Chapter 5
Sorry for the wait, everyone. I'm busy at work, and while these chapters are the shortest, I have ever written, I am still a slow ass writer. That said, I want to give a shout-out again to itz_Bautista, who has supported me the most, and alphin_cj, who gave me my first review. As thanks, I will let itz_Bautista pick who the MC hooks up with first, and alphin_cj if the MC wins an award for Se7en. Just leave an answer in the chapter review.
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"Everyone in Hollywood wishes to walk the red carpet at least once. But I can honestly say I was never one of them. I hate the red carpet with a passion. All those cameras, all those reporters, and worse, having to dress up. I would prefer staying at home and watching TV in my boxers over that shit. That, however, is the game. If you wish to play, sometimes you have to play by their rules." Caesar Espinar.
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-1995-
I got the call from David, the premiere for Se7en was set, and unlike the test screening, I was invited. Read was told to attend the premiere no matter what. While I had the feeling that New Line didn't want me anywhere near the movie after it was done filming on account of my age and very public record. Yes, they do their research on the people they work with. Someone had clearly let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Seeing as before I got the call, I was reading the morning paper, and right there was my name in the entertainment section. And not just my name, but my age and record as well. It also included a not-so-flattering article about how New Line was risking 33–34 million dollars on a script written by an 18- now 19-year-old kid fresh out of juve. I don't think I need to tell you that it didn't make the CEO of New Line or Arnold very happy.
But that was Hollywood for you, and all that negative press came from the competition. And while Warner Bros was doing its best to fight back, there was a slight problem. That problem brings me, of course. You see, the movie itself didn't test well, but New Line was pushing it forward anyway, having spent too much at this point to back out now. That was why they didn't want me anywhere near the movie after it was done filming. My age called into question their judgment by going along with this wild idea. Then there was my criminal record, which was, to say the least, extensive.
Now, everyone loves a bad boy. Movies like Boyz n the Hood and Stand and Deliver proved that hood characters had a place on screen. But I was both young and had a very long criminal record, along with being Mexican. So, I already had those three things against me. Add my list of crimes that included things like grand theft, drug dealing, assault, and attempted murder. The last one, they were never able to prove, and you had a lot of problems on your hands. Ya, the press was having a field day with this, which was both a good thing and bad, as it generated interest in the film itself. And it's like the old saying goes, there is no such thing as bad press. That is so long as the movie doesn't go belly up. If it did, New Line and Warner Bros would become a laughingstock, which wasn't good for my career or David's.
Who, by the way, I got a good laugh at his expense when I arrived at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and saw him sweating bullets. Of course, I didn't get to walk on the red carpet. My name may have been in the papers, but up to this point, I wasn't known. I was a name without a face. So, of course, I had to come in from that back door, which was fine with me.
"Deep breaths, David. You look like you're going to pass out." I say to my friend, I guess that is what you could call him at this point.
"Easy for you to say, Caesar. You're not the one whose whole life is on the line here. Have you read the papers?" David asks.
"Of course, I have, and you really need to calm the fuck down. Do you want me to get you some cocaine, weed, or something to help?" I ask him.
"God dammit Caesar please tell me you don't have drugs on you right now." David all but demands.
Rolling my eyes, I say, "David, I don't do drugs."
I watch him as he lets out a sigh of relief, then adds, "Doesn't mean I can't get them, if need be, however."
Then I have to stop myself from laughing as he takes a very deep breath and says, "Caesar…."
"Okay, okay, David, calm down, man. Don't forget, if this movie flops, you're not the only one who goes down here. Do you honestly think anyone will ever buy another script from me if that happens?" I ask him.
Then I see him start to calm down a bit.
And wasn't that the truth? I may have looked calm on the outside, but my bets were placed. If this didn't work, recovery would not be easy. No, in fact, it may be impossible. So, I wasn't going to risk it by having drugs anywhere near me.
"Ah, Caesar, there you are, " the voice of our lead actress says, and I turn to face her.
