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Hello, He Lied: And Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches
Welcome to the world of Hollywood - a constantly spinning cyclone of glamour, money, and gossip where there is no glossary and people play by rules discernible only to those on the inside. It is a world that Lynda Obst, one of the most successful producers in Hollywood today, entered two decades ago as a neophyte and where through resolve, determination, and quick wit, she has been able to produce some of today's biggest movies, including The Fisher King and Sleepless in Seattle.
Now in Hello, He Lied, Lynda Obst takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of her world - onto sound stages with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, inside meetings with David Geffen and Peter Guber, on location in New York City with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, and into negotiations over The Hot Zones. She shares what she has learned in over twenty years in the business, about how to pitch an idea, impress a suit, win a bidding war over a hot script, and massage egos, as well as the all consuming issue of how to dress on location, what to say to skittish directors, where to eat lunch - whether in New York, LA, or a town you've never heard of - and most important, how to produce successful, critically acclaimed movies.
Now in Hello, He Lied, Lynda Obst takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of her world - onto sound stages with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, inside meetings with David Geffen and Peter Guber, on location in New York City with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, and into negotiations over The Hot Zones. She shares what she has learned in over twenty years in the business, about how to pitch an idea, impress a suit, win a bidding war over a hot script, and massage egos, as well as the all consuming issue of how to dress on location, what to say to skittish directors, where to eat lunch - whether in New York, LA, or a town you've never heard of - and most important, how to produce successful, critically acclaimed movies.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1996
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718 people want to read
About the author
Lynda Obst
5 books10 followersLynda Rosen Obst was an American film producer and author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 17, 2014
Producer Lynda Obst's first book about Hollywood traces her stint at the NY Times Magazine and her early moviemaking career. She concedes in her 2nd book that this version of Hollywood no longer exists, as the ability to pitch and sell to the studios has all but ended. I would recommend her 2nd book "Sleepless in Hollywood" as the better place to start but industry junkies will certainly enjoy this.
The book is filled with the typical movie archetypes but is strongest in telling how women have gone from nothing in the industry, to token "d girls" (development girls), to moving up to top jobs in production and at studios. Author formed strong bonds w/ Nora Ephron (they made Sleepless in Seattle together), Debra Hill, and Dawn Steel, who went from rival to ally on the back if a single phone call.
She talks about how it can be great to be on location, especially when it's an "easy show". Any brewing tension will always be known by the Teamsters, so make friends with them quickly. And never wear a jacket from a previous film!
If nothing good can come from a conversation, meeting, interview, or confrontation, then don't have it.
Her chapter on power is insightful. In the end, power is the functional ability to get things done in some version of your way. It is not a permanent state, nor is it control - even auteurs only have control while their movies make money. Have nerve, be willing to walk away. Take care of your allies when you are up, and never desert an ally after a flop or losing their job.
She and Debra Hill made The Fisher King, my favorite Robin Williams movie. Robin died this week. In talking about how some stars go so far as to find ways to help production, she told a great story about an all-night shoot at Grand Central that had to end by 5:30am for commuters. The scene had 1000 extras waltzing for hours, and people were tired and thirsty, but couldn't take a full break or deadline would be missed. As production assistants handed out as much water as they could, Robin realized the extras needed a lift: "Without a word, he began to waltz thru the crowd, asking each extra his or her name, making each the most important person in the world. 'Hello you gorgeous nun. Come meet this randy sailor named Joe.' The extras were electrified. They didn't need any more water to finish the scene. They danced ecstatically."
The book is filled with the typical movie archetypes but is strongest in telling how women have gone from nothing in the industry, to token "d girls" (development girls), to moving up to top jobs in production and at studios. Author formed strong bonds w/ Nora Ephron (they made Sleepless in Seattle together), Debra Hill, and Dawn Steel, who went from rival to ally on the back if a single phone call.
She talks about how it can be great to be on location, especially when it's an "easy show". Any brewing tension will always be known by the Teamsters, so make friends with them quickly. And never wear a jacket from a previous film!
If nothing good can come from a conversation, meeting, interview, or confrontation, then don't have it.
Her chapter on power is insightful. In the end, power is the functional ability to get things done in some version of your way. It is not a permanent state, nor is it control - even auteurs only have control while their movies make money. Have nerve, be willing to walk away. Take care of your allies when you are up, and never desert an ally after a flop or losing their job.
