Nigel Cawthorne, a renowned editor and author who worked for The New York Times and BBC Radio for many years, once wrote two volumes titled Sex Lives of the Hollywood Goddesses, exposing the absurd hidden rules of the early Hollywood film industry. These two books covered nearly all the decadent, extravagant, and depraved behind-the-scenes stories of the film world before the 1970s.
Later, with the rise of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), actors' rights became increasingly protected, and the sexual transactions in Hollywood were largely curbed. However, the existence of unspoken rules has always been deeply rooted—just like Hollywood's persistent discrimination against women and homosexuals.
Nicole Kidman rose to fame overnight after starring in Days of Thunder and having a passionate relationship with Tom Cruise. She refused to attend a private party hosted by the film company boss and was subsequently dropped by the Ghost production team, which eventually cast Demi Moore instead. Julia Roberts, during her audition for Pretty Woman, reportedly asked, "Who do I have to sleep with to get the lead role?"—such situations have always existed.
It's just that, with the maturation of the union system, coercion has become rare. These things are now basically consensual, because producers and directors have to take risks for enforcing such rules—the failure of a project would be their responsibility too. Not everyone can simply get into their beds. For many low-tier actors, just sleeping with a producer or director could bring a shot at fame, and many can't wait to do so.
Thus, the so-called hidden rules have evolved further and have become open secrets—explicitly acknowledged norms.
Hugo Lancaster was born on November 20, 1967. He first appeared on the big screen in 1982 at the age of fifteen. He was quite lucky to land a role in Diner, the debut film by director Barry Levinson. He acted alongside a young Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon as one of five young men. Barry Levinson would go on to direct the Oscar-winning classic Rain Man. It could be said that Hugo's career had a solid start.
Later, Hugo was signed by ICM (International Creative Management), one of Hollywood's top three talent agencies, becoming a client under Ron Meyer. Under Ron's arrangement, Hugo appeared in David Lynch's 1984 film Dune and several other projects. Although he never became a breakout star, each of his roles was solid, and he gradually grew into a respected actor favored by producers.
During auditions for Dead Poets Society, Hugo met producer Tracey Jacobs. Tracey was a rising producer in recent years, having developed the Die Hard series. Her name also appeared in the production credits of Terms of Endearment, which won Best Picture at the 56th Academy Awards, and The Color Purple, which received eleven nominations at the 58th Oscars but went home empty-handed.
Dead Poets Society was Tracey's brainchild. The director Peter Weir and lead actor Robin Williams were both secured by Tracey. Hugo auditioned for the role of Neil Perry in the film. His handsome and sunny appearance won Tracey's favor.
What happened next was simple. Put nicely, Hugo and Tracey became romantically involved, and Hugo got the role and rose to fame. Put bluntly, the unspoken rule played out between Hugo and Tracey with mutual consent. Hugo landed the part and drew widespread attention.
Subsequent films Desperate Hours and Hudson Hawk were both produced by Tracey. Naturally, Hugo starred as the male lead. Tracey even dropped her favorite actor Bruce Willis for Hugo, showing how much she valued him. Unfortunately, both films flopped at the box office. Hugo's rising career hit rock bottom after three consecutive failures, leaving him in a bind. To make matters worse, after the release of Hudson Hawk, Hugo and Tracey broke up.
The breakup itself wasn't unusual—especially for Hugo and Tracey, who had little emotional foundation. Their relationship was like a sandcastle: grand and majestic at low tide, but swept away instantly when the tide came in. But the timing of their breakup was highly sensitive, and it ended on a very sour note.
In this context, the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) came into play. Joseph believed Hugo shouldn't attend the ceremony, but Hugo still consulted his former agent Ron. Ron—now a partner at ICM—thought carefully and suggested Hugo attend the 12th Razzie Awards to reshape his image as someone broad-minded and humorous, thus paving the way for future work. Although Joseph disagreed, he couldn't override Hugo's trust in Ron, leading to yesterday's events.
Originally, Tracey wasn't listed as a producer for A River Runs Through It, but the audition opportunity had been arranged before the breakup by Tracey on Joseph's behalf. Take a look at the list of interviewers: Elizabeth, a close friend of Tracey, and Jon, her frequent collaborator. If Hugo and Tracey were still together, everything might've gone smoothly. But unfortunately, they had broken up. Tracey joined the production team at the last moment before the audition, which meant Hugo's fate was sealed even before he walked into the room.
