Who Is Michael Ovitz?

by Michael Ovitz

When Sean came on the line, I told him, “If you’re going to build your brand, you can’t take roles at random. You need to choose better projects.” I told him he needed to have exposure to a range of possible scripts and to have them developed into packages with him as the star. I also said he needed to work with better directors and that we’d get him those introductions and those jobs. This became the pattern for how I’d sign a star: start by politely criticizing his choices; tell him he needed to see and choose better material and better directors; promise him both. I made no promises that he’d work with specific talent, because the easiest way to lose a client is to make a promise you can’t fulfill; the client always remembers. Sean didn’t ask which of our directors and actors I thought he should be paired with, which was fortunate, because we didn’t represent anyone of his stature. If he