Right time and place

Emmy Awards, Toronto, and Telluride's smooth sailing had made Andy somewhat complacent, filled with anticipation for Renly's future. However, the subsequent hurdles faced by "Horrible Bosses" and "Fast 5" rang an alarm bell, prompting Andy to readjust his plans.

"Fast 5" was indeed a good opportunity, but if the focus was solely on the paycheck, it would amount to at most $1M, with the upper limit being $1.2M. In reality, even if he missed this film, with the acclaim garnered from "The Pacific" and "Buried", Andy could negotiate such a fee for Renly in any commercial film, hovering around eight hundred thousand dollars. So why the rush? And why did it have to be "Fast 5"?

Moreover, Renly took on "Like Crazy" for a mere two thousand dollars, aligning with the remuneration he received for his appearance in one episode of "The Pacific". From this, it was clear that compensation wasn't the most important thing for Renly.

Upon careful contemplation, what was the greatest positive impact of "Fast 5" on Renly?

Did it provide him with experience in big-budget films? Playing a third-tier character was too beneath him. Did it contribute to the success of a major box office film? If the film succeeded, credit would go to Vin Diesel and Paul Walker; if it flopped, people would blame Renly Hall's casting. That was the reality. Did it help improve his acting skills? That was quite the joke.

Testing the waters of action movies to unlock Renly's commercial potential? That was one reason, but not sufficient.

In Andy's view, the most crucial roles of "Fast 5" were exposure and recognition.

Next, Renly would enter the competition of awards season. "Buried", a rootless independent film, was nearly unloved and unwanted. It lacked the endorsements of George Clooney or Brad Pitt, and it didn't even have the backing of Sundance. Relying solely on the buzz from Toronto, attempting to carve a path in the fiercely competitive awards season was akin to a pipe dream.

However, through the filming of "Fast 5", by generating topics of discussion and attracting more attention, making the name "Renly Hall" familiar, and in collaboration with Focus Features' promotional strategies, it might just win a faint lifeline in the first-tier.

Ultimately, awards season was a public relations battle. If no one had heard of this film or this actor, how could they cast their votes? In this era of information explosion, the tranquility and elegance of waiting quietly for the aroma of wine to attract guests was long gone.

Therefore, if "Fast 5" couldn't bring this attention to Renly, Andy believed it was better to decline this project, then reevaluate and select anew. There was no need to rush into a decision. As Renly's agent, Andy had to craft a more detailed and long-term plan for his career. He didn't want to pull up the seedlings to help them grow faster.

The minor mishap at Telluride had produced quite discernible ripples of influence.

"Half a percent of profit sharing," Andy said casually, clearly having pondered over it for a while. "In addition, Renly must be featured as the third lead of the production, participating in all promotional events, such as premieres in various regions, as well as appearances on all talk shows and radio programs. Moreover, there should be designated locations for photographs in various settings, including magazines, premieres, and press conferences."

Hollywood's system is incredibly mature, complete, and intricate. When discussing actors alone:

During production, considerations range from whether a private trailer is provided on set, the size of the working team including makeup artists, costume designers, assistants, and more, to whether there are chairs with their names on them at the shooting location, and if travel expenses are reimbursed...

During the promotional period, whether an actor attends each promotional event, the specific position at each event, the placement in official press release photos, even to the angle of the shot, the location of press conferences, the right to refuse certain appearances, the length and prominence of interviews in magazines, and whether the accompanying team is provided officially or brought personally, as well as whether there's sponsorship for the attire...

After the film is completed, does the actor have the right to watch it in advance, the right to veto their own performance, or even the right to modify the script...

The weight of the opening and closing credits, whether the actor's name is listed separately, the order of appearance, the font size and position, and even whether the background visuals match those of other actors...

All of these aspects are distinct and unique. Each detail can distinguish actors into different tiers. The bigger the star, the more requirements they have, and the more specific and detailed those requirements become. Even top-tier stars can demand not to appear on the same stage as a certain artist, even during accidental encounters in the promotional period. All of these can be clearly stipulated in the contract.

"Of course, there's also the placement of the actor's name in the credits," Andy added, "Fast 5" is a massive production with nearly ten core roles. Except for the two absolute core roles, the competition for the positioning of other actors is bound to be intense. Andy must secure a more favorable position for Renly.

