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Helming Hollywood (Fanfic)

Levin, who had experienced ups and downs in the entertainment industry in his previous life came to Hollywood in 1996 from 2014. It's a slow-paced novel. Unofficial translation of the novel by heracross. Raw version can be found at https://www.uukanshu.com/b/24330/. You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Sayonara816 · Celebrities
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Everyone's Concerns

Some people once said that the biggest advantage of becoming a top Hollywood star is not having endless money, nor is it being known everywhere, but being able to rest at home every day, as long as you go out and walk around, let magazines shoot pictures of themselves, even if they have finished their work, they can do whatever they want at other times - for this, Brad Pitt sometimes thinks it is true.

Especially when he looked at the retro car he bought in the garage, he felt so: the biggest advantage of being a big star is that he can spend millions to buy things he loves, even if it is useless to buy.

He doesn't even know how much money he has spent on retro cars over the years, but as long as he likes it, who can object to him having fun with these things? And for him, what is more interesting than looking at his retro cars in his garage and feeling their beauty?

But today, his hobbies were disturbed.

"Brad, good news." When his agent found him, Brad Pitt knew that hearing his agent's shout, representing the fun of this peaceful afternoon, was gone forever.

"What's the matter? Let me guess... you wouldn't be so excited if it was an advertisement endorsement, and you would be even more proud if it was an award. Then, a film appointment?" Brad Pitt stood up, patted the dust on his hands, and looked at himself. "Whose movie made you so excited?"

Brad Pitt knew very well that his agent was not a person who liked to be excited. It would be difficult to see him lose his composure unless it was some big director's film contract. He was joking with his agent. He also followed the agent's lead and walked out of the garage.

"Tell me that you are not excited: Nicholas Levi's movie; I won this role for you!"

The manager obviously knew how to speak, and he knew how to highlight his status. An appointment with a great director. It's not that easy to get, and as an agent, it's not easy for him to win this opportunity for his actors, so he naturally wants to emphasize his role.

But Brad Pitt knew Levi; he knew him very well. Levi, when he chooses actors, has his own opinions. He chooses people and will not be manipulated by the people in the brokerage company. And he saw him once. It seems he doesn't like himself very much; why did he choose himself to act in a movie this time?

"Am I the protagonist?"

This question is what Brad Pitt cares most about.

"Of course, you don't think I'll let you play a supporting role, do you?" The agent patted the script on him, "Get up and have a look; this is the script." Brad Pitt sat up suddenly, taking the script and skimming it.

As an actor, he is very aware of the rare opportunity to act for Levi, and he has doubts about his heart. He can't hold it down. This director has made three consecutive films very well and is considered by the entire Hollywood as one of the best directors. Being able to star in his movie is an opportunity no one wants to miss.

It's just that this script is different from what he imagined. After the general content of the script took shape in his mind. His enthusiasm has also cooled somewhat.

"This movie is cool." Flipping through the script, Brad Pitt also quickly came to a preliminary conclusion. "This is a gangster movie, right? I didn't expect Director Levi to make this kind of movie."

"Of course, he can make a gangster movie. It's easy to make a gangster movie. After all, gangsters are the epitome of society. They are not only the embodiment of humanity but also the grandeur of the scene. This kind of movie can easily achieve a win-win situation of word-of-mouth and box office.

Coppola has made gangster movies, Scorsese has made gangster movies, this is the genre of masters, Levi wants to prove his talent, then, what's so strange about shooting this kind of movie?"

"But this movie seems to have two protagonists. Levi's movies have never had two protagonists." Looking at the script, Brad Pitt quickly pointed out the question in the script, "This is something he hasn't done before."

If it was the kind of movie that Levi shot before, Brad Pitt would definitely agree without hesitation: the type of movie that can highlight the protagonist; he is quite envious of those leading actors. But this time, with the two protagonists, many roles have been divided.

"There is a first time for everything — the script is in front of you now, and you have seen it. Even if there are two protagonists, any one of the protagonists has a lot of roles."

"Which character should I play?" Brad Pitt asked.

"The undercover in the police station."

Sure enough, it was the villain... Brad Pitt looked at the script and nodded slightly, which explained his doubts. Levi really didn't like him very much, "He is also a challenging character, but this is a villain... can't you get me a positive role?"

Hearing that he was playing a villain, Brad Pitt's interest decreased a lot.

