Crossing the Santa Monica Mountain Highway and entering Daenerys Studios from the north entrance, we arrived at the parking lot in the three-story administrative area of the studio. It was not yet nine o'clock in the morning, and the parking lot, which was large enough to accommodate hundreds of cars, was already there. It was densely packed with people coming and going in a hurry, and it was filled with a strong and vibrant energy.
Amy asked Jessica in the passenger seat to get out of the car and searched for a moment before finding an empty seat in a corner of the parking lot and hurriedly drove over.
After parking the car, the two women walked side by side to the office building. Amy looked around and said with some inexplicable pride because she had just participated in a blockbuster film by Daenerys Entertainment: "There are so many people, Paramount and The set at Fox is like a nursing home compared to this place.”
"I think so."
As Jessica said this, she happened to turn around an intersection and saw a tall black-haired girl wearing sunglasses walking past them and heading towards another office building. She suddenly felt a lot of pressure again. Her appearance was hers. The biggest shortcoming is that even Amy is not as good as her. During this period, her agent suggested that she get plastic surgery.
It’s not that I’m unwilling, it’s mainly that I don’t have the money.
Amy was much calmer than Jessica, and she even turned her head and looked at her: "I think I've seen that one before, is it a model?"
"Shalom Harrow, she guest starred as Matt Dillon's girlfriend in the recently released "Ins and Outs"," Jessica reported her name, but couldn't help but add: "Now she appears here, It must be the kind that is not developing well, otherwise it should participate in fashion weeks in Europe."
Amy felt the sourness in Jessica's tone and smiled, "Maybe I'm here to audition for some important role."
Jessica subconsciously said: "She is not Simon's type."
Amy smiled and asked: "What type does Simon like?"
Jessica was stuck for a moment, and then rolled her eyes at Amy.
However, think about the girl who just showed a seductive temperament in her aloofness. Her skin is fair and fair, which has been popular in recent years. She does not have the rumored taboo sausage mouth. Her face may not be beautiful, but it is definitely not ugly either. What's more, Besides, he's in such good shape.
Hey, comparing people to each other makes people angry.
Amy looked at Jessica with a slanted expression and continued to make additional cuts: "Besides, maybe Simon will change his taste occasionally."
Jessica stared over and noticed the smile on Amy's lips. She quickly put her arm around her arm and scratched Amy's waist with her other hand.
Amy's arms were restrained and she couldn't escape, but she didn't dare to get too involved with Jessica on this occasion, so she could only beg for mercy with a sullen face.
As they spoke, the two women had arrived at the entrance of a coffee shop on the ground floor of the administrative area staff restaurant.
Lena Kane, the two female assistants who were waiting at the door, saw them appear. They stepped forward and began to scold them: "What happened just now? Be careful, this is not your apartment."
Amy broke away from Jessica's clutches, stepped forward and hugged the short round-faced girl's arm affectionately, but she tried to rebel: "Lina, I am a big star now, and I am also your boss. You should treat me with some respect."
Lena Kane also rolled her eyes and entered the coffee shop with Amy, saying, "I was just about to say, it's time for you to give me a salary increase."
Amy was immediately discouraged: "Okay, let's change the topic."
Jessica seized the opportunity: "No, I'm waiting for the follow-up."
Although she doesn't say forgiving, the close relationship between the three women is actually obvious. In recent months, although she is also a newcomer transferred from WMA, Lina has tried her best to take care of them in all aspects, and is very professional, including negotiation, public relations, and schedule coordination. He is very familiar with all aspects.
Both women are not stupid. Such an assistant, if they can cooperate for a long time, will definitely help their careers a lot. Therefore, the two of them don't say anything on the surface, but they have a tendency to rob people without knowing it. After all, as their status increases, it will definitely not be suitable for them to share an assistant.
Moreover, Lina is obviously a very independent person. If Amy really behaves like the boss, she will probably be fired in turn.
Everyone entered the cafe and sat down. After ordering coffee, Lina quickly took out a few pages of the script and handed it over: "Jason has to deal with some things temporarily and will arrive in half an hour. This is the audition for "Celebrity 100" Please familiarize yourself with the script as soon as possible. The official audition starts at 10 o'clock. Also, some bad news, Jesse, the heroine of "Elizabeth" has been selected, and the afternoon audition is cancelled."
