Chapter 20: Al Pacino
On Hollywood Boulevard, inside the Roosevelt Hotel, Steven Ruther and Aaron Anderson met with the returning Al Pacino.
"The script for Pretty Woman… honestly, it's ridiculous. Who would actually like this story?" Pacino, fresh from four years performing on Broadway in New York, was officially returning to film, primarily for The Godfather III. He was far from impressed with Pretty Woman.
"Would you reconsider, even just a little?" Ruther asked, clearly surprised by Pacino's bluntness.
Pacino shook his head. "This role isn't for me, Steven."
Aaron Anderson, who had been quietly sitting aside, finally spoke, immediately drawing both men's attention.
Meeting Pacino's gaze, Ruther introduced him: "He's Aaron Anderson, a young agent from CAA. Pretty Woman—it was his persuasion that convinced Jeffrey Katzenberg to greenlight the project."
Pacino nodded, initially assuming Aaron was just Ruther's assistant.
"Oh… so what do you want to say?"
Aaron looked him in the eye. "Mr. Pacino, are you considering joining Dick Tracy instead, working with Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman?"
"If a movie could succeed simply by stacking stars together, CAA would already be the temple of cinema!" Pacino retorted.
"You're not confident in Dick Tracy?" Aaron asked with a small smile.
"The success of Rain Man isn't that easy to replicate. Half the box office was thanks to Tom Cruise. You're already set to star in The Godfather III, so why take a minor role in another gangster movie?"
"Success comes down to either box office or awards. Would Pretty Woman really perform worse than Dick Tracy?"
Pacino chuckled, and Ruther took the opportunity to recount Aaron's accomplishments at the Cannes Film Festival.
"You really believe in Pretty Woman?"
Aaron nodded. "If I had a few million—or even tens of millions—I'd invest myself."
"Unfortunately, everyone believes in the projects they're involved with," Pacino said, not easily swayed.
Aaron sighed. "Mr. Pacino, you should at least listen to other opinions. Your agent also recommends this film. You've just returned to the screen—joining a smaller production could actually prove yourself, instead of going straight into a big star-studded set."
Pacino had been unstoppable after The Godfather, yet his choice in projects had often been questionable. He had missed out on being the first choice for Star Wars, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Once Upon a Time in America.
"Aaron Anderson, right?" Pacino studied him. "Your strength is in art films. How much do you know about commercial movies?"
Aaron didn't falter. He spread his hands. "I'm inexperienced, so I mainly discover new actors and new directors. Big commercial movies… that's not really my area."
"My strength is commercial films. Mr. Pacino, what you need now is influence. With influence, the good scripts will come to you. If Pretty Woman succeeds, it'll be your signature role. If Dick Tracy succeeds, it'll belong to Warren Beatty."
Pacino laughed aloud. "You're really undermining your CAA boss, Mr. Ovitz."
Aaron glanced at Ruther and casually said, "When the film comes out next year, he'll be happy to give me a bonus. Dick Tracy would succeed with or without you, but Pretty Woman? With you on board, success isn't far off."
By late May, the good news finally arrived: Al Pacino signed a contract with the Pretty Woman production, taking the male lead. Aaron, who had been monitoring the project's progress closely, finally felt relieved.
Back at CAA headquarters, Aaron received a new script from Quentin Tarantino, Natural Born Killers, and immediately submitted it to the editing department for review.
On his way out, he ran into Richard Lovett. "Aaron, getting Julia Roberts paired with Al Pacino? That's all thanks to you!"
Now, the leads of Pretty Woman were set: Al Pacino and Julia Roberts.
Lovett, as Julia Roberts' agent, was clearly pleased.
"Not bad… congratulations to you too," Aaron nodded. As for the supporting roles, Nicole Kidman could still take a part, but Aaron didn't think it was necessary.
Richard Lovett chuckled. "I hear you're not too confident about Dick Tracy. Mr. Warren Beatty might not be too happy about that."
Although Aaron hadn't disparaged Dick Tracy while persuading Al Pacino, convincing a potential star to bow out of a project could hardly be considered entirely positive.
Aaron shook his head, puzzled by the subtle gloating in Lovett's tone.
They were all just CAA rookies—focusing on petty matters like this seemed like a complete waste of time.
"All right, I'm heading out," Aaron said, not in the mood to argue with minor players. He had a meeting with Adam Sandler to attend.
After leaving CAA, Aaron got into his new Lotus, planning to head home first, when his phone rang. It was Tony Scott's assistant.
"Has Mr. Scott taken a liking to the script for True Romance?"
"Perfect. I'll bring the screenwriter over to meet him!" Aaron replied.
After hanging up, he smiled. Quentin Tarantino's script had caught a director's eye—quickly, too.
Tony Scott—the director of Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise—was already well-known. And his brother? Ridley Scott, a legend in his own right.
That evening, after meeting with Adam Sandler, Aaron finalized a management contract with him.
Previously, Sandler had been a client of agent Ari Emanuel. After leaving CAA with him, Sandler had also terminated his contract with Saturday Night Live. Now, Aaron aimed to bring him back to the show—after all, SNL was invaluable for building skills.
"Don't worry. Lorne Michaels, the producer at SNL, is confident in you. You can write, you can perform—signing a contract won't be an issue," Aaron assured him.
Outside the CAA building, Aaron patted Sandler on the shoulder.
Sandler nodded but wore a worried expression. "But Ari Emanuel isn't too happy I'm not renewing with him this time."
Aaron waved it off. "It's fine as long as ITA keeps running smoothly. Those agents like Ari Emanuel will leave eventually. Do you really expect them to stick with ITA through thick and thin?"
"After all, you're all Jewish. Besides interests, what else matters? Look at Adam Sandler here—he's a perfect example."
Instantly abandoning Ari Emanuel, and moving forward.