Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 789 The Lady of Scientology

"This script doesn't have the structure of a three-act play!"

Ronald returned home and finished reading the script of "Rain Man" in one sitting.He closed the script, picked up a cup of black tea, let the temperature of the cup warm his hands, and finally understood why two great directors had already expressed their intention to direct, but later decided to quit.

Movie scripts generally consist of three stages.The characters and environment are introduced at the beginning, dramatic conflicts arise in the middle, and various conflicts gradually develop. When it is inevitable and the game must be broken, it enters the end.

But this "Rain Man" script, although the two brothers' roles are very exciting, there is no obvious three-act drama structure.It seems that a story is moving towards the end at a constant speed.

The story is actually very simple.The younger brother Charlie Babbitt is a retailer of parallel imported luxury cars. He suddenly received the news of the death of his estranged father.With poor business, he wanted to inherit his father's inheritance with hope.

When he arrived in Cincinnati, where his father lived, most of the $300 million estate was left in the will to an older brother Charlie had never heard of, Raymond Babbitt, whose intelligence was weaker than ordinary people.

Angry, Charlie secretly went to the medical facility where Raymond lived and abducted his brother Raymond. He wanted to get half of the inheritance from the trust manager, who was the director of his brother's nursing home, to make up for the shortfall.

While traveling together to California, the two brothers gradually discovered a long-lost family relationship.Charlie wants to get the custody of Raymond, and the director of the nursing home proposes to give Charlie half of the estate so that he can give up his brother's custody.

But Charlie didn't want to part with his brother. In the end, Charlie lost the lawsuit in court, and the two brothers parted ways. Raymond promised to visit his brother in Cincinnati often.

This plot seems simple, and it is the kind of movie that requires extraordinary acting skills to allow the audience to recognize the characters before they can sympathize with the two brothers' feelings.

Obviously, both actors and directors are eager to try this huge challenge.A good shot is very likely to get preferential treatment from film critics and awards.

But the disadvantages are also here.The script itself lacks drama. If the actors are not well chosen, if the audience cannot understand from sympathy, empathize from understanding, and finally be deeply moved by the brotherhood, this movie will be very popular.

If the right cast is not found, or if there is a lack of chemistry between the actors, the film will be a double failure at the box office and awards.

Whether it is Sidney Pollack or Spielberg, they are all successful and famous directors. Obviously, they have not found a suitable actor to star in.Anyway, they don't lack any projects. If they can't find suitable actors, they would rather not shoot.

"Fortunately, I have the help of the dream, and I can find the most suitable actor as long as I choose the cast in the dream." Thinking of this, Ronald took a hot bath happily, went to bed early and waited for the dream to come.

The light gradually brightened, and a burst of music sounded.

"Los Angeles KFMU radio station, every morning, FM97.1 broadcasts for you on time. First of all, I will bring you a new song of Madonna's 'Open Your Heart (Open Your Heart)', I hope you like it."

Ronald stretched out his hand to touch the left and right sides, and found that he was still lying on the bed. The sun was too bright and he couldn't open his eyes. With his right hand, he touched the brand new Sony recorder on the bedside table and pressed the switch.

This is the new tape recorder that Bard recommended to himself after he came back from New York. With an electronic watch, it can be turned on regularly in the morning and used as an alarm clock.

"Why didn't I dream about it? It's because the movie wasn't good, so I haven't seen it in my previous life? But Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are starring, shouldn't they be famous? Couldn't it be two played by people?"

Ronald rubbed his eyes and finally opened them.

"Let's go for a run, and then go to the club to practice." Ronald took a shower, went to the karate club opened by Darryl Vidal, the stand-in of Boy Longwei, and practiced against him for half an hour.

After Longwei Kid 2 was released, the business here became even better. Darryl Vidal changed to a bigger club, and even put a photo of himself and Miyagi actor Morita Noriyuki on the wall behind the reception desk of the club superior.

"I really want to have something on my mind." Vidal doesn't teach classes in person now, he only takes some advanced classes and receives celebrity students from Los Angeles.

