"Hi, Ronald! I haven't seen you here for a long time."
He returned to the casting studio on East 31st Street in Manhattan, New York. It was still the same black door with several stairs. The door was still the same strong black doorman. He still remembered Ronald who worked here.
"Hi, long time no see, how are you?"
Ronald hugged him warmly.
"Yes, Ms. Julia Taylor is waiting for you." The black doorman was very happy that Ronald still treated him as an equal as before, and quietly mentioned to Ronald, "She is in a bad mood, you..."
"Forget it, Ronald is also a big director now, so they should come to please him." The black doorman originally wanted to remind Ronald not to make the general manager Julia Taylor angry, but he realized that things had changed.
"What's wrong? Who made her angry?" Ronald hadn't seen these old friends for several years, and when he saw them again, it was as if time had not passed and he just took a break to drink a cup of coffee.
"I heard that she had different opinions with director Woody Allen, but she didn't say much to us. We could all tell that she was a little unhappy."
"Thank you," Ronald patted the doorman on the shoulder and handed him a bag of snacks as before, as a small reward for revealing the information.
"Meow...", a white cat meowed to Ronald, as if it recognized this young man who had been a photographer here for a year, and jumped up to the table at the front desk.
"Director Ronald, Ms. Taylor is waiting for you."
The front desk was replaced by a young lady. Ronald nodded to him and entered Julia Taylor's office.
"Oh, Ronald, hahaha, I'm so happy to see you." Julia came out from behind the desk to hug Ronald and say hello.
After the two exchanged pleasantries, they talked about the current situation of their mutual friends.
Julia herself is serving as Woody Allen's regular casting director, making one or two movies every year. Recently, his "Hannah Sisters" has received unanimous praise from film critics.
Margery, who used to be the casting director at "Famous", has gradually become the backbone of the casting studio. When Julia is busy working with Woody Allen, Margery takes charge of the studio's work.
.
"So, Ronald, how can I help you?" Julia Taylor's temperament has not changed much. She is still a trustworthy middle-aged beauty. She quickly turned to the topic and asked Ronald
purpose of coming.
"I have a movie, and it's different from the popcorn movies I've made before. It's a very good romantic comedy, and it has a heavy supporting role. I better be able to steal you away from Woody Allen for a while, if
If you don’t have enough time, please recommend me a casting director who is familiar with theater performances.”
Ronald explained his purpose, took out a copy of the script from his briefcase, and handed it to Julia Taylor.
"Well..." Julia took it and started reading. She was very happy for Ronald sitting opposite. When he was in the casting studio, Ronald was a very savvy photographer. Fighting in Hollywood
After becoming famous, he made commercial films for several years.
Finally, this young and promising director born in New York will start to turn to feature films that focus on performance and plot.
The casting studio is in New York, and those who come here to seek casting services are directors who are good at shooting feature films. A large number of commercial films in Hollywood do not pay much attention to the chemical reaction between actors, but pay more attention to the similarity in appearance.
sex.
As a result, Julia Taylor, a casting master, has a lot of skills, but in the film business, she has only worked with Woody Allen for a long time. Outside the New York film industry, not many people know her skills.
"Who are you going to use as the heroine Loretta?" Julia quickly finished flipping through the script and asked Ronald at the beginning.
"Cher," Ronald replied immediately, "she has agreed."
"Why?" Julia Taylor took out her notebook and stared at Ronald, preparing to write down his opinions.
"Oh...oh...oh, wait a minute, you mean, you are willing to take time to cast my movie?" Ronald didn't believe it.
"Yes, why not? Now being able to be the casting director for your movie will be a great addition to my resume."
"Humph..." Ronald felt that what Julia Taylor said was interesting. She seemed to have other ideas.
"It seems that I said something similar when I came here to apply for a job. Hahaha." Ronald replied, "When will the new film directed by Woody Allen start shooting? There will be no time difference between his and mine.
Crossover?"
"He should be fine, but I'm no longer casting for him." Julia Taylor shrugged and replied with a smile.
"Very good, then I'm going to make a call and ask someone from my company to sign a contract with you. Should it be in your name or with a casting studio?"
"Use it in my own name." Julia Taylor looked around, obviously full of reluctance to leave this place where she started working since she entered the industry.
Ronald finished the call and came back to continue with Julia.
"Actually, it's very simple. Cher is famous enough and the budget for this production is not big, so I have to find a star with fans to be the heroine. And Cher happens to be the kind of person who makes people think she can do it as soon as they see her.
She is so crazy that she falls in love with her disabled brother when she and her brother are preparing for their wedding."
Julia Taylor nodded, "What about Johnny, the male protagonist? This is a difficult role to play. He hated his brother for causing him to lose a hand, and then he met his brother's fiancée, fell in love with her immediately, and invited her
Go to the opera. This kind of role can easily make the audience feel too fake. You must have an explosive actor."
"I was going to let Nicolas Cage play the role, and he agreed." Ronald said, "Do you know him?"
"He has his file, just wait." Julia Taylor went to the filing cabinet where the actors' audition photos were placed, and found the audition photos and resumes of the two leading actors and actresses in the section beginning with c.
"Others, do you have a favorite candidate? Or when the screenwriter wrote the script, he wrote it with the image of that actor in mind? We can all give it a try."
"No, I don't have a clue about the others, so I came to you for help. The casting of this movie is a big challenge for me."
"Why do you say that?"
"I talked with the screenwriter Shanley. Each of his characters is based on an Italian friend from his childhood, and many of the scenes take place in the kitchen where he eats. The scene where a large family gathers around a big table to eat is particularly special.
Test the chemical reaction between the characters. I don’t know anyone who has this ability. You spend a lot of time in New York and often go to Broadway plays."