To tell the truth, I didn't know what to think of Gwyneth Kate Paltrow or my relationship with her. We were not friends, that was for sure, but we didn't have any animosity between us either. That said, neither of us knew what to say whenever we talked, and that was most likely because we came from very different worlds. She was of the white, rich and privilege world while I was a minority, broke as fuck, dirty and take what I desired by any means necessary world. Two different worlds, so far apart, we would never truly understand each other. However, while that may be so, she was sociable, and we had talked a handful of times on set. After all, I was the script writer, and like Morgan Freeman, she wanted to meet the person behind what she called the most violent and grotesque script she had ever read.
Many may have interpreted this as an insult, but in reality, it wasn't. Surprisingly enough, I found out that she actually liked crime stories and found the role of Tracy to her liking. Who would have guessed, right? Anyway, from our few talks, I got to know her a bit, but again, we were not friends.
"Miss Paltrow," I say with a smile.
Smiling at me, Gwyneth says, "Come now, Caesar. Haven't I told you before to just call me Gwyneth?"
"I prefer Miss Paltrow," I say in a dead voice.
"Always so serious. You are too young to be so serious, Caesar. If you keep this up, you'll get gray hairs before you turn 20." She teases me.
I say nothing and keep my eyes right on hers. Trying not to show how much she was getting under my skin. Not due to her teasing me, but because well…. She was hot. And I always had a weakness for hot women.
Of course, a woman like Gwyneth can see right through my mask. So, with a knowing smile, she says, "So have you started to write the script promised me?"
Looking at Gwyneth confusedly, David looks at me and asks, "Script? Are you writing another one already, Caesar?"
I glare at the woman and say, "No, and I promised you nothing."
"Oh, then you won't mind if I look at this." She reached behind me and grabbed my newest notebook, which I had conveniently on me.
She then opens the notebook to the first page and starts reading out the names with a surprised look on her face: "Love in England, To Love Shakespeare, Shakespeare in Love."
Yes, you heard right, I had decided to write the ron-con Shakespeare in Love. The very movie that would see Gwyneth win an Academy Award for Best Actress. A good and successful movie that I honestly had no desire to steal for my own use. However, that wasn't because I cared about the movie or the original writer, whom I had not met. It was mainly because I wasn't a fan of romantic comedies in general, and me being who I was. It didn't make sense for me to write it. The only reason I was writing it was because Gwyneth had more or less challenged me to do so by saying that while I did an excellent job portraying a married couple in Se7en. There was no way I could do something truly romantic.
Now I hate being told what I can and can't do. So, I took that as a personal challenge and told her not only could I do so, but I would if I felt like it. Clearly, by the look on her face, she didn't seriously think I would write anything. Well, surprise, surprise bitch. I thought to myself as she looked over the notebook.
However, I didn't do this only to show her I could. I mostly did it because I found out her godfather was Steven Spielberg. The very same Steven Spielberg, whose name kept appearing in my mind whenever I looked for something that had to do with movies. Either as a director, producer, or executive producer, well into the 2000s. Hell, even if his name didn't keep showing up in my mind, the Spielberg of today was someone I wanted to know. Using his goddaughter to get close to him was just smart thinking, even if it would seem strange for someone like me to write a romantic comedy.
"Wow, okay, I… I honestly didn't think you would try to write something for me, Caesar," Gwyneth says, feeling equal parts stunned and flattered.
That is, until I snatched the notebook out of her hand and said, "I don't like being challenged, Miss Gwyneth."
His voice is so calm and cold that it sends a shiver up Gwyneth's spine. It is a feeling she likes for several reasons. Mostly because she just enjoyed getting under the skin of a clearly dangerous human being. Being only 23 years old herself, perhaps it was the bad boy thing. She thought to herself. After all, all women loved the bad boy, and she was no exception. But that was where it ended for her. Or at least that is what she told herself. Caesar just wasn't her type. He wasn't ugly in her eyes, but he wasn't handsome either. No, Brad was more her type. Still, Gwyneth couldn't deny there was just something about him that went beyond the bad boy attitude. He had that desire deep down inside to be someone. A fire that burned hotter than anything in the world. It was a very attractive quality to see in a man.
"I didn't know you read Shakespeare," David says.
"I had a lot of free time in juvy." That's all I say in turn. It's all I need to say.
