Chapter 63: Test
Chapter 63: Test
In the 1980s, Hollywood had not yet conquered the world, and the Walk of Fame was nowhere near as famous as it would become in later generations.
As night fell, the Walk of Fame looked no different from the other streets of Los Angeles—dense rows of shops, endless streams of pedestrians, and groups of scantily dressed women lingering by the roadside.
An inconspicuous car was parked at the curb. Sitting in the passenger seat, Eric watched Julia Roberts with great interest as men repeatedly approached her from the left front side.
At that moment, Julia wore heavy makeup. Even someone very familiar with her would not be able to recognize her at first glance. Leaning lazily yet alluringly against a lamppost, her eyes flowed with charm as she glanced around flirtatiously. The styling Eric had designed according to his memory of Vivian not only highlighted a pure and delicate face, but also perfectly showcased Julia’s beautiful figure.
In less than half an hour, the number of men who had approached Julia had already exceeded the task Eric assigned her. Just as he was considering whether to continue, he saw three or four strangely dressed young men surround Julia. He immediately said to the burly driver in the front seat, “Tonis, drive over. We can wrap it up.”
“Yes, boss.” Tonis started the car and drove beside Julia.
Julia was forcing a smile as she dealt with the few punks. When she saw Eric’s car pull over, she quickly slapped away one youth’s wandering hand. “Hey, guys, my client’s here to pick me up. I already told you I was waiting for someone. He’s paying big money.”
The youths glanced disdainfully at the unremarkable car and laughed mockingly as they continued pestering her. “Sweetheart, how much can a guy driving a junk car like this pay? Two hundred dollars a night, how about it? The other girls on this street only make seventy a night.”
Tonis, who stood nearly two meters tall, opened the car door and appeared before them like a small mountain. He glared viciously at the group. The youths all froze, inwardly realizing that their skinny arms and legs were no match for even one of his hands. They forced out awkward smiles and hurried away dejectedly.
“Miss Julia, please get in,” Tonis said gently, dropping the fierce expression as he courteously opened the rear door for Julia.
Julia thanked him and climbed into the car. The female assistant in the back seat, Allison Green, quickly draped a coat over Julia’s shoulders. Los Angeles nights were still quite chilly this season.
“Eric, how did I do?” Julia asked impatiently, wrapped in the coat.
Eric praised her. “I’m very satisfied. If I hadn’t specifically called Tonis over, there might actually have been some trouble tonight.”
“Boss, that’s what I’m supposed to do.” Tonis smiled honestly as he started the car.
Tonis was a security guard hired by Firefly Films. Despite being a two-meter-tall Black giant, he had an extremely gentle temperament and claimed he had never fought anyone in his entire life.
Streetwalkers were actually in a very dangerous profession. Cases of women suddenly being abducted into cars, only for their bodies to show up in dumpsters days later, were not unheard of. To prevent accidents during tonight’s test, Eric had specially brought Tonis along.
“Tonis, you live around here, right? Stop at the intersection ahead. You can head home. I’ll take Miss Julia back myself.”
Tonis nodded, stopped the car when they reached the spot, and left after saying goodbye.
Julia’s assistant Allison Green rolled her eyes twice, then pushed open the car door as well. “Mr. Eric, there happens to be a bus here that goes to my place, so I’ll get off too. Goodbye.”
Soon only Eric and Julia remained in the car. Eric started the vehicle while Julia curled up nervously in the back seat. The two of them stayed silent.
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of Julia’s apartment building. The woman lowered her head and got out. After waiting a moment and noticing Eric had not followed, she saw him lean out the window and say, “Julia, rent a new place as soon as possible. Preferably in Beverly Hills. Once filming starts, the news that you’re the lead actress definitely won’t stay hidden from the media. At that point, the paparazzi will become a huge problem. I’ll have Jeffrey advance part of your salary beforehand.”
“Okay, Eric. Aren’t… aren’t you coming in for a while?” Julia asked softly, her eyes drifting uncertainly.
Eric winked ambiguously at her. “Not tonight. Even though I took some precautions, I’m still not sure whether I completely shook off the paparazzi.”
Julia did not know whether she felt relieved or disappointed. She stammered a couple of sounds, waved at Eric, then turned and entered the apartment building.
Eric watched her disappear inside before rolling up the window and driving away.
…
On the first day of the new year, Al Pacino flew from New York to Los Angeles and settled into his villa in Beverly Hills. He quickly threw himself into preparations for Pretty Woman.
Because of this, Pretty Woman also held its first main cast meeting. Everyone chatted for an entire morning to become more familiar with one another. Eric also used the opportunity to discuss and revise the script together with the lead actors.
After all, since the male lead had changed to Al Pacino, and Al’s acting style was completely different from Richard Gere’s, Eric could not possibly film the movie entirely according to the Richard Gere image from his memories.
Eric also took the chance to have Al and Julia perform several scenes together. In order to cooperate with the somewhat inexperienced Julia, Al Pacino deliberately restrained his acting. Even so, during the performance, Al Pacino still somewhat overshadowed Julia.
Because Al Pacino was only 1.7 meters tall, while Julia, after putting on high heels, was nearly 1.8 meters tall, Eric’s original plan had been that if the height difference looked awkward during the test shoot, he would have Julia switch to flats while making Al wear elevator shoes.
However, after the screen test, Eric abandoned the idea. Julia’s only real advantage was her height. If that advantage were erased, it would become difficult for her to display herself under Al Pacino’s overwhelming presence.
…
Having spent one million dollars on sponsorship for Pretty Woman, Lamborghini and its parent company Chrysler both attached great importance to this collaboration.
At the training grounds of a Los Angeles driving school, two small cargo trucks were parked nearby. Under the guidance of staff members, two Lamborghini Diablos were carefully unloaded.
“Wow, those sports cars are so cool.” Standing beside Eric, Drew stared at the silver and purple Lamborghinis with their sharp lines, stars practically shining in her eyes. She instinctively moved closer, only to be pulled back by Eric.
“Eric, I want that purple one. It’s so pretty.”
Eric pinched Drew’s little nose and laughed. “It’s not a doll. You can’t just say you want it and get it.”
A Lamborghini staff member named Ian Blyster, who had noticed Drew’s reaction, smiled proudly as he introduced them. “Miss Drew, you have excellent taste. Purple represents nobility and mystery. Most women prefer this color. However, this is a concept car specially built by us to cooperate with Mr. Williams’s film shoot, so it is not available for sale yet.”
As the group chatted, the staff guided Julia and Al into the two cars and carefully explained the operating procedures to them. Although both Julia and Al had driver’s licenses, neither had ever driven a Lamborghini before. Julia in particular had never even touched a sports car.
In Pretty Woman, the Lamborghini would appear repeatedly throughout the first twenty minutes, and during filming the two actors would personally drive for quite a long time. According to Lamborghini, the newest Diablo series also featured several innovative operating changes.
To ensure that absolutely no accidents occurred during filming, Eric had no choice but to arrange three days of training for Julia and Al. Lamborghini was also very willing to cooperate and specifically sent the technician Ian Blyster to assist throughout the entire process.