Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1348: Deliberately lowering the acting skills

Because of the difficulty in casting, "Philadelphia Story" tried to keep a low profile during the preparation stage. Daydream even resorted to trickery, pretending to cancel the project, put it in circulation, and no longer auditioned under the original name.

Jonathan Demme began to change his mind and gave up the idea of ​​using a comedian to play the role of the lawyer defending the protagonist. He originally felt that the protagonist Andy Beckett's experience was too tragic, so the lawyer who defended him, Joe Miller, had to be a comedic actor to give the audience a break from the increasingly depressing plot.

But Daniel Day-Lewis's reaction shows that those famous Hollywood actors may have concerns about this. So he changed the script setting according to Ronald's idea and changed Joe Miller into a black lawyer.

Moreover, the film has also become a theme of anti-discrimination. In this way, everyone will subconsciously think that the so-called anti-discrimination is against racial discrimination against black people, and no one will think that it is discrimination against minority orientations and... patients...

This is of course the rumor circulating in the industry. As for the external statement, such as the project introduction published in "The Hollywood Reporter", it only talks about this court story that happened in Philadelphia. A lawyer was discriminated against by the law firm and found his former opponent in the court to defend himself...

Daniel Day-Lewis was also told not to leak the contents of the script, so that unless someone was paying close attention to the film project, no one would notice that such a seemingly "normal" movie would be such a socially controversial work at the forefront of public opinion.

Jonathan Demme was also cautious about the following auditions and did not send the full script to the actors who were auditioning. He only sent a few pages of the script that did not reveal the theme of the movie to see the effect. If both parties were satisfied, they would sign a confidentiality agreement...

This will also have an impact on the marketing of the film, because at the Western Film Trade Fair where the release date is determined, the buyers of the theaters cannot reveal the truth and can only talk about some plots ambiguously.

"If we do this, the distribution will be more difficult, but it will all be worth it..." Mike McDavoy of TriStar Pictures is very supportive of this. As an executive of his age, he no longer has any enthusiasm for striving for box office records.

However, having worked at United Artists, Orion, and TriStar, he is very interested in films that support the creative freedom of artists and lead social trends. He can also be listed as an executive producer in the subtitles. When someone studies this film in the future, they will mention his name, right?

"I didn't expect that I would also have to go through an awards season..." Ronald looked at the set release date, which is exactly the end of next year. Although he used the videotape strategy to defeat those movies that were crowded during the awards season last time, he may not have such an advantage this time, and he has to spend money on public relations.

Jonathan Demme also grinned. This was a good idea. Hiding the theme of anti-discrimination within the anti-gender and anti-racial discrimination that has become popular in Hollywood would prevent so many people from influencing the filming of this movie.

Mike McDavoy is also an old friend with whom he has worked together. This reminded him of the time when he worked with Orion on "Shotgun Lulu", which was a film that made him really influential. Without the attention brought by an Oscar-winning director's new film, he could enjoy the feeling of controlling every aspect of the film in a small production, which was most suitable for his shooting ideas.

Only screenwriter Ron Neswanier reacted strongly to this. He had just signed an agreement with the prototype of the script and lost part of the remaining dividends that he should have, so he was very angry but had no place to vent.

Just then, he learned that Daniel Day-Lewis had rejected the offer to play the leading role, and he was so angry that he said something he didn't know what to say at the preparatory meeting, saying that such a great and important work of his was rejected by this skinny Irish guy...

……

To get the "Philadelphia Story" project on track, Ronald and the "Sugar Trap" crew rushed to the filming location in Memphis, Tennessee to officially start shooting the movie.

Unlike "Philadelphia", which needed to be concealed, "Sugar Coating Trap" is a big production. A special plane carrying boxes of props and makeup supplies, as well as technical personnel, flew to Memphis. The crew will shoot here for a few weeks and then go to the Cayman Islands to shoot vacation scenes.

The main creators took Ronald's private jet to the film. Tom Cruise's own private jet was also delivered. His own airport had not yet been approved, so he could only park at Ronald's airport. This time, the two private jets also brought Paramount's public relations department and several media reporters to interview on the plane.

