I am Hollywood

Chapter 17: Assembling the Crew

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[Chapter 17: Assembling the Crew]

On the set of 17 Again, Eric experienced several mistakes during filming as he grappled with thoughts of Home Alone. However, since the end of the shoot was in sight, Penny Marshall demonstrated an unusually good temper, patiently correcting Eric's blunders.

Eric even contemplated asking Penny Marshall for help, but quickly dismissed the idea. If Penny Marshall knew, it would be just as if 20th Century Fox knew. With all the professionals at 20th Century Fox, they would certainly recognize the potential of this low-budget Christmas comedy and would look for ways to get involved. That was not what Eric wanted to

see.

Eventually, Eric thought of a certain faux-loli who was recovering in rehab. Despite her notorious reputation, Drew had managed to make a comeback, successfully breaking free from the child star curse, becoming a well-known actress, director, and producer. Aside from talent, connections were an important aspect.

Despite being only thirteen, with her savvy personality, Drew's connections were not to be underestimated. At the very least, it would be no problem to ask her to help assemble a small

crew.

On October 9th, filming for 17 Again finally wrapped up, and Eric happily received a $150,000 paycheck. Thus began the whirlwind of preparations for his next project.

...

"Eric, where are we headed?" Aniston asked curiously from the passenger seat.

Eric pulled out the script for Home Alone, saying, "Take a look at this."

Aniston glanced at the title, exclaiming, "Wow, Home Alone! Is this your new script?" "Yep," Eric nodded, starting the car. "I plan to direct it myself."

"What? Eric, you must be joking! Do you even know where the camera's power button is?" "Of course I do. By the way, I'm directing, not cinematography." Having been around the industry for years, Eric had experience in just about every film-related role, and he had done quite well in all of them. If he had the ability to clone himself, he could run the whole crew solo, except for acting.

"Well, okay, but where are we really going?"

Eric hesitated for a moment and finally said, "We're going to rehab to see Drew."

"Hmph!"

"Jenny, I brought you along to avoid any misunderstandings."

"Hmph!"

"I want to ask Drew to help find some professionals to put a crew together. Even though she's young, she knows quite a few people."

"Hmph!"

With a sigh, Eric pulled over to the side of the road, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said, "Looks like I first need to convince a jealous little girl."

"Hmph... What are you doing? No, uhm..."

Eric lunged forward, pinning Aniston against the passenger seat and giving her a passionate kiss.

Aniston instinctively struggled for a moment, but as Eric's kisses deepened and his hands wandered, she quickly softened. Once Eric's tongue found its way past her lips, she finally surrendered resistance, her own tongue responding shyly.

The two of them shared a kiss for a few minutes, during which Aniston felt Eric's hand growing bolder, slipping beneath her shirt and inching toward her chest.

"No, please, Eric," she finally said, her cheeks flushed. "We're in public..."

Realizing he had crossed a line, Eric let go of Aniston, gently tucking her hair behind her ear and gazing at her blushing, beautiful face. "So, it's okay as long as we're not on the street?" "You... that still doesn't work."

"Alright, are you done being jealous? Let's get going."

Eric buckled his seatbelt and restarted the car.

"Hey, Eric, you could also ask Penny or James for help. Why do you have to look for that... that girl?" To maintain her lady-like image in front of Eric, Aniston held back from calling Drew any harsher names.

Eric laid out his concerns, and Aniston, sitting in the passenger seat, clenched her little fist but remained silent.

...

At a well-known rehab facility in Los Angeles, the two were searched to ensure that visitors wouldn't bring drugs inside. With a staff member leading the way, Eric quickly found Drew.

Upon seeing Drew, she was lounging in a sundress by an outdoor pool, soaking up the sun while holding an illustrated edition of Jurassic Park.

"Hey, Drew?" Eric called out.

"Eric! If you don't come see me soon, I might just escape and find you!"

As soon as Eric's voice rang out, Drew, who had spotted him, leaped up from her lounge chair and bounded toward him like a koala, wrapping herself around him and aiming for his lips.

In a flurry, Eric raised his hands to shield his face, but Drew kissed the palm of his hand and started licking it without a care, sending a surprising jolt through Eric.

"Gross, like a frisky puppy!" Aniston said darkly, glaring at Drew, who had completely ignored her.

Though Aniston felt a strong urge to pull Drew off Eric, many eyes were on them, and she wasn't as brazen as Drew.

