Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ronald heard Meg Ryan's idea of ​​​​acting with her husband, and got a videotape that she handed to her hand, which contained a collection of clips of all the highlights of Dennis Quaid's previous performances.

But to be honest, Ronald is biased against Dennis Quaid. He has a square chin, strong male hormones, and a typical star face from the 1970s.

Moreover, he initially relied on Ronald's friend PJ Soles to get married. Not long after he entered the industry, he left her and pursued the popular Leigh Thompson. When Thompson failed at the box office and his future was unclear, he pursued Meg Ryan again.

This is not because Ronald has any moral obsession with such people, but because Dennis Quaid's face shape is too much like that of a college football quarterback.

In the eyes of female audiences born in the 1960s and 1970s, such people are typical public lovers. Just hook your fingers and the prettiest cheerleading queen will date him. If he dumps the girl, it must be that the girl can no longer keep up with his progress, and the audience will forgive him.

This is the impact of the actor's appearance on casting, and it will also have a certain stereotype on the acting skills of some actors.

Dennis Quaid has long been accustomed to playing this kind of role. It is very difficult for him to show the infatuation and delicacy of the male protagonist Sam in "Sleepless in Seattle" in a short period of time. And this requires the cooperation of the actors themselves and the initiative to make adjustments.

And the male stars of the new era, such as Tom Hanks, who have round faces, are not too aggressive. The audience will unconsciously be brought into the image of a cousin next door. It will be much easier to add some infatuation, humor, and delicate qualities to the characters.

Even the more handsome Tom Cruise, because his chin is not so square and his lines tend to be softer in both films, it is easier for female audiences to recognize his role as an infatuated character.

In short, this is an era when circles are better than square lines. The tough men who appeared on propaganda posters and posters during the Cold War era have gradually become less competitive in a market dominated by female audiences.

Of course, in front of Meg Ryan, speaking of her husband like this would not get a positive response.

Although Ronald was the director of her debut film "Top Gun" and her famous film "When Harry Met Sally", times have changed and Meg Ryan is now a star actress. The other party vaguely revealed that she had just given birth and had all kinds of inconveniences in filming during the breastfeeding period.

This made Ronald worried that the other party had tied up his husband to star together. If Dennis Quaid didn't play...

And Nora Efron is so optimistic about Meg Ryan. When writing the two drafts of the script, she brought Meg Ryan into her imagination and wrote it. If she were to be replaced by someone else, as a novice director, she would have to handle a lot of details properly...

"Dennis is very good, but I am not deeply involved in the casting. From my perspective, Dennis lacks the sense of humor that female audiences like..."

Ronald didn't finish his sentence.

"Ha, you think so too, right? I've told him many times that I want to change my acting methods, but I won't say any more..."

Meg Ryan is now more famous than her husband, and sometimes she doesn't give her husband much face when discussing business matters between the couple.

…

Armed with audition materials from several of the people they requested, Ronald and Nora Efron met again to discuss.

"Tom Hanks, definitely Tom Hanks... My script is worthy of his and Meg Ryan's performances. You believe me, when I wrote the script, I felt very good, The two of them are in my mind..."

"Okay, I believe you, I will support you as a director from TriStar Pictures..." Ronald smiled. It seems that Nora Efron wrote the script with emotion and passion. This is great for creativity.

"But why do you like Hanks so much?" Ronald selfishly wanted to recommend him. He didn't like Dennis Quaid, and he also wanted to hear Nora Efron's opinion, so it would be easier to refuse like this. convenient.

"Look here..."

Nora Efron was so excited that she opened the latest revised version of the script and showed Ronald a newly added plot.

After his wife passed away, Sam lived with his son. His friend arranged a blind date for him. After meeting the woman Victoria, he was somewhat satisfied and wanted to spend the weekend with her. But because his son Jonah was dissatisfied, he canceled the romantic weekend trip.

"Can you imagine Dennis Quaid doing this? Oh...he must have left his son aside and went to meet beautiful women. Only people like Hanks can do that..."