"This is a two-hero movie, and there are many portrayals of the characters on both sides and some deliberate ambiguity of good and evil. It is not right to say that it is a villain." The agent did not agree with Brad Pitt's words, "In particular, this is a gangster-themed movie. The reason why the gangster theme is the easiest to shine is that this kind of theme can integrate good and evil together and can show complex and multi-faceted characters in people very well. If you are still obsessed with the issue of good and evil, it would be too superficial."

Seeing that Brad Pitt was still a little reluctant, the manager couldn't help but speak again.

"This movie will be of great help to you. I can tell you something, the actors in this movie, Enigma Company, said that Levi's favorite lineup is Liam Neeson, Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and you. Think about it, two popular young actors plus a De Niro - what do you think this kind of lineup is used for?"

This sentence surprised Brad Pitt: A director like Levi found so many top actors to act suddenly - how much hope did he have for this movie?

If he just wants to shoot an ordinary movie and wants to shoot a different work, then one star is enough. But he found four top actors in one go, so his requirements must be different.

For him, is he already dissatisfied with shooting some of the top movies of the year, but is he ready to challenge the real classic movies? Great work by top directors. What else can it be if the purpose is not to shoot a complete classic?

What Brad hoped for was greater success — as his agent, how could he not know this?

"Think about it, Brad, what you're shooting, maybe it's a classic movie! If you're smart enough, you should know how much the next movie will boost your career!"

***

At this moment in Hollywood, the news that Levi wants to shoot a new movie is also spreading rapidly. When Brad Pitt got the script, Edward Norton was sitting on the sofa at home, also flipping through the script.

"I didn't expect that you would bring me such a script when you came to me." Unlike Brad Pitt, when he saw the script of the movie, he first thought of the meaning of this movie and how much it would help him. When Norton saw the script, he was slightly dissatisfied.

"Why, you don't like it?"

"Not really. But this movie seems to be a commercial movie, right?"

As an actor, Norton is quite picky about the script. He likes to take on some challenging roles, and he is not interested in those commercial films that do not require acting skills. Seeing the script before him, he quickly decided that this was a commercial film, and unexpectedly the agent gave him such a script.

"This is Levi's script. How could it be a purely commercial film? Edward, you don't have to say whether the film is commercial or not; just tell me whether you like this character or not."

The agent knew that Norton was not a professional actor who studied acting, and his understanding of movies was not very deep. He was in no mood to explain the details of the film to Norton, only to remind him that it was Levi's script and that he just had to pay attention to his own selection criteria.

"To be honest, I still like this story very much. Moreover, this character seems to be very difficult to act. At least in a short period of time, I still can't figure out the state of mind of this character. It's hard to say that I can play it well... I have to think about it again; if I can grasp the character well and figure out how to play this person well, I will continue with this script, okay?" Norton still gave a reply after thinking about it.

For this script, what he thinks of is not what help the script will bring to him or what kind of achievements the movie will have. He only cares about one thing: in this movie, whether he can play the character well.

He likes acting, so he chose this industry. There was only one thing he was looking forward to, the fun of performing. The role was challenging to realize, so he became more picky about the film.

"I suggest you give an answer quickly. This movie's lineup is not something you can let them wait for." The agent reminded.

In this regard, Norton just smiled and didn't say a word. For him, this kind of worry is superfluous; he has a strict performance standard and only approves of those which meet or exceed it; this is the only thing he needs to worry about.

"Well then, I'll bring you the new script in two days." Seeing that he couldn't make up his mind, the agent spoke again.

"A new script? I think this script is already complete. Is there anything wrong?" Norton raised his head in surprise and asked back.

"Director Levi believes that the script of this movie is still too dramatic and staged. This is the original translation of the Hong Kong script. Although the script itself is not a big problem, Director Levi hopes to pay more attention to details and the environment.

He hopes to shoot a movie close to reality because philosophy is more attractive only in real stories. The editor of Enigma Company has already gone to conduct a field trip, and the rewriting of the script still needs to be done."

Norton likes movies with depth — as an agent, he knows this very well.

Norton was somewhat surprised by how serious Levi was about the script. He looked down at the script again, then raised his head and spoke, "I think I've changed my mind — I believe that director Levi is not just trying to make money with this degree of seriousness. Since he is willing to be serious, I have no reason to say no - please tell him I will definitely be in the movie."

*****

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