"Sorry, you are … you are Denis Knight, right?" Joey looked at the man in front of him with a surprised expression.
"Yes, hello." Denis reached out his hand. "Are you here for the audition?"
"Of course, I'm Joey, Joey Tribiani." Joey shook his hand enthusiastically. "I like your movies very much, especially the character in Pulp Fiction. The part where you gave Mia an injection was so funny."
"Well … I think …" The corner of Denis's mouth twitched. "That should be John Travolta's character."
"Really?" Joey's mouth was wide open for about two or three seconds. Then, he laughed to cover his embarrassment and slapped Denis hard. "Anyway, you're still great."
"Thank you." Denis rolled his eyes and walked inside.
"You too … right?" Joey then called out his name shamelessly. "If it's possible …"
"You can be more unrestrained and exaggerated, like taking off your shirt or something," Denis replied perfunctorily.
So, when the assistant announced the next person to come in, Joey jumped in eagerly. Then, before Adriaan, who was sitting in the chair, said anything, he tore off his clothes and began to "dance" with his muscular upper body. From time to time, he stuck out his lower body and waved his arms, as if he was very intoxicated.
Everyone was stunned. The assistants who participated in the audition covered their faces in unison. Denis even turned his head to the side. He didn't expect that a few casual words from him would be taken seriously by this guy. Although the corner of Adriaan's mouth twitched, he didn't say anything until Joey stopped "flirting" with his head. Then, he frowned and stared at him. "Who the f * ck are you?"
Then, he turned to his assistant and asked, "This character is a stripper, yes, but I didn't ask you to find a real stripper!"
"Cut!" The director's voice came from outside. "Eide, you just glanced at the camera again."
"Glanced again?" Adriaan raised his hands helplessly. "You didn't do it on purpose, did you, Brinkley?"
"Hey, there are so many people here, Eide." The television director, Brinkley, who was the director of this episode, laughed, causing the people around him to laugh as well.
"God, do I have to dance like this again?" Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey, lamented.
"It's okay, Joey. You're a great dancer." Jennifer and the others whistled from the sidelines.
"Hey, why don't you come over and dance once?" LeBlanc said, pretending to be displeased.
"Because the director and the screenwriter only arranged you to dance. Dennis patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "Jenny and the others are right. You really are a good dancer. You can make a living from this even if you stop acting."
"You, what kind of praise is that?" Lebron immediately punched them.
"Well, gentlemen, can you give me a few minutes to adjust myself? Don't be too hard on the newcomer. "Adriaan sighed and interrupted. Directing was one thing, but acting was another. Although he could change his role in real life, it did not mean that he could be so comfortable in front of the camera. And some habits would inevitably affect him. For example, he knew it was not good to look at the camera, but he still glanced at it subconsciously during filming because he was a director.
"I have to admit, being an actor is not that easy," Adriaan said to Denis.
"It's not easy." Denis, who was drinking water, sighed and looked at the six protagonists, who were chatting and laughing, a little depressed.
It was no wonder. In the beginning, his scenes were not like this. The screenwriter had specially arranged for him to play the part of a playboy who seduced Rachel for almost two episodes. In the end, Ross messed up his plan. However, when Adriaan agreed to the guest role, he specifically asked Denis to play himself.
"After all, we have worked together for so long. You can guide me a little." That was what Adriaan said at the time, and he did not hide his "I just want to drag you down with me" attitude. Of course, Denis would not refuse, which led to this scene.
"It's not the same. Actors can become directors after a long time, such as that old guy Clint Eastwood. But how many directors become actors after a long period of accumulation? Even Woody Allen is an actor and a director at the same time. " Adriaan picked up his glass and took a sip, then looked at Jennifer and the others in the distance. "Actors like Matt and Jenny who play the same role for a long time are easily fixed, so it's best to switch to behind-the-scenes work in the future."
"Playing the same role for a long time? How long? "Denis asked half-jokingly.
"About ten years." Adriaan shrugged. "You know, the ratings of Friends are quite high. It can be said to be the most popular TV series at the moment, so as long as there are no major mistakes, it should not be a problem to shoot for ten seasons."
