American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 38 Everyone has connections, right?
Since Isabella realized that she could only play the role of a mascot in the preparation of "The Voice", she took the initiative to step down as the coach and quietly watched Columbus work from the sidelines.

She's very shrewd.

When she encounters a field she doesn't understand, she won't meddle in it until she has learned it, lest she make things worse.

Under her watchful eye, Columbus also demonstrated what top-tier connections in Hollywood truly mean.

He first called Michael Barnason, the executive producer of "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets," and then the long-time producer appeared in front of the two of them within fifteen minutes.

Barnason is actually Columbus's go-to producer. The two have been working together for eight years. He was responsible for preparing Columbus's projects such as "Nine Months Pregnant," "Daddy," "Stepmother," and "Bicentennial Man." Therefore, it was inevitable that he would be in charge of the details when Columbus would be in complete control of "The Voice."

Barnason accepted the job without hesitation. Then, after learning that the 'boss' needed a sightseeing director and costume designer who were familiar with British history and art, the other party immediately gave two names.

One is Michael Ford, and the other is Raymond Hughes.

The former refers to British set designers and art directors.

He was responsible for the scene scouting and set design for a host of blockbusters, including The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones, Return of the Jedi, The Living Daylights, GoldenEye, and Titanic, and won two Academy Awards.

With him scouting and designing the location, the historical changes Columbus desired could certainly be achieved.

Although he was born in 1928 and doesn't work much anymore (he's 74 years old), the fact that others can't hire him doesn't mean Amblin can't; they're just too familiar with each other.

The latter is a well-known British fashion designer and art director.

He designed the costumes for Michael Caine's "Jack the Ripper," Michael Holden's "King Lear," and "Sherlock Holmes." When "The Voice" was a British road movie that needed to reflect the conflict between the countryside and the city, having him design the costumes better captured the local flavor of the British Isles.

Then, this Columbus himself knew that "Young Sherlock Holmes" was his project.

Once the target appeared, Columbus immediately called them.

After a brief chat, less than half an hour later, the two decided to join "The Voice of China".

I can meet them in Leavesden tomorrow or the day after.

Once the production direction is determined, they can start work within a week.

Such speed made Isabella, who was still enjoying her solitary beauty, purse her lips.

One second, Columbus was describing the preparations as hellish; the next second, everything was settled? This is truly...

'Trying to show off to me?'

The little girl thought this guy was really bad.

However, before she could even mutter her complaints, Columbus and his producer, Barnason, suddenly looked at her.

"Isa."

"Ok?"

"There's something in the team that needs your help."

"what's up?"

Isabella initially thought Columbus was just trying to amuse her because she was bored, but to her surprise, Columbus actually had something for her to do. "Could you make a call to Susie? Susie Figgis. I'd like to invite her to be the casting director."

"Because I'm not familiar with Britain..."

Previously, Isabella stated that The Voice project would only use British people.

Since Rowling was present when she said this, Columbus decided to respect her choice.

But his roots are not in Britain, so it was inevitable that he would ask familiar people to do familiar things.

And who knows Britain better than Susie Figgis?

The Harry Potter production team was truly top-notch.

So……

"Okay, I understand."

Isabella was prepared to go all out with her cuteness; she really didn't expect to be useful. However, since Columbus's request was reasonable, and she also wanted to do a good job with "The Voice," she agreed.

After she called Susie...

"Isa, you mean you have a project?"

"Yes, Aunt Susie."

Are you sure this is your project?

"Of course, Aunt Susie, Aunt Annie knows about this too."

Since Isabella said so, Susie believed her.

Since she wasn't currently working—her latest project, "Touching the Void," was already finished—she rushed over the next day, and then…

Her eyelids kept twitching.

“Honey, you mean you need a boy and a girl about your age to play the villains, and they have to be British?” Susie looked at Isabella with a tense expression.

"Yes, what's the problem?"

Isabella was somewhat puzzled.

"There's a problem, a very big problem."

Susie shrugged and said, "Honey, you auditioned for Harry Potter, right? You know we searched all over Britain to find the right person, didn't we?"

"So, when Hermione's contemporaries can't compete with you, come on, tell me, are there any other girls in the UK who could appear on your 'The Voice'? Those who want to act have all auditioned for Hermione, those who don't want to act..."

