Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 698 The taboo of stars

  Tom Cruise's agent Paula specifically asked Ronald to talk about the role of "Moonlight Sultry".

   She graciously made Ronald a cup of coffee, "Ronald, Tom has just established himself as a male star, you know, a star is not for that kind of role.

   And you are also a super-selling director, the script that you like must be very good, and I don’t want you to operate on the script in order to accommodate Tom’s star image. "

   "Is it because Ronnie in the script is a disabled person, the fingers of one hand were cut off by the bread machine, and he used a wooden prosthetic hand?"

  Ronald took a sip of coffee. Paula Wagner's level of coffee was average, but she deliberately liked the coffee she brewed, and it felt okay to drink.

"No, if it's a disabled role, Tom can also take it. It's just that this role is crazy, and the lines are a bit hysterical, as if there's a lot of madness and pain inside. Stars can be flawed, they can play physically disabled, but such a character is flawed. The role is really not suitable.

  If you want Tom to play, then this part has to be adapted a bit. Ronnie couldn't hold grudges against his elder brother, even though he was disabled and hopeful for the future. You can't go to bed directly with your eldest brother's fiancee, there must be a foreshadowing here.

   He must show his affection for his brother's fiancee, Loretta, and then, after hearing that his brother abandoned Loretta, offered to marry the woman he loves. "

   "Well, what else?" Ronald took out a small notebook and wrote down Paula's words.

   "And..." Paula will continue to propose some plots and dialogues that are not in line with the stars.

   "Almost got it, wife. Ronald's teasing you." Nisita stopped his wife Paula, who was very serious.

   Paula looked up at Ronald, visibly stunned.

   "Hahaha..." Both Ronald and Nisita laughed.

   These two men thought of Tom Cruise's star status when he was cast in the role of Ronnie, not suitable for the role.

  Celebrities do not need to have any character growth in their characters, nor do they have any shortcomings. Even if they have shortcomings, they are cute and don’t need to be changed.

   But Nisita always laughs at herself that her wife cares more about Tom Cruise than she cares about herself. If Ronald reveals any meaning, Paula will definitely come to discuss with Ronald nervously.

   Ronald didn't believe it, so he still called Paula, and this was the scene where he personally served coffee and asked to let it go.

"Actually, what you said is still very useful to me. I haven't worked with famous stars before, and Tom's status at the time of Top Gun was not as good as it is now." Ronald also asked Paula about star participation. The taboo of movies.

   For example, stars will pay more attention to their own image, and some of them will ask to change their lines in order to be more in line with their star image - the image of stars is accumulated in each movie.

   There are also some more difficult stars, and they will make all kinds of excessive demands. For example, you need to arrange a babysitter for your pet, ask a friend to chat in the trailer between filming, arrange a schedule with an astrologer, certain scenes cannot be shot at certain times, and so on.

   Of course, the most troublesome thing is that some stars will ask for the privilege of watching samples, and when they feel that they are not beautiful in certain scenes, they will ask the director to retake them.

   This is the most troublesome. In fact, many stars don’t understand post-editing at all. They don’t know how the shots they shoot are combined into the final film. So many times the requested reshoots are actually a waste of time and money, and they can't tell which part the director edited in the end anyway.

   Seeing Ronald attaches great importance to her opinion, Paula also put down her anger at being teased.

She finally pleaded with Ronald, "If Tom hears the wind, he will definitely come and ask to work with you. He will definitely hear the wind... He is very interested in roles that can show and develop acting skills now, By the time……"

   "I know what to do."

   Ronald smiled, Tom Cruise likes movies that challenge his acting skills, but this kind of role, like Paula said, would never be considered by him, as long as Ronald doesn't recommend it highly.

Paula was obviously very happy, and after she thanked her again, she thought of something, "I heard you want Cher? Don't blame me for not saying it, she's very hard to deal with. During this time she was dating Tom, I was suffering. Enough of her being picky."

"Hey...I know." Ronald waved his hand. He had already known from insiders that Cher was a very easy-going person in life, but she was extremely picky when it came to her singing and acting. There are also many requirements for life, and I must live in the best hotel, etc., and put forward a lot of requirements.

  …

   Sure enough, Tom Cruise knew the content of the new film prepared by Ronald through other channels, and he immediately called to ask for a meeting.

   "You came back from Singapore?" Ronald asked Cruise, who broke into the house.

   "Ronnie, why didn't you come to me? I thought we were best friends?"

   "Of course we are best friends."

   "Then why didn't you ask me to play your new film? We should continue to work together. Did Paula tell you something?"

