63 L.A Confidential

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17th December 1997 (Wednesday)

Ricky Stirling (POV)

'A young handsome male with impeccable elegance is walking confidently through a bustling cityscape. He is dressed in a stylish navy blue suit, exuding charm and sophistication.'

"In a world where glamor is everything, he defines the essence of style…"

The shot cuts to the celebrity at a red carpet premiere, the camera zooms in on his face, revealing… me. 

'I am surrounded by flashing cameras and adoring fans. I smile gracefully and provide poses, effortlessly captivating the crowds.'

"TAG Heuer: Where Glamor Meets Precision." The voiceover announces alluringly, feminine dulcet tones mixing impeccably with the well captured footage.

The shot zooms in on the celebrity's wrist, showcasing the watch with its elegant design and precision engineering… as the background score picks up slightly in intensity, coalescing with the sped up video of the watch's polished mechanism.

"Celebrate every moment with TAG: Heuer, the choice of Hollywood's rising stars."

The shot moves back, capturing my body in the shot as I raise my right wrist in front of my chest, grinning exquisitely… before the shot fades out to a logo of TAG: Heuer, with the tagline in a stylized font appearing beneath it.

'Where Glamor Meets Precision'.

The score wraps up as the screen eventually fades to black… and the room's lights shine back on.

"Ok," Hugh Boyle, my PR manager started, "This is not the final cut by any means, but our friends at TAG sent this over when I asked for a status update… any thoughts?" He asks, clearly attempting to gauge my reaction before deciding his own opinion on the matter… So I turned the tables on him.

"Mine? You're the PR expert here Hughie, what are your thoughts on this?" I ask, not revealing my attitude in the slightest.

He gulps, before replying, "... I think it's solid. They took our suggestions, as evident by the change in voiceover. They were going to go with 'TAG: Heuer, the choice of Hollywood's young elites." He pauses for dramatic effect… I won't begrudge him that, considering the line of work we pursue.

"They changed 'young elites', to 'rising stars', a more neutral term, associated far less with ultra-wealthy and socialites. I think it'll enhance your brand, it's fresh, it's famous, it's… elegant. As for the tagline, having the word precision be intermittently involved with your image will complement the already preconceived notions of you being a hardliner perfectionist, who creates every single frame with handcrafted precision… I think it'll do its work splendidly. You'll need to shoot up your public profile to secure awards and nominations, only then will the academy take you seriously." He finished his little assessment.

He's not wrong… in fact, he makes pretty good points. This commercial, with the concept of promoting precision, is practically a form of subliminal messaging… the way it'll allow people to associate that term with my name in the short term. But that's where the deviation comes… it also includes the word 'glamor'... a term that I do not want to be associated with, this early in my career.

Considering my newcomer status and shockingly young age, being linked with that word may fester an impression that will indicate that the newfound fame and wealth went to my head… then again, only a small minority will harbor such thoughts in the first place… the pros clearly outweigh the cons in this case.

I turn to Hughie, "Give 'em the green light… Tell them to have it ready by the end of this week. By January I want this commercial to play across America… Also, what's the status regarding the Super Bowl ad?"

He looks over at with an expression bordering on exasperation, before sighing in a resigned manner, "There is a 30 second segment available to us at the cost of… $1.4 million. Ricky I have to advise against this, I had a talk with Lara in accounting the other day, and we both agreed that it's wasteful expenditure-"

"No, it's useful expenditure Hughie… forget the ad itself. Just imagine what everyone will be thinking… they won't care about the promo for Good Will Hunting Hughie… No, what they'll care about in fact will be my audacity, my sheer barefaced audacity to spend a million and half on a movie's Oscar campaign… the nuts over at the Big 6 will be banging their heads together, running around like chickens as they try to surpass it… and they will fail! The media outlets will be talking about the ad itself, rather than the movie… it's well earned publicity man-"

"But Ricky-" 

"You don't have to agree with it Hughie, just follow it… book the ad. I'm paying out of my pocket am I not? For the ad? For all of this?" I look around the room, gesturing towards it all, "Talk with Lara, tell her to write it off as a marketing expense, she'll take care of it. As for you, get back to TAG, tell 'em to go right ahead, and coordinate with Daisy and Missy on the ad segment… I'll work with Daryl to get the 30 second reel ready." I finish before standing up, patting the back of his shoulder and walking off towards my office.

