King of Hollywood
Chapter 452: Hollywood’s trivial matters

Chapter 452: Hollywood’s trivial matters

Seeing people in the book review section asking about the unwritten rules and X transactions, I just happen to have written something on the subject before, although it was unfinished. Now I might as well take it out and organize it to post here.

What I’m about to say represents my personal views and not anyone else’s, nor do I guarantee it is one hundred percent correct. Just take it as you will.

Furthermore, I have already mentioned a point in my novels, and I will repeat it here: don’t fully trust collected data, nor should you completely dismiss it. What you see is merely what the media wants you to see. Discerning the truth from it will require your own careful scrutiny.

This applies to Raymond Zhou’s "Hollywood Apocalypse", the "Hollywood’s Unwritten Rules" published by Americans, or any documentary for that matter. If you read a few books or watch a few documentaries without verifying or contemplating their content, and then accept them as treasures unreservedly, there are only two words to describe you: Foolish!

For instance, when discussing this issue, some like to quote the American action actor Vincent, but what about it, really? Let’s not even talk about how famous this so-called action actor is or how credible—refuting those words is quite easy, and I’ll get to that in a moment. Here, I just want to make one thing clear: if you were a Chinese director in the United States and a reporter asked you if there was a lot of X transaction in the Chinese entertainment industry, how would you respond? Most likely: There are some, but not many, and most are decent. Right?

No one will defame their own industry in front of the media unless they no longer want to work in it, especially Hollywood, which exports its values abroad. How could they not present themselves in the best light? Of course, once you’re actually in Hollywood, they will give you roundabout hints on what to do. Don’t think Americans are simple-minded, just Baidu "The Beds of Hollywood."

So, when unable to ascertain the facts, how can you discern the most basic truths? Logic!

It’s simple logic, even in primitive societies, women exchanged mating rights for more food from men, and throughout thousands of years of history, countless examples exist of women trading their bodies for benefits. Can a system change all this within a few decades?

When the People’s Republic of China was established, the government did use its power to reform all prostitutes, but there were still rumors of women using their bodies to gain favor with the privileged class. What more for the United States, which is known for its "freedom" under capitalistic influence?

Thus, we arrive at our first conclusion: X transactions definitely exist in Hollywood.

Now the second question: What is the scale of these transactions, and how significant are the benefits for the women involved? My opinion is that it’s a widespread phenomenon, and the benefits gained are certainly much more than the costs paid.

Let’s talk about the development of X transactions in Hollywood. Primarily, in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, this was when it prospered the most. At that time, big companies centralized functions such as production, distribution, and screening, and they exerted tight control over actors, arranging them at their whim.

Darryl Zanuck, during his time at Fox, had a beautiful actress delivered to his office every day at four o’clock. If these actresses refused Zanuck, they couldn’t continue working at Fox. These actresses were known as "Four O’clock Girls," and this was a common occurrence among the moguls of Hollywood. Many companies also had casting rooms specifically for women, and their purpose needs no elaboration.

Cary Grant likely slept with more women than you’ve ever seen, and Grace Kelly was said to have slept her way to the top with just the beckon of a finger.

These practices lasted until the late ’70s, and then changes began. First, big companies were broken up due to antitrust laws; secondly, women increasingly fought for their rights, raising their status; and finally, the establishment of sexual harassment as a criminal offense.

There were many other factors, but these three are likely the most significant. So, did this eradicate X transactions in Hollywood? The answer is no. In America, what do you do when something becomes illegal? Make it legal!

If you’re still not clear, surely you know about political contributions, right? These are essentially bribes disguised as legal transactions, and although there are limits, circumventing them is all too easy.

What about X transactions under the guise of legality? Yes, it’s what I’ve written about in the book review section: one-night stands!

Times change, and so do the methods and techniques of transactions, but what remains constant is the exchange of the body for gain.

We’ll come back to this topic later. For now, let’s talk about the breakup of big companies.

Many of you probably know what Rockefeller did when faced with antitrust lawsuits: ostensibly breaking up but still secretly keeping control through dispersed shareholding.

Hollywood movie companies did the same; even if they couldn’t own theaters or merge production with distribution, they found ways around it, didn’t they? These companies are still intricately linked with each other, merely more cumbersome than before, but Hollywood’s moguls remain moguls.

Then, let’s talk about the rise in women’s status.

However, what we’re actually discussing here is something that emerged alongside the rise of women’s status, and that is sexual liberation. As for the chaos during the American youth sexual liberation, its depiction in "Forrest Gump" is fairly objective.

