Chapter 317: Feminism
That evening, at Winona Ryder's villa in West Hollywood, Aaron stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows with Winona in his arms, both wrapped in a blanket as they admired the glittering Los Angeles skyline.
Winona's neatly styled short hair made her look even more elegant and self-assured. Tilting her head back, she kissed the man behind her.
"Christmas is getting closer," she said with a smile. "The city feels more festive every day."
Aaron chuckled softly, enjoying the warmth of her embrace.
"You starred in another romantic drama this year, How to Make an American Quilt, didn't you?"
"I did," Winona replied. "I filmed it right after Little Women wrapped."
Aaron gently brushed a hand across her shoulder.
"Ever since Bram Stoker's Dracula, you've followed it up with Reality Bites, The Age of Innocence, and now Little Women. They're all prestige dramas."
"And next year's How to Make an American Quilt falls into the same category."
He looked at her thoughtfully.
"Don't you think you've been doing too many art-house and literary films?"
Prestige dramas earned critical acclaim, but without commercially successful projects to balance them out, it was difficult for an actor's popularity, influence, and salary to reach the next level.
Although Winona Ryder was already considered one of Hollywood's most promising young actresses, her earnings still lagged behind stars like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, and Sharon Stone.
Winona nodded.
"That's true. Most of my recent projects have been dramas."
She looked up at him.
"So you think I should take on more commercial films?"
To date, the highest-grossing film of her career remained Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
"Absolutely," Aaron replied.
"I've been telling you that for a while. You should start moving toward more mainstream commercial projects."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Look at actresses like Jennifer Connelly and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They entered Hollywood later than you did, yet their profiles are rising rapidly."
Most of Winona's recent films had been modestly budgeted character-driven dramas. While critically respected, they offered limited commercial upside.
If she continued down the same path without adjusting her strategy, her career growth would inevitably slow.
A playful smile appeared on Winona's face.
"And whose fault is that?"
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Every actress in Hollywood wants to become an 'Anderson Girl.'"
By now, everyone in the industry knew that appearing in an Aaron Anderson production was one of the fastest paths to stardom.
Aaron laughed.
"Well, at least you understand."
Winona nodded.
"Alright. I'll start paying more attention to commercially appealing scripts."
"Good."
Aaron smiled.
"Besides, Little Women turned out very well. Director Gillian Armstrong brought a remarkable level of sensitivity to the story."
As a female filmmaker, Armstrong had approached the adaptation with a clear artistic vision. Her goal was to reshape the film into a distinctly feminist interpretation of the novel, emphasizing and clarifying the themes of female independence and self-determination that had often remained ambiguous in the original text.
The result was a version of Little Women that felt more contemporary, more focused on women's perspectives, and more resonant with modern audiences.
For that reason alone, Aaron believed the film had every chance of becoming one of the most acclaimed literary adaptations of the decade.
This new adaptation of Little Women had already won over the majority of critics.
Reviews praised both the casting and performances:
[The actors are perfectly chosen, and every member of the cast delivers an exceptional performance.]
Others described it as:
[An elegant, restrained, and beautifully crafted film.]
Even Todd McCarthy of Variety argued that this version of Little Women surpassed every previous adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel.
Aaron guided Winona over to a nearby sofa and sat down beside her, keeping an arm around her waist.
"Amy Pascal was the producer behind Little Women, wasn't she?"
Winona nodded.
"That's right. Amy Pascal is Columbia Pictures' Executive Vice President of Production."
"She absolutely loves Louisa May Alcott's novel and pushed hard to get the project made."
"And when you add producer Denise Di Novi, screenwriter Robin Swicord, and director Gillian Armstrong…"
She smiled.
"The entire creative leadership team was dominated by women."
Winona turned toward him.
"Doesn't that make this version of Little Women especially meaningful?"
"I see."
Aaron smiled knowingly.
"To be honest, I've always thought highly of Amy Pascal."
"Back when she was still working as Joe Roth's assistant at Fox, I actually tried to recruit her to Dawnlight."
"Unfortunately, it never happened."
Now Amy Pascal had risen to become Columbia Pictures' Vice President of Production, while Joe Roth had moved to Disney as chairman of its live-action film division.
Winona laughed.
"In that case, Amy Pascal is probably regretting that decision."
"Everyone in Hollywood knows Sony has already lost more than three billion dollars on Columbia."
Aaron nodded.
"She probably does."
At the moment, Sony Entertainment was in complete disarray.
The TriStar label had largely been sidelined, Columbia Pictures was reshuffling executives, and even Sony America president Mickey Schulhof was preparing to leave the company.
Aaron knew better than anyone how difficult Sony's future would become.
In another timeline, Sony Pictures would eventually recover thanks to blockbuster franchises like Spider-Man and Men in Black.
But things were different now.
The film rights to both properties were already in Dawnlight's hands.
Would he hand Sony an opportunity to rebuild?
Not a chance.
In fact, Aaron already regarded Marvel as a future acquisition target.
Marvel had long since evolved beyond being merely a comic-book publisher.
Years of aggressive acquisitions had expanded the company into toys, trading cards, and collectibles, while the comic industry itself continued to decline.
Meanwhile, Marvel's debt burden kept growing.
In Aaron's eyes, the company was inching closer and closer to financial disaster.
After all, Marvel's chairman, Ronald Perelman, was a corporate raider and financier.
He cared about financial engineering.
Not the long-term future of comic books.
And whenever Marvel needed cash, it had a habit of selling off its most valuable assets.
Its crown jewels were obvious:
Spider-Man.
The X-Men.
The Fantastic Four.
At present, Marvel still retained the adaptation rights to the X-Men franchise.
Which meant that sooner or later, those rights would become one of the first bargaining chips placed on the table.
---
Winona leaned forward and kissed him softly.
"You know, among female studio executives in Hollywood, the most powerful right now are probably Paramount chairman Sherry Lansing and Dawnlight president Don Steel."
Aaron nodded in agreement.
"That's true."
"But over time, women are going to gain more influence throughout Hollywood."
"The rise of feminism isn't something the industry can avoid."
"At the moment, Hollywood still revolves heavily around male stars. Leading men dominate most major productions."
"But that balance will gradually change."
The success of actresses like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Demi Moore was already signaling a shift in the industry's power structure.
Once female-led films consistently delivered major box-office returns, the value of actresses would naturally rise alongside them.
Still, Aaron knew that transformation would take time.
Hollywood's feminist movement was coming.
But it wouldn't arrive overnight.