Chapter 35: Loan

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Loan

Irene called her father, but the result made her abandon the idea.

MGM said they wouldn’t deliberately delay box office payouts, but the film was still in theaters.

Though the release had scaled back, hundreds of theaters were still showing Legally Blonde to push the gross higher, which would also raise future TV and video fees.

Because the theatrical run wasn’t over, theaters hadn’t settled accounts, and she couldn’t get her share yet.

"I have a suggestion," Shelly Ovitz said, relaxed.

Irene leaned back on the sofa and looked at him. "Let’s hear it."

"You can use the contract signed with 20th Century Fox to get a bank loan."

"Would a bank accept that?" Irene frowned. Was that possible?

"Of course. You’re using future earnings as collateral to borrow in advance. If you provide valid documentation, the bank will assess whether to approve it." Shelly sounded confident, as if approval was likely.

"Then set up a meeting with a bank manager. Time’s short." Whether it worked or not, she should try. If not, she could still ask Edward.

"Seriously, you can have your assistant handle this," Shelly said. He was fine with ideas, less so with errands.

"I haven’t hired one yet, so you need to work harder. Find me an assistant sooner so I can delegate." Irene waved him off, unbothered by his complaints.

After comparing National Wealth Bank and Merrill Lynch, which both handled Hollywood loans, Irene chose Merrill Lynch.

Merrill Lynch hadn’t been acquired yet and was still one of the largest comprehensive securities firms globally.

It wasn’t just a broker; its reach covered investment banking, asset management, and trading. It was influential.

Its core strength was a trained team of financial advisors who worked on commission.

They earned by providing high-cost financial services.

Even so, they were pressured by the growing internet and launched online trading this year, drawing attention.

But that didn’t concern Irene. She needed a loan, not large but not small, and Merrill Lynch’s approval process was fast. Six million dollars was a routine amount for them.

Perhaps after the internet bubble started next year, she could enter the U.S. stock market.

Over the next few days, Irene discussed loan details with Morley Leonard, a Merrill Lynch loan manager Shelly introduced, while revising her script.

The original draft was a direct transcription of the film, like with Legally Blonde, but she’d added material to make it more complete.

She decided to add an Asian actor after visiting Hawaii.

She changed the protagonist’s best friend, Janice, to an Asian character and renamed her Janice Huang, giving her a Chinese background.

Janice was intelligent but never fully accepted because of her ethnicity, similar to Katie being ostracized for returning from Africa. That parallel made their friendship logical.

By including elements of racial bias, Janice’s isolation and her opposition to the "Plastics" gained depth and relevance.

This could appeal to some Asian audiences without derailing the story. She couldn’t overhaul the film yet, but adjusting supporting roles was good practice.

Irene had many ideas for the character; she wrote three pages on Janice’s biography and family. But she reminded herself not to let Janice overshadow Katie, the protagonist, so she restrained the urge.

She gave the revised script to her mother, a screenwriter, for feedback.

Her mother praised the character work, approved the Asian addition, and noted that addressing bias at Irene’s age was insightful.

But she suggested Janice’s screen time was still too high. The film was a campus comedy; bias should be a light touch. Too much would shift the theme and risk alienating audiences.

Irene agreed. Viewers wanted Katie outsmarting the Plastics, not a focus on Janice’s discrimination.

The day before auditions, Merrill Lynch delivered good news: they approved Irene’s loan.

The six million would be in her account within a week. The last obstacle before filming was gone, and she could focus fully on the movie.

"Boss, this is the audition list for tomorrow. The first page is a table matching characters to actors based on your script. Review it, and tell me if anyone interests you."

Irene looked up at the assistant and took the list. "I will."

Ms. Vera Cecil was a senior from her school with degrees in Economics and Film Studies. She wanted to work in Hollywood, not as an actress, but with larger ambitions.

But she had knowledge without experience, and no family connections in the industry.

After graduating, she took odd jobs on independent sets—runner, purchaser, temporary assistant, stand-in.

The environment on many indie sets was disorganized, and she finished each day exhausted.

Still, it was useful training. She learned by observing, and two months gave her a basic understanding of production.

As she prepared to send résumés to professional crews, she saw that Irene Coppola’s studio, Echo Pictures, was hiring.

It was a new production company. The boss was the director of the hit Legally Blonde, and the role was her assistant, coordinating work matters.

Honestly, the job seemed uncertain: a young boss, still in college, might rely on theory or impulse and micromanage.

Also, the scope was broad. No one wanted midnight calls to handle problems. High pay would offset that, but "salary negotiable" was a warning sign.

So experienced people might avoid it, but for a newcomer like her, it was a key opportunity.

An assistant to a director could see every aspect of a set, unlike her previous odd jobs.

She prepared, interviewed, and got the job.

Her first task was organizing résumés for actors auditioning in two days.

To make the character-actor match clear, she spent a day and a night reading the script, analyzing key roles, then pairing them with auditioning actors in a table, hoping for her boss’s approval.