Nora Efron and Ronald have different ideas. She wants to position the relationship between the male protagonist Sam and his son Jonah as a favorite of female audiences...a careful and loving father, and a more intimate relationship with his son. Like mother and son rather than father and son.

"That's true..."

Ronald knew that Nora Efron's taste represented the thoughts of a large portion of the female audience. This kind of look is very fatal. If the wrong actor is chosen, this subtle disharmony will destroy the credibility of the entire movie.

And in real life, Dennis Quaid went even further. He used to trick PJ Soules, who was older than him, into not having children. In the end, the two divorced because Soules wanted children. When he married a successful star like Meg Ryan, he couldn't wait to have children.

"Will your plot overemphasize the gentleness of the male protagonist? No single man with self-esteem will refuse an invitation to spend the weekend with a beautiful woman..."

Ronald read it over and over again. This plot was a bit too much. He understood that Nora Efron wanted an image that was completely different from the male love roles in the past, but highlighting gentleness too much would actually make men lose the possibility of being loved by women.

An image that is too masculine will make today's women lose the idea of ​​spending their lives together, and being too gentle or even feminine will make women lose their sexual attraction to them.

The subtle degree here needs to be carefully considered.

"Hey, men..." Nora Efron is also a woman who has been hurt in love, and she did not comment on this.

"But Dennis Quaid is still not suitable. Sam has never met Anne, but he has the idea that the two of them will film together just based on one meeting. People like Dennis Quaid are not convincing, and he is not humorous enough..."

"That's true. After all, Tom Hanks is a comedian..."

Ronald and Nora Efron found a common reason...

...

"fuxk, this is crazy. Just because I'm not gentle enough?"

Dennis Quaid accepted the audition and then received the reason given by director Nora Efron. Of course, under normal circumstances, the director does not need to give a reason. This time it was mainly because Meg Ryan had been confirmed as the leading actor, and Dennis Quaid's relationship with CAA, so he needed to explain the reason for rejecting him.

"Honey, we still have a chance. Find another script and let's act together..." Meg Ryan was still very grateful to Ronald, and what director Nora Efron said was not unreasonable.

"This is discrimination against me, Daxit"

Dennis Quaid was not satisfied. His status in the industry was already lower than his wife's. If the movie was a big hit, the gap between their status would be further widened. This is unacceptable for an actor who thinks highly of himself.

He even thought of asking Meg Ryan to give up the film, but he knew that it would be difficult for his wife to refuse such a film, which was written based on a certain actor, produced by Ronald, who made Meg Ryan famous, and directed by Nora Ephron, who wrote a phenomenal script like When Harry Met Sally, so he didn't say it immediately.

"This is unacceptable. I will report it to the boss. A couple co-starring in a romantic love film is the best means of publicity. We CAA cannot allow such a thing..."

Dennis Quaid's agency contract was also signed with CAA. His regular agent did not understand the conflict and history between Ronald and his boss Ovitz. When he heard about this, he immediately told the client that he would launch a campaign.

Packaging is the source of CAA's power. With such good packaging conditions, not packaging is to turn a blind eye to the fans of this celebrity couple, to leave money on the table without putting it in the bag, and to commit a crime against CAA's profits...

However, he went to find a more senior agent and reported to Ovitz's secretary, and soon got disappointing news.

A senior agent warned him not to mention Ronald to his boss. Unsure, he went to one of Ovitz's many secretaries to discuss the matter.

When the secretary learned that he wanted to package Ronald's production project and hoped that the boss would put pressure on the screenwriter and director, he was scolded and kicked out of the office.

Because he was too young and had no deep understanding of the important things happening inside the company, he was only moved by the corporate culture that Ovitz promoted during his employment. He really couldn't understand who CAA would be afraid of?

He explained to Dennis Quaid that it might involve other CAA clients who were also pursuing this role. And encouraged him to use his wife Meg Ryan's relationship, advance and retreat together, and to succeed, he had to do whatever it took...

Anyway, he had used women as a springboard before, and Dennis Quaid was full of confidence encouraged by his agent and prepared to carry out a curve plan...