Previously, Hugo hadn't even read the script for A River Runs Through It. The script lay under his bed, gathering a thick layer of dust—evidence of his attitude. But after last night's Razzie incident, Joseph, holding on to a sliver of hope, encouraged Hugo not to give up easily. He didn't mention Tracey's involvement and tried to persuade Hugo to attend the audition. Unexpectedly, Hugo agreed without hesitation and even prepared seriously, making Joseph see him in a new light.
Sadly, Hugo's efforts still went unrewarded.
Just the name "Tracy" alone awakened so many memories in Hugo that it actually helped him gradually get into the role. At this moment, he finally understood the behavior of Elizabeth and Jon during the audition; the sarcasm from Wood and Stone was likely fueled by industry rumors as well.
Interestingly, in Hugo's memory, none of the roles in these works were played by "him." The most direct proof was Dead Poets Society, where the character Neil was played by Robert Sean Leonard, who later became widely known for starring in the TV series House M.D. But clearly, history had subtly changed. In this version, Neil was played not by Robert, but by Hugo Lancaster.
Hugo let out a long breath, setting aside his confusion. He carefully recalled Tracy's appearance in his mind—early thirties, deep brown wavy long hair simply draped over her shoulders with a touch of mature charm. Her straight nose and sharp lips suggested a woman who ran her studio with a decisive and efficient style.
Hugo couldn't shake the feeling that this woman looked incredibly familiar. After thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up. "The role of Paul eventually went to Brad, right?" This guess wasn't based on the fact that Brad Pitt had played the part in Hugo's memory of A River Runs Through It, but rather because Hugo suddenly remembered—Tracy was the woman he had just seen on the fifth floor with Brad!
Joseph had no idea where Hugo's deduction came from. He only saw Hugo fall silent for a while before suddenly blurting out that question. Joseph gave a light cough. "That's the rumor going around in the industry." There was no need to say the rest—Hugo already knew. The rumor was that Tracy and Brad were together.
Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Is Tracy's name also on the producer list of Thelma & Louise?"
Joseph shook his head, denying Hugo's speculation. But then he added, "The screenwriter of Thelma & Louise, Callie Khouri, knows Tracy." After saying that, Joseph turned to glance at Hugo. Their eyes met, and they both broke into wide grins before looking away.
It seemed Brad's sense of rivalry with Hugo wasn't limited to A River Runs Through It. No wonder Joseph had said from the start that Brad saw Hugo as his biggest competitor. Clearly, everything had its reasons.
Now that he understood the whole situation, the adrenaline that Hugo had pumped himself up with last night had more or less run out. It seemed the circumstances he faced after transmigrating were even messier than he'd imagined. Setting aside this body's drug addiction—which Hugo had full confidence in overcoming—after all, any addiction originates in the mind. Physical dependence certainly plays a role, but it doesn't go as deep as mental craving. Now that Hugo's soul had no such addiction, defeating the body's dependence on drugs wouldn't be too difficult. But apart from that, Hugo's acting career wasn't looking promising either.
In Hollywood, a production company's tolerance for an actor usually maxes out at three projects. Simply put: three strikes and you're out. Hugo had now flopped in three consecutive films, all three earning him Golden Raspberry nominations. Not to mention that before this, his only highlight was Dead Poets Society. Even an Oscar-winning actor would be in a dire state right now, let alone Hugo, who had never delivered any truly solid performances. So it was easy to imagine that the negative impact of the Razzies would continue for some time. The challenges Hugo faced were definitely not minor.
Furthermore, although Hugo wasn't sure just how unpleasant the breakup with Tracy had been, it was clear she now held animosity toward him. Leaving aside the inevitable defeat in A River Runs Through It due to competing directly with Tracy's current boyfriend Brad, it was hard to predict whether Tracy would throw more obstacles in the path of Hugo's acting career in the future.
With so much trouble piling up, the motivational high from last night had just about completely burned out. At this moment, Hugo had no real thoughts—he just wanted to go home, back to the familiar year of 2014, back to the side of his fellow members in the "Death Or Glory" band, back to that Midi rock music festival stage that held no international recognition at all...
"Hoo... Joseph, do you know any other female producers? Preferably ones who are open to unspoken rules." Hugo stretched lazily as he spoke. That single sentence nearly made Joseph spit out whatever was in his mouth. He instantly choked on his own saliva and started coughing uncontrollably.
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