Chapter 104: Director of 'The Others'
[Chapter 104: Director Selection]
After dropping Amy Pascal at home, Eric took Jonathan Demme for a casual coffee at a nearby cafe. After ordering two cups of coffee and some snacks, Eric spoke first, "Jonathan, why don't you start by sharing your understanding of this script?"
Jonathan Demme, like a student preparing for an exam, gathered his thoughts and said, "Compared to those horror films that rely on excessive violence, gimmicky sound effects, or grotesque makeup to create fear, this script undoubtedly aims to establish a brand-new psychological thriller genre. It is filled with Hitchcockian suspense elements; though the plot isn't overly complex, it consistently captures the audience's curiosity. The twist at the end, where the truth is revealed in a dramatic reversal of fate, will take viewers by surprise. Eric, many folks believe your current success is due to divine favor. But if they read this script you wrote, I'm sure no one would hold that view; your talent is simply remarkable."
As he talked, Jonathan couldn't help but offer compliments. Eric sensed that Jonathan was genuinely praising him rather than just trying to curry favor, and he smiled, replying, "Thank you for the kind words, Jonathan. Your understanding of the script is spot-on. However, it's not enough for me to hand over the film to you. I haven't had the chance to see responses from the other two director candidates yet, but I believe they'll also be very interested in this film. What do you think your strengths are compared to horror masters Wes Craven and William Friedkin?"
"Adaptability," Jonathan answered without hesitation. "Eric, I believe I'm more adaptable than they are."
Eric looked at the man in front of him, now in his forties, and questioned, "Adaptability?"
Jonathan calmly explained, "Yes, Eric. The fact that I have never made a horror film is actually my greatest advantage. I've been in the industry for nearly twenty years, and I believe my skill set as a director is solid. I can absolutely direct the film based on your psychological thriller concepts. But if I assign this project to those two established horror masters, they'll undoubtedly bring their personal filming styles to the movie. While it may not be their intention, the power of habit is quite strong. They might revert to traditional horror film tropes, which would create great scares but risk diluting the impact of the script's climax twist."
After Jonathan finished speaking, he noticed Eric's expression shifting and quickly reached into his bag to pull out a thick stack of prepared materials. However, he didn't shove everything at Eric right away, knowing that would likely bore him. Instead, he selectively handed over the most important pages.
"Eric, take a look at this; it's my approach to the filming, along with a few storyboards I envisioned. I think the film should emphasize building suspense and introducing one intriguing mystery after another to keep the audience engaged, masking any weaknesses in the setting and plot, while avoiding a sense of monotony. Atmospherically, we should focus more on psychological tension rather than on sensory stimulation."
Eric took his time reading through Jonathan's detailed list of filming ideas and closely examined several of the storyboard designs, unconsciously tapping his fingers on the table.
Jonathan knew the crucial moment was approaching and clenched his hand into a fist beneath the table. In contrast to Eric's seemingly effortless directing career, Jonathan had encountered many bumps along the road in Hollywood. He had shown a strong interest in film from a young age. Although he studied veterinary medicine in college, he never pursued that path and instead threw himself into the once-thriving United Artists, starting from the ground up as a gopher.
By the age of thirty, he finally had a chance to partake in some low-budget B-movie productions. In 1977, Jonathan secured his first opportunity to direct a film, a satirical look at life in a community radio station that, despite critical acclaim, flopped spectacularly at the box office.
To be precise, it earned no box office revenue at all. To get more people to see his work, Jonathan had to pay out of pocket to have a theater in New York show the film for free, yet still, audiences were few and far between.
That experience left Jonathan in silence for three long years until his next film picked up two Oscars in 1980, giving his career a much-needed boost. However, to this day, his film projects barely made waves commercially, with most only pulling in a few million dollars; the best-performing film just barely cracked the ten million mark.
In Hollywood, a director couldn't earn recognition without a box-office hit. While researching Eric's personal history, Jonathan noted that the common thread behind Eric's three blockbuster films was that he wrote the screenplays for all of them.
Although Jonathan didn't understand why Eric Williams would extend a directing invite to him, that didn't stop him from wanting to seize the opportunity. After receiving the invitation, Jonathan pulled an all-nighter, reading the script repeatedly, marveling at Eric's intricate twist design. The next morning, he responded to Jeffrey Hansen, expressing his eagerness to direct the film.
Thinking that the call-back would come quickly to discuss a contract, he patiently waited a few days, but nothing happened. Feeling anxious, Jonathan rushed to the Firefly Films headquarters to find Jeffrey. Once he learned what was going on, it dawned on Jonathan that compared to the two other seasoned horror directors, he, with no horror film-making experience, appeared to be the least competitive candidate.
However, Jonathan didn't give up. Though his personal directing projects were underwhelming, he had an eye for potential and sensed that this film could perform well in both box office and awards. This realization made him even more desperate to secure the opportunity.
After several days, he finally crafted a persuasive pitch to convince Eric. He also conducted a deeper analysis and prepared meticulously. To save time and prevent the director's role from being finalized without him, Jonathan had barely slept more than three hours each day for a week.
Despite the exhaustion, he maintained an eager demeanor while sitting across from Eric, conversing animatedly, likely fueled by sheer adrenaline.
Eric didn't notice Jonathan's tension and thought for a moment before saying, "Jonathan, could you hold on a moment? I need to make a phone call."
"Of course, no problem," Jonathan replied, not quite understanding Eric's intent but taking hopeful note that Eric hadn't made an immediate decision.
Eric got up and walked over to the coffee shop counter, chatting briefly with the server before picking up the phone and dialing Jeffrey's office number.
"Jeffrey, it's me... There's something I forgot to ask, regarding the director... Yes, have Wes Craven and William Friedkin responded?... Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Alright, I understand... Actually, Jonathan Demme came by to see me, and I think his ideas were good; he's very enthusiastic about the film. I believe we should give him a shot... Okay, decline the others, then. I'll hang up... Yeah, yeah, I know what I'm doing."
After hanging up, Eric returned to his seat.
Jonathan sensed the critical moment was about to arrive, instinctively sitting up straighter as he looked at Eric, full of hope.
"Jonathan, when I invited you to this project, I mentioned that the lead actress was already decided. Do you have any objections to that?"
Jonathan's face lit up with barely concealed joy, knowing Eric's question was likely a way of offering him the film. "No, I have no objections. Cast choices are the producer's prerogative." After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "Eric, the lead actress is... is she your girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston?"
Eric shook his head. "No."
Jonathan asked out of lingering concern, but after hearing the denial, he quickly closed his mouth. As long as it wasn't Jennifer Aniston, Jonathan felt relieved; he worried initially that Eric might intentionally mention such a condition to promote his girlfriend.
However, the girl was far too young to portray the single mother role of Grace; just the makeup for that part would be challenging enough.
As for the true lead actress's relationship with Eric, Jonathan realized that wasn't a concern he needed to address.
"Well then, Eric, does that mean..."
Eric nodded, "Yes, Jonathan, you have the opportunity to direct this film. William Friedkin coincidentally chose to direct another one, so he naturally declined the offer. Wes Craven also expressed strong interest in this script but had reservations about the chosen lead actress. Plus, what you just said to me made quite a bit of sense, so I had Jeffrey decline Wes."
*****
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