Chapter 130: Smugness

[Chapter 130: Smugness]

Johnnie To was one of the few Hong Kong filmmakers that Eric held in high regard. His movies integrated elements of coolness, violence, destiny, and profound sadness within a unique black philosophy.

This film of To's was one of the few that had a bittersweet yet carefree vibe. If ordinary viewers were to critique this film, the most common word would surely be "cool!" This was the main reason why Eric chose to produce this particular film.

Moreover, this was a bold attempt by Eric. He wanted to see whether a film like Running Out of Time, which had no counterpart in Hollywood history, could succeed.

In Eric's memory, many blockbuster films would eventually be owned by major players within the next decade, and he aimed to snatch a piece from those giants. This was no small feat, particularly once they knew he had his eye on a certain film. There were not many commercial successes without clear copyright ownership, and if he followed this pace of production, perhaps within two or three years, they could wrap filming.

Of course, it was also a very calculated try. Firstly, the story was compelling and had gained the endorsement of big names like Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, which indicated that the narrative didn't struggle with the differing tastes of Eastern and Western audiences.

Secondly, both male leads were now bankable stars. Tom Cruise had just seen an upsurge in popularity due to recent successes, while Tom Hanks had recently received an Oscar nomination for his previous year's performance. Coupled with Eric's own previous box office successes and a script that exuded coolness, Columbia's data department analyzed that earning over a hundred million at the summer box office would be an effortless task.

...

On April 5th, in a large soundstage at Columbia Pictures, they officially commenced shooting, starting with a series of indoor scenes. This time, Eric didn't plan to shoot in chronological order as he had previously.

Both lead characters were well-defined, showing no notable changes from scene to scene -- one sharp and efficient, the other cunning and wise. As long as they were able to immerse themselves into their roles, beginning from any scene would pose no significant issues. Thus, Eric decided on a process that grew from simple to complex and from the inside out.

...

In the hospital room, Cruise's character Andy, after learning of his worsening condition, calmly got out of bed and began to dress himself deliberately.

"How long do I have?"

"Four weeks. If you have internal bleeding, you could die at any time," the sprightly doctor, sitting behind his desk, hoarsely responded.

Andy's motions did not falter upon hearing such dreadful news; after fastening his belt, he handed a wad of cash to the doctor. "No problem. Just give me four weeks' worth of painkillers."

Taking the painkillers, Andy slipped on his jacket as he prepared to leave. The doctor, seemingly a bit sentimental, commented, "I don't think we'll meet again."

"Just in this life," Andy replied calmly.

"Cut!"

...

Once the shot was complete, Eric called for a pause, not saying 'good' or 'no-good' while sitting behind the monitor, slightly frowning as if lost in thought. Although he had been discharged from the hospital, Eric still wore a bandage around his head, occasionally suffering from headaches; yet after several tests, there had been no issues found, which eased Eric's nerves.

Cruise's performance was unremarkable, easily accomplished with his talent. This particular shot would later be edited together with scenes of Andy on the rooftop using montage techniques, incorporating both fast and slow-motion shots, with the two distinct effects occurring twice within just two shots.

The reasoning behind this was that the tense sound of the ticking second hand blended with the background was intended to subtly suggest the passage of time to the audience; Andy only had four weeks left to live. This brief sequence would evoke a sense of urgency and curiosity among viewers -- what would Andy do with his remaining four weeks?

The crew present consisted of many familiar faces who had worked with Eric before, hence they had seen him lost in thought on multiple occasions during filming. They understood what to do -- silently tidying equipment while patiently waiting for Eric to come back to reality.

But after a minute, Cruise finally grew a bit impatient. He felt that there was nothing wrong with his earlier performance, so he approached Eric. "Hey, Eric, how was that last take? Do we need to redo it?"

Eric noted the shadow cast over him as Cruise stepped in front, blocking a large light with his presence because all the lighting in the studio was artificial. As Eric looked up, he caught a glimpse of Cruise's expression and explained, "Sorry, Tom. I got sidetracked thinking about some issues."

"It's fine," Cruise replied, his smile gracious. "How was that last shot? Do we need to do it again?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to do it once more," Eric replied. "Can we hold on a second?"

Cruise shrugged and stepped back as Eric signaled to the lighting technician, issuing some instructions. Gradually, the lights started to dim, departing from the bright simulated sunlight they had before. Eric focused intently on the monitor, waiting until the lighting felt just right before signaling the technician to stop.

"Okay, everyone ready? Let's take that last shot again," Eric instructed loudly.

After a brief moment, the script supervisor stepped forward, clapping the slate, and filming began anew.

Eric carefully observed the images of Andy and the doctor on the screen, silently comparing this shot to the rooftop scene he had envisioned in his mind.

This shot aimed to convey Andy's current state and was reminiscent of Andy's reflections on the rooftop. Viewers might interpret this segment as suggesting that Andy was contemplating suicide, thinking this could be a reverse chronology film, where Andy spent four weeks fulfilling his wishes and then, devoid of hope, leapt from the rooftop.

Since this shot was meant to illustrate and evoke memories, Eric felt that the original's lighting had been overly bright and mirrored Andy's sunny rooftop setting, failing to provide the audience with a sense of contrast, which severely compromised the expressive quality.

Having resolved the lighting issue, Eric shifted his focus back to Cruise's performance. This small scene offered little room for flourish, and Eric had no intention of nitpicking. If Cruise could offer a delightful surprise with his acting, he would be happy; if not, it wouldn't disappoint him as long as he met his own standards.

Eric knew he had already given Cruise the opportunity; whether Cruise could earn a nomination or even win an award hinged on his performance alone. Eric's primary concern was, still, the film's box office potential.

As for the earlier pitch to persuade Cruise to accept a cross-dressing role by referencing potential Oscar prospects... Well, weren't all directors and producers this way when trying to coax actors into their projects? Eric felt no guilt whatsoever; his focus remained on profitability. After all, he was still young enough that his desire for an Oscar wasn't overwhelmingly intense -- the bottom line was far more pertinent.

The film's premise was undeniably novel, but whether it would win the favor of the Academy was anyone's guess. 

...

Only after a couple of takes did this scene pass. The crew began to move to another room within the soundstage, a process that took over half an hour. Actual filming time was limited, as most of the day was consumed with the extensive setup of various scenes.

For the last couple of days, most shots featured Cruise solo, where he explored Hanks's character Sean in his private quarters, creating disguises and choking on blood while portraying Andy's father, Peter, in confrontations against the villains.

Though Eric had the original film in mind, he designed additional scenes to ensure ample material for post-production -- as this was an entirely new Hollywood film, and he couldn't recycle it to match his memories precisely.

The shooting schedule indicated that this process would take three days, with group scenes involving Hanks and others on the fourth day, followed by the indoor scenes between Cruise and Hanks that Eric anticipated eagerly. It was a regret that in his former life, the two major stars had never shared the screen.

...

Due to the ample shooting timeline, the crew wrapped up promptly after eight hours. Eric ordered the assistant director to send the footage to editing, and he hurriedly departed. He had more on his plate than just the movie. Post-production wouldn't begin until after the film officially wrapped.

Casting for the initial roles had been completed, but Eric needed to make the final calls on some actors, while also keeping an eye on his other project shooting in Louisiana.

That project had been underway for a month, but under the meticulous direction of the seasoned Herbert Ross, the filming progress had barely reached the halfway mark. At least another month would be required to finish, followed by a month or more of post-production.

Furthermore, this project seemed to be at risk of going over budget. Eric welcomed this possibility; he knew that Firefly was not the only investor involved, having previously secured an additional three million dollars from Herbert Ross.

Thus, Eric didn't mind the prospect of pouring another couple of million into the film to enhance Firefly's share, and he awaited Ross's request for funds.

...

"Hi, Eric! How's your head?"

Upon returning to Firefly's office, Eric encountered Jonathan Demme, who appeared tired but spoke with a strong voice.

"Thanks for asking, Jonathan. It's getting better. Did you bring the materials?"

"Right here. I filtered through dozens of potential actors as you requested. It nearly wore me out," Jonathan replied with a smile.

Indeed, the burden weighed heavily upon him in recent days. The script called for two child actors, and spurred by Stuart Ronkel's influence, Firefly had received over five thousand submissions for young actors.

Many of these submissions came from children without any acting experience, as parents dreamed of striking it rich like the Ronkels and sent in their kids' files.

There were also fraudulent submissions, where unscrupulous parents falsely claimed their child had made cameo appearances in films or TV shows, forcing the staff to invest significant time verifying these documents' authenticity. In such conditions, identifying promising young talent posed a monumental challenge.

Eric had contemplated directly seeking out those kids with potential based on his memories, but that would have been a far more complex operation than sifting through five thousand submissions.

While Eric's recollections closely mirrored his past life, certain new pieces of information still eluded him. If he mentioned the name of a famous Hollywood star from the future, the staff could identify a hundred kids with the same name -- creativity in naming among people was notoriously lacking.

As he accepted the thick stack of files Jonathan handed over, which included a shortlist of the two child actors alongside three other roles -- like Victor and Grace's husband, among others -- he recognized that he had already delegated some of the minor supporting roles to Jonathan. However, he still needed to personally review them.

The first documents he flipped open pertained to the crucial two child actors. Glancing over the list of ten boys, he was surprised to see Macaulay Culkin's name, while he didn't recognize any of the others.

Turning to Culkin's file, although it had been omitted, the boy still boasted two film credits, explaining why he appeared on this list. Eric pulled out Culkin's file, and Jonathan peered curiously at it. "Eric, are you interested in this boy?"

Eric shook his head. "No, he's out."

"I think this Macaulay Culkin boy is the sharpest of the bunch..." Jonathan began.

But Eric did not wish for Culkin to achieve the same level of stardom he had in his previous life; therefore, the less notoriety, the better.

He believed that keeping Culkin in a position where he only occasionally appeared in one or two lackluster films would be the best route, allowing the boy freedom to choose his future path as an adult.

If they promoted him now, that peculiar pair of parents would undoubtedly create a series of odd situations to ruin the poor boy's chances, just as they had before.

"Jonathan, remember the boy, Nicholas? His character is rather dull. Looking at this boy's pictures with those big, bright eyes makes him seem far too clever, so that's a no-go."

Jonathan, following Eric's logic, took a few more glances and realized, "Okay, I did overlook that."

Eric continued to peruse the remaining nine boys' profiles. Suddenly, he looked up, fixing his gaze on Jonathan Demme across the table. "Jonathan, do you recognize any of these kids?"

Jonathan's eyes darted, his cheeks reddening slightly as he finally nodded, standing up to produce one boy's profile. "This Brian Baker is the son of an actor friend I previously worked with. Sorry, Eric; I shouldn't have done this, but I swear I only added him after a thorough consideration during auditions."

As Jonathan spoke, he was about to crumple up the boy's profile to toss it into the wastebasket, but Eric intervened, examining the materials carefully. Eric nodded with satisfaction. "Jonathan, let's go with him."

"Uh, really sorry... wait, what did you say?" Jonathan snapped back to reality, looking at Eric incredulously.

Eric smiled. "I said, let's go with him. You know I don't have time for auditions now. Plus, I trust you won't mess around with the film, right?"

"Of course," Jonathan affirmed vigorously -- the movie was critical for his future in Hollywood, hinging on this very opportunity.

"Are there any others?" Eric inquired.

This time, Jonathan shook his head firmly. "Absolutely none, Eric. The rest of the candidates have no connection to me."

Eric had initially proposed this as a favor to Jonathan. While he had already offered a substantial opportunity, he didn't mind giving a little more without needing to sacrifice anything. Jonathan Demme was a promising talent, and Eric had decided to bring him under his wing, especially knowing that Hanks's first Oscar-winning film would be directed by Jonathan.

With the boy secured, Eric saw no need to continue reviewing the rest, so he moved on to the folder with the potential actresses.

It seemed the saying that Hollywood was a small place had some truth to it, as this time there were two familiar names in the mix -- Kirsten Dunst and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

*****

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