Dunn was in a delicate phase right now, and his guiding principle was to keep a low profile.
Over the past few years, he'd made plenty of enemies—from Disney Media to Mattel Toys, from Harvey Weinstein to Jerry Bruckheimer. Recently, he'd even had a brief skirmish with HBO over some TV network business.
As for smaller players like Michael Bay, Tom Cruise, or Bruce Willis, Dunn didn't even bat an eye. When he dealt with the big stuff, those little guys would get swept away in the process.
As the saying goes: I'm wiping you out, but it's got nothing to do with you!
With just over two months until the "9/11" attacks hit, Dunn didn't want any unnecessary drama. Sure, he'd been dominating the movie market and crushing Disney's films lately, but he hadn't rubbed salt in Michael Eisner's wounds with any snarky comments.
His first clash with HBO? Quick and clean.
With Sumner Redstone, Dunn hadn't even considered starting a fight. Instead, he'd gone for "compromise," "goodwill," and "deals" to avoid getting tangled up in a bigger mess.
As for Roy Disney, Dunn was playing the long game—stalling him out.
Catherine Zeta-Jones was undeniably a stunning beauty. In her early thirties, she was at that golden age where a woman's charm and allure were in full bloom.
But she was married, and Dunn wasn't about to cross that moral line.
He'd dated plenty of actresses—something well-known in Hollywood circles. Even the gossip-loving public had caught wind of it through tabloids, thanks to paparazzi snapping intimate shots left and right.
Still, those rumors never dented his reputation.
Why? Simple: unmarried guy, unmarried girls—everything's fair game!
But if one of them was married, it'd be a different story—reputations would take a hit.
And Catherine Zeta-Jones's in-laws? The legendary Douglas family. That made Dunn even more cautious.
He wasn't afraid of an old-school dynasty like theirs, but too many enemies… well, it gets annoying!
What he didn't expect was that all his careful tiptoeing still caught the Douglas family's attention.
After lunch, Dunn had planned to cozy up with Rachel Weisz for a bit, but then he got a weird phone call. Even his assistant, Isla Fisher, who handed him the phone, looked shocked. "It's Mr. Douglas! Uh… old Mr. Douglas!"
Kirk Douglas?
Dunn's gut tightened.
This old man was hands-down the most seasoned veteran in Hollywood today!
How seasoned?
Stanley Kubrick—the late master revered as a "god" by James Cameron and George Lucas—had been Kirk Douglas's lackey back in the day!
Everyone knows Hollywood was built by Jewish folks, and in today's Hollywood Jewish circle, the most influential figure wasn't Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Michael Eisner, or Barry Meyer—it was Kirk Douglas!
Why? Seniority trumps all!
(Sumner Redstone doesn't count—he's a New York business mogul, not a Hollywood insider.)
Every Oscar season, Harvey Weinstein lobbies the Academy voters, and his top stop in the powerful Jewish circle? Kirk Douglas.
Put it this way: Kirk Douglas was Harvey Weinstein's idol!
Weinstein's a creep in Hollywood—that's common knowledge by now. Dunn played the "casting couch" game too, but it was a mutual deal, a happy transaction at most criticized on moral grounds.
Weinstein, though? He danced on the edge of the law, sometimes crossing it outright, forcing himself on actresses.
Still, he had limits. He only pulled his tough-guy act on third-rate European actresses—never American stars, minors, or women with enough clout to push back. At most, he'd cop a feel or harass them a little.
Compared to Kirk Douglas's antics back in the day, Weinstein was a saint.
Kirk Douglas rose to fame during Hollywood's "Golden Age." He was the hottest tough-guy actor then, even starting his own film company and bankrolling a string of movies.
In an era when "red couch" auditions were the norm, you can imagine how many women passed through Kirk Douglas's hands.
If it were just a transactional "role for favors" thing, fine—but this guy clearly got bored with women after a while. He started chasing new thrills, using his Hollywood clout and political connections to commit some truly heinous acts.
Rape was just the starter. Then came tying them up, beating them, spitting, soaking them in urine, outright abuse—that's where he got his kicks.
But since it was Hollywood's dirty laundry—and pretty common back then—the industry swept it under the rug. Even Marilyn Monroe got preyed on, and Chaplin got chased out of town!
To protect its image, Hollywood collectively decided to bury the past, calling it a "Golden Age" of masterpieces and legends.
Pretty ironic, huh?
Dunn liked his flings with all kinds of gorgeous women too, but his game was a flirty dance along the moral edge. Compared to Kirk Douglas's sins, Dunn looked like a freaking saint.
"What's this old fossil want with me?"
Dunn frowned, honestly dreading dealing with a guy like this.
Old-timers—unless they were polished business types like Redstone—tended to act entitled. Even Roy Disney, who barely had any pull left, still leaned on his age like it meant something.
Isla Fisher covered the phone's mouthpiece and whispered, "You should take it. His tone… it's not exactly friendly."
Dunn's brow furrowed, his mood souring. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the phone, took a deep breath, and answered, "This… Mr. Douglas?"
"You're Dunn Walker?"
"That's me. What's up?"
Dunn's face darkened. The guy's tone had an arrogant edge—like he was talking down to him.
It'd been a long time since anyone dared speak to him like that. Even Roy Disney didn't push it this far.
"Catherine… what's going on?" Kirk Douglas skipped any pleasantries, his voice carrying a hint of command.
Dunn bristled, holding back his temper. "We're working on a movie together. The crew's already contacted her agent. It's a musical—Chicago."
"Don't change the subject. I'm not talking about the movie!" Kirk Douglas snapped.
Dunn gritted his teeth. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't know?" Kirk Douglas let out a cold huff. "Is the Douglas family's reputation worth so little to you?"
Dunn's voice dropped, "Mr. Douglas, I'll say it again—I have no idea what you're talking about. Casting Kate in this role—isn't that showing respect to the Douglas family?"
"You're calling her Kate… Kid, you've already slipped up!" Kirk Douglas's tone sharpened.
Dunn took a deep breath, trying not to snap. "Slipped up? Mr. Douglas, what are you even getting at?"
"Hmph! Still playing dumb?"
"Playing dumb?"
Dunn was baffled, his anger bubbling up.
He was a big deal in Hollywood now—did Kirk Douglas really think he'd be intimidated?
Kirk Douglas's voice turned icy, "Catherine's already admitted it… Forget it, I don't care why it happened. You need to stop this now!"
"Stop what?"
Dunn's temper flared, his tone less polite.
Was this old geezer still recovering from a stroke or something? What was he rambling about?
"What's with that attitude?" Kirk Douglas shot back, calling him out first.
Dunn didn't hold back, "Respect goes both ways, Mr. Douglas. How about you show me some basic respect first?"
"Kid, you're pretty full of yourself!"
"I don't think so."
"Stay away from Catherine! That damn musical or whatever—I'm not letting you cast her!"
"Give you respect, and you're somebody. Without it, you're nothing but an old mutt!"
Dunn lost it, letting loose a string of curses and hanging up before the guy could respond.
This old bastard—what a piece of work!
Over eighty years old, and instead of enjoying his retirement, he's stirring up nonsense like this. He's begging to get chewed out!
Dunn figured Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones must've had a nasty fight, some kind of marital spat that sparked this mess.
But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it had to do with him.
Was picking Catherine Zeta-Jones as his lead actress somehow a mistake?
Even funnier—Michael Douglas didn't call himself. Instead, he sent his old man to throw his weight around. Ridiculous.
"But… what's this all about? What's the old guy yapping about?"
Dunn rubbed his temples, totally stumped.