Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Another big name in the record industry joins Hollywood."

In a corner of the "News" section of "Daily Variety", there is news that "Jerry Weintraub Productions" has officially announced the joining of a new director for its new film.

"Jerry Weintraub is ready to bring his talent to Hollywood. He told our reporter that the new director Ronald V. Lee will join the crew of "The Karate Kid" as a director. It is reported that he is also the screenwriter of this film."

"Praised by Stanley Kubrick as one of the most promising new directors, Ronald Lee is a dropout from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He has directed Universal's "Fast and Furious Richmond High" and the small production "Night of the Comet".

This is his first opportunity to direct a big production of 7.5 million. Mr. Jerry Weintraub said that he admires Ronald Lee's talent and keen insight into the teenage audience.

Mr. Weintraub told our reporter that the story of this film is adapted from real events. He said that "The Karate Kid" will be an action romantic comedy that teenage audiences will love."

Ronald folded the newspaper and put it in his collection box. The day before yesterday, he went with his agent to sign a director contract with Weintraub. A total of $200,000 in director's salary, plus 1% of profit sharing. Excluding the profit sharing, it is about the same as his own screenwriter's salary. .

However, this kind of profit sharing is generally an honorary clause for directors and actors, and most of the time, no one can get it. This is different from "Night of the Comet", in which Ronald invested part of the money himself.

What Ronald values ​​is that the budget of the movie is up to $8.5 million, of which one million is a reserve fund. If it is not enough during the filming, it can only be used after Weintraub signs.

Moreover, Weintraub has signed a distribution agreement with Columbia, so the marketing and distribution of "The Karate Kid" are not a problem. As an old studio, Columbia must be much more stable than Atlantic in this regard.

Ronald still remembers the day of signing the contract, he asked Weintraub what he thought of Pat Morita playing Master Miyagi. Weintraub said categorically that as long as he was still a producer, Pat Morita would not be used. And refused further discussion.

Ronald had to put this matter aside for the time being and discussed with Weintraub about the casting of several other main roles.

The male lead has been confirmed, and no second-generation stars will be cast. Weintraub has asked Susan to send audition invitations to major Hollywood agencies. However, because all young actors are now auditioning for "Red Dawn", the audition for "The Karate Kid" will be postponed.

The female lead is a vase-like role. As long as she is a pretty girl with a girl-next-door temperament, the kind that Danny can fall in love with will be fine. Ronald privately recommended Helen Slater to Weintraub.

After seeing the audition photos from the agent, Weintraub said that he could directly enter the second round of auditions, and wait for the male lead Danny to be confirmed, and then audition together to see the chemistry.

Master Miyagi is Japanese, which is quite special. He has tried his best to find all the Japanese and Chinese actors in Hollywood to audition. He also asked Ovitz of CAA to ask for some photos of actors who can speak English from the Japanese film industry.

Ronald remembered Avildsen's suggestion. When Francis Ford Coppola was looking for Marlon Brando to play Corleone in "The Godfather", he also faced strong opposition from the top management of the production company, but he finally got the job done. He thought of going to the door to learn from him.

Coppola was very busy. His second Hinton adaptation "Fighting Fish" shot in Oklahoma had been edited and was about to be released. This time, it was not distributed through Warner Bros., but through his own "Zeperscope" company. It was very busy.

Fortunately, Niceta was also Coppola's agent. After his call, Ronald was able to visit him. Coppola agreed to give him half an hour to chat.

"Hey, Ronnie. What's up? I heard you have something to talk to me about?" Coppola's complexion was much better than before on the set. The box office of "The Untamed" was not high or low, with more than 25 million US dollars. After the release, Warner Bros. shipped some copies in good condition abroad and began overseas screenings, and it was expected to collect nearly 10 million again.

This gave Coppola credibility after the box office failure of "Old Love, New Love". Various studios began to look for him to direct again. The famous independent producer Robert Evans was also looking for Coppola to discuss projects.

"I won't waste your precious time. I have something to ask you. When you were shooting "The Godfather", how did you convince the senior executives of Paramount to use Marlon Brando? I encountered a similar problem and would like to borrow your wisdom, Francis."

"Marlon Brando," Coppola adjusted his glasses, "It's a long story. Would you like some salami? My friend brought it from Europe. A glass of red wine? It's produced in my estate."

Coppola poured Ronald a glass of red wine, then lit a cigar and slowly recalled what happened back then.

"Brando had a bad reputation at the time. He encountered accidents in several consecutive movies. He was a very smart person. Sometimes he would get angry and go on strike when he met a poor director. So when Paramount heard that I wanted to use him, it immediately refused."

"Oh? This is very similar to what I encountered." Ronald took a sip of red wine. "This wine tastes very good, even better than the one at the Oscar dinner last time. I will buy a box and take it back."

"Of course, the weather this year is very good. If I were you, I would buy more."

"Then let me tell Niceta, it tastes really good."

"By the way, the president of Paramount told me at the time that I was forbidden to mention Marlon Brando's name or discuss his role in The Godfather."