The funniest thing was that Rosie O'Donnell heard about this and came over to meet her idol Tom Cruise. She called Tom's name and danced in front of the reporters, trying to rush in. Ronald was so angry that he asked the bodyguard to stop her outside and didn't even give her the chance to get an autograph or take a photo.

"Ah, I run into Tom's fanatical fans wherever I go. His influence is unparalleled... It's a great honor to be able to work with him again."

Ronald looked at several reporters and insisted that it was a fat girl fan of Cruise, which made the reporters whisper in private, that fat girl seemed to be an actress?

"Everyone, this is a rare opportunity. Please ask more questions to our actors..." Ronald asked the reporters to interview more actors such as Tom Cruise and Bridget Fonda, and he ran to the back seat and went to sleep as usual.

……

“Boom, boom, boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…”

There was a drum beat of electronic music, accompanied by a very familiar melody, and a white circle appeared on the screen. Then the white circles collided with each other and turned into a large black silhouette. In the middle of the white circle appeared a handsome man in a black suit. He turned sideways to face the audience, then raised his hand, and a pistol appeared in his hand. He fired a shot at the audience.

Ronald seemed to dream of the 007 scene again, and the male lead seemed to be the TV actor Pierce Brosnan who filmed the Coca-Cola commercial with Diane.

"Bond, James Bond..."

"Xenia Onatopp..."

A well-built female character exchanges names with James Bond in English with a thick Russian accent.

"What a strange name..." Ronald thought to himself.

The camera turns to Bond taking a bath in a Turkish bath, and Ksenia Onatopp comes over in white pajamas to seduce him.

"How strange, it seems that this 007 movie portrays the Russians as bad guys..." Ronald knew that in past 007 movies, due to the evenly matched balance of power between the two sides in the Cold War, the Russians were rarely portrayed as official villains in the 007 series of movies that the British owned the copyright to.

In "From Russia with Love", which has been rated as the highest-rated 007 film in various selections, the KGB is not the real villain, but a madman who wants to destroy the world and start the Third World War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

There are two Bond girls in every 007 movie, one is the good girl who helps Bond, and the other is the bad girl who stands on the villain's side. Judging from her dress and makeup, Ksenia Onatopp is definitely a bad girl.

James Bond was of course very skilled, he pulled out his pistol, pointed it at Onatopp, and asked him what he wanted.

"You don't need a gun, Commander..." The actress looked wild and unruly, full of provocation and sexiness.

"That depends on your definition of safe sex..."

As soon as Bond finished speaking, Onatope rushed forward and kissed him passionately.

"Am I wrong?" Ronald thought. 007 is a very formulaic commercial film. With this kind of makeup, can he be a good guy?

James Bond on screen also let his guard down like Ronald, dropping his pistol to the side in order to better kiss.

"Ah..." Bond was bitten by Onatopp during the kiss.

"Ah..." Onatop, who was pushed against the wall by Bond, also let out an evil roar, as if he felt very good.

"This 007 doesn't seem very serious..." Ronald thought that unlike the orthodox spy movies of the past, this movie seemed to be full of sexual innuendos and metaphors.

Bond went to get the pistol, but was knocked to the ground by Onatopp. Then she climbed on top of Bond and used her sexy and powerful thighs to clamp Bond's abdomen, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"what……"

Ronald was stunned by this wild imagination. No wonder he felt something was wrong. Xenia Onatopp, Xenia is a normal Russian name, but Onatopp is obviously made up. Seeing the beautiful woman who used her thighs to strangle Bond, Ronald realized that this was the homonym of "On the Top".

"What's wrong with you, Ronald..."

Ronald opened his eyes and yelled, shocking the reporters and actors on the plane. This yell was a bit...

"Ah...I had a dream..."

"Puchi..." It was definitely not a nightmare. Everyone held back their laughter and their faces turned red. Ronald had no choice but to pretend that he didn't understand. He ordered a cup of Coke and drank it slowly to calm down.

