Original subtitles

- [Brian] You ever think about having a kid?

- [Jason] Not really, do you?

- [Brian] I love being an uncle, but, to do it 24 seven?

I think I'm too selfish.

- [Jason] That's honest.

- [Brian] Of course, kids do give you a legacy,

something that continues after you're gone.

- [Jason] I think of some of my authors that way.

The young ones who I discover and nurture,

and help find their place in the literary world.

- [Brian] You're lucky.

Getting someone on the cover of "People Magazine",

or keeping them off of it.

It isn't quite the same thing.

(slow guitar music)

- It's good to see you, Stefan.

- Yeah, you too.

It's been a while.

- Yeah, yeah.

- I love the book.

"My Agent, Myself: a Memoir"

- Oh, thanks.

It came from my heart.

- It's obvious.

- I owe my career to Jason

and I wanted to publicly acknowledge that.

- It's a beautiful exploration of how intimate

an agent-author relationship could be.

- Well, when the agent was as special as Jason was,

there aren't that many.

A year and a half.

I still can't believe he's gone.

- Neither can I. (chuckles)

But I am sure he is loving this.

- So is Harper-Collins, they have high hopes for it.

George Clooney's already in discussion about movie rights.

- Wow, that's terrific.

- And, it's one of the reasons why

I wanna hire a press agent.

You, in advance of publication.

- I don't usually represent authors.

- But you have, from time to time.

- Absolutely, but I just need to be clear.

There are people who specialize in this.

That's not me, it's not this office.

- No, but you have an emotional connection to the book.

You're going to care about it better than anyone else could.

- You're good. - I'm sincere.

Jason was much more than just an agent to me, Brian.

He was a mentor, a friend and...

I loved him. - I know.

I know.

- Oh, sorry I'm so late.

- It must have been one hell of a work session.

- Oh, Stefan's the real deal Brian.

I mean, some of the book is still raw and unshaped

but not so much any more

and even that stuff and the stuff where he's really got it,

I feel like Max Perkins must have felt

when he discovered Thomas Wolf.

Working with him is so fucking exciting.

He takes my notes and he runs in directions

I couldn't even have imagined.

This book is gonna be hailed

as the best first novel in decades

and Stefan so deserves that.

- Are you sleeping with him? - What?

No, he's my client.

- Every time you talk about him,

you sound like a teenager with a major crush.

- Because I do have a crush, on his talent.

- Yeah, you sure that's all?

- Jesus, Brian.

I don't get all jealous and paranoid

when you're drooling over some sexy celebrity

you get to accompany to some event.

- It's not the same thing.

- Why, because it's you and not me?

I know, you've been fucked over in the past

but that wasn't me.

- Just be honest with me, Jason, just be honest.

- I am.

- That's not the tie you were wearing this morning.

- No, it was a thank you present from Stefan.

- I like your tie.

- Well you should, because you bought it.

For Jason, when you worked on your first book with him.

- Oh god, I was such a basket case back then.

25 years old, just out of grad school,

Jason Addams thought my novel

was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I think I brought him a present every time we met

just to buy his loyalty, make sure he didn't change his mind

if my rewrites weren't good enough.

- Well, I thought I used to be paranoid.

- So, you gonna take me on?

- (sighs) I gave the advanced copy to my staff to read.

We still have to talk about it,

but yes, I think this could work.

- That's great!

- Who handled the PR on your first two books?

- Oh, the in-house people at Harpers.

Don't get me wrong, I had no complaints.

They are terrific.

- But? - This book is different.

This is my last gift to Jason,

I just want everything about it

to be as perfect as possible.

- So do I, including quashing any unfounded rumors.

- Understood.

Well that twinkle in his eye,

that smile that came from deep within his soul,

the way he locked eyes when he talked and when he listened,

that made you feel like no one else in the world mattered.

Well at our first meeting,

which I figured would be 15, 20 minutes

and which lasted almost two hours,

he never once glanced at his watch.

He'd obviously told Janet, his assistant, to hold his calls

because nothing interrupted us.

He first became aware of me when one of my short stories

was published in my grad school literary magazine

and after the second was published,

he sent me a note that said he thought I had great promise

and that he would be honored

to read anything that I was working on

and that is how he read the first draft

of "Tillamook Cheddar"

and how I was now sitting in his office.

