In a rental apartment in the Ocean Park area of Santa Monica, breakfast time for a single mother and her four children was always chaotic and noisy.
Melanie Sloan still had to head to work shortly. As she quickly ate her food, she began clearing the dishes in a rush, not even waiting for her kids to finish. At the same time, she shouted at her bickering twins, who were fighting over a copy of The Hollywood Reporter: "Hunter, stop fighting with Scarlett! If you tear up that newspaper, I'll tear your mouth off! And what are you wearing? Go change your clothes now; the school bus will be here any minute!"
"Fine! The paper's all yours, little Miss High Society!"
Hunter Johnson, wearing a ridiculous red Christmas-themed onesie, reluctantly let go of the newspaper and ran off to his room to change.
Ever since Scarlett Johansson had undergone a $15,000 orthodontic procedure, her family had nicknamed her "Miss High Society." After all, most families would never dream of spending that kind of money on teeth.
Scarlett didn't mind her brother's teasing, though. In fact, she quite liked the nickname.
She had paid for the dental work herself, after all.
As Hunter ran off, Scarlett shot him a triumphant glare before finally settling down to read today's The Hollywood Reporter. It was the only newspaper the family subscribed to. If you wanted to make it in Hollywood, you couldn't afford to ignore the industry news.
As her eyes skimmed the front page, Scarlett suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! This is amazing! Charlie's Angels has overtaken Jumanji!"
Her older sister Vanessa immediately leaned in. "Where? Let me see!"
Scarlett pointed at a prominent article on the front page and read aloud: "Charlie's Angels hits $170 million after three weeks, overtaking Jumanji, which stands at $155.99 million after four weeks."
"Still, neither one comes close to Wonder Woman 2," remarked their younger brother Adrian Johnson, who was seated across from Vanessa. "That one's probably past $400 million by now, right?"
Scarlett looked for the numbers but shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. It's at $398.73 million—just over a million shy."
"I still think Good Will Hunting is the most impressive," Vanessa chimed in as she leaned closer to the paper Scarlett was holding. "It was made on a $10 million budget, and look at this—only an 11% drop this week. It's performing better than any of the big blockbusters, with $77.18 million so far. It's projected to hit at least $150 million by the end. None of the other films can match that return on investment."
Adrian nodded. "I like Good Will Hunting, too."
Scarlett teased him, "Oh, you just like Kate Beckinsale."
"So what if I do? Who knows? Maybe one day when I'm famous, I'll even get to date her."
The two sisters snorted in unison. Vanessa said, "Beckinsale's been in two blockbuster hits this year. She's probably Simon Westeros' girlfriend. Someone like you doesn't stand a chance."
Adrian bristled. "Hollywood's full of actresses. Not all of them are Simon Westeros' girlfriends. And anyway, Beckinsale is only 23. Haven't you heard? Simon Westeros likes older women—like Mom's age."
Melanie Sloan happened to walk back into the room just then. She glared at her son and snapped, "Adrian, stop talking nonsense! Finish eating and get ready for school."
"Mom, why does Vanessa get to drop out, but I still have to go? I want to drop out too! Maybe I could work at a video rental store like Quentin Tarantino. What do you think?"
Melanie busily stacked dishes as she replied briskly, "At least wait until you're 16. Otherwise, your dad will lose his mind."
"He's not even in Los Angeles."
"Exactly, which means he'll be even more furious. He might even show up with a gun and shoot you."
The family's noisy banter was interrupted by the sound of a car honking outside. Scarlett immediately stood up. "Scott's here!"
She ran to the door and looked downstairs. Sure enough, her agent, Scott Lambert, had just gotten out of his car. He spotted Scarlett and waved before heading up the side staircase to the apartment.
After exchanging pleasantries, Scott Lambert turned to Melanie and said, "Today's production meeting is really important, so I came a little early."
"Oh, of course, no problem. Scott, I'll leave Scarlett and Vanessa in your hands."
"That's what I'm here for," the agent replied with a smile before turning to the sisters. "You two should put on your best outfits."
As he spoke, he gave Scarlett a meaningful look. The girl instantly understood. Politely asking the agent to wait, she dashed off to her room.
In recent weeks, Scott Lambert had secured a number of audition opportunities for Vanessa. At his suggestion, she had also started working as Scarlett's assistant. After the New Year, Vanessa had decided to drop out of school altogether. Though the U.S. has a K-12 mandatory education system, in practice, enforcement is lax. As long as no one made an issue of it, no one cared.
