Exploiting Hollywood 1980

There was a light winter rain in Los Angeles that day. Ronald was hiding in his apartment revising the script, while raindrops hit the windows densely. Ronald turned a blind eye and only focused on revising the script. He wanted to delete all the special effects of the comet hitting the earth from the script. . .

Cousin Donna once said that the tails of some comets can sweep across the earth without humans feeling anything. So Ronald added this concept. A comet that visited the earth tens of millions of years ago would cause biological extinction when the comet tail swept across the earth.

All creatures that see the red light of the comet's tail will turn to dust. Only creatures hiding in caves and not exposed to the radiation from the comet's tail will survive. This is how the dinosaurs became extinct, while our ancestors escaped by being cave dwellers and gained an advantage in evolution.

Now that the comet is back, only those hiding in basements or behind thick walls have survived. To make matters worse, some people did not reach the lethal dose of radiation and turned into zombies, attacking the surviving living people in the city.

It was already mid-January, and Ronald modified many special effects scenes according to Cameron's plan. Allocate limited funds to a few special effects scenes that can convince the audience.

This is the secret of low-cost production passed down by Roger Corman, which is to concentrate the film's budget on a few important scenes and shoot a few scenes that seem to have cost several times the amount of money to shoot. This way the audience will remember these scenes and ignore the rough scenes that were under-financed.

The time is approaching what the Chinese call the coldest of the twenty-four solar terms, the Great Cold. Contrary to the heavy snowfall in New York, the temperature in Los Angeles is relatively comfortable. It is close to the West Coast and the climate is much more suitable for human habitation.

"Ring, ring, ring..." Ronald, whose fingers were flying in front of the keyboard, was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

"Hello!" He answered the phone angrily.

"Ronald, I'm Phoebe."

"Oh, hello, Phoebe. Long time no see. How are you doing? Any new movies?" Ronald recognized that it was Phoebe Cates, who played the bikini beauty in "Fast Times". Since the film's marketing tour ended, he has had no further contact with these actors.

"Ronald, Jennifer is here with me, and we want to invite you to the party. Yes, the party is..."

"Sorry, Phoebe, Jennifer," Ronald heard Jennifer Jason Leigh was also on the phone, "I'm busy preparing for my next movie right now and I'm afraid I don't have time to go to the party."

"Ronald, I heard from your agent that you are looking for a leading actor. Why don't you come and have a look. We went to a party for a successful movie screening. There were many handsome actors in it." Jennifer Jason Leigh grabbed it Microphone, persuade Ronald to come out.

"Yeah? Okay, where are you? I'll go there."

Hearing that there was an actor, Ronald archived the script file he was writing, then turned off the computer, got in the car and drove towards the address reported by Jennifer.

"Hi, Jennifer, it's me, Ronald." Ronald unexpectedly discovered that the apartment Jennifer lived in was very high-end, and the doorman's dress and call system were better than the one he lived in.

"Ronald", Jennifer warmly greeted the director who made her famous at the door of the apartment, and welcomed Ronald into the apartment. Inside the apartment was a very large living room, with her best friend Phoebe Cates sitting on the sofa.

After the two actresses met on "Fast Times", they became good friends and talked about everything. When Phoebe came to Los Angeles to audition, she stayed at Jennifer's house.

"Phoebe", Ronald waved to Phoebe, and he found a man sitting on the sofa with Phoebe.

"Ronald", Phoebe jumped up, "Let me introduce you, this is my friend, Kevin. Kevin, this is Ronald."

"Hi, Ronald, I often hear Phoebe talking about you, and I want to work with you if I have a chance."

"Hi Kevin, I loved your scene opposite Mel Streep." Ronald and Phoebe all hugged her boyfriend.

He didn’t expect that Phoebe’s friend was actually Kevin Kline, the male protagonist of the recently released movie “Sophie’s Choice”. He seemed to be pursuing her.

Is Phoebe going to recommend Kevin Kline to herself as the protagonist?

"Kevin invited us to go to the preview party for the movie he just finished. Jennifer remembered that you were also in Los Angeles. We were missing a male companion and hadn't seen you for a long time, so she asked you out." Phoebe explained.

"It's my pleasure. I wonder what kind of movie party it is?"

"The Big Chill, like The Big Chill, is an ensemble drama with four male leads and four female leads. Maybe you can find the male lead in your next movie," Phoebe said eagerly. Got the answer.

"My next movie will be a small production, and I may not even be able to afford your salary." Ronald smiled. Maybe Phoebe meant well, or she wanted to find a reliable man to accompany her to the party.

However, in a movie starring an actor of Kevin Kline's caliber, I probably couldn't afford the salary of the other leading actors. Just go and relax.

"Let's go, the party is right next to Beverly Hills."

