Chapter 17: Chapter 17 – Temporary Crew

 

Back on the set of 17 Again, Eric’s mind remained on making plans for Home Alone which led to him making a lot of mistakes during the shooting. However, since the end was near, Penny Marshall’s temper was surprisingly good, and she patiently continued giving him pointers.

Eric had initially thought of seeking help from her but quickly dismissed the idea. Penny Marshall was close to the executives of  Fox. If they got wind of Home Alone, they would easily be able to see its potential as a Christmas comedy and try to be a part of it which was something Eric didn’t wish to see happening.

After considering the matter for a while, he finally recalled a certain young girl. Even after going through hard times, she was still able to make a comeback. Whether it was as a producer, a director or a child star, she had the single most important quality: connections.

Despite being just a thirteen-year-old girl, with her personality, Drew’s social network couldn’t be underestimated. At the very least she would be able to help him put a small team together.

October 9th, the filming of 17 Again finally ended, and Eric got his $500,000 paycheck. Immediately, he began working non-stop on his plans for Home Alone.

***

“Eric, where are we going?” Jennifer, who was sitting next to him in the car, asked curiously.

Eric pulled out the script for Home Alone from his bag and said, “Take a look at this first.”

Jennifer looked at the title and became surprised, “Oh wow, Home Alone? Is this your new script?”

“Yep,” Eric nodded, then started the car and said, “I intend to direct the film myself.”

“What? Eric, you’re not kidding right? Do you even know where the camera’s power button is?”

“I do. By the way, I’m going to be the director, not the cameraman.”

During his previous life, he had been a director for many years, when it came to directing, he knew just about everything. In fact, he was more skilled than any famous Hollywood director of the ‘80s or ‘90s since he had studied their work even after he had become an advertising director since his goal had always been to be a film director.

“Alright, but you still haven’t told me where we’re going though?”

Eric hesitated for a bit before he answered, “We’re going to see Drew.”

“Humph!”

“Annie, I brought you so that you wouldn’t have any misunderstandings.”

“Humph!”

“I need Drew’s help to find some professionals; she might be young but she knows a lot of people.”

“Humph!”

Eric sighed, parked on the roadside, unfastened his seat belt as he said, “It seems that first I’ll have to placate a jealous little girl.”

***

“You understand, right? You have no reason to feel like this. Let’s go now.”

Eric put his seat belt back on and started the car again after he convinced her.

“Hey Eric, you can find James or Penny, there’s so many other people, why does it have to be that bi-…. girl.” In order to maintain her ladylike image in front of Eric, Jennifer quickly swallowed back her words.

Eric explained it to her once again; Jennifer clenched her fists, but no longer spoke.

The rehabilitation center was well-known in Los Angeles. In order to prevent visitors from bringing drugs to the inhabitants, the two of them were thoroughly searched before being allowed entry. Finally, a staff personnel led them to Drew.

From afar, they were able to see the lass lying on a sun chair on the side of an open-air bath, a hardcover version of Jurassic Park in her hands.

“Hey, Drew.” Eric said with a smile.

Eric’s words had just left his mouth when the girl bounced off her chair and threw herself in his arms.

“Eric, if you didn’t come to see me, I was going to escape and find you!”

“You!” Jennifer’s face darkened as she was completely ignored by Drew.

Although she had a very strong impulse to pull her away from Eric, there were a lot of people around, and she wasn’t bold like Drew.

After frolicking for a while, Drew finally noticed Jennifer, “Hey, supersized girl, I heard you were so desperate to lose weight that you fainted on set, that’s really pathetic. You don’t look any thinner though, how much did you lose?”

Jennifer was about to lose her temper when Eric swiftly knocked on Drew’s head and said, “Drew, I don’t think you’re in any position to make fun of Annie.”

Drew grunted in pain, and tearfully said, “Eric, you’re so mean.”

Eric ignored her pitiful appearance and said, “There are too many people here, let’s go to your place.”

Drew’s living quarters were comparable to a suite; it even had a kitchen. The three went to the living room and Drew poured them glasses of juice as she sat down on the couch holding one too.

