"I want to breakup," Owen said, his tone calm, though slightly rigid.
He was sitting on one of the chairs in the living room of Sophie's apartment. She had moved in on her own a few months earlier. She had more than enough money to rent a place and support herself.
Sophie and Owen had never taken the definitive step of living together, and considering how things had turned out, it now seemed like the most sensible choice.
The pending conversation about the break she had proposed had been postponed for almost five days. Only now, on January fifth, were they finally talking.
The day before, Owen had signed the contract with Derek Cianfrance, the director who would be helming Good Will Hunting.
Honestly, the way Sophie had handled the situation had seemed excessive to him, and it had only reinforced his decision to end the relationship. From the 31st to the 4th, she hadn't sent him a single message. Neither had he. Just complete silence on both sides.
Until Sophie finally wrote to him, saying that she had already thought things through and that the space she needed was now complete.
To Owen, all that waiting felt ridiculous. And far from causing doubts, it left him even more convinced.
If she complained so much that he didn't devote enough time to her, why did she need a break of almost five full days? She had already had exactly all that time, time she claimed he never gave her, to think about the relationship and make a decision.
And besides, Owen didn't agree with that accusation. Maybe he hadn't devoted the same amount of time as in certain earlier moments, but it wasn't true that he had neglected her. It hadn't been scraps.
"You want to break up?" Sophie repeated, surprised.
Owen nodded. But before he could explain himself, she spoke again.
"Why? The break wasn't that. It was to get some distance, to think with a cool head," Sophie said. "To see what was happening with us, not to end things."
Owen looked at her calmly. "Don't you think that one possible conclusion of that approach could be precisely ending the relationship?"
Sophie clenched her jaw, uncomfortable with the answer. "Do you have that little faith in us?" she asked. "Is it really that easy for you to give up at the first serious problem?"
Owen shook his head slowly. "I could say the same about you," he replied. "You didn't give me a choice. The break wasn't a conversation, it was a unilateral decision. You just brought it up from one day to the next, with no serious warning signs beforehand. We hadn't had major fights, nothing like that. And you did it on New Year's, when we already had plans and everything organized."
Sophie opened her mouth to respond, but Owen raised a hand, asking her to let him finish.
"And besides, it's not just because of that," he added. "These days I've been thinking calmly… and there are other reasons why I think we shouldn't stay together."
Sophie straightened slightly in her chair. "Why?" she asked in a whisper, with a tone that seemed like it didn't want to hear the answer.
Owen took a breath before speaking. "I've thought about it a lot, and I know how this is going to end if we keep going."
He paused briefly.
"I'm going to keep pursuing my goals, and doing that is going to take more and more time. Not less. More. I won't be able to be with you as much, and the time I do manage to make will be even less than it is now."
Sophie lowered her gaze.
"I'm going to be focused on cinema," he continued. "On projects, on the next steps and what comes after. You're going to tell me to slow down and not obsess so much. And I won't be able to do that."
Another pause.
"You're going to feel like you're not a priority, like I'm giving you less time than you deserve. And I won't be able to change that. Over time, I'm going to start feeling frustrated, maybe even angry with you, for asking me for something that, honestly, I won't be able to give."
He let the silence settle before continuing.
"That's why I'd rather be clear now. I want to go far. I want to be one of the greats. DiCaprio. Brad Pitt. De Niro. Denzel. That level. And you know it's not just Good Will Hunting. I have many more projects in the pipeline. My time isn't the same as a normal actor's, you know that."
Sophie finally lifted her gaze, and their eyes met.
Her eyes were glossy. "And I would stop you from doing that?" Sophie asked softly.
Owen didn't look away. He nodded slowly. "Yes," he answered, without adding anything else.
Silence settled between them, thick and uncomfortable, until Sophie broke it.
"Well, I guess there's no point in telling you all the ways I thought we could fix this," she said. "I know that when you make a decision, you're immovable."
Owen gave a small nod. The decision was already made. There was nothing that could make him change it.
Sophie watched him for a few more seconds, her eyes still wet. "I was always surprised by how calm you are, even in situations like this."
Owen was about to say that it wasn't that it didn't affect him, but Sophie continued before he could speak.
"I saw on Tyler and Erik's Instagram stories that you were at a party on New Year's."
