Chapter 010: Even Starting a Conversation Requires Skill
Chapter 010: Even Starting a Conversation Requires Skill
Jennifer Aniston stood somewhat absentmindedly by the roadside waiting for a car. She could not really say she was very disappointed about this audition. After all, she had not held much hope to begin with. Since graduating from acting school last year, she had successively performed in several stage plays. By chance, she heard news that this film was recruiting actresses, so she tried submitting her résumé. Unexpectedly, she actually received an audition opportunity.
Just as she was about to wave down a taxi, she heard someone behind her call her name. Turning around, she saw that strange boy from the audition room who had been staring hard at her.
“Hello, you’re that...” Jennifer Aniston subconsciously waved her hand and gestured a couple of times before realizing she did not know his name.
Eric stretched out his hand. “Hello, Miss Aniston. My name is Eric, Eric Williams.”
Jennifer Aniston stretched out her small hand and politely showed a smile. “Hello, Mr. Williams.”
Looking at Aniston’s sweet smiling face from such a close distance, Eric became slightly dazed. After holding Aniston’s hand, he even forgot to let go.
“Mr. Williams, you...” Aniston struggled slightly. Feeling the warmth from that large hand, she became a little embarrassed and gave Eric a reproachful glare.
“Oh, sorry. Just call me Eric, Miss Aniston. May I call you Annie?” Eric withdrew his hand and awkwardly scratched his head. Inwardly, he thought, Although I wasn’t exactly surrounded by countless women in my last life, I still had plenty of experience. Why am I acting like a green boy now? It must be this body’s hormones causing trouble. Mm, that must be it.
Aniston looked doubtful and faintly guarded. “Alright, Eric. But we don’t seem to know each other, do we?”
Eric gathered his thoughts and smiled. “Don’t we know each other now? All friends start out as strangers. Annie, it’s already noon. May I invite you to lunch?”
“That’s too sudden, Eric. We’ve only exchanged a few sentences,” Aniston refused.
“Then I’ll take you home.” Eric retreated and settled for the next best thing.
“Uh... alright.” Aniston froze for a moment. Since she had already refused him once, Aniston, who had never been good at rejecting others, subconsciously agreed.
In fact, Eric had only used a small social trick. If he had started by asking to take the girl home and got rejected, what then? He could not exactly keep pestering her. That would only have the opposite effect.
The two got into Eric’s car together. After asking clearly for the address, Eric started the car and drove toward the destination.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Aniston spoke first. “Eric, are you part of the crew for Back to 17?”
Holding the steering wheel, Eric nodded. “Yes. I’m the screenwriter of this film, and also the male lead.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. You should be around my age, right? Right now, I’ve only played small roles in a few stage plays.”
Eric smiled. “I was just lucky. By the way, you said just now that you’re performing in stage plays?”
“Oh, yes.” When the topic turned to something she was interested in, Aniston immediately opened up and began talking nonstop. Eric occasionally added a few words, making Aniston giggle.
How could a nineteen-year-old girl who had stepped into society less than a year ago be a match for Eric, who hid the soul of an uncle inside him? Under Eric’s subtle guidance, as the conversation continued, Aniston gradually opened her heart. She even began talking about her current life in Los Angeles.
“Although working at the convenience store is exhausting, and I have to stand for at least eight hours every day, I feel that my life is very fulfilling now. From time to time, I can still act in stage plays and attend auditions. I believe that even without relying on my irresponsible father, I’ll succeed one day.”
Although Eric knew that in his previous life, Aniston eventually entered the television industry through her father’s introduction, in this parallel time and space, that was already two years later.
In his memory, Jennifer Aniston in his previous life somewhat resented her father for abandoning her and her mother when she was young. For more than two years, she kept refusing her father’s help, and because of that, she wasted more than two prime years in Hollywood. In the end, Aniston’s father, John Aniston, took the initiative to do certain things to ease the father-daughter relationship, and only then did the stubborn Aniston accept his help. When she obtained her role in Friends, Aniston was already twenty-five. In Hollywood, once an actress passed thirty, if her career still had not improved, it became very difficult to achieve major development. It had to be said that Aniston was still very lucky.
At this moment, when Eric heard Aniston’s words, he still encouraged her. “I also believe that. During the audition just now, your performance was excellent. There wasn’t much trace of stage acting, and it felt very natural. Mm, you know, when a girl auditioned earlier, that stage-play style of hers almost dragged me into it too.”
At the mention of the audition just now, Aniston suddenly fell somewhat silent. After a while, she asked softly, “Eric, had Maggie’s role already been decided before my audition?”
“I have to say, Annie, your insight really is sharp.”
“I noticed all of you seemed a little distracted. Maybe you were just going through the motions.”
Eric did not beat around the bush and said directly, “Barring any accidents, Maggie will probably be played by Drew Barrymore. Her performance during the audition was very outstanding.”
“Drew Barrymore? That cute little girl from E.T.? By my calculations, she should only be thirteen now, right? Isn’t Maggie a high school student who’s about to enter college?”
Eric asked curiously, “What, Annie? When you were waiting for your audition, didn’t you see Drew? She’s already a grown girl now, although... mm, she really is only thirteen.”
Aniston said somewhat embarrassedly, “Well, for today’s audition, I switched shifts with a coworker last night and worked until midnight, so I arrived a little late.”
“It’s fine. Actually, I don’t know whether I should tell you...”
Aniston looked up curiously. “What is it?”
“After you left just now, they all noticed that I... liked you.”
Aniston’s small mouth immediately opened wide. She was somewhat surprised by Eric’s directness and became stammering. “And... and then?”
“James, the producer of this film, told me that in the vast sea of people, once you miss some good girls, it’s hard to meet them again. So he encouraged me to chase after you. He also said that if I did, he would give you a role and create more chances for us to spend time together.”
Eric sold James out completely in one breath, silently apologizing to James Brooks. Inwardly, he thought, It’s not easy for me to chase a girl either.
“Ah, well, I... I, I...” Faced with Eric’s almost confession-like words, Aniston appeared somewhat flustered. At the same time, a faint sweetness rose in her heart.
Seeing Aniston’s panic, Eric quickly said, “No, you don’t need to feel any burden, Annie. We’re already friends now, aren’t we? It’s normal for friends to help each other. Actually, that role isn’t anything major. It’s only one of Maggie’s three friends, with just a few minutes of screen time. But if you accept it, it can add a credit to your résumé for future auditions. I believe this film of mine will definitely achieve good results.”
“Thank you, Eric. I really don’t know what to say.”
The car drove for more than ten minutes and arrived at a neighborhood in Burbank. Aniston pointed toward an intersection ahead. “Eric, I’m here. Just stop there.”
The car stopped at the entrance of a somewhat narrow alley. The two fell silent at the same time for several seconds. Aniston also made no move to get out of the car, and Eric naturally would not be foolish enough to ask her to leave.
They sat quietly for a short while, and the atmosphere inside the car gradually became somewhat ambiguous.
Finally, Aniston mustered her courage and said, “How about I treat you to lunch, Eric? There’s a small restaurant up ahead. I often eat there.”
Eric felt relieved. “How could that do, Annie? Letting a girl pay isn’t proper. Of course I’ll pay. Let’s go. You lead the way.”
...
Aniston eventually accepted that role.
During the following period of film preparation, the two talked on the phone almost every day. Their conversations were scattered and casual, such as someone stealing things at the convenience store where Annie worked, nearly being late in the morning because she overslept, discovering several cockroaches in her closet, and other such things.
Eric also occasionally talked about trivial matters in his own life while comforting the loneliness in the heart of this girl living alone away from home. Although Aniston interacted with quite a few people, she did not have many true friends she could confide in. In a short time, Eric had practically become her emotional support.
Eric knew that as long as he confessed, Aniston would definitely agree to become his girlfriend, because the girl had occasionally begun acting spoiled toward him on the phone.
However, Eric was not eager to do this. He did not want Aniston to form any bad association between that film role and becoming his girlfriend. Therefore, at the very least, he had to wait until Back to 17 finished filming. In any case, in her current state, this little girl could not escape his palm no matter what. So Eric only needed to wait for everything to naturally fall into place.
During this period, another matter also showed progress: the publication of Jurassic Park. More than half a month after signing with Michael Klaus, Eric finally received the sample copy of Jurassic Park. The cover showed a huge Tyrannosaurus rex chasing a speeding off-road vehicle, a rather sci-fi concept. This inspiration came from Eric’s memory of the Jurassic Park film. Michael Klaus thought it was excellent. Connecting an ancient dinosaur with a modern off-road vehicle created a huge suspense for readers from the cover alone.
Eric specifically asked for one extra copy and gave it to Aniston.
Over these days, without realizing it, Eric had already branded the image of a gentle and considerate good boyfriend into Aniston’s heart. For Aniston, who lacked fatherly love since childhood, this was enormously powerful.
After receiving Jurassic Park, Aniston, who already admired Eric’s screenwriting and acting talents, immediately had a little worship in her eyes. Naturally, in her heart, she placed another label on Eric: talented man.
...
The preparations for Back to 17 were still proceeding tensely. During this period, Eric participated in several more crew preparations and also met the other actors in the crew.
As for the role of Mike’s son, the crew did not choose Brad Pitt. Of course, they also did not choose that thin boy named Blake Quinn. Instead, they chose another slightly stronger eighteen-year-old youth.
Eric did not complain about this. After all, he had soon afterward met Aniston, and because of a certain standpoint issue, Eric immediately lost his favorable impression of Pitt, who had abandoned Aniston in his previous life.
He even thought with some mischievous malice that after he became a great director in the future, perhaps he should have that former superstar couple, Pitt and Jolie, make cameo appearances in his film together. Mm, with Aniston as the lead. Absolutely!
Everything proceeded smoothly. On August 16, 1988, after Eric’s rebirth, the first film carrying the ideals of both his previous life and this life officially began production.