Why are they coming to act in your "The Voice" now?

"..."

Isabella blinked.

The next second, she glared at Columbus with a dark expression.

Columbus, however, pursed his lips and kept a straight face.

Try not to laugh!
Yes, Columbus discovered this bug a long time ago.

When the casting process for Harry Potter was like an automated plow in agriculture, ploughing up the whole of Britain, Columbus couldn't figure out how to find a girl in Britain who hadn't participated in the Harry Potter casting, loved acting, was talented, and was around the same age as Isabella... This problem was simply unsolvable!
So when he realized his own limitations, he decisively passed the buck to Isabella.

This isn't about shifting blame; it's just that he doesn't want to state the problem directly, because that might sound like he's contradicting the young girl.

He didn't want to do it; he knew everyone had their own stance.

Take himself as an example. Once Spielberg saved him, he could only stand with Spielberg for the rest of his life. This has nothing to do with IQ or EQ. Many times, it's just that people in the world have no choice but to follow the crowd, and their opinions are determined by their own interests.

"So, Aunt Susie, what do you think is the best way to solve this problem?"

Isabella glared at Columbus with annoyance, then looked at Susie.

She wasn't angry.

Tell the truth.

It's true that Columbus and Rowling have a conflict, and it's already difficult for them to get along peacefully. Therefore, when he discovers that Isabella's position conflicts with the interests of the film, this issue can only be addressed by Isabella's own people.

Not to mention, the idea of ​​choosing a little girl as the villain came from Columbus himself.

Susie was puzzled by their cryptic exchange and exchanged a glance with Columbus…

Okay, everyone has their own difficulties.

But my desire to make a good film is genuine.

"Your problem is difficult to solve, but it can be resolved."

Susie thought for a moment and said, "The reason it's hard to solve is because if you really want to find actors in the British Isles, then filming definitely can't start in August. But if you broaden the casting scope, for example, the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand, then we will have many more options."

Although the Commonwealth is now an empty shell with no real influence, it is still a visible continuation of the British Empire. Therefore, casting actors within it cannot be considered a shift in stance.

Moreover, to be honest, Isabella's statement that The Voice must be made entirely by British people was really just a casual remark.

As a time traveler, she didn't have a strong sense of belonging to Britain. Her principle in interacting with people was very simple: as long as the other person wasn't seriously ill or a heinous criminal, she would be good to whoever was good to her.

So……

Commonwealth?
"Okay, I'm fine."

Isabella nodded.

"Then it's settled. I'll make preparations and fly to Australia within three days."

"Oh, by the way, boys should still be able to choose within the UK, since Harry, Ron, and you are not candidates."

Susie came and went in a hurry, and as she disappeared, Isabella also gave Columbus a cold shoulder.

She could understand Columbus's actions, but she did not approve of them.

brothers!

We're in the same boat now!
So you don't just say what you mean?

Then you're just wasting your time!

The little girl's angry turn made Columbus look at Barnason.

"Let's go to London and buy some snacks."

"Ok."

"Note that Isa doesn't like sweets."

"I see."

Since Isabella wasn't really angry, she reluctantly managed to smile again after the snacks appeared, but... she couldn't smile for more than a couple of seconds...

Watching Rupert munching on an ice cream cone in his left hand and a cocoa in his right, she felt a pang of toothache.

"Radish, do you really like eating ice cream that much?"

"Uh-huh."

Rupert nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice. Not only that, but while slurping his ice cream, he mumbled, "Isa, you know, I have a dream, and that is to have an ice cream truck!"

"I don't have time now, but once I'm done filming HP, I'm definitely going to set up a street stall!"

'6! '

Isabella greatly admired this dream.

Daniel's eyes lit up, and Ben's hand on the sundae stopped moving.

"Call me when the time comes, I want to go too."

"Yeah!"

"..."

With the casting director, location director, and costume director confirmed, the preparation for "The Voice" was on track. After the project team was officially established and executive producer Barnason registered a company for accounting purposes in accordance with industry practice, Disney and Endeavour exercised their rights and presented their recommended candidates.

At first, Isabella thought Disney would recommend an American.

Because she hadn't told Robert Iger that she only wanted British people.

