Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Ronald, nice to see you."

"Nice to meet you, Jane."

Ronald came to Los Angeles again, and now he was in Jane Fonda's big house in Hollywood. After a few months, nothing had changed here, except that during the day, it was not filled with party guests.

Jane wore yoga clothes, a sweater around her waist, and a headband in her hair. It seemed that she had just finished exercising. The super star is very busy. This time he specially invited Ronald to his home for a talk. He didn’t know what to say to him.

"I just came back from Squam Lake in New Hampshire and just finished filming 'On Golden Pond'. Catherine forced me to do the jumping into the lake by myself without a stand-in, which was a challenge for me." Jane Fonda first talked about the filming. gossip.

Ronald had no interest in joining in, but his agent Niceta, who accompanied him, was very supportive, as if he was a movie fan who laughed out loud after hearing some interesting stories about Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda's filming.

"I'm sorry that Director Bridges decided to rewrite the script. I was working very hard during this period of filming and didn't have time to think about 'My Brother's Keeper'..."

"It should be called 'her brother's protector' now." Ronald said with a smile.

Jane Fonda heard the complaint in Ronald's words and smiled. In fact, this kind of thing happens a lot in Hollywood, and young screenwriters have not yet realized the cruelty of this industry.

"Rick, please leave Ronald and I alone for a few words."

Agent Rick Niceta stood up, tapped Ronald on the shoulder, and walked out of the room, leaving Ronald alone with Jane Fonda.

"Ronald, when this happened, I was filming on location on Golden Pond. I bought this script specially for my father and invited Katharine Hepburn to star together. Henry's body has grown at a speed that can be seen by everyone this year. In decline, the academy has begun considering ways for him to receive a lifetime achievement award.

It's the consolation prize given to movie stars who have never won an Oscar, when... they are physically able to attend.

But I am not willing to give in. Henry deserves an Oscar. This is why I devoted myself to filming. I hope to win an Oscar for him. This is his regret.

Can you understand me? Ronald? "

Ronald did not expect Jane Fonda to say such a thing to him. At New York University, the first old movie he watched was "The Grapes of Wrath" starring Henry Fonda. Thinking that the handsome boy back then was now old, Ronald couldn't hate Jane anymore.

He nodded, "I understand you, Jane. In fact, you don't owe me anything for this matter. I got the money. I was also featured in the New York Times. My subsequent screenwriting business and advertising shooting business also benefited from it. The prestige this script brought me.”

"No, but you lost the most precious opportunity to become famous." Jane Fonda stood up, "I am an actor, my brother is also an actor, and my father is also an actor. I understand the pursuit of artists. If I could exchange that $350,000 for the opportunity to direct a movie, I think you would agree without hesitation.”

Ronald said nothing. Of course, who wouldn’t want to be able to direct a big production for a big studio in his debut film.

"I was very busy on the set. The shooting schedule was very tight, and it was also interrupted by the strike. It was still over budget. I was focused on filming. When Bridges called me, I thought he was just asking for your script. Some details have been modified.

As for other little tricks, I don’t know who did it, and I have no interest in investigating. Hollywood is full of struggles every day, and if you're not used to it, you might as well focus on being a screenwriter. "

Ronald understood what Jane Fonda meant, and there was nothing to complain about at this point. Jane was able to specially invite him to explain the situation, which was considered a model of principles among Hollywood movie stars. So he said, "I understand that you were filming and didn't know the specifics. This matter is in the past tense."

"Good boy, I'm really looking forward to watching your directorial work." Jane smiled and took something from the side.

"This is a photo of me, for my fans. I heard that your aunt asked you to write this script and appointed me to star in it. You can't appear on the subtitles. She will be very disappointed. I will give you one. Give her a signed photo so that she can relieve her regrets.”

Ronald couldn't help but laugh. It would be funny if Jane knew that Aunt Karen hated the returning military wife she played. "Well, she will be happy...her name is Karen."

“To Karen,

Your friend Jane Fonda. "

Jane signed the photo with a quick-drying pen and put it in an envelope. "I still have to continue exercising, the homework of an actress."

Jane turned on the record player, a burst of music played, and several technicians poked their heads out of the room. Start setting up lights and TV cameras.

"This is?"

"I was going to make a video about doing aerobics at home. Now the studio alliance is in a lawsuit with the Japanese manufacturer. The movie can't be made into a video for sale, so they came up with some other content and started selling it."

"The yoga mat is right there..."

Ronald saw that Jane Fonda's schedule was really tight, so he took the signed photo and left.

Niceta asked him to get into the BMW, "We will meet Mr. Robert Sturwood again in the afternoon. He has reached some new consensus with Universal to see what his thoughts are on the sequel to 'Grease'."

Robert Stewart met them in his pajamas.

This handsome middle-aged man's daily job now is to enjoy life and take care of his business.

"Andy Gibb disappointed me. His three brothers in the Bee Gees band were all restrained, but he got lost in the glamour of Hollywood."

Ronald knew that Sternwood was talking about Andy's drug abuse and being sent to a rehabilitation center, but surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women in the room, Sternwood's words seemed a bit funny.

Sternwood didn't notice Ronald's attitude at all, and continued, "Synberg from Universal helped me a lot. He bought the entire project after Paramount withdrew. So he has a say in the protagonist.

But this is actually a good thing. Well, don't you think so, Ronald."

The air conditioner in the mansion was turned on very high, and the handsome man in cool clothes brought Sternwood a cocktail. Another beautiful woman also gave Ronald and Niceta a glass each.

