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Adaptation scene 185: INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT · The Reading Room

Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Donald finds Laroche’s online site and discovers Orlean’s image among the pornographic material.

Scene 185 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · First scene of act three

Donald
Kaufman

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:36 into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 185

Unable to find a conventional story in The Orchid Thief, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman turns his own crisis into an increasingly self-referential adaptation.

Scenes 1–9
Charlie inhabits an isolated, self-condemning world while Orlean’s book supplies a distant model of obsession.
Scenes 10–88
Charlie wants to write honestly and make flowers matter, while also longing to be desired and understood.
Scenes 89–105
He leaves his familiar writing room and goes to Florida to search for the story firsthand.
Scenes 106–126
The swamp is ordinary, Orlean’s research fails, and Charlie experiments with increasingly personal versions of the book.
Scenes 127–144
Charlie finds a way to focus the material by putting himself in it, then commits to meeting Orlean.
Just before
Scene 182
Charlie admits his faithful version has no movie ending, and McKee tells him the last act makes the film.
Scene 183
Charlie calls Donald to congratulate him and invites him to help in New York.
Scene 184
Donald reads Charlie’s pages and urges him to emphasize the brothers, sharpen the drama, and use the swamp.
Scene 185
This scene

185INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

The front door opens and Kaufman enters. The lights are off, but the room is aglow with light from Donald's laptop computer. Kaufman sees a silhouetted Donald masturbating in front of the computer. Donald looks up, caught.

DONALD

Oh, hi, I was doing some research. I

found Laroche's site and... I'm

embarrassed.

KAUFMAN

Jesus, Donald.

Kaufman passes Donald, glances at the grainy nude on the screen. He's stunned. It's Orlean smiling at him.

DONALD

What? She's kinda cute. You don't like

her? I dunno, I think she's okay. It's

not like I'm marrying her.

Kaufman shows Donald Orlean's book jacket photo.

DONALD (cont'd)

Oh, wow. That's kind of a twist, huh?

KAUFMAN

Jesus. Jesus!

DONALD

I think this is maybe a good thing for

the script. Go ask her about this.

KAUFMAN

I'm not gonna ask her about this.

DONALD

You want me to? I don't mind.

KAUFMAN

No, I don't want you to.

DONALD

I could easily pretend I'm you.

KAUFMAN

No! No!