Ronald asked Jennifer to get into his car, followed by Kevin and Phoebe, and drove to the party venue.

"Your house is nice." Ronald and Jennifer chatted on the road.

"My father's civil lawsuit was settled out of court. They paid me a large sum of money, half for me and half for my sister."

Ronald raised his eyebrows. Spielberg and John Landis, several victims of helicopter beheading accidents, sued separately, but only Jennifer's was the first to settle.

The settlement amount was not announced, but judging from Jennifer's residence, it seemed to be a large sum of money. Now she can live a life without worries about food and clothing without filming for the rest of her life.

"Whose house party are we going to?" Ronald knew that there were usually mansions next to Beverly Hills, and such parties were usually held at the homes of some actors, directors, or producers.

"The heroine's home. I heard that her husband is a producer."

Soon the car drove to the venue of the party, a large three-story house. Ronald walked in with Phoebe, Jennifer, and Kevin.

"This is Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, and Tom Berenger." Kevin Kline introduced the three male protagonists of "The Big Chill" to Ronald.

Ronald hugged and greeted them. They were all accomplished male movie stars. They had also heard of Ronald's name and greeted each other.

"Kevin, won't you introduce us to your little friend?"

The speaker was Glenn Close, one of the heroines of "The Big Chill". She and the other two heroines played the roles of the college classmates, wives, and lovers of the three male protagonists.

The first time several college classmates reunited after graduating from college was to attend the funeral of their old classmate Alex Marshall after his suicide.

This is a story based on dramatic conflict, which slowly unfolds from flashbacks many years later, showing the life experiences, past regrets, and future expectations of six college friends, and slowly uncovering the mystery of Alex Marshall's suicide.

Ronald knew that this kind of movie was very dependent on the acting skills of the actors, and the actors were all the best among the young and middle-aged actors, so he cheered up and got to know them.

Jeff Goldblum wore a pair of glasses. He was relatively less famous among the four male protagonists, so he chatted with Ronald more. The two talked while drinking cocktails in a corner.

"You know? Kevin seems to have fallen in love. He dumped Sally Field for Phoebe."

"Oh yeah?" Ronald didn't expect Jeff Goldblum to be so gossipy. He started talking about Kevin Kline's gossip.

He looked at Kevin standing with Phoebe and looking here. He knew in his heart that maybe Goldblum came to get the word out and leak the news.

"I know Jennifer and Phoebe are good friends."

"Glen is introducing her to people." Goldblum pointed to the actress Glenn Close who was chatting with Jennifer.

"You seem to have a good relationship?" Ronald smiled and pointed.

"The Great Cold is a rare group drama, and we really enjoyed the performance. Director Lawrence Kasdan is very talented."

"Hmm..." Ronald knew this director who was a screenwriter. He was the main writer of two summer blockbuster movies, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and "Indiana Jones: The Lost Ark of the Covenant".

He also wrote and directed an erotic thriller "Body Heat" the year before last, which made the heroine Kathleen Turner famous.

"So is this the home of director Kasdan?" Ronald asked.

"No, this is the home of one of the heroines. Her husband is also a famous producer, so we can borrow her house."

"Oh, who is it?" Ronald looked at the three heroines at the party. If a female star finds a big-name producer to marry, it means that she will play the leading role in a series of movies.

"It's not them, it's Chloe, the girlfriend of Alex Marshall who died in the movie. Interestingly, Phoebe also auditioned for the role of Chloe. Although she lost to the hostess in the end, Kevin often said that he was lucky to meet Phoebe who auditioned."

"So that's how it is." Ronald nodded. The age difference between these people and Phoebe in the movie is quite large. In real life, Kevin Kline is also quite large in age with Phoebe. It seems that Kevin really values ​​Phoebe and invited all her friends to the party.

"The hostess is coming down." Jeff Goldblum poked Ronald, and a young actress walked down from the second floor.

"Kevin, Glenn..." The hostess was very young, with black hair. As a hostess, she looked a little immature, but she still fulfilled her duties as a hostess to welcome the guests.

"Thank you for coming to this preview party. Director Kasdan said the preview was very good..."

Ronald narrowed his eyes. It's true that people meet everywhere in life. The hostess turned out to be his ex-girlfriend Meg Tilly, so this mansion belonged to her husband Zinnemann?

"Oh, Ronald, why are you here?" Meg Tilly blurted out when she saw Ronald was also among the guests.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"I came with Kevin..." Ronald replied with a smile.

"Oh, OK, who is this?" Meg Tilly continued to greet the guests, but she became a little nervous and her walking posture was a little stiff.

"Did you two know each other before?" Glenn Close came up and asked Ronald, she was the most sensitive among the actresses.

