The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 91 Let’s get started

William Morris, in the small conference room.

Everyone gathered together.

Hawke sat at the front of the conference table and said, "Let's summarize our respective situations."

Dani put down her phone and said, "I just received news that Paul Walker has signed a contract with Universal Pictures. The filming period of Fast & Furious 2 will overlap with this film."

Hawke reminded: "You need to pay attention to the dynamics of the crew and pay attention to whether there are new actors joining the audition."

He looked at Johnson: "Dawn, what about you?"

Johnson said: "In the past two days, I had lunch with producer Leonard Goldberg and played golf with him. He has no ill will towards me, but he will not easily give up on the role because others are also doing what I do."

Hawke asked directly: "What is Leonard's orientation? Male or female? Or both?"

Since he has chosen this line of work, Johnson has nothing to be ashamed of: "He is straight, I can be sure of that, and his aesthetic is similar to mine, he likes strong women."

Dani added: "Actress Michelle Rodriguez, who went to Leonard's hotel room several nights in a row to discuss the script and the lead actress, should get the role."

Audition is just the foundation, success is decided outside the audition room.

Hawke looked at Caroline: "What's the situation on your side?"

Caroline handed the materials at hand to Hawke and said, "My assistant Sasha contacted Green, the business manager of the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, last night. After some probing, it was confirmed that Green believed that Steve Nutt was a role model among white people and highly appreciated his active advocacy of equal rights for black people."

Hawke took the materials and took a look at them. These were the information Caroline had collected on competitors and high-ranking officials in the crew.

He quickly flipped through it, took out the photos he had prepared in advance and pasted them on the whiteboard.

They are Black Sauce, Clark Johnson, Spike Lee and Insurance Manager Green.

Hawke recounted in detail what he had seen yesterday and the subsequent investigation, and concluded: "Samuel, Clark, and Spike are all supporters of the equal rights movement in Hollywood, and the latter is a leader. They are all extremely sensitive to the rights of black people in Hollywood."

He added: "Spike Lee never messes with big companies, but when it comes to individual actors and the Academy Awards, he has hurled profanity countless times."

Caroline caught up with Hawke and understood his intentions: "But neither Colin Farrell nor Josh Hartnett ever expressed racist tendencies."

Johnson reminded: "Samuel is only a nominal production manager. At most, he can influence director Clark, but Clark only has the right to make suggestions. The real decision-making power lies in Leonard's hands. Leonard is a white man."

Hawke slapped his hand on Green's picture. "So, we need to drag in a third-party insurance manager and add weight to both sides to influence the crew's decision."

He looked at Caroline: "There is one skill that is particularly important in our work."

Caroline struggled to keep up with Hawke.

Edward looked at Miss Mee and shook his head, thinking that she was just average, and said, "Making something out of nothing!"

Caroline immediately remembered her previous collaboration with Hawke. The truth revealed by Steve's son was fabricated by Hawke.

"Yesterday I had my first concrete plan. We created a discrimination incident!" Hawke's choice was also related to the social background: "The Steve Nutter incident has set off another peak in the movement for black equality in the entire California, especially in the Los Angeles area."

Caroline stared at Hawke blankly, feeling an inexplicable sense of admiration. She created the wave herself and now she was taking advantage of it. Even if Rooney Chasen, the director of Full Speed ​​​​PR Company, came, it would be difficult to do it.

Johnson and Dani exchanged glances, and the former asked, "Get rid of them all at once?"

Hawke shook his head: "This method can only be used once against one person, to get rid of the one who poses the greatest threat."

Dani continued, "Josh Hartnett, he starred in Pearl Harbor. Although he was criticized by the media and the audience after the film was released, and many people even thought he had no acting skills, this is also an outstanding qualification. In addition, Josh also cooperated with Sony Columbia in Black Hawk Down."

Johnson added: "Josh has a good personal relationship with Leonard's associate producer. I doubt there is anything wrong with their relationship."

Hawke understood what this abnormality meant and was not surprised by it.

Even if you can't make it to the top, the leading actor in a large or medium-sized investment project may not have to pay less than the leading actress.

The Hollywood scandals that appear in the media today are not even the tip of the iceberg.

Hawke asked the key question: "What is Josh Hartnett's background?"

Dani elaborated: "He comes from an ordinary family, a second generation who is not in the entertainment industry. He studied acting at the State University of New York. He has experienced twists and turns since his debut and has climbed to his current position. In addition to his acting skills, his biggest asset in Hollywood is his body."

"Our first target is Josh Hartnett." Hawke wrote Josh's name under the pictures of the four people.

Then, Colin Farrell wrote next to it: "We still have to find a way to deal with him, otherwise everything we did to Josh might have been taken advantage of by him."

Caroline said: "The person who is good friends with Kevin Spacey is Colin Farrell. I heard a rumor that these two got together when they worked together on "Ace Criminal"."

