Chapter 413: Still Talking

[Chapter 413: Still Talking]

A Chevrolet pulled into the parking lot of Firefly Films, and Jim Carrey emerged from the passenger seat. He took a moment to check his outfit in the car window, quickly making several facial expressions to appear more energized. Just then, his agent, Carl Maxson, got out too, and the two of them walked toward the nearby office building.

After announcing their names to the receptionist at the front desk, they entered the elevator together.

Standing side by side in the ascending elevator, Jim Carrey clasped his hands in front of him, stood on his tiptoes, glanced at his agent, and said, "This is just... unbelievable."

Carl Maxson wore an eager expression. "Yeah, that's Eric Williams! At first, I thought it was a scam call."

Upon reaching the top floor, the elevator doors opened, revealing a man in his thirties waiting outside.

"Hello, Mr. Carrey, Mr. Maxson. I'm Allen Fisman, Mr. Williams' assistant."

Seeing Allen extend his hand first, Jim stepped forward eagerly and said, "Hi, I'm Jim Carrey."

"Of course," Allen said, sensing Jim's nervousness. "I've seen your audition material, Mr. Carrey."

After shaking hands with Carl, Allen continued, "Please follow me. Mr. Williams is currently in a meeting and will be busy for a while, but you can take a look at the contract in the meantime."

Hearing the word "contract," Jim Carrey and Carl Maxson both showed signs of excitement as they followed Allen into a conference room. Allen handed them the printed contract and said, "You can take a look. I have a few things to attend to. I'll call for you when Mr. Williams is done."

...

Once Allen left, Jim Carrey and Carl Maxson hurriedly opened the contract folder.

After skimming through a few pages, Carl looked up, his face worried. "Jim, this is an option contract."

Jim simply nodded, continuing to read the contract seriously. Noticing Jim's lack of reaction, Carl returned to the text as well.

After finishing, Carl was unsure of what to say. The contract was both stringent and lenient; it required Jim to work exclusively with one film studio for the next five years, a condition reminiscent of contracts from the heyday of the major film studios decades ago. The difference, however, was that the contract did not stipulate that Jim had to accept a flat salary like actors did back in that era. He could negotiate his pay based on the box office performance of the films he starred in. But if Jim wanted to breach the contract within those five years, the penalty was a whopping one hundred million dollars.

One hundred million dollars!

Carl glanced at Jim beside him, who was overwhelmed by the thought. He never imagined the actor he represented would be worth that much.

After Jim finished reading, he looked up at Carl and asked, "Carl, didn't they say we were working with Firefly? Why does this contract state I'm signing with TG Films?"

Though Carl was just a low-level agent at the William Morris agency, he was much more informed than Jim. Cautiously glancing at the closed door of the conference room, Carl whispered, "The founders of TG Films -- Elisabeth Murdoch, Drew Barrymore, and Julia Roberts -- are all closely connected to Eric Williams. There are even rumors that they're all his women. The recent Oscar-nominated thriller The Silence of the Lambs was produced by those three with Williams' support, so signing with TG is almost like signing with Firefly."

Feeling envious of Eric's romantic endeavors, Jim said, "So, what do you think of this contract?"

Carl sensed Jim was intrigued. For an actor like Jim, who barely qualified as a third-tier artist, the chance to collaborate with the red-hot Eric Williams was something many actors at his level would have never even dreamed of.

"Jim, the terms of this contract are almost entirely restrictive for you, including the one hundred million dollar penalty. There's also no clause about how many films you'll be doing over the next five years. If you clash with TG, given the hefty penalty, they could easily freeze you out."

Jim replied, "How could I possibly clash with TG?"

"Actors starring in Williams' films see their value skyrocket. If after your first film, your pay increases to five million, but TG only offers you a million, do you really think you won't have a dispute with them?"

Jim laughed, "Carl, I only made five thousand for a horror film six years ago, and last year, doing a TV show, I only got two thousand an episode. Even if what you say is true, it doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. If I miss this opportunity, I may never get a chance to earn a million dollars in this lifetime."

Carl shook his head gently. He knew Jim very well; having gone through a long hardship in his youth, Jim placed a great deal of importance on money. Even if he appeared nonchalant now, once his earnings really hit five million but he was only offered a million, Jim would certainly feel cheated and likely blow up at the film company.

Yet Carl kept these thoughts to himself. No one likes to be told they're greedy. Once Jim partnered with Eric Williams, his cut would likely become his main income source.

"Jim, you need to think it through. As much as I'd like to help you negotiate with Eric Williams, you should realize there's little room for bargaining given our position. We don't even know what film you'll be working on with Eric."

...

Meanwhile, in an office not far away, Eric was discussing Saving Private Ryan with Kathryn Bigelow, who had just returned from New York.

During her research on World War II, Kathryn had developed a strong interest in that period of history. She even found the real-life inspiration for the character in Saving Private Ryan among countless World War II materials, which surprised Eric, as he had no idea there was a real story behind it.

Eric planned to release Saving Private Ryan on the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994. Kathryn intended to spend a year gathering detailed research and conducting on-site investigations, starting pre-production the following year, with filming officially commencing in the summer of 1993. This rhythm reminded Eric of Kathryn's typical work pace, which usually ran around three years per film.