Owen nodded, confirming it. There was no point in trying to hide it when there was clear evidence.
"I thought you didn't want to go to a party," Sophie said, her tone slightly accusatory.
"I wouldn't have gone if you hadn't canceled the plans we had," Owen replied. "The guys wanted something different for New Year's. If we'd been with your friends, I wouldn't have gone to that party. I didn't want them to spend New Year's like it was just any random weekend hangout."
Sophie stayed silent, looking at him.
"Your logic is always perfect," she finally said in a dry tone as she stood up from her seat.
Owen understood the signal. With a serious expression, he stood up as well. He knew it was better to leave. Sophie was proud, she wasn't going to cry or beg to try to save the relationship.
They walked to the door without saying a word. Sophie opened it, and Owen took a step outside.
"Goodbye, Sophie."
"Goodbye, Owen."
Owen walked down the hallway toward the elevator, his mind blank. He pressed the button and waited for the doors to open. He stepped inside.
When the elevator began to descend, the thoughts returned.
It was done.
One less thing on his already packed schedule. At least now he could focus without that issue circling in his head, something that had cost him sleep and time for days.
And yet, he didn't feel good. Not at all.
Besides ending a relationship of more than six months, he had lied. Or, more precisely, he had withheld the truth.
He hadn't told Sophie about what had happened. Calling it infidelity was debatable, they had been on a break that lasted almost five days, but even so, he hadn't been completely honest.
Owen even doubted Sophie's fidelity during that time. But he didn't ask. He didn't want to dig into it. The relationship was already ending, and he saw no point in getting tangled in answers that wouldn't change anything.
In his case, even though he didn't consider what had happened with Jenna to be infidelity in the strict sense, given the break and the fact that he had already decided to end things with Sophie, he didn't like hiding it. It went against his own principles.
That was what left him with a bitter aftertaste. A strange pain in his chest.
He had decided not to say anything because he thought it was for the best. He didn't know how Sophie would react, he didn't know her that well, and if something like that were to leak, it could be very negative for both him and Jenna.
Jenna was at the center of public attention, her name constantly appearing in headlines and on social media. Any rumor of that kind could seriously damage her image.
The same went for him.
Fortunately, Sophie hadn't shown any suspicion. She knew Owen had gone to a party full of people during the break, but she didn't even ask if he'd been with someone else. She didn't press the issue. She only mentioned the party, nothing more.
As if the trust she had in him in that regard were very high.
Sophie knew about the incident with Madison, about how Owen had handled it. Because of that, she held his fidelity in high regard.
Even so, what he had told her was true: as the days of the new year went by, he would become increasingly busy.
He hadn't lied about that.
Because of all this, it seemed that the possibility of infidelity hadn't even seriously crossed Sophie's mind.
A stroke of luck. Although for Owen, that trust only made everything hurt more.
Owen brought a hand up to his eyes. They weren't watery, and he wouldn't allow them to be. He wasn't going to shed a single tear.
The elevator doors opened with a soft sound, and he walked out toward the building's exit. As he stepped outside, he raised a hand to shield himself from the sunlight.
The sky was clear, bright, very different from those movies where breakups always happen under gray clouds and imminent rain.
Then again, this was Los Angeles, California. It was January, yes, one of the coldest months in the city, but the weather was still pleasant, with clear days like this one.
'All right, back to work,' Owen thought, wanting more than ever to return to it.
…
@VARIETY – 11:18 AM · Jan 6, 2023
Owen Ashford Preps Next Feature, Taps Derek Cianfrance to Direct
Fresh off the success and sale of Paranormal Activity, Ashford is moving forward with his next feature: Good Will Hunting, a $12 million dramatic film to be directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine).
The film, which Ashford also wrote and is likely to star in, is being produced with Lianne Halfon and is expected to shoot in early 2023.
🔗 varietycom/film/news/owen-ashford-good-will-hunting-derek-cianfrance-director
#GoodWillHunting #OwenAshford #DerekCianfrance #Variety
💬 Tweet replies:
@catago21:
Derek Cianfrance + locked script + young producer with full control, this could go very right or very wrong. And that makes it even more interesting.
@cinemArchie7:
Jumping from ultra-profitable horror to auteur drama isn't common. Interesting that he doesn't want to repeat himself.
@Carl77SJh:
A $12M drama self-financed at 21… okay, I get it now, this guy is playing on a different board.
