Being sincere

Upon hearing the invitation from Lyman on the other end of the phone to play a role, Nicolas Cage was not surprised at all. This was expected, wasn't it? A director contacting a CAA partner agent to inquire about an actor's contact information easily led to this outcome.

At this moment, he stood by the window in his bedroom, gazing at the night sky. After a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke, "Lyman, I appreciate your invitation, and I have heard about the film project "Fury". But..."

Nicolas Cage's voice lowered, "Oh, you must have also heard about "Windtalkers", right? I'm... in a bit of a mess now. I need some good rest, time to reconsider and straighten out my life. So... I'm sorry."

The industry was vast, but in the eyes of someone like him, it was quite small. Many rumors and news tend to find their way to him. Cage knew about the replacement of the male lead in "Fury". He even knew that Brad Pitt had been rejected and sidelined. He might not have been sure about the negotiated salary terms as it was rare for anyone to voluntarily disclose such details before signing a formal contract; it was a major taboo in the industry. Although he had free time available, but as he said, his situation had been a bit unfortunate lately.

On the other end of the phone, Lyman fell silent. He was only concerned about finding the right actor and forgot that Nicolas Cage was currently in a difficult position. The failure of "Windtalkers" was not just unfortunate for the investors and the director; as the lead actor, Cage was also implicated.

The film was released on June 14th, just a while ago. The production cost alone was over $110M, not to mention the expenses for promotion, distribution, media relations, and other post-release aspects. However, in its first week, it only grossed $36.78M at the box office, achieving the North American weekly box office champion position only once before rapidly declining.

As of today, June 27th, the daily box office barely reached $1.64M, and the total North American box office was only a few million dollars. The reason the film was still in theaters and not pulled was that it would be a significant loss otherwise. The investors were unwilling to let go of even this small amount of money. Based on the current situation, it would be fortunate if the final North American box office exceeded $50M.

As for the overseas market, it was even worse. Everyone knew it was a terrible film that would flop, so no one was willing to promote it extensively. But without promotion, how could it generate any attention?

In the end, it all boils down to box office results when it comes to film art. The theater operators are not foolish; how could they openly screen a film that clearly incurs losses? They would rather show old movies because at least the ticket sales would be divided among fewer people.

Major markets around the world were not optimistic, the promotional efforts were inadequate, and the word-of-mouth was also poor. Although it was still being screened, the box office revenue it received was even lower than in the homeland. Moreover, with the profit-sharing agreements with local distributors and theaters, the earnings would be even less.

The production cost alone was $110M, and the current global box office was less than $70M. MGM, the production company, definitely took a major hit this time. If it were merely a case of the market not being favorable and the film not performing well at the box office, that would be one thing. However, the quality and reputation of the film were also not great.

After its release, it received a wave of negative reviews, with numerous critics joining the frenzy and taking jabs at it. Its average rating on IMDb was only 5.7. With such reception, the idea of recouping the investment through offline marketing and ancillary copyrights would only end in disappointment.

Even after such a massive production, it was still possible to recover the costs through a well-executed multi-channel operation, slowly making a profit over time. Take "The Shawshank Redemption" as an example. Despite suffering heavy losses initially, the film gained momentum in terms of quality and reputation and became a king in the home video market, successfully turning things around.

However, all these scenarios require a guarantee of the film's quality and favorable word-of-mouth from the audience. It's acceptable if it attracts praise but not a large audience, but it cannot be lacking in both. Unfortunately, "Windtalkers" did not fare well in either aspect. Not only did it receive criticism from the critics, but the majority of the audience who watched it also gave negative reviews. They mentioned that the film only focused on the world of gunpowder and battles, being extremely stingy in depicting the characters and their relationships. They called the non-action scenes weak, lifeless, and dull, and criticized the lack of creativity and repetitive background music.

In short, it was a major flop, simply boring.

Starting from 1981, the Golden Raspberry Awards had been held annually, and the judging panel even mentioned to the media that "Windtalkers" would certainly make it onto the shortlist for Best Picture and Best Director at the 23rd edition next year. Everyone knew that this award was sarcastic in nature and had gained high attention due to its uniqueness. Well, in the first edition, they gave the Worst Actor Award to the then-US President, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who had an acting background.