He's good at what he does… if a little stubborn sometimes. He keeps an open mind, sure and isn't afraid to think out of the box… but that's where he limits himself… they all do.

After concluding the hiring process, I had held a little seminar for them… an hour of me talking down to them from above my stage… an hour of me, informing them of the company's goals and virtues, our way of working.

One of the points I had tried my level best to drill into their heads was to never think inside or outside the box. Instead, just do away with the box, that way your thoughts can flow in any direction at any speed, unhindered by industry norms and conventional limitations.

And out of all of my various departments and specializations, makeup and hairstyling, and editing took my words to heart. 

Their work on Whiplash alone showed so much promise and potential… I can't wait to collaborate with them again for my next extravaganza. 

And for the rest… Well, changing your core mindsets and way of functioning takes time, so I won't hold it against them.

…

I moderately pace myself as I approach the door to my office, glancing at Daisy sitting at her desk, typing away at a computer.

Just as I open the door, she voices her thoughts, "How was it?"

I pause for a second before replying, "Decent enough, could be way better. It makes me thank my lucky stars that they rejected my offer to be their brand ambassador and just asked for an endorsement."

She snorts without looking up, "Idiots the lot of them. Your fame's not widespread right now, thereby severely decreasing your negotiating prowess and asking price… I would pay to see their faces after the awards season." She says with a smug grin.

I chuckle along, grinning right back as we revel in their ignorance.

"You realize they'll be back right? In Feb latest, they'll be on their knees, begging you to sign the contract… what'll you do then?"

"... I'll stall. Till mid-march. The Oscars will be watched by over 40 million folks in the States alone, live… I'll be a household name by the end of that night. After that… Well, they won't be the only brand courting me… I'll take my pick then. I'm thinking… Ray-Ban Aviator? Perhaps Armani- who knows?" I said, before pushing the door to my office open and entering.

There was much work to be done after all.

23rd December 1997 (Tuesday)

Christine Cornish (POV)

The lights were set, and the boom mic was placed overhead. The camera was all ready to start recording, as I took my seat in a wooden chair, glancing at the green screen behind me.

My interviewer for the day, Mr. Kelsey Pilsner took his seat opposite me as a makeup artist gave him a final glow up. He was staring into a sheet of paper, muttering underneath his breath… most likely rehearsing the questions he was going to ask me after a scant few minutes.

Numerous questions… that I am not privy to, in any capacity. Considering this interview won't be televised live, or was a puff piece one, I was going to have to genuinely think through my answers, and display the true extent of my media training today.

Not an easy task by any means… but also not as difficult as I would have found it to be a year ago.

I've come a long way since then, and have done nothing but advance in my career… mostly due to a singular choice of mine made on a whim.

You see, my agent did not want me to audition for Good Will Hunting. He believed it was nothing but a vanity nepotism project, made by an inexperienced kid, who had only dabbled in horror, and stumbled upon box office gold as a result of sheer fluke… At first, I was inclined to believe him.

But then I read the script… the one that he had penned himself… and when I was sufficiently impressed by his skills, I asked around about him, just to see what all he had been involved in before this.

A few hours of digging later, I was convinced he was a certified genius of some kind, and the box office gold was no fluke, considering he had spearheaded the marketing campaign on his own… his bibliography alone had left me near speechless… and thus I decided to audition. 

And the rest, as they say, is history.

"Ms. Cornish-"

"Call me Christine please." I instantly correct him without any real heat… the statement practically a reflex by now, invoked whenever someone addresses me by my surname.

A tendency that I highly suspect has rubbed off on me and quite a few other people by none other than my ex-boss himself, and his incessant habit to remind people to refer to him by his nickname… It's like he hates being called 'Richmond', or 'Mr. Stirling'...

Okay, now that I think about it, his attitude is perfectly reasonable in this matter. Considering the latter is what his father is referred to as by everyone, and the former… I feel sorry for him already. No wonder he insists people call him 'Ricky'.

Anyways, I digress. 

"... Christine then, we're ready to go. You?" He voiced deeply.

