NOVEL NEXT Exploiting Hollywood 1980.
Chapter 65 The First Protagonist
Chapter 65 The First Protagonist
"You said that if you find an actor whose personality and experience are very suitable for the role, but he does not match the appearance description in the script, what should we do?" Ronald asked Margery who was sorting out the audition materials together.
"It's a good question. The founder of our studio, Marion Dolotti, actually changed the general perception of this issue in the industry." Margery explained.
"The 1967 movie 'The Graduate,' the main character in the script is a tall, handsome guy with blond hair who kind of looks like you, Ronnie."
"But Marion found Dustin Hoffman (Dustin Hoffman), convinced the director Michael Nichols to cast him as the lead, and changed the tall blond guy in the script to a Jewish dwarf."
"That movie was very successful. Since then, some directors have begun to pay more attention to the fit of actors and characters, rather than just looking at appearance. You know that in the era of big studios, casting directors are similar to secretaries. As long as it is similar to the script description."
"Margaery, do you see this photo?" Ronald took out Gene's photo from his notebook and handed it to Margery.
"What? Is there anything special about him?"
"The dance is very good, and the experience is very similar to the protagonist Leroy of "Hot Lunch". He is also from the poor in Harlem. But he, like Leroy, can't read very well."
"The only problem is he's black and Leroy is Latino."
"What's his name? You can ask him to do an audition tomorrow."
"Gene Anthony Ray, of course I'm talking about auditioning for a dance ensemble, but I always thought he was Leroy."
Ronald picked up the phone and called.
"I'm looking for Gene, ... Gene Anthony Ray ... no such person? ... The number he gave me is ... wait a minute, he is Joan's son, ... yes, the one who always wears the top hat .”
After a while, Gene came to answer the phone. He was very happy to hear that he would audition tomorrow, and started singing on the phone.
"Doesn't this kid go to class every day? Could it be that he was expelled again?" Ronald thought to himself.
Jean's audition was very successful. His ballet mixed a lot of elements of floor dance and mechanical dance, much like a dance genius who has not undergone systematic training, and he watched various dances merged by himself.
Only this kind of dance genius can impress the teacher in the entrance interview, brush off the master, and make an exception to admit Leroy, who is a friend of the dancer.
"Got to show producer David da Silva, and director Alan Parker." Margery had been persuaded by Gene's audition to agree with Ronald as a candidate for Leroy People recommend it upwards.
"No, no, there are too many blacks in this case, and three of the eight protagonists will be black." After seeing Gene's audition, the producer categorically rejected it.
"Leroy is a boy from the dance department, CoCo is a girl from the music department, and there is a competitor of CoCo, Lydia." Ronald did the math, and there are indeed a little more, there are only eight protagonists in total.
"But he is Leroy. We can't give up on him being so suitable. He will make the whole movie a higher level." Director Parker supports Gene to play Leroy.
"No Way, American audiences are used to the ratio of protagonists in movies, two blacks, one white Latino, one white Jewish, and the other four are white Europeans, no distribution company will agree to put so many black protagonists of."
"Is such a strict racial ratio needed in movies?" Ronald asked Margery secretly.
"You're young, Ronnie. In Hollywood movies, there are racial quotas for roles," said Margery.
"In Hollywood in the era of big studios, there are basically white roles. Few blacks can play, and some are supporting roles."
"After Dr. King's affirmative action movement, blacks began to have their own place in the entertainment industry. If it is a film that reflects New York, blacks, Latinos, Italians, Jews, these common races in New York, will be allocated some roles according to the population ratio. It’s the default rule for everyone.”
"What about the Chinese?"
"Chinese? They don't have enough influence, at most they have a supporting role. In the entrance interview scene at the hot lunch, a Chinese violinist played, but that's all." Margery explained to him.
"What do you two think?" Director Parker argued with the producer and asked Margery and Ronald for their opinions.
Ronald felt that the director was looking for support. Gene was originally recommended by Ronald and Margery. Asking their opinions, the tendency is obvious.
"Ronald, why do you want to change the skin color of the main character? This is a casting that is 'obviously inconsistent with the script'." Producer Da Silva put the emphasis on the words "obviously inconsistent with the script". It is to remind myself, don't forget the original agreement.
"Mr. Da Silva, my idea is very simple. Gene's background is very similar to Leroy. If you and Mr. Parker agree, sir, I think he is a good candidate. If not, he can also be qualified for a dance group. "
"Ronnie and I tried him out, Gene was explosive and he came from the exact same background as Leroy, it's rare to find an actor like that.
The audition situation also shows that it is difficult to find young actors nowadays, and it is cost-effective to change the script for him. "Margaery also began to chime in.
"Maybe we can consider changing the race of the other two black girls and keep the proportion of blacks in the protagonist?" Ronald suggested in a low voice.