@MWCrew:
Shooting in early 2023 with everything already locked is a logistical madness. How fast does this guy move?
@arthousekid:
I've been studying film for three years and I don't know whether to feel motivated or rethink my entire life.
@MelSus1:
Too early to talk awards, but this kind of movie usually aims there.
@bryan.-.:
The real flex is not needing investors.
@noe.ukyrio:
First record-breaking horror. Now auteur drama. If this works, he'll be consolidated among young stars like Timothée or Zendaya…
@Cinemaooobsesseed:
If Cianfrance signed on, the script must be very solid. That guy doesn't jump on just anything.
@mad_nedls (replying to @Cinemaooobsesseed):
Totally. And not just that, Lianne Halfon also signed on. Manchester by the Sea's producer.
This isn't improvised at all.
@joshuaxDz:
Owen took his New Year's resolutions very seriously 💀
@gofuckSPEED:
I don't know… going from a horror script to a drama is very hard. Acting it is a whole different thing, especially if he ends up starring. I have doubts this will be a success.
@owenarchieFP (replying to @gofuckSPEED):
Doubts? He acted very well in Paranormal Activity, Paperman, and The Black Hole.
@gofuckSPEED (replying to @owenarchieFP):
Paranormal Activity was $20k found footage, that's not the same as a $12 MILLION drama.
And Paperman + The Black Hole together aren't even ten minutes of screen time, and he doesn't speak in either.
Leading a drama is a whole different league. I trust his writing more than his acting.
@boxOlydy:
That's a fair criticism. A lot of young actors crash right when they move into serious drama as the sole lead.
@JokerSprintedzzz:
If it fails, that's $12M down the drain, though, well, he probably has another twelve in his bank account or more from the box office and the IP sale lol.
@IsmaIndieCM:
I'd take this a thousand times over him sticking with Paranormal Activity 2, 3, 4 like Saw or any slasher milked to death.
@SPDMF:
Regardless of whether he acts well or not, at least he's trying something different, and fast. He doesn't take five years to release another project.
@spenserGhost:
If it goes wrong, it'll be an expensive stumble.
If it goes right, it completely changes how he's perceived as an actor and writer.
@jimmyfallon:
This is huge!
Looks like we won't have to wait long to see him back 😉🎬
@DEADLINE – Jan 6, 2023
Owen Ashford moves forward following the sale of Paranormal Activity and sets his next project: Good Will Hunting, a $12 million drama to be directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Sources indicate that filming will begin in early 2023.
Read the full story here 👇
💬 Tweet replies:
@788saikiran:
The big question isn't the script, it's whether Ashford can make the leap as a leading dramatic actor.
@richardkelvin:
Exactly. As a screenwriter, he's already validated: two feature scripts completed: Paranormal Activity and The Spectacular Now. Successful short films and two accepted at Sundance.
As a dramatic actor, it's still unproven, though we'll first see more of his acting in The Spectacular Now.
@Labtheory:
Well, the fact that A24 cast him in The Spectacular Now means he can't be that bad, let's hope.
...
By January 6, the major Hollywood outlets had already published the first news about Owen's next feature: the title, the confirmed director, and the executive producer.
In any case, it wasn't something that could be kept secret for long. The film had been registered with SAG-AFTRA for months with a $12 million budget. The script was also registered with the Writers Guild.
In addition, Owen had contacted his current agency, CAA, asking them for a list of producers and authorizing them to send the script to various agents to get it moving. The same process had taken place with directors.
With that level of activity, it was practically impossible for everything to stay quiet. And in truth, there wasn't really a reason to hide it.
The project was moving full steam ahead, and early exposure only helped: advance marketing, anticipation, and conversation. He had already talked about the project when he uploaded that video to his YouTube channel, the one where he bought extremely expensive filming equipment, suitable for productions of fifty million dollars or even more.
Even so, Owen was surprised by the scale of the reaction. It was a good sign, though it still caught his attention.
And thinking about it, it made sense. He had been the guy who revitalized found-footage horror, achieved the highest ROI in history with a ridiculously low budget, sold the IP, and also earned direct revenue from the box office.
That just months later he was already moving forward with his next project, and not only as a screenwriter, but also as actor and financier, was, at the very least, striking.
