Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Don't be depressed, Ronald." Cameron patted Ronald on the shoulder. Kathryn Bigelow thought he was more interesting between the two directors, which made Cameron a little proud.

"Ah? No, it's just that the casting of my new film is not going well." Ronald replied. He talked about the situation that he couldn't find a suitable second female villain in his new film "Working Girl".

"What kind of actor do you need?" Cameron and Bigelow both felt it was interesting. Ronald is famous for using unknown actors in his films, and there is no wrong casting for the main characters in each movie. Now can't find a suitable actor?

"I need a strong woman who the audience will think of as a tough and sophisticated strong woman as soon as they see her. It's best if she is a famous female star." Ronald explained, and the two people on the opposite side understood it.

Whether the actor fits the role in the casting has a lot to do with the actor's fame. When using unknown actors, you can try to find the one with the most similar temperament. But this time Ronald needs a star that the audience is familiar with, so there will be much less room for searching.

"You might as well try Sigourney Weaver." After listening to Ronald's requirements for the role of Katherine, Cameron recommended Ronald the actress of "Alien 2" directed by him.

"Huh? Sigourney Weaver?" Ronald didn't expect Cameron to recommend an actress who plays a female officer of the Space Force. Do you think she can play the kind of rich girl temperament who is sophisticated on the surface but superficial on the inside?

"Sigourney is a very plastic actress. You might as well take a look at her old works." Cameron smiled without saying anything. This actress has played farces (Ghostbusters), serious themes (Dangerous Years), and romantic comedies of the New York middle class (Annie Hall).

"Then I'll ask my agent to find a copy to see." Ronald found it hard to imagine that an actress who prefers action movies could make Cameron think that she could play a Wall Street elite. Sigourney must be an extraordinary actress.

"Aha, she is indeed the kind of actress the director likes the most." Ronald finally watched the excellent works played by Sigourney in the small screening room of the Fox Building. She has played an official at the British Embassy and a New York chick. She is an actor who is particularly good at capturing the outstanding characteristics of different roles. People can be convinced at first glance that she is the kind of person who plays the role.

And she has a trait that the camera loves her. The expressions and movements in the lens can make the audience immerse in the story from her perspective. This kind of actor is the favorite of directors of low-concept art films. The plot is not intense, and subtle expressions can also attract the audience's attention.

Ronald immediately called the casting director Julia Taylor and asked her to contact the other party's agent to see if she is interested in auditioning.

…

"Hi, hello, Ronald. I received a call from Jim (Cameron). I didn't expect you to invite me." Sigourney Weaver came to the audition room with a smile on her face and greeted Ronald.

"I didn't expect that a female officer of the Space Force could grasp the yuppie temperament of Wall Street so well. Please sit down."

Ronald looked at the bright red coat and black pants that the other party wore on purpose, and knew that Sigourney Weaver was very interested in his movie. This whole set of clothes looks like a high-quality product that is not cheap, and the other party deliberately wears trousers. The whole person presents a different charm from female officers, but it represents the charm of professional women in a certain profession.

"Please read this line to the camera." Ronald took out the script and handed it to Sigourney.

Sigourney Weaver read it for a while, then brewed her emotions and read the lines:

"Some basic rules. In my opinion, you are my contact with the outside world. People's impression of me starts with you. When necessary, you must be tough; you must be considerate to customers and important people; keep accurate records and do things on time; don't make promises you can't keep."

Ronald and Julia Taylor looked at each other and nodded repeatedly. This is a scene where Catherine first met Tess and set rules for her in the office. Sigourney Weaver read this boss's slightly harsh emphasis very well.

"I drink black coffee, and my lunch is at one. Put a pack of Lux (high-end cigarettes) in your desk. I'm never on the other phone, I'm always in a meeting (Katherine's excuse when it's inconvenient to answer the phone).

I think we are a team. Therefore, we have to wear the same style of clothing. It should be simple, elegant, and impeccable. Wear tasteless clothes, they will pay attention to the clothes themselves. Dress impeccably, they will pay attention to the woman in the clothes. For example: Coco Chanel?"

