In 1989, Michael Ovitz wasn't just an agent. He was the gravity that held Hollywood together. As the co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), he didn't just book jobs; he packaged entire blockbusters, effectively telling the studios what they were making and who would star in it. He was the "King of Hollywood," a man who operated in the shadows, characterized by his zen-like calm, his terrifying efficiency, and the widely held belief that crossing him was professional suicide.
But empires often crumble from the smallest cracks, and Ovitz’s armor didn’t meet its match in a boardroom coup or a stock market crash. It met its match in a fax machine.
The man feeding the paper was Joe Eszterhas, the brash, polarizing screenwriter behind Flashdance and Jagged Edge. Eszterhas had decided to leave CAA for a rival agency, a move that, in Ovitz’s world, was tantamount to treason.
An excerpt of the faxCanva
What happened next became perhaps the most famous "he said/he said" in entertainment history—a clash that pitted the industry's most powerful suit against its loudest typewriter.
The Meeting
According to Eszterhas’s memoir, Hollywood Animal, the meeting to discuss his departure took a turn that would make Tony Soprano blush. He claims that when he informed Ovitz of his decision to leave, the super-agent’s famous calm evaporated.
Ovitz didn't just argue business; he allegedly went full mafia. Eszterhas later recounted that Ovitz threatened to tie him up in so many depositions and court dates that he would never have time to write again. But the line that would live in infamy was far more visceral.
According to Eszterhas, Ovitz leaned in and said: “My foot soldiers who go up and down Wilshire Boulevard each day will blow your brains out.”
He followed it, Eszterhas claimed, with a threat that felt distinctly personal: “If you make me eat shit, I’m going to make you eat shit.”
Joe Eszterhas, Michael Ovitz, CAA, Hollywood history, Basic Instinct, show business feud, leaked letter, foot soldiers, super-agent, 1989 YouTube
The Letter
Most people in 1989 would have apologized, stayed at CAA, and thanked Ovitz for the privilege. Eszterhas did the opposite. He went home, sat at his typewriter, and drafted a blistering three-page letter detailing every threat, every curse, and every moment of intimidation.
Then, he weaponized the industry's own gossip network. He faxed the letter to everyone.
It landed on the desks of rival agents, studio heads, and stars. It was read in mailrooms and boardrooms alike. In the letter, Eszterhas framed the conflict not as a contract dispute, but as a declaration of human rights for creatives.
Eszterhas wrote:
“I am not an asset. I am a human being. You are an agent. Your role is to help and encourage my career and my creativity. Your role is not to place me in personal emotional turmoil.”
Joe Eszterhas, Michael Ovitz, CAA, Hollywood history, Basic Instinct, show business feud, leaked letter, foot soldiers, super-agent, 1989 YouTube
The "Foot Soldier" Defense
For decades, the story was Hollywood lore, whispered about as proof of Ovitz’s dark power. But in his 2018 memoir, Who Is Michael Ovitz?, the former Titan finally offered his side of the story.
Ovitz admits the meeting went poorly. He admits he was angry. But his explanation for the "foot soldier" comment is a masterclass in corporate spin. Ovitz insists he wasn't threatening a hit; he was using a metaphor. He claims he meant that his army of agents (foot soldiers) would hit the pavement on Wilshire Boulevard to outsell and outmaneuver Eszterhas’s new representation.
“It was a bad choice of words,” Ovitz conceded in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, claiming he was baited by Eszterhas, whom he described as a master manipulator looking for a villain to help sell his next script. Ovitz argues he walked into a trap set by a writer who knew exactly how to script a confrontation for maximum publicity.
Joe Eszterhas, Michael Ovitz, CAA, Hollywood history, Basic Instinct, show business feud, leaked letter, foot soldiers, super-agent, 1989 YouTube
The Aftermath
Whether you believe the Screenwriter or the Super Agent, the result was undeniable. The letter didn't destroy Ovitz (he would remain powerful for another six years until his disastrous move to Disney), but it proved he could be vulnerable. It shattered the aura of invincibility that came along with his aggressive tactics.
As for Eszterhas? The "foot soldiers" didn't stop him. In fact, the notoriety likely helped. Shortly after the feud became public, he sold the script for Basic Instinct for a then-record $3 million. Ovitz had promised to silence him; instead, Eszterhas got the last word, the biggest check, and the one thing an agent can never quite control: a legendary ending.
Joe Eszterhas, Michael Ovitz, CAA, Hollywood history, Basic Instinct, show business feud, leaked letter, foot soldiers, super-agent, 1989 YouTube
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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