Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 184 Accompanying

   Ronald sat in the living room of his hotel room, opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and his manager Ed Limato.

  Limato insisted on coming to see him with Pfeiffer this time, and Ronald changed to a larger room. With a huge amount of royalties to cover, Ronald opened an executive suite, which has a living room more than ordinary rooms, as a place to talk about business.

   "So, in general, you lost the power struggle on the set?" Limato pointed out Ronald's situation bluntly.

"I can't say that. I'm not a failure. At my age, if I can sell a script for a big production with Jane Fonda, I can be considered a success." Too in-ear.

   "It's not a failure at all, I'm sloppy, Ronald. As an ordinary person, anyone who can rely on your ability to achieve what you are now can proudly say success.

   But this is not the case in Hollywood. I have been in this industry for a long time. There are many examples of screenwriters becoming famous overnight. Most of them won an award, and after they wrote a big production, they went silent. "

After   Limato apologized for his statement, he explained some truth to Ronald.

   In Hollywood, screenwriting is the lowest level of any creative profession. Not to mention the one who sold a screenplay like him, even the screenwriter who won the Oscar for best original/adapted screenplay disappeared immediately.

   This is because the production of real big productions in Hollywood is limited. At the level of the eight major studios, a family can open up to 10 large productions a year, with a production budget of more than 8 million US dollars. For small-production films, the requirements for screenwriters are not so high. An exploitative film like Roger Coleman can't pay much screenwriter salary.

  Famous screenwriters will either continue to produce high-quality scripts and become the top existences that big studios are competing for. Or just switch to the TV industry, where screenwriters are staged. Every year there are countless new TV series, old TV series that continue to be filmed, and different episodes of each TV series. The screenwriters there have initially had a team division of work.

"You're a grown man, Ronald. And you helped me in the process of signing Michelle, and I treat you like family. So I'll be straight and honest with my family. Treat each other," Limato said to Ronald.

   "My plan for Michelle is to first play important supporting roles in various mid-production theatrical films and TV movies, give up TV dramas completely, and then look for opportunities to play major roles in small and medium productions."

"This would have been a great opportunity to play a supporting role in a Jane Fonda film, to make audiences remember Michelle Pfeiffer, and to be very helpful in her 'critical leap' from supporting role to leading role , you should insist, screenwriters have a lot of say in many film productions."

"But this is not", Ronald interrupted him, "you don't know, this is Jane's crew, she is the most valuable asset in this film, and I even became the president of Columbia for the power of adaptation. In front of Mr. Price, I stressed the importance of the main line I designed, but..." Ronald was at a loss for words.

"Well, Hollywood is a place that only sees the results, without this key role, I can only continue to run for her, there is a TV movie 'Cowley and Her Son' looking for an important supporting role, I will contact Casting director."

   "This failure will at least delay Pfeiffer's 'critical leap' for more than half a year." Limato gave Pfeiffer a wink and motioned her to go together,

   "Miss Pfeiffer will be very busy next time. The acting class is very helpful to her. Charlie Chen's director praised her acting very well. She doesn't have much time to waste on you..."

   Michelle Pfeiffer, who was sitting, suddenly stood up, "I don't allow you to talk to Ronald like this, Ed."

   "Please give me and Ronnie some alone time," Pfeiffer told his agent Limato.

   "Michelle, in fact, this matter is not completely hopeless, Mr. Ovitz promised..."

   "Ronnie, is that what you're going to tell me?" Michelle Pfeiffer approached, leaning against Ronald and raising his head into his eyes.

"I'm not going to end here, Michelle. Trust me, I'll write a script that will impress the producers, and I'll direct it myself. Then you'll be the heroine." Ronald opened his arms and hugged Michelle Pfeiffer said.

   Pfeiffer in his arms moved and gently pushed Ronald away.

   "Ronnie, you still don't quite understand a woman's heart."

   "I'm not asking you to get me more roles, that's Limato's job."

   "All I want is the company of a man."

Pfeiffer continued in Ronald's arms, "I don't really have to be a big star. Now there are dramas, advertising jobs, rented apartments and beautiful clothes. I have nothing dissatisfied with this life. .

   I just want to be like a normal lover, we can eat together, walk together, travel together, I will bring you dry cleaning, and you will dry my hair. "

   "But you were born to be a star, Michelle."

   "I don't know, Limato said the same, but what I need is your company. And you are always busy with your career, and your studies are also in New York..."

  "I can accompany you..."

   "Really? Can you move to Los Angeles then?" Michelle Pfeiffer asked looking up.

"I……"

   "Or do you live here six months a year?"

   Ronald was silent.

