Chapter 3
For those who have collated my story so far and just your casual readers. What movie do you what to see the MC write next? Depending on how well it fits with the story I will use it. Only thing it does have to fit the time period, so CGI does pay a factor in what I use next.
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"So, Brad, can I call you Brad?" Graham Norton asks with a smile.
"I prefer Mr. Pitt but sure why not," Brad says in a very chill voice.
"I have always wanted to ask you what is to you, your most defining movie of all time." Graham asks him with a smile.
"Wow come out with the hard questions right from the get-go why don't you." Brad says with a smile and a laugh.
"Well, it's just you had so many over the years, what with such movies like Ocean's Eleven…." The crowd starts to cheer, "Legends of the Fall. Tory, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. So really what is to you? Your most defining movie?" Graham asks.
Answering nearly right away Brad says, "Well, I mean if I had to pick one it would have to be Se7en."
The crowd starts to cheer again.
"Se7en, really wow. I did think that would be your pick." Graham says in some surprise.
"Well come on Graham. Before that I was just another pretty face in Hollywood. It was Se7en that really put me over the top. It allowed me to break away from that and take on more flawed characters. To show that I could be more than a pretty face." Brad says to him.
Graham just smiles and says, "And I suppose it helps that the great Caesar Espinar wrote the script."
Again, the crowd starts to cheer at the name and even Brad smiles widely and starts to clap his hands.
"That…that is very true Graham. But you know that was his first script, right?" Brad says to him.
"Was it really? He has done so many I forgot about that." Graham says.
"It was and I have to say it was my honor and pleasure to be part of what can only be called the legacy that is Caesar Espinar." Brad says and means it.
"Did you know from the start that he would become so huge when you first met him?" Graham.
A question that makes Brad laugh, "Are you kidding me Graham? I mean have you ever seen or met the man?
Letting out a yawn as I sat in a room with David and a group of other writers whose names I was having trouble remembering. I really wished that I had sent David the finished product that was the script to Se7en instead of just a partial. It was a calculated risk on my part not doing so. When I had first wrote up the full script from, I guess you could call them memories. It took me less than a few seconds to realize it was to perfect. To clean for an 18-year-old kid to write. No matter what his background. So, to make it seem more plausible that I had indeed written the script instead of stealing it from someone else. I dumb it down. Leaving out parts here and there for others to add in on their own.
Granted, I gave him about a 3rd of what would have been the finished product. If I had any idea that by not giving David the whole thing, I would end up trapped in a room with 5 other guys arguing over what worked here and want didn't. I would have sent him the completed work. Suspicion of my abilities be dammed.
Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. All I could do was try and guide them to the completed work and move on. After all there was still a lot to do and David had pretty much told me he wanted me there for most of, if not all of it. From casting to set design, and storyboard. I was getting a very hands-on education from a guy who I knew from my memories was fated to make several highly acclaimed movies of his lifetime.
It was as I was sitting and going over the revised script with David that he said, "Things look like they are finally coming together."
"Ya only after 4 or was it 5 revisions now." I say in a calm voice. Not showing disappointment that they were making changes to my script.
"This should be the last one. I think we got it where we want it now." David says, kind of fed up himself with all these changes that were being made.
Yes, David had realized the original script for Se7ve needed changes and don't even get him started on the spelling. But it was still masterful work from an 18-year-old that according to his own words never spent more than a few months in high school before dropping out. That is why he got so frustrated when the studio tried to force Caesar and him to change the ending. Because they found it to depressing and that bad guy at the end kind of wins. Luckly enough he was able to convince them that the original ending Caesar wrote up was better than any ending they could come up with.
"If you say so." I answer but knew a few pieces where still missing but wouldn't say anything just yet. I would let David find them on his own and if he couldn't, well it hardly mattered.
"We need to start thinking of casting. Did you have anyone in mind when you wrote the script Caesar?" Arnold Kopelson, who still didn't like me but was coming to at least take my option into consideration after all help, I had provided to them in the revisions. While he wouldn't say it out loud even, he had to admit he was interested in seeing this movie after all the work they had into it so far.
"Not really. A few people came to mind. Like Denzel Washington and Sylvester Stallone at first. Maybe Al Pacino but then I saw Legends of the Fall. Now I am thinking of Brad Pitt for Mills and Morgan Freeman for Somerset." I answer him after taking a poof of my cigarette.
Those suggestions actually get both Arnold and David nodding their heads.
"Washington would be good but Freeman, I don't know he has this old wise mentor thing going for him." Arnold says after thinking about it for a while.
"It's the voice," I point out and Arnold can't but nod his head.
"Brad Pitt, however. I don't know. He has the acting range for it, but he is kind of a pretty boy." David says, "Not waiting someone like that to play the part of Mills.
Arnold agrees but at the same time had to think of things from the producer's point of view. Brad while coming off the success of Interview with the Vampire and Legends of the Fall wouldn't cost that much. Plus, he heard that Brad was looking for more serious roles. Se7en was a serous movie. If approached the right way he could probably get his agent to agree to a lower pay, of only a couple of million dollars. As for Freeman, he wouldn't cost that much either, and he was a solid actor to boot.
"We will send invites to both, along with a copy of the scripts. If they screen poorly, we can revisit." Arnold says closing the discussion for now.
You know you hear things on the streets about Hollywood. Rumors, and stuff like about the casting couch and all that shit. Well, I don't know about any of that, but I can tell you one thing. Casting for a movie is a drag. I mean it really, really sucked but David wanted me to be part of the whole process. He called it a learning prosses. If I really wanted to make it in Hollywood, I would have to be more than a screen writer. Now I never told him I wanted to be big in Hollywood but nor did I deny it. I just took what he gave me and ran with it. But really casting was a slow and painful way to torture someone.
How you may ask, well let me put it this way. Like in Dante's Inferno there were many different levels when it came to casting. You had to look at everything. From how they looked to, acting ability your cost to hire them and so on. Of course, these are only some of the things you have to look at, there was also marketability, likeability, personality. No one wanted to collaborate with a difficult person who would cause problems for the movie.
And because David clearly didn't like me or got some sick pleasure from my suffering, I had to sit through it all. Now granted I had some say. So, I wasn't stuck sitting there like a fly on the wall with no voice but if you have never been forced to look through stakes upon stakes of resumes and headshots then you don't know what torture is. I would prefer getting shot or stabbed again over this shit. But I manned up and after a week of pain and suffering we arrived at the final stages of auditions. Which wasn't so bad to be honest. Seeing as I got to see a number of actor and actress that I knew would one day be a big deal if I just went by the information in my head.
Such actors like Mark Sinclair who would go by Vin Diesel one day, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and so on and on. They didn't get the part of course. Being too raw at this point in their careers and were not called back after their first reading. In the end only three actors made it to the last round for the roll of David Mills. Brad Pitt of course was my pick, but surprisingly there was also Tom Hanks and Willem Dafoe.
Of course, Tom Hanks was dropped nearly right away. After his success with Frost Gump, his asking price to star in a movie was just too much. Plus, he was set to do the voice over for Toy Story, so it wasn't a good fit for him anyways. As for Willem Dafoe he was definitely a strong 2nd but David wanted someone slightly better looking but had grit about him. When Brad walked in with his beard and youthful attitude he had the part. We all knew he had the job. The only question was how much it was going to cost to hire him. Not that I cared as it had nothing to do with me. Thank God.
As for the part of William Somerset, well the moment Denzel Washington refused the role it was Freeman all the way. We just went through the dog and pony show to help keep the price down. If Freeman or his agent caught wind that he was our number one pick no questions, ask they would ask for a lot of money. That only left the part of Tracy Mills, and the villain John Doe left to decide as everyone else had be cast already.
Now according to the information, I had in my head Gwyneth Paltrow got the role through the combination of Brad recommending her and Fincher liking her. The truth was however out of all the actresses who tried out for the role a number of them could have done the part. However, knowing Pitt and David, both wanted her before casting even started I put her on the top of the list. Then I nudged David towards the person he would have picked anyway. I did this for two reasons.
Frist, I wanted the movie to cast the same people as those in my head. I had no idea if you could just replace an actor in a hit movie and still have the same success so there was no point in risking it. Two because this gave David the impression that me and him where on the same wavelength so to speak. The more he thought I saw what he saw the more he would be willing to help me down the road. Manipulative yes, necessary also yes.
After Gwyneth Paltrow was cast that only left one more person and he proved to be a bit different to get. Frist Kevin Spacey's asking price was too high. The executives didn't want to pay his asking price and David thought we could do the movie without him. That was where we had our only, if you can call it a fight. I mostly just talked about how Spacey was perfect for the role and he kind of listened to me. In the end, however, I had little say but this gave me the opportunity to speak with Brad who also wanted Spacey for the part.
Now we haven't talked for long; in fact, I could say we said less than a few sentences to each other in total. After all we didn't know each other. All he knew about me was that I was close to David and had his ear. That was enough however, and people love it so much when you agree with them. When I told him that his reading with Spacey was the best out of everyone. Brad agreed but knew the executives where not going to pay Spacey's asking price. So again, I gave a little nudge to someone, in this case Brad. Hinting that perhaps he could help cut a deal with Spacey.
This put me in a good light with the further superstar. The belief that his opinion was being taken seriously by someone in casting fed his ego. And wouldn't you know it before filming even started Brad had talked to Spacey and his agent. Getting them to come to the table and agreeing to a lesser fee in exchange for keeping his name out of opening credits. Having been in the room with David when this came up, I looked at him and said that was inspired. After all once people saw his name in the opening credits people would guess who the killer was. Making the movie predictable. Spacey just smiled at me when I said that. Happy that someone realized what he was going for.
Thank God after him the rest of casting was easy. It was all just background characters who anyone could play so several months of screening we had our cast. And I was free from that bullshit. Or so I thought at the time. Honestly, I never told David how close he came to me killing him for that shit.
Have you ever been on a movie set? No? Then trust me you are not missing anything. Because it is boring as fuck. I mean filming is not like what people think. It isn't like a stage play were people come on to the stage and start playing their roles till the end of the play. No, it was far more tedious then that. I wasn't on set for more than a few hours before I wanted to quit this shit, but I couldn't. After all, so far David despite being a total asshole in making me part of the casting team had done right by me.
Giving me, an unknown, a chance to work on a major motion picture. And while I may have only been in lights. He had told the cinematographer that he wanted me to be given as much of a crash course in lighting as possible without delaying filming. David really was going too far for me but what was done was done and I couldn't make him look bad at this point. So, I got to work. Doing everything the cinematographer told me to do. Put lights here, dim lights there, move them over here. It was fucking endless. But slowly I started to get it. I started to understand why it was all necessary. Bad lighting after all could ruin what could be a great file.
It was midway through filming however that I got to meet perhaps one of my favorite actors. After all, while I may not have cared all that much about making movies. I did love them with a passion. They were after all an escape from my shit filled life up to this point.
"Caesar Espinar?" I hear the unmistakable voice of one Morgan Freeman say from beside me.
Turning to face him I keep my cool. After all I wasn't like other people. I didn't get starstruck at the sight of an actor I just so happened to like. They were like everyone else to me. People who had to die one day. It was only after I got to know you that I started to give a shit about you.
"Your Caesar Espinar, correct?" Morga asks me.
"That would be me, and your Morgan Freeman. I have to say Glory and The Shawshank Redemption are two of my favorite movies." I said to him, and it wasn't a lie. To me Morgan Freeman was one of those great actors that didn't get the credit he deserved because of his skin color. But going by the info in my head that would soon change in the coming years.
Smiling at hearing this Morgan says, "Thank you, young man and I am happy to hear someone mention Shawshank."
"It's hard not to Mr. Freeman. I think it is perhaps the greatest movie, made this year. If not the last decade." I say to him.
Which earns a good natural laugh from him, "Again thank you but the box office would disagree with you."
I nodded my head, knowing all too well how badly The Shawshank Redemption did in the box office. While not a flop it wasn't the hit it should have been. "Ture but I personally think in the coming years if not decades it will be seen as an all-time classic."
Again, that earns me a smile from the man. As Morganas thought the same thing.
After neither of us speak for a time I asks, "So what can I do for you Mr. Freeman?"
Almost like he was just remembering what it was he was here to talk about, Morgan says. "Oh, nothing much young man. I just wanted to meet the person behind this script. I have to say it's very….."
He stops as if trying to find the right words. So, I say, "Dark, twisted, disgusting to read?"
Hearing me put my own script in such a negative light Morgan just laughs, "All of the above and more young man. I have to say I was at first surprised to learn from my agent that an 18 year old wrote this."
I nod my head and ask, "And now?"
"Now? Not so much. Tell me are you, okay young man?" He asks with a bit of worry.
If that was out of real concern or not, I couldn't tell but I answer him, "About as much as the next crack baby is."
He just nods his head at that and says no more. After all, what was there to say? From the tattoos on his body to the scares on his arms. Morgan knew Caesar came from a life he couldn't imagine. While he was black and raised during a time when racial tensions were at an all-time high. He rarely had to face such racism himself and had a loving and supporting family. Something he could tell Caesar didn't have.
As he starts to walk away Morgan stops for a moment and looks back and asks, "Oh before I forget Caesar. I wanted to ask. What is in the box?"
Giving the man a smirk I look at Morgan and say, "That is for me to know and you to find out Morgan."
At that Morgan just walks away with a smile on his lips. As he does, he suddenly gets a feeling that Caesar was going to be very big in Hollywood someday.