Chapter 43: Leading Man Confirmed

"Everything's gone now, definitely taken by that homeless guy. He'll be flying to Florida, Hawaii, or maybe even Canada, Panama, Bermuda—living the easy life."

"What about Ronnie?"

"He's gonna kill me, Lola."

"You have to tell him."

"Forget it, he won't believe a word."

"Why not?"

"I once kept a carton of cigarettes; he found out immediately. He trusts no one. This deal was a test to see if I could be trusted."

"How much money was in the bag?"

"$100,000."

"What!"

"$100,000, just a test."

"Oh, damn."

Inside the audition room.

Simon listened attentively as Sandra Block and Keanu Reeves performed the dialogue and then made a stopping gesture: "Okay, that's enough for now."

Both actors stopped.

As Keanu stood back up, Simon asked, "So, Keanu, could you tell us why you're interested in this film?"

"I think it's a very unique film," Keanu Reeves said, looking up thoughtfully. "A unique format, a unique story. I believe being part of it would be a very special experience."

Simon smiled and said, "Then you must understand, this is a film that's absolutely centered on its female lead. It won't necessarily boost your career significantly."

Keanu also smiled, "I'm more interested in trying something interesting than advancing my career."

"Alright," Simon nodded, "One last question. The male lead's hair cannot be longer than the female lead's, so if you're going to play this part, you'll need to cut your hair. Is that going to be a problem?"

Keanu shook his head, "No problem."

Simon responded with satisfaction, "Well, thank you for coming in today, Keanu. We'll notify you of the decision soon."

After Keanu Reeves left, Sandra remarked, "Simon, you seem quite interested in this actor."

Simon looked at Sandra and asked, "You don't know Keanu? He's also with WMA."

Sandra rolled her eyes lightly, "WMA has over three thousand clients, Simon. I can't possibly know all of them."

Simon nodded in understanding.

In his memory, Sandra Block and Keanu Reeves became good friends after working together on 'Speed,' but it seemed they were still strangers at this point. It occurred to Simon that their future collaboration might not be coincidental after all, given they were both under WMA, which had already embraced the packaging model prevalent in Hollywood agencies during the '90s.

Thinking this, Simon looked at Ron McMillan on the other side, "Ron, what do you think of him?"

"Well," Ron chuckled, "Simon, I think this time you should make the call."

Simon noticed Ron's odd expression, "What's up?"

Ron shrugged, not hiding anything, "I happen to know Keanu's stepfather, Paul Aaron. Paul called me just this morning."

Simon was puzzled, "Paul Aaron?"

Ron explained, "He's a director, mostly works on TV movies for major networks. We've collaborated a few times, quite familiar."

Alright.

Simon internally critiqued.

Wasn't it said that Keanu Reeves struggled through the toughest times in Hollywood alone and almost starved?

How did he suddenly become a second-generation Hollywood figure?

Shaking his head slightly to dismiss these scattered thoughts, Simon focused solely on evaluating Keanu based on his performance. At just 22 years old, Keanu still looked somewhat green, despite the stubble. He seemed a bit too handsome to play a small-time crook, but it wasn't a major issue.

In fact, in the original timeline, Keanu Reeves' first Hollywood film role was as a troubled youth in 'River's Edge'. Over the next few years, he even tried his hand at comedy.

It wasn't until 'The Matrix' that his screen image became iconic, hard to separate from the trench-coated savior, Neo.

After considering for a moment, Simon quickly made up his mind.

Flipping through the remaining documents, he instructed the staff to call in the next auditionee.

The day after the auditions ended, 'Run Lola Run's' crew officially confirmed Keanu Reeves as the male lead.

As a newcomer in Hollywood with some TV experience, the fee offered to Keanu was modest, just $2,000.

Besides the male lead, over the next few days, other roles for 'Run Lola Run' were also swiftly finalized.

On the other hand, 'The Butterfly Effect' completed its casting of supporting roles and initial preparations during this period. Simon attended several auditions for the film, providing his insights on selecting actors.

At the end of September, as per his contract with Fox, Simon secluded himself to make final revisions to 'The Butterfly Effect' script.

Compared to 'The Butterfly Effect,' '

Run Lola Run' did not follow as rigorous a production process.

Indeed, there was no comparison between a $650,000 low-budget production and a major $10 million investment.

Fox's Vice President, Peter Sanders, aware that Simon was juggling 'The Butterfly Effect' script duties with running 'Run Lola Run,' even expressed dissatisfaction at what he saw as Simon's lack of focus.

Both David Geiler and Brian De Palma tended to treat Peter Sanders with kid gloves, but Simon paid little heed to his complaints.

September 26th, Friday.

It was the final day for script revisions, and Simon headed early to Fox Studios to meet with David Geiler, Brian De Palma, and other key creatives for a full day of meetings.

Only at five o'clock did Simon leave, driving home in a new black Chevrolet SUV he had recently purchased. In contrast to the boxy 'Santana' style typical of the era, the sharply angled SUV roughly met Simon's aesthetic preferences and wasn't overly expensive at just over $32,000 including taxes and fees.

Unable to pay upfront, Simon opted for a three-year installment plan, costing just under $1,000 a month.

Just as he arrived back in the Montana area, Simon received a call from Janet suggesting dinner, his treat, at a restaurant she had already booked, and somewhat reluctantly mentioned that Catherine would also join them.