Over those two days, Owen worked side by side with Derek on several key fronts.
The first was refining the shooting plan. Owen already had a preliminary one, but together they reviewed several scenes, made small pacing adjustments, and optimized the overall structure.
The result was an almost definitive schedule, with an estimated 28 shooting days. It only needed final fine-tuning once the cast was locked in.
They then moved on to the technical script. Owen had developed it with an uncommon level of precision: he had the film recorded in his head, every image, shot, and transition. It was a clear advantage, having the movie mapped out scene by scene from his previous life. For the technical script as well, he received help from Matt, who had experience.
When Derek saw the material, he was surprised. He looked at Owen with a different expression, as if he were facing someone very unusual in the industry.
Even so, he didn't consider it finished. They reviewed it together, adjusted details, and refined it further. A process that would normally have taken weeks was resolved in 48 hours.
In parallel, Derek began reaching out to his people. His immediate priority was the cinematographer. No contracts had been signed yet, but conversations were already advanced and availability confirmed.
Lianne, for her part, was ahead of the curve. She had started working on permits and logistics even before Derek officially signed. From the moment she joined the project, paperwork in Boston was set in motion: streets, universities, and key locations.
Casting was also underway. A casting director was signed once Derek gave the green light on the 6th. Their fee was $150,000 USD.
Owen showed the casting director, and Derek, the list of actors he had in mind. Both thought they were very solid options, though the strangest choice was Depp as the mentor.
Even so, Derek brought his own names to the table. Owen took them into account and added them to the selection process.
They put together a final shortlist and sent out informal offers, without the script yet, simply to gauge interest, set up preliminary meetings, and later move on to casting tests and chemistry reads with Owen as the lead.
Owen was very pleased with the choice of Derek. There was no competition over creative control. They worked as partners. Derek listened, proposed ideas, and respected Owen's vision.
…
"Bye, see you tomorrow," Owen said during a Zoom meeting with Lianne, Derek, and Francine, the casting director.
The others said their goodbyes, and Owen left the call.
However, they didn't end it immediately.
It was late, already well into the night of January sixth. They had been working for hours, but no one seemed tired. On the contrary, there was enthusiasm, an unusual energy, even for projects that are just getting off the ground.
There were a few seconds of silence before Francine was the first to speak.
"Have you ever been on a project that moved this fast?" she asked, half incredulous.
Lianne shook her head. "Not like this," she replied. "Not with decisions being locked in within days, not weeks."
Derek smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "Not even close," he said. "Blue Valentine was the complete opposite. First the idea. Then months writing the script, polishing it. Then just as many months trying to find someone willing to finance it. And when a producer finally came on board, every decision became a bottleneck."
He paused.
"And that was a film that cost barely a million dollars."
Lianne nodded, "Here, there are no committees. No need to convince ten different people. No endless calls to unlock a minor decision," she said.
Derek and Francine nodded immediately. Working with someone like Owen was, for any creative, almost like being in heaven. There were no investors to please, no external interests to balance. What mattered most to everyone was making cinema.
Owen didn't seem paranoid about decisions. He didn't analyze them to exhaustion or get stuck in endless doubt. He took a position, decided, and moved forward, as if he handled the financial side with uncommon confidence, whether because money wasn't a real concern for him or because he was absolutely convinced of his choices and the final result.
On top of that, a large part of what normally takes months of pre-production had already been resolved in advance.
"When did he do all of this? While Paranormal Activity was still in theaters?" Francine asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Probably even before that," Derek nodded. "It's the only explanation. His level of efficiency is impressive by industry standards."
"But wasn't he also shooting The Spectacular Now?" Francine added.
"Yes…" Lianne replied, trying to mentally piece the puzzle together. "He must have been working an incredible number of hours for months."
"It shows," Derek said.
He had only been working with Owen for two days since signing on, but that was enough to see how he operated: professional, focused, and meticulous. A level of dedication that bordered on the extreme.
What none of them knew was that, with the start of the year and the recent breakup with Sophie, Owen had thrown himself even more into his work, far more than before.
Francine smiled. "Well, there you go, for those who say this generation doesn't know how to work or commit like the previous ones."
The three of them laughed softly.
"See you tomorrow," Lianne said.
"See you," Derek replied.
"Get some rest," Francine added.
-------------------------------------------------
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