The two sat opposite each other on a sofa in the corner of the lobby, but Michael Ovitz did not speak for a while, his expression showing clear reluctance.
Simon didn't rush him, casually looking at the surrounding crowd and listening to the melodious string music drifting from the dance floor.
A tall blonde woman in a white off the shoulder dress noticed the silence between Simon and Ovitz. After some thought, she tentatively walked over and greeted Simon, "Hi, Mr. Westeros".
This woman was truly tall; wearing high heels, she must have been over six feet three inches.
Simon looked up and smiled at the woman, saying, "Hi, Ms. Hall".
The woman's face showed surprise, mixed with a touch of well-placed joy: "Mr. Westeros, you know me?"
"Mick's girlfriend, Jerry Hall, right?" Simon had a somewhat inexplicable smile on his face as he patted the spot next to him and said, "Mick didn't come tonight?"
"He's in England", Jerry Hall replied casually, then sat down next to Simon, politely nodded to Ovitz, and turned her attention back to Simon, finding a topic to say, "Mr. Westeros, I hear 'Batman' is about to finish post-production?"
"Yes, and by the way, you can just call me Simon".
Simon nodded in agreement, remembering that Jerry Hall had played the gangster boss's wife, disfigured by the Joker, in the first Keaton version of 'Batman'. He found the situation very interesting. At the same time, he had to admit that this woman, who had managed to hold onto the notoriously philandering Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger for many years, was truly stunning. In her early thirties, she was at the peak of her beauty.
"That's truly an honour, Simon", Jerry Hall quickly changed her address, subtly moving a little closer, and said, "You can call me Jerry too".
A certain big-eared mouse popped into Simon's mind, and he said with a smile, "That sounds like a boy's name".
"I can't help it. There are five sisters in my family, and my dad was desperate for a boy".
"Did his wish come true?"
"No".
Simon showed a sympathetic expression.
After a few jokes, noticing Ovitz's impatience, Simon raised his glass to Jerry Hall and said, "Jerry, Mr. Ovitz and I still have something to discuss".
Jerry Hall took out a business card from her handbag and handed it over generously, saying, "I'll be in Los Angeles these days, Simon. Perhaps we could find time to grab coffee".
Simon took the woman's business card and nodded, "Sounds good".
Seeing that Simon had no intention of giving her his business card, Jerry Hall wisely stood up, not forgetting to nod to Ovitz again.
Michael Ovitz ignored the woman who had just left, watching the young man across from him casually put the business card into his shirt pocket. Finally, he said, "Simon, Barry and the other four are all moving to WMA. All the past unpleasantness between us will end there. What do you think?"
Simon had speculated on many of Ovitz's countermeasures, but he hadn't expected him to propose such a solution.
However, having Barry Levinson and the others all switch to WMA did seem to be the best way to resolve the animosity between the two parties, as Simon's close relationship with WMA was well-known. By doing this, Ovitz could also protect the careers of his clients to the greatest extent.
However, Simon did not nod. He said, "Michael, I'm actually not a very vengeful person. I wouldn't send people with baseball bats to beat someone up in an alley just because of a few harsh words. You have to understand, with the resources I currently control, if I wanted to target someone, their outcome would definitely not be good. It's just that I'm also not a person who is good at forgiving. For those who have provoked me, all I ask is that they never appear in my sight again".
"Simon, Barry and the others don't appear in front of you every day".
"Michael, you should understand what I mean. Right now, most of Hollywood is in my sight. Of course, there are still some corners that I don't plan to look at again; it's not good to be too perfect. So, they can stay there".
Michael Ovitz thought of Paramount.
If the young man in front of him was willing to let go of the animosity caused by the two scripts being snatched, Paramount would certainly not mind siding with Danerys Entertainment.
Perhaps there was also MGM, and even the increasingly declining Orion, but he clearly didn't intend to do so.
Just for the sake of not pursuing perfection.
In previous interactions, Michael Ovitz had sensed that Simon was a perfectionist. Now, when a perfectionist no longer pursued perfection, it didn't necessarily mean that the person had become complacent or depraved; he might have become even stronger.
After all, there's never anything perfect in this world.
After another moment of silence, Ovitz finally said somewhat dejectedly, "Simon, if Barry and the others leave CAA, will the matter be settled?"
Simon nodded: "CAA has many excellent filmmakers, and I actually look forward to cooperating with you".