Although Nicolas Cage's performance in it wasn't too bad, unfortunately, it was still a terrible film, and he couldn't escape being ridiculed and criticized. Therefore, his current situation was indeed very dire. Not only did he encounter the biggest failure of his acting career, but it was also a commercially-oriented film with massive investment. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, Nicolas Cage would have already planned his future film projects within the plans organized by his agent one or two months ago, to avoid any scheduling issues. But now, not only did he decline to continue acting, he even turned down a role he had already accepted.

His agent was right, one failure might not be a big deal, but he needed to choose film projects more carefully. Repeating failures were a precursor to the demise of an actor's career. Many people could testify to this fact. He needed to calm down and lay low for a while.

But Lyman was the first director to invite him after all this, and his politeness largely stemmed from this fact. However, the risks were still too high, and it was another war-themed film. Cage was genuinely anxious. After all, he had just failed in a war film, and now, another similar one was coming. Anyone would be afraid in his shoes.

Lyman could understand Nic's refusal. He hadn't considered this aspect at the beginning and was solely focused on his suitability. But he forgot that those stuck in the quagmire were afraid of sinking further.

He sighed silently in his heart. Although he received an outright refusal, Lyman still attempted to encourage him, saying, "Nic, it's unfortunate, the whole "Windtalkers" thing, but the problem was not with your portrayal but rather with the film itself."

"Thank you, Lyman..." Nicolas rubbed his forehead and said somewhat bitterly, "The film's failure is an undeniable fact, and I can't escape it. I also need to take responsibility for this wrong choice."

"I know, Nic, I understand your concerns. You don't want to experience a second failure in a row, right?" Lyman earnestly continued, "But please believe me, I am confident in making this film. It just lacks a good actor, and that's you."

Lyman's praises didn't sway Nicolas. After being in the industry for so long, he had become immune to such flattery. "But... I'm sorry, I still can't." Cage's tone was polite, respecting the other party and himself. He didn't want to sour his relationship with a director.

"Can we meet in person?" Lyman's voice hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I think you should understand what kind of story it is, what it's about, and what the role entails. Or perhaps, listen to my creative approach as a director and consider other aspects. If you still feel it's not right, then you can reject the film project. Would that be acceptable? Give us both a chance to deepen our communication."

Lyman's words were sincere, and Nicolas couldn't directly refuse again. He nodded and said, "Sure, I have no problem. What about the time and place?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, the "Time" café near Sunset Boulevard, close to Central Plaza. Can we meet there?"

"No problem."

"..."

After exchanging a few polite greetings, they hung up the phone. On one side, after putting down his phone, Nicolas Cage remained standing by the window, lost in thought, pondering something...

On the other side, Lyman, after ending the call, breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally been considering salary issues, but now he realized how foolish that was. There was no point in discussing these matters without confirming the cast. If Nicolas Cage didn't want to act, he would directly refuse, and that would be difficult to handle.

The slightly positive outcome was that he agreed to their meeting request. At least, there was still a chance to make an effort. He believed that with his sincerity, a complete creative vision for the film, and a good chance, he could convince Nicolas Cage to take on the role of "Wardaddy" and join the cast of "Fury".

He flipped through drawers and began preparing materials. A rough character script, well-drawn storyboard sketches, detailed shooting plans, and reserved filming locations... The more meticulous the preparation, the better. It would demonstrate his sincerity as a director and his attitude in extending the invitation.

Lyman knew that Nicolas Cage's biggest concern was the fear of "Fury" suffering the same fate as "Windtalkers". Therefore, he needed to prove his full confidence and the high likelihood of the film's success. Only then could he persuade Cage to accept the role.

Films were like gambling, and what he was doing now was increasing his chances of winning. Nicolas Cage was such a strong card, and Lyman really hoped to have him in his hands.

A good actor always contributes to a better film, isn't that right?