King of Hollywood-Chapter 603 - 11 Power On

"Thank you, thank you for Little Debbie’s performance, Mrs. Burton, you have a very lovely daughter." After clapping twice, Adrian said to the little girl’s mother, then made a "you may leave" gesture.

The mother immediately pulled her daughter away. Vaguely, one could still hear the little girl asking her mother if she had succeeded or something along those lines. Adrian imperceptibly shook his head, listened to the others express their opinions without showing any reaction, and waved his hand for them to bring in the next candidate.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." The little girl who came in bowed slightly to everyone. With her bright blonde hair and a pair of pale blue eyes, and the faint dimples on her cheeks, she was very pretty and adorable in the pink tee, a favorite of most little girls.

"I am Hannah Dakota Fanning, from Georgia, just turned 6 years old. Although I don’t have much acting experience, I believe I can be a very good actress." She placed her hands behind her back and confidently introduced herself without any signs of stage fright, which made many people click their tongues in amazement.

You see, many children around six or seven are still in the imitation and discovery phases, and it’s not easy for them to clearly articulate their thoughts with organized language. Even if she had memorized the speech, the fact that she delivered it so fluently without a trace of abnormal expression was quite remarkable.

Adrian smiled slightly, "Hello, Hannah, you must be familiar with the script by now, so let’s begin."

As he spoke, he pointed to the small camera beside him, and the little girl began her performance facing the lens. The scene was not long - it was about the eldest daughter having to leave home to find her father, with a mentally ill mother, so she had to teach her younger brother and sister how to use a hunting rifle for self-defense. Of course, no actual gun was brought out for her to gesture with, just a few lines of dialogue. The key was whether the young actor could capture that kind of feeling.

Frankly speaking, Hannah’s performance could only be considered average, not particularly outstanding. However, considering that several of the final candidates had guest-starred in some TV shows, her performance was still respectable.

"Very well, thank you for your performance, Hannah. May I ask you a few questions?" Adrian did so after her performance, then glanced at her mother standing beside her, "You must be the one to answer."

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, sir."

"So," Adrian made a gesture, "please tell me, Hannah, why do you want to become an actress."

Hannah didn’t speak right away, she bit her lip and thought carefully before she began to speak slowly, "I’m sorry, sir, I can’t give a specific - reason, but I really like acting, and both my dad and mom support me. Last year I filmed a commercial with Mr. Ray Charles in Georgia, and then about - 6 weeks ago, my mom and dad and I came to Los Angeles to shoot a commercial for Tide, and then my parents decided to move to Los Angeles. They think there are more opportunities for me here, and then I met my current - agent, Mr. Mark Bridges, he thinks so too, so I believe I will become an excellent actress."

Although it was somewhat lengthy and she paused a few times, for a 6-year-old child it was quite impressive, and she never looked back at her mother, truly the precocious little girl from my memory. However, when she mentioned the name Mark Bridges, Adrian glanced at the casting director Carlos Pike who was sitting upright not far away, as if he had heard nothing.

"Thank you for your answer, Hannah, you did very well," Adrian applauded encouragingly again, "Second question, and the last one. Your hair color and eye color are different from what we are looking for, so if you get this role, we’ll have to dye your hair and change your eye color with colored contacts. This could potentially harm your hair and your eyes. Would you still be willing to play this role?"

The little girl bit her lip again, but this time she thought for a much shorter time before answering, "Yes."

"Oh?" Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I have an aunt who works as an announcer at ESPN, and she told me that an impressive and exciting performance always requires sacrifice," she said softly and continuously, without a pause or looking back at her mother. Then, she smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes, "Besides, I believe the production team will help me avoid these injuries."

Such a ghost spirit. Adrian chuckled silently to himself as he clapped his hands again approvingly.

"You have a very outstanding daughter, Mrs. Arlington," he said, getting to his feet and reaching out to shake the hand of Hannah’s mother. Although he didn’t make a clear statement, judging by this unprecedented gesture, it seemed likely that the role would go to Hannah Dakota Fanning.

Sure enough, the kids who make a name for themselves in Hollywood, especially the little girls, are mostly precocious. Hannah Dakota Fanning was just like that, and so was Leighton Meester. Adrian remembered distinctly how the young girl, who had tried to manipulate him in order to land a role in "CSI," had responded calmly when he pointed it out during a private chat when auditioning for "Spy Kids."

"Yes, I did deceive you, Mr. Adrian, but I believe you must have investigated my family. For a girl like me, what else can I do?" she said, conveying a sense of resignation but also a hint of performance in her demeanor—Leighton clearly underestimated Adrian’s observational skills—yet it seemed at least half sincere.

