Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ovitz invited Ronald into his sports car and personally took Ronald to the party.

There is a Jaguar silver-gray sports car in the parking lot. The license plate above the tail pipe only has the three letters CAA. The sports car and the photo belong to President Michael Ovitz.

Ronald walked to the front of the sports car. With four headlights and the iconic inverted trapezoidal front engine compartment, the Jaguar sports car looked a bit like a great white shark ready to attack. He opened the passenger door and tried to squeeze himself into the passenger seat.

Ovitz helped adjust the seat backwards, and before Ronald could fasten his seat belt, he started the sports car, and the powerful engine made a low roar. Ovitz pulled the airplane joystick-style gear lever, put it into gear, drove out of the company and onto the road.

Rick Niceta and two other agents followed in another car.

"Jane Fonda's parties are also famous in Hollywood." Ovitz said to Ronald, "We went to her Malibu home. Ever since she and her ex-husband bought this house, there have been Hollywood stars and young people. The best place for newbies to make friends.”

"Her father, Henry, once roasted a whole pig in the yard for guests to enjoy, using honey made from his own bees."

Ronald grasped the handle of the car door tightly with his hand and looked around. He only felt that the Jaguar had sufficient horsepower, and the engine roared very loudly when accelerating. He could only keep making "hmm" sounds, echoing Ovitz. .

"Do you like this car? When we sell your script to the studio, you can afford it." Ovitz thought Ronald was looking around because he liked his Jaguar. After all, he was a young man. It is very normal to like sports cars, and beautiful women will take a second look at you at parties.

Soon arriving at Jane Fonda's big house in Malibu, Jane, who was notified by the waiter, came out with her husband Tom Hayden to welcome Ronald and Ovitz.

After the hug, Jane specifically told Ovitz, "Michael, calm down your energy. Warren and Jack will be here today. Don't scare my guests."

"I know you want to discuss how to deal with the strike. I'm just looking for someone to talk to outside." Ovitz said with a smile.

Jane Fonda nodded and took Ronald into the house first.

"This is Ronald Lee, he is a very good movie screenwriter. This is Matt, a movie actor, the new James Dean of Hollywood." Jane walked to the middle of the living room and asked a young actor Ronald was introduced, "I have to go in with Tom to talk about something, you young people can talk more." Then he walked up to the second floor.

Ovitz disappeared in the blink of an eye. He didn't know where to meet the celebrity client, and Niceta and others also dispersed. The main purpose of these agents attending parties is either to entertain their celebrity clients to prevent other agents from poaching them, or to poach other agents' celebrity clients.

Ronald picked up a cocktail and greeted the actor named Matt. He had not seen the movie starring him.

"Movie writers, huh? When I was filming 'Cute' last year, they were busy on set using typewriters to rewrite tomorrow's script."

"Ronald Lee, I'm from New York." Ronald stretched out his hand to shake his hand.

"Matt Dillon. (attdillon)" Matt was drinking guzzlingly with a drink in his right hand, and stretched out his left hand to shake his hand.

"Matt, after My Bodyguard is released, what are your new movie plans?" Some young men and women nearby who were also drinking took the opportunity to ask him about his next movie.

Matt Dillon has become Hollywood's new favorite since he debuted in 1979 and starred in OvertheEdge. His face shape, body shape, and temperament are very similar to those of James Dean in the 1950s, and he is also suitable for playing the role of a rebellious teenager.

Many studios wanted to vie for the rising teen star to get a movie of their own. He has two new films released this year, both of which play handsome bad boys, and are very popular among young audiences.

"I don't know, but Ron Miller, the president of Disney Productions, is talking to my agent about a new film."

"Pfft," a female voice in the crowd couldn't help but laugh. Disney can only make animations that children can watch, and it really has little to do with live-action movies.

"Really," Matt Dillon was a little annoyed, "Ron is the husband of Walt Disney's only daughter Diane. He was going to turn Disney into live-action movies and hired the famous director Fred Zinnemann. His son Tim is a producer.”

"Ron also plans to find a best-selling novelist..." At this point, Matt sobered up from the influence of alcohol and stopped talking.

Among the young people nearby, some began to whisper about Disney, and laughed from time to time, as if they were laughing at Matt Dillon.

Ronald knew Fred Zinnemann, and he had watched his director's "High Noon," an unorthodox Western starring Grace Kelly in Scorsese's class. A Quaker, very handsome.

"So your new film has not been affected by the strike?" Ronald asked.

Matt Dillon realized that Ronald was rescuing him, and returned to his uncaring smirk, "It doesn't matter, they are all second-generation stars and don't understand anything." He said and took a cocktail. , and took a few steps away from Ronald.

"To answer your question, the strike has no impact on the new film. Tim Zinnemann is pursuing a girl 20 years younger than him, and he wants to push her to be the heroine of the new film."

