The whole thing was very simple. After directing stage plays for several years, Sam Mendes finally had the idea of trying to make a movie. When he was producing stage plays, especially on Broadway, he got to know a lot of Hollywood actors. Many actors, in their spare time or when they were not popular, would try to act in some stage plays on Broadway. On one hand, they could broaden their career, and on the other, they could practice their acting skills. If they were lucky enough to win a Tony Award, it would be even better.
But when Mendez really began to contact the producers in Hollywood, the fact that he did not have the slightest experience in film production became a gap that he could not cross. The second and third-rate producers did not mind letting a newbie like him be the director. He had directed many stage plays for so many years and had produced many good works. This also required a lot of skill, but he was not interested in it. As for the first-class scripts that he liked, the people in charge chose to decline all of them.
Just when Mendes was at his wits' end, he happened to see a script called "American Beauty" that was looking for a suitable director. Although it was only one-third of the script, he was quickly attracted. Of all the scripts he had read, this was the only one that gave Mendes the idea of getting it. He had lived in New York for a long time and had a good understanding of the American middle class. Naturally, this script resonated with him.
It happened that Universal was in charge of the production. Everyone knew that Universal had been acquired by AC Media, and the boss of AC Media, Adrian Kewell, was the youngest best director at the Oscars. Not only did he have great vision, but he also liked to promote young directors. David Fincher, Michael Bay, Jane De Bont, etc., were all discovered by him. So Mendes, who was willing to risk everything, tried to get a chance to talk to this great director who was two years younger than him.
In the end, he got the chance to talk to Adriaan, and then he got the chance to direct the movie.
"Very good, Sam, you won the job," Adriaan said after listening to his analysis in the office.
Adriaan wouldn't have contacted Mendes through Spielberg if he didn't think it was more appropriate for the original director to direct. But now it seemed that Mendes had recommended himself to DreamWorks to direct this movie, and then became friends with Spielberg. When he had sold the script from Alan Bauer, he had made the right decision to spread the news.
However, through this conversation, Adriaan also confirmed one thing: Mendes was worthy of directing this movie. He was different from Fincher and the others. Perhaps it was because he had been directing stage plays for many years, and he was British, he was too obsessed with the meaning that the film had to express. Therefore, with the vision and ability that he had honed from directing stage plays, it was not a problem for him to produce a movie that could earn a good reputation, but it was very difficult for him to produce a movie that could earn box office earnings.
In fact, in Adriaan's memory, "American Beauty" was the only movie that Mendes had a good reputation and box office earnings. Now it seemed that, although there were many factors, such as a good script and excellent director, it was also related to the fact that it was Mendes's first film. Unless it was an independent film or a director who was also a producer, no film company would give the final editing rights to a newcomer who had never produced a movie before.
The director's position was decided. Even if Mendes's future movies were not good, at least he and "American Beauty" would be mutually beneficial. Adriaan didn't mind using this opportunity to show his accurate vision again, and at the same time, he wouldn't owe Spielberg a favor. However, the plan to return to New Zealand was delayed. Although the movie did not take much effort to produce, they had to hurry if they wanted to release it this year. The actors were already prepared, and since the director had been decided, they had to gather as soon as possible to communicate with each other and then start shooting.
Without a doubt, the male lead, Lester, would be played by Kevin Spacey. Otherwise, Adriaan would not have needed to spend twice the price to snatch the script from DreamWorks. As for the female lead, Caroline …
"You didn't tell me about this movie a few weeks ago." In Nicole's villa in Beverly Hills, which was given to her after their divorce, a beautiful woman curled up on the sofa and frowned as she spoke.
"Because we hadn't found a suitable director at that time." Adriaan sat down next to her. "We got the script in 1997, but we've been slowly selecting the actors and director. This will be a very good movie. I'm sure that the media will praise it as' Death of a Salesman 'from the 90s."
Nicole did not speak for a long time. After a long time, she raised her head and looked at him. "Do you think I'm suitable for this role?"
"Of course, as long as there are some similarities in your experiences, it will be easier to play the role." Adriaan said straightforwardly. However, Nicole did not show her usual angry or unhappy expression. She stared at him calmly, as if trying to see through his real thoughts. She was completely immune to his level of teasing.
After all, they had already done it. What else could she not let go of? Besides, now that the divorce agreement had been signed, she and Cruise were two people who had nothing to do with each other.
"Remember what I said?" Adriaan smiled and reached out to hold her in his arms. Nicole just struggled a little and stopped moving. Although her head was turned to the other side, she still let him touch her face.