Having made his decision, Ovitz didn't drag his feet. He said, "In that case, you must also guarantee that WMA will no longer poach people from CAA".
"I can't agree to such a thing, Michael. I'm just closer to Jonathan. WMA isn't my company; this is competition between your talent agencies".
Maintaining competition among the major talent agencies was actually beneficial to Simon, so he certainly couldn't restrict this point.
Michael Ovitz also realized something, said no more, stood up and extended his hand to Simon. The two shook hands, tacitly reaching an understanding. Leaving the party hall, Ovitz got into his car waiting outside the Four Seasons Hotel and directly called Barry Levinson and the others via the car phone.
Simon didn't know how Ovitz communicated with Barry Levinson and the others, but the very next day, news spread throughout Hollywood that four A-list filmmakers, Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, and Meg Ryan, were about to leave CAA.
The matter was quickly confirmed by CAA.
However, the official line to the public was that the four, including Barry Levinson, chose to leave CAA for their own career development.
Subsequently, Barry Levinson quickly announced his new project, 'Avalon', in collaboration with Paramount Pictures, with a budget of $15 million, scheduled for release next year.
Dustin Hoffman announced his intention to take a year off from acting to perform in a stage play in the UK. News then circulated in the industry that all of Hoffman's scenes in Warren Beatty's new film 'Dick Tracy', a collaboration with Disney, had been deleted.
Tom Cruise's agent, Paula Wagner, and her client both left CAA, announcing the formation of Cruise/Wagner Productions through a public notice in the Los Angeles Times.
Meg Ryan had just become famous last year with 'When Harry Met Sally', making her the one with the shallowest roots among the four.
After the incident, Meg Ryan's public relations manager also announced her resignation. None of the large and small talent agencies in Hollywood extended an olive branch to her. After a frantic period, the actress had no choice but to hastily announce that her sister would temporarily serve as her agent and publicist.
Subsequently, paparazzi discovered that Meg Ryan's boyfriend of over a year, Dennis Quaid, appeared intimately with another unknown actress at a bar in West Hollywood. When pressed by the paparazzi, Dennis Quaid admitted that he had recently broken up with Meg Ryan.
Compared to Michael Ovitz's 'infantry soldier' incident, which was still being chipped away at by the media, the major mainstream newspapers in North America showed an unusually strange silence regarding the departure of Barry Levinson and the other three from CAA. Only some innocuous official press releases appeared on their pages.
Most of the public, not sensitive to gossip, would only assume that these individuals chose to leave CAA due to dissatisfaction with Ovitz, who had recently been criticized by the media.
Of course, the industry never lacked tabloids eager to create big news to attract attention. However, these papers usually had very low readership and dared not openly expose the inside story of events, only hinting at things vaguely.
To be precise, tabloids actually understood better who they could provoke and who they couldn't.
If Simon Westeros was just a director, any kind of hype would be fine.
Public figures are meant to be hyped.
However, when this director was also a super-rich man with billions of dollars and absolute power in Hollywood, various gossip newspapers did not dare to be too blatant to avoid being sued into bankruptcy.
As for Hollywood, when faced with media inquiries about the departure of Barry Levinson and others from CAA, even stars who were once known for being loose-lipped remained tight-lipped.
Simon Westeros's almost understated display of power this time truly made many people realize that after the era of big studios, another truly powerful Hollywood figure, a 'tycoon', had emerged.
In recent years, studio executives, when facing A-list Hollywood stars, have generally maintained a fawning attitude in order to entice them to appear in their films. Even moguls like Steve Ross went to great lengths to befriend Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, and others.
Now, Simon Westeros not only did not lower his stance to actively befriend stars, but instead, with one move, he knocked several of Hollywood's most sought-after A-listers off their pedestals.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that as long as Simon Westeros didn't relent, even if Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, and Meg Ryan could still get by in Hollywood on their past fame, their careers were destined to decline without the resources they once easily obtained.
The individuals involved accepted reality with a look of dejection and did not publicly challenge Simon Westeros, understanding their predicament.
Ultimately, Simon Westeros didn't push things to the extreme. If they were to provoke him again at this point, it would be akin to self-sabotage. In the days that followed, seeing the young man who always seemed calm and humble, as if without a hint of aggression, even some habitually arrogant stars couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Things always come in quick succession.
While the industry was still secretly discussing the inside story of Barry Levinson and others leaving CAA, the release of the new annual Forbes North America 400 Richest People list immediately sparked another public opinion storm.