"I seem to have lost my inspiration suddenly, and I'm a little distressed, so I want to come to you to practice and empty my mind." Ronald smiled wryly. He really didn't find any rules about how to dream about movies.

"There is a saying of meditation in karate. You can try to adjust your breathing and then meditate." Vidal taught Ronald a set of traditional karate methods.

"Is it useful?" Ronald took the Japanese-style futon woven with high-grade rush that Vidal gave him that night, tried to adjust his breathing, and sat quietly for half an hour before going to bed.

"KFMU radio station in Los Angeles... Today is Bon Jovi's new song, Livin' on a Prayer, for you today"

"Shxt..." Ronald pulled out the plug of the tape recorder angrily.

What kind of Japanese Zen Taoism is of no use.

In the next few days, Ronald tried hot springs, Jane Fonda's aerobics, and Kim Cattrall for a workout, all to no avail.

"You're sleeping well, there's nothing wrong with that."

A doctor from a private hospital in Los Angeles across the street took off the electrodes on Ronald's body.You have a high percentage of deep sleep, I've never seen a Hollywood person who sleeps as healthy as you.Many actors and directors actually suffer from insomnia and asked me to prescribe medicine, so you can rest assured.

"No, I'm not dreaming..."

"No, people will dream during the rapid eye movement period of sleep. What you said is not dreaming. In fact, the quality of sleep is high, and the content of the dream is quickly forgotten before waking up."

"But I just want to remember what I did in my dream, I... I sometimes dream of some inspiration." Ronald said quietly to the doctor, he actually doesn't mind the poor quality of sleep in exchange for more frequent sleep. Dream about movies.

"This is more common among artists. Sleep is actually the subconscious organizing our daily thoughts. When you wake up in the morning, it is normal to remember some inspirations in your dreams." The doctor began to write a report to Ronald.

"In this way, I have a little method you can try. Put a sticky note or a tape recorder next to the bed. In the minute you wake up, try to write down your dream, so that it is not easy to forget."

"Oh..." Ronald began to change out of the hospital gown and put on his own clothes.

I can't remember?I didn't dream.

"How is it? What did the doctor say?"

Outside the door, Bud Jr. and his agent Richard, who came back from New York, looked at Ronald and the doctor.

"It doesn't matter. Mr. Li just occasionally suffers from poor sleep, so there is no need to prescribe medication. If sleep problems reappear, then we will see if we need to use drugs to control it."

"Oh, that's great." Richard's heart fell to the ground, and he was the most nervous when he heard that Ronald wanted to see a sleep-related specialist.

"I just said you're fine." Little Bard grinned.

"No, I have something to do." Ronald looked unhappy. This is a dream of inspiration. Is this biggest support going to leave him?

The lead actor also knows each other, and the script has been read repeatedly, and all the necessary conditions are met. Why can't I dream of it after several days.

"How is it, Ronald? How do you read the script? Which role should I play?" Tom Cruise also called.

"Hmm...um...I haven't fully figured it out yet." Ronald shied away.

"Why don't you come to guarantee the building? Mimi and I are in the Scientology Technology Center. The secrecy here is very good, and we can chat as much as we want."

"Uh... ok"

Although I don't want to go to Scientology, where the staff are all nervous, but I don't have an answer, maybe it's good to go once.Ronald feels that he has made several blockbuster movies, maybe he can succeed without relying on dreams?

"Hello, Ronald, my name is Kelly, Kelly Preston, and I'm a Scientology assistant. I'll be your temporary assistant this time."

At the Scientology Technology Center, a beautiful young blonde waited for Ronald at the front desk.

"We met. When I made my first movie 'Fast-paced Richmond High School', you came to audition." Ronald saw her familiarly, and remembered the past many years ago.

"Yeah, actually we first met earlier, when I was filming 'Endless Love', I went to New York to audition."

"Yes, it seems to be you." Ronald nodded, "Why are you here now?"

"I already believe in Scientology, and they have helped me a lot, so I am here to help with some volunteer work. You are coming today, and David, the president of Scientology, said that I am also from Hollywood, let me come Be your assistant."

