Early the next morning, after her conversation with the producers, Laila went to the dance studio from the previous day. As soon as she entered, she saw three main cast members, including Roy, waiting there.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Laila Moran," she introduced herself first.
"Hello, Director Moran, I'm Catherine Zeta-Jones."
"I'm Renée Zellweger."
"Roy Seasonstar." Roy introduced himself after the two ladies, joined in the fun.
Laila smiled and looked at him, saying, "Alright, this time, I'll remember your name."
Renée burst into laughter; she didn't expect the director to be so amusing.
Laila also grinned at her. In "Chicago," there were three main characters: Roy, who played a lawyer, and two women related to the two cases. Zeta-Jones played one of the women, which Laila had known from the beginning. Renée was the other option recommended by Disney.
Laila had initially informed the production team that she had no specific requirements for the cast, as long as they could perform the dance sequences as needed after training. Although smooth shooting was comfortable, taking an actor who might not be outstanding and elevating their performance to a very high level was an achievement for a director.
Renée was one of the recommended choices, and Laila didn't care about how she ended up on the cast. As long as she was suitable for the film, she would keep her. In fact, except for the change from Richard Gere to Roy, the other two roles remained with the original cast from the original film.
Laila's choice of Renée indicated Disney's ambition. The previous year, in 2001, Renée had just received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for "Bridget Jones's Diary." The production team for this musical wanted to replicate the success of "Moulin Rouge" during the awards season, so they sought a talented and promising female star, which was what Renée represented.
As for Zeta-Jones, there was no need to explain. Laila had a deep impression of her, not only because she was a talented actress but also because of her famous husband, Michael Douglas.
Douglas had previously won an Oscar for Best Picture for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and an Oscar for Best Actor for "Wall Street." He was a Hollywood heavyweight. Their marriage had been widely discussed.
The two had met at a film festival and discovered that they shared the same birthday, and despite their 24-year age difference, they got married after dating for nine months.
It was another romantic love story that made Laila marvel at the marvels of fate every time she thought about it.
"Later, everyone who participated in dance rehearsals will go to see Rob Marshall for an evaluation of your progress," Laila said, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. She continued with a warm smile, "I don't have much expertise in musicals, but I do have some experience in filmmaking. I won't hide anything from you, and this film is one that I intend to take to the Oscars. I know that at my age, winning the Best Director award is a myth, but that won't stop me from helping you all win a little golden man."
As actors, who wouldn't want to win an Oscar?
Catherine and Renée had received numerous nominations but had yet to secure the ultimate victory. So, Laila's words struck a chord with them.
"This time, my goal is to win an award. So during filming, I might be a bit tough, and I hope you can cooperate with me. Of course, I'm not the type who won't listen to others." Laila smiled and added, "If there's anything you find unsatisfactory, you can discuss it with me. I will carefully consider it, but if, after considering it, I still decide to maintain my original idea, then I hope you can accept it."
Her words might have come across as domineering, suggesting that she was open to feedback but might not necessarily follow it. However, in the ears of these three, it was a great show of respect. After all, she was the director, and she held significant power and influence in Hollywood. Given her track record of never having a failure, they knew she was a highly capable director.
While they were actors, they couldn't compare to a director, and their suggestions might not be as valuable as they imagined. Laila's willingness to listen and consider their input was, in itself, a sign of respect. It was better than working with a director who wouldn't entertain any suggestions. If Laila ultimately didn't adopt their ideas, no one would blame her for her decisions.
So, both women happily agreed, and Roy, of course, followed Laila's instructions without question.
The atmosphere during this meeting, carefully crafted by Laila, felt very harmonious.
The last time she helped another company shoot a movie was "Rush Hour" with Jackie Chan. The shooting process wasn't that great. She occasionally thought about it and realized that her attitude had been too rigid at the time. She believed that the tense atmosphere within the crew could have been improved if she had been willing to compromise. However, at the time, she had thought it didn't matter and simply went along with it.
If it were a crew from her own company, where everyone depended on the project for their livelihood, she could have completed her work comfortably. But she couldn't always avoid shooting films for other companies in the future. Managing her relationships with people in the industry was a problem she had to face.
In her previous life, she wasn't as temperamental. She was willing to compromise for a bit of sponsorship money, and her ability to control the crew was quite good. However, she had grown up in an affluent family in this life, which had led to her strong temperament.
But was having a strong temper a bad thing? In her current environment, where she didn't belong to anyone, it was probably better to have a bit of a temper. If she didn't, she might be seen as weak and incapable. What she needed to do was find a balance between her personality and her temper and try to maintain control over the crew without compromising her integrity. At the same time, she needed to create a harmonious and loving atmosphere within the crew.
Another difference in this life was that her fame had increased. Before filming "Rush Hour," the only works she could be proud of were a few horror films. While they had high box office numbers, it wasn't enough to gain recognition from other directors. At most, they might be surprised by the high box office for a movie by such a young director.
Now, the situation was different. She had directed "Kill Bill" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." "Kill Bill" was hailed as the pinnacle of violent aesthetics, and "Pirates of the Caribbean" had earned nearly $700 million worldwide.
Indeed, "Pirates of the Caribbean" had grossed that much. When it reached nearly $600 million, it was almost at the end of its run. However, Laila had a near-death experience at the time, which caused people to shift their concern from her to her movie. This resulted in an additional tens of millions at the box office. Unfortunately, the impact of 9/11 had a significant effect at the time; otherwise, surpassing $700 million was possible.