Chapter 144: Chapter 144 Main Character Selection
“Are you sure this is appropriate, Richard?” After a careful review of the script in his hands and a thoughtful consideration, Adrian looked towards the middle-aged man sitting in front of him.
The other party had very light-colored short hair and oval glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes might be small, but they were lively. This man was Richard Curtis, the famous British comedy writer responsible for the script of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” In the end, Mike Newell had found this renowned screenwriter from the United Kingdom to complete the task.
“Yes, this way it can showcase the more open side of Americans. It’s a contrast to the previous conservatism, which naturally makes it more interesting,” Richard explained.
Adrian’s concerns hadn’t arisen; Curtis was completely following the outline he had set, doing a good job with the details and humor. At least from the script, the overall fun of the story was no less than the original.
“Alright, that works too. However, Mike will have to tone it down a bit during filming, otherwise, I might have trouble convincing the actress I have in mind for the lead role,” Adrian said after thinking it over.
“Who are you planning to cast as the lead actress?” Newell couldn’t help but express his curiosity.
...
Adrian smiled, shifted his position, then continued, “Here’s what I’m thinking for the lead roles: for the male lead, I plan to have Dennis Knight take on the role. Yes, the very same guy who played significant roles in ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Pulp Fiction.'”
At this, he held out his hand to stop Newell, who seemed eager to speak, “Hold on, Mike, will you let me finish? Firstly, he is British, which I’m confident the gossip journalists are well aware of; in fact, he played the lead in ‘Memento,’ so he knows how the lead should act. Lastly, as the person who nurtured his talent, I am well aware of his great potential in acting. I fully believe he can handle this role.”
After a pause, Adrian looked at Newell again before adding, “If you still have doubts, Mike, we could arrange for a screen test.”
Newell and Curtis exchanged a glance before Newell nodded in agreement: “Alright, I’ll arrange it.”
He clearly understood that arranging a screen test was the biggest concession Adrian could make; after all, Adrian was providing the funding and the creative concept for the script. He had the final say in casting decisions.
Hopefully, Dennis was as malleable as Adrian claimed. Newell thought this to himself, then turned to Adrian and asked, “And the actress for the female lead?”
“I plan to invite Julia Roberts for the role,” said Adrian with a slight smile. “If you pay more attention, you should notice that in setting the role, I drew a lot of inspiration from the characters she has portrayed in the past.”
Curtis immediately rolled his eyes to the side. With those settings of Adrian’s, who would notice without being told.
“Are you really planning to invite her for the lead role?” Newell showed a surprised look.
“Pretty Woman” not only won Julia enormous popularity in the United States but also international admiration, so Newell was very interested in the possibility of working with Julia.
“Yes, I plan to go back to Los Angeles after Halloween to invite her personally,” Adrian nodded. “I am confident I can persuade her to take the role.”
“Why not now? There’s at least a week until Halloween,” Newell blurted out without thinking, then showed an embarrassed look as the question was admittedly rather abrupt.
“You know, trailers,” Adrian didn’t mind and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
Just a few days ago, the trailer for “Scent of a Woman” aired on major North American television stations. Since the airing time for the trailer had been disclosed earlier through print media, it caused a slight spike in the TV stations’ ratings that day.
This trailer was actually the second version; the first had been made months earlier but had become somewhat inappropriate with developments, so Adrian took the time to re-edit it before returning to London for post-production. In this second version, he had tidily organized the main storyline, making it more concise and giving a clearer impression of the blind colonel, especially with the last two shots where the colonel shouts, “If this happened five years ago, I’d show up here with a flamethrower,” and “Did I hear something like ‘leader’s cradle’? Hmm, a broken branch means the cradle falls. It has already collapsed here, it’s already done,” which were incredibly impactful.
Still, the trailer’s effect was somewhat disappointing. Although it attracted many viewers, the reviews were mixed. If the initial American media support was mostly in favor when the tango scene aired, the support dropped to only about 50% after the trailer.
“The trailer somewhat reveals that Adrian has not departed from his previous cinematic style,” one opinion went.
“The trailer looks good, but a good trailer doesn’t guarantee a good movie,” another voice chimed in.
