Chapter 322: It’s Not Good #
“Eric, take a look. The situation isn’t what you imagined, Carole Bouquet, Nasta.s.sja Kinski, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani, these top European actresses either declined the invitation or are interested in the story but hope that you can minimize the explicit s.e.x scenes,” Jeffrey handed a stack of emails to Eric in the office and said.
Eric took them and silently looked through the responses. After a while, he shook his head and smiled bitterly, “It seems that I was thinking too simplistically.”
“Of course, it’s difficult to get a top-tier actress with good acting skills to star in ‘Basic Instinct,’ even these European actresses. Although they can handle the scale of this movie, if they are interested in developing their careers in Hollywood, they won’t easily take on such a film, or it will greatly affect their image in Hollywood. If they have no intention of developing their careers in Hollywood, it’s even more unlikely, as your film taste doesn’t match that of most European actresses who are used to making arthouse films,” Jeffrey explained.
“Oh, right,” Eric suddenly lowered his head and looked at the emails in his hand. “Carole Bouquet’s agent replied that she’s interested in this movie. Contact her and see if we can have her fly to Los Angeles for an interview.”
Jeffrey looked at Carole Bouquet’s profile and smiled, “Eric, this French actress’s image really matches Catherine Tramell’s character, but she just won the Best Actress award at the French Caesar Awards in March this year. I think it’ll be even more difficult to persuade her.”
“Then bundle it up. I have a planned movie whose female lead can give her a try. It’s also a big-budget production, with an investment of no less than 60 million dollars,” Eric said.
“How come I didn’t know about this?” Jeffrey suddenly became interested. “Can you tell me more?”
Eric smiled and shook his head, “This is confidential, and it may not necessarily be my next movie. I’ve already asked Stan and the team to prepare the pre-production work for ‘Ghost’, while also preparing for the early technical development of ‘Jura.s.sic Park.’ So, after ‘Ghost,’ my specific work arrangements have not yet been determined. Maybe I’ll start preparing for ‘Jura.s.sic Park,’ or maybe I’ll make some other simple special effects movies to acc.u.mulate experience.”
“Okay, I won’t ask,” Jeffrey said. “However, Disney is very dissatisfied with the progress of ‘Ghost,’ and they hope you can start filming as soon as possible.”
“They are not unaware of my speed of shooting schedules, even though this film will require special effects. However, the special effects needed are not too complicated. I will first shoot the parts that require special effects and hand them over to Stan for post-production. It won’t take more than a month, and we should be able to finish everything by mid-June as planned, leaving nearly a month for promotion, which should be enough.”
“I told them the same thing,” Jeffrey smiled and said, “but Eric, I think we should still prepare some backup plans. Many local actresses from the 23rd line have submitted their profiles. You may want to pick some of them. I think there are many good ones among them.”
“Then hand me their profiles when we leave. I’ll pick some and arrange a simple audition,” Eric said.
As they were talking, Jeffrey’s a.s.sistant knocked on the door and said, “Mr. Hansen, Mr. Williams, Mr. Roger Spottiswoode, and Mr. Don Johnson are here.”
“Let’s go,” Jeffrey said to Eric. “Finally, the director and male lead are now confirmed.”
Eric and Jeffrey arrived at a small reception room, where the three men quickly stood up. Eric saw Melanie Griffith appear in the room and was a bit surprised, but he soon realized that Melanie Griffith was Don Johnson’s wife.
To be honest, Don Johnson had always been just a TV actor, and his fame was not as great as his wife Melanie Griffith’s. Melanie Griffith probably came to give her husband some encouragement. The two had only been married for a little over a year, and their marriage was still in its honeymoon period.
Eric only chose Don Johnson as the male lead in “Basic Instinct” because of a certain movie in his memory. As for the original Michael Douglas, Eric felt that he was too old, and although his acting skills were good, Eric always felt that he lacked the strong presence to fully embody Nick’s explosive temperament.
As he shook hands with the couple, Eric suddenly thought of another person. Judging by the timeline, Eric’s rebirth should not have affected the appearance of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith’s daughter, Dakota Johnson. In a parallel timeline, Dakota Johnson starred in a famous movie called “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Speaking of it, Melanie Griffith’s family could barely be considered a Hollywood film family, but their influence paled in comparison to the Coppola or Fonda families.
“Mr. Williams, is there a problem?” Don Johnson asked curiously, as Eric looked at the couple with interest.