Not in the chair opposite his desk

but on the sofa opposite his Eames recliner

and he said to me, "I don't represent a book.

"I represent the author and to do that,

"I want to know everything I can about you."

Wow.

I completely opened up to him and over the next few years,

he came to know me better than my shrink,

who also had an Eames chair and a sofa.

Better than any boyfriend ever has,

and I loved him for that.

- My gut is to let Harpers take care of the book

and let us represent you, the hot, young author.

You're articulate, you're engaging, you're sexy

and that is not a come on,

that is just a professional observation.

- Trust me, I didn't take it as one.

- The point is, Stefan Kellow, you are very sellable.

- He's very sexy,

and he already has a huge presence on social media.

We can exploit that and grow it.

- Maybe Ellen. - And the late night people.

- If those go well, we could try for SNL.

- It seems a little far of a reach, but we could try.

- With the Clooney interest,

I'd try for "GQ" and "Vanity Fair" covers.

- A shot of him and Clooney together

suggesting a Jason, Stefan relationship.

- It wasn't a relationship, it was professional.

- Their professional relationship.

- Which brings me to the elephant in the room.

- There is no elephant in the room.

They didn't have a relationship,

it was strictly professional, mentor and mentee.

- Look, I wasn't your friend back then,

I was still just your assistant.

- Yeah, so you weren't privy to what was

or what wasn't going on in my personal life.

- Should I excuse myself? - No!

- Brian, everyone in the damn office

knew that you were freaking out over Jason's new client.

Maybe nobody said anything but...

(spoon clatters)

- How many times did it just happen?

- Half a dozen over the last four months.

- So it was a full on affair.

- It's over. - Is it?

- Honey, I just told you it was.

- Yeah, yeah.

You also told me you weren't fucking him, but you were.

- Well I wasn't when you asked.

It happened, it's finished.

I ended it.

- You still working with him, representing him?

- One has nothing to do with the other.

- The hell it doesn't!

- I'm so sorry.

- They didn't have an affair.

It was strictly professional, they never slept together.

If anyone goes there, we,

no, better yet Stefan, shuts it down.

Nicely and firmly shuts it down, got it?

- You got it. - [Brenda] Understood.

- Stefan's book is gonna give Jason immortality

and it's our job to help make that happen.

- So what do you think?

Did Jason and Stefan have an affair?

- I don't care.

- You read the book, it's like a love letter.

- From a mentee to a mentor.

- You wanted a print out Anika Noni Rosa's schedule.

- Thank you.

Thank you Carla.

Look, I could write a similar love letter to Brian,

but trust me, we never slept together.

- False analogy. - Can we drop this?

- Look, personally, I don't care

but professionally, we're gonna be representing him.

If you read the book and wondered,

and I read the book and wondered,

don't you think other people are going to wonder too?

- Jason and Stefan had a professional,

platonic relationship, end of discussion.

- And if some third party comes forward

with proof that it wasn't?

Having your client caught in a lie

about the husband of his PR rep equals PR nightmare.

- Or it could make Stefan and the book even hotter.

- And it sends Brian over the deep end.

- Hey Brian!

- Ron.

- Look, I've tried calling you and texting, and emailing

and I guess you blocked me. - You guessed right.

- So, I thought I'd hang outside your office and --

- And what, stalk me?

- Not exactly.

I never really got the chance to apologize.

- Yeah, well I don't need you to.

- No, but I do.

Look, see it wasn't just because Jeff and I

were in an open relationship,

or because he was out of town.

I really liked you. - Yeah?

How is Jeff?

- I don't know, we broke up a couple of months ago.

I realized it wasn't what I wanted.

He wasn't what I wanted.

- Well, I guess you made the right choice.

See you.

- But I thought you and I

really had the beginning of something

and I know, I wasn't exactly honest.

- Oh you think?

- But it was because I was afraid

if I told you the truth, you'd walk away

and I didn't want that.

Anyway, I figured now that I'm single.

Maybe we could try again, but honestly.

- Well, I'm not single any more

and it's not an open relationship

and to be honest, I'm not interested,

so stay the fuck away from me.

- Now that's telling him.

♪ You'll always be my forever ♪

♪ Down deep inside of me ♪

♪ You'll always be my forever ♪

♪ You're all I'll ever need ♪

(slow guitar music)