"I've said it before …" Adrian whispered into her ear. "I want you to be the Best Actress Award winner in your most beautiful appearance!"
Although the itch in her ear made half of Nicole's body weak and hot, she was still surprised. She turned around and struggled to support herself. "You mean … You mean …"
If Adriaan had said this to her before the Oscars, she might have doubted it a little. However, Gwyneth and Blanchett were both nominated, and Blanchett won the Oscar for Best Actress, which told those smart people not to doubt the promise of the miracle director.
"Don't worry. Not now." Adriaan's smile suddenly became wider. Of course, Nicole knew what was in his smile. She couldn't help blushing. She glared at him and didn't say anything.
However, Adriaan didn't continue. Instead, he held her face and kissed her lips. Just like before, Nicole just resisted a little, and then she passionately catered to him. After a few times of entanglement, they separated.
"You know, to impress the judges of the Oscars, in addition to acting skills, qualifications are also very important. Although you have been in Hollywood for almost ten years and have won some awards, you have not been nominated for an Oscar." Adriaan continued, but the look on his face was more like he was recalling the wet kiss that had just ended.
However, Nicole, who was snuggled in his arms, had no energy to care about this. Adriaan's words had been very clear.
"You mean … you want me to get a nomination with this role?" She adjusted her breathing and asked uncertainly.
Even though many facts told her that Adrian would never fail to do what he promised, but when it really happened to her, she still felt a little helpless even with her shrewdness.
"Yes, this is a great script, and Caroline is also a very good character. As long as you perform well, it will be very easy to get a nomination." Adriaan nodded and emphasized the words "perform well."
Of course, Nicole could tell that a good role, a good script, and a good director were important, but she also had the ability to perform well. If her performance was too superficial, she wouldn't get a good review no matter how good her other conditions were. In this regard, she was very confident. Although her performance in "Mulholland Pass" was not as good as Naomi's, it was also praised as the best performance in the past few years. She had also seen the trailer of "The Small Island", so she was confident that it would not be too far behind. Although the role of the wife in American Beauty was a little complicated, it was not something that she could not grasp. As Adriaan said, she could empathize with him in some aspects …
Leaving that guy, I will only be more brilliant by his side. This thought unknowingly occupied her mind.
"What about the previous movie? What about the Witchcraft of Love? "Nicole suddenly asked.
"Just delay it a little bit. According to my estimation, if the shooting of American Beauty goes smoothly, it won't take more than two months. That's just enough time to fine-tune the script of Witchcraft Trials." Adriaan replied, and then revealed a smirk, "Anyway, this is a movie prepared for you and Naomi."
Nicole's face suddenly flashed a trace of red. She spat at him, got up, and wanted to run away, but Adriaan turned over and pressed her down on the sofa. This time, she struggled a lot harder, and at the same time, she screamed. In the end, she really pushed Adriaan away, and then she ran upstairs while laughing. Adriaan, who was pushed to the floor, shrugged, and immediately jumped up to chase after her. Want to escape? Can you escape?
To be honest, Nicole was not the best choice for the female lead of American Beauty. She was slightly younger, at least seven years younger than Spacey. This kind of difference in experience made it difficult for her to fully grasp the characteristics of the character. The original Annette Bening and Spacey were the same age. However, Nicole was not without advantages. Not to mention the experience between husband and wife, especially after Adriaan's intervention, her ambition was further ignited, and she had a lot of resonance with the character of Caroline.
Moreover, Adriaan outlined a very beautiful future for her, and she would definitely try her best to grasp it. After Adriaan caught her and violently "violated" her, she proudly told him that the "prostitution fee" she received was already a few hundred dollars. If it were a few weeks ago, Nicole would never say such words. People always change slowly.
Of course, more importantly, there were no other women around Adriaan who were more suitable. Since he already had the script, why couldn't he give the nomination to his own woman?
Kate and Gwyneth were too young. Blanchett could, but she had just won an Oscar. Julia and Zeta Jones did not have the temperament. Monica and Sophie could give it a try, but they were all pregnant. Therefore, only Nicole and Naomi could be chosen, and Nicole was more suitable between the two of them, so there was no need to say more.
As for "Witchcraft in Love", it wasn't important. Anyway, it was prepared for Nicole and Naomi to star in it together. Besides, the script needed to be carefully revised. There were some inherent flaws in this movie, so the original version only had a good reputation, but not a box office. If they could fix those flaws, it might surpass the original version by far.
