King of Hollywood

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Visit the Set Plan

“I love this script, Ed. The writers did an amazing job. I can almost smell those Italian dishes, truly amazing. I’ve even sketched out the image of this workaholic female chef in my head,” Mandy Gale chatted away as she drank, “I’ve even found the tone for the film—it should be…”

“Burning Summer!” Adrian chimed in immediately.

“Exactly! The ambiance and tone just like ‘Burning Summer!'” Mandy clapped her hands excitedly, then turned to Adrian in surprise, “Have you seen the movie I directed?”

“Of course, the reason I approached you to direct this film is that I saw your movie,” Adrian said with a smile.

“That’s awesome, dude. I definitely have to direct this movie!” Mandy exclaimed with excitement.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll have the company talk to you about the contract and specifics as soon as possible. If everything goes well, I hope we can start shooting by the end of April,” Adrian nodded, then gave Charli a signal, but Charli had started taking notes on her memo pad from the first sentence spoken.

“No problem, I’ll give it my all,” Mandy whistled loudly, then seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, Ed, why don’t you direct this film yourself? After all, you’re now the Miracle Director!”

“Because I need a rest. Don’t think making three films in one year is easy, Mandy. I won’t be doing anything until I’ve had enough rest,” Adrian waved dismissively and stood up, “Alright then, that’s it. I’m heading back.”

“Wait, Ed. We have a party tonight, maybe you can come,” Mandy called out to him animatedly, “There’s an unlimited supply of beer and hot girls, Holly Hunter will be there too.”

“Sorry, I have other plans,” Adrian declined the invitation and then said his goodbyes to Charli as they left the bar.

“Do you have a driver’s license, Charli?” he suddenly asked as they reached the car.

Charli was slightly taken aback, then spread her hands and replied, “Only a learner’s permit.”

“No worries, I can sit beside you,” Adrian dismissed Charli’s concerns as she seemed about to protest, “I drank a bit too much earlier, and I don’t want to get into trouble with the police. Don’t worry, just drive slowly, unless you haven’t touched a car since you got your license.”

“Okay.” Charli no longer objected and confidently took the car keys to sit in the driver’s seat.

Watching the street scenery receding, Adrian stretched a little in the passenger seat. He had decided to entrust the direction of ‘No Reservations’ to Mandy Gale mainly because of his Italian heritage. In the West, Italian and French cuisines are well-known, British cuisine has always been scorned, and as for culturally related United States, it’s basically synonymous with fast food. So, if one wants to make a film about gastronomy, the focus has to be on either Italian or French cuisine.

Since Adrian had chosen Monica for the lead role, the film’s food would solely be Italian, and naturally, it was best to find a director who understood Italian cuisine just as well. Between two roughly equally skilled directors, whoever understood the nuances of cooking Italian dishes would handle the details better—this was Mandy’s edge. After reviewing his profile and their conversation today, Adrian was even more convinced of this, and with Mandy’s reasonable skills and experience, he was the natural choice.

The rest could be left to Laverne. Adrian decided this internally. He believed Monica would give herself a surprise in this movie, remembering that it had taken a while to pick out this particular script.

Since she’s his woman, naturally, she shouldn’t be wronged. Recalling Monica’s enthusiasm, Adrian couldn’t help but glance at Charli next to him. She was focused on driving, eyes straight ahead.

“How does it feel?” he suddenly asked.

Charli glanced at him, “Is this the norm in Hollywood, or what?”

“The norm, I guess,” Adrian laughed, “Honestly, I thought I’d see a scene shrouded in smoke. Surprising that these guys didn’t smoke weed. Basically, Hollywood parties are no different from those thrown by college students, just more lavish, lively, and unrestrained.”

“Is that so?” Charli replied noncommittally.

Adrian was slightly surprised and after a moment of thought, he asked, “Don’t tell me that you’ve never been to this kind of party, neither in school nor while doing ballet.”

