Chapter 459: Chapter 460: Inside Scoop

Chapter 459: Chapter 460: Inside Scoop[Chapter 460: I'll Handle It Personally]

Nicole stepped out of a restaurant with Pat Kingsley after their lunch and received a call from Paula Wagner.

Although the sound quality of her Motorola microTAC phone wasn't the best due to analog signal transmission, Nicole could still sense Paula's frustration and disappointment during their conversation.

Once Nicole hung up, Pat, who had been listening in, asked, "Did Paula turn you down?"

Nicole nodded. Paula had still chosen Tom Cruise this time around, but Nicole wasn't discouraged. While Paula had sacrificed the opportunity of Mr. & Mrs. Smith for Cruise's production company, there were already some cracks in their relationship. If Cruise's upcoming films were to succeed, things might hold together, but if not, their falling out was only a matter of time.

"That's understandable. Paula has worked with Tom for so many years, and their bond..." Pat shrugged and didn't finish her thought. But Nicole knew it was just the usual drama between agents and actors. Based on what she knew of Cruise's personality, it was clear that Paula had been accommodating to him the entire time.

Nicole wasn't interested in diving deeper into the gossip. She was about to call Eric to inform him of this news when Pat's phone rang again.

"Hello, Pat Kingsley here... Paula," Pat raised an eyebrow and glanced at Nicole, continuing, "What's the matter?"

A few minutes later, Pat ended the call, her expression complex. Paula had called to inform her that Tom Cruise wanted to terminate their management contract.

Nicole observed Pat's stunned demeanor and said, "I'm sorry, Pat. I didn't expect it to turn out this way."

"It's not your fault, Nicole," Pat quickly smiled, relieved. "This might actually be for the best. I always wanted to manage a few more talents, but he acted this way after signing you. So, our separation was bound to happen sooner or later."

Nicole stepped closer, linking her arm with Pat's, and whispered, "How about I treat you to dinner again?"

"Alright, I said it's not your fault," Pat was several years older than Nicole and seeing her like a little girl made any lingering resentment vanish. "Also, I want to remind you that you've eaten enough today. For the sake of your figure, I recommend at least half an hour of exercise tonight. Don't ignore these things; many actresses lose their figures because they neglect those little details."

"I know, I know," Nicole nodded obediently. "So what are you doing this afternoon?"

"I still have a year and a half left on my contract with Cruise. Since he wants to terminate it unilaterally, I need to negotiate some compensation," Pat replied. "Also, I already have my eye on a few good actors. Since I'm ending things with Cruise, it's a good opportunity to negotiate with them. You wouldn't mind if I signed someone else, would you?"

Nicole didn't mind at all. With Cruise gone, she would be Pat's biggest asset. Even if Pat signed other clients, she would still focus most of her efforts on Nicole for a long time. Furthermore, the agent's main role was to guide the actor's career, and for that, Nicole had better choices than Pat. "Go ahead and sign whoever you want. If they're good actors, I can talk to Eric and see if I can get them audition calls. But it's just auditions; I can't guarantee anything. They'll still need to rely on their talent."

Getting audition slots directly from Eric meant they would be for big-budget productions he was personally handling. Although those commercial films might limit the actors' range, they were incredible opportunities to gain exposure. Even minor roles in such films would attract many unknown second or third-tier actors.

After hearing Nicole's suggestion, Pat wasn't polite at all. "Let's agree on that then." "Of course," Nicole smiled and leaned closer to Pat, whispering, "Let me tell you a little secret, but don't share this -- do you know about Jurassic Park?"

Pat nodded, knowing that was hardly a secret.

"Eric mentioned that the actors for that film could only take the minimum wage set by the union. So, you get what I'm saying?" Nicole said, raising an eyebrow at Pat.

Pat's eyes widened as she quickly grasped it. The fact that the actors would only receive the minimum wage was a tactic many big-time directors used to save on production budgets. However, very few directors in Hollywood dared to propose such conditions. Eric was clearly in a position to do so.

However, if such conditions existed, only Oscar contenders would attract the interest of top Hollywood stars. This left the opportunity for lesser-known actors.

Most of Hollywood's popular stars already had stable management teams, which was why Pat aimed to sign the up-and-coming actors with great potential. By informing her of this inside scoop, Nicole gave Pat a head start to prepare, possibly increasing her chances of landing roles in Jurassic Park.

"Thank you, Nicole," Pat almost pulled Nicole in for a big hug, excited. She had even resolved to temporarily set aside the need to negotiate compensation from Cruise and focus on securing contracts with those actors. She was eager to pursue the roles in Jurassic Park.

After parting ways with Pat, Nicole hopped into her car, feeling a surge of excitement. Those three women from TG Films had formed a little circle around Eric, and she wasn't about to let herself be left out. She had already taken a great first step, hadn't she?

...

"Since Paula Wagner gave up this position, I'll handle it myself," Eric said after hearing the news from Nicole.

When Kathryn Bigelow was filming Point Break, Eric had served as a producer before. This role wasn't as mysterious as most people thought; the producer often acted like a thread, weaving every aspect of film production together. Aside from being somewhat tedious and requiring strong organizational skills, it didn't encompass anything too intricate.

Unlike independent producers in Hollywood who needed to oversee everything personally, someone in Eric's position often only needed to give directions, and things would get done. When Disney and Columbia learned Eric would take the reins as producer for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, they were all for it. Without going through a lengthy incubation period, Mr. & Mrs. Smith quickly moved into the stage where the script was locked and funding was secured, and several teams began pre-production based on the script's requirements.

As for the directing side, Firefly's invitation via Golden Harvest quickly reached John Woo, which he accepted gladly. Given this, everything proceeded remarkably smoothly.

...

After accepting the invitation, John Woo arrived in Los Angeles around mid-March. Recognizing the significance of this opportunity, he still brought along a martial arts team despite the film not requiring many fight scenes.

The Firefly filming base in Playa Vista was near Los Angeles International Airport, so Eric had someone take John Woo there directly upon his arrival.

"Hello, Mr. Woo. Welcome to Los Angeles," Eric greeted while shaking John Woo's hand at the entrance of the studio.

"Hello, Mr. Williams. I'm honored to meet you. I enjoy your films," John Woo said warmly. Hong Kong was still a British colony, many locals could speak English quite well. "Thank you. Let me introduce you to Stan Winston, an exceptional special effects artist and CEO of Digital Domain; this is Robert Harkins, vice president of Columbia Pictures; and this is the lead actress for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Nicole Kidman. This is my assistant, Allen Fisman..." Eric introduced everyone, with John Woo shaking hands as he went.

After the introductions, John Woo hesitated to introduce his few companions, feeling somewhat small compared to the Hollywood bigwigs. Although his martial arts director hailed from the renowned Yuan Clan, he felt it paled in comparison to the others.

But Eric showed consideration and asked about them, prompting John Woo to provide a brief introduction.

Once they exchanged pleasantries, Eric led John Woo and the others into the studio. As they entered the facility, everyone, including John Woo, displayed expressions of shock. Compared to the makeshift studios back in Hong Kong, the scale of these studios could only be described

as stunning.

Eric had allocated a full 100 hectares for the Playa Vista location, which included not just the studios but also numerous supporting facilities. The permanent staff at this studio already exceeded two hundred, and this didn't even account for the crew from Digital Domain. "What we've just seen is merely the traditional studio area. In addition, we have two virtual digital studios currently under construction specifically for shooting special effects scenes, expected to be operational next year," Eric guided John Woo and the others around before leading them into the administrative building's office.

At this point, only Nicole, John Woo, and a couple of associate producers from Mr. & Mrs. Smith remained. The Columbia vice president left after a brief appearance.

As for Stan Winston, he had only come by briefly and returned to Digital Domain for further work. Although the special effects for Twister had completed, and Jurassic Park was yet to start, Stan had been swamped with projects since last year's Terminator 2. John Woo's assistants were escorted by Allen to their accommodations ahead of schedule.

"Mr. Woo, your accommodation has been arranged here in LA. You can stay there temporarily during the filming of the movie. if you need anything else, you can call my assistant or reach

out to me directly," Eric offered.

John Woo looked somewhat startled by the courtesy. Before arriving, he had received some information about Eric from Raymond Chow at Golden Harvest. He had also heard of instances of Hollywood showing bias against outsiders. "Thank you, Mr. Williams, but let's focus on the film for now, shall we?"

"Of course, that's no problem at all," Eric nodded with a smile, noticing John Woo's

hesitation.

Handing over a complete script for Mr. & Mrs. Smith to John Woo, Eric noted that due to confidentiality, John Woo had only seen a rough outline back in Hong Kong. As John Woo opened the script, Eric added, "Mr. Woo, you can take your time reading the script privately. Let's first discuss the creative direction for the film. Since you've seen the outline, perhaps Searᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

you can share your thoughts?"

"Sure," John Woo replied while retrieving some prepared documents from his briefcase to hand to Eric. "Here are my thoughts, Mr. Williams. I hope you'll take a look."

As Eric flipped through the materials, he noticed they were sparse in writing, mostly storyboards. However, having a clear picture of the film in his mind, he quickly recognized the scenes depicted in the sketches.

"From my perspective, while Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an action film, its true essence is an allegory about marriage. Therefore, during filming, I wish to create some external set designs to reflect this. For instance, the villa where the couple lives should have a sleek, stark style to symbolize the emotional distance between them. The villa's eventual destruction would signify the resolution of their emotional barriers, marking the turning point in their

relationship," John Woo expressed.

*****

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