Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

Steven Spielberg was quite a busy man whenever he was working on a film, which was usually the case. People called him a workaholic; he called himself motivated—something that most people lack nowadays, especially the younger generation who has never seen the difficulties the older generation had to face. Many people ask him why there aren’t as many young visionary directors as there were in Steven’s time. The answer is simple. People are content with their lives of mediocrity. They don’t strive to be better.

Steven knew that his children would never work as much as he did. Even if they become filmmakers, they won’t make as many films as he did. It isn’t their fault necessarily. Times are changing. Filmmaking, which was once considered an art, has today become a manufacturing unit. Innovation in scripts is being discouraged in the name of the studios ‘knowing audience tastes,’ which essentially means copying off the same basic premise again and again after changing the villain. Today, it is becoming increasingly difficult for filmmakers to get entirely new ideas funded. What George Lucas did in [Star Wars] or even Steven himself did on [Jaws] or [E.T.] is being discouraged today to play safe by the studios.

This was a big reason he was facing so much difficulty in financing [A.I.] while George Lucas had no problem whatsoever with the [Star Wars] prequel.

But still, every once in a while, there comes a film like [The Sixth Sense] that completely shakes the market, critics, everyone. That film gave two big discoveries to Hollywood: M. Night Shyamalan and Troy Armitage. Although the kid was falsely nominated in the supporting actor category when he should have been the lead, he fully deserved that Oscar. It was the best child performance Steven had ever seen. Better than [E.T.], [Home Alone], and even [The Wizard of Oz].

The deft skill with which the kid handled the film—Steven just knew that he would make an excellent David. He went back to the kid’s first film, [Sex Education], only to get his mind blown again. No doubt they gave him an Emmy for that. If he still had any doubt about his talent, the kid proved his mettle again in his third film, [Billy Elliot]. Even if Steve Kloves hadn’t pulled that little trick on Steven, it would have been difficult for him to get others to not vote in Troy’s favor for Best Actor. He was that good. Three master-level performances in two years just told everyone how good of an actor Troy is.

So of course, Steven wanted the kid to play David in his film. He hadn’t even thought of an alternative. The kid shocked him once again by saying that he would be completing his GCSE exams just a week before the shooting was to begin. Steven allowed him begrudgingly because he knew the importance of education.

Of course, it had to come off with a little snag. Even if the kid was good, he wasn’t a reincarnation of the god of acting. Because of the less time for pre-production the kid had with Steven, he couldn’t perform very well.

Steven felt like pulling his hair out in frustration when Troy started showing utter incompetence while doing the scenes. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and paused the production before pulling Troy aside.

The first thing Steven noticed while pointing out his flaws was that Troy was very mature. Despite being told bluntly by Steven why the production couldn’t move on, he accepted his mistakes and asked how to correct them. And correct he did.

It was as if a switch had been turned on, from mediocre performance to beast mode. A beast mode that left everyone on the set stunned. Steven’s long-time collaborator, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, turned to him, “What the fuck did you just say to him? He’s like another person out there.”

“I just showed him his performance,” Steven confessed. “I didn’t give him any tips.”

“Just another child prodigy,” Kaminski noted.

“It would seem so,” Steven agreed.

Steven could immediately understand why the kid was considered so good. He had a talent to adjust his performance very minutely, something that takes veteran actors years, if not more, to perfect. And Steven couldn’t be happier at making this discovery.

It’s better if they shoot as many scenes as possible today only. Steven didn't know how much longer the kid would be able to retain this state of mind. Giving the actors some time off, Steven quickly barked instructions to the crew members to prepare the next scene, which was done within half an hour.

“Action!”

“Mommy?” David whispered to Monica, “Will you die?” His eyes showed the vulnerability that his monotonous voice couldn’t.

“Well, one day, David, yes, I will,” she answered softly while worrying over the empty perfume bottle in her hand that David had emptied on himself in his immaturity.

“I’ll be alone.”

“Don’t worry yourself so.”

David stepped forward and put his head on Monica’s lap while staring at her eyes with great longing, “How long will you live?”

“For ages,” Monica lightly rubbed David’s back. “For fifty years.”

“I love you, Mommy,” David whispered with all his heart without blinking even a single time. “I hope you never die. Never.”

Steven couldn’t help himself at that moment as his eyes watered. The scene was too heart-wrenching not to cry over.

