Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 556 Jodie Foster wants to come back

   "Jennifer?"

   Ronald approached, only to recognize that this mulatto beauty is the heroine of "Lightning Dance" Jennifer Beals. After "Lightning Dance", she turned down all invitations and came to Yale to study.

  This beauty knows what she wants very well, and she will leave as soon as she says it. After the movie was released, she declined all movie invitations, advertising invitations, and devoted herself to reading.

   Unlike Elizabeth Su, who went back to Harvard after the filming of "Long Wei Kid", Su also often accepted some advertising invitations, such as the recent Burger King commercial, where she and another beauty who succeeded Leigh Thompson starred together.

   "It's really a coincidence, I came to Yale to do some other things, I didn't expect to meet you."

   "This is?" The short blonde with blue eyes next to her looked at her good friend Bills.

   "Isn't this the famous director you were talking about this morning?" Jennifer Beers twisted around her friend's waist.

   "This is my friend Ronald, who was co-producer of 'Lightning Dance' and helped me a lot on set. Ronald, this is..."

   "Hello, Miss Jodie Foster needs no introduction." Ronald held out his hand.

   This child star, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and then involved in the case of Hinckley's assassination of the commander-in-chief, is already a fourth-year student at Yale.

  Jodie Foster made her debut at a young age, and is considered to be two or three years younger than Ronald. She pushed the wind-blown hair behind her ear with her hand, and then hugged Ronald affectionately.

   "I watched two new films you directed, very interesting."

"thanks."

"Let's go to the Java Cafe." Jodie Foster took the initiative to invite, and Ronald happened to ask the details of their alumni association, so the three went to the cafe near the tourist reception center and sat down and chatted. .

   Since being implicated in the Hinckley case, Jodie Foster has been scornful to reporters and turned away. Yale college students want to chat with her, but often get closed doors from her.

   It was the first time that I took the initiative to chat with people.

   "Although I haven't made a movie in Hollywood, I go abroad to make a movie every year during my holidays. I keep feeling good. I hope I can return to the film industry after graduation next year."

  Jodie Foster talked about the "New Hampshire Hotel" filmed in Quebec, Canada last year, and "Confusion", which was filmed in New Zealand this summer and just shut down.

  I haven't heard of Ronald, I just heard her tell some anecdotes about the filming. Natasha Kinski and Rob Lowe, who were filming together, are mutual acquaintances of the two, so they can chat for a while.

   "Have you had any new film projects lately?" Foster pointed to Ronald.

   "I'm not sure yet, I'm on vacation now." Ronald answered honestly.

  …

   "Ronald has a deep understanding of movies, and you can tell him directly about your affairs." Seeing Ronald's confused face, Jennifer Beers had to gently stroke her friend's back, and then spoke to remind her.

   "I saw The Hollywood Reporter today, and there is your interview. It talks about a new film from Cannon Films, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, and written by Mr. Akira Kurosawa."

   Jodie Foster saw this and had to express her thoughts directly.

   Four years in college, her film selections are mainly travel, taking into account the remuneration and the quality of the film. Who knows that the more the filming gets worse, the "New Hampshire Hotel", which was just released this year, has fallen to the bottom.

  7 million production budget, starring himself and two actresses Natasha Kinsky, starring Rob Lowe, a well-known youth film actor, only gained two weeks of tours in the theater, and ended with a huge loss.

  Hollywood is cruel. The object that was originally chased by people can no longer receive a good script. There are also those reporters who tracked themselves back then and could write a large report with just a few words, but they also disappeared.

   The agent has warned that if he does not make films that are recognized at the box office or artistically, he can realize his 80-year dream, quit the film industry, and become an ordinary college graduate.

  Judy Foster studied literature. This major is very helpful for film careers, but as an ordinary graduate, it has very little employment prospects. Many students of the same major are children of wealthy families, and they learn a little literature and art to improve their conversation.

   At that time, I wanted to leave Hollywood and hide in Yale, on the one hand because of the severity of the Hinckley case, on the other hand, because of the ignorance and stupidity of many actresses in the circle, and I did not like to repeat that kind of life.

   But when she was about to graduate, she gained knowledge and vision, and she began to miss the things she wanted to get rid of at that time - film appointments, fame, fans, and reporters.

"Ah, that's it." Ronald frowned, "Is it so difficult for actors to return to the film industry after they go to college? Former Oscar-nominated actors also have to take the initiative to play a role in a second-rate company like Cannon. ?"

  He tilted his head and took a closer look at Jodie Foster's delicate face.

  Foster knew that this was a professional act, and didn't take it seriously, he turned his head from side to side, lifted his hair, and let him see it.

"I can't guarantee anything, Konchalovsky is a director trained by the Souvelle Union, and the director there has a strong autonomy over the use of actors, so he places great importance on the casting of 'Runaway Train'. The proposed actor was also immediately rejected by him."