“Oh, sorry, just remembered something,” Eric smiled and turned to the other person, Roger Spottiswoode, a middle-aged man in his 40s with a thin face and gla.s.ses. His most famous movie in the past was probably “Tomorrow Never Dies” in the 007 series. However, now, although Roger Spottiswoode is already 45 years old, he has always been an unknown director, and there are no outstanding films. After Jeffrey recommended him, Eric specifically watched his movies and found that he was good at films like “Basic Instinct”. More importantly, Roger Spottiswoode was not only cheap, but also did not require the final editing rights, so Eric quickly decided.
After the small talk, the three of them sat down.
“Mr. Spottiswoode, you have already studied the script for several days, so tell us your thoughts on this movie,” Eric said.
“Of course, Mr. Williams,” Roger Spottiswoode nodded and said, “I think ‘Basic Instinct’ on the surface is about the process of investigating a deviant murder case, but actually it depicts a primitive desire, a wild pa.s.sion. From the script, it can be seen that Nick, as a detective, and the murderer Catherine Tramell are actually the same kind of people. They both have the most primitive destructive tendency hidden in their hearts. Therefore, it was in the process of being undercover that Nick accidentally killed an innocent tourist in a fit of excitement. Moreover, after the rock singer was killed, Nick initially confirmed that Catherine Tramell was the real killer. After that trial, Nick’s inner desire was provoked by Catherine Tramell’s teasing, leading to the subsequent violence towards Beth…”
Although Roger Spottiswoode has been a director for ten years, he has put a lot of effort into understanding this script. Everyone in the conference room was nodding their heads as they listened.
Eric also realized that Roger Spottiswoode probably wanted to seize this opportunity tightly, just like Jonathan Demme did with Eric’s “Silence of the Lambs”, which made him a first-line Hollywood director now. Although the script of “Basic Instinct” is relatively unconventional compared to Eric’s other movie scripts, it is still a script written by Eric himself. Even if it causes controversy in the future, the firepower will definitely be on Eric. As long as this movie is successful, this director can go further.
A group of people had been discussing various aspects of the filming of “Basic Instinct” for the whole afternoon. After work, Eric returned to Cliff Peak Manor with a thick stack of actress profiles for consideration.
As he entered the villa, a pet.i.te figure greeted him. “Hi, Vicky, when did you get back?” Eric hugged the girl and asked.
“I took the plane at 10:30 in the morning. It was a terrible experience, and I don’t want to sit on a long flight like that again.” Virginia complained, holding Eric’s arm. She had gone to Europe to attend a film award ceremony, and they had originally wanted to invite Eric, but he couldn’t make the time. Besides, if he attended every award ceremony in person, he would surely be exhausted. Jonathan Demme was busy shooting “The Silence of the Lambs,” so they had to let Virginia go.
“I hate long flights too. My experience going to Venice was terrible.” Eric smiled and said, “Since you’re back, why don’t you stay here? I’m going to New York in a few days, and you can help me look after the house.”
“I’m not going to help you look after the house,” Virginia pouted. “By the way, a guy named Michael Klaus brought you a copy of your new book in the afternoon. I read it, and the story was really great, but it was a bit short.”
As Virginia spoke, she left for a moment and returned with a hardcover book, which had a cover design that Eric had specially instructed, with green digits and the words “The Matrix” in the middle.
Eric nodded as he looked at the cover. “Not bad. I didn’t expect it to be published so quickly.”
He sat down on the sofa in the hall and began to read. Virginia gently put away Eric’s coat and briefcase before sitting down next to him. Eric naturally put his arm around her waist.
Virginia giggled a few times, then lay on the sofa, her head resting on Eric’s thigh. She felt his big hands gently kneading her neck, causing her face to blush and her chest to rise and fall a little faster.
“Have you decided on your next movie?” Eric asked casually.
“Not yet. I received many scripts, all of which were horror movies. ‘The Others’ has just pa.s.sed, and if I continue to act in horror movies, it will be difficult for me to transition in the future, so I want to try other genres.”
As she spoke, Virginia put aside the book in front of her and looked at Eric with sparkling eyes.
“Okay, I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Eric said casually.
“Um, how about you help me write a script?”
Eric smiled and gently pinched the girl’s face. “You’re so greedy. Will you act in ‘Basic Instinct’?”
Virginia happened to have seen the script for ‘Basic Instinct’ and glared at Eric in annoyance, challenging him, “If you want me to act, I’ll act.”