It was like Quentin Tarantino, who had dropped out of school at 14, entered the workforce, and later became a success story.
By the time the sisters left the apartment with their agent, it was just past 8 a.m.
Instead of heading straight to the Malibu Studios, Scott made a brief stop at a styling studio in Santa Monica. There, a familiar stylist gave the sisters a thorough makeover. Only after that did they continue on their way.
Scarlett grew increasingly excited, convinced that this production meeting for The Horse Whisperer would give her a chance to meet Simon Westeros. Vanessa, at 16, was also in high spirits. During their conversation, she learned that the stylist had previously worked with Meg Ryan, which impressed her greatly. Besides, they didn't even have to pay for the service.
Scott Lambert, however, had even greater expectations. Scarlett was still very young, but Vanessa had already blossomed into a stunning beauty. Moreover, the two sisters together could easily appeal to the peculiar tastes of powerful men. If Simon Westeros took an interest in them, all the effort Scott had poured into managing their careers would pay off tenfold.
It was Friday, January 10.
The three of them arrived at the Daniele Studios at 8:30 a.m., a full 30 minutes early.
No matter.
For people like them, striving for success meant being meticulous and proactive.
After wandering around the studio complex for 20 minutes, hoping for an opportunity that didn't come, they headed to the administrative building at 9:30 a.m. Once there, they explained their purpose and were escorted to the third floor. However, things didn't go entirely as expected. The agent and Vanessa were stopped for questioning and instructed to wait in a lounge, while only Scarlett was allowed to attend the production meeting. Even then, she had to go through a security check.
This made Vanessa realize something.
She felt both envious and melancholic.
She envied her younger sister's chance to meet Simon Westeros, a man who was practically a god in Hollywood. But she also felt downcast because she didn't have the same opportunity, even though she was confident in her looks and body—enough to easily outshine her younger sister.
The office area had an open layout.
More people were gradually brought into the lounge, including Robert Redford, Sam Neill, and Kristin Scott Thomas. The biggest highlight, of course, was Simon Westeros himself.
Frankly, Simon's meteoric rise and increasing brilliance over the years had made him the object of countless women's admiration. For Vanessa, however, he had always seemed too distant to feel real. She never imagined she would one day be less than 10 feet away from him.
When his tall, handsome figure passed by in the hallway and he happened to glance in her direction, Vanessa felt her heart race. As a girl on the brink of womanhood, encountering a man who exceeded all her expectations could spark love at first sight in an instant.
For the next hour, Vanessa found herself in a daze, her thoughts filled with fanciful, fairytale-like scenarios.
If only…
How wonderful it would be.
...
The story continued to unfold as Scarlett attended the production meeting for The Horse Whisperer, a film that had significant importance for Hollywood veteran Robert Redford. The project, based on the novel of the same name, had the potential to become another critical and commercial success in his career.
In the original timeline, The Horse Whisperer was one of Redford's last acclaimed films, with a $60 million budget and a worldwide box office of $180 million. However, the film had also been overshadowed at the Oscars due to the powerful campaign for Shakespeare in Love. With Harvey Weinstein at the helm of Miramax—a subsidiary of Disney, like the main studio producing The Horse Whisperer—there was no way Weinstein would allow two films under the same parent company to compete against each other, diluting Shakespeare in Love's votes. As a result, despite its glowing reviews, The Horse Whisperer was entirely ignored during the awards season.
This time, Simon Westeros was determined to support Redford and the project, though he knew the film would face stiff competition from James Cameron's Titanic, which had completely transformed the awards landscape. The success of Titanic would inevitably impact the Oscars for the following year. Still, Simon wanted to ensure The Horse Whisperer received the creative and promotional support it needed.
The production meeting began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted for an hour. Many decisions had already been made in pre-production, but the meeting was essential to finalize certain details and refine the script.
The film's original version, while critically acclaimed, had been criticized for its slow pacing and lack of emotional climaxes. Simon believed these issues could be resolved with careful editing and by adding a few pivotal scenes to heighten the emotional intensity. For instance, one new sequence involved the male protagonist Tom deliberately blindfolding himself and allowing young Grace to drive without assistance—a moment that could be filmed to evoke tension and exhilaration. Another dramatic addition was the decision to have the male lead die unexpectedly at the end, adding a poignant and unforgettable element to the story.