So, upon learning that her resume had been sent, her first reaction was... Oh no, how am I supposed to communicate with Disney if they recommend an American? But then she saw the name Keira Knightley...

Ok?
Isn't this Elizabeth Swann from "Pirates of the Caribbean"?

Perhaps Isabella's pause made Barnason think she was interested in Knightley? So Barnason then explained her background: "Kyra is British, and both her parents were in the entertainment industry."

"Because her parents were very busy with work, she grew up on film sets and learned to act."

"Furthermore, she entered the industry at the age of nine. Before that, she played Natalie's handmaid in 'SW: The Phantom Menace,' which was the scene with the real and fake queens. Because George (Lucas) thought she acted well, he mentioned her in the industry."

"Then, Bruce Highmore, the producer of Top Gun and The Rock, was working on a new project, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, a movie adapted from an amusement park attraction. The movie is set in the Age of Exploration, and Bruce Highmore chose the female lead because she was from England and was the only daughter of a governor."

"And since 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was a project personally managed by Bob (Iger), Bob wanted it to win. So, since the female lead wasn't very famous, he wanted to put Keira in our movie to boost her exposure."

"There was nothing we could do; the male lead in that movie had a bad reputation—it was Johnny Depp."

"The timing is also coincidental. Our movie started filming in August, while 'Caribbean' will not officially start filming until September or October."

Yes.

Keira Knightley is also from an industry family.

Her mother was an actress before becoming a playwright. She is the namer of the Ian Charison Award in the British theater world, a friend of Ian Charison, the actor who played the lead role in Chariots of Fire, and has written books for him.

Her father even owned a theater in the West End.

Moreover, she was actually a member of the Disney Princess program, but she was eliminated.

Disney previously made a movie specifically for her called "The Thief Princess".

This film is similar in nature to "The Princess Diaries," except that "The Princess Diaries" was a success while "Princess Thieves" failed, so Anne Hathaway continued to get "princess films," while Keira Knightley could only embrace "genre films."

But no one expected that Anne Hathaway would win and then lose, while Keira Knightley would lose and then win. "Enchantress" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" reversed their status.

This left Disney utterly speechless.

Since these things don't have much to do with Isabella, so...

Keira Knightley to play her sister?

Let her act then!

Isabella had no objection.

How much is she paid?

"5."

"5? Pounds?"

"Well, she doesn't have any blockbuster films, so this is the price for her in the genre."

"Okay, I'm fine."

This is incredibly cheap.

After Isabella picked up Endeavour's file, the names Jude Law and Sadie Frost made her eyes narrow. The roles Endeavour wanted were her father and mother in the film.

The demand itself isn't the problem, but the person they pushed...

Very problematic.

Because they are all 'our own people'.

First, Jude Law is British. Second, his official Hollywood debut was Clint Eastwood's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Then, he starred alongside Spielberg's goddaughter Pepper Potts in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Following that, he also starred in Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence." After all this, who is Columbus to him?

Those who know, know. And Sadie Frost is Jude Law's wife, and she's also British.

But this is just the most basic information. Sadie Frost's father was David Vaughn, a well-known British psychedelic artist who designed the stage for the Beatles' tours. But that's not the main point. The real point is that the only sister of the old lady in the picture was a huge fan of David Vaughn.

She was so passionate that she provided all the funding for David Vaughn's artistic endeavors.

How did Jude Law manage to connect with Spielberg and his team?

Very simple.

That's because his wife is awesome!

His wife has an A+ level of connections in the film industry. She knows Martin Landau and Gabriel Byrne. To others, Francis Ford Coppola is a godfather, but to her, he's someone you can just reach with a phone call.

So……

"I'm curious, do these two really need my project?"

Isabella was delighted after reading the resume.

She felt that Fenjin might be suffering from a serious illness.

They recommended two people who are not short of resources.

“Oh, my dear, you’ve got it wrong. It’s precisely because they have no shortage of resources that we push them forward.”

Barnason, who was looking at the documents with Isabella, said, "Patrick has a lot of brokerage contracts. If we give our project to those who need it, they might argue until next year without reaching a conclusion."

"Getting in touch with us and doing things that other companies and agents can't do—that's Patrick's real need. He takes on projects just to flex his muscles, not to get his artists fighting amongst themselves, so..."

"uh-huh?"