“I’m really worried that Al might have taken on a role that’s thankless and strenuous,” was another comment being made.
It would be impossible not to feel frustrated, Adrian realized after much thought. It was probably because he wanted to highlight Pacino’s character’s personality, so the shots he edited were more flamboyant, which meant more profanity, and therefore…
It was somewhat laughable, but Adrian didn’t take it to heart—the movie hadn’t even been released yet. However, the British entertainment journalists who had only recently dispersed were once again gathered around the studio and his hotel. As such, Adrian, who disliked trouble, continued to stay inside the studio, only coming out through other exits like today when he needed to discuss work with Neville.
“I understand,” nodded Neville, who knew what he was talking about.
“Let’s leave it at that for now. The final draft of the script won’t be ready for a few more days; you can’t expect me to persuade her with an incomplete script, right?” Adrian joked. “You can use this time to start preparing, and I’ll have someone from the company come over to assist you.”
After finalizing the arrangement, Adrian took his leave. The preliminary preparations for “Four Weddings and a Funeral” would likely go smoothly as long as Julia agreed to take the part. At this thought, Adrian couldn’t help but look forward to meeting Julia again; it seemed he had been waiting a bit too long.
But before that, there were other matters to attend to. The post-production of “Howards End” had just a little left, and it would be perfect if it could be finished before Halloween. And then there was Halloween itself.
The reason he chose to return to Los Angeles after Halloween to invite Julia was not only because of the post-production and not wanting to be surrounded by journalists at this time but more importantly—for spending Halloween with Emma!
“Candy, oh!” The little one in his arms waved her colorful candies, giggling with excitement.
She wore a white lace dress with white fuzzy socks over red little leather shoes. On her back was a beautifully crafted pair of paper wings, and on her head wobbled hair clips with stars, cute as a little angel. Emma didn’t know what Halloween was, but that didn’t stop her from boldly knocking on doors, led by Adrian, and then proudly holding out her hand: “Candy!”
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Even though she said it so directly, omitting the latter half of the sentence “or a trick,” her well-behaved appearance and childlike speech made all the families whose doors were knocked on happily hand out candies.
“Be careful, it’s falling,” Adrian quickly caught a candy that dropped from Emma’s hand, but a few still fell to the ground and bounced out of sight.
Emma looked down under the street light for the vanished candies, then her round eyes turned, as if she found some new fun, and she happily shook a piece of candy in front of Adrian, then suddenly let go.
Unaware of what was happening, Adrian instinctively caught it, but before he could speak, two or three more candies tumbled down.
“Emma!” Although Adrian still managed to catch them all, he immediately glared at the little one in his arms.
It was probably because he was wearing a mask that she showed no sign of fear and continued to giggle and wave the handful of candies in her hand.
“Okay, put them in here,” Adrian said grumpily, picking up the bag slung over his shoulder.
Emma stuck out her tongue and tossed the candies in her hand into it, and after being quiet for a few minutes, she began giggling and reaching for his mask again. Adrian sighed, letting her play with it, and continued to walk down the bustling streets. Rodlin and Adam were really trusting, not worrying at all and letting him take the little one out like this.
The way the British celebrated Halloween was different from Americans. Although the main streets were filled with various decorations that created a festive atmosphere, and most of the passersby were in bizarre costumes, the streets were not very lively.
But once you entered the residential areas, it was a different scene altogether. Parties of all sorts of odd costumes could be found at home, in nightclubs, or in nearby parks, reveling no less than Americans.
Was it because they had to confine their venting to a specific area, or was it that their reserve or hidden exuberance had seeped into their bones? Adrian mused as he walked down a few more streets. Although he dressed simply and wore a rather odd Zorro mask, because of Emma’s exceptional cuteness in his arms, he still drew the attention of a number of women.
Adrian had no interest in dealing with them; his main job tonight was to keep the little one happy.
“Can we go back now?” Adrian asked Emma, who was licking her fingers on a bench at the street corner, having just eaten a small cake.
Upon hearing this, the little one immediately looked up, blinking at him without saying a word.
“Don’t worry, we’ll sleep together tonight,” Adrian sighed, knowing what she meant. After all, this Halloween was centered around her. (To be continued. For those who wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)