"Elizabeth" is the latest project of the former Tentative Pictures team under Gomen Pictures, which specializes in producing British films. It tells the legendary story of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Having successively produced hit films such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "BJ's Diary", and "Six Pigs", every project of the British team under Gaomen Pictures has attracted the attention of Hollywood, and the two female agents Jie Sam Bast tried to get them audition opportunities. He thought that Amy, as the heroine of "The Ghost Story", would be more likely to be noticed, but it turned out that Jessica Chastain was shortlisted.
Amy's image is very different from Elizabeth I.
For this audition, Jessica has been rushing around to promote "The Ghost Story" and has been training her British accent every day. She did not expect that the audition would be suddenly cancelled.
The hand holding the script in her hand tightened subconsciously. Jessica looked disappointed and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's an actress from Australia named Cate Blanchett," Lena said, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice: "Jason called and asked, Simon decided it himself."
Jessica didn't know what to say for a moment, but Amy, on the other hand, tried her best to suppress the little gloating in her heart, but she couldn't help but asked in a low voice: "Isn't that Kate very beautiful?"
Lina magically took out a photo from her satchel and handed two to Amy.
The two women looked at each other, and Amy subconsciously said: "The nose is a bit big, isn't it Simon's type?"
"If Simon only picked the beautiful girls he liked as heroines, you wouldn't be here now, and he wouldn't be able to achieve what he has achieved now." Lina said, and then explained: "Kate graduated from the National Academy of Drama in Sydney. She has acted in plays for five years before, and was nominated for the Australian Green Room Award for Fiorina, the heroine of Hamlet. Simon has no problem with her at all."
The two women didn't know about the Green Room Awards, but they only thought it was similar to the Tony Awards here in the United States. Jessica, who had just played a supporting role, really couldn't compare.
Lina took back the photo and said, "Okay, let's read your script quickly. Because they are all small roles, there is a high possibility that you will win this "Celebrity 100" together."
Jessica looked at the script in her hand with some silence.
But Amy was gossiping with a bit of disgust: "Lena, this, Woody Allen, that, a few years ago..."
Lena interrupted her: "Be realistic, Amy, if that thing comes up again in the future, you just have to draw a clear line publicly. Now, participating in Woody Allen's movies, even if it's just showing your face, for women For actors, it's gold plating. If you have a mysophobia, the advice I can give you is to go back to your Colorado, find a simple farmer as your husband, go to church every week, have eight children, and try to raise them all A devout Puritan.”
Amy stuck out her tongue, not daring to say more, and complimented: "Lina, I didn't expect you to be so talented, you conceived a script in ten seconds."
"Do you want to act?" Lina rolled her eyes, and then added: "Also, since the audition of "Elizabeth" in the afternoon has been cancelled, I have made an appointment for you to view the apartment. The apartment in the Santa Monica Mountains cannot be used anymore. Live, and you also need to separate."
The small apartment in the Santa Monica Mountains was rented by the two women together for the convenience of filming "The Ghost Story". It had no privacy at all. Now that both women are somewhat famous, safety cannot be guaranteed, so it is inevitable to change their residence.
However, after hearing this, Amy countered with her assistant: "Lena, Jesse and I are both poor people now, so we can save some money by living together."
"Then soon there will be tabloids saying you are lesbians."
"How could this happen? There are so many men and women living in flats in Los Angeles, and they are all gay?"
"The question has never been whether you are gay, the key is whether others will think you are gay. If you were just unknowns, it would be fine to live together, but it is different now, unless you don't mind your career."
Amy could only nod: "Okay."
Lina took a sip of her coffee and urged: "Okay, hurry up and read the script carefully. It is said that Simon has also paid attention to this project personally. It should become a peak for Woody in recent years."
Amy was curious again: "Simon paid attention to it personally, how did you know?"
Jessica also looked over curiously.
“I have my own sources,” Lena continued, giving a hint of her networking potential: “Woody originally wanted to make the project a black-and-white film, a homage to Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. Ella had already agreed, but it was rejected when it was sent to Simon. Some time ago, Simon had a chat with Woody in person in New York. He liked the story very much, but did not agree to make it into a black and white film. It must be in color, and it must be rich in color, which is probably , Simon’s original words, a kind of retro gorgeousness similar to the golden age of Hollywood.”
Jessica asked: "Woody compromised?"
"certainly."
"Although..." Amy raised her hand and gestured a little, and said, "But, for a great director like Woody, it won't be difficult to find other investors, right?"
"No matter how great a director is, he is just a director. Moreover, after that incident, Woody was able to come back only because of the help from Gomen Pictures. The last few movies have been made with Gomen. What do you think Woody should choose?" ?" When Lina said this, without waiting for the two women to answer, she added: "So, because Simon is very optimistic about this project, even if you can't get the role in your hand, when the time comes, you'd better show your face as a passerby. There are a lot of big ensemble scenes in the full script.”
The two women listened to Lina talking about these inside stories related to a certain big shot. Even if it was not considered private gossip, they were both interested in it and wanted to talk more. Unfortunately, the female assistant quickly shut up and gestured towards the script in the hands of the two women.
Amy and the two had no choice but to put their thoughts away and start working on the few pages of the script in their hands.
After more than half an hour, a thin middle-aged man in his 40s hurriedly arrived. It was Jason Buster, the manager of the two women.
As soon as they sat down, the manager with a tired face said to the two women with emotion: "Amy, Jesse, you must be careful when dating in the future. Find out the age of the little boy first," and said an American-style sentence. After scolding, he continued talking to the two women or to himself: "Since Michael's incident, the little guys have found a way to make money, and each one is more ruthless than the other."
There is obviously a story.
The two women raised their heads and waited together, but unfortunately the manager had already stopped. He took the coffee brought by the waiter, took a few sips, and returned to normal, as if those words just now were not what he said at all, and turned to other things: "Let me tell you one thing first. You must want to know the good news as soon as possible. I just received a call on the way here to inform you that there will be a bonus for "The Ghost Story". Amy is 300,000 US dollars. Jesse, you also have 100,000 US dollars. However, you guys They all need to sign a definite sequel contract, and Jesse is confirmed to be the heroine of the sequel. Oh, by the way, the matter with the Screen Actors Guild has also been settled. With this agreement, you will be guaranteed by the union's basic agreement."
Beside Jason Buster, Lina, who was holding a cup of coffee and sipping it, paused obviously when she heard a certain sentence in her agent's words.
During this time, Jessica Chastain has been following the promotion as a small supporting role, and everyone speculated that she might play a leading role in the sequel.
Now, sure enough it is.
Amy and Jessica's first reaction was surprise. However, after hearing the conditions, Jessica calmed down first: "Jason, when we were doing promotions a few days ago, Danny Morris even chatted with us. But, do you suggest that we stop making fake documentaries?”
"I don't want your next movie to be made by those messy fake documentaries that follow the trend in Hollywood. This will make you stereotyped. "The Ghost Story" is certainly different."
Amy went straight to the point: "Jason, if we sign the sequel, how much salary will we get?"
The agent looked at Amy: "Your role has been completed. There is a high probability that you will only make a background cameo in the future and get a symbolic basic salary. Jesse, as the heroine of the sequel, the salary can reach about 300,000. .”
Amy was immediately disappointed, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Jessica: ""The Ghost Story" is so popular now, can Jesse get 300,000 as the heroine of the sequel?"
"You have to understand that it is this movie that is popular, not you actors. Moreover, because of the subject matter of the entire series, even if the first one sells 500 million US dollars at the global box office, the sequel will only be low-priced. Due to the cost, it’s impossible to give you too much remuneration.”
Amy blurted out: "Then we won't act."
Jason helplessly looked at Amy who was obviously regretful after just saying: "If you don't act, first of all you won't get the reward, and secondly, you will be sued because the original terms included a sequel agreement. In addition, Not just Daenerys, you also don’t want to get opportunities from other studios. In short, you can just quit Hollywood.”
Amy fell silent.
Even though he only received a salary of US$8,000 from this project, the actor's agreement did include a sequel clause, but there were no details. Obviously, this time Daenerys wants to use a bonus as an incentive and clarify the details.
If they don't agree, the outcome will basically be as determined by the agent.
Seeing that Amy had calmed down, Jason Buster glanced at Jessica, who obviously had no objections, and then continued: "Amy, Jesse, from now on, I hope you will take "The Ghost Story" As a thing of the past, you can only sign the following agreement and have no other choice. However, after signing, Daenerys Entertainment will definitely give you more resources in other aspects in order to ensure the sequel. What you have to do , just to get rid of the label of cheap pseudo-documentary star that may be stereotyped as soon as possible, do you understand?”
The two women didn't hesitate much this time, and both nodded quickly.
Jason Buster also nodded slightly with satisfaction. Fortunately, they were not two Dumb Blondes who were too simple-minded to save. Then he talked about another thing: "Also, tonight, Michael Jordan, chairman of Westinghouse Electric, was in Bay Area. Lyle is holding a cocktail party and has invited the cast of "The Ghost Story". You can attend, it will be very helpful for making connections."
Before Jessica could say anything, Amy blurted out with a confused look on her face: "Michael Jordan?"
