the all-round actor is that a star must be suitable for various types of films.

Hollywood has moved away from the big studio system, and stars at that time were positioned in a certain type of role.

For example, Jimmy Stewart is always the upright, knowledgeable and ethical small town youth, John Wayne is always the rough, uneducated link, Grace Kelly is always the rich girl, and Bette Davis is always the ugly one.

This situation became so serious in the later stages of the filming that when Ingrid Bergman was filming "Casablanca", she joked that the lead actor Humphrey Bogart never changed his trench coat in all the films.

This was very meaningful in the era of big movie studios. At that time, the movie-watching market in America was huge, and big movie studios released new movies almost every week. People often chose which movie to watch when they arrived at the cinema.

The positioning of stars in a certain type of role helps the audience understand what kind of movie he is in. In addition, the shooting process at that time was very fast, and there was not much room for fine-tuning.

Many times, the script was changed on the set, or there was no dialogue in the script, so it was common for the actors to perform on their own. It was very beneficial for the actors to perform a role for many years. As the boss of the studio said at the time, I don’t want a boutique, I want it to be released next Wednesday…

Under such circumstances, it was a very wise way to reduce costs by dividing the work among stars in the market. At that time, only Hollywood had a market large enough to do so. The British film industry could not support such a division of labor. A star had to be able to play both good and bad roles, otherwise he would not be able to gain a foothold.

But after the rise of television in the 1950s, movies became a niche market, and gradually, if as an actor you only played one type of role, you wouldn't have enough movies to work in.

However, the tradition left over from the big studio era is still in effect. Actors, especially male stars, are always divided into different types, such as comedians, action actors, romantic drama stars, etc. Hollywood producers also generally refer to this division to find suitable stars to play roles.

The old theory is outdated, but it still guides Hollywood movie shooting. Many times, male stars have a new self-positioning - acting star. I am a star with acting skills (which means that no matter what type of movie, I can be asked to act).

Previously, Tom Cruise liked to work with big-name directors, and Harrison Ford took the initiative to transform himself into acting in romantic love movies, which are both manifestations of this idea.

But the theory proposed by director Paul Moritz limits this all-round positioning to male stars. He pointed out that in the past 20 years, Hollywood female stars have been stuck in a few fixed roles.

Especially the love roles, those love rivals of all-round male stars, are the most important roles for female stars to increase their value. Every female star who gets paid a million dollars for a film, without exception, has risen to fame through this type of role.

The only exception seems to be Sigourney Weaver, but her two most famous roles, the warrior in "Alien" and the bitch in "Working Girl", independently achieved the high-paying status without relying on men.

Paul Moritz's directing ability is not very good, but his theoretical ability is really good. Ronald and Cameron had pioneered the path of female stars who were different from traditional images. Some producers and directors had already begun to follow, but as soon as this article came out, the female stars themselves began to discover the truth of the matter.

Instead of pursuing that slim chance, it is better to get a good script, play a good role with a male star, increase the pay first, and then talk about it later.

So when the news came out that Nora Efron had started writing a romantic drama script that Ronald would produce, all the female stars knew it was a big opportunity.

……

"Will you tell me first?"

Ronald went to the New York Giants' minor league stadium to watch the filming of "A League of Their Own." This is a typical female-led movie without any love scenes. Tom Hanks plays an alcoholic coach who despises women playing baseball and is also despised by the female players.

Diane was wearing a baseball uniform and making a pitching motion. She couldn't throw the ball too fast using the standard pitching posture, so she could only use a lateral arm-leading motion to pitch the ball to achieve the effect of a high-speed ball in front of the camera.

Diane seemed very happy that Ronald asked her if she would consider auditioning for the romantic film. Just when Ronald was a little worried that she really wanted to act, Diane kissed Ronald and shook her head.

"I've been away from Roger for too long. I have to accompany him after this shoot, otherwise I won't feel well..."