Faced with such a girl, Adrian didn’t have much to say, but he didn’t let her off the hook either, teasingly pinching her cheek, "You’re a beautiful, smart girl."

Of course, the precociousness of Leighton and Dakota is different. Leighton’s precociousness comes from life experiences that are different from those of ordinary people, forcing her to take on responsibilities prematurely and developing through them. Dakota, on the other hand, has a natural sensitivity to imitation and performance. That’s a gift, like... Natalie’s. Such talent can be both good and bad; fully exploiting this trait could make her an outstanding actress, but this is Hollywood!

Well, that’s a problem for the future. As for now, Adrian was delighted to have discovered a future star at this moment. At least for the next five or six years, Hannah Dakota Fanning would be extremely valuable, and casting her as the little daughter in "Winter’s Bone" and then signing her would definitely be a worthwhile investment.

"Tell me honestly, Carlos, how much did Mark bribe you?" Adrian asked the casting director with a smile after the audition had ended.

"Not a thing, I swear, Ed," Carlos Pike quickly raised both hands, "Mark kept bugging me to recommend that little girl, practically pestering me every day. I couldn’t exactly call the police on him, could I? But this Hannah is indeed very good, isn’t she? Don’t tell me you don’t think so."

"You’ve passed," Adrian said, slapping him on the shoulder with a laugh.

Mark Bridges was an agent at their agency known for discovering actors, so it was no surprise that he signed Dakota. Agents generally have extensive networks, and a career agent who can’t weave connections will eventually be eliminated—why did Lin Xilei willingly agree? Without his support, she couldn’t achieve that. The more extensive the network, the more opportunities available for the agents’ actors, and things like Bridges pulling Pike for opportunities happen all over Hollywood.

However, compared to other talent agencies and film and television production companies, MGI Talent Agency had undeniably closer ties with AC Media, which gave them more opportunities and allowed their agents to be more bold in promoting their actors. It was because of this advantage that Michael Ovitz had absorbed many smaller talent agencies, and although it might still be a notch below WMA and CAA, it had already left Endeavor, ICM, and UTA behind.

Had it not been for covert pushback from the other agencies, and Adrian and Claude’s own reluctance to show overt support, as well as Ovitz’s concerns about affecting his current standing, there’s a chance that Endeavor could have been swallowed up as well.

In short, this was a more perfect industry chain, where talent agencies discovered new talents and then conveniently recommended them to film and television production companies. After that, the media would promote them extensively, and the subsequent fame would make the talent agencies more attractive. Hannah Dakota Fanning was not the first future star to fall into Adrian’s hands through this industry chain, and she certainly wouldn’t be the last.

On March 2, 2000, "Winter’s Bone" officially started filming in the outskirts of Kansas City, the capital of Missouri. Unless under special circumstances, no regular production team would actually go to those remote small towns to shoot.

No media were paying attention to the Miracle Director’s new movie. At his level, if he wanted to cover things up for a while, it was quite easy, especially since this movie was not a significant investment, and therefore, the start of filming wasn’t particularly noticeable. Moreover, the media’s attention was currently focused on the Oscars.

Although the films nominated for Best Picture this year were not as significant as "Schindler’s List," "Forrest Gump," or "Saving Private Ryan," "American Beauty" had enough of a topic to discuss. "Malena," though not bad, was just too far removed from American life. Even so, the Oscars were still the biggest event in the American film industry, and countless media outlets vied to report and speculate.

Who would most likely take home the Best Picture? To whom would Best Director go? Who were the likeliest candidates for Best Actor and Actress, and so on? Especially for Best Actress, Nicole was of high profile for two reasons: not only was the headline "shone bright immediately after leaving Cruise" a draw, but Cruise also had a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and many people were looking forward to seeing them meet on the red carpet or the stage.

Although Monica was behind Nicole, the attention she received was also substantial. With Adrian’s support behind the scenes, many still favored her. However, some believed that Hilary Swank could be a dark horse, as her performance was the highlight of the entire film "Boys Don’t Cry." Without her, the film would have merely been second-rate. freewebnσvel.cøm

Even so, the level of discussion was not as intense as the previous year’s Oscars. After all, last year two Miracle Girls were nominated, both of whom were directed by Adrian himself. Although many people speculated that there was some connection between Nicole and Adrian, insiders knew that Adrian had a hand in Nicole and Cruise’s divorce. Still, even the tabloids known for sensationalism could only hint at it, let alone anyone else.

Adrian had seen quite a bit of the related reports, and messages from Weinstein’s side were constantly being conveyed. Although he still had some concerns, once filming started, he transferred all his attention there.

"Okay, everyone, take your places and get ready to start," Adrian said loudly, clapping his hands, after communicating with each person individually.