Additionally, for a war epic like Saving Private Ryan, a three-year production time was not particularly long. The complex pre-production could not be completed in just a few months, as recreating the D-Day landing scenes and building the ruins for the climactic battle would require extensive preparation of numerous World War II military props. Furthermore, Kathryn planned to manage all of this herself.

After discussing some specific production details, Kathryn looked up from a pile of materials with a pen in hand and said to Eric, "As for the choice for Captain Miller, I intend to..."

"Tom Hanks. I've already been in touch with Tom. He said he would clear his schedule for this film."

Kathryn paused, inquiring, "Tom Hanks? The talkative single dad from Sleepless in Seattle?"

"Yeah, surprised you've seen that film. What did you think?"

"It felt like it was made by a woman," Kathryn stated frankly, then quickly realized she was a woman too, adding, "I mean... um, the narrative is very delicate, definitely not something a young man like you could write."

Eric maintained his composure, but inside he couldn't help but admire the woman's keen intuition. Sleepless in Seattle was indeed the work of female director Nora Ephron. However, Eric was thick-skinned enough to lean on his desk closer to her and say, "You know, I'm a genius. You can't measure me by common standards."

Kathryn leaned back slightly and rolled her eyes at Eric, responding, "But you promised you wouldn't interfere with this movie. And besides, Tom Hanks is a comedy actor."

"Tom's range is very broad; he just happens to have done a lot of comedies. You can invite him for an audition; I guarantee his performance will surprise you. If you're not satisfied after the audition, you can still look for someone else," Eric added, revealing a sly smile. "But I don't think, with your professionalism, you would deny Tom just to spite me, right?"

"Alright, I'll reach out to Mr. Hanks."

Kathryn stood up, gathered her materials into a bag, and glanced at Elisabeth, who had been quietly reading a magazine in the corner. Although she had only greeted Elisabeth briefly upon her arrival, Kathryn sensed a hint of hostility from her, which struck her as amusing; how could she take on that little brat? "You must have other things to attend to, so I'll be heading out."

Eric also stood. "I'll walk you out."

...

After seeing Kathryn off, Eric returned to his office, where Elisabeth had already claimed his big chair, resting her chin on her hand while gazing at him. "I didn't know you liked women like that?"

Eric lifted Elisabeth up and tossed her aside, sitting down himself. "What kind of women?"

Elisabeth gestured towards Eric's head, teasing, "As long as she wears high heels, she's taller than you!"

Eric had grown to six feet one inch over the last two years, while Kathryn stood at five feet ten inches. Although she could easily surpass him in heels, Eric didn't mind much, laughing, "As long as she isn't wearing heels, she'll be shorter than me. Besides, in certain situations, women will always be shorter than men."

Elisabeth flushed and spat out a sarcastic remark, remembering what had happened last night, before changing the subject. "Do you think Jim Carrey will accept that contract?"

"If he's thinking straight, he definitely will."

Elisabeth picked up the contract drafted by Eric and sat down in Kathryn's former spot, saying, "But I find this contract strange. All these terms look like they're designed to suppress his pay. Why not simply sign him for a couple of films at a lower rate? That would save us a lot of trouble. He's just a nobody now; he would definitely accept."

"That would only make things worse. If his pay increases to a million, while our contract offers him only a hundred thousand, do you really think he'll remain compliant during filming?"

"Why not? As long as there's a contract, we can always take legal action if needed."

"Even if he agrees to work at a lower rate, you can't prevent him from deliberately slacking off or sabotaging the film. Moreover, once the relationship sours because of that contract, any chance of future collaboration will disappear."

Elisabeth waved the contract in her hand. "But I also feel this contract could potentially damage both parties' relationship."

"We'll pay him according to his worth. The one hundred million dollar penalty is just a way to prevent him from demanding an outrageous price. I've done my homework on this guy, and without any constraints, he'd undoubtedly ask for the moon. Besides, after five years, I don't think we'd need to collaborate again; by then, his value will likely surpass ten million, and he'd probably be involved in profit-sharing. Continuing to work together would mean the studio would effectively be working for him."

"Okay, you always have a point," Elisabeth conceded internally while still pretending to be unconvinced on the surface.

Eric merely smiled and picked up the phone to notify Allen to bring in Jim Carrey and Carl Maxson.

..

A moment later, there was a knock at the office door, and the two stepped in. Upon seeing another woman in the room, both Jim and Carl exchanged glances, curious about the woman they had only heard of, Elisabeth, but had never seen before.

Eric didn't play games; he warmly greeted the duo and introduced them to Elisabeth. The four of them settled down on the sofa in the corner of the office.

"So, Mr. Carrey, and you must be Mr. Maxson, right? Have you made a decision?"

They exchanged glances, well aware the odds weren't favorable, but Carl Maxson bravely pressed on. "Mr. Williams, this contract seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?"

"Harsh? Which part are you referring to?" Eric asked, concealing his expression as he looked at the two, a slight smirk forming. "Are you implying that you're already considering breaching the contract before it's even signed?"

*****

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