America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 854 Making Friends Driven by Self-Interest

The black sedan turned onto Wilshire Boulevard. The driver glanced at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the distance, seemingly suspicious of his girlfriend in the passenger seat, and asked, "How do you know Martin Davis? And he's interested in your screenplay?"

Greta Gerwig turned to look at her boyfriend Noah and said with a smile, "What, you don't trust me?"

"That's not what I meant." The light ahead was red, and Noah gradually slowed down. "How should I put it, I just feel..."

Greta interrupted him: "I'm an actress and screenwriter, and I've only directed one experimental film in 08 that didn't even make it to theaters. What makes me think I could impress Martin Davis, right?"

Noah smiled sheepishly: "Mainly because you told me this morning that Martin was interested in your script and asked me to come with you, I wasn't prepared at all, it was too sudden."

Greta and her boyfriend have always had a good relationship. She explained, "Don't worry, it doesn't involve any sleeping around or messing around. Since we started dating, I've rarely acted anymore and have completely transitioned to screenwriting. You know why."

Noah quickly said, "That's not what I meant."

"Listen to me first." Greta recalled for a moment and then explained in detail: "You know Mandy Moore. I'm friends with her. A little over a year ago, Mandy joined Martin's La La Land project as a choreography designer. Once, I went to the Disney studio to find Mandy and saw her training Saoirse Ronan."

Noah said, "Saoirse shares your interests and is your good friend and best confidante."

Greta shook her head and laughed: "What do you mean by like-minded? It's just that I made a point of befriending her. And her? She's a very interesting girl. She probably thought I had value, so she accepted my outstretched hand of friendship."

Compared to his girlfriend, Noah is a screenwriter who is completely focused on his writing, making him relatively simple. He couldn't help but remark, "That sounds complicated."

Greta said, "It's actually quite simple. I suspect that besides being Martin Davis's student, Saoirse was probably also his lover. There are so many actresses in Hollywood, many of whom are prettier and better actresses than Saoirse. Why did Martin Davis choose her?"

She smiled and said, "Honey, you know I've had the idea for that script for a long time, and I've always wanted to direct, but without the support of film companies and bigwigs, who would let a woman, especially one who has only directed one experimental film, direct a project?"

Noah remained silent, acting instead as a listener.

Greta continued, "I didn't know Martin, but I met Saoirse through Mandy Moore, and I felt it was an opportunity. Later, Saoirse found out that I might become one of the head writers for Beauty and the Beast, probably from Martin, who said that Davis Studios was one of the investors. So, naturally, Saoirse and I became good friends."

Noah sighed: "I thought you were just friends."

Greta said softly, "There's no such thing as pure friendship among adults; most friendships are based on self-interest."

She then changed the subject: "Of course, Saoirse is a good person. As long as you don't infringe on her interests, she'll be a very good friend. After all, Martin Davis is backing her up!"

Noah drove across the intersection and arrived at the main entrance of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He parked the car and said, "This is all I can take you, honey. Good luck."

Greta picked up her briefcase, leaned over and kissed Noah, then got out of the car and went straight into the hotel.

Saoirse Ronan was waiting in the hotel lobby.

Greta saw her and quickly walked over: "Hey, Saoirse, just wait for me in the room."

Saoirse came over and hugged Greta, saying, "Martin's busy with work, and I have nothing to do up here."

She led the way: "This way."

Greta followed, glancing sideways at Saoirse as they walked, and said, "Your figure is even better than before."

Saoirse smiled and said, "Maybe I've been practicing dance a lot these past two years."

Greta, like a best friend, asked softly, "For Martin, isn't it?"

Saoirse doesn't deny it: "I always need to be good at something that others don't, something special, in order to stay attractive."

Greta understood: "Dancing increases flexibility; when you can do the splits, men will go crazy."

"By the way, you and Noah have been together for 10 years," Saoirse asked humbly. "How have you managed to keep Noah interested?"

Greta said, "We need to come up with new ideas every now and then, to give him some fresh excitement."