Eric pretended to be angry and flipped Virginia over, spanking her bottom a few times. Virginia moaned and then softened on Eric’s legs.
“Okay, get up now,” Eric said helplessly.
“Ouch, you’re so mean. You’re not considerate at all,” Virginia complained, turning her blushing face away and muttering a few words, but quickly got up.
“I don’t have any scripts that are suitable for you at the moment, so you’d better let Kapoor help you choose. Otherwise, bring some over for me to have a look,” Eric explained. Seeing the girl nod, he continued, “Oh, by the way, bring me the bag from earlier. I have something else to deal with.”
“But it’s already after work,” the girl said. She still got up to get the bag.
Eric took out a stack of files for actresses and flipped through them one by one, occasionally picking out one he thought was good and putting it aside.
“What are these for?” Virginia picked up a file and asked curiously.
“These are the candidates for the actress in ‘Basic Instinct’,” Eric said. “Most of the top actresses in Europe have refused, and the top actresses in Hollywood won’t take it. So, I can only choose from the lower ranks.”
“Actually, many actresses in the lower ranks have good acting skills,” Virginia said.
“Of course, but I don’t have time to search for pearls in the sand. If I can use more secure top actresses, I will. This way, there will also be a certain box office guarantee,” Eric said.
Virginia sighed lightly and soon felt lucky, “Eric, you’re busy. I’ll make dinner. What do you want to eat?”
“Just make whatever you want,” Eric said without looking up.
The girl knew that Eric was telling the truth. Eric wasn’t picky about food, so she got up and went to the kitchen.
Eric had only picked half of the files when the phone behind him rang. Eric got up and picked up the cordless phone, and Jeffrey’s voice came through, “Jeffrey, is there something wrong?”
“……”
On the phone, Jeffrey spoke for a while, and Eric thought for a moment before saying, “Okay, let’s talk on the phone. You can give Carole Bouquet my phone number here.”
“……”
“No problem, I’ll hang up then.” Eric pressed the hang-up b.u.t.ton and placed the cordless phone on the coffee table in front of him, continuing to browse through a list of female actresses in front of him.
More than ten minutes later, the phone rang again. Eric picked it up casually, and a female voice with somewhat imperfect English p.r.o.nunciation came from the other end: “h.e.l.lo, Mr. Williams, I’m Carole Bouquet.”
……
Half an hour later, Virginia came out of the kitchen and called Eric to dinner. She saw Eric still holding the phone and pacing back and forth in the empty s.p.a.ce by the French window, gesturing and speaking animatedly. She didn’t dare to disturb him.
After a while, Virginia saw Eric hang up the phone and casually toss the cordless phone onto the sofa. He looked exhausted as he collapsed onto the sofa.
The woman walked over to Eric and asked tenderly, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I invited a French actress named Carole Bouquet to star in ‘Basic Instinct,’ but she still refused,” Eric replied.
Virginia wanted to tease him a little, but she didn’t expect there were still actresses that Eric couldn’t invite. However, seeing Eric’s anxious expression on the sofa, she quickly suppressed her emotions and comforted him, “It’s okay, take your time to choose. There are still people who are willing to act. Hmm… Carole Bouquet, the spokeswoman for Chanel No.5 a few years ago?”
“Yes, and she also played a Bond girl,” Eric nodded.
“I remember a little bit about her. It’s said that she’s a very independent woman. After playing the Bond girl, she didn’t want to continue being just a decoration and returned to France to act in art films,” Virginia said.
“Let’s not talk about her. If she refuses, then let it be,” Eric said dejectedly. In any case, most Hollywood movies are like this, full of twists and turns during casting. Even Steven Spielberg or James Cameron couldn’t avoid it. He remembered in his previous life, Cameron spent several months convincing Fox to let Leonardo DiCaprio play Jack’s role in t.i.tanic.
“Well then, let’s eat first,” Virginia said.
Eric nodded and stood up, heading towards the dining room.
It was already past ten o’clock at night. Virginia was wearing pajamas, holding a pillow and leaning against the big bed, watching Eric still pacing back and forth while making phone calls with a list in his hand.