"Ronnie, you are my savior, and I will always love you. But I am a fragile person, afraid of a lonely life..." said Michelle Pfeiffer in Ronald's arms. cried.

  Ronald patted Pfeiffer gently on the back, "Don't cry, Michelle. You'll make it, and your fans will make you want to be alone."

   Michelle Pfeiffer gave him a light slap with a tearful smile in her arms. "You always make me laugh. We'll always be friends, Ronnie."

  Limato walked into the room just right, saw Michelle Pfeiffer's red eyes, and smiled imperceptibly.

  A relationship between an actress and a screenwriter is the worst choice in terms of commercial value. Basically, it is the destination of many actresses after they are old and degenerate.

   But Michelle Pfeiffer is a rising star. She should find a star actor, a producer, and preferably a director who is suitable for her acting path and make a movie for her.

   Like the legendary actress Ingrid Bergman, to Roberto Rossellini. Or the hot **** actress Bo Derek, to her husband John Derek.

   It would be best to let her break up with this screenwriter naturally without damaging her relationship with Michelle.

  …

   A few days later, at an Italian restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard, Ronald invited old friend Gale Hurd, New Century's assistant to the president, to eat with James Cameron.

"Ronald, I hope your story is true," Gale said after listening to Ronald, "but as a friend, I want to say, do you find it difficult as an actress to act out that emotion? "

   "I don't know, but people's intuition for lies is actually very powerful. I do think that Michelle really said that paragraph."

   "Ha, you're a hopelessly romantic boy." Gail picked up a bottle of beer and drank it.

"I think this is a normal thing. Artists are always full of emotions. If Ronald considered emotional issues very rationally, he would not be able to write such a good script." Came, who just returned from the New York studio to Los Angeles Long has a different opinion.

"Many famous great artists in history have their muse. The period with the goddess in their hearts is their most creative stage. Some lucky masters have different outstanding women as them at different stages. The muse appears."

   "I can't see Jim you're a romantic too, who is your muse? Is your wife Sharon?" Gale glanced at Cameron.

   "No, I'm just a stunt engineer and haven't met the muse in my artistic life." Cameron shook his head. The Great Escape from New York crew returned to Los Angeles, and the studio, Embassy Pictures, rented a Universal studio for them to shoot indoor scenes. Stunt engineer Cameron is on vacation to meet old friends.

"So how did you sell your script?" Gale was very interested in the news that has been flooding the entertainment headlines in the past two days. After all, it is a big production. Just the transfer fee of the script can be shot at New Century Productions. movie too.

"Honestly I don't know either. In hindsight, it's more luck." Ronald also took a sip of beer. "The biggest determinant of this matter is Jane Fonda. Ovitz found Jane Fonda. Looking for yet another Vietnam War movie, Columbia needed the news of a big-name movie star to fight a hostile bidder, and I was the one who wrote the right subject at the right time."

   "How was the Great Escape from New York?" Ronald asked about Cameron's progress.

"It's very hard, the whole film is a night scene. Every day I shoot until 7:00 in the morning, then go to bed, and continue to shoot at 7:00 in the evening. As the main creative team, we have to get up an hour earlier to watch the daily sample, and we haven't seen it all month. Sunlight."

   "Does the film work well?" Gale is also interested in this film, which has a similar theme to Roger Coleman's exploitative film, but with a bigger budget, several million.

   "Very good, John Carpenter is good at making low-budget, studio-meaning low-budget movies of course. It's going to be a hit."

   "How about you? Ronald, when are you going to Canada?"

   "I'll go as soon as I get my passport. It will take a few working days to apply." Ronald snapped his fingers and called the waiter to check out.

  The waiter brought a bill on the plate, Ronald took out his wallet from his hip pocket, took out a brand new Wells Fargo credit card, and two bills as a tip, and gave it to the waiter.

  The waiter used a machine at the front desk, put the card on the carbon paper, and quickly swiped the credit card with the black slider above. The number prominent on the plastic card was printed on the carbon paper, and then took it to the credit card company to ask for money.

   "A new toy given to me by a bank. It is said that it can also be used in Canada. I have to familiarize myself with it, otherwise it will be troublesome if I can't get it in Montreal." Ronald explained to two friends.

  Click, the cashier swiped again, but the numbers on the copy paper are still not clear. "Sir, we still have to call the credit card company to confirm."

   "Um." Ronald didn't expect that there would be a problem with the new credit card given by the bank, "Let's just use cash."

Gail next to    burst out laughing, "Let Ronald handle it here, Jim, where's your Harley? Take me home."

   "Well, looks like I'll have to exchange some traveler's checks," Ronald thought.

   (end of this chapter)