Jason Buster laughed; "He has the same name and is a sixty-year-old fat white man."
Amy snorted, then said subconsciously: "We don't know each other, why should we go to his cocktail party?"
“…”
“…”
“…”
Seeing that the three people around her were speechless, Amy realized that she had said something stupid and quickly said: "Okay, I'll go."
Jason had no choice but to explain: "Westinghouse Electric acquired CBS two years ago. Does CBS know about it? Then, this company has been strengthening its layout in the media field in the past two years. Recently, Westinghouse reached an agreement with Siemens and sold part of it. The power business has received a lot of cash, and it is recently strengthening its film and television production department, and may also acquire major studios in the future. In short, you just need to remember that Michael Jordan will also become a big player in Hollywood. He has recently become a big player in Hollywood. I invited you two newcomers because of the popularity of "The Ghost Story". There will be many Hollywood celebrities at the party. It is a good opportunity to build connections, so you should cherish it."
Only then did Amy understand.
Jessica hesitated and asked tentatively: "Jason, will Simon go?"
This question made everyone sitting there startled. After a while, the manager said: "Simon happens to be in Los Angeles these days and may go there, so you should brace yourself for it."
The two women nodded quickly again.
Even though they were a little resentful about a certain outcome that they couldn't choose, when they heard that they might see Simon Westeros again, Amy and Amy instinctively looked forward to it.
After Jason said this, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch and said: "We will go to the audition site at 9:50. You still have some time to prepare. By the way, Jesse, about "Elizabeth", Lena and Did you say that?"
"I told you."
"This is a bit regretful, but don't be disappointed. You will not lack opportunities in the future."
"Um."
After saying that, the two women continued to prepare for the audition of "Celebrity 100". One thing they didn't notice during the whole process was Jason's intentional or unintentional indifference to Lena next to him.
Lena Kane didn't mind, and she understood Jason Buster's reaction.
The two women are thinking about winning over Lina these days, and Lina is also considering her future.
Before becoming the assistant of the two women, Lena, who graduated from the University of Southern California, was an intern under WMA and had been working in the WMA mailroom for a year, where many legendary agents were born.
She got this opportunity because both her parents were related to the industry. Because through her parents’ connections, Lina found out that the two women were personally designated candidates for "The Haunting of Shadows" by Simon Westeros, and even knew more inside stories about "The Haunting of Shadows", such as that they were Simon Westeros. A project conceived and planned by Luo himself.
Therefore, whether it is the movie itself or the actors involved, the prospects are conceivable.
Now, "Ghost Chronicles" is a big hit, which is basically what Lina expected.
However, just before Jason Buster revealed that Jessica Chastain would become the heroine of the sequel to "The Ghost Story", Lena had not yet completely determined the direction of her next career.
She would definitely not continue this job as a nanny-like assistant.
The initial consideration, then, is to upgrade to Amy or the two women's joint manager, with the same rights as the agent to extract the actor's remuneration share, but this requires the two women or one of them to improve their status. Fast enough to the point where they need two backbones to help them manage their business.
Otherwise, brokers and managers, whose functions overlap to a large extent, will inevitably have differences or even opposition.
The second option is to steal at least one customer from Jason Buster.
During this time, the two women had fully recognized her abilities, so Lina was confident enough to poach her.
Amy Adams is of course the best choice, but it's a pity that it's too difficult. If she really grabs it, Jason Buster will definitely be anxious and bring the matter to Jonathan Friedman.
As the head of WMA, Jonathan would not like to see infighting in WMA, and her parents’ connections could not withstand Friedman’s possible anger.
So it would be best to snatch up Jessica Chastain.
However, the problem arises again.
Jessica is just a supporting character in "The Ghost Story", even if the movie is very popular, because this movie is a typical movie that is popular but not popular. Amy is over, but Jessica's future is still uncertain.
Just now, I heard that Jessica Chastain was confirmed as the heroine of the sequel to "The Ghost Story". This is considered to be a guarantee for Jessica's future. It is even more guaranteed, because since she is the protagonist of the sequel, in order to ensure With the success of the sequel project, it will definitely be easier for Jessica to obtain resource support from Daenerys Entertainment than Amy, who is already on the edge.
Now that he has made up his mind to steal Jessica away from Jason Buster, the agent is keenly aware of her threat, so there is nothing wrong with being a little colder, and he may even be thinking about how to kick her away first.
That's the way it is in Hollywood.
No smoke, but still a battlefield. The people here may not be smart, but there will never be a pure, innocent and kind little white rabbit, because they will not survive.