Saoirse couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing she had unlocked it too quickly.

Fortunately, there are other preparations in place.

Once inside the private elevator, Greta returned to the main topic: "The script...did Martin read it?"

Saoirse said, "I've looked at it roughly, which is why I asked you to come and chat." She spoke with the air of a close sister: "According to Martin's usual practice, he'll ask you to shoot a short film. You must agree to it. Only if the short film is well-done will you have a chance to get the director's position."

Greta patted the bag in her hand: "I've already filmed the short film."

Saoirse was a little surprised: "You're so fast?"

"Women who want to be directors need to put in more effort and be more persuasive," Greta said with a deep sense of helplessness. "At least Martin was willing to have an in-depth conversation with me, and I have to thank you for that, Saoirse. Without your recommendation, I would hardly have had this opportunity."

She shrugged: "You know what? Even though I was the screenwriter for Beauty and the Beast, when I told Disney that I was going to write and direct a movie with a female theme, they weren't even interested in talking to me."

Saoirse encouraged her, "Keep it up!"

The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped out, entering the only room on the top floor.

Martin sat alone on the terrace and waved to Saoirse through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Saoirse quickly took Greta over.

They knew each other, so there was no unnecessary small talk; they got straight to the point.

"This script has surprised me." Martin slapped the script on the table and said, "There's so much content, the plot is so rich, I haven't finished reading it yet."

Yesterday, Saoirse brought the script up in her arms because it was over 350 pages long.

Martin said, "If we were to film it according to your script, the movie would have to be at least six and a half hours long."

Greta smiled sheepishly: "This is just a first draft; I'll need to refine it further later."

Martin asked, "Saoirse said this is part of your autobiography?"

"Yes, the story in the script takes place in Sacramento, which is my hometown." Greta Thunberg adapted the film based on many of her own experiences. She said, "Many of the plot points in the film are based on my personal experiences, and no one understands my emotional journey better than I do."

Martin understood what she meant and wrote and directed the film himself.

Greta added, "Actually, I started writing this script in 11 and finished it at the beginning of this year. I also cast a few child actors to shoot a short film."

She opened her briefcase and took out a portable hard drive: "The video is here."

Martin got up and went into the room: "Let's go in and take a look."

Saoirse took the hard drive and they went to the study together. They connected it to the computer and projected it onto the alloy screen in the study.

A short film, less than ten minutes long, begins to play.

Martin watched it carefully. The short film was of good quality. From the camera work to the editing and the plot progression, everything was clear and concise. The only thing that was lacking was the actors' performances.

It's normal for a child actor hired on short notice to have mediocre acting skills.

The short film finished playing quickly, and Saoirse glanced at Martin before turning off the video.

Words are far less persuasive than images. The short film was well-made and received Martin's approval.

He said to Greta, "There are a few things I need to say upfront."

Greta's heart began to race, and she heard a thumping sound in her ears. She quickly replied, "In what ways?"

Martin said, "Writing and directing yourself is not a problem, but there are a few prerequisites. First is the script and the length of the film. A script of more than 350 pages is absolutely not acceptable. I require you to condense the script to less than 100 pages, and keep the film length to about one and a half hours."

Greta immediately agreed: "I'm refining the script."

Martin pointed to Saoirse: "She'll be playing Lady Bird, and the project won't cost more than $1000 million."

Greta nodded repeatedly: "I've already discussed it with Saoirse; she'll play the lead role, and a $1000 million investment is enough."

At Martin's level, the script was basically settled. He then said to Saoirse, "Leave Jessica's contact information to Greta, Ms. Greta. Have your agent contact my studio today to discuss the copyright transfer."

Greta received a definite answer, and the weight lifted from her heart. She breathed a sigh of relief, took the note Saoirse handed her, and said, "I'll call my agent right away and have him go to Burbank immediately."

Martin nodded slightly: "Okay."

A few minutes later, Greta and Saoirse came downstairs together.

The two entered the lobby, and Saoirse said, "Can we rest easy now?"

