Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 489 Jessica Alba
Link glanced at the girl in front of him, and then looked at the information.

Jessica Alba is 18 years old this year. She has a youthful and innocent appearance and a tall and slender figure.

Because of his Mexican ancestry, his skin is tanned and smooth like satin.

Although the girl sat on the sofa looking nervous and reserved, she still wore a sweet and innocent smile on her pretty face.

"Not bad! Congratulations on signing another promising talent."

Link returned the documents to Sam Haskell.

"Haha, if you say Jessica is good, then she must be good. No one in Hollywood can match your eye for talent."

Sam Haskell smiled, revealing his back teeth.

When Jessica Alba heard his praise, her eyes sparkled, and her smile became even sweeter, like a Barbie doll.

Link shook his head; he had only said half of what he wanted to say.

In the entertainment industry, to become a true superstar, one needs good looks, talent, hard work, resources, and luck—all are indispensable.

For example, among my girlfriends, some are very beautiful but not hardworking, while others are hardworking but lack talent. Because of these factors, my girlfriends have achieved different levels of success in the film industry.

Given Jessica's situation, she has an outstanding appearance but poor acting skills and average talent. She is only suitable to be a popular celebrity, and her future development is much worse than that of beauties like Jennifer Connelly and Charlize Theron.

"Sam, guess what? MGM has a lot of film projects next year. You can go ask Daniel if there are any suitable roles for Jessica."

"Haha, I will."

After Jessica Alba left the office, Sam Haskell discussed the assassination.

There have been many related news reports in the media recently. When asked how he would handle the situation, WMA PR firm said they would cooperate with his publicity efforts.

Link's answer was similar to what he had told Liu Xiaoli before: keep a close eye on media reports to prevent them from using these news reports to instill in the public the idea that "victim is guilty" or that "Link deserved to be assassinated."

In public relations, the blame should be shifted to the six major film studios and the terrorists; the cause should be found in them, not in the victim.

Previous media analyses suggested that he was assassinated because the Guess the Movies film industry rose too quickly, and that he was a womanizer and involved in politics—all of which were attempts to find fault with him.

This kind of public opinion is wrong, and it will cause many problems in the long run.

Link plans to use his resources to shift public opinion, diverting attention from him to the terrorists and harshly criticizing their actions.

Sam Haskell agreed and said he would pass the message on to management so they could cooperate with the publicity and public relations efforts.

Because of his connections, Sam Haskell currently serves as the Director of the Brokerage Department at WMA Brokerage, placing him in the company's management team and giving him considerable influence within WMA.

After seeing Sam off, Link suddenly realized that Sam was now in WMA's management and had a lot of work to do, so why would he sign a newcomer like Jessica?
Does he have some conspiracy?
Link thought about it for a while but still couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and continued working on the new movie in the office.

With the help of MGM and agencies like WMA and CAA, media coverage of Link's assassination as "deserved" quickly decreased, while the topic of the fierce competition among the seven major Hollywood studios became a hot issue again.

The main purpose of this adjustment is to guide the news and bring the issue back to its source: the assassination was part of internal industry competition and an unfair business practice, and had nothing to do with anything else.

In an interview with the editors of The Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair, Link called for moderate and appropriate competition within the film industry and opposed the use of unfair means to solve problems.

Using unfair means to compete will only plunge the film industry into chaos and disorder, and may even lead to the decline of the entire industry.

This practice harms the interests of everyone and must be prohibited.

Link's statement received support from many filmmakers.

Organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Hollywood Producers Guild recently discussed this issue at a meeting, suggesting that problems in the film industry should be resolved internally rather than using other means to address internal issues, as this would harm the entire film industry.

At the same time, the MPAA also emphasized that film companies should communicate and cooperate more and share benefits. Only by expanding the entire film market and enabling all practitioners to benefit from it can the film industry become more prosperous.

When Link heard his former assistant Annie's report, he understood that the executives of the six major film studios were hinting to him, urging him not to hoard profits and to share them with everyone.

He doesn't mind collaborating with his peers, as long as the conditions are right.
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After finishing all these messy things, in early October, Link took the crew to Naples, Italy to film his new movie, The Talented Mr. Ripley.

"Scene 1, 3 shots, begin!"

After the stagehands put down the barriers, the entire film crew began to operate.

The film's plot revolves around an American youth named Tom Ripley who possesses a unique talent: he can mimic other people's handwriting and voice, and is adept at disguise.