"So Disney is really entering the live-action film market?"

"Yes, Mr. Ron Miller has just become the CEO and president of Disney. He wants to get rid of the inherent impression of Disney Animation Studio and become a real Hollywood studio."

"Cheers!" Matt Dillon and Ronald drank the wine in their glasses together, "Come, Ronald, let me introduce you to Mr. Zinnemann. I heard that you are a Screenwriter?"

"Yes, Jane Fonda is somewhat interested in my script."

"Oh, you need to tell me more about your script... Is there a role suitable for me?"

"Of course, every screenwriter hopes to have an actor like you to play the role in their script."

...

"Ed, the strike has had a great impact on the filming of our movies. This time, my husband Tom Hayden invited you to come to discuss a solution." In a small room on the second floor, Jane Fonda and several stars were attacking Ed Asner, the negotiating representative of the two major actors' unions.

"Yes, the strike cannot continue indefinitely. Our losses are huge." The speaker was action star Sly Stallone. He was the first to speak.

"Sly, you are just an actor, you are paid a lot, and the insurance company will cover the losses of the crew." Asner was unshakable.

"But your attitude has affected everyone in Hollywood." Jane Fonda continued to press, "Our crews all started filming before the strike, but the strike affected the filming progress."

In fact, "On Golden Pond" has not yet started filming the actors' scenes, only a few empty shots of the scenery, but Jane Fonda deliberately made it vague and said that it had already started filming.

Asner looked around and knew that these stars wanted to finish the movies they were doing so that they would not be affected by the strike. On the contrary, during the strike, they can resume filming among the many suspended movies, and when they are released, they can reduce a lot of competitors.

"I understand your pain, but whether it is a star or someone who has just received the actor's union card, they are all members of the union, and the union treats them equally."

"Ed, we are not talking about the star issue. The problem is that the actors and crews here have already started filming. You are also an actor, and you know the losses caused by stopping filming. You should give the crews that have already started filming a filming exemption. After all, we are targeting the Producers Guild, not your paid members of the Actors Guild."

Jane Fonda's husband Tom Hayden replied. He also has an interest in politics and knows that Asner's real intention is to show off his position in the Donkey Party.

"The union originally planned to open exemption applications to crews that have already started filming. This strike will not end in a short time. We must fight until the capitalists surrender and protect the interests of the actors. The current focus of the negotiations is the 40% increase in the minimum wage. The employer has already shown signs of compromise.

But they want to spread the 40% over the next three years, and we cannot agree. Now there is an annual inflation of more than 10%. If the minimum wage is increased one year later, it will exploit the actors for one more year."

Ed Asner took the opportunity to ask for benefits and let these stars happen in the media to support his tough approach as a negotiator.

"So we all agree, right? The problem is solved?" Warren Beatty cheered, "I know Ed is a good negotiator. It would be great if you could be the chairman of our Screen Actors Guild."

Ed Asner shook hands with several stars with satisfaction, agreed to their crew's application for strike exemption, and also added a lot of weight to his future.

"Ed, about me representing the Donkey Party and participating in the California Assembly election next year..." Tom Hayden sent Asner, the union negotiator, out.

"Is everything settled? Let's have a good drink." Warren Beatty, who is one of the three golden bachelors in Hollywood with Jack Nicholson, immediately became active and talked about the target of prey at the party tonight.

"Don't scare Tim's girlfriend. He is very concerned about this little girl and is PRing for her to be the heroine of Disney's new film."

Nicholson raised his glass to Tim Zinnemann and smiled, "Are you serious? Are you going to step into the church for the third time?"

"She is outside. She admires you very much, Jack. She also wants to meet her idol of acting." Tim Zinnemann is a middle-aged man in his 40s. This time, he may have met true love and is here as a legitimate girlfriend.

"Why not? Why don't we all go out and meet your little girlfriend." Anyway, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty are going to the party downstairs to hunt for beauties.

...

"Hello, Mr. Zinneman, we were just about to find you. This is Ronald, he's a very good screenwriter."

When Tim Zinneman saw that it was Matt Dillon, the male lead of the new Disney film, he also smiled, "Wait a minute, Matt, I have something to do with Jack and Warren."

Ronald and Matt Dillon just stood there, "He's very easy to talk to, I'll introduce you to him when he's done."

"Thank you, Matt."

"Come meet your acting idol." The two saw Zinneman pull a young girl out of another room and bring her to Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty, two Oscar-winning actors.

"Oh, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Beatty, I didn't expect to see you."

A black-haired girl greeted the two with surprise.

"Meg?" Ronald saw that the person was Meg Tilly, who was of Chinese descent, and couldn't help but call her out.

"Why? Do you know her?" Tim Zinnemann asked suspiciously.

"An acquaintance in the crew of "Famous." Meg Tilly glanced at Ronald, then retracted her gaze and answered Zinnemann.