Chapter 8: don't look back
Duke waved to the receptionist as he headed back to the lobby on the first floor. He found a spot where he could see the entrance and exit of the elevator and sat down to wait patiently.
Success has never been easy, let alone for a nobody like him, who used to wait for an opportunity, and he has enough patience.
Success has never been easy, for somebody like him, who used to wait for an opportunity. He has enough patience.
As noon approached, Duke's concerned eyes caught sight of three figures who had just walked out. They were walking on the side closest to him, almost completely blocking the people behind him. One of the people who had appeared in the newspapers looked very similar to Tim Fisher, Duke thought to himself.
Taking out the script from his handbag, Duke walked over without hesitation, but instead of running to them immediately, he followed them out of the Fox Building.
"Duke?"
Just as he walked out, a very familiar voice called to him, "Why are you here?"
Hearing this voice, Duke turned his head slightly to find that one of the three men was was his agent Lovett.
No, it should be the former agent. The contract between the two parties expired as early as May. Duke nodded slightly to the other side, then turned to face Tim Fisher.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Fisher," he said very quickly and politely. "I have a script here, please take a look."
Perhaps Tim Fisher was often encountering this situation and wasn't surprised. He reached out his hand to stop the security guard who wanted to come over. He took the script handed by Duke and turned his head to look to the other side. "Lovett, is this someone under the CAA?"
"Mr Fisher, Mr Bob."
Lovett, the outermost, said respectfully to Tim Fisher and Martin Bob in the middle, "He used to be my signing actor, and the company did not renew his contract after the contract expired in May."
His meaning is very obvious, CAA is not optimistic about Duke, and voluntarily gave up on him.
"Actor? No contract renewal?"
Tim Fisher frowned, and let go of the hand that was about to turn the script, "Duke, right? I've accepted the script, and if there are any questions, I'll have someone contact you."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, stopping what Duke wanted to say.
Duke is not an idiot. He knew that if he was insisted on talking to him, the security guard behind him would definitely come over. He politely said 'thank you', turned around, and left slowly.
"Is this the kid from the Rosenbergs?"
A middle-aged man's voice sounded from the rear. Duke knew that this was Martin Bob, one of the big five in CAA and now a top Hollywood figure. "I thought he had some potential," Bob said, "but in CAA's evaluation of its artists this year, his ability evaluation was D, his potential was E, so was abandoned by CAA."
Even if Duke doesn't look back, he can guess Tim Fisher's expression. anyone who has been abandoned by CAA probably have no future in Hollywood?
Resisting the urge to turn back, Duke turned his head slightly and glanced back as he walking around the corner of the Fox Building, only to see Tim Fisher hand over the script one of the staff member who turned around and entered the Fox Building without looking back.
Actually, this was not surprising?
After starting his second-hand Ford, Duke turned the steering wheel and slowly drove out of the parking lot. Big people need face, and they also need to show that they value talent in public. After Lovett's words, Tim Fisher didn't even think to ask his name and contact information.
Maybe the other party doesn't have the right to directly decide what movie can be made, but it is not difficult for him to reject a script.
Duke stopped for lunch outside of Beverly Hills and then continued on his journey. He wasn't discouraged by failure, instead it made him more determined.
He went to Burbank this time. The car drove into the city and he found the Warner Building easily. He asked at the front desk and took the elevator to the Warner Bros office floor.
Probably because of God's blessing, when Duke went to deliver the script, he actually met Jeff Robinov, who was in charge of the film business of Warner Brothers. Duke was only given five minutes for the meeting because Robinov was Jewish.
"...a Los Angeles police officer Jack thwarts retired bomb squad member Howard Payne's attempt at taking hostages, angering Payne in the process. In revenge, Payne arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie, Jack and his partner try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them..."
Five minutes is neither too short nor too long. Duke only briefly explained the main idea of the script and his desire to become a director.
The slightly bald middle-aged Jew leaned back on the office chair, looked at Duke who was sitting in front of him, and asked, "If I understand correctly, Mr. Rosenberg, you ... want to direct your own script?"
"Yes." Duke nodded seriously.