The entire production team immediately sprang into action. For the first shoot, he chose some life scenes to let everyone warm up and find the right feel.

"Your emotion needs to be more restrained, Natalie. You’ve left that kind of life behind for several years now—irresponsible father, oblivious mother, naïve brother and sister, the burden is all on you. No matter how tough you are, numbness will still show on your face, understand?" After two or three takes, and a few NGs while shooting the breakfast scene, Adrian spoke these words to Natalie.

"In that case, how about I stay mostly serious and convey my emotions through subtle expressions?" Natalie suggested after some thought.

"We can try that, but you need to get the degree of seriousness just right," Adrian responded with a nod.

Frankly, Natalie’s performance was quite good. Having understood what Adrian intended, she had indeed done her homework. Not only did she quickly get into character, but even her speech took on a Missouri country accent—in fact, the points Adrian had just raised were minor issues.

In a way, Ray Dollie and Matilda had a lot in common. Both underwent serious personal traumas, both had to shoulder the burden themselves, both cared for their loved ones, and both struggled mightily in their lives. The few lines that Natalie had drawn from the script could be seen as their consistent trait: like weeds, humble yet tenacious.

The difference was that Matilda’s experiences were brief yet intense and rife with conflict, while Dollie’s life was calm and steady, like still water, only rippled by the splash of pebbles. The challenges each character faced were different, the stories that unfolded were naturally different, and the reactions they provoked were different as well. However, this commonality was enough for Natalie to grasp the essence of the character, and her slightly frail appearance was very fitting. Furthermore, being not yet 19 for another two months, the role could be considered tailor-made for her.

"By the way, this could be seen as a commemoration," Adrian thought to himself as he watched Natalie preparing, clad in a down jacket.

As for the other two children, they performed quite well, too. Adrian had completely disregarded the boy, but for Dakota, who was hopping around energetically, Georgia and Missouri weren’t far apart, and the character was relatively simple. She had no difficulty portraying the role. Honestly, if Natalie had not been the lead, Dakota could have kept her blonde hair. But it didn’t matter, her hair was already short, and wearing a dark wig posed no difficulty. As for her eye color, there was no need to worry unless there were close-ups or special shots, which could be fixed in post-production anyway. The talk about dying her hair and wearing colored contacts during the auditions was just a probe.

"Our whole family are members of the Baptist church!" During the filming, one or two scenes featured a radio broadcasting a Baptist fundraising event, and the little girl proudly told Adrian this.

"Is that so? Quite unexpected," Adrian expressed his admiration. He didn’t have any particular feelings about the Fanning family’s religious beliefs; he just wanted to make conversation with the little girl. In the glittery world of Hollywood, the influence of religion might not be pronounced, but it certainly wasn’t as strong as in the inland areas, despite the Southern Baptist Convention being the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

"By the way, Hannah, have you ever thought about what stage name you might use?" Adrian suddenly asked.

"Stage name?" Dakota lifted her head and blinked her eyes adorably.

"Yes, like Natalie has a stage name. She uses her grandmother’s maiden name as her last name for her acting career. It has saved her a lot of trouble. When she was studying at Harvard University, many letters sent to her ended up elsewhere because there was more than one girl named Natalie," Adrian said with a smile, then looked at Natalie beside him, "Right, Natalie?"

"Adrian is correct," Natalie put down her script and showed a faint smile with no hint of any other emotion, "You could try to come up with one, Hannah."

"Hmm..." Dakota pondered for a while, tilting her head, "Why don’t Ed come up with one for me? You must have a lot of experience."

"Well," Adrian pretended to ponder, "how about using your middle name and last name? Privately, with family or friends, you are Hannah Fanning. But when acting, you are Dakota Fanning. What do you think?"

The little girl repeated it a few times, then smiled brilliantly, "I like it, thank you, Ed. I’m going to tell my mom."

With that, she ran off quickly. Watching her eagerly tell her mother about it, Adrian withdrew his gaze, then glanced unintentionally at Natalie beside him. Natalie immediately lifted her script a bit higher.

She probably thought he was up to something again... Adrian chuckled and shook his head slightly, then called the assistant director over to prepare for the next shot.

For three consecutive days, the progress of the filming went quite well, with not too many NG shots and no external interference. Nevertheless, most of the shots were still just a warm-up, such as Dollie peeling potatoes for breakfast, combing her mother’s hair who was out of sorts, or teaching her younger siblings to spell words. The only real trouble was splitting firewood. Every time Natalie lifted the axe over her head with her petite stature, it involuntarily made people worry, and since chopping wood is a skillful task, if not handled properly it simply wouldn’t split. Thus, after several takes and Natalie was left gasping for air, they finally got the shot.

The difficult scenes were about to start. (To be continued. If you like this book, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)

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