"Wow, that's … really surprising." Denis said in a daze. Of course, he would not doubt Adriaan's words. Ever since he met Adriaan, his judgment had never been wrong, but if that was really the case …
He looked not far away with a complicated expression. Jennifer, who was happily chatting with a few friends, was smiling like a flower. Adriaan, who saw Denis's expression, touched his chin thoughtfully, then shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Although Adriaan's acting in front of the camera was not very good, there were not many scenes after all, so it took him an entire afternoon to successfully complete the scene. Because of this, all the members of the crew applauded enthusiastically after the last scene was completed to express their congratulations. As for whether it was more encouragement or more mockery, it depended on who applauded.
After this episode of Friends was broadcast, the already high ratings jumped a few more percentage points. Joey's performance was really too funny, and Jennifer's story, which had two male and female characters in each episode, was also very interesting and heartwarming. Naturally, it was popular among the people who originally liked the TV series.
Of course, Adriaan and Denis's cameo was also one of the reasons. Needless to say, Denis was now known by the media as an outstanding young man who could play any role, and had a lot of popularity. As for Adriaan, although he had also appeared in the media a few times and had the title of Miracle Director, compared to the big stars who always stood in front of the stage, he still maintained a sense of mystery in front of the public. In addition, the relationship between the two, as well as the interesting encounter at the beginning, had been widely reported by the media. It would be strange if such a cameo did not attract attention.
However, this was all in the future. It was only early November now, and this episode was the second to last episode of the first season. Therefore, it would at least be more than a month later, which was two weeks at the end of December.
After completing his cameo in Friends, Adriaan once again turned to movies. Currently, the most talked about film — or rather, the most praised literary film by the critics — was Campion's The Piano Lesson, which had just been released in the United States. Because it was an independent film with a small budget, although there were many trailers, a lot of publicity, and there was also the Venice Lion as a gimmick, there was still no premiere. But many of the critics who had been waiting for a long time praised the film, especially the female critics.
"This is a masterpiece that reflects the awakening of women's consciousness! Campion has perfectly interpreted it from the body and the soul. "
"A poignant, touching, and intoxicating love story. Campion uses her unique method to describe the various feelings that women express when they face the collision of reason and emotion."
"Holly Hunter, with her gentle hand language and firm gaze, successfully played the image of a beautiful mute woman with a rich but imprisoned heart. Campion has made a great attempt."
Similar praises could be heard everywhere. As mentioned before, when a female director made a film like this, it was always to the taste of the critics, especially the female critics who believed in feminism.
With such a reputation, coupled with the early publicity, the box office naturally would not be too bad. At the end of the first week, the box office took in a little more than 3 million US dollars. It seemed a little shabby, but compared to the number of theaters, this number was not small. In the first week, there were less than 200 theaters showing The Piano Lesson.
Of course, this result was not considered good. Including the publicity costs, the cost of the film was about 13 million. To make money from the box office, they would have to make at least 40 million. This could not be helped. The owners of the theaters were all smart businessmen. They would not easily provide more resources for a niche film, even if it was a cult film with a fixed audience. Even if it was a niche film directed by a big director, it was the same.
Generally speaking, unless it was a B-grade film with a very good reputation, it would be able to fight for around 1,000 theaters in the first week. For a niche artistic film like The Piano Lesson, directed by a female director, to be shown in nearly 200 theaters in the first week was already a good result. No one could control it, because it was decided by the market.
But that didn't matter. As long as the movie did well enough, the number of cinemas that screened it would gradually increase. Although it wouldn't reach the level of a blockbuster, they could recoup their costs through long-term screenings. Just like "Pulp Fiction", which had been screened for almost half a year.
For The Piano Lesson to be able to make 3 million US dollars in box office with nearly 200 theaters, it had already proved that it had some commercial value. Moreover, with the current reputation, it was almost certain that it would be nominated for an Oscar. Just this alone could add a lot of hype. If it could win Best Movie, it would definitely increase the box office by a lot. In the history of the Oscars, there were many movies that had a big increase in box office because they won Best Movie.
However, it was a pity that this year's Best Movie and Best Director Oscars had already been taken. With the efforts of many people, Schindler's List had begun to enter the eyes of Americans through various channels.