After the sexual liberation of the seventies and eighties, American women had become very accustomed to sleeping with men, and although Americans, in general, aren’t as promiscuous as their movies and TV shows imply, there were still many conservative women. But in Hollywood, such women were basically non-existent.

You must understand, that place is mesmerizing, a Vanity Fair of glitz and glamour. The temptations there are far more numerous than in other places. If you’re lucky, the rewards can be much higher than the sacrifices. So, why would anyone expect the women there to be as pure as angels? They might arrive with dreams tucked away, but reality soon wakes them up.

Of course, there are some women who keep to themselves, but this so-called self-respect is only relative to those who are more libertine. They also have a good grip on protecting their privacy—don’t overestimate the paparazzi—and if compared to those truly virtuous American women, they certainly fall short.

Alright, let’s get back to the point, since sleeping with men is no longer a big deal for them, and since it can grant them opportunities, why wouldn’t they do it? Always remember, it’s the roles that make the actors, not the other way around.

Of course, with the progression of time, various ideologies and methods have also evolved. If there’s any positive outcome from the developments over the past few decades, it’s that coercion has become a matter of mutual consent.

We don’t need to talk much about coercion; Zanuck’s example was mentioned earlier. But nowadays, whether it’s a tycoon, a producer, or a director, if they want to bed an actress, they need to spend time flirting—yes, that’s the word. If the actress feels that it could lead somewhere and she doesn’t despise the man, then things naturally take their course.

This approach has one advantage: even if an actress is caught in public with a producer, director, or tycoon, they can claim they are dating since it is quite normal to change boyfriends frequently with the fast pace of life.

And it’s because of this that the content of the transactions has changed. It used to be sleeping with directors, producers, or tycoons to land a solid role, but now it’s about broadening one’s network.

For instance, if a director or producer, after various auditions, decides two actresses are both suitable and everyone else agrees—one just slightly less so, but she has slept with the director or producer—who do you think will get the role?

From this, it can be seen how absurd the online interviews about Hollywood’s "X-deals" by American action actor Vincent are; bypassing the system of checks and balances is far too easy. Another example is Woody Allen—if he wants to cast a certain actress in his film, would the investors refuse?

As for the so-called profit argument, let’s put it this way, would there have been any difference in "Transformers" if the leading lady hadn’t been Megan Fox, but rather another attractive vase?

You can see that, in Hollywood, the leading ladies in big-budget movies are basically vases, especially in recent years. Almost anyone can fill the role, as long as they have a modicum of acting ability. For medium-sized investments, how the actresses get along with those in power and whether they’ve had one-night stands play a significant role during auditions. As for independent films, it’s even more the case—especially for the most famous independent film directors, who among them doesn’t have so-called intimate female friends and muses? Nobody would really believe these relationships are purely platonic, right?

The allegations of casting couch practices with famous directors are even more ridiculous. Married directors naturally keep fidelity as Americans do in marriage, though the rich and famous are exceptions, but the middle class maintains this tradition, and fame does impose some restrictions.

But if they’re single, don’t even think about it. A closer analysis of the conversation reveals the mention of someone with a very active sexual life, which in simple terms, means the aforementioned examples are indicative of an active sex life, not "X-deals".

Of course, an actress can choose to refuse, but then she’ll just have to wait it out. She might gain fame someday through an obscure independent film or achieve recognition for an elderly role as she ages.

As for the third point mentioned earlier about sexual harassment, sadly, it doesn’t apply in Hollywood. Simply put, if an actress is required to audition nude—don’t doubt it, it definitely happens—and to perform nude or explicit scenes on set, does that count as sexual harassment?

If an actress dares to accuse a director, producer, or anyone of sexual harassment, whether she wins or loses the case, she can kiss her Hollywood career goodbye. I doubt any actress would take that gamble.

Therefore, under the guise of one-night stands, Hollywood today has technically eliminated "X-deals", just as the United States government has technically eliminated corruption. But what’s really going on? I think anyone with a bit of sense would understand.

In conclusion, without more solid evidence and information, logic is always one of the standards by which to judge the credibility of an issue. If, after perusing a few messages and watching some documentaries, you believe them entirely without thinking and regard them as truth, then there are only two words to describe that: naive fool!

In fact, even Americans themselves have not shied away from discussing "X-deals"; they’ve even joked about it in their own works. I remind you again, I’ve requested a friend in Los Angeles to confirm the veracity of "Hollywood’s Beds".

So, dear readers, judge for yourselves with your own minds. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for the recommendation ticket and the monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation.)