Da Silva was at a disadvantage. Ronald and Margaery were on the director's side, agreeing to replace Leroy's background and choose Jean as the protagonist.
Casting is of course not the election of a general, nor the number of votes counted.But producers also have to be reasonable, and da Silva generally can't veto director Parker's decision without good reason.
Da Silva frowned:
"No, CoCo's role cannot be deleted. She is the only student who spans the three departments of dance, comedy, and music. Many leading roles need her to be connected." Producer Da Silva said.
"Is that another one that can be deleted?" Ronald thought to himself.
"Then delete Lydia's role," director Parker said. "The plot between Lydia and CoCo is too repetitive. The competition between the two in singing career is actually quite useless. CoCo itself did not succeed, and Lydia won the battle." Well, the best outcome would be to make adult movies."
Margaery posted a Polaroid photo of Gene on the whiteboard below the name "Leroy": "Ronald remembered to take a picture of Gene, who is now one of the main characters."
"The first protagonist confirmed in the whole play." The director continued, "How about our other protagonists? Where are the auditions?"
"It will be at the Ambassador Hotel, which has several large business conference rooms, and we generally recommend it."
"Come here, Ronald, I'll talk to you." The producer Da Silva saw that the director and Margaery were chatting enthusiastically, so he dragged Ronald out of the office alone and talked in the corridor.
"What did I tell you? Tell you to keep an eye on the director and don't choose actors who obviously don't match the script. How did you do it?" Da Silva lowered his voice, but the veins on his face burst out, looking very angry .
"Sorry, Mr. Da Silva, I just wanted to give him a chance to perform in the group, but his background..."
Ronald suddenly felt that something was not good. The producer was like a strong bat that repeatedly swung the bat and hit the air. He couldn't attack the pitcher director in the distance. He began to complain about the catcher Ronald beside him.
Da Silva made a stop gesture, "Don't say any more, your credit with me will be deducted by one point, and don't do this kind of thing against my will in the future." Da Silva is also very tall, with two eyes Looking straight at Ronald, "Don't think that because the director likes you, I can't fire you."
"Okay, Mr. Da Silva, I apologize to you..." Ronald thought, wondering how much of his total score from the producer?
"Also, right now Allen will be mainly sitting at the Ambassador Hotel, interviewing the audition actors for the audition, and that's the end of your job as a driver." Da Silva was still angry and interrupted to apologize.
"Well, the monthly extra money is gone. It's really expensive to recommend someone." Ronald was a little upset.
"Don't forget what I told you, little Ronnie. You have to keep in mind that in the crew, who is the one who pays you." Producer Da Silva poked with his finger on Ronald's chest.
Ronald took two steps back after being poked by him, his ears began to itch a little.
The result of this incident violated the producer's order.However, Ronald did not exceed his authority. The first thing he did was find Margaery, who then reported it to him and the director.In the end, the script was changed. It can be said that the producer himself did not suppress the director.
Besides, I am also doing it for the whole crew, right?
"This will allow you to deepen your memory." Da Silva pointed to his head, "Don't forget what you promised me." After speaking, he turned to leave.
"I have one more thing, Mr. Da Silva." Ronald called the producer, "I heard that 'hot lunch' is a bad term in Harlem black slang, and the name of the movie would Question? In their slang, a hot lunch is..."
Da Silva interrupted Ronald again: "You are overthinking, Ronnie. This movie is not for black people. Two of the main characters are black, which does not mean that the main audience of the movie is black. You Understand?"
"Forget it, you don't understand the distribution and marketing of movies, and I don't understand them when I tell you. I know you are very motivated, little Ronnie. But in the crew, the most important thing is to take care of what you should take care of."
It seemed that someone had said this to him before, Ronald scratched his ears.
Ronald, who lost thousands of dollars for no reason, was in a bad mood, so he poured a cup of coffee and sipped it in the corridor.
"Ronnie, how's my audition going?" Gene was still waiting outside, seeing Ronald, he hurried up to find out the news.
"Hasn't Margaery notified you yet? The director appreciates you more and will give you an important role." Ronald smiled, "Come with me, I'll take you to see the director."
"Hey, brother. I won't forget you. The men in our Harlem area have the most clear grievances. From now on in the crew, I will be your man." Gene began to express his loyalty.
"Remember to listen to the director. Act well and don't fall into the name of Harlem." Ronald ushered him into the conference room, "Director, Gene is here."
"Aha, Gene, you're here." Director Parker hugged him happily.
"You will play one of the leading roles, Leroy from Harlem. This is your script. During this time, you have to memorize it. If you don't understand, you can ask Ronald. Then start at the Ambassador Hotel every day next week. Go, we'll start auditioning other actors. There are some roles that require you to play with them."