"Who directed this? They turned 007 into an exploitation film. However, the rhythm and metaphors of this movie are quite interesting..."

……

The plane flew to Memphis, a big city in Tennessee, which is home to Elvis Presley's former residence, Graceland, and the civil rights museum, the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated.

The crew members took a day off and visited these two important tourist attractions, while the crew's technical team began to prepare for the upcoming filming. Although these two locations are famous, Ronald did not include them in the filming locations. This is mainly a legal drama movie, and he did not want to distract the audience with these two attractions linked to art and history.

"This is Alex Welford, president of the Memphis Bar Association..."

"Hello, thank you for your help in our filming..."

"Director Ronald, it's an honor for us in Memphis. I'm a fan of yours..."

Ronald was watching the props and set crew setting up the location for tomorrow's filming, when a leading figure in the local Memphis legal community came to greet him.

The filming borrowed the local high court and prosecutor's office for real-life shooting. These leading figures helped a lot, so Ronald also returned the favor by letting them play some small roles in the movie.

"Which one do you like?" Ronald thought that the chairman was really a fan of his movies. As expected of a legal talent with higher education, he knew how to choose a movie by looking at the director.

"Ah, ah, that's the one, that one..."

"The Top Gun with Tom Cruise. Tom and I are very happy to be able to work together for the second time in Memphis..."

Ronald knew that this person was just speaking casually, so he helped him out.

"This is my cousin, Harry Welford, he's a senior judge here."

"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you..." Ronald learned his lesson and never mentioned any fans again.

"This is Mike Cody, my good friend, former Attorney General of Tennessee..."

"Nice to meet you..."

A large number of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors are small circles composed of various students, old friends, and relatives. In the south, such conservative cities cannot retain particularly outstanding talents, so it is very common for a circle to be full of acquaintances.

Ronald talked to them one by one, telling them not to worry about their cameo appearances. Judges, prosecutors, and lawyers were all natural performers, so they just had to be themselves during filming. His favorite people to use as guest actors were legal professionals because they were beautiful, upright, and had great acting skills.

They were very happy with the flattery. Not only did they reduce the rent of the formal venues, but they also specifically offered to lend the state attorney general's office and the judge's lounge inside the court for filming. There was only one condition, which was that Tom Cruise could leave his lawyer's nameplate as a collection of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Ronald not only agreed immediately, but also took the initiative to allow those female legal workers to have a chance to take a photo with Tom Cruise alone, which made them all laugh loudly.

……

"Action!"

The next day, on time, Tom Cruise started shooting his first shot.

“I have some new ideas about Cap’s tax issues. When are you going to the Cayman Islands?”

Tom Cruise wore a suit that was a bit ill-fitting and had his hair combed back in a somewhat exaggerated style. The image of a young lawyer who was just starting out but showed his maturity everywhere was well portrayed through these details.

"As for me, I'll go next week, but don't think about it anymore. Just organize your good ideas and tell me, and I'll take the credit..." Robert Duvall played the role of a seasoned veteran very well.

"Cut!"

Ronald called a halt and made a palm-down gesture to Tom Cruise.

"What did I do wrong?" This was Tom Cruise's fifth question, and his confidence was hit.

"Why don't you sign autographs and take photos with your fans first?" Ronald pointed at the senior women from the Tennessee Bar Association and Judges Association next to him and pursed his lips.

"Ah, Shxt..." Tom Cruise cursed under his breath, then hit the palm of his other hand with his fist.

"That's it. You have to lower the explosive power of this action..." Ronald pointed at his high-five action and took the opportunity to make a request to Cruise.

"Huh?" Tom Cruise didn't expect that it was this kind of explosive performance that caused Ronald's dissatisfaction. He quickly put on a smile to face the fans, took photos with them, signed autographs, and then sent them away with ease.

"That's the attitude I want you to have towards your fans. Try acting like this..."

"Huh?" Tom Cruise was confused again. Doesn't this show have no explosive power at all? Is this the kind of performance that will get him an Oscar nomination? How can anyone appreciate his acting if he speaks and acts so naturally?
(End of this chapter)