“Cut!” Kaminski called out when he noticed that Steven was in no condition to make that call. That did bring Steven out of his emotional state enough to wipe his eyes off discreetly and give a nod to his assistant, telling him that the shot was good enough to pass.

Steven slowly turned to the two actors, mostly to the younger one, before walking over to him and engulfing him in a hug. “That was marvelous, Troy.”

“Thanks,” Troy whispered shyly.

“If you keep that performance up, your third Oscar nomination might just happen.”

“Don’t you mean second?” Troy asked in a genuinely curious tone.

Steven suppressed the urge to laugh at the kid’s ignorance, “Definitely third. The second would be [Billy Elliot], and we’re releasing this film next year. Just imagine, three consecutive Oscar nominations and at least one win at your age.”

“I’m not so sure about it,” the kid argued weakly. “Maybe we should talk about it next year when the film releases.”

Steven chuckled but didn’t continue the argument. “Sure. Just keep doing what we’re doing, and we’ll be done with the film before we even know it.”

“I will,” Troy gave an earnest smile to Steven, who could only ruffle his hair, much to Troy’s irritation.

 

(Break)

 

Working with Steven Spielberg was an experience in itself, and not just because he’s famous and super rich, but because he makes the whole process very simple. On my first day on set, I thought he’d yell at me when I kept bungling the scene. He didn’t so much as raise his voice and calmly explained everything. As the days passed and we shot more and more scenes, we came to an unspoken understanding of sorts. It could be because I had already seen the film and I understood Steven’s vision perfectly, or it could be because of how easy he made the whole acting process.

If I had to learn diving for the film, he hired the best professionals in California to teach me that. The most elaborate sets had been built on different sound stages with impeccable details. One couldn’t help but be in awe of the sets I was witnessing. Advanced animatronics were used to make a walking-talking Teddy bear and different robots with multiple facial emotions. Not just the technological factor, the whole crew consisted of some of the best people I had met in Hollywood. Not even once did I feel that a person was being mean or making fun of me.

Apart from the actors who played my parents, I had a great experience working with Jude Law. I met him for the first time on the day of the Oscars as we were nominated in the same category. Then again at the BAFTAs, where I won in the Best Leading Actor category while Jude won in the Best Supporting Actor category. I never knew at that point that we would go on to do this movie together.

In this great camaraderie of ours, we had a lot of fun on the set of [A.I.].

“Exactly what name do you give this woman?” Jude asked haughtily as we walked together, with his arm draped over my shoulder.

“She is just Blue Fairy,” I replied softly in that David-esque tone I had almost mastered by now.

“Blue Fairy,” Jude tested out the words in his mouth silkily while walking forward with a swagger. “In the world of Orga, blue is the color of melancholy. Yet the services I provide will put a blush back on anyone’s cheek. I will change the color of your fairy for you.” He pointed at me dramatically. “She will scream out in the moonlight. Ohh yes. Oh, God! Oh yes! Oh God! Oh God!” I cringed internally at the crude jokes Jude was making because I didn’t find it one bit funny. Yet my face was as blank as could be owing to me being in character.

Jude then stopped walking and pointed at me again, “She will make you a real boy, for I will make her a real woman and all will be right with the world because you held my hand and saved my brain so that once again my customers may ask for me by name: Gigolo Joe, what do you know?” Here Jude performed a little dance on the puddle he was standing on.

“Why do you do that?” I asked curiously while walking over to him.

“That’s just what I do,” he said, turning around. “Now follow me and don’t fall behind. All roads lead to Rouge!”

“Cut!” Steven’s voice echoed across the studio. “Good job, boys. Let me see the clip again and we’ll see if we need a retake.”

“How am I doing?” Jude asked me as the two of us were standing quite some distance away from the other crew members.

“Just like a sex-crazed maniac robot?” I half asked.

“Oh come on,” he waved me off. “I’m not that bad.”

“That was a compliment,” I corrected his assumptions. “That’s your character of Gigolo Joe, right?”

Jude looked at me skeptically, “Do you even know what a Gigolo is?”

“A man-whore,” I replied nonchalantly. The gaping maw of Jude was enough to make me laugh out loud. “Oh come on, grow up! I am taking high school classes now. Do you think I wouldn’t have read up on sex and prostitution?”

Yeah, you heard it right. I had cleared my GCSE with all A’s except Biology and Calculus where I got B’s. (I fucking hate Calculus.)