"Play well, Gene, and don't live up to my $6000-a-month price."
(End of this chapter)
"You said that if you find an actor whose personality and experience are very suitable for the role, but he does not match the appearance description in the script, what should we do?" Ronald asked Margery who was sorting out the audition materials together.
"It's a good question. The founder of our studio, Marion Dolotti, actually changed the general perception of this issue in the industry." Margery explained.
"The 1967 movie 'The Graduate,' the main character in the script is a tall, handsome guy with blond hair who kind of looks like you, Ronnie."
"But Marion found Dustin Hoffman (Dustin Hoffman), convinced the director Michael Nichols to cast him as the lead, and changed the tall blond guy in the script to a Jewish dwarf."
"That movie was very successful. Since then, some directors have begun to pay more attention to the fit of actors and characters, rather than just looking at appearance. You know that in the era of big studios, casting directors are similar to secretaries. As long as it is similar to the script description."
"Margaery, do you see this photo?" Ronald took out Gene's photo from his notebook and handed it to Margery.
"What? Is there anything special about him?"
"The dance is very good, and the experience is very similar to the protagonist Leroy of "Hot Lunch". He is also from the poor in Harlem. But he, like Leroy, can't read very well."
"The only problem is he's black and Leroy is Latino."
"What's his name? You can ask him to do an audition tomorrow."
"Gene Anthony Ray, of course I'm talking about auditioning for a dance ensemble, but I always thought he was Leroy."
Ronald picked up the phone and called.
"I'm looking for Gene, ... Gene Anthony Ray ... no such person? ... The number he gave me is ... wait a minute, he is Joan's son, ... yes, the one who always wears the top hat .”
After a while, Gene came to answer the phone. He was very happy to hear that he would audition tomorrow, and started singing on the phone.
"Doesn't this kid go to class every day? Could it be that he was expelled again?" Ronald thought to himself.
Jean's audition was very successful. His ballet mixed a lot of elements of floor dance and mechanical dance, much like a dance genius who has not undergone systematic training, and he watched various dances merged by himself.
Only this kind of dance genius can impress the teacher in the entrance interview, brush off the master, and make an exception to admit Leroy, who is a friend of the dancer.
"Got to show producer David da Silva, and director Alan Parker." Margery had been persuaded by Gene's audition to agree with Ronald as a candidate for Leroy People recommend it upwards.
"No, no, there are too many blacks in this case, and three of the eight protagonists will be black." After seeing Gene's audition, the producer categorically rejected it.
"Leroy is a boy from the dance department, CoCo is a girl from the music department, and there is a competitor of CoCo, Lydia." Ronald did the math, and there are indeed a little more, there are only eight protagonists in total.
"But he is Leroy. We can't give up on him being so suitable. He will make the whole movie a higher level." Director Parker supports Gene to play Leroy.
"No Way, American audiences are used to the ratio of protagonists in movies, two blacks, one white Latino, one white Jewish, and the other four are white Europeans, no distribution company will agree to put so many black protagonists of."
"Is such a strict racial ratio needed in movies?" Ronald asked Margery secretly.
"You're young, Ronnie. In Hollywood movies, there are racial quotas for roles," said Margery.
"In Hollywood in the era of big studios, there are basically white roles. Few blacks can play, and some are supporting roles."
"After Dr. King's affirmative action movement, blacks began to have their own place in the entertainment industry. If it is a film that reflects New York, blacks, Latinos, Italians, Jews, these common races in New York, will be allocated some roles according to the population ratio. It’s the default rule for everyone.”
"What about the Chinese?"
"Chinese? They don't have enough influence, at most they have a supporting role. In the entrance interview scene at the hot lunch, a Chinese violinist played, but that's all." Margery explained to him.
"What do you two think?" Director Parker argued with the producer and asked Margery and Ronald for their opinions.
Ronald felt that the director was looking for support. Gene was originally recommended by Ronald and Margery. Asking their opinions, the tendency is obvious.
"Ronald, why do you want to change the skin color of the main character? This is a casting that is 'obviously inconsistent with the script'." Producer Da Silva put the emphasis on the words "obviously inconsistent with the script". It is to remind myself, don't forget the original agreement.
"Mr. Da Silva, my idea is very simple. Gene's background is very similar to Leroy. If you and Mr. Parker agree, sir, I think he is a good candidate. If not, he can also be qualified for a dance group. "
"Ronnie and I tried him out, Gene was explosive and he came from the exact same background as Leroy, it's rare to find an actor like that.
The audition situation also shows that it is difficult to find young actors nowadays, and it is cost-effective to change the script for him. "Margaery also began to chime in.
"Maybe we can consider changing the race of the other two black girls and keep the proportion of blacks in the protagonist?" Ronald suggested in a low voice.
