America: Child stars start with The Shining

"Ciel, I'm heading back now. Remember to contact me anytime if anything comes up. Also, I'll arrange the GG filming for you as soon as possible and let you know when it's done."

"Um, bye-bye... Achoo."

Charles rubbed his nose, couldn't help but sneeze, and watched Ovitz gradually disappear from his sight.

Starting today, he has officially become a child star under CAA.

So yesterday, he briefly mentioned his current predicament to Ovitz and asked him to help him find some suitable short-term work.

In addition, he also inquired about accommodation, as he really didn't want to shamelessly go back to that damned uncle's house.

After listening, Ovitz patted his chest and confidently told him that he had a brilliant solution.

As a result, Charles spent the night in the other party's beat-up Ford yesterday and almost froze to death.

"Achoo!"

Charles couldn't help but shiver again and quickly wrapped his clothes even tighter around himself.

If given the chance, he would definitely sue the other party for child abuse! It's absolutely outrageous!

"Hey, Ciel, come here quickly, it's almost your turn!"

Leon, who had delivered the notification letter to him earlier, stood at the entrance of the film set and waved, signaling him to hurry over.

Charles strode forward and followed the other person through the film set that was under construction. The staff around them were busy moving props, lighting rigs and various set materials, their steps hurried.

Over the next period, the crew will first complete some indoor scenes in Hollywood before moving on to other locations for filming.

I heard that Spielberg's Indiana Jones was originally planning to use this location, but The Shining booked it first.

Just now, with Ovitz's help, he officially signed an actor contract with the Shining production team.

The pay was around $30,000, which is quite a good start for a child star who hasn't officially debuted.

Of that, about five thousand US dollars would arrive in his account immediately after he joined the production team, which would be just enough for him to repay his loan for the month, so that he wouldn't have to be overwhelmed with debt while filming.

However, it's hard to say what will happen next month.

So, he just asked Ovitz to help him find some other part-time jobs so he could earn some quick money during breaks from filming.

Director Kubrick was sitting in the middle of the set, coordinating various arrangements. Seeing Leon and Charles approaching, he immediately smiled and jokingly remarked:

"Wow, isn't that our child star?"

He was very satisfied with Ciel's performance at the audition. Although he later encountered another child actor who was equally good, he ultimately decided to choose Ciel.

Charles stepped forward and was casually lifted onto a chair by the other person.

He had long been impressed by Kubrick, even to the point of admiration, as Kubrick was already an undisputed god of cinema in 1979.

Glory Road, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, and that groundbreaking science fiction film—

2001: A Space Odyssey.

In his past life, Charles had watched the film countless times, but today, he finally met this legendary director and even became an actor in "The Shining".

Kubrick reached out and ruffled his hair, earnestly instructing him:

"Ciel, you need to be mentally prepared. We're filming a horror movie, but I'll try my best to avoid having you participate in any bloody scenes. However... you know, sometimes it's unavoidable."

"I believe you're a grown-up now and can handle this kind of pressure, right?"

Charles twitched the corners of his mouth, looking at the faint, mischievous smile on the other person's face.

He had heard in his previous life that Kubrick lied to the actor who played the little boy in "The Shining," claiming it was a family comedy, in order to protect him.

But that's utter nonsense.

If he hadn't watched "The Shining" several times and clearly known that the little boy was present in almost all of those terrifying scenes, he might have actually believed it.

This director, whose style is so distinctive it borders on extreme, is best at torturing actors and squeezing every last drop of their potential, even children.

Thinking of this, Charles sighed helplessly, as if he had a bad feeling about his future treatment on the film set.

"Alright, Leon, hurry up and take him to get his makeup done. We need to hurry. Little child star, you'd better perform well in front of the camera later."

Kubrick quickly returned to work, his smile fading as he gestured for Leon to take Charles away.

Then, Ciel was led into a dressing room, which was already crowded with extras and makeup artists.

Unfortunately, Hollywood is a very pragmatic place. Although he is now known as a child actor, he won't receive any special treatment unless he has outstanding works to show for it.

for example......

While letting the makeup artist haphazardly apply makeup to his face, Ciel slightly turned his head to look at a separate dressing room that had been partitioned off next to him.

The door was ajar, and inside sat a woman with highly distinctive features. Her face was long and thin, with slightly raised eyebrows, and most striking were her clear, black and white eyes.

Shelley Duval.

She's the one who'll be acting opposite Ciel later.

In 1977, she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in "Three Women," proving herself to be a truly talented actress.

Charles took a deep breath. He never expected that his first scene would be a battle of acting skills with an award-winning actress. This was giving him far too much credit.

He received the script for "The Shining" yesterday and studied it late into the night in that beat-up car, feeling very uneasy.

By the way, Ovitz didn't even notice the kids when he was smoking, and he almost choked to death.

"Okay, handsome, your makeup is done! Oh my god! Your face is absolutely perfect, I almost can't resist giving you a kiss."

Charles smirked and looked at the female makeup artist standing behind him through the mirror. If she really dared to do that, he would definitely report her to the child protection association immediately.

but......

He raised his hand and touched his cheek. His features were sharp and refined, and he looked a bit like a combination of a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp.

Without a doubt, this is a face that is naturally suited to being in front of the camera.

Charles stood up from his chair, walked through the crowded people, and left the dressing room.

boom!

The door closed behind him, and all the noise disappeared instantly. He looked at the set that had been set up in the center of the set and slowly walked over.

come on.

Let his first act in this world begin here.

Charles clenched his fists. The closer he got to this point, the more nervous he became. His mind kept replaying the painful experiences he had as an extra in his past life.

but......

All that is in the past. Now he is Ciel, with a completely new identity and a brand new beginning.

This is 1979, the era of blockbuster movies has begun. Please welcome, Shire!

"Action!"