Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 762 Woody Allen's Casting Director
"Hi, Ronald! Haven't seen you coming over for a long time."

It’s back to the casting studio on East 31st Street in Manhattan, New York, and it’s the same black door with a few stairs above it.At the door was the same strong black guard.He still remembers Ronald who worked here.

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

Ronald hugged him warmly.

"That's right, Ms. Julia Taylor is waiting for you." The black doorman was very happy that Ronald treated him equally as before, and whispered something to Ronald, "She's in a bad mood, you..."

"Forget it, Ronald is also a big director now, they should come to curry favor with him." The black doorman originally wanted to remind Ronald not to make the general manager Julia Taylor angry, only to realize that things were different.

"What's the matter? Who made her angry?" Ronald hadn't seen these old friends for several years, and when he saw them again, it was as if time hadn't passed, and he just took a break to drink a cup of coffee.

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

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

"Meow...", a white cat called out to Ronald, seeming to recognize the young man who had been a photographer here for a year, and jumped onto the desk at the front desk.

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

The front desk was replaced by a young lady, and Ronald nodded to him and entered Julia Taylor's office.

"Oh, Ronald, hahaha, I'm so glad to see you." Julia came out from behind the desk and hugged and said hello to Ronald.

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

Julia herself is serving as Woody Allen's queen casting director, and one or two movies a year are unshakable.Recently, his "Sister Hannah" has won unanimous praise from film critics.

Margery, who used to be the casting director in "Fame", has gradually become the backbone of the casting studio. When Julia is busy working with Woody Allen, Margery is in charge of the work of the studio .

"So, Ronald, how can I help you." Julia Taylor's temperament has not changed much, and she is still a middle-aged beauty who makes people trustworthy. She quickly turned to the topic and asked Ronald intention of coming.

"I have a movie that, unlike any popcorn movie I've ever done, is a really good rom-com with a heavy supporting role and I'd better steal you away 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 out a copy of the script from his briefcase, and handed it to Julia Taylor.

"Hmm..." Julia took it and looked at it. She was very happy for Ronald who was sitting opposite. 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 is also starting to turn to feature films that focus on performance and plot.

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

As a result, casting masters like Julia Taylor have all the skills, but in the film business, they have only cooperated with Woody Allen for a long time.Outside of the New York Film Festival, not many people know her skills.

"Who are you going to use as the heroine Loretta?" Julia quickly finished the script and asked Ronald at the beginning.

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

"Why?" Julia Taylor took out her notebook, stared at Ronald, and was about to write down his opinion.

"Oh... oh... oh, wait a minute, what do you mean, are you 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 be a really nice addition to my job resume."

"Huh..." Ronald felt that Julia Taylor's words were interesting, and she seemed to have other ideas.

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

"He should be fine, but I don't cast him anymore." Julia Taylor replied with a shrug and a smile.

"Very well, then I'll make a call and ask someone from my company to sign a contract with you. Should I use your name or the casting studio?"

"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 phone call and came back to continue with Julia.

"It's actually very simple. Xueer is famous enough, and the budget of this production is not much, so I want to find a celebrity with fans to be the heroine. And Xueer happens to be the kind of person who makes people think she can do it when they see her." Crazy to make the kind of woman who falls in love with her disabled brother when she and her brother are preparing for the wedding."

Julia Taylor nodded, "What about the leading actor, Johnny? This is not an easy role to play. He hates his brother for causing him to lose a hand, and then meets his brother's fiancée, falls in love with her immediately, and asks 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, "Do you know him?"

"There is his file, you wait." Julia Taylor went to the file cabinet where the audition photos of the actors were placed, and found the audition photos and resumes of the two leading actors and actresses in the part beginning with C.

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

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

"Why do you say that?"

"I talked to the screenwriter Shanley. Each of his characters has a prototype of his Italian friends in childhood, and many scenes take place in the kitchen where the family eats. The scene where the whole family eats around a big table is especially special. Test the chemistry between the characters. I don't know anyone who has this ability, you spend a lot of time in New York, and you often go to Broadway plays."