Jude shook his head, “As long as you don’t go and tell others that I told you about that, you’re fine.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but grin madly at Jude, “I definitely would.”

Jude looked panic-stricken for a moment before schooling his features, “Please don’t?”

“Nope,” I shook my head. “I definitely will. How will an 11-year-old know about prostitution?” I happily contradicted my own earlier statement. Jude looked as if he’d burst a vein if I continued the conversation so I gave him an out. “I can forget about this entirely if you do me a favor.”

“What favor?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” I mumbled while scratching my chin. “How about…” Then suddenly an idea lit my face. “Yes! I want you to get me a DVD or a VHS of a film called [Sex Education]. It was released in 1998 by HBO.”

“Now why would I get you that?” Jude shook his head. “The name itself says it all: [Sex Education]. Why do you even want to see it?”

“Because that’s my first film?” I half asked. “Listen, mate, you get me that film and I won’t tell anyone where I got it from. Or that you taught me all about prostitution.”

“I didn’t tell you anything about that!” Jude exclaimed in outrage, but the amusement beneath it all was not lost to either of us.

“Don’t lie,” I shook my head in disappointment. “I expected better from a grown-up like you.”

Jude looked conflicted for a few moments before saying, “Fine.”

“Fine as in you’ll get me the film?” I asked hopefully.

“No, fine, as in you can tell anyone whatever you want. I don’t care. I’m not getting you any film about sex.” His voice had a finality to it telling me that he won’t budge from his final decision.

I sighed in defeat, “You won man! I’m not saying anything to anyone. Just wanted to see my film.”

“Then ask your parents, not me.”

Before I could retort, Steven came back, “We’ll need to redo the scene boys. Your acting was good but it didn’t come out that good on reel. Cameraman’s fault.”

“Okay,” Jude gave Steven a thumbs up before taking the starting position. I followed him silently as we redid the scene.

 

(Break)

 

“Steven,” I called out to Spielberg as I approached him. “Do you have some time perhaps? I needed to speak with you about the film.”

Steven, who was going through some storyboards, looked up at me and smiled, “Sure, Troy. What do you have to talk about? Something about your character?”

I shook my head, “No. It’s the story in general. You know how I signed up for the film without reading the script because of your involvement? Now that I have, I have a few observations about the ending that I wanted to discuss with you.”

“I’m listening,” He inclined his head to show his attentiveness.

“I don’t think the climax will land with people,” I said with my utmost sincerity. “Don’t get me wrong, this is too good of a story in its entirety, including the climax, but it is too far fetched for common people to digest. Maybe in hindsight, after 10-20 years, they will like it, but right now, from a commercial perspective, it is too sentimental for a sci-fi film.”

Steven chuckled, “Come on, Troy. People love sentimental movies. That’s why they loved E.T. so much. Or even your film [The Sixth Sense]. My favorite scene was the one you shared with Toni Collette in the car. Probably why she got a nomination as well.”

I conceded that point. Sentiments are important for films. But not all films are meant for the same audience.

“I agree on that,” I nodded. “But your target audience for the film is not clear to me. Who are you making the film for? Kids my age? Their parents? Teenagers? Gigolo Joe’s character would alienate the child audience. Many parents would even hesitate to bring their child to see such a film. At the same time, the climax is something that a child would prefer. Not an adult.”

“And do you know what an adult would like to see?” Steven asked rhetorically.

Still I answered, “Some avante-garde bullshit that is too difficult to understand clearly, but pretty enough that everyone can digest it and be happy about the end. And when they dive deep into the actual meaning behind it, they get their mind blown, and they’re like ‘Woah! It actually meant that? Steven Spielberg is a genius.’”

Steven laughed heartily at that, “You’re not subtle at all.”

“I try,” I said with humility. “So what do you think?”

He went silent for a few moments, before saying, “I think that your idea has merit, but I’m making this for my mentor Stanley Kubrick. As a tribute to him. This climax was envisioned by him and I don’t want to change it too much from his vision.”

“Don’t you want to make the best film possible for your friend?” I asked rhetorically. When he didn’t say anything for a few moments, I added, “How about this, you shoot two climaxes for the film, one as envisioned by Kubrick, and one original as per your vision. Then decide later which one came out to be better.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

I knew that was the best I could get from him at the moment.

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