“How could I? I’ve been to a few, but I’ve always felt somewhat out of place,” Charli said in a light tone, but a flicker of disgust still passed through her eyes, “I’ve attended even fewer parties in the past two years, spending all my time studying, without even time for dating.”

Adrian was a bit taken aback. Compared to what he remembered from the documents, the Charli in front of him was really… Could it be that his own “butterfly wings” had been so powerful that a single flap had turned her into a workaholic?

Forget it, don’t rush, just observe for a while longer. With that thought, he looked out the car window again.

This year’s Oscar nominations were announced a tad early, with the official ceremony not taking place until the end of March, still about a month away. Meanwhile, several movies invested in and produced by Bossworth Film Company were underway, and after wrapping up the company’s affairs, Adrian added set visits to his itinerary.

First on the list was Jonathan Demme’s set of “Philadelphia Story.” They had just returned from on-location shooting in Philadelphia and were now filming interior scenes in Studio 93. Given its proximity, it was a natural first choice. Of course, another reason was that the film had been shooting for over a month, and Adrian, who was both a screenwriter and producer, had not once visited the set, which was truly unacceptable.

Even Demme’s first words upon seeing him were, “I can’t imagine, Ed, if every producer were like you, Hollywood’s film industry would’ve been ruined long ago.”

Although Demme had said those words in a semi-joking tone, Adrian still apologized politely, “I’m sorry, Joe, that’s my fault. If you like, I can apologize to everyone in front of you.”

Of course, Demme wouldn’t make him do that. After voicing his complaints, he immediately started briefing Adrian on the current situation. They had completed over half of the shooting, with all the exterior scenes in Pennsylvania already finished, leaving only the studio filming. They expected to wrap up before the Oscar ceremony, but post-production might require at least four months or even longer.

ear. We all know, the Oscars like flawed, extraordinary characters, don’t we?” Adrian said in conclusion.

“So you’re saying, Miracle Director, that you think Tom stands a chance for a nomination?” Demme was somewhat surprised that they were already discussing awards for a film still in production.

“Didn’t you say, Tom and Denzel were outstanding?” Adrian said nonchalantly.

Demme was extremely fond of the two leads from “Philadelphia Story.” More than once while discussing the script had he praised Adrian’s foresight for smartly casting Hanks and Washington in these roles.

Indeed, even from those unedited scenes, Adrian could see the brilliance of Hanks and Washington’s performances. If initially choosing them was just a result of memory and serving his reputation and plans, now he truly admired them. No wonder these two guys both went on to win the Best Actor Oscar.

Not only that, they were also very dedicated. In the upcoming courthouse scenes, Hanks was playing an AIDS patient who was very weak, so he had to lose at least 30 pounds. He managed to reach that target in just a little over a week without delaying the filming. Washington’s role, on the other hand, required him to gain 5 to 7 pounds, so whenever shooting stopped, he’d stuff himself with chocolate.

As such, the two actors who had become friends due to the film often put on a bit of a comedic act. Like when Demme was introducing Hanks and Washington to Adrian, Washington was standing in front of Hanks, munching on chocolate with great relish. To make sure Hanks could see more clearly, he’d often do a slow-motion action of putting chocolate in his mouth and after swallowing, would deliberately show an expression of ecstasy, gazing at him wide-eyed.

After every piece, Washington would even intentionally ask, “Need a bit, Tom? It’s just divine.”

“We’ll see about that, Den, sooner or later I’ll get you back,” Hanks, though exasperated by his antics, didn’t get angry and responded with a joking threat behind a mild smile.

Washington asked first and then explained, “I read the script on a plane, couldn’t help but leap around at the exciting parts, gave the stewardess a scare—got off the plane and contacted Joe right away, I had to play this role.”

“Yes, that’s right, the idea for the script was there from the start, originally I thought…” Adrian smiled and began to explain at his own leisurely pace. (To be continued, for the rest, please visit . More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)