"Yes, Alan Parker's 'Fame'. I was working as a handyman on the set. Meg was not chosen, and another girl was chosen to play the leading role. It was also a group play. Hello, Glenn." Ronald greeted her and then asked her about the situation of "Big Cold".

Meg Tilly turned around, greeted everyone, and told the waiter to start serving snacks and more champagne.

Seeing that Ronald did not move, she put down half of her worries and started talking and laughing loudly with the guests.

"Isn't this a movie about college classmates getting together? Why is there an actress who is obviously much younger playing the role of the girlfriend of the deceased?" Ronald asked Jeff Goldblum and Glenn Close next to him.

"This is the setting of the script. Alex is different from all these classmates. He faces his heart more realistically, so he has a naive girlfriend who is much younger."

Ronald figured out the plot. It turned out that the plot was about multiple experienced good actors and a young actress.

No wonder so many people are fighting for this position. In the plot, Ricky is just a naive girlfriend, so the actor's acting flaws will not be magnified. But she can perform on the same stage with seven or eight good actors, which is indeed a good opportunity to become famous.

It seems that Zinnemann has more energy and squeezed Meg Tilly into the crew.

"Kevin, you're here." Another male actor came late, and the hostess Meg Tilly greeted him.

This actor, also called Kevin, came very late, and his expression was not very good. After greeting Meg, he forced a smile and chatted with the actors present.

"He played the role of Alex Marshall who committed suicide. Unfortunately, all the scenes in the end were deleted by director Kasdan, and none of them were left."

Ronald looked at Goldblum in surprise. So miserable?

Meg was still talking to the new Kevin, "You are really miserable, Kevin. I heard that Director Kasdan will give you a promise? Let you appear in the next movie."

Kevin smiled helplessly and took a sip of wine. He didn't want to talk about his tragedy anymore.

Several actors did not let him go and began to tease him about his misfortune, "Really there is not a single shot? I didn't look carefully, maybe there is a long shot?"

"No, there is not a single shot showing my face. I looked for a long time, and the only shot where I was lying in the coffin showed one foot. It seems that Kasdan doesn't like my face." Kevin joked to himself.

"Kevin, you shouldn't say that. Director Kasdan must have his intentions for handling it this way." Meg was still talking foolishly.

"Maybe Kasdan thinks your feet are good acting skills, hahaha."

One of the male protagonists, Tom Berenger, drank too much and made inappropriate jokes.

"Tom," Glenn Gross pulled him and asked him to stop talking.

"I have a gift from the director here, one for each person." Meg Tilly also started to smooth things over. She took out a big box with many cashmere scarves in it and gave one to each actor.

"Oh, Kevin, it just happened to be gone, sorry." Meg gave it to the new Kevin, who just happened to have no scarves.

"Tsk," Ronald curled his lips. Meg Tilly is still so childish even after getting married. There are obviously better ways to deal with Kevin's dissatisfaction in this situation.

Humiliating others in person like this will make a lot of hatred for young actors. Who knows if he will become a superstar in the future and block your way in turn?

The new Kevin was very embarrassed, but he quickly adjusted himself, drank the champagne in one gulp, and smiled, "Hey, you bastards, you know? I must be better than all of you in the future."

He handled the tone of his speech very well, half joking and half serious, and everyone burst into laughter, and fooled the embarrassing scene.

Then Kevin stayed for a while, and while everyone's attention was distracted, he put away his smile and turned around to walk out of the party.

"Jennifer, tell Phoebe that I have something to do and leave first." Ronald had been paying attention to him. Seeing that he was about to leave, he quickly stepped forward to grab Jennifer Jason Lee, said something and chased after him.

"Interesting." Jeff Goldblum saw all of Ronald's actions and said to himself.

"Honey, did you help me greet these VIPs? Hmm?"

With a sharp and somewhat offensive voice, the owner of the mansion, Meg Tilly's husband Tim Zinnemann, walked down the stairs.

"Of course, Tim, of course." Meg Tilly suddenly became cautious, pressed the hem of her clothes, tried to act like a hostess, and took Zinnemann's hand.

"As a hostess, you still have a lot to learn. Don't let anyone feel left out," Tim Zinnemann began to greet the guests, "and, more importantly, don't get too close to single male guests."

"I know, Tim. I'm trying." Meg Tilly echoed in a low voice, and she almost staggered when she heard the last sentence.

"Kevin, Kevin." Ronald hurried out of the party and called out to the actor in front loudly.

"Ronald?" The lonely actor turned back in the drizzle ahead, "I mean, Director Li, hello."

"Kevin Costner. I have a small production here, would you like to play the leading actor?"

Ronald finally caught up with the other party and pointed to his car, "If you are interested, get in the car and we will talk slowly."

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