Born into poverty, Ripley always longed to live a carefree, idyllic life in sunny Italy with its clear blue skies and waters.

But he was just an ordinary piano tuner, and sometimes he worked as a waiter, dusting the clothes of the wealthy for a little extra money. During one of his performances, he met Mr. Greenlough, a wealthy shipbuilder, because he was wearing a Princeton University uniform.

Mr. Greenleaf mistakenly believed that he was his son Dick’s college classmate, so he hired him to go to Europe to persuade Dick to return, for a fee of $1000.

Ripley arrives in Mongi, Italy, where he meets Dick, a rich second-generation heir, and his girlfriend Maggie. He explains his purpose and uses his talent for imitating other people's voices to mimic what Mr. Greenleaf had instructed him to say.

Dick was horrified when he heard this and acknowledged his identity, but he had no intention of going back.

Ripley was unwilling to go back like that. Knowing that Dick liked jazz, he deliberately dropped a few jazz records on the ground as he was leaving.

After Dick saw this, he took the initiative to ask him to stay.

Ripley followed Dick as his playmate and witnessed the luxurious life of a rich kid, including a beautiful mansion, a high-end luxury resort hotel, a lavish lifestyle of spending money like water, and his beautiful and gentle girlfriend.

He envied everything Dick had.

At the same time, Ripley also developed a special feeling for Dick and hoped to live with him forever.

Unfortunately, during a fishing trip at sea, Dick told him that he was going back north to marry Maggie. Ripley advised Dick not to do so, saying that Dick was free and should not stay for anyone, but should live with him or go on a trip.

Dick suddenly flew into a rage, calling Ripley a disgusting leech, utterly repulsive.

During the altercation, Rape used a paddle to kill Dick.

From that day on, Ripley began living as Dick, imitating Dick's way of speaking, dressing, signing, and so on, living a carefree life.

When Maggie came to him, although he persuaded her to leave by mentioning Dick's infidelity, Dick's friend Freddy discovered something was amiss.

To prevent his identity from being exposed, Ripley picked up a statue in the room and smashed it over Frankie's head.

Meanwhile, musician Peter discovers that Ripley is impersonating Dick during their interactions, and Ripley kills Peter again.
In the film, Ripley's identity is never revealed, nor is he punished. He kills repeatedly to conceal his identity and satisfy his own desires, thus sinking into a quagmire of sin from which there is no redemption.

The film's theme is largely consistent with the original work, depicting how money and material possessions alienate human nature. Many people resort to any means to achieve success and wealth, and after achieving success, they are filled with conflicting emotions, causing them pain and confusion.

This film offers a profound exploration of human nature, but its deep and complex themes also make it difficult for viewers to watch. As a result, the film's box office performance was mediocre, with a global gross of less than $2 million.

To enhance the film's appeal and lower the barrier to entry, Link made numerous adjustments during filming, appropriately adding selling points while maintaining the film's artistic quality, thus achieving a perfect balance between artistry and commercial appeal.

He probably couldn't have done this before.

But after directing nearly twenty films, his experience as a director far surpasses that of any of his peers on Earth, and he is confident that he can do it.

"cut!"

After filming a take, Link called Matt Damon and Jude Law over for a chat.

Both of their performances had some issues.

First, Matt Damon didn't portray himself as intelligent enough, and his eyes lacked the 'ambition' and 'greed' that the protagonist Ripley possessed.

This must be corrected, otherwise the characters he portrays will appear mediocre and unappealing.

Jude Law is homophobic and cannot accept the ambiguous scenes between him and Matt Damon in the movie.

Link could only try to persuade him by having him imagine Matt Damon as a woman, or by having him imagine himself as a woman to play the role.

Regardless, Jude Law has no choice but to play this role well.

Link won't lower his standards just because the actors don't accept it; that would be irresponsible to the entire project.

Matt Damon and Jude Law felt immense pressure upon hearing his advice, and their previously relaxed expressions turned somber and heavy.

This is exactly the effect Link wanted. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a thriller with a tragic core, so a more oppressive overall atmosphere is more appropriate.

"Link, how was my acting? Do you want to give me some pointers?"

Julie Delpy stood gracefully in front of him, wearing a sexy halter dress.

"You've been doing quite well so far, but you need to pay attention to the scenes where Maggie meets Ripley later on. You need to be able to portray Maggie's complex inner thoughts and try to make the character more layered."

"I understand, I will perform well."

Julie Delpy smiled slightly, tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, then returned to the busy film set.

(End of this chapter)