"Ah, this..." Ronald thought that Diane was still a very traditional woman at heart, "This role is quite popular..."

"As for Nora Efron, I don't know her yet. They will definitely look for Meg Ryan first. I don't want to be a substitute behind her. Besides, this kind of role has nothing but love, and it will restrict my own acting career..." Diane thought very clearly in her mind that this kind of role is good and can become popular, but once you become famous for it, you will be approached for similar roles in the future.

The same goes for Julia Roberts. What roles can she play now? If she continues like this, is there still hope for her to become an actress?
Ronald didn't know that Diane had so many psychological activities, so he just arranged for her to see her son during her rest time. The family of three took a vacation and rest on the weekend.

"Cut!"

Penny Marshall has very high requirements for actresses. They crawl around and get covered in dust, and the sweat mixed with it leaves marks on their faces. They also have to capture the moments of female baseball players with close-up shots.

Of course, Demi Moore, Diane, and even Brooke Shields are all professional actors. They have good athletic ability, so dealing with this kind of shot is a piece of cake for them. They know how to perform in front of the camera.

Only Madonna, although she could do dozens of squats in a row during a concert, still lacked experience in how to show her athletic ability in front of the camera, and was often NGed. She was the one with the most dirt on her baseball uniform.

"Break..." Penny Marshall shouted to the crew. After finishing this set of sports shots, they had to find new lenses and lighting.

"Ahaha, come on, have some ice cola. There's a special car over there that will take you to the hotel where you can take a hot bath..."

Ronald saw this and came out from behind the cordon to play the role of savior. He knew that what these female stars hated most was getting covered in dirt during filming, their hair and skin became sticky because of sweat and dust, and they couldn't find a place to take a bath, so they could only take a nice bath at the end of the day.

Ronald specially rented several suites in the hotel nearby and arranged a special car to pick them up to avoid the media and fans.

"Oh, Ronnie, you are really a savior..." Diane was the first to come over, hugged Ronald and kissed him, then walked happily towards little Bud's special car.

"Ronald, you really understand women..." Demi Moore ran over and kissed him for the second time, hugged Ronald tightly, and pressed him hard twice. "I want to play that Annie, I'll do anything you ask me to do..."

"Go take a rest, I've already talked to the director..." Ronald answered loudly.

"Hmm..." Brooke Shields came over and looked at Ronald. She was not married like Demi Moore, so she was a little reserved. After thinking for a while, she also hugged Ronald, but only kissed him twice on the cheek.

"Ah, hahaha..." The baseball cap blocked her view when she kissed him. Brooke turned the brim of the hat back and then relaxed and kissed him. Everyone was kissing anyway, so it wouldn't be unusual for me to kiss him...

"It's my turn..." Madonna was the most bold. She rushed forward, and with her small body, she jumped onto Ronald, hanging on him like a koala, and gave him a big kiss.

"It's my turn..." The fat actress named Rosie O'Donnell, who played a comedy supporting role, also came up and hugged Ronald.

"Oh..." Ronald didn't want to favor one over the other, so he let the fat girl touch him twice before letting him go.

"It's my turn..." Tom Hanks also imitated Madonna's voice, came up shyly, and with a stubble on his face, he pretended to kiss Ronald.

"Get lost..." This is such a disgusting way of taking advantage of someone.

"Hahahaha..." Hanks, who was a comedy star, was not annoyed. He winked at Ronald and ran to take a shower.

Facts have proved that female stars can do anything for a role.

Diane was still taking a bath in the bathroom when several female stars called one after another, asking if Ronald was free.

Don't say Ronald didn't have any intentions, even if he did, this kind of thing is too risky. But for a heroine who might compete with Julia Roberts' "Pretty Woman" in popularity, they are willing to make a small sacrifice.

"Are you still on the phone?" Diane came out wearing a large headscarf and a bath towel. Seeing that Ronald was still on the phone, she did not show any displeasure. She came over and sat on his lap, rubbing him twice.