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“So, Eric, what can I do for you?”

“Can I not come and see you without any purpose?” Eric was a bit embarrassed.

Drew curled her lips as she mocked, “With that annoying fatty? You know I don’t like her.”

Jennifer, who had managed to endure for a long time, finally exploded, “I’ve had enough, you bitch! I’m the one who doesn’t like you!”

Drew was gloating as she tutted twice, “She finally revealed her true nature. Hey Eric, you see, that fatty’s nothing like a lady at all, you need to be careful in the future, or you might suffer at her hands.”

“You….”

Eric rubbed his temples in distress, secretly vowing that he wouldn’t let these two meet again in the future, “Guys, give me a break, I’m seriously going to get mad.”

“Eric……” Jennifer looked at Eric, aggrieved.

“Annie, why don’t you go and wait for me in the car, I’ll be there soon.”

When Drew heard his words, her eyes flashed, but she quickly calmed down and began looking down, pretending to drink her juice. However, a woman’s sixth sense was really something as Jennifer had instantly caught on to the minute change in her expression.

“I won’t, I’m staying.” Jennifer refused as she crossed her arms and turned her head to the side.

Eric helplessly looked at her before he took out the script and handed it to Drew, “Drew, this is a new script, I want you to help introduce me to some professionals to set up a temporary crew.”

Drew took the script and read a bit before chuckling, “Haha, that’s really funny, this is a good script…. Ah! Eric, you’re saying….”

“Yes,” Eric nodded as he said, “I want to make this film alone. It’s a low-cost project so I only need around a million dollars which shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ll need help from professionals who are both reliable and cheap.”

In fact, filmmakers were a dime a dozen in Los Angeles, so even without relying on Drew, Eric would be able to scrape up a crew, but it would be an unnecessary waste of time, and if he accidentally hired an incompetent team, he wouldn’t even have the time to shed tears.

While Eric wasn’t paying attention, Drew glanced proudly at Jennifer, then lovingly said, “No problem, I know a lot of people. What do you need?”

When Jennifer saw Drew’s glance filled with pride, she felt her anger rising, but in the end only turned to glare at Eric.

“Cameraman, gaffer, sound recording artist …… in short,” Eric pretended not to see Jennifer’s unhappy look as he spread his hands and shrugged, “I have nothing right now.”

Drew thought for a bit and said, “I happen to know about the recent closure of a small film company which has a filming crew. Their boss took a mortgage on the studio in order to get a loan, but he lost all the money. Their crew is really skilled, I played a small role in one of their movies once. If they have yet to disband, you might be able to hire them. Compared to unemployment, they’d probably be willing to work for you.”

Eric excitedly said, “That’s awesome!”

Drew stood up, smiled and said, “I’ll give them a call for you. I hope they haven't left yet.”

She went to the phone next to the window and began dialing.

Jennifer sat on the couch, filled with resentment, her hands clutching the hem of Eric’s shirt. She felt utterly useless, even Drew Barrymore was of some help to him, but not only was she useless, she was constantly the one receiving his help. Coupled with Drew’s undisguised attempts at wooing Eric, Jennifer was becoming increasingly anxious.

Soon, the phone call ended and Drew brought back good news: the film company was done for, but the filming crew was still in L.A, and the original owner was willing to introduce them to Eric.

He noted the time and place of the meeting, and quickly got up to leave as he did not wish to waste a moment of time.

Drew forced a kiss on Eric’s cheeks during their farewell, very reluctant to let him leave.

***

On the way back, Jennifer was depressed and Eric kept trying to comfort her.

“Annie, I’m sorry, I don’t know as many people as Drew, so I really needed her help. I’ll take care of the actors myself.”

Jennifer looked anxiously at Eric and said, “I understand, Eric. Hey, you will… you will always love me, right…?”

Eric unhesitatingly replied, “Of course.”

“I love you, Eric.”

“Hey, Annie?”

“Yeah?”

“Be my girlfriend?”

Jennifer's face suddenly flushed as she stammered, “Eric, I…. I”

“Why are you thinking so much about it, you only need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

“Yes.”