Although Neal expected these answers, the corresponding treatment for the third lead was justifiable. He had to admire Andy's ambition and execution. It was like a meticulously crafted net, waiting patiently for him to fall into it. They initially thought they held every situation in their hands, but there was still a surprise waiting behind.

Should he give up Renly or compromise?

Two options appeared again in Neal's mind, but this time he didn't hesitate. "How about this: $1M in salary, and treatment as the third lead."

Half a percent of the share, calculated based on a North American box office of $200M, was essentially $1M. Neal had no reason to refuse such a price, but the difference lay in this: one was a salary payment, and the other was a profit-sharing payment. The acknowledgment given to Renly was distinct.

If it was profit sharing, it meant that Renly would need to bear a portion of the box office risk, although the risk of half a percent was almost negligible. However, the production team's attitude would inevitably differ. Both the production and promotion phases would treat Renly with more respect. Especially considering the massive ensemble of "Fast 5", Renly, with his limited experience, without this protection, would find it difficult to gain more attention and respect. Neal understood this, and Andy naturally did as well.

"I believe that treatment as the third lead is only reasonable," Andy said unhurriedly, even more deliberately paced than Neal. "However, $1M salary isn't on par with the level of the third lead."

Hobbs' role in the script was that of an ironclad third lead, yet his modest salary couldn't match up, much like Chris Evans' fee of merely six hundred thousand dollars for his role as Captain America.

However, Chris had initially signed a six-picture deal with Paramount, securing a lower salary but ensuring that his career would be linked to the character of Captain America. Of course, his treatment as the first lead was absolutely guaranteed as well.

What Andy was aiming for now was to match the treatment of the third lead with regards to the salary. Universal Pictures wouldn't be able to offer Renly a salary of $2.5M. $1M was already the maximum. Thus, Andy proposed an alternative solution: he completely waived any request for a guaranteed salary, lowered his stance, and replaced the salary with profit sharing. This ensured Renly's "modest" salary on one hand and secured his status as the third lead on the other.

Compared to Dwayne Johnson, using Renly was both economical and practical.

Neal's lips curled into a somewhat helpless smile. He had to admit that Andy had presented his reasonable requests at precisely the right time, nearly pushing the boundaries of the deal but in a way that didn't provoke anger. Of course, there was also Steven Spielberg.

"You're quite ambitious, aren't you?" The chaotic thoughts only swirled in his mind for a moment before Neal regained his composure and made a decision.

Andy shrugged his shoulders, half-jokingly saying, "This is Hollywood, after all. People always say, "Dream bigger"."

"How's his schedule? We're resuming shooting in Los Angeles in five days." Neal finally steered the conversation back on track. They both knew that Renly was currently filming "Like Crazy". If their schedules didn't align, their previous discussion would be meaningless.

Andy glanced at the calendar and mentally reviewed. "No problem." If things went as planned, Renly should be back in Los Angeles today, finishing up the remaining scenes for "Like Crazy". Five days would be sufficient.

"I'll have the lawyer draft the contract and fax it over to you." Neal cut to the chase without further pleasantries. Since the decision was made, they needed to proceed unwaveringly.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they hung up the call.

Yet Andy remained cautious. After the lawyer drafted the contract, they needed to examine it meticulously, add and revise details as necessary, and then send it back. This back-and-forth process would likely take two to three days. Andy couldn't forget that Neal had contacted Jason Statham. If Dwayne were to relent during these three days, the endeavor might still be in vain. Until the contract was signed in black and white, they couldn't afford to be complacent.

After some consideration, Andy made a few phone calls and gave a few instructions. His approach was simple—just to let Dwayne know that Jason had already signed with "The Expendables" team. This should be sufficient.

Dwayne had held out for so long, with the finish line just ahead. If he believed that Neal's decision to contact Jason was a desperate move in a critical situation and that choosing Jason was a last-ditch effort due to a lack of other options, then Dwayne would continue to hold firm. But if he didn't believe that...

Andy needed Dwayne to believe that Renly was still in London filming and had no immediate plans to return to Los Angeles.