King of Hollywood

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Casting

Indeed, Johnny Depp had become the epitome of a Hollywood bad boy due to his unrestrained lifestyle after gaining fame from “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” attracting plenty of innocent young girls. Throughout the ’90s, he had been involved in at least four lawsuits. Although he enjoyed a good collaboration with Tim Burton, he remained in an awkward semi-famous state until his lucky break in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which finally catapulted him to stardom and smoothly inducted him into the 20 million club.

Talking about it, things like getting into fistfights over women in bars are pretty common—celebrities are human too, and Adrian bore no ill-will towards Depp. But, choosing to live under the spotlight means paying the price. Sure, bad boys are cool and admired by the youth, but without wider approval, you never really make it to the top. If you want to change that, it could take years—Drew Barrymore is one such example.@@novelbin@@

Adrian, having decided to support Dennis for a series of reasons, naturally did not wish for him to spend over a decade to learn what’s doable and what’s not, hence he took this opportunity to give him a light warning—it probably had something to do with being a calm and rational person himself.

“Yes, I understand,” Dennis genuinely nodded.

“Do you really understand?” Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“I get what you mean, Ed. As a public figure, I need to be aware of my role. Especially now that I am just beginning to make my mark, I need to be more cautious,” said Dennis.

“Good, my judgment was not wrong,” Adrian crossed his arms and smiled slightly.

Although Dennis had not finished speaking, Adrian knew that he had indeed grasped his point—those who have experienced the highs and lows of life truly understand the importance of opportunities.

“Let’s leave it at that for now, but keep your role a secret for the moment, and let Roger find a way to calm these comments down,” Adrian said then.

While jealousy in a bar isn’t something too serious, he decided to remain cautious. Besides, with Roger’s capabilities, he should be able to sort out this kind of issue for Dennis; that’s what agents are for.

“I understand,” Dennis immediately nodded, and Adrian followed with a sly smile: “Of course, I fully support you pursuing the woman you like. Don’t worry, just charm her.”

If Adrian had known Dennis’s target was Winona that day, he definitely would have taught him more than just a casual talk. It was too interesting; he had actually intervened in one of Hollywood’s most famous couples from the early ’90s. Originally, Adrian just wanted to see how far Dennis could go, but this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It seemed he had some potential; who knows how things would develop next.

After resolving this matter, Adrian shifted his focus to other things, such as publishing the novel version of “Tomb Raider.” He was working again with Ben Arnt, a second-rate writer with some flair for adventure and horror novels, so it was ideal for him to fill out the world Adrian had created; their previous collaboration had gone quite well.

Like with “Resident Evil,” the sales for the novel “Tomb Raider” probably wouldn’t be very high, but as it was one of the rare adventure novels featuring a female version of Indiana Jones, it might perform a bit better if handled properly. Here, Ben Arnt must be praised—although his novels weren’t anything special, he had done a very thorough job in his research, consulting numerous materials on Peru and the legend of Atlantis, and had well-incorporated these details into the novel.

If his writing could undergo further training, he could definitely be considered a nurturing prospect, Adrian thought after reviewing the revised “Tomb Raider” screenplay. Both “Resident Evil” and “Tomb Raider” were series, and though their sales weren’t exceptional, there was still some profit to be made. With this in mind, it made sense to continue extracting the remaining value. Adrian certainly didn’t have much time, so it seemed better to provide an outline himself and let Ben Arnt handle the writing. A few adjustments to the profit-sharing contract would suffice, as he wasn’t too concerned about the slight loss in royalties.

However, “The Matrix” was a different case; it couldn’t be handled the same way. Firstly, Ben Arnt wasn’t suited to write science fiction, and putting it in his hands could very well turn into an adventure or horror story draped in a sci-fi disguise. Secondly, this novel was tied to many future endeavors, and sharing copyrights with someone else would be foolish. Therefore, it was best for him to handle the revisions himself. After all, there were a few more years to go, and editing a few sentences a day should surely see to its completion, right?

Besides that, Adrian had been busy with various other matters before shifting his focus back to casting. This time, the casting announcement was made through internal channels. The media was not aware of the details, and given the current era, which was not yet dominated by the internet, along with Adrian’s deliberate choice to keep a low profile among outsiders, the news of casting for the new movie wasn’t known to those outside the circle.

Even so, nearly a thousand videotapes had been mailed to the company, and numerous agents of second and third-tier actors had made in-person recommendations. Even some near top-tier actresses had engaged through different channels, given Adrian’s well-established reputation in the industry. Frankly, if his previous three films hadn’t featured so few standout female roles, the current situation would have been even more overwhelming.

David Michod, responsible for casting, strictly followed the criteria Adrian had set, initially weeding out many through the videotapes, followed by further eliminations over the phone, and then organizing preliminary auditions. He recorded the segments of the actresses and handed them over to Adrian, the director and producer, to make the final decision.

“How many are left? 40?” Adrian asked, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly after watching the videotapes for a long time.

After receiving confirmation, he paused the TV screen signaling everyone to take a break. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Adrian shook his head and sighed. Of the initial hundred actors, he hadn’t gone through nearly half, but so far, only three had caught his eye, and they just barely met the requirements.

Would he really have to resort to Uma Thurman? Adrian shook his head again. He walked back to his desk and, with a frown, began flipping through the profiles of the actresses again. In Hollywood, no one was irreplaceable; he just hadn’t found the right one yet.

After flipping through the profiles several times, Adrian shrugged and was about to continue watching the videotapes but turned around suddenly as something occurred to him. He picked up the last profile and flipped through it, a curious expression crossing his face.

“David, do you remember this woman?” Adrian raised the profile towards Michod.

“Um… yes, the Italian woman. Decent demeanor, good figure, has done some modeling,” Michod said, glancing at the profile and nodding.

“Find her tape,” Adrian said immediately, his eyes lingering on the name in the file for a long time.

(Waiting on everyone’s guesses … ask for votes and favorites …)