I am Hollywood

Chapter 84: Lost in L.A.



[Chapter 84: Lost in L.A.]

"I want to know why you let Kepler turn down those offers. If it hadn't been for some people slipping the scripts directly into my hands, I wouldn't have even known I'd received those invitations."

Julia grew more and more agitated as she spoke, ultimately pointing a finger at Eric's nose to lay into him. "Disney offered six million dollars for Lost in L.A., and you didn't even bother to ask for my opinion before turning it down. Six million dollars! How could you be so unreasonable? I'm not your puppet, so please show me some respect..."

Eric leaned back against the sofa, allowing the lady to vent her frustrations like an enraged little cat. He couldn't help but chuckle when he thought about Disney's Lost in L.A., as the screenwriter, J.F. Lawton, was the very same guy who had penned the original script for Pretty Woman in his former life.

During his time in Richmond, many studios had blatantly ignored CAA's block against UTA and sent offers directly to Julia and Al, as well as a few other stars from Pretty Woman. If UTA had been stuck with only a bunch of low-tier actors, Hollywood studios might have shied away from using UTA's performers out of concern for Michael Ovitz's influence. They'd think it was easier to avoid trouble than to deal with him.

But now, thanks to the runaway success of Pretty Woman, UTA had Julia and Al as its main attractions, while supporting actors like Jason Alexander had gained some recognition too. The lure of profits made many studios overlook their concerns regarding CAA, especially the six major studios that both loathed and felt helpless against them. Eric even maliciously speculated that the six studios might have sent a series of offers to UTA actors purely to spite Michael Ovitz.

Al Pacino patiently waited for the project Eric promised him, Scent of a Woman, so he'd turned down other offers without hesitation. Al had no objections.

Julia, however, couldn't afford to be so cavalier. Kepler had sifted through the scripts and eliminated those with low offers or that looked like duds. The remaining scripts were discussed over the phone with Eric.

Thus, Eric naturally learned about the script for Lost in L.A. When he heard the writer's name, curiosity got the best of him, and he had Kepler fax the script over to him.

Once he read it, he couldn't stop smiling. J.F. Lawton had clearly reworked his previous script, turning it into a love story centered around the male protagonist. It had already been established that in the original timeline, the initial script for Pretty Woman was a dark story called 3000, which depicted the reality of life for sex workers in Los Angeles, only to later be transformed into a romantic comedy during filming.

Lost in L.A. followed the story of a businessman who, while on a work trip to Los Angeles, ended up lost and had all his luggage stolen. The character, successful in his career but a fool in his personal life, was taken in temporarily by a kind-hearted woman of the night, and after a series of escapades, the prince and Cinderella found their happiness together.

Eric immediately recognized that this story was a spiritual successor to Pretty Woman, but he couldn't accuse them of plagiarism since the narrative had been cleverly revised. A film giant like Disney could hardly be caught with a smoking gun.

In Eric's view, if this story, similar to Pretty Woman, were made with Julia as the lead again, it surely wouldn't end up losing money, especially since the film's budget wasn't high. But recapturing the box office magic of Pretty Woman was unlikely -- it was like someone who had just eaten was completely full. An apple or a glass of juice might still go down, but if you served up another serving...

"Hey, are you even listening to me? You're able to smile through this?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Julia's voice snapped him from his thoughts. He looked over to see her leaning in, a hint of anger on her face.

"Have you finished?" Eric asked, locking eyes with her earnestly.

"Yeah," Julia nodded. As their gazes held, she suddenly realized her earlier outburst and quickly sat back down, chastened.

After days of hearing nothing but flattery and praise, it was easy to feel a bit inflated. But the serious expression on Eric's face reminded her that he wasn't someone she needed to impress; rather, it was she...

Thinking along those lines, Julia unconsciously crossed her arms and rubbed her elbows, casting a wary glance at Eric.

"During my time in Richmond, I've spoken with Kepler regularly over the phone. Al already signed on for his next movie, so we discussed your offers. As for Lost in L.A., I even had Kepler fax me the script to read."

Hearing Eric had been so thoughtful about her, Julia felt a flicker of guilt for having snapped at him just moments before.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Eric waved it off, "I'm not trying to take credit here. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten the promise I made that night. I told you I would elevate a girl named Julia Roberts to the heights of Hollywood legends like Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"But I'm feeling a bit disappointed right now. This is just the first success, and you've already become so impatient. What are you aiming for?"

Eric's previously calm tone began to blend with a reprimanding edge, prompting Julia to almost reflexively defend herself. "I..."

He cut her off. "Now that you've got some fame, just as you said, Disney offered you six million dollars. There aren't many actresses in Hollywood who can claim that level. If money is tight, you can always take out a loan; banks are quite generous to Hollywood stars. What you need to do now is carefully solidify your position. If you want to go far, being cautious isn't just beneficial -- it's critical."

"I understand."

"No, you don't fully grasp it yet. You seem to look a bit put out. Take Lost in L.A., for instance; six million is indeed a hefty price. Tom Hanks only received two million for last year's hit, Big. But if you take on this film, you would be diminishing the box office draw you built with Pretty Woman. It's not as simple as one plus one equaling two; it's more like subtraction. Have you ever seen a star land two similar roles in close succession and have both turn out successful? It's just like those blockbuster franchises in Hollywood; sequels wait several years for the audience's anticipation to reach a peak before moving ahead with filming."

*****

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