Brooke Shields and her mother returned to Los Angeles again. Their main purpose of returning this time was to negotiate the price with Warner Brothers.
The casting of "The Kid" took a turn for the worse. Coppola couldn't afford the rent on his studio in Los Angeles, so he was forced to be "persuaded" by Warner Bros. to add several well-known teenage stars to the cast.
His first choice was, of course, Brooke Shields, who is now the most famous.
Ronald understood Coppola's choice. "Cherry" does not require much acting skills, but beauty. Her beauty is the trigger that triggers the conflict between the two gangs in the story. It is not easy to choose an idol to play this role.
Due to the lack of acting skills, it will cause too much damage to the main plot of male adolescent conflict.
This role is very pleasing. It has important scenes, does not require too high acting skills, and also highlights the beauty. It is just the height that Brooke can perform with just a little effort, and it is very suitable for her. But in this way, Diane can only
She can take second place as a supporting actress and play the role of "Cherry"'s best friend.
"Brookee and her mother are staying at the Hilton Hotel. Her mother called and asked you to go over and ask about the crew of 'Old Man'. Brooke also wants to talk to you."
Ronald was cleaning himself up in the bathroom, and Richard was talking loudly to Ronald about the situation outside.
"Well, I thought Terry didn't want me to have more contact with Brooke?" Ronald replied while washing his face.
"This time it was different. Terry was in big trouble. When they appeared on CBS's '60 Minutes', they were asked a lot of offensive questions by host Barbara Waters. For example, the mother asked her daughter to go
Is it appropriate to play a young prostitute, and is it appropriate to have my daughter perform naked?"
"Then why does she still want to accept this kind of interview?" Ronald was puzzled.
"That was Barbara's sudden attack. CBS, which represents America's orthodox mainstream values, often attacks guests suddenly like this. Terry didn't hire an agent for Brooke, so he was deceived.
Brooke was embarrassed by the question. Her relationship with Terry was now a bit tense. Terry had also fallen out with the 'friends' who encouraged her to appear on the Sixty Minutes column. She needed someone who could provide objective opinions.
So I thought of you."
"Then what's her attitude towards Brooke taking over the role of Cherry?"
"Of course she insisted on the offer of 1.5 million US dollars, but this price was impossible for Warner to accept. On the one hand, it exceeded the budget, and on the other hand, the price was too far away from the prices of other teenage actors. It was difficult for the director to deal with them during filming.
conflicts between them.”
"So she wants me to persuade Brooke to give up?"
"Yes, she hopes you can persuade Bo Ji to give up. Bo Ji seems to have had a lot of conflicts with her recently. Bo Ji wants to practice her acting skills, hire her own agent, etc.
Of course, if you can convince Coppola and Warner to give her the price she wants, then Terry will also be willing to star in Brooke."
"What if I helped her? Letterman's place?"
"Terry agreed to Brooke's appearance on his talk show." Richard helped Ronald, who came out of the bathroom, put on his coat. "Terry is a person who knows how to repay, so you don't have to worry about that."
Ronald adjusted his collar in front of the mirror, "Okay, I'll give it a try. I don't have high hopes for this. If I help Terry speak, Brooke will be unhappy, and she won't blurt it out then."
What should I do with the show?”
"No, they just lack the guidance of professionals in the industry. Terry has only played two supporting roles in movies starring his daughter. Neither of them has really entered the entertainment industry."
"It makes sense. In fact, what they need is a good agent they can trust." Ronald said this, his heart moved, "By the way, why are you the only one here? Where are Niceta and Paula?"
"They went to coordinate the project with Warner Bros., and they made a lot of efforts to get Coppola to agree to compromise on the casting.
Niceta wants to get more filming opportunities for Coppola's Peep Show Company so that he can pay off his debts. Paula is still running for Tom, hoping that he can play the leading role in Coppola's next film."
"Why didn't you go?"
"I'm your agent, Ronald." Richard took out the car key and waved it to Ronald, and the two of them went to the parking lot to drive.
"Oh, Ronald, you're here." Terry opened the hotel door, "I invite you to come this time, because you and Brooke are good friends, so please give us some advice."
"I know everything I can say." Ronald sat on the sofa, and Brooke sat in the other corner of the room, seeming to have a quarrel with her mother. "Hi, Brooke." He said to the girl as well.
Hello.
When Brooke heard that it was Ronald coming, she turned around and said, "You have a lot of beard again, Ronald."
"Ha, yes. This will make me a little more dignified on the set, right?"
"Ronald," Terry interrupted the conversation between the two, "do you think starring in 'The Kid' will really increase Brooke's net worth significantly? I want to hear your truth."
Ray said as he glanced at Brooke and emphasized the word "truth".
"I'm not an agent, so I don't know much about this." Ronald replied, "But Director Coppola is particularly good at training young actors. 'The Godfather' is an example. He discovered several stars who were still unknown at the time.
This time, I participated in the entire casting process for "The Kid". They are all very capable young actors. If Brooke can participate in the filming of this movie, her acting skills will be greatly improved.