"Ah, yes..." Ronald put his arm around Diane's waist and said, "I don't care about the casting. It depends on Nora's opinion. What's important is the chemistry. We'll see how it goes then..."

Ronald hung up the phone, "Tom Hanks also wants to play the leading role in that movie..."

"Hey?" Diane was leaning against Ronald, rubbing his itch with her hair. She was shocked when she heard this. Did she blame Ronnie wrongly? It turned out that the actor asked him for a role.

"Tom is facing the challenge of removing the label of a comedian and proving his acting skills. It's normal for him to want this role."

Ronald replied with a smile. Tom Hanks also called him to express his desire to try this role. Ronald thought this was a good choice, because Nora Ephron would definitely change the script to make the male protagonist less aggressive and have the characteristics of being secretly gentle that women like.

If such a role is given to actors like Tom Cruise or Mel Gibson, it will be a bit too sharp and the testosterone will be too surging. Hanks's honest appearance will be more convincing. And his comedy background can make him better suited to romantic dramas.

"Hey, I shouldn't have doubted Brother Ronnie. He's here with me, how could he have any bad intentions?" Diane hugged Ronald and didn't move. It was only when Ronald kissed her that she smiled shyly.

"What's the matter? Does Tom want to play the role? Are you interested in working with him?" Ronald thought Diane wanted to play the role again. He and Hanks had good screen chemistry. They had been screen lovers in two consecutive movies, and both critics and audiences were very accepting of this couple.

"No, I'd rather stay with you and Roger..." Diane showed her gentle side.

"There's also a role of a deceased wife in Sleepless in Seattle. Do you want it?" Ronald remembered that there was a supporting role that rarely appeared.

"No, that's a bad omen..." Diane was already confused by Ronald's gentleness and quickly refused.

……

As it turned out, Diane's judgment of Nora Efron was very accurate. When she sent the second draft of the script to Ronald, she began to imagine her own casting for the male and female protagonists.

"Of course it's Meg Ryan. My movie is going to change Americans' view of love, and only Meg Ryan, who plays Sally in When Harry Met Sally, can do that!
Ronald, I want to be the director. When I close my eyes now, the scenes I wrote appear in front of me. I have already thought about how to direct this movie..."

After Ronald mentioned the many female stars who wanted to star in her script, Nora Ephron raised her voice and wanted Meg Ryan.

In her mind, the director who could best turn her script into a movie is Ronald, and the actor who could best embody the beautiful qualities of the heroine in his script (in fact, many of them are projections of her own views on love) is Meg Ryan.

When Harry met Sally, it changed some of the love and marriage views of American urban men and women. She also wanted to make such a movie that would stay in people's hearts, so she couldn't use anyone except Meg Ryan.

"Who are you going to use as the male lead?" Ronald asked.

"Of course it's Cary Grant from the Golden Jade Alliance."

"Stop it..." Ronald said as he read the script. Some scenes in it have too little male hormones and are too gentle, so they need to be modified.

Cary Grant had died of a stroke in 1986, and of course Nora Ephron wanted to find an actor like the lead actor in The Jade Boys. Sleepless in Seattle also has many similarities with The Jade Boys.

"What do you think of John Travolta?" Nora Efron didn't understand. She thought Travolta looked a bit like Cary Grant, especially their sideburns and the chin with a small pit.

"John wouldn't play this kind of role..." Ronald rejected him outright, "What do you think of Tom Hanks?"

"Him? He's not bad..." Nora Efron tilted her head and thought about it. The honest appearance was quite consistent with the image of an affectionate widower that she imagined.

……

"I have an idea, can I get my husband to act with me?"

When Nora Efron got Ronald's permission and went to Meg Ryan to discuss it, Meg Ryan, who had just given birth to her son Jack, expressed her thoughts. She had always wanted to work with her husband Dennis Quaid on a movie...

(End of this chapter)