Chapter 58 - Al Pacino

"Eric, Drew... lives in your house?" Aniston asked as she lay on the man's chest after a sweaty session of lovemaking, her hand gently caressing his torso.

Eric nodded and told her exactly what had happened.

Jenny's tone slightly soured: "But, you said you don't have that kind of relationship. So why are you doing so much for her? Going so far as to spend one million dollars… Hmph, you've never spent that kind of money on me. Ahem, you're definitely up to something."

Eric's hand darted under the covers and caressed the girl's smooth bottom: "I just see Drew as I would a little sister, you're my girlfriend. If you want, let alone a million, I'll give you a hundred million to spend."

Jenny could tell from Eric's tone that he was sincere. She felt warm inside but still pouted: "Don't think this can be resolved with money." Although the girl said so, her hand reached under the covers as she intently groped him. Soon, little Eric stood proud again.

"You're the one who asked for it, girl." Eric laughed as he pressed Jenny under him.

"Ah… not here, it's all swollen…" Feeling the man's strong hands pinning her down, the girl struggled, to no avail.

Eric evilly smiled at her and said: "Not here? Alright, then I'll do it in another place."

Although she knew he was joking, Jenny still couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

...

"Oh, Al Pacino from The Godfather? He's really cool and manly. It's a pity he didn't make a movie in recent years."

Last night had been really heated, and Jenny's face was especially radiant as she carefully tied her boyfriend's tie. Noticing Eric's expression sour at her praising another man, she quickly stepped in and landed a peck on his cheek: "Alright, my Eric is the most handsome, Al Pacino is already an old man anyways."

"I was gonna take you to look at Al's play that's currently on Broadway, but I've changed my mind now."

Aniston laughed and said: "Even if you had asked me, I really do not have the time. Since Christmas is coming soon, the director has us working overtime. Eric, are you staying in New York for the holidays?"

Eric shook his head: "I'm not sure. If Al Pacino accepts, then I'll be able to stay. Otherwise, I'll have to fly back to L.A and start looking for someone else."

"Oh," Aniston said in a slightly dejected tone.

"Jenny, why don't you go back to L.A with me? Your family is back there anyways."

Aniston shook her head, "No, I don't want to go back. They have their own families, and I feel out of place there."

"What are you talking about, they love you, you know?"

"You don't understand, Eric." Aniston bitterly sighed. She adjusted her boyfriend's collar before saying: "Alright, go."

...

"Hello, Mr. Pacino." although he hadn't seen many Al Pacino movies, Eric was still slightly excited to meet the man in person.

"Hello, Eric. Please, call me Al."

After Kapoor's introduction, the two of them shook hands, and they all sat down together.

A few pleasantries later, Al Pacino opened: "Eric, I've read the outline of Pretty Woman's script. You may already know that, because of the 1985 incident, I haven't acted in a movie for 4 years now. Although I'm really thankful to you for extending an invitation, some parts of the script just don't fit with me."

Eric asked: "Can you tell me which parts?"

Al Pacino said: "The script focuses on the female lead, and when I asked Kapoor before, he said that it was a newcomer named Julia Roberts playing Vivian. I deliberately went to see Mystic Pizza, to get an idea of how her acting was like, and to be honest, it was just average. If the script doesn't get modified a bit, when I play Edward, won't I completely suppress her performance? I don't intend to lower my standards just to be on equal standing with her. In the end, the movie will be a complete bust."

Here, Al Pacino paused and stared at Eric with eyes full of confidence, and said: "Eric, this is not me being arrogant. You can't deny my abilities. I've had five Oscar nominations, although I have yet to win any because I used to be prejudiced against as a newcomer."

Eric pondered for a moment, and soon he broke into a smile. He understood Al Pacino's intentions. The guy actually wanted to act in the movie. However, he had read that the focus would be more on Vivian's character than his, which left him dissatisfied. That's probably the reason why he had insisted on meeting Eric in person. He wanted to convince him to modify the script.

Eric acted intrigued and asked: "Al if you were to star as Edward, what changes do you think we should make ?"

Al Pacino's face lit up as he collected his thoughts and put forward his own ideas: "First, increase Edward's scenes. I think the character's personality should be explored a little more too. Also, I think he's not nearly as outstanding as he should be."

For about ten minutes, Al Pacino had given his opinion about a full set of changes. He was obviously very sure of himself when talking. So much so that, if Eric hadn't already seen the future and knew that Pretty Woman was sure to succeed, he probably would have agreed.

However, this would definitely not happen now. "Al, you actually really want to star in this movie, right?"

Al Pacino was startled. When he caught Eric's meaningful glance, he cheerfully shrugged, smiled, and said: "Yes, I really want to do this movie. I'm acting again after four years of break. Even though I received your script after the other studios, they are still discussing their respective projects. I don't know how long those discussions will take, so I wanted to seize this opportunity."

"Al, your suggestions were pertinent, even I have to agree with that. However, I definitely can't make any changes to this script. Pretty Woman is a clichéd modern Cinderella fairy tale. What you are suggesting will emphasize more on the character of the 'prince' to make the story more realistic, which will mess up the entire concept. The essence of a fairy tale lies in its unrealistic side."

Al Pacino nodded disappointingly. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but Eric beat him to it: "Al, do you know about Home Alone?"

"Of course. Although I haven't acted in a movie in recent years, I still keep myself up to date in regards to Hollywood."

"Well then you should know that thanks to my gambling contract with Columbia, I've made a lot of money, right? I'll make you a deal. If you act in Pretty Woman, I'll make another movie just for you to star in. I guarantee you will be satisfied with the role."

Al Pacino hesitated, "Can you disclose a bit about that movie?"

"Sure," Eric nodded, "I've read this Italian book before called Il buio e il miele. I'll have to buy the adaptation rights before I can proceed through. In the script I envision, you'll play a blind retired army ranger. A lieutenant colonel who has lost interest in life because of his impairment and decides to lose himself in debauchery and then commit suicide. So he hires a college student as a guide and goes on a trip where he indulges in alcohol, women, and race cars. In the end, the colonel learns to appreciate life again thanks to the college student's help. His character is rude, conceited, and in the middle of a depression. It's a very complex role, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage..."

As Al Pacino listened to Eric's words, he became more and more excited. He couldn't help but start imagining how he would go about portraying that lieutenant colonel. Once Eric finished, Al was still indulging in Scent of a Woman's plot-line, unable to extricate himself out of it. It was a full five minutes later that he looked up at Eric and hastily said: "Eric, that script, I'll do it even without you paying me."

"You'll have to do Pretty Woman first for me to consider you though."

"No problem, I'll listen to whatever arrangements you make, I'll… I'll try to act so that I don't overshadow Miss Roberts too."

Eric keenly felt it was a good time to broach the subject. He tentatively said: "Al, I heard you've yet to join an agency, what do you think about UTA? Kapoor is an excellent agent."

Al Pacino hesitated a little, "Is this a binding condition?"

Eric hastily shook his head: "Of course not, this is a sincere invitation. Even if you don't agree, I'll still have you act in the two movies I've promised you."

Al Pacino thought for a moment and said: "Okay, but I know that you've had some friction with the CAA. So I want to be free to leave at any time should something happen."

Right now, Eric only wanted to win him over. He was confident that the man wouldn't leave in the future anyway. After a few great movies, Al Pacino was sure to be tied to the UTA. "Of course, no problem. I'll prepare an easy-going contract for you, you can choose to leave at any time."

"Alright then, I agree." Al Pacino quickly nodded.