"Where's Tom?" Ronald looked at Kelly Preston with a sweet smile. After several years, she seemed to have grown more charming.

"He's doing an audit with Mimi, let me show you around some of our technology centers?" Preston naturally came over and took Ronald's arm, and took him to see the Scientology Technology Center.

"I've heard it many times, what exactly does that audit mean?"

"It's a form of Scientology that helps us achieve a purer mind and body."

"Huh? Just use that multimeter to test it like this?"

"Hahaha, that's not a multimeter, it's an instrument invented by the inventor of Scientology, L. With Ki's activities, the pollution can be eliminated and the purity of Thetan can be restored, so that it can be boarded on a spaceship in the future."

"What theitan? What pollution?"

Ronald felt as though he had misheard. Was Preston talking about Scientology?Why does it sound like science fiction?
"Hee hee hee, I have the advanced materials of Scientology here, called Zinu, if you want to see it, I can show it to you secretly. Anyway, if you join Scientology, you will also be a senior member in one step, and you can have permission Look at our Zenu mythology."

Preston said, pressing closer to Ronald.

Out of curiosity, Ronald was led by her into a luxuriously decorated room, where several young people were mopping the floor vigorously. Seeing Preston coming in, he gave her a salute and left. , leaving the room to her and Ronald.

"This is our advanced teaching, and ordinary beginners are not qualified to read it." Preston watched them go out, and then took out something written in a parchment from a safe-like box, which resembled Scrolls.

Preston put the sheepskin horn on the table, with Xenu written on it.

She tugged Ronald gently, opened the Zenu book and read it with him.

"Seventy-five million years ago, the universe was ruled by Zenu, the leader of the Galactic Confederacy, with a total of 500 stars and 26 planets, including the earth (the earth was called Teegeeack at the time).

To solve the overpopulation problem, Zenu sent billions of aliens to volcanoes all over the planet.The means of transport carried by these aliens is a spaceship that looks like a DC-8 airliner.

Zenu then detonated the nuclear bomb, killing the aliens.Their remaining spiritual bodies stubbornly stayed on the earth, polluting the earth, which is also the main reason for causing spiritual harm to human beings..."

Ronald suddenly had an illusion in his life. If Preston hadn't said that this was the advanced teaching of Scientology, he would have felt ten years younger. He had returned to high school and dated the most beautiful girl on the cheerleading team. His girlfriend, Preston, was talking about the plot of "Star Wars" to himself.

"So, Scientology's auditing equipment can reduce the evil substances of the galactic villains left in our bodies. After it becomes more and more pure, it will be possible for Znu, the emperor of the galaxy, to board the spaceship when he returns to Earth."

"You must be kidding me, right? You want to be in this sci-fi movie?"

Ronald looked at Preston, who was full of smiles, and had a beautiful and virtuous temperament of a southern woman. If it weren't for the absurd words that came out of her mouth, this kind of gentleness is different from the straightforward character of most American girls. It's nice for a woman to be alone.

"No, this Zenu teaching is relatively advanced. You haven't done an audit yet, so it's normal not to understand it now..."

Preston pulled out a thing that looked like an electrician's multimeter, came up and asked with a smile, "Shall I do an audit for you now?"

"Next time..." Ronald made up his mind never to come here again.

"Ronald, it's great of you to come. How did you read the script? How do you feel? Shall we work together again?"

Tom Cruise, who had finished his audit with his girlfriend Mimi Rogers, looked refreshed and came to see Ronald.

"Kelly, have you met? She is the most beautiful church member of our Scientology, and the most professional and gentle one. You have time to ask her to audit you..." Mimi Rogers was beside her chime in.

"Next time, you have to pick a time to do this kind of thing." Ronald looked at Cruise, still smiling sincerely like before, always feeling a little wrong.

"Ladies, give us a moment." Cruise asked Mimi and Preston to leave first, and communicated with Ronald by himself.

"I know it's a bit too strong for you, but they can really help my dyslexia, and I think it's very beneficial. If you don't want to, you can come as my friend, and there is no exclusion here."

"Okay, by the way, what did you say before? Which one to play?" Ronald changed the subject.

