Chapter 112: Terms of Negotiation

Berman contacted Tim Robbins.

He comforted Cao Yang, saying, "Tim Robbins is also a good choice. He is a low-key actor with a very good temper, unlike Sean Penn, who is a famous bad boy, hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, and also a well-known domestic abuser; he is very difficult to get along with."

Cao Yang’s previous choice of Sean Penn was not because he valued his acting skills so highly—Tim Robbins is not necessarily worse than him—but mainly because Sean Penn had already succeeded in playing this role.

Now that Sean Penn has bailed, let’s switch to someone else. Tim Robbins is also a good choice; it just depends on whether Tim Robbins has already signed a contract with Clint Eastwood.

Tim Robbins received the call and met with Cao Yang as agreed.

"Hello, Director Cao Yang."

"Hello, Mr. Robbins."

Cao Yang shook hands with Tim Robbins and then gestured for him to take a seat.

The meeting place for the two was a small conference room, which Berman had rented under the guise of preparing for the film.

"Mr. Robbins..."

"Tim, just call me Tim. My friends all call me that," Tim Robbins said with a smile.

He did indeed seem to have a very good temper, unlike Sean Penn, who had many ideas and was a bit unruly.

"Tim, this is a gay film, as you should know. Can you accept that there are kissing scenes in it?"

Cao Yang had to make this clear, and it would have to be written into the contract later; in Hollywood, everything must be put in writing to minimize trouble.

Tim Robbins spread his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and joked with a smile, "As long as the other person is a handsome guy, I have no objections."

"Regarding the salary?"

"How about four million?" Tim Robbins asked.

His current asking price is roughly 8 million to 10 million, and there is no standard for salaries in art-house films, but most are half the usual rate.

He was already quoting a minimum price now.

Salary issues are generally discussed with the other party's agent, but that applies to commercial films; for art-house films, as long as it can compete for awards, the agency will support the actor quoting a low price themselves.

Of course, only big-name stars have this treatment; small fry shouldn't even think about it and must obediently wait for the company's arrangements.

"No problem."

Berman had said that as long as Tim Robbins' salary did not exceed six million, it could be agreed upon.

With these confirmed, everything else was just a side issue that could be settled with the agent.

A few days after Tim Robbins returned, he received a call from his agent saying that Clint Eastwood had a film and wanted to talk to him, was interested in having him play one of the roles, and wanted to ask for his opinion.

Tim Robbins was confused, so he asked his agent, "Haven't we already promised Director Cao Yang? Why do we still need to see Eastwood?"

The agent was silent for a moment and reminded him, "Tim, you haven't signed the formal contract yet, have you? You must know, that is Eastwood, the Eastwood who has won an Oscar for Best Director.

He is adapting the novel *Mystic River* and wants you to play one of the roles. I heard that Sean Penn has already decided to join; it is clear that this film is also aiming for the Oscars."

"Sean Penn has also joined?" Tim Robbins hesitated. That guy Sean Penn is famous for his good eye; he is jokingly called the "Son of Fortune" in the art-house circle. Most of the films he favors can win awards, or at least get nominated. If he joins...

This is a great opportunity!

"But we have already promised Director Cao Yang. He is also a great director in the field of art-house films, and it is not easy to offend him lightly."

Understood; the agent immediately caught on.

"Tim, you can go talk to Eastwood first, see the character's positioning, and then decide what to do. If Director Eastwood insists on you joining, you can call Director Cao Yang and say that I accepted the film for you privately, and that you had no choice."

Tim Robbins pondered for a moment and then said, "I haven't seen Eastwood for a long time; it would be nice for old friends to get together."

Cao Yang did not yet know about the situation on Tim Robbins' end. The change of the lead actor from Sean Penn to Tim Robbins did not have a huge overall impact; both are big stars, but neither is particularly capable of carrying the box office alone.

For film companies, they all have their own evaluation systems and won't look at how high your artistic achievements are. What they value most is box office drawing power and popularity; otherwise, there wouldn't be the so-called "20 Million Club."

The conditions Berman went to negotiate with the film company were the result of Cao Yang's careful deliberation.

Cao Yang was very clear-headed. He was new to Hollywood, and this was his first film. Even as a co-producer, he might be able to secure editing rights, but wanting to get more benefits would be somewhat unrealistic.

!

As the initiator of the project, one can certainly demand a share of the box office. The money a producer can get is divided into pre-release and post-release.

Before the film is released, what the producer gets is basically considered a work fee. The average income of a Hollywood producer is about 750,000, which is related to personal fame.

After the film is released, it is hard to say; it depends on how it is specifically negotiated.

Some powerful producers will take a share of the global box office, and how much they get is closely related to the film's box office and profitability.

For example, *Deadpool* producer Simon Kinberg earned 2 million dollars from this 58-million-dollar budget film before its release, but after the film was released, he earned another 38 million dollars from the box office split.

It’s not that Cao Yang doesn't want a box office split, but as an "outsider," even if the film's box office is high and it earns a lot, if the final accounting shows the film is at a loss, what can you do?

With Berman there?

Haha, in the face of huge financial interests, don't test Berman.

Who can guarantee that after the film becomes profitable, he won't collude with the film company to cook the books?

Therefore, Cao Yang's request was very simple. He said directly to Berman, "As the project's co-initiator, producer, director, and screenwriter, I don't care what you can negotiate with the film company; my bottom line is the European rights to the film."

Cao Yang had already made a great concession. He was a realistic person and never expected to reach the sky in one step in Hollywood.

As the project's initiator, one of the producers, and also the director and screenwriter, Cao Yang was qualified to demand a share of the film's profits.

But Hollywood film companies have a "well-known reputation" for their ability to cook the books in this regard.

Can you believe that the *Harry Potter* film series, with a total global box office of over 7.8 billion dollars, was at a loss?

Those actors and other personnel who took a share of the box office profits didn't get a single cent.

Although the reasons involved are multifaceted, Hollywood doesn't go soft when it comes to screwing over its own people, let alone an outsider who is new to Hollywood.

Cao Yang giving up the split and only wanting the European rights was also a result of careful deliberation. The price the European rights could sell for in his hands would not be less than what he would get from a split.

The Hollywood film company should also be happy to see this happen.

(End of chapter)