“I don’t care about that. We’ve given them enough time already. If they can’t come tomorrow, then it’s just a pity… Tomorrow, I will finalize the female lead for ‘Basic Instinct’. Yes, on the spot. They called from New York an hour ago. Royce and the two leads have been waiting there for a week. I can’t waste any more time. That’s it, I’m hanging up.” Eric let out a sigh of relief. He hung up the phone and put it on the bedside table before collapsing onto the bed, feeling a bit exhausted. He reached out and hugged Virginia’s soft body, greedily smelling her fragrance. His mental stress immediately dissipated a bit.
Virginia gently ma.s.saged Eric’s temples with her small hands and softly said, “Eric, do you really have to be so anxious? You’re already so outstanding, why do you have to tire yourself out like this?”
“These were all just plans for the first half of the year, but unfortunately, because of what happened at the beginning of the year, I wasted more than three months of time. That’s why things have turned out like this,” Eric explained, sounding somewhat listless. “I always feel like time is too tight and there’s too much I want to do.”
“I really wish I could help you, but unfortunately I don’t know how to do anything,” Virginia said softly.
Eric laughed and hugged her waist tighter. “You can actually help me. Just be my big pillow. I like to sleep with a woman in my arms.”
“Is that all you want to do?” Virginia said in a flirtatious tone, reaching out to turn off the bedroom light. The room suddenly became dim because the soundproofing was done very well. Although there was wind outside, there would be no sound of waves coming in, and the surroundings were quiet.
“Yes, just sleep with you in my arms,” Eric said, hugging Virginia and resting his head on her full chest. Without realizing it, his eyelids began to droop and he soon fell asleep.
Virginia stared blankly for a moment before compa.s.sionately pulling up the blanket to cover the two of them.
……
Inside the firefly’s audition room, a woman wearing a simple coat sat on a chair with her legs crossed and a relaxed expression on her face. She took out a cigarette from her pocket and smoked it, always wearing a faint smile on her face.
“You can’t smoke here, Miss Tramell,” the a.s.sistant behind the camera spoke up.
The charming woman glanced at the a.s.sistant and said, “Are you going to sue me for smoking?”
After finishing her sentence, she lit up the cigarette and took a puff, exhaling a wisp of smoke. After a brief silence, the a.s.sistant asked, “Can you tell me about your relationship with Mr. Buzz?”
“We had a s.e.xual relationship for about a year or so. I like to make love with him, and he’s not afraid to try new things. I like that kind of man who can give me a lot of pleasure,” the woman spoke openly while smoking her cigarette, not concealing her desires.
“Have you played s&m with him?” the a.s.sistant asked again.
“You guessed it right,” the woman continued to smile.
“Would you tie him up?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Have you ever tied him up?”
“No, I haven’t,” the woman denied once again, “Johnny likes to use his own hands, and I like his hands.”
Just as the a.s.sistant was about to ask another question, Eric interrupted, “That’s enough, let’s stop here.”
The woman sitting on the chair immediately showed a disappointed expression, feeling a little resentful in her heart. The preparation time given by the firefly was too short. She received the audition invitation in the morning and rushed over, with less than an hour to prepare.
However, despite her complaints, the woman dared not reveal them in front of Eric, or else there would be no hope at all. “Mr. Williams, I think I can try again,” she said.
“No need,” Eric said, “Although your appearance is very suitable for the role of Catherine Tramell, your performance doesn’t show much of Catherine’s characteristics. You were too restrained just now, as if walking on thin ice. I understand that this may be because you didn’t have enough preparation time. However, the most fatal point is that I couldn’t see the potential in you, a potential that can release Catherine’s feminine aura. So, I can only say sorry.”
After patiently explaining, although the woman was still a little unwilling, she didn’t ask for anything else and left the room with a sense of loss.
After the woman left, Jeffrey couldn’t help but speak up, “Eric, I feel that your mood is not right. You’re too impatient. Why don’t we take a half-hour break and give those actresses another half-hour of preparation time? After all, there are only 11 people left, and we have enough time to complete all the auditions.”
Eric sighed and looked at his watch. There was still enough time. He had just eliminated eight auditionees on the spot, and if he continued like this, he would come up empty-handed today, and the lead actress in “Instinct” would remain unfilled.
“Tell them to take a half-hour break,” Eric stood up and said to Jeffrey, “I’m going out for some fresh air.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Jeffrey nodded.
As Eric walked out the door, the auditioning women who had been waiting on the hallway benches stood up involuntarily.
“Take a half-hour break, and you can prepare more in the meeting room over there,” Eric said to the women before heading to the other end of the hallway.
The remaining women exchanged glances, and several of them were eager to follow him, but in the end, they did not move.