"Ah, I said it's better for me to play the elder brother or the younger brother. What do you think of the script? I was very excited after hearing the script. The story of this brother is so good. I think the two protagonists will be very enjoyable to play."

"Tom, I'm asking you something, you'd better tell me the truth." Ronald became serious.

"What?" Cruise looked heroic. The newly made dentures made his temperament completely new. He was very positive. Ronald could feel the upward spirit of the American people, condensed into magical facial features.

"You want to make this movie, is it for the Oscars?"

"Humph, I think the Oscars are biased against me. I think my performance can rival Paul Newman's for money, but they don't give me a single nomination.

This is a very good script, and Mr. Ovitz also promised me that if I agree to act, he will give me the best support. "

"If you want an Oscar, then you'd better play the retarded brother."

Ronald patted Cruise on the shoulder and said slowly.

Although he hadn't dreamed of the original, Ronald had read the script many times.

The two protagonist brothers in this movie are actually unequal.The chances of being nominated for playing the mentally retarded brother are much higher than those of playing the normal brother.

"why?"

Tom Cruise loves both characters very much. He asked Mimi Rogers to record the dialogue and kept trying to recite it by himself.It's a little strange to hear that Ronald is so categorically optimistic about playing the mentally handicapped brother.

In his opinion, both roles require good acting skills. It is not impossible to get nominated for a double-cannon like this year's "Field Platoon".

"I recently met a lot of old directors in the golden age, such as Billy Wilder, and learned a lot about acting," Ronald organized his words.

"Acting is all about reacting, but this mentally handicapped brother rarely reacts."

"You mean, you need better acting skills to play brother Raymond?"

"On the contrary, playing the younger brother Charlie requires better acting skills. Because you don't get any feedback from the opponent, and his role requires you to make various reactions to foil his stupidity."

Ronald smiled and analyzed it technically.

“And the reaction from the audience, it’s different. Charlie is the kind of car dealer they’re used to, with a sneaky side. If you’re a little bit different, they can see it’s not right.

And Raymond is mildly mentally handicapped, we don't see this kind of person very often, so as long as your acting has characteristics, they will feel that the acting is very similar.

Therefore, in my opinion, it is better to play Raymond.The technical difficulty is small, but the response will be good. "

"But actors are responsible for nominating Oscars for actor awards. They will know that acting is more difficult than Charlie, right?" Tom Cruise heard this kind of perspective for the first time. What I usually hear is too different, and I was a little dubious for a while.

"Hehe..." Ronald laughed. What acting skills do those actors know?How many people understand the mystery?Acting is a practical art. Many actors actually act with enthusiasm. If we look at acting from a technical point of view, we still have to rely on directors like them who stand behind the camera.

"Of course, this is just my opinion, for your reference." Now Tom Cruise is no longer the young man that Ronald drove to fill his teeth. Besides, he now believes in Scientology, which is very good. It's a problem, and it always feels like a sci-fi movie, not an orthodox sect.

"I will think about it carefully. Your opinion is very important to me, Ronald." Tom Cruise thought for a while, and felt that what Ronald said was technically correct, but the Oscars were not chosen by the audience. Yes, you have to get the actor's approval.

Besides, there is an image problem.It also needs to be considered holistically.

"Actually, you should play brother Raymond. You are so handsome. If you play a mentally handicapped guy, you can have a dramatic effect. If you play a normal handsome guy, there will be no impact."

Ronald gave another reason, and the more he said it, the more he felt right.If you really want to direct yourself, then let Tom Cruise play a mentally handicapped, in order to attract the interest of the audience.As for Oscar voting, if the audience is full of praise, do actors have any choice?
After the two finished chatting about the project, Ronald slipped away quietly before Preston came up to pester him.

……

"What's the matter with Scientology? It's not Cult, is it?"

Ronald arrived at CAA and told Nisita about the strange things he had heard.Tom Cruise's main manager is his wife Paula, if Cruise breaks into a Cult scandal...

"Hey..." Nisita sighed, "Paula is worried, this Scientology is still legally registered in America and enjoys tax-exempt status.