Hawke nodded slightly: "Tell me about Colin Farrell."

Caroline elaborated: "He is Irish, his parents are football players, and he himself was also a football player. Later he transferred to drama school. Like many Irish men, he likes to drink and has a hot temper, especially when facing people who are not as powerful as him. He often gets angry over trivial matters."

Hawke looked at the list of films Colin Farrell had starred in. He shot his first feature film in 2000, and this year a film called Phone Booth will be released. Caroline added: "He's good-looking, in good shape, bold, open-minded, and willing to participate in all kinds of games. Many two-way producers and directors like him very much, so people in the industry are very optimistic about his future."

Hawke taped an artistic photo of Colin Farrell to a whiteboard and said: "If the producers like men, Dawn has no hope of winning."

Edward responded, "Thank goodness Leonard is a normal person."

Hawke asked a key question: "Did Kevin Spacey just call Dawn?"

"No." Danny learned specifically: "He called all the people who participated in the final audition, trying to use his fame and influence to convince the candidates, and he specifically contacted the producer Leonard."

Hawke turned the conversation to Leonard: "What does a producer hate the most? In life and work."

"Leonard Goldberg is a senior producer at Columbia Pictures and has been involved in production since the 30s." Caroline said, "He hates being rejected by actresses the most. He has produced and participated in the production of more than films and TV series so far. All actresses who rejected him or stood him up were abandoned without exception."

She also talked about work: "At work, I hate people being late. When Cameron Diaz was late for the audition for Charlie's Angels, Leonard rejected her outright. Drew Barrymore had raised nearly half of the investment for this film, but even though she tried her best to persuade them to reconcile, Cameron Diaz still stayed with Leonard for the whole night."

Edward said, "Didn't Cameron only reluctantly star in the show because Drew Barrymore kept inviting him?"

"It's promotional stuff, just take a look." Caroline said, "I also wrote fake behind-the-scenes footage for some crews for promotion."

Johnson suddenly said: "I am a hero who fought off a mugger."

The serious atmosphere was suddenly broken and everyone burst into laughter.

Hawke laughed and asked, "Are there any similar situations?"

Caroline said: "Yes, similar situations happened during auditions for projects such as "Fatal Pursuit" and "The Bacteria", and all the actors who were late were rejected by him."

Hawke knew what was going on: "Now let's deal with the one who poses the greatest threat, Josh Hartnett."

He said: "We haven't started yet. The ones who are most excited are Colin Farrell and his owner Kevin Spacey. The latter even made a threatening call. If we get Josh Hartnett, who will he suspect first?"

Dani laughed. "Colin Farrell."

Hawke added: "Of course, he will doubt us, but that's not important. Let's muddy the waters."

Johnson said: "Whatever you need us to do, just arrange it."

If you want to get things done, money is the most basic thing. Hawke said directly: "You should prepare a sum of operating cash, and don't worry about other things. Don't be a slouch in the audition room and fail to meet even the basic requirements."

Johnson also invested: "I contacted the SWAT in Los Angeles and will join the team tomorrow to experience life."

Hawke said to Dani and Caroline, "You two should mobilize your own resources to find out Josh Hartnett's recent itinerary. Also, I want to know the places he often goes to, such as bars, hotels, and gyms."

Caroline said: "It's not difficult to make the public itinerary public, and the private itinerary can be tracked through the public itinerary."

Hawke looked at Edward: "You are on standby."

Edward is a good driver and a native of Los Angeles. He is familiar with the roads and neighborhoods, and he has driven with others several times without any problems.

As for how to deal with Josh Hartnett, it depends on Hawke.

Half an hour later, the meeting ended. Hawke took some cash and left first with Edward.

The two returned to the car, and Hawke said, "Savior, go find the Ugly Trio now."

Edward replied, "The three of them have been waiting to make another fortune."

Hawke sent Edward to Fountain Street and asked him to get a car to find the Ugly Trio.

The next day, Caroline provided Hawke with a series of information about Josh Hartnett.

Although he received a lot of criticism in "Pearl Harbor", he also became famous. Combining information from the media and public relations, it is not difficult to find out where Josh Hartnett often goes.

After careful research, Hawke drove around these places one by one, including the Palomar bar on the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard, a house in Sherman Oaks, a gym in North Hollywood, and an acting school at Paramount Studios.

He also called the ugly trio to the ranch park for temporary training.

Hawke developed several action plans based on different locations.

But the specific situation also depends on the on-the-spot performance of the ugly trio.

Caroline also sent more information, saying that Josh Hartnett had never had any black friends and had a neutral impression of black people.

Edward was sent out by Hawke to keep an eye on Josh Hartnett in order to choose the best time.

One ordinary afternoon, Edward called, and Josh Hartnett went to the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan Beach in disguise.

Hawke immediately led the team out.

(End of this chapter)