And there it was again. Gwyneth thinks to herself. He was fearless in stating that he was a criminal. Many in his position would have tried to hide it or come up with an excuse for what he had done. He didn't, however, nor did he care to even try to do so. Perhaps it wasn't very smart of him to do so, but she couldn't help but admire him for it. Even if she thought it was both a foolish and naive thing to do.
Before she can say anything more, she hears the ring for the movie to start. Then everyone begins to enter the room where it will be shown and take their seats. She sits opposite Brad and Caesar at David's. Then, she takes one more look at Caesar before the movie starts.
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I didn't watch the movie. There was no need to watch it, since I had already watched it hundreds of times in my head. No, what I was watching was the audience. The actors, producers, directors, models, and other individuals who are both essential and not so much. All of them were immersed in the movie I stole, and David made. Not that I could blame them. Se7en was a great movie, no matter how it came to be. Groundbreaking, some would later call it. A movie that single-handedly changed the way the crime thriller genre was filmed.
For a moment, and just a moment, I allowed myself to bask in the glory of the film I helped create. Then I allowed reality to bring me back down to earth. Unlike that fool who flew too close to the sun, I wasn't about to allow myself to be burned. This was not my movie. It would never be my movie. No matter what I told myself. This film belonged to Andrew Kevin Walker, even if he didn't know it. Know that I fucked him over for my own selfish reasons.
Did I feel guilty about it? No, that would be stupid. Only the weak felt bad about doing what it took to reach the top. No matter what era or what business, you don't make it to the top without screwing somebody over. Andrew Walker just so happened to be my first victim. Maybe, if I'm feeling generous, I'll let him keep Sleepy Hollow. After all, it only made double its budget, anyway. It was hardly worth my time to write and sell it to anyone. Although I did genuinely like the movie, and Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors. Plus, I enjoyed many of Johnny Depp's movies. So, I kind of wanted to work with him. Well, it was food for thought. I thought to myself as the surprise twist started, and I heard a collective gasp of shock at what everyone had just seen. Clearly, only those who had worked on the film saw that coming.
After a moment, I hear David whisper in my ear, "Thank you, Caesar, for making this possible."
I answer back, "No, thank you, David, for giving me the chance to see my creation come to life."
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After the premiere of Se7en, I didn't stick around for the after party or anything. No one would miss me after all, and until the box office numbers came out, there was little point in my showing up at any party. While everyone may have been congratulating David on a clearly amazing film, it was just lip service. No matter what anyone in the room personally thought, all that mattered at the end of the day was what the box office numbers were. Not the words of the critics or anything else. So, I just went home and straight to bed without a care or worry in the world. After all, I knew what the results would be, or at least that is what I told myself. The media attention surrounding me did cause me to worry just a bit, but I put it out of my mind.
Now to tell the truth if I knew that those jackasses in the media where actually doing me a favor by being up my past. Well, I would have sent them a fucking fruit basket or something. But how was any of us supposed to know that by pointing out I was only 18 at the time the script was bought, and an ex-con would work in our favor? No one could have foreseen that my fellow dregs of society would come out in force. The very same people that others wrote off as having no value. They flocked to the movies to see what one of their own had created, and in its opening weekend, Se7en grossed a total of $17,497,795. Over $ 3 million more than it did, according to the information I had in my head. By the end of that first week, the total had reached $ 23.1 million.
To say David, Arnold, and the CEO of New Line Pictures, Robert Shaye, were ecstatic would be an understatement. Especially Arnold, who, as I later found out, had never told Robert that he had brought a script from an 18-year-old for over $ 50,000 and then convinced him to budget it for $ 34 million without disclosing all the facts. His head was literally on the chopping block till those numbers came out. Now he looked like a fucking genius. So did David, for that matter, and of course, I as well. But that is for later. Right now, I am off to work on another movie. Courtesy of Dante Spinotti's recommendation to Guillermo Jorge Navarro Solares, I was hired to work on the set for From Dusk till Dawn—only this time at a slightly higher position. I was now the assistant to the gaffer. Not a bad bump up after working on only two movies, if I don't say so myself.