STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel says agents recruit actors and directors by asking a question - are you happy? Few people say yes, which starts them down the road to a new agent. So when I met Emanuel, I had a question for him.
Are you happy?
ARI EMANUEL: I'm satisfied at times and I'm happy at times. I'm not sure if you're really engaged in life, you're happy.
INSKEEP: He says he wants a meaningful life, which he explores in his memoir "Roll The Calls." Rolling calls means your assistant lines up one call after another. Ari Emanuel cofounded the powerful agency now known as William Morris Endeavor. He's represented everyone from Oprah to Martin Scorsese to Vince McMahon. His client, Mark Wahlberg, made the HBO series "Entourage." And Emanuel was the model for Ari Gold, the actor's profanely over-the-top agent.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ENTOURAGE")
JEREMY PIVEN: (As Ari Gold) Eric, do not fear. I got my top lieutenants meeting me in the war room in 10 minutes.
KEVIN CONNOLLY: (As Eric Murphy) Ari, I'm getting killed over here. Vince isn't happy.
PIVEN: (As Ari Gold) Of course he's not happy. Nobody's happy in this town except for the losers. Look at me, I'm miserable. That's why I'm rich.
INSKEEP: Emanuel is the brother of Rahm and Zeke Emanuel, who worked for President Obama. He's a Democrat who also talks to President Trump, a former client. He runs the company that dominates pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. His memoir contains biting descriptions of Hollywood figures he dislikes and confessions of his own explosions of rage. Preparing for this interview, I learned that many agents admire his success, though some do not admire his style. Emanuel sees packaging deals for TV and movies as an art.
EMANUEL: The art of agenting is being relentless in the pursuit to fulfill the dreams of your clients. That is not easy, right? Because you have to convince somebody that somebody you found, that their product was worthy and that there's some great thing there that a larger group of people will like and enjoy and that can create economic benefit for them. And there's an artistry to making sure that process is as smooth as possible, for the best financial outcome for the buyer and the studio in that relationship, and creatively, your client has an incredible experience and sees through what they have started.
INSKEEP: In reading through your account of your experiences, I started making notes of little bits of technique.
EMANUEL: Well, can I ask you a question?
INSKEEP: Sure.
EMANUEL: Are you happy (laughter)?
INSKEEP: I'm happy enough now.
EMANUEL: Exactly (laughter).
INSKEEP: I'm happy to be talking to you.
EMANUEL: Yeah.
INSKEEP: And we'll get to tomorrow, tomorrow.
EMANUEL: Exactly.
INSKEEP: But thank you for asking. We can talk later.
EMANUEL: (Laughter) OK.
INSKEEP: We'll have a conversation. But for now, I will mention that you describe incessant, obsessive almost phone calling of people again and again, day after day after day. Persistence, loyalty seems important to you. Spending lots of money for LA Lakers tickets at courtside. Throwing lots of f-bombs and being willing to knife people.
EMANUEL: Yes.
INSKEEP: What am I missing, if anything, in the list?
EMANUEL: You know, I think I - maybe some people wouldn't say this. People realize that I'm a ride or die guy with them when I commit to people. And that is, I think, a quality that is important for leadership, important for parenting, important for friendship.
INSKEEP: Emanuel says he became Larry David's agent by calling him constantly, even after David said no.
EMANUEL: Enough that he threw up the white flag, saying I can't take this anymore. And it was uncomfortable for him. And every pursuit is different. But I knew if I got him to the white flag, I would win.
INSKEEP: Why do you think that works instead of people calling the police?
EMANUEL: Well, you know, if you're not self-deprecating, if you're not belittling of yourself, if you're not funny, then it's stalking.
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
EMANUEL: And I think he appreciated it. But, you know, it was on the tipping point.
INSKEEP: You actually write, rage is a tool of my trade.
EMANUEL: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I've done pretty well, I think.
INSKEEP: And the style that people may have heard about, the f-bombs...
EMANUEL: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...The screaming at people, the hanging up on people.
EMANUEL: Yeah. Yeah.
INSKEEP: The cursing important and powerful people sometimes.
EMANUEL: Yeah, yeah. Or challenging them, not giving in to their will and...
INSKEEP: And...
EMANUEL: And making your will, believing in your own will.
INSKEEP: And you admit here, pretty often it was a mistake, something you regretted later. But on the whole?
EMANUEL: I would say, one, I'm not afraid of confrontation. Two, I have agency for myself. If I'm ride or die for other people, I better be ride or die for me.
INSKEEP: What is the source of your rage?
EMANUEL: The youngest child of three boys. You know, I had dyslexia and ADHD. And we were judged by - our intelligence by grades and reading.
INSKEEP: Is this right, they put you in special ed at your school?
EMANUEL: Well, I mean, back then, nobody understood dyslexia. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence.
INSKEEP: Of course.
EMANUEL: And people think that you cannot achieve. And because of that, you're also questioning that you will be discovered that they're right.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
EMANUEL: Yeah. It causes anger issues, especially if somebody touches, for me, the third rail and questions that I'm not intelligent or tries to pull one over me as if I'm not smart enough to realize what you're trying to do with me. Back then, I would've cut off arms and legs not to have dyslexia. Now I got emotional endurance. I got pretty good EQ. I think differently because I'm not linear, because just how I read it. And now it's incredible.
INSKEEP: Ari Emanuel says he eventually grew less angry through therapy. In our conversation, he was calm when talking about the past. But he grew animated discussing the present. He's in favor of a big Hollywood merger, the Paramount-Warner deal. It brings multiple sources of TV news, including CNN, under one owner. But Emanuel contends it preserves competition.
EMANUEL: We need four strong bidders.
INSKEEP: Four strong companies buying stuff?
EMANUEL: Netflix, Amazon, hopefully the Paramount-Warners, and Disney, so that we can create a bidding war to get the artists I represent, the artists other agencies represent the economics they need and the ability to make the products they want. As I have said on the CNN front, pick an editorial board to oversee the conversation. Pick it. Make it bipartisan.
INSKEEP: So press freedom...
EMANUEL: And move the [expletive] on because it's important for Hollywood, for my clients to make movies and television.
INSKEEP: So I raise a question about press freedom. You're like, OK, deal with that. That's a detail...
EMANUEL: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...Of the bigger things you're seeing.
EMANUEL: And take your politics out of it because the rest of the issues you're presenting are [expletive]. There's a deal there. Let's stop [expletive] around.
INSKEEP: Ari Emanuel, thanks so much.
EMANUEL: Thank you.
INSKEEP: His memoir is entitled "Roll The Calls."
(SOUNDBITE OF JANE'S ADDICTION SONG, "SUPERHERO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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