The Insider Page #25

DON HEWITT:

(surprised)

You're taking "no" for an answer?

LOWELL:

No. I'm not going to take "no" for an

answer. No.

DON HEWITT:

Then what are you going to do?

Hewitt looks at him...

LOWELL:

I'm staying right here. Doing my job.

Fighting to get my show on the air. You

don't like it? Hey, I'll tell you

what...fire my ass...

DON HEWITT:

End up in a high-profile lawsuit with

Lowell, the First Amendment martyr? I

don't think so.

(laughs)

Take a look at this... This is a summary

of a dossier that's being prepared.

And he gives him a copy of it.

DON HEWITT (CONT'D)

He would lie about his whole life...?

Who's going to believe him about anything

he says...?

(a beat, and the coup de grace)

The Wall Street Journal's doing a major

story and I think the Post. You backed

the wrong horse...

He turns and starts off along the hall. As he goes...

DON HEWITT (cont'd)

(his parting shot)

The version without his interview is

going to air the week after next.

Lowell watches him walk away. Debbie enters.

DEBBIE DELUCA:

What was that about?

LOWELL:

Get me Wigand.

DEBBIE DELUCA:

Sure.

LOWELL:

...f*** is this? F***!

INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, HIGH SCHOOL, LOUISVILLE - DAY

LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER)

(on the phone, upset)

You never told me you were married

before...that you had a daughter...

And Wigand is in the phone booth at the High

School...students walking by...

WIGAND:

(outraged)

Well, how is that any of your business?!

That is not something that you people

need to know!

His voice carries, a student looks over...

INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE - DAY

LOWELL:

(frustrated)

Oh, you know what we do or do not need to

know? Since when have you become a media

expert?

INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

WIGAND:

(upset)

What do you want to do, Lowell, look up

my ass, too...!

And he realizes he's said it too loud, a couple of passing

students stop, looking at him...

INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, CBS - DAY

LOWELL:

Oh, my God.

WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER)

(after a beat, lowering his

voice, but contentious)

You're not even on this anymore... What

do you care?

LOWELL:

Jeff! Wake the f*** up! Everybody is on

the line here. If they can catch you in

a lie, they can paint everything with

that brush. Do you understand?

Everything you say!

WIGAND:

I told the truth!

LOWELL:

Everything...you...say! And I can't

defend you, man, with one hand tied

behind my back! Because you keep from

me...what they can discover. And they

will discover everything! Believe me.

INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Wigand's quiet. He looks out the phone booth. After some

moments...

WIGAND:

(meaning his first wife and

their child, upset)

...I was young. I was

young...confused... We didn't handle it

the right way...

INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY

LOWELL:

(after a beat)

She sued you for back payments of child

support?

INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

WIGAND:

She did not sue me. We had a dispute

over money... I settled it, she dropped

the complaint...

(angry)

Any other questions?

And we'll go back and forth...

LOWELL:

Yes. Did you lie about being on the

American Judo Team in the Olympics?

WIGAND:

What?

LOWELL:

Some public relations guy got a hold of a

tape of an interview...where you're

saying you were on the American Judo Team

in the Olympics...?

WIGAND:

(explosive)

What kind of sh*t is this? I was not on

the team, I sparred with the Olympic

Team...okay?

And we see, unbeknownst to Wigand, the P.I. in the raincoat,

who interviewed his ex-wife, coming out of an administration

office, walking towards us along the hallways...

LOWELL:

Alright...the ABC Telemarketing Company?

WIGAND:

ABC...?

LOWELL:

ABC Telemarketing Company.

WIGAND:

(the absurdity)

A can opener! A $39.95 can opener. I

cancelled payment... It was junk.

(sarcastic)

You ever bounce a check, Lowell? You

ever look at another woman's tits? You

ever cheat a little on your taxes?

(a beat, angry)

Whose life, if you look at it under a

microscope, doesn't have any flaws...?

The P.I. in the raincoat passes Jeffrey, now, and doesn't

even glance at him...

LOWELL:

That's the whole point, Jeffrey. That's

the whole point. Anyone's. Everyone's.

They are gonna look under every rock, dig

up every flaw, every mistake you've ever

made. They are going to distort and

exaggerate everything you've ever done,

man. Don't you understand?

WIGAND:

(shouts)

What does this have to do with my

testimony?

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