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

"Don't just look at the actor's appearance, but also look at their chemical reaction together. You taught me that before." Ronald laughed.

In fact, since the filming of "Dirty Dancing", he has actually admired the professionalism and efficiency of Broadway actors, and he has long thought about using them more in this play "Moonlight".

"Okay, let's have a meeting with the screenwriter Mr. Shang Li first, and then talk to the heroine Cher and the actor Cage. Let's start with the chemical reaction between the two of them. I declare in advance that if their chemical reaction is not good, I am Will offer my opinion, and I'm a stickler."

"Of course, I came to you because I hope you can give me more professional advice. This movie is not the kind where you can just find a TV actor. There are a lot of dialogues, a lot of indoor dining scenes, if it is not for the acting skills If the audience is really invested in it, the movie will probably 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 very confident that she can help Ronald find the most suitable actor.

The two of them went through the role list 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 the right candidate first, and when I get news, I'll make an appointment with you for an interview."

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

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

"Okay, let's go to the Ukrainian restaurant next door to have lunch, and 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 learn more about the family life of Italians. Do you have any candidates who can let me visit their homes, have dinner with them, drink red wine, and listen to their complaints."

"It's easy to arrange, there are a lot of Italians on Broadway. If you're willing to give them a few cameos, it's going to be a hit."

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

"By the way, I haven't asked you yet, why are you no longer casting for Woody Allen's new movie?"

"Actually, it's nothing. I've worked with him for a long time. He needs some newcomers to stimulate himself to make changes." Julia Taylor said.

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

"This is a secret between us, and I will not tell others what happened when I cast you for you," Julia Taylor smiled. "Maybe when I am old, I will write a memoir and tell you all about it." Write everything down."

"Hahaha, if you don't tell me, I'll let you tell me, I'm going to find a documentary director this time, to shoot some behind-the-scenes tidbits at the same time, as marketing materials."

When Ronald was in Xujiahui, he saw Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" crew, and several people were carrying video recorders, constantly taking pictures of him working on the crew.

He thinks this method is very good, and he plans to do it again when he makes a new film.

"That's fine, I rarely appear on camera." Julia grinned, "Actually, I don't have any big conflicts with Woody, it's just that I have some discomfort with his working methods and some private life, It just so happens that I also want to work more as a casting director than as a casting studio manager."

"Working method? Can you talk about it in detail? I just went to see Spielberg's filming scene this time, and I found that I rarely have the opportunity to see how other directors work, so the progress is slow. If you If it's convenient, you can tell me about Woody's working method."

"I can tell you something that most people in the industry know." Julia ordered a cup of coffee and stirred it slowly. "Woody has a habit. He likes to shoot movies in places he is familiar with."

"Uh huh...", Ronald listened to what Julia Taylor had to say for reference.

"The 'Sister Hannah' he shot this time was shot in the house where he lived with Mia Farrow.In this movie, Mia plays the ex-wife of his character. "

"Isn't this exposing too much personal affairs?" Ronald felt a little wrong.Anyway, it is impossible for me to shoot movies in my living room and bedroom at home.

"Yeah, Woody has always made films as part of his own psychotherapy, but it's inevitable that his private life is filmed, and I always feel very uncomfortable."

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

"And that script, I too..." Julia finally frowned, showing a slightly disgusted expression.

"What happened to the script?"

"Have you seen that movie?"

"I've watched Sister Hannah, and the filming is very good. I don't think there is anything wrong with the script. Except that the middle class has a little too much hesitation."

"Do you still remember that ex-brother-in-law played by Woody Allen, who is sterile?"

"Remember, after he married the second sister in the end, he got the second sister pregnant instead. It's an interesting arrangement."

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

"Huh?" Ronald felt even more uncomfortable. If he had to make a movie about such a private matter, he would never make it into a movie and announce it to everyone.

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

　There is something today, only [-] words, and it will be back to normal tomorrow.

　
(End of this chapter)