"As ready as ever."

"On the count of 3 then… 1… 2… 3!"

And all of a sudden a hush passed throughout, a pin drop silence permeating the room as Kelsey looked deeply into the camera with a casual, yet rigid disposition and began. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is 'The Golden Hour' with me, Kelsey Pilsner bringing you the daily scoop of the Golden Globes, as my quest to interview every single nominee before the awards ceremony is underway. And today, we have with ourselves, a highly talented actress, a first time nominee, and one of the youngest by far in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture… drumroll please… CHRISTINE CORNISH!" He pointed towards me dramatically, as the camera turned towards me.

I smile charmingly, waving my thin dainty hand with enthusiasm.

"Now, Christine, I was made aware of the fact that your previous role was a lead in the high octane spy thriller, 'Deception Game'. It failed to impress several critics, but grossed a hefty $250 million, your highest till then. So your decision to play the role of 'Skylar' in 'Good Will Hunting', was it to break the mold perchance and play against the type? Or were you trying to stretch your acting muscles in this intense psychological drama?"

I exhaled lightly and mulled over my words before voicing them out loud, "A little bit of both actually. 'Deception Game' was certainly a win in my books, considering it performed well with the target audience, and grossed 5 times its budget, so I will never regret it Kelsey. But even before the movie, I was attached to 'Shadow Conflict' for 2 seasons as 'Special Agent Aubrey Suzanna', a role which required intense physical workout to play to perfection… in short, I had been doing spy thrillers for 3 years now, and I was tired Kelsey… physically, mentally, it was taking a toll on me, and so after much consideration, I made the conscious decision to take a step back and play more grounded roles for the next few years." I take a deep breath, before letting it out.

"The role of 'Skylar' was challenging for sure, but it was the good kind of challenge… hope that makes sense to you-"

"Oh certainly, yeah-"

"Ok. So, it was a role that required immense dedication to encapsulate, but also wasn't unreasonably taxing on my psyche… unlike a few of my previous projects."

"I see. So- so, any elaborate reasons that made it less taxing? Other than the obvious disregard of a physical requirement?"

"Hm… Well, if I had to name any, Kelsey… then I would have to go with the man whose vision we all followed to the very end, the illustrious Ricky Stirling, I'm sure you've heard of him?" 

He snorts before responding dryly, "You think? He managed to secure 5 golden globe nominations… spread across 2 movies… in a single ceremony. But please, don't let me stop you here- feel free to elaborate on Mr. Stirling's impact-"

"Well first of all, if you called him Mr. Stirling, he would cut in, and insist you call him Ricky." I interrupt, with a good-natured smirk.

He breaks out into chuckles, before regaining his composure remarkably quickly… or he had never lost it in the first place. Not the first time an interviewer has faked laughter for politeness after all…

"Anyways," I continued without any reservations, "Before we began principal photography, he made the entire cast rehearse multiple scenes in various hypothetical environments to ensure we captured authentic reactions as per our characters… and then when filming began, it all wrapped up remarkably quick, with several shots we had assumed would take days, being wrapped up in hours at most, sometimes a single take. Due to his planning and organizational skills at large, forget delays, we in fact finished before schedule, and had somehow managed to save $800k in planned budgetary expenses by the end of it-" I shake my head in disbelief before continuing.

"Taking his age into consideration after all that… well the Golden Lion, and Best Director nom have proven beyond belief of what he is capable of. Not to mention the cast he put together, all of whom were highly talented, and were a pleasure to work with… Pacino and I even developed a sort of- mentor-mentee bond, where between takes, he would come up and talk to me, and then we would bounce around ideas on how to tackle certain scenes… It was truly a surreal experience altogether." I finally conclude, as I wait for a response.

A beat passed before Kelsey said, "Huh, so Ricky and Al, and the cast in general… wonderful! I'm sure they'll appreciate your sentiments when they inevitably read this in tomorrow's issue of 'Hollywood Herald', and so with that, let's move on to the next question-"

Inevitably? Read the California Herald? Ha! That would be the day! Ricky actually bothering to read a Hollywood gossip rag of all things… the possibility of that… I seldom use the word infinitesimal… but little else comes to mind.