"Oh my God, Wayne is just too handsome!"
The "Mean Girls" crew huddled in the corner, staring at Wayne from afar, unable to resist showing their admiration.
Except for Scarlett, who was busy filming *Taken*, all the other girls, including Amanda, who should've been in school, came to attend the screening.
Of course, most people present knew these girls were Wayne's women, so they only greeted them politely and kept a respectful distance.
But the girls didn't care. Whenever Wayne wasn't around, they might be indifferent, but as soon as he appeared, they couldn't help but fix their gaze on him.
With his good looks, great physique, elegant and noble demeanor, and successful career, Wayne was irresistibly attractive to these young women—especially those trying to make it in Hollywood.
In another corner, Seth Rogen, wearing an oversized gray suit that looked a bit comical, stood chatting quietly with Don Cheadle. Even they couldn't hide their envy when they glanced at Wayne.
It took Wayne over 20 minutes to deal with the overly enthusiastic crowd. After nodding at Martina and the others, he followed Sarah and sat in the front row with Mia and Hannah.
To be honest, this kind of high school comedy didn't really appeal to the studio executives, most of whom were over 40.
Unlike Wayne, who, even after seeing the original and early cuts, still watched with genuine interest.
Luckily, the executives were mostly there to show face and maintain relationships with Wayne. The real evaluations were left to the professional film buyers.
Despite their age, these experts were highly valued by Hollywood studios for their keen eye and reliable judgment.
"The target audience may be narrower than action or sci-fi films, but the number of teenage viewers is rapidly increasing each year, and it's already a significant group."
"All the girls are beautiful, plus Wayne as the male lead—visually it's a five-star appeal. Whether male or female, young viewers will be strongly attracted."
"The plot is humorous yet touching. Director Nancy Meyers, known for *What Women Want*, has a perfect grasp of pacing and tone. If promoted well, it might even draw in parents struggling with their teenage kids."
"Overall, it's an excellent high school comedy. It should be highly appealing to teens, especially middle school, high school, and college students, but its appeal to other audiences may be limited."
"Based on similar films like *Accepted* and *The DUFF*, the box office is estimated to be between $140 million and $250 million."
The buyers offered a detailed analysis, with some even giving immediate predictions on the film's potential earnings.
The studio heads, after briefly exchanging glances and words with their experts, became even more enthusiastic than before.
Thankfully, Wayne had to leave soon for *The Notebook* auditions, or who knows how long he would've been stuck with them.
"Seems like they have high hopes for this movie?"
"Of course, it's our production, isn't it?"
After finally "escaping" the screening room, Wayne adjusted his suit jacket and shared a smile with Mia and Jessica before heading to Mia's office for lunch with Hannah, who had already ordered takeout.
As for the *Notebook* auditions, well, those could wait until after lunch.
In fact, apart from Wayne and Jessica as the leads, *The Notebook* had only a few key roles: the second male lead, Officer Hammond, the female lead Allie's parents, the male lead Noah's father, and the elderly versions of Noah and Allie.
Except for Allie's parents and Noah's father, Wayne had already pre-selected actors for Hammond and the elderly versions of Noah and Allie.
Hammond, the second male lead, was originally written as wealthy, handsome, and witty. But other than Leonardo DiCaprio, no one in Hollywood could compete with Wayne in terms of looks. However, Leo either demanded over $20 million or profit-sharing, which Wayne couldn't afford at this point.
So, Wayne suggested to the screenwriter, Jan Sardi, that they keep the wealth and humor but lower Hammond's attractiveness and make him look slightly older.
This perfectly fit the image of Nicolas Cage, who had recently wrapped *Windtalkers* and was eager to star in a romantic drama. Cage accepted the role for $15 million, much less than DiCaprio.
Now, the story became one of a kind, romantic young man defeating a rich, charming older gentleman, appealing even more to the film's target audience.
What truly elevated the story, however, was the introduction of the elderly versions of Noah and Allie in the film's climax.
At this point, elderly Allie, suffering from Alzheimer's, had forgotten Noah and their love story. Every day, Noah reads their story to her, hoping she'll remember.
