The year was 2024. In the City of Angels, a man got out of a Warner Bros. building after yet another failed meeting. That was his last chance and he failed again.
"Damn, it feels like I'm fighting against fate." the man muttered angrily. He had a large beard covering a face weathered by age, disappointments, and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Years had passed since he had left a small town in Oregon to move to Hollywood. Back then, he had dreams of becoming a successful screenwriter and director, but he soon discovered that the City of Stars destroys dreams like that every day.
John was a man who once dreamed of winning an Oscar, dedicating all his time and energy to finding success in the city, but all he gained were health problems and delusions.
At first, everything seemed promising. At 20 years old, he was eager to change his life and provide a better future for his little sister, Clarice.
He started in Hollywood with small gigs as a grip on low-budget horror films. The payment wasn't great, but it put food on the table for him and Clarice. He used to believe that things would get better—and for a while, they did.
After two years of setting up and tearing down film equipment on various sets of forgettable movies, he finally landed a role as a camera assistant on the set of Fresh, a movie produced by Miramax films.
Unfortunately, after just five days on set, John encountered the man who would destroy his career and his life forever: Harvey Fuckin' Weinstein.
At the time, John got along well with a producer called Robert. One day, he brought his 14-year-old sister to the set, where she was thrilled to be cast as an extra in a scene. John still remembered the excitement in her green eyes. By a cruel twist of fate, Harvey Weinstein visited the set that same day.Â
After the shoot, Weinstein asked John to bring Clarice to Miramax's offices, claiming she was perfect for a new project. Once there, Weinstein told John to leave the room, as the director insisted on conducting the audition privately.
Clarice spent three hours in Weinstein's office. When John saw her again, the sparkle on her eyes was missing. John asked what happened to her and to Weinstein, but Harvey told him that unfortunately Clarice didn't pass the test, but he would call him when another role shows up.Â
Three months later, Clarice took her own life. On that devastating day, John found a letter explaining that Weinstein had assaulted her.
John was consumed by rage. He destroyed their small rented apartment in fury and set out to confront Weinstein.Â
Despite his efforts, Weinstein avoided him and even filed a restraining order, falsely claiming John was threatening him out of resentment for being fired from the set.
When John returned to the apartment, he was evicted for the damages he had caused and couldn't retrieve his belongings—or Clarice's letter, which was his only evidence.
Blacklisted in Hollywood, John couldn't even get work as a grip and resorted to working on low-quality adult movies just to survive.
For decades, he tried to return to film sets. Though Weinstein was eventually imprisoned after other similar cases surfaced, John felt nothing but emptiness.
"That bastard ruined not only my life but also my sister's. Nothing will ever bring her back," he thought. "I hope that scumbag is suffering in prison," he muttered, distracted as he crossed the street.
At that moment, a series of random events unfolded, resembling a scene from Final Destination.
An oil spill from a passing truck, an ambulance rushing down the wrong street, and faulty brakes combined to create a catastrophe.
The last thing John Fox heard was the wail of the ambulance siren.
"Damn, I forgot to buy the cat food."
That was his final thought before his world was consumed by pain.