Kapitel 120: Chapter 120: Interview with Richard Gere
[Chapter 120: Interview with Richard Gere]
"The setup for the lead character was quite bizarre; he had a PhD and was skilled in some martial arts, yet he was content to work as a gofer in a bar. Then, the director awkwardly transformed him into a paranoid avenger who, while capable of killing off lackeys without a second thought, was surprisingly soft when it came to the main villain, almost getting killed himself in the end. All in all, it was a movie with a painfully awkward and convoluted plot."
"The film was filled with anarchistic law enforcement, reckless destruction, and unrestrained violence; it was practically a farce."
"I only saw thugs brawling, shattered beer bottles, a group of busty women, and splattering blood. The story was pallid and unconvincing. Richard Gere's intentionally sculpted muscles for the film didn't spark any interest either; his actions in the film didn't even match the neatness of the supporting villain."
"A laughable and noisy fable of fists."
"This was essentially a movie that could have done without the lead character, and everything would still unfold as per the plot: the Double Deuce bar got raided, inciting the antogonist's greed, followed by a series of violence, arson, and murder, until the fed-up townsfolk rose up to kill the villain. I wonder if Richard Gere regretted passing up Eric Williams's film, keeping him awake at nights."
"Aside from the rock soundtrack, this movie had nothing going for it."
Thanks to United Artists' vigorous early promotions, the opening day attendance in over 1,900 theaters reached over 70%, but following the avalanche of negative reviews after its release, attendance plummeted.
...
Three days later, the Easter weekend box office was released.
It came as no surprise that a box office reversal occurred in its sixth week, garnering over $2.4 million more than the previous weekend with a total of $11.27 million, Pretty Woman claimed the top spot for the weekend. The six-week cumulative box office reached nearly $97.69 million. Having another film reach over $100 million seemed imminent for Eric. Considering Eric still had several months until his nineteenth birthday, this achievement was bound to attract another media frenzy.
Although the film Road House opened on nearly 2,000 screens, the sharp drop in attendance over the weekend resulted in a mere $5.25 million in its first weekend, which placed it second with less than half the earnings.
Due to Columbia's increased support and the holiday weekend, the film Home Alone quietly raked in over $4 million in its eighteenth week, steadily approaching the $300 million mark. This underdog had dominated the box office for twelve consecutive weeks and remained in the top five for over four months; everyone was kind of numb to it now.
Perhaps someday, when the gross suddenly crossed the $300 million threshold, the public would once again raise their eyebrows and exclaim something like "Wow."
...
In the new week, Eric wrapped up auditions and briefed two directors before running around the Greater Los Angeles area scouting locations.
Though the required scenes were few, numerous shots needed road closures, and finding suitable locations was anything but easy. At the same time, Eric realized the limitations of his own strength. As Hollywood's stronghold, Los Angeles offered significant policy support for filmmaking, but this didn't mean film crews could run rampant; many scenes required approval from various municipal departments. Although the flexibility was substantial, the process was extremely complicated.
Moreover, relevant connections were indispensable. Even though Eric was quite famous, he couldn't compare himself to seasoned directors or top-notch producers. Sometimes what took others just a phone call he had to negotiate face-to-face repeatedly.
Fortunately, Columbia attached great importance to the film and sent an experienced producer to assist Eric with preparations, which greatly accelerated the initial setup time.
While Eric was scouting locations, another incident quietly unfolded.
...
The whole stir began with Richard Gere. The former superstar, approaching 40, grew increasingly obsessed with losing the lead role after the first weekend's box office results came out. He knew he had squandered a rare chance to return as an A-list star, especially with the recent box office failure filling him with more frustration and regret.
Desperate to secure another movie deal to turn things around, Richard felt CAA had a responsibility to help him since they owed him that. If it weren't for Michael Ovitz's personal grudges, he wouldn't have forsaken the lead role.
To that end, Richard attempted to arrange a face-to-face with Michael Ovitz multiple times, but Ovitz was busy facilitating a deal between Sony Pictures and Coca-Cola, so he passed the matter over to Richard's agent, Horner Weely, the one with a significant obsessive-compulsive personality who had been customarily revolting to Eric and Stuart Ronkel at one point.
