America: Child stars start with The Shining

After a while, Charles and Tupac were led to separate waiting rooms by the staff.

Prior to this, Charles had already submitted his acting resume, and with CAA's backing and Ovitz's help, he was able to directly enter the final round of interviews, without having to go through the lengthy and complicated screening process beforehand.

Tupac, however, was not so lucky.

He could only stay with other child stars who weren't famous, starting from the most basic rounds of auditions and climbing up step by step. Whether he could meet the directors and producers who would ultimately decide on the auditions depended on his performance in the previous rounds.

Of course, Charles was able to skip directly to the final interview, partly thanks to Spielberg's help. He had received Spielberg's business card when he was on the set of The Shining.

In Hollywood, such a business card is almost equivalent to a ticket to secure a movie audition.

However, what truly determines the outcome is ultimately the actor's own ability.

Top agencies like WMA often complete internal operations before the auditions officially begin, pushing their artists directly into the final stage.

They have long since infiltrated every aspect of Hollywood's production system, placing their own people or establishing relationships in almost every link. In this regard, they are often more adept than CAA.

Charles sat on a chair in the waiting room, casually glancing around. There weren't many people there, and he soon noticed that the little boy who had been standing next to Morgan earlier was also there.

Of course, his focus wasn't actually on the other person, but rather...

Sitting next to him was Leonardo DiCaprio, also known as Little Leo.

Charles's lips curled slightly, and he spoke first:

"Hey Leonardo, I know you."

When Leonardo DiCaprio heard someone call his name beside him, he was visibly startled, turned his head, and asked in surprise:

Do you recognize me?

Charles appeared perfectly at ease, his tone even carrying a hint of appreciation as he said:

"Of course I know you! I saw you in 'Toy House,' and I was very impressed with you then!"

Leonardo DiCaprio was pleasantly surprised, and his eyes immediately lit up.

He never expected to run into the child star he had seen on TV in such a place, and for a moment, he felt a great liking for Xia Dun.

He took Charles's hand, smiled, and said:

"I knew my performance was fine, but those adults said I was too disruptive on set and kicked me out! Fuck, they don't understand anything!"

Charles almost laughed when he heard this.

He certainly knew what was going on. He heard that Leonardo DiCaprio was so excited and energetic on set that he not only ran around but also touched the cameras.

Finally, the adults couldn't stand such a naughty child anymore and kicked him out of the scene, and a lot of his footage was cut.

All I can say is that this guy hasn't changed since he was a child. He's exactly the same as that fat guy who loved playing with water guns in later generations. Because of that incident, Leonardo DiCaprio was even jokingly called the "Water Gun King".

Having found common ground and being roughly the same age (both born in the same year), Charles and Leonardo DiCaprio quickly became acquainted and began discussing today's movie audition.

Leonardo DiCaprio lowered his voice and whispered:

"Hey, do you see that little girl over there? I heard she comes from a film family, I think her name is... Drew Barrymore. Luckily she won't come and compete with us for those male leads, otherwise we definitely wouldn't stand a chance."

Charles looked in the direction Little Li was pointing, and soon he saw the little girl standing out conspicuously on the other side of the corridor.

She had big, bright eyes, and her light blonde, naturally curly hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders. With her slightly chubby face, she should have been a very endearing and spirited little girl.

However, the other person clearly lacked the awkwardness and naivety of a child, and instead seemed a bit too precocious.

Shire's impression of Drew Barrymore naturally went far beyond that.

Although the other party is from a film family, Drew's father died early, leaving the family destitute, and his mother could only make money by using Drew's surname.

In his previous life, young Drew rose to fame with "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," becoming one of the most popular child stars of his time.

As a result, she was not so happy after becoming famous. She soon became a money-making tool in her mother's hands, and her mother took her to various Hollywood insider parties and drinking parties every day.

Little Drew was led by adults through one place after another that wasn't for children, like a beautiful commodity displayed in a shop window.

Back then, there were even paparazzi who would specifically stake out the entrances of bars and clubs to take pictures of her and then post them on the gossip news pages.

After all, everyone wants to know why a child of just a few years old would frequently appear in such places.

Before long, Drew went astray, developing bad habits such as smoking, drinking, and using performance-enhancing drugs. He became increasingly rebellious and was eventually sent to a rehabilitation center by his mother at the age of thirteen.

Even so, her mother still didn't let her off the hook. She made money off her acting while tossing her back and forth between the rehabilitation center and the film set, making her live a life of darkness.

This is a very typical example of a child star who immediately fell from grace after becoming famous, and this situation is very common in the United States.

The earlier one becomes famous, the more susceptible one is to the various temptations of Hollywood.

Charles sighed. Regardless of what happens in the future, young Druk is now a true child star with real talent.

Before auditioning for this film, she had already filmed three movies and had countless bad experiences, making her Jennifer's biggest rival.

Of course, Charles would prefer Jennifer to be chosen, since he didn't have a very good impression of Drew.

Soon, before long, they were led into the interview room by staff.

......

Spielberg was flipping through the actors' resumes in his hand, thinking about casting.

The movie "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is undoubtedly a big-budget production.

Universal Pictures provided a total budget of over ten million US dollars, which was an astonishing figure in those days, demonstrating their unconditional trust in Spielberg.

Therefore, he is very cautious in casting.

Although the film ostensibly tells the story of what happens after aliens come to Earth, the real driving force behind the entire plot is actually the few crucial child characters.

If these casting choices aren't made well, then no matter how detailed the aliens are or how amazing the special effects are, the movie will ultimately be difficult to be well-received.

Especially the male lead.

The casting must resonate with the audience at first glance, allowing them to immerse themselves in the story.

If the performance is too forceful, the whole movie will seem a bit fake; but if it's too bland, it won't be able to support the key emotional outbursts.

This is the most troublesome part of being a child actor.

Those with talent are disobedient, those who are obedient lack talent, those who are good-looking may not be able to act, and those who can act may not have a good rapport with the camera.

Not to mention that this is a film centered on a child's perspective, the requirements for the acting skills of child actors are much more demanding than for many adults.

Spielberg sighed, looked up at the producer and casting director sitting beside him, and asked:

"Who's next?"

The casting director immediately looked down and flipped through the list, then read out a name:

"Charles, I saw on his resume that he previously worked on films directed by Kubrick."

Upon hearing the name, Spielberg raised an eyebrow.

He was very impressed with this little guy; he was captivated by the child's acting skills when he was on the set of "The Shining".

He sat up slightly and said:

"Very good, he can prepare to come in now."