The Loan

Irene called her father, but the result made her give up completely.

MGM said they weren't deliberately withholding the box office revenue, but the movie was still in theaters. Although it had been scaled back, hundreds of theaters were still showing Legally Blonde, trying to push its box office numbers even higher. That would also help increase its future television broadcast and video rental fees.

But as long as the movie was still showing, the theaters wouldn't settle accounts with them, and she couldn't get her share of the profits.

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

Irene leaned back against the sofa and glanced at him. "Let's hear it."

"You can use your contract with Echo Pictures to get a bank loan."

"Would a bank accept that?" Irene frowned. Could she really do that?

"Of course. You're simply using your future earnings to secure a deal with the bank and borrow the money early. As long as you can provide valid, legal documentation, the bank staff will decide whether to approve it." Shelly Ovitz sounded confident and matter-of-fact, as if Irene was sure to get the money if she applied.

"Then help me set up a meeting with a bank manager as soon as possible. Time's tight, so hurry." Whether it worked or not, it was worth a try. If all else failed, she could borrow from Edward, the rich kid.

"Honestly, you could leave all this to your assistant." Shelly was happy to offer advice, but he wasn't nearly as eager to run errands.

"I haven't found one yet, have I? So you'd better work hard. Find me an assistant soon, and I'll be free sooner." Irene waved him off, wholly unfazed by his complaints, and started shooing him out.

After comparing National Wealth Bank, which specialized in Hollywood loans, with Merrill Lynch, Irene chose Merrill Lynch.

At the time, Merrill Lynch had yet to be acquired and remained one of the world's largest and most influential full-service securities firms. It was more than just a stockbroker: its reach extended into nearly every area of finance, including investment banking, asset management, and trading. It was immensely powerful.

Its core strength lay in its well-trained financial advisers, who earned hefty commissions. They made money by providing comprehensive, expensive financial services.

But even a giant like Merrill Lynch was being constrained by the rapidly growing internet. This year, it had been forced to launch online trading services, drawing plenty of attention.

None of that mattered to Irene. All she needed now was a loan of a moderate size, and Merrill Lynch processed applications quickly. There was a cap on the amount, but six million dollars was a perfectly ordinary sum for them.

Perhaps once the internet bubble began next year, she could officially enter the U.S. stock market.

Over the next few days, Irene discussed the loan with Morley Leonard, one of the loan officers at Merrill Lynch whom Shelly had introduced her to, while also revising her screenplay.

The original screenplay had been a one-to-one adaptation of the movie, just like Legally Blonde, with a few additions to make it feel more substantial.

She hadn't thought of adding an Asian actor until after she went to Hawaii.

She changed the heroine's friend Janis to an Asian character and renamed her Janis Huang, making her seem more Chinese.

Janis was intelligent, but because of her skin color, she could never be fully accepted. She shared something in common with the heroine, who was ostracized after returning from Africa. That made it more plausible that the two would become friends.

Adding some racism would also deepen the character's loneliness and her resistance to the hypocrisy of mainstream culture represented by "the Plastics," making the story feel more grounded and meaningful.

That way, the film could win over some Asian audiences without straying from its original course. Irene wasn't capable of making major changes to a film yet, but reworking the portrayal of a few supporting characters would be good practice for her.

Irene had plenty of ideas for the character. She wrote three full pages of backstory and family history alone, but a voice in the back of her mind kept reminding her not to let Janis Huang steal the spotlight. Cady was the movie's leading lady, so Irene managed to rein in her creative urges.

She gave the revised screenplay to her mother, who had worked as a screenwriter, to look over.

Her mother praised her character work again, strongly approved of the Asian character, and said it was wonderful that Irene had thought of using racism as a central theme at such a young age.

But she also offered a few suggestions. The Asian character still had too much screen time. The movie was only a high school comedy; racism should be hinted at and then left there. If it was explored too much, the movie's theme would become muddled and unbalanced, pleasing neither side.

Irene immediately saw the light. In the end, people wanted to see how Cady Heron outsmarted "the Plastics," not watch the story of Janis Huang's life of discrimination.

The day before the official auditions, good news came from Merrill Lynch: Irene's loan application had been approved. The six million dollars would be deposited into her account in a week. Her last concern before production began had vanished, and she could finally focus on the movie completely.

"Boss, here's the list of actors coming in to audition tomorrow. The first page is a spreadsheet I made based on your screenplay, matching the roles to the actors. Take a look, and let me know if there's anyone you want to pay special attention to."

Irene looked up at her assistant and took the list. "I'll look it over."

This was Vera Cecil, a fellow alumna from her school. She had studied economics and film as a double major and had always wanted to work in Hollywood—not as an actress, but in a more ambitious role.

But she had a degree and no work experience, and her family had no connections in the industry to help her.

After graduating, she could only find odd jobs at independent film sets. She had worked as a runner and buyer, filled in as a temporary assistant to actors, and taken all kinds of other last-minute substitute jobs.

Many independent film sets were chaotic places, and by the end of each workday, she was exhausted.

Still, there was no denying that the experience had taught her a lot. She was naturally observant and quick to learn, and two months of odd jobs had given her a basic understanding of filmmaking.

Just as she was getting ready to apply to more professional productions, she came across a job posting from Irene's studio, Echo Pictures.

It was a brand-new production company, run by the director who had just made the hit film Legally Blonde. The position was for her assistant, handling all kinds of work-related matters.

To be honest, the job didn't seem entirely reliable. For one thing, the boss was so young she was still a sophomore, and might rely too much on theory or instinct and micromanage her work.

The job description was also far too broad. No one wanted to be woken in the middle of the night to deal with the boss's problems. Of course, a high salary might make that worthwhile—but the posting said compensation was negotiable, which was a major red flag.

So the job might not appeal to experienced workers, but for a Hollywood newcomer like her, it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

As a director's assistant, she'd get a firsthand look at everything happening on a film set. That was nothing like the random odd jobs she'd done before.

She prepared for the interview with everything she had and ultimately became Irene Coppola's assistant.

On her first day at work, she was tasked with organizing the résumés of all the actors who would audition two days later.

To help her boss clearly match each actor with a role, she spent one full day and an entire night carefully reading the screenplay. She analyzed the traits of several important characters, matched them with the actors who were coming in to audition, and made a spreadsheet, hoping to earn her boss's approval.