At first we thought Cruise was just because of Mimi, and treating dyslexia, but he really believed it. "

"That Mimi seems to be very active. I think she is a smart person."

"Tom told Paula that he might propose to Mimi." Nisita said her biggest worry, "Mimi Rogers' father is a follower of Herbert, the founder of Scientology."

"Scary woman", the same thought flashed through Ronald and Nisita's minds.

"Speaking of Rain Man, what do you think?"

Nisita didn't want to continue talking about those troubles in front of Ronald.

"I haven't decided yet, I just think Tom has a much better chance of getting an Oscar nomination if he's going to play the brother Raymond."

"Playing brother?"

"Yes, this is a tricky choice. It requires low acting skills, but the effect is good."

After listening to Ronald's technical analysis, Nisita nodded in agreement.

"I agree with you, but in the end it depends on Tom's own choice and Ovitz's meaning."

"Hmm..." Ronald understood. Another star who was interested, Dustin Hoffman, was an authentic Jew who immigrated from the black land on the Dnieper River in Eastern Europe.

After telling Nisita what he meant, Ronald went home.

After taking a good hot bath and lying on the bed, Ronald was still thinking about the crazy things he experienced today.

Is Scientology a science fiction readership or a legitimate religion?
really weird!
Thinking about it, Ronald fell asleep.

A red sun shines on a foggy sky with Los Angeles skyscrapers on the skyline and some power lines nearby.

A red Ferrari flies into the frame from the right side of the sky and slowly moves to the left.

The dream came quietly when Ronald didn't expect it.

Ronald, who was overjoyed, hid his happy thoughts, not wanting to be too happy to scare Meng away.

"Is this a sci-fi movie? A Ferrari flying through the sky?"

Was it stimulated today?Heard that whimsical story from Scientology?So you have to see related things before you can dream?
Ferrari slowly slides into the frame, then slowly descends.

"Isn't this a sequel to Back to the Future?" There was no title in the opening title, and Ronald began to think wildly. Did the sequel find Ferrari as a sponsor?Changed the DeLorean sports car?

The camera jumps to the next screen, the car is landing on the ground, and the foreground of the screen is the young and handsome face of Tom Cruise.

The protagonist of the sequel also changed?Ronald was quite surprised. There is no reason for Michael J. Fox not to act?
"My grandma and your grandma
sit by the fire

my grandma told you grandma
I'm going to burn your flag"

A brisk, rhythmic music came to mind in the background.

Tom Cruise looked at the Ferrari that was lowered by the crane and smiled. The number was written on the car, and a person who looked like a customs officer next to him was still talking to the character played by Cruise.

"Oh, this is still Rain Man." Ronald realized that this was Tom Cruise at the pier, picking up these parallel-imported cars.

"No, why did he play the normal brother Charlie?"

Ronald sighed, Cruise didn't seem to listen to himself.

The dream began to blur and then became clear again.Cruise's Charlie is angry with his father after hearing the will.

He found a way and met his brother Raymond.Raymond also knew his brother and ran out of the nursing home with him.

"It's still the brother played by Dustin Hoffman." Ronald looked at the image of the brother who tilted his head and kept repeating a sentence.

"What kind of acting skills do you need? But outsiders, as well as those film critics, will definitely praise Hoffman for his good performance."

On the contrary, for every dialogue and every rival scene, Tom Cruise had to exhaust all technical methods to face the camera alone and perform alone without the stimulation of his opponent.

Although it seems not difficult, such a one-man show is actually the most difficult to perform.

"Crack..." During the trip, Raymond accidentally dropped a can of toothpicks on the table.

Dustin Hoffman immediately reported the number of toothpicks.

"Is this mentally handicapped? Is this adding a play to yourself?" Ronald laughed. Dustin Hoffman must have changed the script.

"Los Angeles KFMU radio station, every morning, FM97.1 broadcasts for you on time..."

Ronald woke up from the dream, it was already morning.

"Little Bud!" Ronald knew that it must be Little Bud who helped him connect the tape recorder again.

"Don't leave this radio on in the future, I don't like getting up in the morning to listen to the radio..."

(End of this chapter)