Barnason has been in Leavesdon for two years now.

He knew Isabella was clever, so he stopped there.

Isabella understood what he meant, and then, with a touch of emotion, she sighed.

At that moment, only one sentence was on her mind:

Balance exists in all things.

She just wanted to make a movie quietly, but what happened? She's already watched countless palace dramas.

These people really have an incredible amount of energy.

So how much did they cost?

"In projects like ours, Jude gets 30 and Sadie gets 20, in pounds."

"so cheap?"

"Honey, not everyone can aim for 10 billion in box office revenue right from their debut."

"hahahaha~~~"

Isabella chuckled, and just as she shook her head, preparing to return the impressive documents to Barnason, she suddenly realized that she still had an unread resume in her hand, which read... Christian Bell.

"This is……"

Isabella shook out the resume of the future Batman.

"Oh, I hope Christian gets the chance to compete for his uncle's position."

Barnason said, "And they're very confident, because Christian isn't an ordinary person either..."

Batman is certainly not an ordinary person.

Christian had worked with Spielberg when he was young.

But this is only the most superficial aspect; the deeper content is related to his father.

His father, David Bell, was a social activist, animal rights activist, and a board member of the Humane Society of America, as well as a board member of the Ark Trust, a highly influential animal rights organization.

This string of titles sounds impressive, right?
But what's even more impressive is his father's skill in finding a partner.

In 00, Christian Bale's father found him a stepmother named Gloria Steinem.

This is a recognized leader of the second wave of feminism in the United States, the founder of the first feminist magazine in the United States, "Lady". She was active in politics in the 1950s, and she criticized all the members of the Republican Party. She was a major vote bank for the Democratic Party.

Yes, she alone could be called a vote bank.

Christian Bale's house really does hold magic!
This kind of person gets roles incredibly easily!

After all, not everyone is a father.

How much money does he have?

"It's also 30 pounds."

"Great, now all we need is a grandfather?"

Isabella, being very knowledgeable, closed all the resumes.

This person doesn't need to go through the casting process. If you hesitate for even a second, it's a disrespect to authority.

"That's how it is based on the current situation."

Barnason nodded.

"Okay, then you guys do whatever you want, I don't care."

Isabella slipped away with a thud.

When casting becomes a competition of relationships, she has no desire to get involved.

Social problems are too complex. Even if you let the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts sort them out, they'd still turn into babble babble. So...

She's just a minor girl, she can just stay on the sidelines and be beautiful on her own, right?
Just when Isabella thought that as long as she acted cute, all the problems would be forgotten, Maggie Smith, who had just finished reshooting her scenes and was about to leave the set, suddenly called out to her.

"Isa."

"Eh, Teacher Maggie?"

"Do you have time? Want to grab a coffee with me?"

"Okay."

Following the other woman to the coffee shop, Isabella leaned back in her chair without any regard for her image, genuinely assuming the old lady was there for coffee. However, as the door to the private room closed, the old lady explained her purpose.

"Is your new project still missing a grandfather figure?"

"Uh...yes...Ms. Maggie, do you have a recommendation?"

“If you need, I can recommend someone,” Maggie Smith said bluntly. “I can recommend someone who can mentor you in the production, because I’ve heard… there are a lot of Americans on that project?”

Christian Bell is British, but he has lived in the United States since the 1990s.

He has a US green card.

Jude Law and Sadie Frost are similar; they've rarely returned since they moved to the United States.

Both of them also have US green cards.

Needless to say, Keira Knightley is another story. How could a girl chosen by Disney possibly stay in the UK for long?

She also has a U.S. green card.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, although these people still retain British citizenship, in reality...

cough.

I understand everything I understand.

When this situation arises, they are no longer on the same page as the guys who are deeply rooted in the UK. So, how should I put it? Although The Voice is Isabella's project, and Warner Bros., the investor, as well as the producer and director Columbus, have all firmly stood by Isabella's side, Isabella has, after all, been acting on instinct for the past two years.

Therefore, if she were to be overshadowed by those efficiency-conscious Americans, then...

If the young girl were to call Maggie Smith for help late at night, wouldn't the old lady be overwhelmed?
Yes, the old lady wasn't worried at all!

She didn't think that with so many outsiders in the group, Isabella might be sidelined!