Additionally, Simon placed significant emphasis on the film's score, bringing in renowned composer John Williams to handle the soundtrack. The sweeping landscapes of the American West, accompanied by Williams' grand, emotionally resonant compositions, would elevate the film's impact.
Finally, Simon advocated for trimming the runtime. The original cut was 169 minutes—nearly three hours long. While the extended runtime allowed for depth, it also risked exhausting the audience. Simon's goal was to reduce the film's length to under 150 minutes while maintaining its emotional weight.
As the meeting wrapped up at 10:30 a.m., Simon was satisfied with the progress. However, many details still required further deliberation, which would be handled by the production team in the coming weeks.
After the meeting, as the participants began to leave, Simon walked alongside Robert Redford, discussing other matters.
"This year's Sundance starts on the 16th," Redford said. "Will you be attending in person, Simon?"
"Of course. The Westeros Party is still happening, and I wouldn't miss it. By the way, Bob, do you have any exciting films lined up for this year's festival?"
"Daniele Studios submitted some excellent work," Redford replied. "But you know, Simon, Sundance is mainly about supporting independent filmmakers and new voices. Some of your more polished submissions won't qualify for the main competition."
"Understandable," Simon said with a nod. "And I agree—it's essential for Sundance to remain a platform for fresh talent."
Their conversation was interrupted as they exited the meeting room and noticed Scarlett Johansson waiting in the hallway with her agent, Scott Lambert, and her sister Vanessa.
Redford glanced at the trio, as if suddenly remembering something. He gave Simon a quick nod. "I'll see you at Sundance, Simon."
With that, the veteran actor-director left, leaving Simon to face the waiting group.
During the meeting, Simon had noticed Scarlett casting him several enthusiastic, almost starstruck glances. It hadn't taken long for him to realize what was happening—this was likely another one of his team's arrangements. However, unlike some young actresses who were reluctant or nervous about such setups, Scarlett had seemed eager and even delighted by the opportunity.
"Mr. Westeros," Scarlett began, her voice carrying a mix of confidence and awe, "I just wanted to thank you again for this opportunity. It really means a lot to me."
"I watched your audition tape," Simon replied sincerely. "You were excellent, Scarlett. You deserve this."
It wasn't mere flattery. While Simon firmly believed that acting skills could be developed through training, he also acknowledged that natural talent played a significant role. Scarlett's performance in the audition had been genuinely impressive.
Scarlett smiled, her newly aligned teeth enhancing her already charming appearance. She quickly shifted gears and introduced the people with her: "Mr. Westeros, this is my agent, Scott Lambert. And this is my sister Vanessa—she's an actress too."
Scott Lambert eagerly stepped forward to shake Simon's hand, radiating gratitude and deference. However, Simon's attention shifted to Vanessa, who stood slightly behind her sister.
Simon was taken aback, though he didn't show it. He had never been particularly drawn to Scarlett in a romantic sense, but Vanessa was another story. The older sister possessed a striking beauty with her tall, slender figure, alabaster skin, and delicate Slavic features—a stark contrast to Scarlett's more youthful and cute appearance.
Vanessa seemed flustered under Simon's gaze. She was relieved Scarlett hadn't mentioned that she was technically her sister's assistant. That would have been humiliating. Realizing Simon was looking directly at her, Vanessa's cheeks flushed. After an awkward pause, she remembered to extend her hand.
"H-hello, Mr. Westeros. I'm Vanessa."
"Hello," Simon said, shaking her hand. A mischievous idea popped into his mind. What if, in this lifetime, Vanessa became the star while Scarlett remained in the shadows? It would certainly be an interesting experiment.
With that in mind, Simon said, "I have another meeting now, but if you don't have other plans, why don't you wait a bit? I'll take you out to lunch."
"Uh…" Vanessa was caught off guard, her eyes wide in surprise.
Scarlett, quick to recover from her sister's hesitation, responded immediately. "Thank you, Mr. Westeros. That would be an honor."
Scott Lambert, meanwhile, knew better than to overstep. Although he would have loved to join them for lunch, he tactfully declined and even offered to let Simon handle the sisters' ride home afterward.
Simon didn't press the matter. He gestured for his assistant to make arrangements for the Johansson sisters before heading to another meeting in the same building.
This time, the meeting was for an entirely different project.
Or, to be precise, a project that was still in its early stages. Only the director had been confirmed so far: Brian De Palma. The film? The highly acclaimed L.A. Confidential.
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