She and Debra Hill made The Fisher King, my favorite Robin Williams movie. Robin died this week. In talking about how some stars go so far as to find ways to help production, she told a great story about an all-night shoot at Grand Central that had to end by 5:30am for commuters. The scene had 1000 extras waltzing for hours, and people were tired and thirsty, but couldn't take a full break or deadline would be missed. As production assistants handed out as much water as they could, Robin realized the extras needed a lift: "Without a word, he began to waltz thru the crowd, asking each extra his or her name, making each the most important person in the world. 'Hello you gorgeous nun. Come meet this randy sailor named Joe.' The extras were electrified. They didn't need any more water to finish the scene. They danced ecstatically."
February 13, 2008
Always have a strategy before going into a meeting. Always have a strategy before going into a meeting.
July 7, 2023
thanks queen!
April 20, 2021
Definitely 3 1/2 stars. With a disclaimer. You have to like, be interested in, and have no small amount of knowledge of the film business (preferably in the 80s and 90s) to read this.
Some of the parts are definitely dated, but it is a good insider picture for the time.
Some of the parts are definitely dated, but it is a good insider picture for the time.
March 6, 2017
Lynda, first off, thrilled when I checked IMDB and saw that The Hot Zone lives. I think it as a limited series is a fantastic idea.
Second, really hope I end up on one of your sets one day. Reading your book has made me both excited to try my hand at producing and terrified by my lack of knowledge.
Thanks for the compassionate, balanced, candid approach to being a woman in a industry still dominated by men. That being said, knowing you are out there showing the industry how it's done tells me the day will come when we are evenly represented.
PS loved the small view into being a mom in this industry as well. I am proud to know my son's will one day see me on set. Doing what I love best.
Second, really hope I end up on one of your sets one day. Reading your book has made me both excited to try my hand at producing and terrified by my lack of knowledge.
Thanks for the compassionate, balanced, candid approach to being a woman in a industry still dominated by men. That being said, knowing you are out there showing the industry how it's done tells me the day will come when we are evenly represented.
PS loved the small view into being a mom in this industry as well. I am proud to know my son's will one day see me on set. Doing what I love best.
August 7, 2015
I want to be Lynda Obst: badass female producer and problem solver extraordinare. Actually, reading this book made me wonder (numerous times) if I have what it takes to be a producer. Lynda's experiences, stories, and advice are invaluable to someone like me just starting a career in the film industry with PRODUCER as the end goal. (Or maybe studio head after reading this?)
It is interesting to see how much has changed and how much has really stayed the same since this book was published in the early 90's. Lately there has been a call for more women in film-more women writers and directors-but rarely do you hear anything about the industry needing more female producers, executives, and studio heads. We still have a long way to go. And the women she mentions in this book (again from the early 90's) are still the major players today (which is awesome), but there are very few new big female players.
I can't wait to read her new book and see what she has to say about the industry today.
Favorite chapters were definitely the one about friendship and about the dangers and dramas of being on location.
It is interesting to see how much has changed and how much has really stayed the same since this book was published in the early 90's. Lately there has been a call for more women in film-more women writers and directors-but rarely do you hear anything about the industry needing more female producers, executives, and studio heads. We still have a long way to go. And the women she mentions in this book (again from the early 90's) are still the major players today (which is awesome), but there are very few new big female players.
I can't wait to read her new book and see what she has to say about the industry today.
Favorite chapters were definitely the one about friendship and about the dangers and dramas of being on location.
September 17, 2010
Obst started out as a journalist, and it shows in her very lean, punchy writing. There are also some fun stories in the book. The trouble is that the whole thing doesn't really cohere - it's just a pile of disconnected thoughts and it feels like you're just hanging out in her head more than anything else. Add to that the fact that the book is pretty dated by now (it was published in 1997), and it's hard to recommend unless you're really curious about the subject matter. The one takeaway message for me was that, given how many different players are involved and how mismatched the incentives are, the miracle is that any good movies ever get made.
March 6, 2009
Great book written from the perspective of a successful Hollywood producer on how the industry works. Linda Obst provides fantastic insight on how to navigate the perils of the movie making business concerning how to pitch, knowing your strategy for every meeting and getting things done. Very entertaining, even for people not interested in ever working in Hollywood.
April 28, 2009
Didn't love this. While supposed to be a how-to succeed for women in the film business, Lynda basically made it because she married into it. So it is hard to take her advice serious unless it is to say that we should find husbands if we want to work in the field!
May 5, 2007
Another revealing tell-all of the absurdities and stupidity of Hollywood.
October 31, 2023
Outdated inside-Hollywood book that is poorly constructed and at times difficult to read. What I thought was going to be a narrative overview of the author's time in Hollywood instead is a jumpy and incomplete advice manual on how to survive the movie and TV business. There are some great stories within, but you have to dig through a lot of verbosity in order to find the winners. That means this book is very much like the development process at the major studios where most of the creative material is crap and a few things are worth producing.
