“Can I tell you what’s going on and give you an idea what I’m talking about?” I asked.
I explained why we’d originally decided on the group approach, how women were treated differently, and how I’d agreed because I wanted them treated fairly. We’d come to a ballpark figure that we judged both the studio and we would find acceptable. I then explained how Chubby Feldman had seen the movie and felt I’d be viewed as more valuable than even Craig. That was because of my physicality and how I came across in the scenes. Chubby had made some of the largest-grossing action movies in Hollywood, and Saul said that if Chubby thought I was worth more, you could take it to the bank.
I also explained that Chubby thought the movie would gross more than initially projected. Chubby surmised that we had a hit on our hands.
“So, let me understand this,” Uncle John said. “The studio was going to shortchange the women, and you agreed to do this group negotiation so they’d be paid more.”
“It was significant. I was going to be paid twice as much as they were,” I said.
“I think you can work this out without breaking your word,” Grandma Dawson said. “If you can guarantee the women they’ll make at least what they would’ve with the original deal, would they be okay if you ended up making more? I bet they’re worried that without you they’ll take a financial hit. In essence, you’ll keep your word to make sure they’re paid more than without you. If you guarantee them either you’ll make it up out of your own pay, or from the studio, you’ll have satisfied the agreement.”
“The key is you gave your word that you would work with them to make more money,” Mom said.
“Look, where you made your mistake was making this deal before you knew everything,” Uncle John pointed out. “I remember one of your life goals was learning to say ‘no.’ It’s not your responsibility to right the wrongs of the movie industry. I understand why you did it, and I can see you doing it again in the future. What you need to learn to do is to be patient. I would bet that you all talked about how the success of this movie would affect what you might make on the next two. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Look, I’m not trying to beat you up. I want you to learn from situations like this. What I will say is that I think my mom is tap-dancing around the issue and finding a loophole for you to get out of your word. I would suggest that you talk to them, and if they insist that you work as a group, then you do it. If they release you from your commitment, you be sure to thank them and remember what you told us. If they take a hit because of you, you better step up and make it right,” Uncle John said.
“Yes, sir. Thank you for letting me talk this through. I think I’ve figured out what I want to do. I’ll let you know how our meeting goes,” I said, and hung up.
◊◊◊
As soon as Caryn and I arrived at Saul’s office, we were sent to a conference room with Craig, Kent, Bree, and Elizabeth. Bree and Elizabeth also had their agents with them.
“Can we talk without our people in here for a minute?” I asked.
They all looked at me like I was crazy.
“Let me talk to you, and I believe we can work this out,” I offered.
Caryn stood up and joined Saul at the door. The other agents got up to leave, as did Kent, but I motioned for him to stay. He’d been selected to represent us in the group negotiations. When the door closed, they all stared at me.
“What are you trying to pull? I thought we had an agreement on how to handle this,” Bree said.
I smiled at her.
“Hello to you too, Bree,” I tried but failed at my humor.
I took a deep breath.
“Look, I’m sorry. There was a screening of the movie, and Chubby Feldman was there. He advised Saul to break ranks and have me cut my own deal. I take my word seriously, and I made a mistake. I told Saul to move forward on Mr. Feldman’s recommendation. It was selfish and immature on my part. I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s nice you’re sorry, but how does that help us?” Elizabeth asked.
“I never wanted to do this in the first place. I did it because Bree and Elizabeth were getting boned on their offers,” Craig said.
“So you’re saying we should take the hit so you can make more money?” Bree asked.
Craig wouldn’t look at either of them.
“Chubby thinks we have a hit on our hands. If we’re patient, I believe we can make even more money. What if I guaranteed that the two of you would make at least what we agreed to?” I asked Bree and Elizabeth.
“What are you saying?” Bree asked.
“I’m saying that if you let Saul work our deals, I’ll put my own money up if the studio shorts you on your contract,” I said.
“I don’t want Saul negotiating for me,” Craig said.
“Fair enough, then you’d be free to cut your own deal without interference from us,” I said.
“We already have agents,” Bree said.
“And yet you agreed to let Kent lead the negotiations. How would this be different?” I asked.
“You’re serious. You’d guarantee us what we had talked about, even if the movie fails?” Bree asked.
“Look, I gave you my word and didn’t live up to it. If you tell me you’d rather us all do a group deal, I will,” I said.
“I’m out,” Craig said.
“I would still do it with the two of you,” I said.
Bree and Elizabeth left to talk to their agents. Kent smiled at me.
“Actually, I think you did us a favor. We’ve heard similar things about Star Academy. The movie has tested well,” Kent said.
“Are we good?” I asked Craig.
“Hell, you got me laid last weekend. We’re good.”
“Where was I when all this was happening?” Kent complained.
I just shook my head. Craig and Kent left, and everyone else came back in. Caryn had filled Saul in on what I’d proposed so he wasn’t blindsided.
“We’ll take you up on the offer of a guarantee,” Bree said.
“Saul, I hope you can get them more than that,” I said.
“I have a deal with David that if I make him over what Kent negotiated, I get my fee on the difference. Will you do the same?” he asked.
They negotiated from there. Caryn and I got up and left them to it. Saul was in his element, and I knew they’d work it out. On the way home, I received text messages from Bree and Elizabeth that they weren’t upset with me.
◊◊◊
Chapter 23 – Man of My Word? Tuesday December 22
We had a good day on the set today. Jessup was working us ragged so we’d be able to take a day off from work on Thursday, Christmas Eve day. The only negative during the day happened when Fritz sat me down and told me that Paul was no longer allowed to drive me. His having sex with Maria when he was supposed to be protecting me was a big problem. I told him I was partly responsible, but Fritz wasn’t hearing any of it and told me to stay out of it; he was in charge of security.
I was glad when we were done and Fritz agreed to take me surfing. There was still a crowd at our beach, so we packed up our gear and drove down the road. A small car park limited the number of people on the water. This beach was also rockier. Fritz warned me that I needed to be careful.
There were some docks down the beach, and they were packed with sea lions. Fritz told me that boaters hated the animals. When we paddled out, I got to watch a few of them playing in the waves. Fritz and I made our way out and joined the four other people surfing. There was a guy a little older than me whom I talked to while I waited my turn.
“Have you ever hit a sea lion before?” I asked.
“No, they tend to avoid us, but that would ruin your day. The males can be 750 pounds.”
“You’re right, that would ruin my day.”
I liked our new spot to surf. The people here were older, and no one acted as if they would jump a wave. I was more careful, though. I didn’t want to crash and get rolled if the bottom was mainly rock. Everyone also seemed to know each other and accepted us.