When Eric arrived at the end of the hallway, he was about to go into the restroom to wash his face and clear his head, but a woman suddenly walked out from inside and collided with him. She lost her footing and fell to the ground, causing Eric to take a step back.
The woman was initially angry, but upon seeing that it was Eric, she hastily stood up and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. It was an accident.”
“It’s all right, it was my fault,” Eric shook his head and looked at the woman with unusual eyes, “Your name is Joanna Pacuła?”
The woman’s eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded, “Yes, Mr. Williams. I didn’t expect you to know me. By the way, about the audition…”
“Take a half-hour break, and you can prepare more,” Eric interrupted her, his heart beating slightly faster, “Miss Pacuła, can you repeat the first sentence you just said?”
“What?” Although confused, Joanna Pacuła still repeated, “I’m sorry…”
“Yes, that’s the one. Say it again a few more times,” Eric leaned against the wall at the corner, took out a cigarette, and lit it himself.
Joanna Pacuła was hesitant when she heard Eric’s request to apologize repeatedly, but she still repeated the sentence: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” She tightly squeezed the red leather purse in her hand and kept repeating it. She felt that the young director in front of her was too unpredictable. She had just accidentally b.u.mped into him, but he was putting her through all of this. For a moment, Joanna Pacuła thought that she was certainly not meant for this role today and wanted to gather her courage and leave. However, she still held onto a glimmer of hope.
“Okay, stop now,” Eric finally interrupted her repet.i.tion, “Your accent is off, it doesn’t sound good.”
“……”
“I looked at your profile last night. You are from Poland and used to be an actress at the Polish National Theatre?”
“Yes,” the woman nodded.
“Why did you come to the United States? Being in a national theater is better than being a third-rate actress in Hollywood, right?”
Joanna Pacuła paused before saying, “Because of political reasons…”
Eric nodded, not interested in politics. He took a closer look at Joanna Pacuła, who was the same age as the original female lead in Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone. But compared to Sharon Stone, the woman in front of him looked much younger. It was hard to believe that she was already in her early thirties.
“I can’t believe you’re already 33 years old,” Eric said with emotion.
Joanna Pacuła’s expression dimmed. Women generally do not like to focus on their age. Moreover, when she thought about her situation over the years, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of sadness. In 1980, due to the political turmoil in Poland, she was once under house arrest. It was not easy for her to immigrate to the United States. The man who helped her immigrate did not care for her after that and married another woman.
For years, she had been drifting in Hollywood alone, feeling like a lonely ghost. Although she played the female lead in a low-budget horror film last year, the movie only grossed $1,000,000 and did not bring any improvement to her career.
The more Joanna Pacuła thought about it, the more sad she became. She glanced at the man in front of her. It was clearly his fault earlier, yet she had to apologize repeatedly. He was despicable. She suddenly felt that the whole world was bullying her, and tears welled up in her eyes unconsciously.
“Um, what’s wrong with you?” Eric saw Joanna Pacuła crying and felt a little at a loss. He searched for a tissue from his pocket and handed it over. “Don’t cry.”
Joanna Pacuła wiped her eyes with the tissue, but the more she wiped, the sadder she became. She couldn’t help choking up and said, “You despicable Americans. That jerk sent me to the United States and then abandoned me. You…you’re also a jerk. I just accidentally b.u.mped into you, but you treated me like that. You despicable people…all of you are bullying me.”
Eric raised his hand in panic and shouted, “Okay, stop.”
Joanna Pacuła’s voice trailed off. She wiped away her tears and suddenly realized what kind of situation she was in. She regretted it immediately. Her chance was completely ruined.
When Joanna Pacuła stopped crying, Eric asked, “By the way, I didn’t pay close attention last night. Why do you want to be in this movie?”
“What?”
“I mean, ‘Basic Instinct’,” Eric continued.
“So what?” Joanna Pacuła asked softly, puzzled.
Eric thought for a moment and said, “I don’t want you to act in this movie. You should go for more mainstream movies, since you can enter the Polish National Theatre, your acting skills must be excellent.”
“Do you think I don’t want to act in mainstream movies?” Joanna Pacuła said, “But where can I get such an opportunity? I have auditioned many times, and I have never succeeded. They always find various reasons to reject me, and I can’t compete with local actors.”
Eric thought for a moment and said, “Okay, let’s not partic.i.p.ate in today’s audition.”