Besides, he had already prepared a script for Naomi. Delaying the shooting of Witchcraft wouldn't affect anything. After acquiring Universal, the number of good scripts they received increased exponentially. Most screenwriters and producers still preferred to work with big companies. Behind the Lies was discovered under these circumstances. The whole story was very suitable for Naomi, who liked to take the thriller route. The female lead might not have as much room to perform as Caroline in American Beauty, but Harrison Ford had already agreed to play the villain. This gimmick was enough to attract a lot of people's attention, and Naomi's popularity would increase correspondingly.
Director Sam Mendes had no objection to the cast. As a new director, he had almost no say in this matter, and Adriaan had promised to give him enough power on the set. Alan Bauer, who wrote the script, didn't think that Nicole would play Caroline, but he also didn't have much say in it. At the same time, he thought that Spacey was a good choice. So everything was settled. The only person who disagreed was Sarah, who played the daughter.
"Do you really think I'm good for this role, Eide?" Sarah asked Adriaan in private.
"Don't you think you should practice your acting skills better, Sarah?" Adriaan asked back, "Do you only want to act in comedies or magic dramas? Don't you want to hear praise from film critics?"
Sarah opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she looked at Adriaan and didn't say anything. After a while, Adriaan held her in his arms and said, "Well, if you really don't want to play this role, then …"
"It's okay, let's do it." Sarah suddenly raised her head and said, "As long as you want, then I'll do my best."
After staring at her for a while, Adriaan smiled, held the girl's face, and lowered his head to give her a deep kiss. Then he whispered in her ear, "Look after your little dog."
Sarah, who was a little depressed, immediately burst out laughing. She was playing Lester's daughter, Jenny, and her "sidekick", Lov, was playing Angela, who pretended to be mature in order to gain others' approval. After I Know What You Did Last Summer, this was the first time the two worked together in the same movie. No wonder Sarah laughed.
In fact, at first, Adriaan wanted Sarah to play Angela and Lov to play Jenny. In terms of appearance, she was prettier and more suitable to dye her hair blonde. However, in terms of character, Jenny's experience was undoubtedly more resonant with her. Sarah treated Adriaan wholeheartedly, so Adriaan wouldn't let her suffer any losses. So, in the end, she swapped roles with Lov.
Similarly, she would slowly play some roles that required more acting skills, accumulate some good reviews, fight for one or two nominations, and finally, win the Oscar for Best Actress.
After basically finalizing the various matters of "American Beauty," Adriaan rushed back to New Zealand. Although it was only delayed for three to four days, for a crew without a director to control them, the efficiency and results would only get worse.
That was the truth. Even though he had explained to the assistant directors what they were going to shoot before he left, and he had also prepared a contingency plan and explained what they should do if there were any delays in the middle and they needed to come back, the assistant directors could only use about 30% of what they had shot.
"Frankly speaking, I'm very disappointed, but I don't want to blame anyone. I've seen the content, and you've all done your best. That being said, I still don't want such a situation to happen again. Since you were able to use 100% of your abilities, you should be able to use 200% of your abilities. " After looking through the footage that the crew had shot while he was away, Adriaan concluded. Then, the assistant director, director's assistant, and executive producer all began to look bitter.
Although Adriaan pretended not to see it, he still asked for more logistical support. For example, he specially prepared a helicopter for people who wanted to go to the depths of the national forest to film. At the same time, it would also make it easier for Adriaan to travel back and forth between the various teams. As for the tools needed to set up camp in the forest park, they had everything they needed.
The following footage was still very fragmented. McKellen still had to switch between a gray robe and a white robe. The last scene was in the Shire, and the next scene was in White City.
"Gandalf has the ability to teleport, so he can come and go freely in these places." McKellen still liked to joke around, as if the failure at the Oscars had not affected him at all.
"It doesn't matter. I've seen this kind of thing many times. Besides, you didn't take it to heart. Why should an old man like me take it to heart?" In the face of Adriaan's question, he laughed and said.
"I like you more and more, Ian. Are you interested in playing other heroes after the filming of 'The Lord of the Rings'?" Adriaan immediately asked him.
"I think playing an epic character is enough," the old man replied after thinking for a while.
"This is not an epic character, but … Forget it, you will know when the time comes." Adriaan smiled and waved his hand. "Well, let's get started."
Now they were filming a scene in the Battle of White City. The Prince Regent thought that his second son, Faramir, was also dead. In his madness, he ignored the fact that Faramir was still alive and put him on firewood to be cremated. Pippin could not stop it. Then, Gandalf rode in on a white horse, killed the Prince Regent, and rescued Faramir.
This was a relatively simple scene, but the old man, McKellen, always liked to surprise people. Just after he broke in, he held his wooden staff with both hands and shouted to Pippin, "Go away, let me kill him!"
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