Sigourney Weaver continued to read the next paragraph, hiding the contempt of the rich girl for Tess, who came from a poor family, in the lecture. Tess's family background is impossible to afford Coco Chanel brand clothes. This is undoubtedly a greater stab.

"How do I look?" Julia Taylor, as an audition stand-in, read a line of Tess. She found that her boss Katherine was dissatisfied with her clothes, so she had to carefully ask the other party what she didn't like.

"Take off the jewelry that distracts from the main role," Sigourney Weaver continued...

"I also want your advice and welcome your ideas. I like to see my hard-working subordinates get rewards. In my team, we have a two-way communication path. Am I clear?" Sigourney Weaver got into the state, and the look of looking down was very realistic.

"Yes, Catherine." Julia Taylor was brought into the scene by her. At this time, Tess felt heavy. This new boss was not easy to serve.

"And" Sigourney Weaver put on a face that was casual and deliberately put away the dissatisfied expression, "you can call me Catherine."

Ronald couldn't help but stand up and applaud. This deep-seated contempt for secretaries was a common problem among certain classes of people on Wall Street. Sigourney Weaver did not let Ronald direct her and acted out this subtle feeling naturally, which is the performance of a very powerful actor.

"How did she do it?" Ronald was very satisfied with the performance of the actress he had met once, and called Cameron and said that he would probably choose Weaver as the second female lead. He recited Sigourney Weaver's lines in the audition and couldn't help but admire Cameron's ability to recognize people.

"She comes from an acting family, and her husband is a Broadway director. She lives in Manhattan, New York..." Cameron reported several background keywords of Sigourney Weaver.

"Stop talking, I understand, thank you, Jim." Ronald thought to himself, presumably in addition to the actor's own ability, he also gained from living in Manhattan, New York, and observing those company executives.

I took the audition video to show it to Goldberg of 20th Century Fox, who also recognized Sigourney Weaver's acting skills and was very satisfied with Ronald's choice.

Sigourney Weaver's previous roles in "Ghostbusters" and "Alien 2" were very good at the box office. American audiences are very familiar with her. The joining of this kind of star is very good for the promotion of "Working Girl".

"Sigourney, did my audition director call your agent?" Ronald called Weaver afterwards.

"Yes, Ronald, I'm very happy to have the opportunity to work with you." Ronald's previous film "Top Gun" and the heroine of "Dirty Dancing" have achieved star status after working with him. A leap in improvement. That's why Weaver wanted to work with Ronald.

"I'm calling you to ask about your schedule. I've found two real female executives on Wall Street for you and the heroine Demi Moore. After Christmas, you have to shadow them for a period of time and observe how they usually behave. How to speak, how to arrange work, how to participate in meetings, how to communicate with customers.”

"That's great, I have no problem with my time, I've just finished filming 'Gorillas in the Mist,' a film about naturalist Diane Fossey (an expert on gorillas in Rwanda who was murdered by poachers in 1985) ) life movie, Jim (Simpson, her husband) would be happy if she could go back to Manhattan for Christmas.

"Then it's settled." Ronald was also very happy. The main roles have been decided, and then he can move to New York and start preliminary preparations.

…

"Ronnie, it's been a while since you spent Christmas with your aunt." Ronald was busy auditioning for other roles in New York, as well as getting a crash course in Demi Moore's secretaryship with Theresa Kate. In addition, I also met with two senior female executives from Wall Street investment banks recommended by Steve Bannon.

Both of them speak and act like the female bankers that Ronald imagined. The biggest difference between them and the actors who play them is that they are not as beautiful as the actors. Of course, choosing beautiful women to star in commercial movies is a very necessary beautification.

Another difference is that these two female executives are chain smokers, which Ronald did not want to repeat in the movie. Recently, big cities like New York and Los Angeles have begun to divide smoking and non-smoking areas in public places, driven by the calls of many Hollywood stars and the appearance of anti-smoking advertisements. The intensity of enforcement has also begun to change under public pressure. big.

