The Ghost Writer Page #4

and polish her nails or something.

Why don't you come, say hello?

Fine. I'll travel in the backup car.

I can do my nails in there.

Hi, darling.

- How was New York?

- Short and sweet.

Hi, Barry. Hi, Amelia.

Hello. Who are you?

I'm your ghost.

Right.

Don't worry. He isn't always such a jerk.

This place really comes alive at night.

You'll be with us for four weeks,

is that right?

I'm afraid so.

And the bill goes directly

to the Rhinehart Corporation?

Good.

That doesn't include the mini-bar.

All right. He's ready for you.

How's your hotel? Quiet?

Monastic.

That's nice. No distractions.

Thanks, love.

Hi, man. You ready to start?

Absolutely.

- Is the manuscript loaded on this?

- It is.

Can I have it?

I'm sorry,

that would be a security risk.

You mean I've got to retype

the whole manuscript?

Have you really got my entire book

on that little thing?

We can get 100 books on it, Adam.

And it can be copied in a flash.

That's the trouble.

Amazing.

You know the worst thing about my life?

You get so out of touch.

Everything's done for you.

You don't drive, you don't carry money.

If I need cash,

I have to borrow it from the protection boys.

This is the kind of details

we need in the memoirs.

I couldn't put that in.

People would think I was a complete idiot.

No, not at all. No, this shows what it's like

being Prime Minister.

That's exactly

what the readers want to know.

How does it feel to run a country?

How does it feel to be so cut off?

How does it feel to be so hated?

Thanks a lot.

And so loved.

Amelia, what do you think?

I think I should leave you two alone.

So, how do we go about this?

I interview you.

I turn your answers into prose.

Here and there, I'll add linking passages,

imitating your voice.

Okay.

- You heard about Mike?

- Yes. I'm sorry.

We should put in

something nice about him.

I think his mother would like that.

Of course.

Well, um, the first thing that struck me was,

you became such a successful politician

precisely because

you didn't appear to be a politician.

It's certainly not something I wanted to do

when I was younger.

I thought most student politicians

were complete nerds.

Well, I'm with you there.

So, what turned you on to politics?

Turned me on, indeed.

Let's see, I was 23, something like that,

a couple of years out of Cambridge.

And I remember it was a Sunday afternoon,

it was raining.

I was still in bed.

And someone starts knocking at the door.

And, you know,

I'd been out the night before

and had a few drinks and what have you.

So, I get the pillow and I put it

over my head, and it starts up again.

Knock, knock, knock, knock!

And I get up, I'm swearing,

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes