[Chapter 950: Write It Down]
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jodie Foster's agent, Joey Funicello, discreetly moved to a nearby reception area, giving Eric and Jodie space to chat. Eric also suggested that Caroline return to her office at the studio.
Once again, Eric introduced Jodie to the use of the lightbox and the robotic arm. He opened the computer in the studio and showed her sample clips created using the lightbox and robotic arm. "From a technical standpoint, that's about it. Additionally, this film will be the first almost entirely CG live-action movie. In the future, it'll also be the first movie released simultaneously in 2D, 3D, IMAX, and 3D-IMAX formats. I plan to revolutionize the traditional movie screening model, and I hope you can be a part of it."
Jodie sat beside Eric at the computer desk, listening to him explain these concepts, feeling a strange sense of discomfort. In her past experiences, Hollywood directors or producers either treated her with false disdain or were overly eager and obsequious when discussing a role.
Only this young man, after talking about a heap of technical issues, casually said, "I hope you can be involved," in a tone that felt both confident and indifferent, as if her role as the leading lady was insignificant. Moreover, she noticed that he was clearly appraising her refined appearance while speaking, but surprisingly found it difficult to feel offended by his appreciative gaze.
After Eric finished speaking, a faint smile lingered on his lips, and his gaze became more relaxed. Jodie found herself instinctively avoiding his eyes. She scanned the studio and soon noticed an LED screen the size of a backdrop off to the left and another angled panel nearby. Curiously, she pointed, "Eric, what's that?"
"Oh, that? It's used to capture facial expressions," Eric replied.
Eric got up and gestured for Jodie to follow him toward the screen. While he was busy turning on the LED screen, Jodie noticed that one side of the angled panel was green, which she assumed to be a green screen, though she had no idea how it would be used.
Eric activated the LED screen, directing Jodie to step onto the panel, reclining against it. He handed her an astronaut helmet, saying, "The film contains many close-up shots of facial expressions. In this case, using traditional filming techniques might lead to issues regarding the actor's eyes and the reflection in the helmet visor."
As Eric spoke, he switched on the LED screen, on which a space-themed background began to play. "It works similarly to the lightbox. To reflect the cosmic backdrop in your eyes and the visor, you'll need to perform in front of this screen."
Jodie put on the helmet and gazed at the space scene documentary playing on the LED screen. Although she admired Eric's attention to detail, she couldn't help but ask, "Eric, didn't you consider the budget?"
Eric first seemed puzzled, then noticed Jodie's eyes were fixed on the documentary, shaking his head with a smile, "This high-definition footage is merely for testing shot effects. It doesn't require too high resolution since the reflections don't need to be detailed, so we can create very simple imagery and it won't cost too much."
Jodie took off the helmet, flipping her light blonde hair. Realizing Eric still eyed her, she suddenly felt somewhat passive today. She instinctively wanted to regain some control, saying, "Eric, from your description, it seems this movie focuses more on visual effects, and the female lead won't have much room to showcase her abilities."
"If you'd read the script attentively, you'd notice that's not the case. This film has only two clear characters; most of it is a one-woman show with the lead. To make this movie excellent, we need to explore every detail. Every breath the lead takes, every glance she makes occasionally has to convey emotions to the audience. Therefore, on the contrary, the lead has significant room to express herself, and the film demands a high level of acting skill."
As Eric said this, he flashed another slight smile, adding, "So, if your acting skills don't meet my requirements, even if you have a pair of beautiful blue eyes, I won't extend an invitation."
Jodie sensed that Eric might have recognized her earlier jab, feeling slightly embarrassed. However, recalling the last line and the script she had read, she looked up and blurted out, "But I do have beautiful blue eyes."
Once those words escaped her, Jodie immediately felt a twinge of awkwardness. Yet this time, she did not look away, meeting Eric's gaze with confidence.
Eric shrugged, replying, "That certainly is an issue; I'll revise that line."
Jodie chimed in, "Eric, I didn't say I agreed to take this role yet."
"Is there any other issue?"
"Of course," Jodie nodded, lifting her chin slightly, saying, "I plan to take a year off from acting to have a child with my girlfriend."
"Uh..."
It was quite disheartening to hear a beautiful woman claiming she wanted to have a baby with another woman.
"Ha ha."
Watching Eric's bewildered expression, Jodie finally burst into laughter. After a moment, she continued, "However, my agent wants me not to pass on this opportunity, and I'm genuinely interested in the script. So, director, what should I do next?"
With an exasperated shake of his head and a smile, Eric replied, "For the next six months, all you'll need to do regarding this movie is to work on your fitness to ensure you're physically ready for the intense shooting schedule."
Jodie nodded, "I've always worked out regularly."
"That's great, but the crew will still arrange specialized training for you. Additionally, you should immerse yourself in understanding this character. The deeper your understanding, the more comfortable you will be performing."
Jodie watched as Eric extended his hand to take back the helmet from her, stepping off the panel. "That's also what I wanted to consult you about today; the information about the character Ryan Stone in the script is quite limited, so I hope you can share more details."
Eric led Jodie to a workbench where he poured two cups of freshly brewed coffee for them, considering for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it's best to start from the very beginning of the story."
Jodie cradled her coffee cup, observing Eric's serious expression as she joked, "Long-long-ago..."
"Aha," Eric chuckled and nodded, "Once upon a time, a girl named Ryan was born into the Stone family, but Mr. Stone wanted a boy. So, he gave her a boy's name, Ryan. Because of his obsession with having a son, Mr. Stone remained aloof toward his daughter during her upbringing. This had a profound impact on Ryan, making her self-doubting yet desperate to prove herself. Consequently, she struggled to communicate and had no friends, but she excelled academically and eventually became a medical doctor.
Due to her upbringing, Ryan grew up with a high IQ, high education, and high income. However, lacking emotional intelligence made her socially awkward, leading to an unhappy life filled with divorce and raising a child alone. After her daughter died in an accident, she lost her most vital emotional support, gradually succumbing to apathy, becoming withdrawn, and channeling all her energy into monotonous work.
Journeying into space to repair the Hubble Space Telescope became the biggest change in her monotonous life. Accepting the job was merely to ensure her research funding remained intact, also driven by her fear of change.
On the last day of the space mission, disaster struck. The death of her companion forced Ryan to once again confront the fragility of life, yet she still was not a strong person. In the face of danger, she screamed in terror like a little girl, and when confronted with crisis, she'd close her eyes and resignedly wait for death..."
As Eric hypnotically narrated this, Jodie could not help but begin constructing the character of Ryan Stone in her mind.
By the time Eric finished, Jodie had unconsciously slipped into the role.
She felt an aversion to noise, a dislike for loud speech, and preferred solitude or distance to a lab, performing an emotionless experiment over and over until night fell and returning home.
Mechanically dealing with dinner, she curled up on the couch, enduring cheesy soap operas she didn't even know the plot of.
Later, she took a shower and lay on her bed, dazed until sleep overtook her.
Despite realizing a person shouldn't be like this, she felt she ought to have some hobbies, maybe even wear a revealing outfit to a club to seek a one-night stand.
However, she noticed, due to dissatisfaction in her life, she had unconsciously lost interest in all things. In her mind occasionally appeared a youthful face, and reaching out to touch it, there was no warmth, which brought tears to her eyes.
No, these weren't her tears; she wouldn't live such a soulless existence.
Two conflicting personalities clashed, bringing her back to reality.
Noticing Eric beside her, unwaveringly observing her with seriousness, she suddenly felt angry. Wiping away her tears, she complained, "Eric, do you enjoy watching women cry?"
Eric shook his head, "Of course not. When women cry they look terrible, especially if they're wearing makeup; it's even worse."
At that, Jodie panicked a little, reminding herself that she hadn't worn makeup that day, which eased her mind. However, she couldn't help but shoot Eric an annoyed glance. "Did you deliberately lead me into the role?"
"Yeah," Eric nodded, pulling a pack of tissues from his pocket and handing it to her while complimenting her, "You're a fantastic actress."
Jodie took the tissues Eric offered and wiped her tear-stained face, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm, "You must not compliment people often."
Eric lifted the coffee pot to refill their cups, smiling, "Isn't it rather an honor?"
"It pales in comparison to winning an Oscar," and after cleaning up her face, Jodie returned from Ryan Stone's emotional state, adding, "Eric, continue telling me about Matt Kowalsky."
Eric nodded, responding, "Matt Kowalsky is quite the opposite of Ryan Stone. His life isn't complete yet he never abandoned his love for life; he adored antique cars, enjoyed old songs, and relished sharing stories about his past mishaps during spacewalks. In fact, throughout the story, Kowalsky doesn't change Ryan's character; rather, he continuously triggers her survival instincts. Kowalsky is a much simpler character compared to Ryan."
"But I like that character more," Jodie remarked. "Eric, I suddenly think if it were written down, it'd surely make an outstanding novel. So, why not write it?"
"I'm also curious about what happens to Ryan after she survives. Does she continue living in misery or reignite her passion for life?" Eric remarked. "However, I can't spare that much time for it right now. How about this -- you write it?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. As a talented woman in Hollywood, how can you not have written at least one novel? So why not give it a shot? When it's published, I won't take any royalties from you."
"Ha ha," Jodie laughed, clearly intrigued. After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "Then, can I write it however I want? I want to focus on the story leading up to space travel. Plus, Kowalsky's tale is just as fascinating."
Eric nodded, "Of course. You can write it however you feel. I only have one condition: the novel must be published after the movie's release."
"That's a given."
"Now for the last point -- since you've agreed, let's talk about your compensation. While it's something more suited for your agent and my producer to discuss privately, I don't want any issues regarding it to complicate this project. So, what do you think would be fair?"
Jodie didn't expect Eric to bring up this topic, and she wasn't particularly prepared for it. Reflecting for a moment, she cleverly turned the question back to him, "Eric, how much are you willing to offer?"
"Your pay for Contact was $9 million; let's make it $10 million this time. How does that sound?"
Jodie nodded. Though she'd won two Oscars, she wasn't necessarily a box office star. Eric's offer was still quite generous.
However, she couldn't resist teasing, "Eric, they weren't kidding; you really aren't generous at all."
Eric winced as if in pain and decisively stated, "How about I add another dinner to sweeten the deal?"
Jodie found her time with Eric enjoyable. After some thought, she nodded, saying, "Sure, but I want to bring Joey along."
"Why bring another guy? If it's too much to ask, you can bring your -- uh, girlfriend instead. How about that?"
Jodie shot Eric a playful look, smiling, "You know, Joey occasionally moonlights as my bodyguard. I still remember the time he punched that unscrupulous producer trying to take advantage of me."
Eric glanced at the muscled middle-aged man sitting not far away, reading the newspaper, and asked worriedly in a hushed tone, "Does he dare punch a director?"
Jodie's smile grew wider as she mirrored Eric's 'guilty' expression and whispered back, "I dare."
*****
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