Da Silva was at a disadvantage. Ronald and Margaery were on the director's side, agreeing to replace Leroy's background and choose Jean as the protagonist.
Casting is of course not the election of a general, nor the number of votes counted.But producers also have to be reasonable, and da Silva generally can't veto director Parker's decision without good reason.
Da Silva frowned:
"No, CoCo's role cannot be deleted. She is the only student who spans the three departments of dance, comedy, and music. Many leading roles need her to be connected." Producer Da Silva said.
"Is that another one that can be deleted?" Ronald thought to himself.
"Then delete Lydia's role," director Parker said. "The plot between Lydia and CoCo is too repetitive. The competition between the two in singing career is actually quite useless. CoCo itself did not succeed, and Lydia won the battle." Well, the best outcome would be to make adult movies."
Margaery posted a Polaroid photo of Gene on the whiteboard below the name "Leroy": "Ronald remembered to take a picture of Gene, who is now one of the main characters."
"The first protagonist confirmed in the whole play." The director continued, "How about our other protagonists? Where are the auditions?"
"It will be at the Ambassador Hotel, which has several large business conference rooms, and we generally recommend it."
"Come here, Ronald, I'll talk to you." The producer Da Silva saw that the director and Margaery were chatting enthusiastically, so he dragged Ronald out of the office alone and talked in the corridor.
"What did I tell you? Tell you to keep an eye on the director and don't choose actors who obviously don't match the script. How did you do it?" Da Silva lowered his voice, but the veins on his face burst out, looking very angry .
"Sorry, Mr. Da Silva, I just wanted to give him a chance to perform in the group, but his background..."
Ronald suddenly felt that something was not good. The producer was like a strong bat that repeatedly swung the bat and hit the air. He couldn't attack the pitcher director in the distance. He began to complain about the catcher Ronald beside him.
Da Silva made a stop gesture, "Don't say any more, your credit with me will be deducted by one point, and don't do this kind of thing against my will in the future." Da Silva is also very tall, with two eyes Looking straight at Ronald, "Don't think that because the director likes you, I can't fire you."
"Okay, Mr. Da Silva, I apologize to you..." Ronald thought, wondering how much of his total score from the producer?
"Also, right now Allen will be mainly sitting at the Ambassador Hotel, interviewing the audition actors for the audition, and that's the end of your job as a driver." Da Silva was still angry and interrupted to apologize.
"Well, the monthly extra money is gone. It's really expensive to recommend someone." Ronald was a little upset.
"Don't forget what I told you, little Ronnie. You have to keep in mind that in the crew, who is the one who pays you." Producer Da Silva poked with his finger on Ronald's chest.
Ronald took two steps back after being poked by him, his ears began to itch a little.
The result of this incident violated the producer's order.However, Ronald did not exceed his authority. The first thing he did was find Margaery, who then reported it to him and the director.In the end, the script was changed. It can be said that the producer himself did not suppress the director.
Besides, I am also doing it for the whole crew, right?
"This will allow you to deepen your memory." Da Silva pointed to his head, "Don't forget what you promised me." After speaking, he turned to leave.
"I have one more thing, Mr. Da Silva." Ronald called the producer, "I heard that 'hot lunch' is a bad term in Harlem black slang, and the name of the movie would Question? In their slang, a hot lunch is..."
Da Silva interrupted Ronald again: "You are overthinking, Ronnie. This movie is not for black people. Two of the main characters are black, which does not mean that the main audience of the movie is black. You Understand?"
"Forget it, you don't understand the distribution and marketing of movies, and I don't understand them when I tell you. I know you are very motivated, little Ronnie. But in the crew, the most important thing is to take care of what you should take care of."
It seemed that someone had said this to him before, Ronald scratched his ears.
Ronald, who lost thousands of dollars for no reason, was in a bad mood, so he poured a cup of coffee and sipped it in the corridor.
"Ronnie, how's my audition going?" Gene was still waiting outside, seeing Ronald, he hurried up to find out the news.
"Hasn't Margaery notified you yet? The director appreciates you more and will give you an important role." Ronald smiled, "Come with me, I'll take you to see the director."
"Hey, brother. I won't forget you. The men in our Harlem area have the most clear grievances. From now on in the crew, I will be your man." Gene began to express his loyalty.
"Remember to listen to the director. Act well and don't fall into the name of Harlem." Ronald ushered him into the conference room, "Director, Gene is here."
"Aha, Gene, you're here." Director Parker hugged him happily.
"You will play one of the leading roles, Leroy from Harlem. This is your script. During this time, you have to memorize it. If you don't understand, you can ask Ronald. Then start at the Ambassador Hotel every day next week. Go, we'll start auditioning other actors. There are some roles that require you to play with them."
"Play well, Gene, and don't live up to my $6000-a-month price."
(End of this chapter)
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