Therefore, in the movie, Ronald also has to conform to the trend of public opinion, and smoking is limited to scenes where a few characters undergo drastic changes and feel depressed.

"Fortunately, my new movie is being shot in New York." Ronald chuckled and brought back gifts for his aunt, her boyfriend, and Donna, which he took out just in time.

"Thank you, thank you." My aunt received embroidered jewelry from China, her boyfriend received a set of high-end kitchen utensils, and Donna received an authentic cashmere scarf, which was light and warm.

"Is that all the gifts?" Donna looked at the scarves this year compared to the previous gifts she received from her cousin, such as cars and jewelry. Her own salary is quite high, so saying so is completely a coquettish act towards her cousin.

"If you have any wishes, you can tell me." Ronald rubbed his nose and looked like Santa Claus.

"Hahaha... I'm happy with whatever you give me," Donna smiled at Ronald, then took out a small box from her bag and handed it to Ronald, "Your gift."

"Oh, I didn't expect to receive a gift from you." Ronald opened it and saw a Montblanc signature pen inside, with a white Mont Blanc logo and a thick black pen. The body and gold nib feel good in the hand.

"This is a gift from your aunt." Aunt Karen also took out a small box. Ronald opened it and saw that it was a European pilot's watch that was the same as the one handed down from his ancestors. The scales under the large dial are also luminous, which is very suitable for Ronald's identity as a director and is also very practical.

The family happily finished their Christmas dinner when little Douglas ran over and chatted with Ronald.

Donna said hello to him and went to her room. Douglas Jr. shrugged and told Ronald about the election for deputy commander.

"I have been accompanying George Jr. for some time. They are now in the lead in the party primaries and are likely to be nominated at the Election Day convention next year. His brother Jeb has also resigned from his public office in Florida and returned to join his father's campaign team."

"Hmph...our friend George Jr..." Ronald knew that his friend was not as favored by his mother Barbara as his brother, and it seemed that his influence in the campaign team would decline.

"Now is a critical moment. George Jr. and his brother Jeb are both responsible for fundraising. If George Sr. is elected, these two sons will have political ambitions."

"George Jr. wants to go into politics?" Ronald was a little surprised. This man has always been like a Texas cowboy, without any big ambitions, like the uncle that everyone has in their family.

"Joining the campaign team, he must have seen the benefits of politics." Douglas Jr. actually learned a lot of internal secrets while working with George Jr. for the campaign.

"Okay, how much do you want to donate to him? How much will I give?" Ronald understood that what Douglas Jr. said was very clear. In the George family, they were already tied to George Jr., the son. If George Jr. could perform better than his brother in the fundraising activities...

And Barbara has always taken good care of her family. If George Sr. is elected, then these sons may all hold important positions.

"It is not appropriate for individuals to donate too much. In addition to legal provisions, in New York State, all Elephant Party figures must respect seniority and donate a suitable amount." Douglas Jr. explained to Ronald the rules of political donations.

Ronald knew the amount Douglas Jr. donated, and he also took out his checkbook, wrote a check with a similar amount and handed it to him.

"However, although we don't need to donate too much, we can also donate to the political action committee that supports George Sr." Douglas Jr. put away Ronald's check and took out a promotional material and handed it to Ronald.

"Continue to Promote Jobs and Prosperity Action", Ronald looked at the name on it, "What does this mean?"

"The new election law stipulates that the American people can spontaneously organize various action committees. There is no legal restriction on the money here, and it cannot be used in the campaign of a specific candidate.

These political action committees (pacs) are all established to achieve certain goals. Support any candidate who vows to promote these goals to be elected..."

Little Douglas explained that this kind of pac is not regulated by the election law, and there is no donation limit for various organizations. But in fact, it is indeed used in TV and newspaper advertisements or ground promotion to support a certain candidate.