When Noah ends up in the emergency room with a heart condition, Allie miraculously remembers him without needing the story retold, asking, "Do you think our love can create miracles?" and "Do you think our love can take us away together?" These lines deeply moved both readers and viewers, taking the story to a new level.
After much thought, Wayne cast Susan Sarandon as the elderly Allie. An Oscar-winning actress, Sarandon had both the acting chops and the right image for the role.
As for the elderly Noah, Wayne initially wanted to cast Anthony Hopkins, but with the recent release of *Hannibal* and the terrifying image it cemented in audiences' minds, he decided against it.
In the end, Wayne chose two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman, a well-respected actor who was still active even into his late 80s.
With such a star-studded cast, the film was bound for success.
The only downside? The budget skyrocketed.
Sarandon's fee wasn't too high—only $1.5 million for about five minutes of screen time—but Hoffman's price for a similar amount of screen time was a whopping $5 million.
With Jessica's $6 million and Wayne's own $13 million salary, the total cost for the main cast alone reached $40.5 million.
Adding the director's fee, the script, and the rights to the original book, the production cost ballooned to $58 million.
For a romance film, that was massive.
After seeing the staggering budget, Wayne didn't cut costs by replacing actors as Mia expected. Instead, he upped the ante by replacing the original director, Nick Cassavetes, with Richard Curtis, a seasoned director of romantic films, raising the total cost by another $4 million, bringing it to a grand total of $62 million.
Mia, shocked at first, surprisingly didn't object. With such a prestigious cast, it would've been odd not to have someone like Curtis directing.
However, this left Wayne's funds tight again.
---
In the afternoon, Wayne, Mia, and Jessica headed to the auditions. Unlike previous large-scale auditions, this one was much smaller, with only eight roles to fill.
However, nearly all the auditionees were young and beautiful women, causing Wayne to feel a bit exasperated.
"What's wrong, darling? Don't you like them?" Mia teased.
"I love them! Just wait till tonight!" Wayne rolled his eyes. He already had enough women and wasn't looking for more anytime soon.
But Mia had good reason not to filter these actresses out. Allie's friends, as well as the wealthy guests at the party that changes the course of the romance, required both acting skills and a fitting image. Auditions were necessary to ensure no ugly surprises during filming.
After all, this is a big production with a budget of 62 million. Mia definitely doesn't want to overlook these details, only to realize right before filming that the people cast are a bunch of misfits who, even in fancy clothes, still look out of place. That would be embarrassing for her as the producer.
It's worth mentioning that Mike's new client, Jonah Hill, who failed the audition for *Mean Girls* last time, has returned this time.
He's auditioning for the role of the wealthy heir, who has the most significant part in the scene.
In the movie, this character brags about taking over part of the family business, earning tens of thousands of dollars a month, hoping to catch "Allie's" attention.
But Allie doesn't care about him at all and is only sweetly interacting with the male lead, "Noah." Filled with jealousy, the rich kid asks Noah what he does for a living and how much he makes a month.
When Noah replies that he's a carpenter, earning 40 cents an hour and making $4 a day, the rich kid leads the group in mocking him.
Noah isn't overly sensitive, but he begins to realize that it might be impossible for him to be accepted by Allie's family and friends.
Moreover, when Allie and Noah stay out a bit late, Allie's mother calls the police, reporting her missing, fearing that Noah might have taken advantage of her. She treats Noah like a criminal, even almost getting him thrown in jail. It's this fear and frustration that eventually cause Noah to lose his temper and have a big argument with Allie, leading to their breakup.
So, this role requires a certain level of acting skill. If memory serves, Jonah Hill hadn't had much acting experience at this point.
Of course, minor roles like this are up to the director to decide, so he just took a quick glance and didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he greeted Nicolas Cage, who had come over to him enthusiastically.
"Hey, Wayne, can I call you that? It was such a shame we didn't get to work together on *Buried*, but you've made the right choice by casting me for this role!" Nicolas Cage said, flashing his signature grin and giving a dramatic thumbs up.
(End of chapter)