"Hey, Rick." Hugo grasped Rick's outstretched right hand, and Rick patted him on the shoulder, motioning for him and Joseph to sit down on the sofa, while saying, "Looks like I've saved myself a cup of coffee." This remark made Hugo chuckle.
"You've finished your business already?" Hugo glanced around the office. It was about the same size as Ron's, and likewise had an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, with a spectacular view of blue skies, white clouds, and the high-rises of the city.
Rick was an American man of not very tall stature. Perhaps due to Native American ancestry in his bloodline, his skin was darker, making him look thin, dark, and short—very unremarkable. But he had a pair of particularly bright eyes that easily made people overlook his appearance and focus instead on his conversation. Unlike Ron's overbearing demeanor, Rick seemed more like an agent still working diligently on the seventeenth floor, rather than one of the elite "vampires" on the twenty-third floor.
However, to be fooled by Rick's appearance would be a grave mistake. Rick was a core figure at International Creative Management. His business volume last year ranked in the company's top five, on par with Ron. At the start of this year, Rick had officially become a partner in the firm.
Anyone who could achieve such success in the agency business was certainly no simpleton.
"There's actually nothing much; I just played the middleman." Rick's smile was not wide—faint, with his not-very-large eyes curving slightly, giving him a friendly look and an indescribable warmth. Then Rick looked over at Joseph. "I'll leave it to you to announce the answer."
Joseph did not bother with excessive modesty. Meeting Hugo's inquiring gaze, the delight between his brows sparkled in his eyes. "You know Sydney Pollack?"
"Of course." Hugo nodded without hesitation. Although he had first learned of Sydney through The Reader, this famous director had far more notable classics—such as Out of Africa, Tootsie, and The Way We Were. He could definitely be counted among the finest directors in American film history.
"This time, a novel adaptation being prepared by Paramount Pictures has chosen Sydney as the director." Joseph's tone lifted slightly, revealing his inner joy—and clearly, he wasn't done speaking yet. "The adaptation has been confirmed to be written by Robert Towne."
"Robert Towne?" Hugo's words were not a question, but a repetition for confirmation.
Robert Towne was certainly not the father of the future world-famous Robert Downey Jr., nor were they related in any way. Robert Downey Jr.'s father, Robert Downey Sr., was an independent film director and producer. The Robert Towne in question was a Hollywood-renowned director and screenwriter whose classic works included Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Days of Thunder, and so on.
One could imagine—the collaboration of Sydney and Robert was an absolutely top-tier lineup.
At this time, Paramount was in a period of upheaval, making a comeback to the top ranks of Hollywood after a long slump. However, the iconic "iron triangle" that had led Paramount's revival was broken by Disney, which poached two of the three—Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner—plunging Paramount back into decline.
In such circumstances, bringing in big names like Sydney and Robert for a project clearly showed Paramount's ambition. Sure enough, Joseph's next words confirmed Hugo's suspicion. "It's Robert. Paramount has allocated a sixty-million-dollar budget to invest in this project."
"Wow, is this another Terminator?" Hugo was astonished by the budget figure.
Had it been back in January, when he had just transmigrated here, Hugo might have said, "That's not much of an investment," since in the twenty-first century, films with budgets over $100 million were everywhere, with $200 million productions not uncommon. But after adapting to the market here for a year, Hugo now knew that at this time, any budget over $50 million was a major production—and rare.
So, for Paramount to commit $60 million, Hugo's first thought was that it must be a highly special-effects-heavy action film—one of the most popular genres in the early 1990s.
"No, it's another A Few Good Men." This reply came from Rick. He gave Joseph an apologetic smile. "I'd better explain about the script." He clearly hadn't discussed this in detail with Joseph, since Joseph had only just entered earlier—so Rick was the one more familiar with it. "It's about a young Harvard Law School graduate who, upon joining a law firm, receives many privileges, but soon discovers that the firm is entangled with ****, dragging him into a case that draws the attention of the Department of Justice."
"Another lawyer?" Hugo instantly understood—this was why Rick had said, "It's another A Few Good Men."
"Yes." Rick nodded to confirm. "They're only just beginning casting now, with all roles starting from scratch. Sydney heard about your outstanding performance in A Few Good Men, so he hopes you'll audition."