A major point the book unintentionally reveals is that people in the media business such as the author often have no background to prepare them for their jobs, are given big salaries simply because of being raised in an elitist family or having the right contacts, and that movie executives typically have no clue what they're doing, just shuffling meetings and running an unspecified race to find the next big hit.
Obst, in turns out, stumbled into her initial job at the New York Times not based on her qualifications or education but because her husband was a literary agent. He needed a writer for a Rolling Stone book on The Sixties, and nepotism prevailed when inexperienced Linda was given the job. She knew nothing about journalism when next hired by the supposedly greatest name in print news. Then after years of dishing out her lop-sided agenda, as those working at the Times do, her husband decided to move to Hollywood and she ended up with a movie studio job that paid three times her newspaper gig.
So if you're looking for a lesson in this book it appears to be: marry someone rich, elitist, and that knows a lot of famous people.
Obst settles in to work for notorious Peter Guber and actually in her naivete seems to find lessons to learn from him. The things I liked best about this book were Guber's philosophies, which were stated succinctly and didn't need 238 pages. The problem is that after a few anecdotes about her early career, the author abandons the narrative to start to use this as a "how to make it in Hollywood" business manual. She jumps all over, mangles timelines, fails to explain decisions in enough detail to provide much understanding, and tries too hard to cover her tracks or keep friends instead of giving us the real industry dirt.
It may be worth reading if a newcomer is starting in show business, but the examples are so outdated that it might add more confusion. For example, Obst gets hyper-excited about Sleepless In Seattle making $5.4 million it's opening night--flop numbers today. And it leads to the question as to why Hollywood doesn't state success in terms of number of seats sold instead of the always inflationary and unreliable boxoffice receipts?
The biggest concern ties into the title: Obst admits to lying. A lot. Throughout her career, just like everyone else does in Hollywood in order to make it. It's disturbing to consider that a woman who spent years editing at the New York Times thinks it's okay to lie to anyone, but if you've had any experiences with that newspaper (as I have) you won't be surprised. Don't believe anything you read, especially in the country's biggest publication that liberals claim to trust as a news source.
The writer has no apologies, her lying is just part of the game, she claims. Oh, in retrospect (which she claims to hate) she has a bit of a guilty conscience but nothing stopped her previous manipulations and deceptions. Seeing her lack of morality in order to crank out mediocre films and TV shows should make you not trust her or whatever media you're consuming.
A major point the book unintentionally reveals is that people in the media business such as the author often have no background to prepare them for their jobs, are given big salaries simply because of being raised in an elitist family or having the right contacts, and that movie executives typically have no clue what they're doing, just shuffling meetings and running an unspecified race to find the next big hit.
Obst, in turns out, stumbled into her initial job at the New York Times not based on her qualifications or education but because her husband was a literary agent. He needed a writer for a Rolling Stone book on The Sixties, and nepotism prevailed when inexperienced Linda was given the job. She knew nothing about journalism when next hired by the supposedly greatest name in print news. Then after years of dishing out her lop-sided agenda, as those working at the Times do, her husband decided to move to Hollywood and she ended up with a movie studio job that paid three times her newspaper gig.
So if you're looking for a lesson in this book it appears to be: marry someone rich, elitist, and that knows a lot of famous people.
Obst settles in to work for notorious Peter Guber and actually in her naivete seems to find lessons to learn from him. The things I liked best about this book were Guber's philosophies, which were stated succinctly and didn't need 238 pages. The problem is that after a few anecdotes about her early career, the author abandons the narrative to start to use this as a "how to make it in Hollywood" business manual. She jumps all over, mangles timelines, fails to explain decisions in enough detail to provide much understanding, and tries too hard to cover her tracks or keep friends instead of giving us the real industry dirt.
It may be worth reading if a newcomer is starting in show business, but the examples are so outdated that it might add more confusion. For example, Obst gets hyper-excited about Sleepless In Seattle making $5.4 million it's opening night--flop numbers today. And it leads to the question as to why Hollywood doesn't state success in terms of number of seats sold instead of the always inflationary and unreliable boxoffice receipts?
The biggest concern ties into the title: Obst admits to lying. A lot. Throughout her career, just like everyone else does in Hollywood in order to make it. It's disturbing to consider that a woman who spent years editing at the New York Times thinks it's okay to lie to anyone, but if you've had any experiences with that newspaper (as I have) you won't be surprised. Don't believe anything you read, especially in the country's biggest publication that liberals claim to trust as a news source.
The writer has no apologies, her lying is just part of the game, she claims. Oh, in retrospect (which she claims to hate) she has a bit of a guilty conscience but nothing stopped her previous manipulations and deceptions. Seeing her lack of morality in order to crank out mediocre films and TV shows should make you not trust her or whatever media you're consuming.
