I am Hollywood

[Chapter 858: Old Friends]

As time passed, darkness fell, and the giant Titanic model located at the northeast corner of Firefly Studios illuminated all its lights. Against the backdrop of twilight, it truly resembled a massive ship adrift at sea.

After the Vanity Fair party in March, the celebration for Titanic surpassing $1.8 billion at the global box office became the most talked-about event in Los Angeles, gathering over 700 Hollywood stars, singers, and socialites. Many people went to great lengths to secure an invitation for this star-studded affair. Eric even saw the girl receiving calls from connections trying to get an invite only last night.

At seven o'clock, the party officially kicked off.

Since everyone was keen to enjoy the evening without unnecessary delays, there were no lengthy speeches. Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron shared a few brief words and formally announced to the invited press the upcoming Titanic-themed exhibition, and the festivities began.

While most areas of the Titanic model were still closed to guests, the grand scale of the model, combined with the 700 attendees and numerous servers scattered across the banquet hall, dining area, bow, and top deck, made it feel far from crowded.

Eric and Drew exchanged pleasantries with a few important guests before heading to the dining area, feeling quite hungry after a busy afternoon preparing for the party.

...

After grabbing two plates of food from the buffet, Eric and the girl found an empty table just as Elisabeth and Julia walked in.

The two women paid no mind to the curious glances from others in the dining area. They collected their food and headed straight over.

"Good evening, Eric," Elisabeth said, swiftly taking a seat on Eric's left side, nodding at him before turning to the girl. "Hello to you too, little bitch."

Seeing the girl pick up her fork, clearly ready to throw a dart, Eric quickly interjected, "Alright, no teasing tonight. Liz, apologize to Drew and do not talk like that again."

Elisabeth pouted, clearly reluctant, and replied, "Sorry, little... Drew."

"Hmph," the girl sulked, shaking her utensils defiantly. "If it weren't so crowded here, I'd have Natasha beat you up."

Elisabeth was unfazed, tilting her chin up. "If you're so brave, do it yourself."

"I'm afraid I'll ruin your face. After all, you're not that pretty, and if something goes wrong, that would be too tragic."

Eric felt helpless watching these two women bicker. He issued a warning, "If you both continue, I'm taking Julia and leaving for another area."

Before Elisabeth and Drew could respond, Julia glanced at Eric with eager eyes, nodding repeatedly like a little chick pecking for seeds. "Uh-huh, uh-huh!"

Elisabeth was dissatisfied with Julia's reaction. "What are you 'uh-huh'ing about? You've got no standing!"

"Liz, if you keep being mean to me, I won't help Fox with their films anymore."

The girl jumped at the opportunity. "Yeah! Julia, come over to MGM, and I'll give you $20 million!"

Elisabeth teased, "Twenty million? If you're so capable, bring the contract now, and I'll sign for Julia."

Eric intervened just in time to break up the playful fight, steering the conversation toward a more serious topic. "Speaking of which, how much are you paying Julia for this film?"

With the two women half joking and half genuinely involved in a spat, over the past few years, Julia had mostly been working on films with Fox.

Following last year's Shakespeare in Love, Julia quickly collaborated with Fox on a romantic movie. Eric had a minor involvement in it, easily opting for Julia's well-received earlier work, My Best Friend's Wedding. However, after bringing Claudia Schiffer into the mix, Eric had moved on without much fuss. Recently, he noticed that My Best Friend's Wedding was set for mid-July, alongside Ice Age, featuring prominently on Fox's summer release slate.

"Julia got $15 million, and Claudia received $5 million," Elisabeth replied candidly. "The total budget was just $40 million. Together, they accounted for half of it. Actors' pay is skyrocketing. I feel it will be tough for mid-low budget films to cast A-list stars moving forward, especially after Titanic. Everyone will definitely be focusing on a few blockbuster hits per year. Top actors will surely lean toward those films, or only those films can afford A-list stars."

"Ha! I heard Germany already started discussing revising tax laws to prevent capital flow overseas."

Since Jim Carrey first snagged a $20 million paycheck from Sony Pictures, most A-list stars raised their price tags significantly. However, Eric knew this trend chiefly arose from a tidal wave of tax evasion funds flowing to Hollywood from around the world; particularly, over $3 billion annually from Germany, accounting for nearly a quarter of Hollywood's production budgets.

But the good days for Hollywood stars might only last a few more years.

Once the tech bubble broke, and crucial film capital-exporting countries tightened investments in the coming years, A-list stars' salaries would return to more reasonable figures. Even those marked at $20 million might find very few actually earning that amount.

While Eric was casually chatting with the three women, Cameron hurriedly approached from the entrance of the dining area, nodding at the three women before turning to Eric. "Eric, come with me. I want you to meet someone."

Eric stood up, curious. "Who is it?"

Cameron smiled mysteriously. "Peter Parker."

Eric immediately understood; Cameron had recently begun searching for a lead actor for Spider-Man. He had no particular feelings toward the previous Spider-Man portrayals and felt no need to get involved, letting Cameron handle it himself.

He just gestured to the three women before confidently following Cameron. In fact, without him around, Elisabeth and Drew would likely get along even better. Both women were smart and wouldn't intend to cause a scene that would provide others with fodder for their amusement.

...