As long as you don't directly state in the advertisement that you support a certain candidate, you can advertise it. For example, this "Continue to Promote Jobs and Prosperity Action" action committee can advertise that we support continuing prosperity for America and continuing to promote employment. We think that old George is the perfect person to achieve this goal.

This method of covering one's ears and stealing the bell is legal and is widely adopted by candidates at all levels of elections.

"OK", Ronald looked at the number that was many times larger than the previous donation, frowned, and still took out the checkbook and signed another one. This money can be used to buy several new German imported luxury cars for myself and my family.

"Don't be like this. If George Sr. is elected, this money will be worth spending." Douglas Jr. knew that Ronald was not familiar with these political operations, so he opened the promotional materials of "Continued Promotion of Jobs and Prosperity Action" and pointed to an inconspicuous item in the action plan for Ronald to see.

"Support a more reasonable and continuous reform of the federal tax system..." What does this mean? Ronald didn't quite understand this kind of words.

"Hehe, it means to postpone the reform of personal tax collection on investment income." Douglas Jr. laughed.

"Ah ha?" Ronald became interested. That's it.

The current president has made drastic reforms to personal income tax. While the overall tax rate has dropped, the supervision of tax collection has also become stricter. One of the biggest reforms is that there will no longer be any tax rate preferences and delayed collection preferences for income from securities, real estate, and other investments.

After the stock market crash, Ronald bought those stocks. After the tax reform, the income would have to pay nearly 20% federal personal income tax. This tax reform is obviously a reform trend of reducing the burden on the middle class and strictly levying taxes on the wealthy class to expand the tax base.

However, there are many rich people on Wall Street in New York who are many times richer than Ronald. They don't want to pay so much income tax in vain. Therefore, many PACs aiming to suspend the collection of personal income tax on investment income have been established. They are all waiting to see who can become the presidential candidate of the Elephant Party, and then provide huge funding to ensure that the new president can continue the golden age policies of the past seven years.

"Is it enough? If not, I'll add more." The PAC headed by Ronald and the Douglas family, of course, placed a bet in advance and began to give blood transfusions to George Sr.'s campaign team in the primary stage.

"Don't worry, there are still many rounds of fundraising. If you donate more, you can have dinner with Barbara and take photos with George Sr."

"Hehe, I have all of these." Ronald put away his checkbook with a smile. Although the temporary donation is a bit painful, the benefits that George Sr. can bring from being elected are also huge. A tax-free policy can save him... at least millions of dollars in expenses.

"Don't worry, there's another one here..." Douglas Jr. smiled and took out the third donation information and handed it to Ronald.

"What is this?"

"The biennial federal congressman election will also be held at the same time. This year, we support the candidate for the 14th district of New York State."

Ronald looked at a white man in the promotional materials, about 60 years old, with gray hair. His eyes were firm and he looked very imposing with glasses.

"Guy Molinari, his father Robert was my grandfather's comrade-in-arms in World War II and was the first Italian congressman in New York. Guy himself is also a veteran of the Marine Corps, and they are both die-hard Elephants."

"I'm donating the same amount as George Sr., right?" Ronald took out the checkbook again.

"You've already gotten started, hahaha." Douglas Jr. picked up the check and put it away.

Ronald looked at the list of New York State congressmen in the promotional materials last term and found that there were all kinds of skin colors in it. In several districts north of Manhattan and several districts in Brooklyn, many congressmen were black or people of color.

For example, the 14th District represents the Wall Street area of ​​Lower Manhattan and the entire Staten Island. The skin color of the congressman is similar to the race of the voters.

"It is good for you to support him. With Guy Molinari helping you with the land you are going to build a Chinese-style garden, the Staten Island government and the New York City Hall will be able to approve the land use change procedures more quickly."

"Of course, I will call his office." Ronald thought to himself that the top leader gave him the benefit of tax cuts, while the congressman could be regarded as a local boss. This federal congressman who has been re-elected three times can open the door to various administrative issues in his hometown.