November 21, 2025
Ever since reading William Goldman’s ‘Adventures in the Screen Trade’ many years back (and I couldn’t recommend it more), I’ve loved Hollywood horror stories.
Impressive film resume of the author. Flashdance and Adventures in Babysitting.
”I felt like I had to win for the good of mankind. (Or at least for the good of my team, which, by this point, I had mistaken for mankind.)”
Fascinating page turner so far.
”Everything can be undone, including success.
”This is clearly why the best full-time deniers of all - sociopaths - do so very well in Hollywood.”
Hard to know what to say about this book except it is a fascinating look at how movies are made and why they are made.
I’m enamored with it and can’t stop reading to type about it!
”This skill. Is akin to the lessons women learn. In Cosmo like ‘Getting your man to commit’”
Some particularly fascinating lessons are given when the producer has take over a movie that has already completely failed and has stopped filming due to creating some terrible film!
The casting of George seems obvious now, but the tarmac is littered with the carcasses of David Caruso types who didn’t fully make the transfer from small to big screen.
If you’ve ever wondered why studios makes stupid decisions (say putting Zack Snyder on DC films after Watchmen) this book will explain it.
I think he had Annie in development for ten years before he made it.
Insomnia is the cost of our ambition.
Do I really need this aggravation? It’s what I wonder at the end of almost every day, except the good ones, when for some reason the question doesn’t come up.
Sorry this has been a rather tepid review (for me). The truth is, it’s a page turner and I couldn’t be bothered to stop and write down a lot while I was reading it.
It’s both fascinating and terrifying and certain a master class in the business of show.
It’s possible that it is dated. A picture of a Hollywood that has changed since then. But I doubt it.
It’s definitely a cautionary tale. NOTHING about the author’s journey tempts me to want that job!
Highly recommended. 5 stars.
June 15, 2017
this book, less as a career manual or a how to, but more of an approach in relationships, whether professional or personal, with a touch of snarky humor. akin to The Secret. Know your staff, take care of you people, expect long hours of hustling, etc.
January 7, 2025
Felt like I was getting lunch with an old friend and she was giving me the in's and out's of Hollywood and how to excel in the industry as she did. such a must read for anyone who also works in the industry. LO - you legend.
June 8, 2018
might be a bit dated, but her insights hold up esp regarding office politics we all experience
December 8, 2019
A very entertaining and educational book about the reality of Hollywood's back-end. Every screenwriter should read this and generally anyone interested in the movie industry.
Read
May 28, 2020Took me way to long to finish but there were some great ideas
February 9, 2022
Makes me want to make movies in the 90s.
August 7, 2025
For anyone interested in learning the craft of film, then this is a truly back stage pass for any fan. The whole process of franchising a film from a producer’s stand point is explained.
October 28, 2009
A personal yet very factual book from a woman who is an insider in the Hollywood film industry. This is not a "tell all." It is a seemingly honest account of how the film industry works day to day from the trenches. Obst is a successful producer and well wired, but not shy about telling the truth. Her perspective as a woman in the industry is interesting but not the center of the book. Worth reading if you are interested in the film industry
September 26, 2008
Excruciating tale of a woman with way too much self esteem in a business where education above 6th grade level can be a handicap. Like "You'll never eat lunch..." here is a heroine who will not earn your empathy. Tempted to get into the movie business? This could be the cure.
November 11, 2009
Lynda Obst provides you with the ins and outs of Hollywood, what it's like to be a woman in the industry, etc. She produced The Invention of Lying, Adventures in Babysitting, Sleepless in Seattle, and Flashdance. A must for women trying to get into producing.
October 3, 2012
I really really liked this book. I liked the author's point of view, her way of describing oft-unarticulated components of business, learning about production and the industry of movie making. A worthwhile read!
April 13, 2014
As a good portrait of the maddening chaos and darkness of the movie industry, it can fuel anybody's cynicism about the endeavor of making movies. Yet, there are also some nuggets of inspiration for the aspiring moving picture artist.
March 25, 2016
I don't really have any idea how this ended up on my shelves, and it didn't particularly resonate with me, but a really insidery look into the world of movie production. Some of the workpace-as-a-woman stuff was a little outdated at this point, as was the last chapter about being busy.
January 11, 2008
Another insider look at Hollywood. However, Obst has many good insights and recommendations, particularly for women navigating the treacherous waters of show business.
June 29, 2008
An inside look into how Hollywood really works. Women trying to climb the ranks in this business will appreciate Obst's honesty.
February 16, 2009
Fun read. Optimistic about women in Hollywood.
August 20, 2010
ushered me into the industry...
February 4, 2012
Interesting opinions and insight into the hollywood world. The constant changes in structures was a good way to break up the narrative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews