I am Hollywood

Chapter 16: A Bold Idea



[Chapter 16: A Bold Idea]

"Want something to eat? I've got some... uh, chocolate and some apples?" Eric asked as he opened a somewhat empty fridge.

Stuart Ronkel shook his head from his perch on the couch. "No thanks, it's not a good habit to eat late at night. If you have some milk, though, I'd like a glass; it helps me sleep."

Eric raised an eyebrow and poured a glass of milk, handing it over. "Who told you that?"

"A book told me, Eric. Don't think I'm just some clueless little kid; I'm already seven years old."

Eric chuckled and nodded. "Alright, big boy. So what did your mom and dad argue about today?"

"Dad quit his job, saying he wanted to start his own company. Mom got into a fight with him. Ugh, women can be so troublesome. When Dad was still working, Mom always nagged him about how his company was too small and had no future. Now that Dad finally mustered the courage to quit, Mom immediately turned on him, saying abandoning a stable job was irresponsible to the family."

Eric reclined on the couch. He wasn't too interested in the Ronkels' family matters, munching on an apple as he laughed. "I think you're hearing and seeing a lot of things that aren't quite meant for a kid your age."

Stuart grinned, as if he'd received a compliment. His eyes darted around before he hopped off the couch and sat beside Eric. "Eric, are you making a movie right now?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah, almost done. I could get your mom to take you to see it when it's finished."

"Then, Eric, do you think I could be in a movie?"

"Hmm? Stuart, where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

Beaming with hope, Stuart replied, "I heard movie stars make a lot of money. If I became a movie star, I could earn loads for my family, and then Mom and Dad wouldn't argue anymore."

If the Ronkels were there to hear that, they might have felt ashamed.

Eric thought it over and finally responded, "But you're too young right now. You may not know this, but kids are one of the hardest things to manage in movies. Many films try to limit child roles. Even during shoots, directors are always on edge because if those kids start crying, the whole crew comes to a standstill. Plus, there are laws like the 'Child Protection Act' that make it tricky. The contracts signed by production companies don't enforce any strict rules for kids. So, I think it's better to wait until you're older -- at least until you're eighteen, like me." "Hey, Eric, I'm not one of those silly little kids. I'll be really obedient. I heard you're a writer; could you write a role for me? I'd really appreciate it." Stuart looked up at Eric with wide eyes. For a kid his age, he was surprisingly sharp, but he was still only seven, naively thinking that if Eric, the writer, penned a role for him, he could just jump right into the movies.

Eric's heart skipped a beat as he sat up straight, closely eyeing the little boy. He suddenly thought of someone: Macaulay Culkin. The mega child star who skyrocketed to fame with Home Alone.

In that moment, a wildly bold idea popped into Eric's head. Though it wasn't fully formed yet, he knew that if this plan succeeded, he could easily shatter the toughest barriers of age, funding, and qualifications to realize his dream. Sure, it was a tall order for him, who had nothing to his name at that point, but how would he know without giving it a shot? Life didn't hand out many chances!

And besides, looking at little Stuart, who clearly had a maturity beyond his seven years, that biggest uncertainty in the film equation vanished.

"So, Stuart, to be honest, I actually have a role that would fit you perfectly -- and it's the lead!"

Stuart's eyes lit up in surprise as he leaned on Eric's lap, tilting his little head up. "Eric, what's a lead?"

"Well, the lead is... the one who gets paid the most in the film."

"I want to act! I want to act!"

Eric continued, "But we'll need your parents' okay first. Let's get you home, and I can talk to them."

Just as they stepped out of Eric's house, they heard the sounds of the Ronkel couple next door.

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"I'm telling you, Charlison Ronkel, if something happens to Stuart, I'll divorce you!" Mary Ronkel's voice was stern.

The normally submissive Charlison suddenly yelled, "Shut up, you bitch! If you hadn't stirred up this fight, would Stuart have run away? Go check the basement and see if he's hiding there!"

Mary froze at her husband's outburst, momentarily dazed. Knowing she was at fault, she timidly followed behind him to search. Just then, Eric's voice called from next door.

"Hey, Mr. Ronkel, don't worry -- Stuart's right here." Eric lifted Stuart up, and upon seeing their son in Eric's arms, the couple released a sigh of relief.

After returning Stuart to the Ronkel house, when they heard Eric's general account of the day's events, both parents felt a pang of regret and promised they wouldn't argue in front of Stuart again.

"Actually, Mr. Ronkel, there's something else. Stuart just said he wanted to act in a movie, and it just so happens that I have a script that would be perfect for him. With Stuart's smarts, I think he'd have no problem playing that role."

The couple exchanged surprised glances. If they hadn't been aware of Eric's recent endeavors, they might have brushed his words off as a joke. But now, with Eric's name appearing even in the newspapers, they felt both surprised and a flicker of hope.

Their lives weren't going great; otherwise, they wouldn't be experiencing a midlife crisis. If their son became a movie star, it was easy to see what that could imply.

"Eric, can you share a bit about what kind of movie this is?"

"Of course! It's a comedy about a little boy who gets forgotten at home by his careless parents..."

After about five minutes, Eric summarized the plot and then added, "I just spoke with Stuart for a bit and realized that his intelligence seems to surpass the boy in the movie, so if you're okay with it, he could definitely give it a shot."

They all glanced at Stuart, who sat beside them looking obedient or at least pretending to be. "Dad, Mom, I think I can do it; this story is awesome!"

"He's still too young; I think..." Charles started to protest but was discreetly elbowed by Mrs.

Ronkel.

"Eric, could you give us some time to think it over?"

"Sure," Eric nodded, adding a little zest, "But you have to get back to me quickly. This film is set to release around Christmas, and if it does well, there's a chance for a series. If you agree, Stuart will most likely be the star of that too."

A film series? Even ordinary folks understood that the leading role would come with a heftier

paycheck.

At the same time, Eric cleverly didn't mention to the Ronkels that he planned to direct the film himself. Everything was still up in the air, and Eric couldn't be sure if the plan would come to fruition. He didn't want to hand the script for Home Alone over to Twentieth Century Fox or any other studio; he wanted to fully produce it himself. Given that he was only partially entrenched in the industry, it was clear that the challenges ahead could be substantial.

...

Back at home, Eric, buzzing with excitement, found it hard to sleep. He sat at his typewriter, rapidly pounding out the script for Home Alone while thinking through the specifics of how to

execute his plans.

First came financing. Regarding casting, aside from Stuart, he also needed two bumbling burglars, but Eric wasn't planning on inviting Joe Pesci or Daniel Stern from his past life. They were both already pretty well-known actors now, with Pesci even earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He knew he couldn't afford to pay either of their fees.

Eric decided to aim for two TV comedy actors; at this time, television actors didn't hold a candle to movie stars and often felt awkward admitting they worked in television, which meant their fees were significantly lower.

The shooting location definitely had to be Canada; Los Angeles had just entered autumn, while many parts of Northern Canada had already seen snow.

And there were other random complications...

The light in his bedroom shone throughout the night, and as sunlight streamed in, Eric got up

and stretched.

Having considered everything overnight, he recalled that the cost of the original Home Alone was about $18 million; from Eric's professional perspective, that amount seemed to be just the shooting and promotional costs combined. The pure filming expenses were probably around a few million, most of which went to actors and directors.

But now, with a complete movie version of Home Alone in his mind, all Eric had to do was transfer that vision onto film, saving on unnecessary expenses.

As for publicity, Eric had some plans in place too. But no matter how he managed the budget, he knew that without a million dollars, he wouldn't be able to make the film.

A million dollars! 17 Again would wrap up in a few days, and Eric would make about $150,000 from it, plus around $90,000 left over from his original script fee. That brought him to just

under $250,000.

Hmm, considering how well Jurassic Park was doing, he thought he could chat with Michael Krauss about possibly getting another $500,000; he'd still be left with more than $200,000

gap.

With a mindset of "let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Eric decided to start trying to

gather funds first.

*****

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