  Tom Cruise immediately thought of the crux of the matter.

   "Listen to this." Ronald handed over a small tape recorder and pressed the play button.

   "Why did you marry Johnny? He's an idiot." Ronald's voice came from the tape. He was also trained in Messner's systematic acting skills, and his breath came from his dantian, and an angry emotion was well expressed.

"Where are you taking me?" Helen Slater's frightened and anticipatory voice also appeared on the tape. She was prompted by Ronald, and now the skill of her lines has increased, and it is no longer the original dramatic tone. The way is gone, the tone of speech is getting closer and closer to the truth.

   "Go to bed!" Ronald growled.

   "Ah... God, well, I don't care, take me to bed, I don't care." Helen's voice showed an emotion of giving up self-esteem and succumbing to desire.

  Tom Cruise looked solemn, "Is this the line of my character Ronnie in the script?"

   "Yes, you can listen further down." Another line follows.

   "I don't have a life, my brother Johnny took my life. How can I have a life? I bake bread here every day, shovel the dough into this stove in a stinky sweat, and shovel the bread out.

   Then my brother Johnny said he was getting married? Let me go to his wedding? what! what! "

   Ronald's lines in the recording are very rhythmic, and when they reach the climax, they clapped the table.

"I don't have a life! I don't have a life! I lost my hand! I lost my hand! My fiancee also ran away! Johnny still has a hand! He still has a wife! You want me to take this fake hand to his happy wedding. Go away!" Ronald read to the climax.

   "Beast, what a beast", Helen said the last line.

   "Click", Ronald pressed the recorder. In this climax of the scene, I still lacked some lines of ability, so I read it so-so.

   "Do you have a concept?"

   "Well, it really doesn't suit me." Tom Cruise also heard that there are too many dark sides in this role, and I am afraid it is not suitable for his star status.

   "But your lines are very good, can you bring me this recording? I like to ponder such wonderful scenes."

  "It was meant for you", Ronald threw the small tape recorder to Cruise along with a copy of the script.

  Tom Cruise has severe dyslexia, and it is very difficult to read the script by himself, so Ronald prepared a recording for him to let him easily understand what this play is and why he is not suitable for the role.

  …

   After a while, the two agents, Nisita and Richard, walked into Ronald's house again.

   "Ned Tanin is quick to say yes, but he won't give the project the green light until you get a female star to sign. He prefers Diane Keaton."

   "Disney and Twentieth Century Fox are skeptical of a script that clearly needs stars, but both agree that if you can bring in big names, they're more than willing to invest."

  Nisita reported the results of initial contact with several major studios.

"My side is similar. Universal is still in turmoil because of that duck. I'm afraid there is no spare energy to promote this kind of project. MGM is pushing Kim Basinger. Her 'Love you for nine and a half weeks' made them After making a lot of money, I want to continue to win over this cash cow."

   But I asked Mr. Weintraub and he said that MGM is still pausing all filming to make room for him. He heard that you wanted to do a new script and said he wanted to chat with you at the premiere of 'Dragon Power 2'. ' Richard reported on contacts from several other studios.

   "Has Cher's agent replied?" Ronald asked about his favorite heroine candidate.

   "She said she was surprised that you would make a movie with her, and said that she was a difficult star. If you really want to work with her, give her some recordings of the script first."

   "Oh, yes." Ronald clapped his head, how could he forget that Cher, like Cruise, was severely dyslexic, and she might not have read the script she sent.

   "Okay, here's a rehearsal of a dialogue I recorded with Helen. You can send it to Xue Er first. I'll find someone to record a more complete version later."

   "Is there anything else?" Ronald seemed to have something to say when he saw Nisita.

   "Francis called and he said he wanted to talk to you about the new film." Nisita is also director of Coppola's agent.

   "He is also interested in this script?"

   "No, since he made The Godfather, the Italian gangsters have become interested in the film industry, and will interfere with some scripts that expose too many dark sides of the Italian gangster.

   Your script is an Italian story. As the head of an Italian director, he wants to ask you if you have any gangster content. "

   "He knows how to spread it, hehe." Ronald smiled and was about to call Coppola to reassure him.

   "Huh? Why don't I go meet him." Ronald then thought, Coppola is a very traditional Italian-American parent, why don't you ask him what he thinks about making this kind of romantic comedy. When I was dealing with several major studios, I always felt that I couldn't grasp the point. I just asked Coppola, who had experience in shooting the "Godfather" two parts, for advice.

   (end of this chapter)