Horner Weely, considering Richard's situation, suggested he take the lead in a low-budget horror film. Naturally, Richard was unhappy with this. He had set his sights on a mid-level production that Universal was developing that CAA was managing. It wasn't an unreasonable request. However, Horner refused outright to fight for that role, arguing that Universal wouldn't hire an actor who had just embarrassed himself in a big production and fallen to the lower ranks.
Horner Weely was one of the early agents at CAA and was now a top-tier agent. Even many A-list actors treated him with deference, which had slowly fueled his ego. Richard, meanwhile, completely blamed the loss of this opportunity on CAA, his resentment having built up over time. After Horner's refusal to help him get that role, an anger at being duped erupted.
The two ended up in a heated argument in Horner's office; had other staff not rushed in to separate them, they might have ended up in a physical altercation.
Following this incident, Richard left CAA that same day and, three days later, switched over to another major agency, William Morris Agency (WMA), through a friend's introduction.
This would typically be just another actor's resignation, a common occurrence among major talent agencies in Hollywood. Even CAA, which had established a system to mitigate betrayal costs, couldn't completely avoid them, even though such events happened less often. CAA's "betrayal cost" system mainly sought to prevent agents from branching off on their own, as the founders of CAA originally came from another major agency. But for big-name stars, leaving was relatively easy. Second and third-tier stars could also easily walk away if they were willing to pay the breach fees. However, CAA's extensive resources in the film industry dissuaded most stars from leaving its shade.
Moreover, CAA swiftly issued a tight non-disclosure order regarding the conflict between Horner Weely and Richard Gere, hoping it would fade quietly. However, they overlooked the fact that Richard was one of the main parties involved.
...
Richard's shift soon caught some media attention. During an interview with reporters, harboring deep-seated bitterness, Richard painted himself as a 'victim,' maliciously defaming CAA. The next day, an article titled "Exclusive Interview with Richard Gere: The Inside Scoop on Losing the Lead Role in Pretty Woman" surfaced.
"Recently, the renowned actor Richard Gere, who was once considered for the lead role in Eric Williams's box office success, abruptly left his long-time agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In an exclusive interview, Richard finally revealed the specifics of what forced him to reject the lead role offer.
Here are Richard Gere's own words: When I initially read the script, I thought it would be a fantastic story, well-suited to my persona, and I even prepared for the character. Though Eric Williams was quite young, I recognized his talent through his earlier work. However, when I was about to accept the offer, my former agent, Horner Weely, indicated that I should refuse.
I was puzzled, and then Horner told me that Eric Williams had just signed Kepler Hyde, and Michael Ovitz had deep-seated issues with him. He didn't want his clients collaborating with Eric Williams; to put it bluntly, Michael Ovitz wanted to blackball Eric.
But I didn't want to give up that opportunity, so I discussed it with Horner. What followed was a veiled threat; if I collaborated with Eric Williams, then CAA would freeze me out. I was already in a slump in my career, and out of fear of CAA's threats, I felt compelled to turn down the offer.
Then CAA, under the guise of comfort, offered me the lead role in an action film from United Artists. When I saw the script, I told Horner, 'No, this character doesn't suit me. I've acted in action films before, but this role is way too violent; they should find a muscle-bound actor for it.'
But Horner insisted I had no other choices, and soon I found myself accepting the role at a much lower salary. To fit the character better, I engaged in intense training for a while. Yet, the film ended up failing.
I'm disclosing all this now because I believe CAA has lost sight of its purpose. After monopolizing too many resources, they have become reckless. Certain individuals, out of personal grudges and a desire to exert their power, can jeopardize an actor's career and toy with films that have received multimillion-dollar investments from other companies. That's reprehensible.
Talent agencies should serve actors, prioritizing their clients' interests to ensure long-term survival. Instead, CAA has begun to treat actors like mere pawns, and they'll eventually face the consequences."
*****
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