Greta took her hand: "I really don't know how to thank you. It's so difficult in Hollywood to get a woman with almost no experience to direct. If you hadn't recommended Martin, I wouldn't have been able to direct this project in addition to being the screenwriter."

Saoirse recalled Martin's words that an actor on the rise needs a good director, and said, "Of course, helping you is helping myself."

Greta said, "I hope this one will be a success so we can work together long-term. I want to make films where women are the absolute protagonists..."

Saoirse smiled. "Shall we take a trip to Sacramento sometime? See where you grew up, and walk the path you took?"

Greta Thunberg demonstrated high emotional intelligence: "Once I've finalized the contract with Davis's studio, we'll set off immediately."

Saoirse knew what was important: "You should focus on the signing first; there's no rush to go to Sacramento."

Martin and Greta reached an agreement on the general direction, and Jessica's negotiations with Greta's agent proceeded quickly. Within a few days, the two parties signed a copyright agreement.

Davis Studios acquired the script rights to "Lady Bird," invited screenwriter Greta Gerwig to direct the project, and cast Saoirse Ronan as the lead actress, Christine. The project had a production budget of $1000 million, and the production team and studio were officially established in mid-March to begin pre-production.

Martin knew very well that to make a profit from this kind of light and artistic film, the first thing to do was to control the scale of investment.

To put it bluntly, art films have a smaller audience, and not many people have the patience to watch them to the end.

Vulgar commercial films are the mainstream in the market.

In terms of promotion and marketing for "Lady Bird," it will definitely follow the awards season strategy.

It's already March 2014, and Saoirse Ronan is still filming "Beauty and the Beast." Martin plans to wait until next year's awards season to push for the film's release.

In this way, the film can begin preparing for awards starting from next year's Cannes Film Festival.

…………

Inside the newly established The Shallows studio at Disney Studios.

Martin hung up the phone with Aniston.

Aniston has just landed Barry Jenkins’ Black gay project.

She was almost finalized the deal when a film company called A24 suddenly appeared and tried to steal it away.

But after experiencing Pitt's betrayal and the three of them teaming up to take down Pitt, Aniston is no longer the relatively peaceful woman she once was.

As a key opinion leader for MeToo, she didn't expend much effort to make A24 Company back down.

Martin could imagine that Aniston, as one of Hollywood's most prominent left-wing figures, and whose company produced a film like "Moonlight," would have an extraordinary impact on the Oscars.

This project requires low investment and is quick to prepare; Plan B is expected to be released during this year's awards season.

Bruce then entered from outside the office.

Martin glanced at him and said, "You need to be more careful. Look at you, your steps are unsteady, and you have bags under your eyes. You've been through a lot these past few days, haven't you?"

Bruce couldn't deny it and nodded: "They're all at the age where they're in high demand, and it's too difficult for one person to take on three."

Martin grasped the key point: "One against three? Old Brooks, are you crazy?!"

Bruce quickly explained, "It's not what you think. When I said one against three, I meant with Kim and Khloe at night, and I also had to deal with Jody during the day..."

Martin scoffed, "Do you think I'd believe that? I never imagined you'd betray your own preferences and like Kendall's physique."

This topic was difficult to explain, so Bruce simply forced a change of topic: "News has come from Kiev that they want to push for the Saintess Girls' North American concert."

Martin asked, "Are they doing well in the CIS and Eastern Europe?"

"Their first album sold like hotcakes," Bruce said simply. "They became a sensation in the Commonwealth region, with every show sold out. This generation of the Holy Maidens is already the hottest one yet."

He has maintained contact with the Kyiv side: "Beyond business, the companies there are also preparing to elevate the image of the Holy Maidens, and they believe that performing in New York or Los Angeles is a very effective way to do so."

Martin was well aware that even in this day and age, many countries still regard the United States as a beacon of hope.

He thought for a moment and said, "Notify Thomas and Jessica to contact the company over there and discuss the cooperation."

(End of this chapter)