"Me?" Even though Hugo had been mentally prepared, hearing Rick actually say it still surprised him. After all, A Few Good Men had not yet been released, so he had never expected an opportunity to come this quickly.
Rick was amused by Hugo's surprised expression, though his own smile remained small, merely stretching into a slightly bigger arc, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Hugo, you know, this circle is actually very, very small." As he said this, Rick brought his thumb and forefinger together as if pinching a strand of hair, strongly emphasizing his point.
Back then, after filming Scent of a Woman, Hugo's outstanding performance had earned him an audition for A Few Good Men, and he had seized it through his own effort. Now, thanks to his work in A Few Good Men, he was getting even more attention; coupled with the positive reception after the release of Scent of a Woman, opportunities were now coming to him on their own.
Compared to before, Hugo's status had quietly shifted—now audition opportunities were being delivered straight to Joseph's hands. This was a huge step forward, and for it to be a Paramount production with a $60 million investment made it even rarer.
"Wow." Hugo didn't bother to hide it, directly voicing his delight. The recent positive buzz from Scent of a Woman had already made him overjoyed, and today's opportunity was icing on the cake. "I was just thinking—it's been half a year since I've had any offers come knocking. Joseph must have been getting anxious."
"Are you sure it wasn't you who was anxious?" Joseph now even had the mood to tease Hugo. Although over the past few months Joseph had said he wanted Hugo to rest well, the complete lack of auditions inevitably allowed a sense of unease to slowly grow in his heart as time passed. But now, with Scent of a Woman released and everything beginning to get back on track, it couldn't be better.
"Rick, thank you—truly, thank you." Hugo repeatedly expressed his gratitude. After all, Rick wasn't Hugo's agent, and he had absolutely no obligation to help. This was not like finding a place to live—this was a work opportunity, to put it bluntly, it was money and reputation. Rick's willingness to help without compensation was indeed admirable. Compared side-by-side with Ron, the difference was immediately apparent.
"No need. I've already noted down in my planner that you owe me a meal," Rick said lightly, still smiling. Hugo and Joseph both laughed out loud. "Honestly, you don't need to make too much of it. Sidney asked me for Joseph's phone number, and then I just helped connect you. That's all. You have to understand, even if I didn't want to give it to him, he could still contact the company, and the result would be the same. So, strictly speaking, I didn't really help much."
Rick spoke with complete candor. "Besides, we're still competitors. I also have actors under me who will be auditioning. So don't rush to thank me—who knows, maybe my actor will beat you and land the role."
Hugo couldn't help but laugh heartily, but the mention of this stirred a memory. "Rick, just now I saw Tracy in Ron's office—it seemed they were discussing something important. Could it be this project of Sidney's?" It wasn't that Hugo was paranoid; it was just that the timing seemed a little too coincidental.
"Oh, no. Tracy and Ron were discussing a Universal Pictures collaboration project," Rick said simply. But in Hugo's mind, there were still lingering questions—like why Tracy had mentioned to him that Ron had brought up his name, and whether her earlier meeting with Universal Pictures' head of production at the Waldorf Hotel was related to this project. However, Rick clearly had no intention of letting Hugo continue probing; he directly ignored Hugo's glance and went on, "I've just given Sidney's contact info to Joseph, so you've now been informed about this project. From here on, it's up to you to work for it. As your competitor, I won't be offering any help."
"Of course," Joseph replied with a smile, picking up the thread of conversation. He had also noticed Hugo's momentary distraction, but by now, he was used to it. "You still haven't told me what the project's called!"
"Oh, look at my memory—getting old," Rick patted his head, then fetched a script from his desk and placed it in front of Joseph. "The Firm. This is the script—my copy. If you want one, you can get it from Sidney. Also, it's adapted from a novel; you might want to check out the original."
"John Grisham's novel of the same name?" Joseph recalled last year's best-selling book by that title. After Rick confirmed it, Joseph once again saw Paramount Pictures' determination to go big this time.
"Oh, right," Rick suddenly remembered something else. "I heard Brad Pitt also got an audition opportunity. You know, Sidney has a solid friendship with Robert Redford—they're old partners from Out of Africa."
Robert Redford, the director of A River Runs Through It. Indeed, this was a very, very small circle.
.
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