Chapter 131: Twelve-Year-Old Lolita's Shelf Life

[Chapter 131: Twelve-Year-Old Lolita's Shelf Life]

In the photo, the seven-year-old Kirsten was as delicate as a doll, with golden hair and a round face, dressed in a princess dress and wearing a cute lace sun hat, with a lovely golden fringe falling down her forehead.

Unfortunately, Eric knew that this star would grow increasingly plain as she aged, and once she became an adult, she would entirely lose the exquisite look she possessed at that moment.

Perhaps, she might not seem too flawed, but from his perspective, there were hardly any beautiful features to speak of. If he had to compliment her, he could only say that she had a certain temperament, but even that didn't seem like much of a compliment for a woman.

Regarding this twelve-year-old Lolita, Eric chose to pass; the girl didn't appear to have much potential. If she hadn't been lucky enough to become Mary Jane in Spider-Man, perhaps this child star would fade into obscurity long before the end of 2000s.

After the Spider-Man trilogy finished, Kirsten Dunst's career plummeted, and she almost vanished from the public eye.

He pulled out another girl's profile: Sarah Michelle Gellar. Compared to the Sarah in his memories, this girl's face was round, and although she was nearly twelve, she still looked quite petite. Playing a character around ten years old would pose no problem, which was likely why Sarah made the cut.

While Kirsten had only one credit to her name, Sarah's resume had a string of film titles -- none of which were particularly notable. In fact, with the many films he had seen, Eric hadn't watched a single one.

"Jonathan, what do you think of this girl?" Eric handed Sarah's profile to Jonathan Demme.

Jonathan took a quick look and swiftly recalled Sarah's audition scene: "This kid started acting in films at four. Everything on her resume checks out. During her audition, she had great on-camera presence -- very confident, not shy at all. I chatted with her, and she was quite smart and mature. Even though she looks fragile, she's already twelve and a bit precocious, mentally at least fourteen. Working with her would be easier compared to those truly ten-year-old kids."

Eric took back the profile and decided, "Let's go with her. You know the drill -- reach out to her and make sure we sign her with UTA."

Even though Eric had mentioned to Kepler that he wasn't looking to expand UTA in the coming years, the actors cultivated through his film projects certainly couldn't be allowed to join other agencies. Recently, after Eric's article stirred up some change, many agencies had begun overhauling their systems. While they couldn't completely mimic CAA's model, now that Eric had exposed CAA's detailed operation method, they could no longer maintain their superiority and would soon face competition from other companies. Therefore, UTA could proceed with stable growth, without worrying about CAA having the monopoly.

Watching Eric flip through profiles of other actors, seemingly just skimming them before making quick decisions, Jonathan felt a bit disoriented: "Eric, don't you think we need to schedule another round of auditions? Doesn't this feel a bit...?"

"Do you think I'm being hasty?" Eric chuckled, lifting his gaze.

Jonathan scratched his head. "At least, you should take a look at their audition tapes, right?"

Eric circled the last actor's name on the list with a pen. "No need, Jonathan. I trust you've vetted these people meticulously. Any one of them would be more than capable of fulfilling their roles, so there's no need for extra steps. Besides, I'm strapped for time and need to start shooting soon. The Cannes and Berlin film festivals are out of the question, but I hope to be ready for the Venice Film Festival in September."

"Alright, I'll inform them as soon as possible," Jonathan nodded and seemed to understand. Perhaps Eric's approach was entirely to assert his control over the project. Despite being young, this boy had a stronger desire for control than those kings who feared losing their thrones.

It was unfortunate for those actors who had made it to the final list but weren't selected. They might still be excitedly preparing for their third round of auditions, only to face disappointment. While it seemed unfair, Hollywood was like that; odd occurrences happened constantly, and fairness was a rare concept.

After organizing the pile of profiles with Jonathan, Eric asked, "Have we settled on a filming location?"