"Bingo, you are right, Ronald, this movie must go to Broadway for casting." Julia Taylor nodded in agreement, "It's best if you think so. I originally wanted to convince you to cast it on Broadway.
actor."
"Don't just look at the actor's appearance, but also look at their chemical reaction together. You taught me this before." Ronald laughed.
In fact, since he finished filming "Dirty Dancing", he has actually quite admired the professionalism and efficiency of Broadway actors, and has long been thinking about using it in the film "Moonlight".
"Okay, let's have a meeting with the screenwriter Mr. Shanley first, and then go talk to the heroine Cher and the hero Cage. Let's start with the chemical reaction between the two of them. I declare in advance that if their chemical reaction is not good, I will
I will put forward my own opinions, and I am a person who sticks to my own opinions."
"Of course, I came to you just hoping that you can give me more professional advice. This movie is not the kind of movie that just randomly hires a TV actor. There are a lot of dialogues and a lot of indoor eating scenes. If it weren't for the acting skills,
Without the ability to make the audience feel truly engaged, the movie would probably become boring."
"No problem. I have many actors here who have been working on Broadway for more than 20 years. It just so happens that your supporting actors are all middle-aged." Julia Taylor was very confident that she could help Ronald find the most suitable actor.
The two went through the character list at the front of the script one by one. Julia Taylor recorded a lot of Ronald's understanding of the character and asked a lot of questions.
"I'll look for a suitable candidate first. When I have the news, I'll make an appointment with you for an interview."
"There is one more thing, I need your caution." Ronald held Julia's hand, "No one in Hollywood knows this. The heroine Cher has severe alexia, so you have to help me find a
An actor who can speak a standard Brooklyn Italian accent, read her lines and have her memorize them."
"It's not a big problem, Brooklyn accent, Italian, middle-aged, female..." Julia wrote down the request in detail, "Don't worry, this situation is not uncommon, I know how to deal with it."
"Okay, let's go to the Ukrainian restaurant next door for lunch, just in time to sign the contract."
Ronald took Julia Taylor to a Ukrainian restaurant near her original apartment, ordered a lot of dishes, and ate while chatting.
"I think I need to know more about the family life of Italians. Do you have anyone who can let me visit their homes, have dinner with them, drink red wine with them, and listen to their complaints."
"It's easy to arrange. There are a lot of Italians on Broadway. If you are willing to let them play a few small roles, they will get a warm reception."
"No problem", Ronald wiped his mouth. It happened that colleagues from Daydream Company also brought the contract with Julia Taylor, and the two signed a contract in the restaurant to hire her as a "moonlight seducer"
Casting Director's Contract.
"By the way, I haven't asked you yet, why are you no longer casting for Woody Allen's new film?"
"Actually, it's nothing. I have been working with him for a long time, and he needs some new people to stimulate himself to make changes." Julia Taylor said.
"Other than that, are there no other reasons?" Ronald frowned. Casting is not a position that involves participating in the filming of the crew. Are there any creative ideas that need to be replaced to stimulate them?
"This is a secret between us. I will never tell others what happened when I helped you choose the role." Julia Taylor smiled. "Maybe when I get old, I will write a memoir to tell you about it."
Write everything down."
"Hahaha, if you don't tell me, I'll let you tell me. I'm going to find a documentary director this time to simultaneously shoot some behind-the-scenes footage to use as marketing materials."
Ronald saw Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" crew over there in Xujiahui. Several people carried video cameras and kept filming him working on the crew.
He thought this method was very good, and he planned to do it again when he makes a new film.
"That's okay, I rarely appear on camera." Julia giggled, "Actually, Woody and I don't have much of a conflict, it's just that I'm a little uncomfortable with his working methods and some of his personal life.
It just so happens that I also want to work more as a casting director rather than a casting studio manager.”
"How do you work? Can you talk about it in detail? I just happened to go to see Spielberg's filming site this time. I found that I rarely have the opportunity to see how other directors work, so my progress is slow. If you
If it's convenient, you can tell me about Woody's working methods."
"I can tell you something that most people in the industry know." Julia ordered a cup of coffee and stirred it slowly. "Woody has a habit. He likes to shoot movies in places he is familiar with."
"Uh-huh...", Ronald listened carefully to hear what Julia Taylor would say that he could learn from.
"The 'Hannah Sisters' he shot this time was shot in the house where he and Mia Farrow lived. And Mia played his character's ex-wife in this movie."
"Doesn't this expose personal matters too much?" Ronald felt something was wrong. Anyway, it was impossible for him to shoot a movie in the living room and bedroom of his own home.
"Yes, Woody always regards making movies as a process of his own psychological therapy, but this inevitably puts his personal life in the movie, and I always feel very uncomfortable."
After Julia started, she couldn't stop. She picked up the many things that could be said about her dissatisfaction in working with Woody Allen and said a lot.
"And the script, I also..." Julia finally frowned, showing a slightly disgusted expression.
"What happened to the script?"
"Have you seen that movie?"
"I have watched Hannah and the Sisters, and the filming was very good. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the script. Except that the middle class's hesitant attitude was a little too much."
"Do you remember that the ex-brother-in-law played by Woody Allen was sterile?"
"Remember, after he finally married his second sister, he made her pregnant. It was a very interesting arrangement."
"The characters played by Woody generally have their own true portrayal." Julia said abruptly, "He and Mia also adopted a child..."
"Huh?" Ronald felt even more uncomfortable. He would never make a movie about such a private matter and announce it to everyone.
"This is why I don't want to take on more Hollywood business, just like you, hahaha..."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
There is something going on today, only 4,000 words, and it will be back to normal tomorrow.