Cameron remained mysterious throughout the journey. Eric was too lazy to pry into it further. They reached the top deck, and following Cameron's guidance, Eric quickly spotted a family of four standing together.

A couple, a boy around sixteen or seventeen, and a five or six-year-old girl.

Just one glance and Eric recognized them. He stepped forward, lightly patting the boy's shoulder, who still had hints of youthful awkwardness, and pulled him into a casual embrace, nostalgia filling the air as he said, "Hey, Stu, long time no see!"

The family presented before him was unmistakably the Ronkel, Eric's old neighbors from North Hollywood.

The boy he embraced was Stuart Ronkel, the former star of Home Alone.

After filming Home Alone 3, age caught up with Stuart, making it inappropriate to continue as a child star. Over the years, he faded from the spotlight, and Eric only vaguely heard they had moved to New York without meeting again.

In fact, Eric felt relieved that Stuart didn't end up replicating the path of Macaulay Culkin in the original timeline.

"Eric, it's great to see you again!" Stuart Ronkel clearly had some excitement. After the hug, he turned to pull forward the little girl. "Eric, this is my sister, Linda."

"Hello there, little one," Eric extended his hand.

The girl was evidently well-coached, obediently shaking Eric's hand with a childlike tone. "Hello, Mr. Williams! I really love your movies!"

Eric chuckled. "Did you see your brother in any of those movies?"

The girl nodded eagerly. "Yes! He was amazing then, and I want to be just like him!"

"Oh, your parents might have a headache then," Eric joked before greeting the Ronkels.

Though previous collaborations had their moments of tension, those were long past, and Eric certainly wouldn't hold grudges now.

The Ronkel parents were much more humble and sophisticated than their children, carefully dropping compliments and reminiscing about past events.

After chatting for a few minutes, Eric didn't rush to ask Cameron what was going on, as everything was already clear to him.

In the original plan, Eric had envisioned the new Spider-Man starting during Peter Parker's high school years. Although teenagers in most Hollywood films were usually played by actors over twenty years old, that was a necessary compromise to maintain a level of performance. After all, teen actors of the right age often lacked the required acting skills.

If there were suitable actors who matched the age and talent needed, studios would not shy away from casting them.

At that moment, in preparing for the forthcoming Spider-Man movie, the now sixteen-year-old Stuart Ronkel, having skyrocketed to fame from Home Alone, fit the role perfectly.

Eric had not expected Cameron to bring Stuart over without mentioning it to him first.

Cameron introduced Eric to this family and was promptly whisked away by other guests. After a brief chat, Eric took Stuart to a nearby railing.

...

Leaning casually against the railing, Eric looked at the boy, who appeared a bit stiff in front of him, and chuckled, "How have you been these years?"

"Pretty good, mainly focusing on school, and I occasionally get a movie or two," Stuart leaned back against the railing as well. "Actually, my parents feel let down; it's not as glamorous as it used to be. I think this is fine, though. When Cameron called, I hesitated about whether or not to return to that life."

Perhaps having faced the world too early, Stuart's tone carried a maturity beyond that of a typical teenager.

Eric nodded slightly. "Did you finally decide to give it a try?"

"Yeah, you know my parents," Stuart replied. "But, Eric, if I can get through the audition, I hope to sign the contract in a couple of months."

Eric furrowed his brow. "Why wait a few months?"

Stuart candidly said, "I'll be turning sixteen in July."

Eric quickly understood. According to federal law, teenagers over sixteen could handle their financial affairs independently. Stuart clearly didn't want any complications that could arise from his parents wielding their guardianship rights again.

"No problem, just a couple of months. I'll make sure to help you delay things a bit."

Stuart laughed. "Eric, I haven't even auditioned yet!"

"Ha, I'm quite confident in you," Eric chuckled. He added, "But truthfully, this role isn't as glamorous as outsiders might assume. Jim must have gone over some of the role's requirements with you?"

"Not really," Stuart replied.

"It's like this," since Cameron hadn't had the chance yet, Eric elaborated. "We're planning to develop a vast comic franchise, so once you're cast, you'll be looking at a contract for a minimum of six films."

Stuart seemed to have retained his sharp wit from years back. Even though Firefly hadn't publicly announced its Marvel Cinematic Universe plans, he could guess at the concept. "Like MGM's agent cinema universe?"

Eric nodded, "Exactly. So, if you commit, you might find yourself tied to this role for at least the next decade."

The apprehension flickered across Stuart's expression. Ambitious actors may not necessarily wish to be tethered to a single character for too long.

Eric wasn't about to force anything. To ensure the smooth implementation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, securing a package deal in advance was essential. This wouldn't change for anyone because Eric didn't want to engage in drawn-out negotiations for every film in the future.

After a brief pause, Stuart asked, "Eric, isn't six films a bit much? Hardly anyone in Hollywood makes a six-part series anymore."

"Our rough plan is three solo films and three crossover films, similar to MGM's agent films. So, even extending beyond that, six could end up being snug."

Eric briefly explained this; such details usually surfaced during contract negotiations, so it wasn't particularly confidential. After a moment, he added with a smile, "One more thing: our pay structure is pretty attractive. It features a variable mechanism tied to box office performance. On top of a guaranteed salary, the higher the box office, the more the lead actor could earn. Plus, to ensure fairness, if the contract can't be fulfilled due to Firefly's end, actors will receive some compensatory payment."

*****

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