...

"Your script doesn't look like a comedy, it's serious enough..."

At the same time, Ronald and Nora Efron went to the baseball field and took advantage of the opportunity to audition Tom Hanks.

Although Hanks jokingly asked Ronald to help him get the role, he was actually dissatisfied with the original script.

After years of making comedies, he was a little tired of the farce that had no logic and could only tickle the audience.

This is also the reason why he was very grateful to Ronald for asking him to shoot a serious drama film like "Other People's Money".

If a movie actor wants to transform, he must be appreciated by a big director. In this star-based Hollywood, it is very difficult to abandon the original positioning and change the type of role. Any director who can do this is very popular with actors.

Nora Efron cut down the overly comedic content in the original plot to a very low level, leaving only some light, real-life jokes. The audience will not feel that this is deliberately funny.

"But this is a bit too... I don't think there will be a widower who would refuse a beautiful woman's invitation to spend the weekend together. The plot here reminds me of a farce-style comedy..."

Tom Hanks also expressed his opinion on this overly feminine plot.

Ronald looked at Nora Efron and smiled, revealing a smile that said "I told you so a long time ago."

"Have you two discussed this?" Nora Efron was so consistent in their opinions that she wondered if they had agreed on it.

"No, I think that if Annie wants to fall in love with Sam, although there must be a little love for children, men who refuse to date because their sons are dissatisfied will be regarded as losers, right?"

"Okay, I will revise this..." Nora Efron still pouted and made a question mark at that place in the script.

"I find that this movie has been made too serious by you and Hanks. Romantic love comedy, romantic love comedy, there is still comedy here..."

Nora Efron still has no psychological advantage in front of Ronald. When several people were discussing the script, many of Ronald's requirements for authenticity were agreed by Tom Hanks.

"Really? Is there such a thing?"

Ronald frowned. Is there really a problem?

He was not sure. The "When Harry Met Sally" of that year was actually strong in dialogue and the shaping of the two protagonists. That's because Nora Efron incorporated her picky personality and the personality of director Bob Reiner into the script.

So the authenticity is guaranteed by the prototype characters.

But this "Sleepless in Seattle" is not the case. The original screenwriter had an idea and then wrote the story based on the structure of the old movie "The Golden Jade Alliance".

Although Nora Efron has revised it twice, there is still no major change in the structure and characters.

If these opinions of his own make Nora Efron's overall grasp deviate, it will have a very bad impact on the box office.

"I'm not sure. I do think there are too few comedy elements, and Hanks doesn't want to play more..."

"Hmm..." Ronald thought to himself. If it's too comedic, Tom Hanks might really refuse.

"What are the general ways to save the comedy of a movie?" In Nora Efron's eyes, Ronald is still the magical director. He will have the answer to any question.

"Hey? You can add some supporting roles and let them take charge of the comedy part, so that the audience will not feel too funny about the protagonist..."

Ronald thought about it. In the past movies, there was indeed such a trick. The work of gags is all done by supporting roles, so that the audience will not feel out of the play, and the humorous elements that are indispensable in the love scene can be completed.

"Who will play the clown in this movie?" Nora Efron is a screenwriter after all, and she quickly understood Ronald's idea.

"This role must make people laugh at first sight, but not make people feel disgusted, and it must be serious when it is serious..." Nora Efron circled the role list. It seems that the friends of the male and female protagonists are good choices for this job.

"Indeed, she has to look funny..." Ronald agreed. Nora Efron is very talented, so he can rest assured.

"Well, it's best if she's fat and average looking, not threatening the heroine, and can often answer questions, like a happy person, more realistic, and can understand the heroine's romantic ideas..." Nora Efron spoke more and more detailed, as if there was an actor in real life.

"Hey?" Ronald was also more and more surprised as he listened, "Who did you think of?"

"Here..." Nora Efron pointed to the supporting actress, Rosie O'Donnell, who was waiting for the filming in the field.

"Puff..." Ronald thought about the last time she touched him, and this person was indeed suitable.