Ronald Goldberg only expressed an intention over the phone and never fully sealed the deal. To avoid another midday tug‑of‑war or a renewed stalemate, Simon outright declined the lunch invitation, asking Jonathan Friedman to attend in his place.
Agents often serve as a buffer between filmmakers and studios.
Approaching noon, Jonathan rushed to handle Ronald Goldberg's invitation. Simon borrowed a car from WMA, still trailed by a swarm of paparazzi, and headed back to his villa in Montana District.
Sure enough, paparazzi were also lurking in front of the villa.
Simon drove into the villa's parking space. After getting out, he worried the paparazzi might rush forward, but they were merely standing on the roadside beside the lawn, snapping wildly, and a few tried to talk to him to no avail.
He pulled out the key, opened the door, and, hearing the rapid clicking behind him, decided to relocate quickly. Open‑plan American neighbourhoods with front‑yard‑back‑yard layouts give him little sense of security; staying longer would mean zero privacy.
Entering the living Room, he dropped his suitcase and immediately noticed the voicemail indicator flashing on the phone.
He glanced over; the mailbox was full.
He pressed play. The voice of Orion Pictures President Mike Medavoy came on, offering only casual small talk and asking Simon to return his call once home. The second call was from Ron McMillan, congratulating him on the recent box‑office success of 'Run Lola Run' and asking if Simon was free; the crew who filmed 'Run Lola Run' wanted to throw a party to celebrate the film's big hit.
Simon still needed to head to Malibu, so after listening to the two messages and realizing the next calls wouldn't be urgent, he let the voicemail run, hauled his suitcase, and went to the study.
The villa lacked a home security system, and Simon didn't plan to return. He intended to take everything important with him this time.
He cleared out clothing from the suitcase, packed the manuscripts, notes, clippings he'd accumulated over the past six months, double‑checked for omissions, and pulled the suitcase back to the living Room. Sandra was on the phone, ranting about 'Run Lola Run' being rated R.
When 'Run Lola Run' was being rated, Simon was in Arizona; he was initially upset by the news but now feels relieved.
Movies are ultimately business; commercial competition is never calm. Since Simon turned down The Big Seven and chose Orion, he should expect to be easily set up.
And after being set up, everyone still has to keep doing business.
That's the way the world works.
Leaving Montana District, Simon ignored the trailing paparazzi and drove toward Malibu.
Arriving at Janette's mansion near Point Dume Park in Malibu, Simon indeed saw more than a dozen paparazzi on the narrow paved road. The paparazzi who had followed him were now buzzing behind his car; they had just parked in the community's public lot.
Parking is prohibited on this community road.
Simon initially thought about having someone tow away any paparazzi cars that tried to chase him, but he underestimated these clearly battle‑hardened guys.
Before the paparazzi could get close, Simon arrived at Janette's mansion gate, jumped out, squeezed through the crowd of flashing cameras, hammered the handset button a few times, and without waiting for Janette's response, got back into his car, put on his sunglasses, and let the paparazzi snap at the front windshield.
Inside the mansion.
Janette, dressed in a cozy knit sweater and jeans, cradled a large bowl, stirring while cooing into the phone pressed to her neck: "Mom, I get it, I'm not a kid… how can that be… Anyway, don't let Anthony and his crew come, don't let Dad come, and definitely don't let Iceberg come. You don't want me to finally get a boyfriend and break up quickly, right? Heh, we've been calling her Iceberg for years… Oh, the doorbell rang, it must be Simon, I'll go answer. Bye, love you".
Finishing that rapid monologue, Janette set the bowl down, tossed the handset, and ran out of the villa.
Outside the mansion.
The black sliding gate opened slowly; Simon still ignored the paparazzi that had even blocked his car's front. He eased the accelerator and slowly moved into the courtyard. The paparazzi kept following the car to the gate, but seeing Simon's steady, slow speed, they backed off.
The sedan entered the courtyard, and the enclosed iron gate shut behind it.
After getting out, Simon glanced at the row of cameras mounted above the gate, took his luggage from the car, and said to Janette, who was hiding in a corner, "The gate's nice, stronger than a fence. If it were a bit higher, it'd be perfect".
Janet laughed, "I'll call the workers to replace the gate in a bit".
Simon shook his head, "Never mind, it's fine as it is; raising it would look ugly".
Saying that, Simon carried a stack of folders he'd brought back from WMA, dragged his suitcase toward where Janette stood, and handed her the stack; the two walked deeper into the villa.
Just as they entered the villa, Janette raised her chin slightly and gestured around, "What'd you think about this place?"
Simon surveyed the warm‑toned, minimalist décor, listened to the faint sound of waves crashing from the terrace, nodded, and said, "Very nice, I don't want to leave now".
"Hehe," Janette smiled, placed the stack of papers on the coffee table, and said, "Then marry me quickly; half of this place will be yours".
Simon looked Janette up and down "Only half?"
"Hmm" Janette leaned in, hugged Simon, and in a soft tone corrected, "All of it is yours, even me".
Simon lowered his head, gave her a quick kiss, and said, "First find me a study. Until I find a house, I'll probably have to stay here. It's also nice to have you; I'm uneasy with all those paparazzi outside".
Janette let go of Simon, led him to another Room, and complained, "Why look for a house? Isn't this place fine?"
Simon shook his head, "I'm not used to it".
Janet pursed her lips, "Hmph, male chauvinism".
"That has nothing to do with any ideology. Lions don't live on others' territory; you're just a kitten who can't understand".
"Alright, alright, I'm a kitten," Janette said in a lazy tone, leading him to a seaside room, "How about here?"
