Chapter 258: A Pair of Kindred Souls
"Phew…"
Inside a car parked near the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Aaron leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand from Winona Ryder's hair. She straightened up, grabbing a tissue from the seat to wipe her lips before glancing at him.
"Couldn't you wait until we got home?" she said, half-annoyed. "Did it have to be in the car?"
Aaron chuckled, his hand brushing lightly against her.
"It feels different, doesn't it?"
Winona rolled her eyes.
"You just like bullying me."
Aaron leaned in and whispered near her ear,
"Tonight… I want to bully you in bed."
"Smooth talker," she said with a smile. "Come over to my place later."
Aaron nodded. Heading to her villa in West Hollywood sounded just fine.
His hand slid gently along her thigh as he asked,
"So, how's Little Women? Just wrapped filming, right?"
---
Little Women, based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, was one of the most enduring works in American literature—a blend of coming-of-age storytelling, family realism, and early feminist themes.
Winona nodded.
"It feels great. The screenwriter, Robin Swicord, is a woman. The director, Gillian Armstrong, is also a woman. And most of the cast—including me—are women too."
"Plus, we had strong backing from Amy Pascal at Columbia. Without her, the project probably wouldn't have happened."
From studio executive to writer, director, and cast, Little Women was a project driven almost entirely by women.
---
Aaron gave a faint smile at the mention of Amy Pascal.
She had left 20th Century Fox the previous year to join Columbia Pictures under Sony.
He remembered trying to recruit her to Dawnlight—but in the end, she had chosen to follow Joe Roth instead.
In truth, Little Women owed much of its existence to her persistence. She had spent years securing the rights to the novel, even when most studios dismissed the idea—believing audiences weren't interested in stories centered on women, especially period dramas.
Only after she pushed the project forward at Columbia—and secured Winona Ryder as the lead—did the studio finally give it the green light.
---
Aaron glanced down at Winona, still leaning against him, and ran his fingers through her slightly tousled hair.
"What's wrong? Still not satisfied just now?"
Winona laughed, her hand playfully grabbing at him.
"Maybe not."
Aaron's eyes widened slightly as he caught her hand.
"Alright, alright… we've got the whole night ahead of us."
---
By late February, Dawnlight's Philadelphia had officially crossed $50 million at the North American box office.
Meanwhile, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective had also surpassed $40 million, continuing its strong run.
Aaron, however, had already taken Nicole Kidman to Sydney, Australia, for a vacation—enjoying the beaches and ocean breeze.
Just a month earlier, on January 26, 1994—Australia Day—Prince Charles had been invited to present awards at Darling Harbour in Sydney. During the event, a Korean-Australian man suddenly pulled out a handgun and fired two shots in an assassination attempt—fortunately, no one was harmed.
Aaron casually flipped through the newspaper, completely uninterested in European royal gossip.
---
"Hmm… looks like Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds are in Australia too," Nicole said, lounging on a beach chair, her tone relaxed as she read.
"They're scouting locations for Universal's post-apocalyptic sci-fi film Waterworld."
Nicole was familiar with Costner—after all, he had starred in the hugely successful romance The Bodyguard.
Aaron set his paper aside.
"Seems like Waterworld is about to start filming this year."
The film was set in the year 2500, where environmental destruction had melted the polar ice caps, submerging the Earth beneath endless oceans. Humanity survived on floating structures, and dry land had become a near-myth—something people desperately longed to rediscover.
The lead role belonged to Kevin Costner, who also had Warner Bros.' Wyatt Earp and the war drama The War releasing that year.
---
Nicole continued,
"They've been choosing between Australia and Hawaii for filming locations. But Australia enters winter around June—and it's also cyclone season."
"So, they'll probably end up shooting in Hawaii."
Then she added,
"I heard the budget for this film is enormous."
Aaron pulled her closer, his hand resting casually along her thigh.
"Universal has allocated $150 million for Waterworld," he said.
"That already surpasses last year's True Lies—directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger—which cost $115 million."
Up until now, only Cameron's Terminator 2 and True Lies had crossed the $100 million mark.
Aaron smiled slightly.
"No wonder Costner turned down Con Air. Turns out he's busy preparing this massive Universal production."
Not only was Costner starring in Waterworld, he was also one of its producers.
Aaron knew how things would unfold.
Filming in Hawaii's open waters would prove extremely difficult—unpredictable tides, repeated storms, and even hurricanes would destroy sets multiple times. The budget would spiral out of control, eventually nearing $200 million.
At the same time, Carolco Pictures was struggling with Cutthroat Island, while Universal was betting everything on Waterworld.
In a way… they were two studios facing the same storm.