Chapter 139: This Kind of Thing Was Obvious
Chapter 139: This Kind of Thing Was Obvious
After learning of Eric’s invitation, John Aniston accepted almost immediately without much consideration. Between being a soap opera actor and a television producer, very few people would willingly choose the former. In Hollywood, whether screenwriters, actors, or even higher-level directors, once their careers reached a certain stage, they would all move toward becoming producers.
Because of this, John Aniston even resigned from some of his duties at NBC while drastically reducing his role in Days of Our Lives. Although he was already over fifty years old this year and about the same age as Jeffrey, his ambition had not weakened any less than when he was younger.
Although the box office profit shares from Home Alone and Pretty Woman had not yet been recovered at all, Firefly was not short on money thanks to Eric’s two massive loans. The budget for this television series was around 200,000 dollars per episode. Even after full production, the total investment would only amount to around five million dollars, merely equivalent to the investment for the film The Others.
With John Aniston joining, the Friends project rapidly launched in early May. The crew rented two massive soundstages from Twentieth Century Fox to construct all the scenes from Friends. In his previous life, Friends had also primarily been filmed on Warner’s studio lot in Los Angeles.
Although Eric did not want Fox participating in this television series, if he avoided even renting soundstages from them and instead went to Warner or Columbia, it would appear far too deliberate. During one meeting, Eric had even proposed constructing a dedicated soundstage exclusively for Friends, but Jeffrey and John jointly opposed the idea. Both agreed that the cost was too high and not worth the investment, forcing Eric to temporarily abandon the plan.
As for the actors, Eric had once fantasized that it would be perfect if he could gather the original six cast members from his previous life. Since Friends appeared five years earlier in this timeline, based on the timeline calculations, even Lisa Kudrow, the oldest among the main cast, was only twenty-six years old, while the others ranged between twenty and twenty-four. If they started acting now, then even ten years later, the actors would not show obvious signs of aging on camera.
The reason Friends ended after Season Ten in his previous life was partly because of actor salaries, but the more important factor was that the actors’ ages no longer suited the continuation of such a classic series. By the tenth season, Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, was already forty-one years old. She had already begun portraying mothers on the big screen. Continuing to act cute and comedic like a young person in the sitcom would inevitably appear awkward.
Of course, assembling the original six was destined to remain fantasy. Matthew Perry, who had originally played the young dumb burglar in Home Alone through Aniston’s introduction, was now already a first-tier film actor. Asking a Hollywood A-list movie star to act in a sitcom was nothing short of wishful thinking.
As for the others, Eric did remember some of their films, but among works before this year, the only thing he could recall was Courteney Cox playing a minor role in Cocoon. The others had practically no trace at all yet. Finding them would be like searching for needles in the ocean. Under those circumstances, Eric could only patiently begin selecting substitutes for the other five friends from among the auditioning actors.
Sunday, May 10th. Filming for Running Out of Time had already entered its final stages. As long as no major accidents occurred during the coming workweek, production would wrap smoothly.
That was why Eric finally had time today to conduct the final auditions for the Friends cast. This was also the last round of selection. Due to Eric’s earlier requirements, the very first task the production team handled had been actor auditions. As a result, after only ten days, while the sets inside the two rented Fox soundstages were still in the early stages of construction, casting had already entered its final round.
According to Eric’s plan, during the post-production period for Running Out of Time from mid-May to mid-June, they would shoot several classic Friends scenes to insert into the film. As for the sitcom’s official filming, it would not begin until at least after Running Out of Time premiered in July. According to Fox’s schedule, the television series would debut in early September, perfectly coinciding with the end of the summer movie season and the start of the American TV fall season.
Moreover, Eric estimated he could only spare two weeks to personally direct the first two episodes of the series. Once that was finished, he would immediately need to begin preparations for two films scheduled for the second half of the year while also worrying about the distribution of three additional movies. Basically, he would not have any free time at all during the latter half of the year.
At eight in the morning, Eric entered the company building and already saw quite a few men and women waiting in the corridor. These people obviously recognized Eric. After he appeared, they all proactively greeted him. Several young women even openly threw meaningful looks his way. Eric nodded to everyone without slowing his pace and entered the audition room.
Until now, he had not even seen the final audition list. Moreover, because he had no fixed ideas for any of the actors, Eric had to personally conduct the interviews rather than simply circling names like he had during the casting of The Others and Scent of a Woman.
“Jeffrey, John, good morning.”
Walking into the audition room, Eric saw Jeffrey and John Aniston already waiting there. The two were whispering to each other about something and only stood up to greet Eric after noticing his arrival.
“Good morning, Eric.”
“Morning, Eric.”
Eric sat down behind the long table. A blonde female assistant proactively approached him, placed a stack of documents in front of him, and bent over to introduce them. “Mr. Williams, this is the complete list of actors auditioning today. The order has already been marked.”
