Chereads / Disrupting Hollywood's Timeline / Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Where's the Red Couch?

Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Where's the Red Couch?

This time, Michael Davenport rented the same post-production editing room at Warner Bros. Studios that Jessica Felton had previously turned into a mess. Since the sets for "The Purge" and "The Kingsman" projects were also at Warner Bros., it was convenient for him to oversee everything.

Managing three projects simultaneously kept him extremely busy, even if Michael was just coordinating the big picture.

"Miss Heigl, that's enough for now."

In the office's audition room, Michael called an end to the audition and told Katherine Heigl, "We'll inform you of the results by tomorrow at the latest."

Katherine Heigl looked at Michael, and seeing no further indication from him, she smiled and said, "Alright."

After she left the audition room, director James Wong said to Michael, "She looks good, and her audition was the best among all the actresses so far."

Michael nodded lightly, "I think so too."

While observing the auditions, Tony Koch only seriously flipped through the actors' profiles without saying anything.

He was smart enough to know that he had no say in this matter.

Michael and James Wong reached an agreement without hesitation. Michael said directly, "I'll have Andrew contact Katherine Heigl's agent this afternoon. As long as the pay is suitable, she's our first choice."

"Okay," James Wong knew that Michael had made the final decisions and asked, "What about the male lead?"

So far, no suitable candidate has been found during the male lead auditions.

Michael flipped through his notes and said, "Let's go with Devon Sawa. If the pay is right, we'll consider others."

The leading actor auditions for "The Purge" were almost complete, with most roles having first choices. Considering factors like pay and conditions, Michael and James Wong finalized the backup choices after discussing them for a while.

Frankly, as long as the actors' appearance and basic acting skills were good enough for this kind of movie, slight variations in performance wouldn't matter much.

"James, regarding the black actor, it's best to change a role," Michael said, looking at an audition record. "Remove the black character from those claimed by death, and change the coroner's role to a black actor. Hmm, the one you recommended, Tony Todd from 'The X-Files', is pretty good."

James Wong understood the underlying message in Michael's words. Having worked in Hollywood for many years, he was aware of the situation regarding black actors.

"Okay, I'll call Tony Todd," James Wong replied.

Michael didn't say more. With the crew running smoothly overall, he invited Tony to join him in leaving the audition room and went to find Andrew to discuss negotiating with the actors.

This time, similar to "The Purge," the negotiations would focus on pay rather than acting skills.

Even if Katherine Heigl had sought him out personally, Michael wouldn't hesitate to drop her if her pay exceeded the crew's limit.

The public budget for the crew was only $15 million. If they could complete the shooting and production excellently with $15 million, it would be ideal.

Michael had long decided to keep personnel salaries below 30%, or even 25%, of the public budget.

Back in Michael's office, Tony took a cup of water, drank a few sips, and said, "The audition was nothing like I imagined."

Michael, flipping through the financial statements for "The Purge" and "The Kingsman," asked, "What did you imagine it would be like?"

"Where's the red couch?" Tony asked curiously. "Don't they make the actresses remove their clothes to check their bodies? How can they know if they're genuine if they don't strip? Aren't there supposed to be deals involved?"

Michael didn't even look up, "The red couch? That's ancient history. Deals aren't made in broad daylight; that would just invite trouble."

Even the most infamous Harvey Weinstein didn't fool around in the audition room; he would arrange meetings in hotels or apartments.

Tony lowered his voice and asked tentatively, "Michael, um, do you choose actresses based on those deals?"

Michael chuckled and didn't avoid the question, "I'm a normal man. If a beautiful woman comes to me, I won't refuse. But in this industry, there's a rule of reciprocation. If you benefit from an actress, you must give something in return; otherwise, there will be trouble later."

Think of Harvey Weinstein. There were many producers making such deals, but Weinstein was the one who got into big trouble.

Maybe there were influential people behind his downfall, but it's undeniable that Weinstein's way of handling reciprocation was terribly unattractive.

Regarding the "Me Too" movement, Michael knew that some things couldn't be done recklessly.

"You're too conservative," Tony said, shaking his head.

Michael also shook his head, "Take 'The Purge,' for instance. If the choice of actors is seriously flawed, it could lead to the film's failure. Do you think any of the actresses vying for the lead are worth $15 million?"

"I understand," Tony nodded slowly. "Even if they were made of diamonds, they wouldn't be worth $15 million for one night."

Michael was speechless for a moment. Diamonds? That would require a diamond cutter...

Tony looked curious and asked, "If I like a pretty actress, what should I do?"

"Chase her. You know how to chase women, right?" Michael gave a standard answer. "Young, handsome, and rich guys like you are the type many actresses love to date."

"Seriously, date?" Tony was a bit doubtful.

Michael shrugged, "If you like her, be with her. If you don't feel it anymore, break up. It's Hollywood-style love; no need to overthink it."

Not just Hollywood; breakups and reunions are common in society.

Maybe some places in the Midwest are conservative, but the theme in big cities is always openness.

In a few years, breakups and reunions will become the norm in big cities not just in the West but even across the Pacific.

In his previous life, Michael had four or five official girlfriends apart from his first love. The feelings came and went quickly.

As for marriage, he had never really considered it.

This was also influenced by some situations he had witnessed.

There was a colleague whose story scared Michael a lot.

This colleague's wife came from a relatively poor family, with five siblings—well, four sisters and a brother.

When they got married, the groom's car and house were standard. The bride's family also demanded a large dowry, which didn't come back with her.

If that were all, it would be bearable. But after the marriage, the real trouble began. The colleague, working well in a big city, had to support the wife's younger brother with education, living expenses, job searching, and even buying a car and house.

When the brother got married, they directly asked the colleague for $30,000.

The colleague's family was in a constant state of war after marriage, ultimately leading to an inevitable divorce...

A week later, Tony left Los Angeles and returned to Germany. Koch Film Company had many matters waiting for him. Apart from Helen Koch's connections, gathering significant funds, even with tax incentives, wasn't easy.

Before he left, Michael talked with him for an afternoon. If everything went smoothly, Seashore Entertainment's next project would need over $50 million.

After sending Tony Koch off, Michael plunged into his busy work. Anyone starting a business would be extremely busy.

Delegating appropriately was fine, but one couldn't be detached from work. The temptation of money and power was too great. There were many company owners worldwide who were quietly ousted by their management.

Seashore Entertainment was running smoothly, Embassy Pictures was busy making marketing plans, and Relativity Media, as a holding shell company, had yet to face significant issues.

In the crew, after "The Purge," "The Kingsman" also finalized its main actors. The preparations for both crews were progressing steadily.

At this time, George specifically found Michael, saying, "I've found out where the film rights for 'The Bourne Identity' are."