After some playful antics, Eric finally pried Drew off himself. As she settled into the moment, she suddenly looked at Aniston and said, "Hey, fat girl, I heard you collapsed from hunger on set while trying to lose weight. How sad! But it looks like you didn't lose much, huh?"

Just as Aniston opened her mouth to retaliate, Eric lightly tapped Drew on the head and said, "Alright, Drew, no mocking Aniston. You should keep an eye on yourself."

Drew pouted, on the verge of tears, "Eric, you really are biased."

Eric ignored Drew's faux-pity face and said, "It's crowded here. Let's check out where you live."

...

Drew's residence was akin to a hotel suite, complete with a kitchen. They made their way to the living room, where Drew poured two glasses of juice for Eric and Aniston, then took a seat on the couch with her own drink, asking, "So, Eric, what brings you here?"

"Uh, can't it just be to see you?" Eric replied somewhat awkwardly.

Drew pursed her lips, "Did you bring the fat girl here to annoy me? You know I don't like her."

With no one else around, Aniston exploded with the jealousy she had been holding back, "I've had enough! You little brat, I don't like you either!"

Drew snapped her fingers, "The truth comes out, huh? Eric, look, fat girl here isn't really a lady; she's just pretending. You've got a lot to look forward to."

"You..."

Eric rubbed his temples in distress, silently deciding that he needed to keep the two of them apart in the future. "Alright, let's all settle down. If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry."

"Eric..." Aniston looked at him, her face a picture of discontent.

"Jenny, why don't you wait for me in the car? I promise I won't be long."

Drew perked up upon hearing that, but quickly feigned indifference as she sipped her juice. However, the female sixth sense was strong, and Aniston caught Drew's brief moment of

delight.

"I'm not going," Aniston pouted defiantly.

Got no choice, Eric offered a few words of comfort and handed Drew the script, saying, "So,

Drew, here's a script. Can you help me connect with some professionals? I want to put

together a temporary crew."

Drew took the script and looked it over, bursting into laughter. "Haha, this is hilarious! It's a great script. So... Eric, you mean..."

"Yes," Eric nodded. "I want to independently produce this movie. I've done some budgeting; I'll need around a million dollars, which I can probably manage. But with just that million, I need some professionals who are both reliable and inexpensive."

In truth, the number of filmmakers in Los Angeles was overwhelming. Even without Drew's help, Eric could piece together a crew. But he knew that would waste a lot of unnecessary time, and the people he found might not be dependable. If something went wrong during filming, he would be left wishing he had taken a different path.

While Eric was distracted, Drew shot a smug glance at Aniston and nodded, "Sure, I know a lot

of people. Who do you need?"

Aniston fumed at the smug look Drew shot her way but could only glare stubbornly at Eric.

"Cinematographer, gaffer, sound technician... In short," Eric pretended not to notice Aniston's displeasure and shrugged his shoulders, "I have nothing right now."

Drew thought for a moment and said, "I happen to know a small film company that recently

went under. They have a filming crew, but the owner used the company as collateral to take out a loan. He ended up making a movie that lost money, and now they're probably up for bankruptcy. The team is good though; I've guest-starred in one of their films. If they haven't fallen apart by now, you could take them all on. Compared to being unemployed, I imagine

they'll be eager to work on your film."

"That sounds amazing!" Eric replied excitedly.

Drew stood up with a smile. "I'll give them a call and hope it's not too late."

After making the call, Drew returned with good news: the company was completely done, but the team members were still in Los Angeles, and the former boss was happy to introduce

them to Eric.

Once they agreed on a time and place to meet the former company owner, Eric wasted no time

getting ready to leave.

He guiltlessly stole a kiss from Drew as they parted, which had her reluctant to let him go.

On the drive back, Aniston remained sullen, and Eric could do nothing but offer comfort.

"Jenny, I'm sorry. I had no choice; Drew was the only one who could help, and from here on out, I have to find actors on my own."

Aniston, looking a bit unsure, gazed at Eric and asked, "It's fine, Eric. I understand... do you... will you always love me?"

"Of course," Eric responded without hesitation.

"I love you too, Eric."

"Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Aniston's face turned beet red, and she floundered, "Oh, Eric, I feel like I..."

"No, silly, don't overthink it. Just say 'yes' or 'no.""

"Yes, I do." And thus commenced the wild journey that would lead them through the unpredictable world

of Hollywood.

*****

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