Chapter 105: The Circle

[Chapter 105: The Circle]

Jonathan was about to leap for joy, but he managed to keep his excitement inside, not wanting to let it show on the surface.

"Eric, thank you so much for giving me this directing opportunity. I promise I will make something you'll be happy with," he said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.

Seeing the middle-aged man barely containing his excitement, Eric smiled back. "Jonathan, you can go over the details of the directing contract with Jeffrey tomorrow at Firefly. For now, you should really get a good night's sleep."

"Uh?" Jonathan was a bit taken aback by Eric's suggestion. He had indeed gotten very little sleep in the past few days, but now, having secured the directing opportunity, every cell in his body was buzzing with excitement, and he felt no fatigue at all. "Eric, I'm not tired. Maybe we could discuss the movie further? I have a ton of ideas."

He patted a thick stack of materials in front of him.

Eric shook his head firmly. "Jonathan, I understand the effort you put in to get this opportunity. You probably haven't looked in the mirror in days, have you?"

Jonathan rubbed his stubbly face. "Sorry, Eric, I just washed my face before coming out and didn't have time to shave."

"No," Eric replied. "It's not about that. It's your eyes. They're bloodshot from staying up too late. So listen to me, go home and rest. Your health comes first."

Eventually, under Eric's insistence, Jonathan Demme had to get up and head home, while Eric drove away from the cafe.

...

The next day, Jonathan signed a directing deal with Firefly for a flat fee of $500,000 with no profit-sharing. He didn't even think twice before signing. This opportunity meant everything to him; if successful, he could break free from the B-movie circuit and step into a brand new world.

On the surface, Hollywood seemed like the place where the American dream happened most frequently. Unknown little actors and directors could suddenly rise to become A-list stars due to one successful film, gaining the admiration of studios and the public alike.

But in reality, the barriers in Hollywood were even more severe. Independent films had their own circles, B-movies had their own, and low-budget productions had theirs too. Even adult films operated within their own realm. While these circles might intersect, once you were in one, jumping to another was fraught with obstacles. Slowly, many gave up trying and settled resignedly within their own circles.

But there were lucky ones; occasionally someone would leap from a lower circle to a higher one and suddenly shine in the spotlight, becoming the embodiment of the American dream.

...

After Jonathan signed his contract, Eric finalized the directors for several films he planned to make this year. The casting for three movies was underway. Although some major roles had already been decided, there were still many hotly contested parts left. For the first two films Eric was working on, even supporting roles elevated careers. So when Firefly announced the audition notices, the second and third-tier actors in Hollywood nearly erupted with excitement. Many top-tier actors took a chance and inquired about auditioning.

For obvious reasons, the casting for the three films leaned heavily towards actors represented by United Talent Agency (UTA). Within just a few days, thousands of applications piled up in front of Kepler, many coming from agents wanting to collectively pitch their clients to join UTA.

After a lengthy discussion, Kepler and Eric concluded that this was not the best time for UTA to expand aggressively. Blindly enlarging the agency without providing sufficient opportunities would only tarnish UTA's reputation. Thus, nearly all collaborative applications were rejected. In response to the continual stream of proposals, Kepler had to publicly issue a statement, which temporarily eased the situation.

...

Among the most sought-after audition lists for supporting roles, intriguingly, were not for Eric's films or starring Al Pacino, but rather for what seemed like the most inconspicuous project. This particular film's audition list included two ten-year-old child actors.

Although the director and lead actress had little fame, and beyond the title, there were no further details about the plot, the credit for the script went to Eric himself.

People naturally connected this casting to the once-unknown Stuart Ronkel, formerly just a precocious boy from Eric's neighborhood. Who could have guessed he would soar to fame globally now?

Consequently, while other films received only a few hundred audition applications, the candidate list for the two child roles expanded to 5,000 and kept growing. As the word spread about the auditions, Firefly began receiving applications from young actors from Europe and Australia as well.

"I'm really sorry, Charles, it's not that I don't want to use Stu, it's just that this film doesn't call for a kid like him... It's not about the money. I know, I know, the little boy just doesn't have that much screen time... No problem. You're always welcome to drop by my place... Alright, goodbye."

After hanging up, Eric rubbed his throbbing temples. Ever since Firefly released the audition list, he had been inundated with phone calls, whether at home or at the office, from people trying to recommend actors through connections.

The call he had just received was from Charles Ronkel, Stuart's father, who he hadn't spoken to in ages, seeking to secure the role for his son.

From the outside, Stuart seemed to be doing wonderfully, but within the industry, people knew he was somewhat "overvalued." His fees had soared to astronomical heights, but few were bold enough to invite him for projects. Much of his income came from commercials and endorsements. Perhaps Charles knew it was crucial to maintain Stuart's fame, which is why he reluctantly reached out to Eric, even offering a lowball price of $3 million. To put this in perspective, CAA had quoted Stuart's fee at $8 million.

Unbeknownst to him, Eric found that while he didn't mingle much, his social circle had surprisingly expanded. Perhaps this was the saying, "When you're poor in a bustling city, no one asks about you; when you're rich in the mountains, far-off relatives visit."

Even someone he had merely met once or chatted with briefly would now engage with Eric in a friendly manner, discussing the weather and casually recommending various actors.

...

A fragrant breeze wafted through as a pair of creamy white arms snaked around Eric's neck from behind the sofa, a little face rubbing against his cheek in a playful manner.

"Hey, alright, alright, stop it," Eric said, pulling away the little arms wrapped around his neck. He couldn't help but marvel at how this girl, despite years of battles with alcohol and drugs, still had skin as smooth as silk.

Drew laughed as Eric tugged her away, then leapt over the back of the sofa and into his arms.

"You're almost a big girl now, and still so mischievous," Eric couldn't resist giving her a playful smack on her chubby little backside.

"Ow... that hurt..." she whimpered, instantly flooded with tears, yet her big sparkling eyes seemed to say, "Do it again, do it again."

Eric had long grown accustomed to Drew's playful provocation. "Alright, spit it out. Why did you suddenly run back here?"

"Can't I just miss you?" Drew replied, pouting.

"Is that a new accent? Sounds funny, who taught you that?" Eric asked, chuckling. "Well, forget it. Hurry up, tell me why you came back."

"Honestly, I just missed you, Eric! I saw the Lamborghini in the garage and couldn't believe when I mentioned I liked that car, you actually remembered. That made me so happy!"

"You misunderstood; I was actually planning to gift it to Jenny."

*****

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