Although acting skills are not equal to an actor's worth, in the long run, Brooke can play more roles and can play for a longer period of time. Brooke is a child star. At this stage, what is needed is a brilliant role to make Ami
Liga's audience remembers her as she grew up.
Just like when Natalie Wood played "West Side Story", the audience successfully remembered her image as a teenager. However, the child star Shirley Temple, who is more popular than her, did not have such a teenage role to impress the audience.
Remember her, I can only quit the showbiz in the end."
Ronald told the truth. With Brooke Shields's current status, although she is a teenage star, the value brought by this popularity is not so safe. Just like Jodie Foster, who was at the same time as her, was hiding in Yale because of an assassination case.
Without acting, he has gradually been forgotten by the public.
There is also Tatum O'Neal, who became famous earlier than Brooke. She also starred in many teen comedies the year before last, but there are no movies for her to star in this year.
When child actors grow up, they have to go through puberty. Now Coppola's movie is a good opportunity for child actors. If you miss him, there won't be many great directors who are good at training actors to help you at the critical moment.
Pushed once.
"I understand, I understand."
Terry listened very carefully. This time Poji was really angry. She was also a little confused about her daughter's future and needed some advice from insiders. After thinking about it, only Ronald and herself did not have much benefit.
Relationship, I can hear some truth.
"I'm not against Brooke honing her acting skills, but it's just that her worth is very difficult to achieve now. I spent a lot of energy to manage such a situation, and I also had to protect Brooke from being coveted by those people.
"
Terry became excited as she spoke, "I want to give her a good life, and I hope she can do the career she wants to do. But the world is not as simple as she thought..." She choked up a little and rushed.
Went to the bathroom.
It seems that Poji is a little angry this time.
Brooke also looked a little confused. She walked over and looked at Terry, then looked into Ronald's eyes and asked:
"What should I do, Ronald? I want to be an actor, and I don't want to be a vase anymore. But it's not easy for an actress to get such a net worth. If I agree to reduce my price this time, I may not be able to rise in the future.
And the career of an actress is not as long as that of an actor, so I don't know if my acting skills can improve."
"It seems that Brooke is very sane in her heart." Ronald thought to himself. Indeed, in this entertainment industry, it is impossible for a fool to succeed. Unlike Diane, Brooke had an acting teacher's father to give her advice since she was a child.
The mother initially created her daughter exactly as a model.
The only reason why she became an actress was that she was approached by a few movies. The highlight of those movies was not her acting skills, but Brooke's astonishing beauty.
"It's difficult for me to answer this question, after all, it is related to your career choice." Ronald thought for a while, and it was not convenient for him to speak on this matter. After all, the other person was a mother and daughter, so he could only give some objective opinions.
"I think maybe what you need is an acting agent. Although they will take ten percent of your income, their income is tied to your acting career. If you have a good agent
, you can safely listen to him, because his interests are the same as yours."
Ronald said as he glanced at Richard, "For example, between me and Richard, he always considers issues based on my interests."
Po Ji thought for a while and nodded. It seemed that she was not without consideration for her career.
"What do you want to do? Brooke?" Ronald saw Brooke in great distress and couldn't help asking. "It's not what your mother wants you to do, nor what your fans want you to do. You want to do it yourself."
Be an actor?"
"I quite like acting. But to say what I think about myself, I most want to be a normal person, go to high school like a normal person, and go to college like a normal person. I am not just a model..." Po Ji pointed.
own face.
"It's a bit like - what you can't get is good." Ronald thought to himself, how many girls in high school wanted to get her status but couldn't get it? I'm afraid they would be willing to do anything to get Bogie's status.
Ji's current status and money.
At this time, Terry came out of the bathroom and said, "Brother, I don't disagree with you being an actor. You are not an adult yet. In the next two years, you can make some simple movies and find some kinder directors, like granddaughters."
I love you. Director Coppola is very strict.
I will let you go when you get into college. If you want to be an actor, a model, or a lawyer, I won't object."
"Mom!" Brooke and her mother hugged each other.
"Do you think Brooke's decision is wise?" Ronald asked Richard in the elevator after leaving.
"It's hard to say, and her mother's strategy can't be wrong. Now Bo Ji is the most valuable. If she can take advantage of the opportunity and make more money, Bo Ji may not have to work anymore in the future.
Being a real actor is not an easy profession. Now she receives more than one million US dollars for a movie, and the modeling quotations are also very high. Maybe after a few more years of hard work, she can retire and travel around the world."
"Yes." Ronald agreed, "Anyway, Terry has agreed to Brooke's appearance on Letterman's Late Show, and his goal has been achieved. As for Brooke's career choice, he has not the qualifications and qualifications to make decisions for others.
qualifications.
Two days later, Brooke Shields officially rejected Coppola's invitation.
Coppola had no choice but to find a backup, Leif Garrett, who was once known as the golden child along with Brooke Shields, to play a playboy in the gang.
He started out as a singer and has also acted in many TV series. Although he is not as popular as Brooke Shields now, he still has many fans among teenagers. It can also have the effect of attracting teenagers who have never read the novel to enter the theater.