Simon looked at the spacious study: a wall‑to‑wall bookshelf filled with various crafts, a large desk beside it, and a floor‑to‑ceiling window on the south side opening to the terrace, where a sun‑bathing sofa set was arranged.
"Not bad, just need one more phone".
"Here," Janette pointed to the cabinet beneath the bookshelf, "look inside the cabinet; there's a phone jack here, just plug it in and you can use it".
"No problem then," Simon nodded, placing his suitcase nearby, "have you prepared lunch?"
"I was just about to bake some mini cakes. We don't have many leftovers at home, so that's all I can make."
Simon pushed Janette toward the door and said, "That'll do for now; this afternoon we'll have someone bring us some supplies".
After a simple lunch, Simon slipped into the study to get to work.
Since 'Run Lola Run' turned out to be far more successful than expected, Simon decided to re‑plan his next move.
Before that, he first needed to build a team that would serve him exclusively.
Simon currently only has an agent and a personal lawyer; Jonathan Friedman and George Norman are sufficient to fill those two roles.
But that's far from enough.
Besides an agent and a personal lawyer, Simon needs a dedicated public‑relations manager for media issues; a reliable finance manager to handle his personal assets; a seasoned executive for Daenerys Pictures; and, finally, security. Although he doesn't like having someone constantly by his side, a bodyguard at public events would certainly defuse many problems. It felt like a whole slew of tasks.
Simon spent the entire afternoon calling the contacts he'd accumulated over the past six months, seeking introductions, asking for advice, and occasionally making judgments based on his own recollections, always proceeding with great caution.
He had to be extremely careful.
Take the finance manager, for example. Simon recalled several Hollywood stars who went bankrupt after hiring the wrong person. After much deliberation, he even scrapped the idea of hiring a finance manager altogether, opting instead to engage an accounting firm to handle the bookkeeping and tax filings for his two companies.
As for managing his personal wealth, that can wait. Besides, his wife may be lazy, but she's a legitimate business‑school graduate, and a few occasional whips will still get things moving.
During this time, Jonathan Friedman called back, saying he'd already spoken with Ronald Goldberg.
Simon's profit‑sharing terms and absolute control over the project were basically accepted by Fox, but Fox also demanded that the minimum box‑office guarantee for Simon's share be raised to $20 million.
Only if Simon agreed could the two sides continue negotiating the contract details.
$16 million versus $20 million isn't a huge gap.
Simon understood that Fox was merely trying to save a bit of face, so he didn't push back and readily agreed.
Time flies when you're busy, and before he knew it the sun was setting.
Janette had been helping Simon brainstorm, but after less than an hour she lost interest, curled up on the terrace sofa with the pile of documents he'd brought and started leafing through them with relish.
After hanging up another call, Simon glanced at the contact number of a public‑relations firm called PMK and found it amusing because its owner, Pat Kingsley, is a famed PR queen in Hollywood.
Pat Kingsley's most famous client is, of course, Tom Cruise. Simon also recalled that Jodie Foster, Al Pacino, Will Smith and other stars were among Pat's clientele.
Why is Tom Cruise's partnership with Pat the most renowned?
Obviously, Cruise's public image is extremely difficult to maintain, and Pat has kept that job perfect for over a decade.
Back in the original timeline, in 2004, Cruise fired Pat and rashly appointed his sister to handle PR, which quickly turned the once cool Tom Cruise into a sofa‑jumping clown.
Just as Simon was about to call PMK to make an appointment, he heard Janette, lounging on the sofa, burst into a giggle.
Looking up, Simon smiled and asked, "What's up?"
Janet raised a script in her hand, still laughing, "Hehe, this is… so funny".
She then stood up, squeezed onto Simon's lap, and showed him a page, saying, "Simon, how about we make this your next movie?"
"You'll have to let me see the script first," he replied.
Simon took Janette's still‑trembling hand, she was too excited, and looked at the script. It turned out to be 'When Harry Met Sally', along with its most memorable scene.
Harry and Sally are eating in a restaurant when they suddenly start debating whether a woman can fake her reactions in bed.
Harry insists a woman can't fake it, claiming he's never seen it. Sally scoffs, and in front of everyone she vividly demonstrates the point by loudly faking an orgasm.
Simon read the brief description, and the corresponding footage instantly flashed in his mind.
Thanks to Meg Ryan's and Billy Crystal's superb performances, the scene never feels lewd; instead it provokes an uncontrollable laugh.
He also remembered an elderly lady who, after Sally's enthusiastic outburst, pointed at her own plate and told the waiter, "I'll have what she's having".
That detail makes the scene even more hilarious.
But the script in front of him lacks that bit, it must have been an on‑set improvisation.
Simon pencilled a note on the script to add the missing piece later, then, with a grin, asked Janet, "You're not faking in bed either, are you?"
"Hmm, how could I? You're amazing," Janette stuck a post it on Simon, looked at the star he'd drawn on the script, and added, "Simon, I really love this story".
Simon nodded decisively, "Shoot it!"
"Hehe, you're wonderful," Janette turned, kissed Simon's lips, wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes sparkling, and said, "How about we try it right now? See if I'm really faking?"
"No need, I'm still confident",
Janette tugged at Simon's jacket collar, "You men are all so arrogant."
Simon smiled without replying, flipped through the script casually, and said, "But Janette, this is a romance film, not really suitable for my next movie. Even if I did it, I'd probably just be the producer".
"Hmm," Janette nodded, turned in her seat to face Simon, straightened his collar, and asked, "So, Simon, what are you planning for your next film? You won't be producing forever, will you?"
Simon wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "For now I'll be busy with 'Final Destination' and maybe this one. As for my next film, I'll keep it a secret. But to maintain the popularity I gained from 'Run Lola Run', it'll definitely be more spectacular".