She's a heartless, wicked dean, an old head teacher with a long face all the time!
Although the old lady's words were harsh, Isabella listened with amusement.

She knew, of course, that she was probably the least skilled person in the new production crew, therefore...

hiss!
Isn't it a bit too insulting to bring an acting coach directly into the production?

Is she really that bad?
She doesn't want to...

"I would be happy if I could."

Yes! We need an acting coach!

If you have insurance and don't take it, isn't that crazy?
“Okay, then I’ll have Anthony contact Barnason directly.”

The old lady made the final decision.

She liked Isabella's honesty.

If you can do it, you can do it; if you can't, you can't. Taking extra lessons isn't shameful; what's truly shameful is not taking them when you don't understand.

Isabella smiled and thanked her, then asked, "Ms. Maggie, who is Anthony?"

“Anthony Hopkins”.

"what???"

Isabella's smile froze.

She doubted that she had heard correctly.

Maggie Smith, on the other hand, said calmly, "Anthony was Sir Laurence Oliver's understudy. We all taught him acting in the plays. At the Royal Theatre, he called me Dean, but in private... he called me Sister."

"..."

Isabella was speechless.

She had read *The Silence of the Lambs*, so...

Is she really the worst one in the crew?

No!
She was a little sad.

Okay, she was faking it.

"What about his salary?"

“He usually gets 100 million for projects like yours.”

"Okay, no problem."

100+30+30+20+5=185
If we include Isabella's 100 million for acting, then the total salary for the lead actors in "The Voice" would be 285 million.

It did not exceed Hollywood's 30-point dividing line.

Yes, Hollywood has restrictions on actors' salaries; the total salary of the lead actor cannot exceed 30% of the total investment in the project.

This is not a mandatory regulation, but rather an industry consensus.

When the lead actor's salary exceeds 30% of the total salary in a project, the project is unlikely to succeed.

So, at present, the production budget for "The Voice of China" is still sufficient.

Uh……

The production budget for "The Voice" was 1000 million. Chris Columbus's director fee cannot be included; that was added separately by Warner Bros. If the money accounted for as production, the project would not be able to proceed.

Anthony Hopkins' arrival was a real surprise to Isabella. His control over the performance was beyond question. With him there... well, when Columbus learned that Maggie Smith had put Hannibal in the crew, he laughed and told Isabella that in all his decades in the industry, he had never seen anyone treat an Oscar-winning actor like a babysitter.

Isabella really wanted to punch someone after hearing that.

What does Columbus mean by this?

Are you mocking her?
Ok?
But who can blame her for being so well-mannered?

So I won't stoop to the level of someone like Columbus who's never seen the world.

hum~
╭ (╯ ^ ╰) ╮

With all the lead actors confirmed, Isabella suddenly realized that assembling a production team wasn't so difficult after all!

Isn't that easy?
I'm so strong!
Just as the little guy was peacefully enjoying his final scenes in "The Chamber of Secrets," preparing to happily wrap up HP, and waiting for Susie's response so he could happily embrace his first new movie, "The Voice"...

Australia.

Queensland.

Gold Coast.

At a circus school in the suburbs, a little girl with a bob haircut is practicing static flying acrobatics in front of the equipment.

As she completed all the performance moves in sequence and landed steadily on the mat, her friends, who were waiting nearby, immediately handed her a towel and water. "Oh my god! You're amazing! Your moves were so beautiful!"

"Thank you."

The little girl took the towel and wiped her cheeks.

I opened the lid and drank some water, trying to calm myself down while recalling what I had just done.

"I think I didn't do the monkey roll well just now, I need to practice more."

"Huh? Are you practicing again today?"

The friend was a little surprised.

"Right? What's wrong?"

The girl with the bob haircut looked at her companion with a puzzled expression, while the other girl said, "Margot, haven't you forgotten something? You promised me you'd go to the movie world with me today, so we won't have to practice for much longer!"

The blunt words left the bob-haired girl stunned.

She really forgot about it!

But the next second, she decisively revealed unexpected joy, "Oh~~ I was testing whether you remembered it! Okay, since you remembered it, let's stop practicing here for today..."

"Wait for me a minute, I'm going to take a shower and change my clothes, then we'll go to Warner Bros. Movie World together!"

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(End of this chapter)