   "Oh," the fire in Jodie Foster's eyes dimmed a little.

"I can only arrange one audition. As for Andre's idea, no one can influence it. The boss of Cannon Pictures also values ​​his joining, and hopes to attract more big-name directors to film there, so this time he has room for autonomy. big."

"I'm overjoyed to be able to do this." Jodie Foster's baby fat still remained a little, not completely faded, she smiled, twisted her body from side to side, her small white T-shirt was stretched out. drum.

   "What's the matter with you here?" Jennifer Beers saw a good friend and Ronald agreed to help, and was very happy, and turned to ask Ronald's purpose.

"Yeah, I just recently learned that my great-grandfather was a Ph.D. in engineering from Yale University, and I was very surprised when I first learned about it, I was just a normal kid in high school in Staten Island, New York, so I want to find out if I can find any trace of him."

Ronald took a sip of his Americano with water, "So I'd like to ask any of you who are free to take me to the alumni record department to find out, maybe even my great-grandfather's school records. If possible, I I want to make a copy to take away as a souvenir."

   "You don't have to go to the alumni association to find out. Yale's library has detailed records of student attendance. When was your great-grandfather..."

"He was a fighter pilot in World War I in 1918 and was killed by the Germans. He probably graduated from Yale around 1910, but the time of his Ph.D. is not very clear. It should be no earlier than 1914."

   Ronald only had the name and year on a photo, and a few words, so he told the two beauties together.

   "Around 1910, there were probably only a few hundred graduates and even fewer Ph.Ds. It shouldn't be hard to find. What's his name?"

   "Gilbert V. Lee."

   "Okay, I'll take you there." Jodie Foster took the initiative to take Ronald to the library to check out the graduate materials of that year.

   Yale University's Stirling Memorial Library is the second largest university collection in the United States, housing more than 12 million books. On the front is a very old Gothic building with two towering minarets, and there are relatively advanced air conditioners with constant temperature and humidity inside.

   There is no need to register to visit here. Ronald followed Jodie Foster to the snow area of ​​the School History Museum, where the early graduates of Yale are collected. Students’ library cards are required to enter.

After going to the index card to find the list of graduates around the 1910s, Jodie Foster took Ronald to the microfilm for a long time, and then said to Ronald regretfully, "Sorry, Ronald Nader, I haven't found your great-grandfather's materials, it may be too old, and his materials have not been properly collected and kept."

  "Thank you", Ronald actually knows that schools like Yale attach great importance to the information of alumni, and their main source of income is the donations from alumni, and the proceeds from the donations from subsequent business investment.

   The so-called age and not properly kept are nothing more than an excuse. It's also possible that Ronald's great-grandfather was bragging and falsely reported his resume.

   "My grandfather James is also a Yale graduate. He was in the 1930s, before World War II." Ronald called out his grandfather's name again and looked at Jodie Foster with hope.

   "Okay, I'll find it for you." Jodie Foster went back to the 1930s graduate directory.

"James V. Lee, graduated in 1935 with a bachelor's degree in engineering, majoring in mechanical engineering." This time, Jodie Foster found graduation materials as she wished. She asked the administrator to make a copy of the graduation record and hand it over to her. to Ronald.

  "Thank you, thank you", Ronald, overjoyed, hugged Foster hard and made her spin twice in the air.

   "Hahaha, let me down, why are you so happy? Don't you keep records of your grandfather at home?"

   "I'm an orphan, and I never knew the history of my father's family before. This is the first history of my ancestors I got." Ronald put her down and explained his situation.

   "Oh, poor Ronnie." Jodie Foster touched Ronald's face.

"I'm so happy, I'll invite you to dinner, you have to tell me more about life at Yale, and let me know what you think about the movie characters, I'll go back to Los Angeles to see Konchalovsky, right, Give me one of your audition photos too."

   "Then we'll go to New Haven Town, where there is a restaurant called Hair Country, which is very nice and quiet for chatting."

   Jodie Foster regained a little bit of the state of the past, and the good times when the men in Hollywood lined up to invite her to dinner are back.

   "Wait for me, I'll put my things, and we can go there by bicycle later. Bicycles are the most convenient transportation here in Yale."

   said that, Jodie Foster took out an old copper key and walked to the student area of ​​the library.

   "Wait a minute," Ronald felt that the copper key looked familiar, "What kind of key is this?"

"This?" Jodie Foster picked up the big copper key in his hand. This is the key to the storage cabinet in the library. Not every student has it. Because of my actor background, I often read literature here. In order to prevent the harassment of reporters, the school gave me a little preferential treatment. "

"Can I take a look?" Ronald asked for the copper key, and it turned out that it was very similar to the one in the relic box left by his father. There was also a letter Y in a flower body, and a series of small letter numbers. .

   (end of this chapter)