Whether intentional or not, while speaking, the woman’s chest was positioned directly toward Eric, and the top button of her white blouse was conveniently left undone. Eric could easily see the attractive scenery hidden beneath.
D-cup. Nice. Looks like one hand probably couldn’t hold it all. Eric amusedly thought to himself while casually glancing to the side. How could John Aniston possibly miss what was happening here? Naturally, his expression was not very pleasant.
The Friends crew had been assembled through John’s connections in the television industry. The blonde woman was also an experienced staff member he had personally brought in. Now, right in front of him, she was openly flirting with his daughter’s boyfriend. There was no way John Aniston could possibly be happy about it. Eric figured the woman probably would not remain with the crew for very long.
Perhaps the woman did not know much about John Aniston’s relationship with Eric, or perhaps she knew but simply did not care, which was why she dared flirt with Eric directly in front of John. Given Eric’s current identity as a billionaire at such a young age, any somewhat ambitious woman in Hollywood would throw herself at him for a chance. This was hardly the first time Eric had encountered such seduction.
“Alright, I understand.” After the woman finished her introduction and Eric had sufficiently enjoyed this unsolicited little benefit, he nodded.
“Then let me introduce myself. I’m Linda Grant. Mr. Williams, you can call me Linda.” The woman straightened her waist and deliberately displayed the graceful curves wrapped beneath her professional outfit.
“Thank you, Miss Linda,” Eric replied with a smile.
At last, John Aniston spoke up. “Linda, have the young people waiting outside prepare themselves. We’ll begin immediately.”
“Alright, Mr. Aniston.” The woman nodded before swaying her alluring hips, tightly wrapped in a dark skirt, as she exited the audition room.
“Ahem. Eric, Linda… is married already. Her husband is the sound technician for the crew.” For some reason, as the woman left, John Aniston leaned close and quietly said this into Eric’s ear.
Eric shrugged innocently. “John, I didn’t do anything.”
“Eric, while casual flings are unavoidable in Hollywood, you’d better be careful. Don’t hurt Jenny. She’s actually still a very innocent little girl.”
Eric guiltily nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry, John. I’ll pay attention.”
John Aniston shook his head. “Actually, I’d rather you proactively break up with Jenny.”
Eric immediately refused. “Unless Jenny chooses to leave me herself, I will never break up with her.”
After saying that, Eric secretly added another sentence in his heart: Even if she tried to leave me, I’d still find a way to drag the little girl back. Naturally, he absolutely could not say such words aloud. Otherwise, there was no guarantee John Aniston would not do something drastic.
Of course, John Aniston could not possibly guess Eric’s inner thoughts. He simply patted Eric on the shoulder before beginning the audition process.
Only then did Eric finally have the chance to lower his head and examine the audition list.
Sure enough, at first glance, there were no future famous stars. Eric had not watched many American television series in his previous life, so it made sense that he did not recognize most of these television actors. After all, among the twenty-something young people here, only a handful would ever become successful. By the time television dramas became increasingly sophisticated and capable of challenging films over a decade later, these people would already be in their thirties or forties. Even if they appeared in television dramas, they would mostly play insignificant supporting roles.
Eric flipped through several long pages of audition names without finding anyone familiar. Bored, he turned to the final page. This page contained actresses auditioning for Phoebe Buffay. At last, Eric found a familiar name — and not just familiar, but extremely familiar:
Nicole Kidman.
The name startled Eric slightly. Why would Nicole Kidman come audition for a television series?
Eric carefully checked the spelling and confirmed it was absolutely correct. Then he beckoned toward Linda Grant, who had just re-entered the room. The blonde woman immediately hurried over attentively. “Mr. Williams, do you need something?”
“Where are the detailed actor profiles? I want to look through the information for the afternoon audition group.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Linda responded and walked out. A short while later, she returned carrying several folders. “Mr. Williams, they’re all here.”
“Thank you. Just call me Eric.” Eric thanked her before ignoring the curious gazes from Jeffrey and John Aniston and began flipping through the files. Soon, he found Nicole Kidman’s profile.
After only one glance, Eric recognized the woman in the attached promotional photograph. Brown wavy curls, a rounded face, blue eyes, a tall, sexy nose, and thin lips.
Quickly scanning through the file, Eric noticed that the woman’s résumé ended with an Australian television drama titled Vietnam. Before that, she had appeared in several television dramas and films.
In other words, Dead Calm, the film that had allowed Nicole Kidman to break into Hollywood in his previous life, no longer existed.
Was this another butterfly effect caused by himself?
Eric rubbed the edge of the paper while thinking deeply. In the end, he had to admit the answer was certainly yes. Ever since he published Jurassic Park last year and entered Hollywood through 17 Again, everything in this world had already begun changing. It reminded Eric of dominoes from his previous life. Once the first domino fell, thousands more would collapse afterward. That was the most vivid demonstration of the butterfly effect.
According to the timeline in his memory, Nicole Kidman should have come to Hollywood after starring in Dead Calm. Then, through Days of Thunder, she had quickly hooked up with Tom Cruise, destroyed Cruise’s original family, and became Mrs. Cruise. From there, she leaped from being an obscure vase actress to becoming one of Hollywood’s top-tier vase actresses. More than ten years later, she even won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Recalling all these scattered details, Eric could only arrive at one conclusion:
This was a very formidable woman.
Among all the women Tom Cruise had been with before and after, she alone had developed the best career. Even after divorcing Cruise, not only did her career avoid damage, it actually climbed even higher. Soon, she entered the twenty-million-dollar salary club and successfully won the Oscar statuette for Best Actress.
As for Cruise’s other women, such as his first wife, they left almost no impression at all. Even Katie Holmes, his final wife, gained no real benefits from Cruise. After the divorce, because of her identity as Cruise’s ex-wife, men were not even willing — or dared — to date her.
Throughout the entire morning audition process, the more Eric thought about it, the more interested he became in this woman. Taking advantage of the lunch break, Eric gave a meaningful glance toward the female assistant who had been constantly trying to seduce him, then headed toward the stairwell at the end of the corridor.
“Eric, did you need something?” Linda looked at Eric curiously and somewhat nervously. She felt she was completely unprepared. Surely this young director was not planning to do something with her here?
“It’s like this, Linda.” Eric pulled out a profile sheet. “After this Miss Nicole Kidman finishes her audition this afternoon, bring her to my office and have her wait there. I want to speak with her privately.”
Linda took the file and looked at Nicole Kidman’s photo. Realizing this woman was far prettier than herself, she looked slightly disappointed but still nodded. “Alright, Eric. I’ll tell her. Do you… need anything else?”
Eric honestly shook his head. “Nothing else.”
“Oh…” Linda lowered her head and rubbed the tip of her high heel against the concrete floor a few times. Just as she finally gathered the courage to raise her head and say something, she discovered the space in front of her was already empty.
“That clueless little brat. Seriously… so irritating.” The woman stomped her foot before turning around and walking back disappointed.
After an entire afternoon of auditions, the remaining five roles had all been tentatively finalized. Eric also met Nicole Kidman, who auditioned at around four in the afternoon. The woman’s performance had absolutely no issues. However, compared to the image of Lisa Kudrow in Eric’s memories, Nicole Kidman was simply too beautiful.
The role of Monica Geller had already been assigned to a dark-haired beauty somewhat resembling Courteney Cox. If Phoebe Buffay were also played by a stunning beauty, the sitcom would inevitably feel unrealistic. Therefore, Eric, John, and the others all more or less unanimously decided against Nicole Kidman and instead selected another girl with a more ordinary appearance.
At five o’clock, all auditions finally concluded. Eric, John Aniston, and the others continued discussing the filming plans for Friends in the conference room until after seven in the evening before finally leaving.
Eric’s thoughts were so chaotic that he nearly forgot about the instructions he had given the female assistant earlier. Only after walking out of the company office building did he suddenly remember and immediately turn around to go back. It was already completely dark outside now. Eric was not entirely certain whether Nicole Kidman had left early, but the possibility seemed low. Given how intelligent this woman was, there was no way she would leave early. Eric suspected that even if he failed to appear tonight, the woman would patiently continue waiting in his office.
Pushing open the office door, he indeed saw a female figure sitting on the sofa. The only light in the office came from the desk lamp, making the room rather dim, yet Eric still recognized her at a glance. Upon seeing Eric enter, the woman stood up as well.
Eric shut the door and turned on the office lights before speaking. “Hello, Miss Kidman.”
“Hello, Mr. Williams.” The woman showed no sign of impatience whatsoever. Wearing a faint smile, she stepped forward two paces and proactively extended her hand for a handshake. Eric glanced downward unintentionally and noticed the woman was actually barefoot, with her high heels set beside her.
What a thoughtful woman. She even paid attention to details like height.
Eric himself was only slightly over 180 centimeters tall right now, while Nicole Kidman was approximately the same height. The woman had likely felt that wearing high heels and standing taller than Eric might make him uncomfortable, which was why she had removed them.
Eric sighed inwardly before returning to his seat and sitting down. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Kidman. I was in meetings just now.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Williams. You can call me Nicole.”
“Good. Then you can call me Eric as well.” As Eric spoke, he leaned back into the leather chair and stopped talking, quietly studying the woman in front of him.
Nicole Kidman also showed no urgency in asking why Eric had summoned her here to wait. Or perhaps she felt there was no need to ask at all.
This kind of thing was obvious, wasn’t it?