"I asked a friend in England to scout a few estates on some islands in the English Channel, but I think it's essential for me to go in person to assess whether they're suitable. I also need to speak directly with the owners of those estates; you know, many of those historic mansions belong to British nobility. Though they may be down-and-out now, they still possess an inexplicable air of arrogance, so I must visit personally. Once they feel respected, things tend to go much more smoothly."

Eric inexplicably recalled some events from a past life and smiled knowingly.

Jonathan suddenly remarked, "Actually, Eric, if you can make the trip, things would go even more smoothly. You're British, after all. Many UK media outlets now view you as one of their prides. If you show up, those little nobles will definitely treat you like a guest of honor, and perhaps we won't even have to spend money to use some of the estates."

Eric waved his hand, "Forget it. After all these years, I've even forgotten my British accent. Besides, I can't possibly leave the set right now; by the time I got there, filming would already be well underway."

...

The following days of shooting went smoothly, considering they were filming in a studio, which had fewer restrictions than outdoor locations. Tom Cruise also displayed his top-notch professionalism; if not for his occasional attempts to undermine Eric's authority, frequently calling shots during the filming process, Eric would have been happy to continue collaborating with him.

However, the chances of their future collaborations seemed slim, given Tom Cruise's personality. Only directors of Spielberg's caliber would be able to work with him without losing control. In Eric's past life, many of Cruise's films had been tightly controlled by him, even if he wasn't the director, and even major movie moguls weren't allowed to interfere.

Eric and Tom Cruise were similar in that regard, so their chances of future collaboration were looking bleak.

"Brooke, your expression was still off. When you saw Andy spitting blood, you needed to convey panic and confusion, not disgust. This meant wide eyes and slightly parted lips -- definitely no frowning involved," Eric said, frowning as he glanced at his watch on his wrist. "If we still can't get it right after a couple more tries, we're going to have to push this to the afternoon. I'm sure you wouldn't want to waste everyone's time, would you?"

Brooke Shields now stood in front of Eric with her eyelids lowered like a little girl caught doing something wrong. Whether it was an act or not was uncertain, but it consistently dulled the anger of men, and after five or six takes, Eric couldn't help but reprimand her.

"Sorry, Eric. I think... I'm starting to feel it."

Eric sighed, "Then let's try again. All crew, prepare."

Brooke Shields returned to her mark; this was the scene after Andy and Yoyo had their second meeting, sitting together in a quaint diner. Eric had once again chosen to shoot in the studio -- not to save on the $40 million budget, which didn't require scrimping; he simply wanted to finish these scattered interior scenes quickly -- the outdoor scenes would be more challenging. Thanks to Columbia's expansive soundstages, they could easily recreate conditions for outside nighttime scenes, even though it was midday.

"Miss Shields, don't rush; just take your time. We've got plenty of time. I don't think it's entirely your fault; Eric is still too young," Tom Cruise chatted eagerly with Brooke Shields during a break.

Had she performed so poorly in a Cruise-led project, he would likely have exploded with rage. But now it seemed Tom Cruise was enjoying watching Eric flounder while he played the gentleman, charmingly engaging with the stunning woman.

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Cruise," Brooke Shields smiled back.

"So, do you have plans for tonight, Miss Shields? It would be an honor to have dinner with you."

Brooke Shields raised her finely arched eyebrows slightly and subconsciously darted a glance at Eric, not too far away. If possible, she would much prefer to be inviting Eric Williams rather than this married man.

However, that young director, five or six years her junior, was an enigma; she could tell Eric was interested in her, and her intuition as a beautiful woman told her he often looked at her with undisguised eagerness -- like an eager young man of seventeen or eighteen, but most of the time, he behaved like a savvy middle-aged man, unashamedly admiring her beauty and figure with the practiced gaze of someone who had seen it all.

"Mr. Cruise, can I get back to you this afternoon? I'm not sure if I have other plans for the evening," Brooke Shields replied, slightly deferring, but not closing the door entirely.

*****

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