"Are you Timothy Hutton, Mr. Sternwood?" Ronald asked.

"You, you have a good business sense." Stewart pointed at Ronald's nose and said to his agent Nicita, "Rick, you signed a very promising client."

"Of course, Ronald is my first screenwriter client, and he is the best." Nicita raised her cocktail to show her full agreement. It was hard to tell that he signed Ronald casually to satisfy Ovitz's screenwriter-first strategy.

"Timothy will be the next golden boy in Hollywood. We are lucky." Stewart drank the cocktail in one gulp. "His agent is promoting him everywhere, and Timothy is also attending parties everywhere. There will definitely be an award for him at the Golden Globe Awards next year, and the Oscars are also preparing to nominate him for Best Supporting Actor. I think there is hope."

"Isn't he the protagonist?" Ronald asked doubtfully, "Doesn't the story in Ordinary People revolve around how a man reconciles with his parents after accidentally losing his brother while sailing?"

Stewart put on a big cigar and pointed at Nicita, motioning for Nicita to explain.

"The Oscars are not just about acting, Ronald. The nominations for the best actor in next year's Oscars are very fierce. There is Robert De Niro, the male lead in Scorsese's "Raging Bull". Although United Artists has no money for PR, De Niro's Italian identity has made Italians in Hollywood do PR for him, including Sly and Stallone.

There is also Peter O'Toole, a veteran British Shakespearean actor. This is his fifth time to be nominated for the best actor.

Other competitors include Jack Lemmon and Robert Duvall. Timothy Hutton has no chance of winning even if he is nominated. It is better to switch to the best supporting actor, where the chance is much greater."

"Will Barry Miller, who is famous all over the world, be nominated?" Ronald remembered the actor in "Famous All Over the World" who was slapped by director Alan Parker and unexpectedly performed a good crying scene. He also wanted to date the director's girl Maureen Tiffey.

"The situation at MGM is also very bad. I heard that they have fallen to distributing movies for two Israelis." Sterwood took over the conversation.

"If no one does PR for Barry Miller, he may not even get a Golden Globe nomination, let alone an Oscar."

Ronald was silent.

There is an old saying in Hollywood, "It's not what you know, but who you know." What happened to him and Barry Miller recently made Ronald clearly understand the meaning of this sentence.

"Is it really hopeless for Famous to be nominated for an Oscar?" After a moment of silence, Ronald asked this question. To be honest, I still fantasized about being nominated for this movie, and then having investors willing to try their luck on me.

"There is no hope for Best Picture and Director. It's impossible for acting awards." Stewart denied the possibility of Famous to win a big award.

"I think there's a chance for Best Original Song. Producer Da Silva is jumping up and down to promote his future Latin star, Irene Cara. Her singing career is booming, and her song 'Fa' is always played on TV."

"Your screenwriter award... well, there are several strong competitors. If you're lucky... maybe there's a chance."

Ronald shook his head. His luck should be used at the most critical moment. Compared to Best Original Song, he hopes that his screenwriter can be nominated.

"In short, all the plots about the Vietnam War, demonstrations, and debates should be deleted." Sternwood got back to the point.

"The overall temperament of the script is still that of the fifties, the upbeat atmosphere of the post-war golden age. It captures optimism, low unemployment, plenty of jobs, blue-collar jobs that can afford a house, and can support a wife and children. This is the golden age of America, and it is also the era that people living in the current economic downturn miss."

Ronald nodded. Universal hopes to make a musical with a similar temperament to the original "Grease". The formula for success should not change, the fifties, old-fashioned singing and dancing, young people, and the love between the male and female protagonists from different gangs.

"Finish it as soon as possible, Ronald." Nicita sent Ronald back to CAA, "Timothy Hutton's agent also proposed that he wants to see the revised script."

"I see." Ronald frowned. Why does everyone want to give some advice on the script? Why don't they give advice on how to place the camera, how to arrange the director, and how to hold the recording rod, but just give advice to the screenwriter.

Do they think they can type and read the script, so they have the illusion that they can write the script themselves?

"Ronald, there is another script revision offer here. Do you want to take a look?" The main agent Richard was waiting for him in the office. When he saw him and Niceta coming back, he handed over a document.

"Revised? Where is the original screenwriter?"

"It is an adaptation of a youth drama. The original screenwriter is the author of the original work. Universal promised to distribute their movie, but the producers were not satisfied with the script. They thought it was well written, but the author was not very good at writing scripts and wanted to find someone Modified by veterans.”

Ronald frowned and refused to accept the document.

I also felt that the screenwriter was not good enough and wanted to intervene myself. If you can’t write it yourself, just ask a screenwriter to change it according to their wishes. How sad the original author is.

"I don't want to take it. Why don't they discuss it with the author? I always feel that the author's writing is not good and the screenwriter should get more respect."

Richard rubbed his hands and said, "Ronald, the film company is very optimistic about your fame, so it agreed. This is also the first offer I have found for you. Take a look."

"Okay." Ronald likes Richard as an agent. Unlike other agents who have other interests, Ronald always stands on his side.

"But I have a condition."

"You said." Richard was very happy.

"I want to meet with the author. I will only be willing if he agrees for me to join and modify his 'baby'. I don't want what happened to me to happen to other screenwriters."

"That's no problem. The production company has talked with the author. The author also feels that his script writing skills are insufficient. He took the initiative. I will arrange for you to meet."

"Okay." Ronald lowered his head and glanced at the summary of the script. This script has a very long and strange name:

"Fast\u0026\u0026 High"