"How can you ban the discussion?" Ronald felt that Coppola must have some tricks up his sleeve. Under such circumstances, he could finally let Brando star. It seemed that he came to the right decision this time.

"I lay on the ground on the spot, pretending to faint, in protest. If Brando is not even allowed to be mentioned by name as an actor, what kind of creative freedom is this? They promised me creative freedom at the time. "

"Hahaha..." Ronald was very happy.

"My move worked. The president immediately gave in and said I could mention Brando's name. But hiring him was impossible." Coppola then drank a little red wine, chewed a piece of salami, and then smoked He took a puff of his cigar.

"I fought with them for a long time, and finally the president said that Brando could be cast, but he had to agree to three conditions.

Gu Sheng

First, he had to star for zero pay.

Second, you must undergo an audition

Third, Marlon Brando must pay a $1 million bond, which will be withheld if his misconduct on set causes filming to be delayed. "

"How did you get them to give up on such harsh conditions?" Ronald was curious. It was impossible for any actor to agree to such conditions.

"I immediately agreed and said yes." Coppola laughed loudly. "You have to remember that these producers are amateurs. They said this just to show their power and that they can decide some things.

As long as Marlon Brando agrees to star, and I think he is the most suitable candidate, as long as the person with the real decision-making power nods, the final conditions will be modified. "

"Oh," Ronald nodded in agreement. This was a key point and he had to learn it carefully.

"Brando couldn't accept the audition, so I called him and told him there was a role for him, but it was Italian, so I wanted to go to his house and let him do some improv to get a feel for it.

Malone is a smart guy and of course he knew this was an audition. Like Japanese ninjas, my people quietly walked into his house and set up the camera. He understood what was going on as soon as he arrived.

He is a great actor, so he hates directors discussing how to act with him. I never told him how to act, so I brought him some salami and chino chips and crispy wedges and put them on the table.

This way he would be mentally relaxed and willing to audition for me. "

"So he auditioned in the end?" Ronald picked up a piece of salami and ate it with red wine. This thing is good with wine.

"Yes, Brando had just woken up from his nap, with long blond hair, and walked into the living room. He was only forty-seven years old at the time.

He had seen ‘The Godfather’ and knew I was auditioning. So he immediately combed his long hair and tied it into a bun behind his head. Then I took a box of shoe wax and made the hair exposed in front black.

He was very spiritual and told me that Vito Corleone had been wounded by a gunshot. This kind of person speaks very lightly. Then he muttered softly, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...".

He added that Vito was old and his cheeks would fall off. He took two more tissues, rolled them up and put them in his mouth, "Eh, uh, uh..."

I don't know what he's talking about, but I think it's a great performance. "Coppola imitated Brando's inarticulate acting method vividly.

"And then they were convinced by the audition?" Ronald asked.

"No, it's not. Ronald, you have to be flexible sometimes. There are bad guys in this business.

I got the audition footage I needed, put it on videotape format, and then as a little trick, instead of showing it to the president of Paramount, I flew to New York and showed it directly to the president of Gulf Western, the parent company of Paramount. Watch Charlie Bluehorn. "

"I told him I would only delay him for five minutes and he promised to take a look at the video."

At first Mr. Bluehorn was very reluctant and said to me, "No... no... no..." Then the scene came to Brando dyeing his hair black, putting a napkin in his mouth, and finally said in a weak voice, ' "Uh huh huh..." when he muttered.

Charlie Bluehorn immediately grabbed my hand and said, "Francis, that's great!"

"That's how that classic character was born."

After listening to Coppola's story, Ronald was very helpful. Sometimes, don’t argue with the producers. They often don’t know what the director is thinking. Use actual images to convince them.

The other thing is to find the right people and show them the right clips at the right opportunity.

CAA also failed to find a suitable Japanese actor, but Ronald still agreed with the professional vision of fellow director Avelson. He thought for a long time, called Niceta from CAA, and made an appointment with actor Pat Morita for a private meeting.

Pat Morita is a typical Japanese, short and polite. He grew up in America and is a second-generation immigrant. He also fully accepts American values, so his name is completely Western, with the last name Morita at the end and the Western name Pat at the front.

"Hello, Ronald. So do I still have a chance?" Pat Morita has not received any roles since the end of the sitcom "Happy Days". It was the most difficult time for actors. And he is of Japanese descent, so there are no suitable roles except for specific dramas.

Ronald talked to him about his views on the role of Mr. Miyagi. Avildson was right, Morita was indeed very suitable. When he was a child, he and his parents were imprisoned in a concentration camp for several years during World War II. And he himself was rescued by a kind church, who treated him for polio for free, and he did not have any sequelae later.

This mentality of both resentment and gratitude towards America is simply a replica of Mr. Miyagi. Except that he is a little younger than "Miyagi Chengyi", but this is not a problem under makeup.

"I agree with Mr. Avildsen, but your appearance is not good. You need to make some changes.

First, you need to grow a beard. Master Miyagi is a repairman who lives alone. He doesn't pay much attention to his appearance. You need to grow a messy beard, just like a single person.

Second... your English is too good."