America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 128 Complete Dominance (Please Subscribe)

The audition room door opened, and someone called out, "Martin Davis."

Martin took out his phone and handed it to Bruce, then strode into the audition room, greeting director Ken Kappis and casting director Heck warmly before quickly scanning the audition room with his eyes.

This audition team is unprofessional; nobody in them plays video games!

Instead of having him audition, Kapis asked, "Do you know anything about English football?"

While in Brisbane, Zommy talked to Martin a lot about football and discussed many related topics, which gave Martin some confidence: "I watch La Liga a lot, and I watch the Premier League occasionally. I'm a fan of Ronaldinho. Although he didn't lead Barcelona to the La Liga title, he was a true football genius."

Kapis nodded and said, "There's a beautiful woman across from you trying to seduce you. Perform something that makes you interested but doesn't show it too obviously."

Martin immediately understood; wasn't this asking him to play himself?

A few minutes later, he came out of the audition room.

Thomas came up to him and asked, "How was it?"

Martin said, "It feels alright."

Thomas led the way, saying, "Let's go first, we should have news tomorrow."

Bruce handed the phone back to Martin: "There's a text message notification."

Arriving near the reception desk, Martin turned on his phone and glanced at a text message. The message was from FedEx, informing him that his package had been picked up and was ready to be sent to Atlanta.

He asked Old Bush, "Have you shipped the goods to Atlanta?"

Bruce was puzzled: "No, I never contact anyone in Atlanta."

Martin guessed who it was, walked aside, and dialed Louise's number: "You slut, what shipment did you send to Atlanta in my name?"

Louise laughed crisply: "A proper gift, a set of carving tools, as a return gift. The items are with Kelly and me; if you don't reciprocate, we should at least be polite."

Martin didn't believe this slut: "Really? Nothing else?"

Louise said, "You can ask Kelly."

Martin hung up the phone without asking any further questions, and told Bruce and Thomas to leave.

He visited the post-production studio of "House of Wax" and chatted with Jaume Coleman. Post-production of "House of Wax" was nearing completion, and it was scheduled to officially hit North American theaters in October.

Warner Bros. has already started its promotional campaign and has reached agreements with film studios for GG (Gross Adaptor) placements for films such as Resident Evil 2, The Exorcist: Rise of the Exorcist, and Alien vs. Predator.

That evening, Martin invited Jamie, Craven, Aja, and a group of others to a barbecue restaurant for a get-together to catch up.

Thomas went along too, watching Martin socialize with everyone, putting his arm around big shots like Craven, eating, drinking, and having fun together, and discussing how to play with women like an old lecher.

They're just born to be in this industry.

The following morning, Martin was practicing action sequences with newly recruited stunt doubles in the film studio when Thomas called to tell him that he had landed the role of the football coach.

He didn't put much effort into this role, but the strong recommendation from a major agency was a guarantee of getting the role.

Thomas will go to the film crew to discuss salary and filming schedule; Martin just needs to wait for the contract to be signed.

During a training break, Martin called Robert again: "Dude, I got the role. Thanks, I won't say thank you. When are you coming to Los Angeles to develop your career?"

Robert said, "I'll stay in Atlanta for now; the commander is too busy here." He had established a routine and gained confidence: "Call me whenever you need me."

Martin said, "I won't stand on ceremony with you."

After hanging up the phone, he asked Bruce, "Old Bruce, what's the best gift for Robert?"

Bruce pondered, "Robert is the kind of guy who would never accept money from you. I imagine he's always envied Jerome driving a Cadillac."

Martin said, "After we finish filming these two movies."

At that moment, someone called out at the entrance of the photography studio: "Martin, someone named Menez is looking for you. He says he's your friend."

Martin beckoned him over: "Let him come here."

Mene came in from outside carrying a bag. From a distance, Martin noticed that his lips were thick and upturned, like two fat sausages hanging from his lips.

Bruce asked in surprise, "You got beaten up?"

Menez took a folding stool, sat down at the small round table, and his voice changed: "That female casting director of 'Land of the Dead,' I don't know what she used to wash herself, I made her feel sweet and happy, and as a result, I had an allergic reaction to my lips, and this is what happened."

Martin asked, "Didn't you see a doctor?"

Menez spoke with a strange expression, his mouth opening and closing: "I went to see a private doctor, Antonio gave me his business card... I forgot what he said, that doctor nicknamed Hyena, who specializes in proctology."

He added, "The doctor said there's nothing wrong, and it will be fine in a few days."

Bruce patted Mene on the shoulder: "Dude, you've had a tough time."

"It's much better than before." Menez is naturally optimistic and finds joy in hardship: "I was able to find a way to work hard and get a reward for my efforts. It's better than most actors in Los Angeles. I got that special zombie role."

Martin didn't say much: "Good luck, and hope you get a more significant role soon."

Menez chuckled, "I'd be content with a stable income of a few hundred thousand dollars a year." He patted his backpack, "Director Romero requires the actors to join the crew for intensive training as soon as possible, so I came here today specifically to say goodbye. I'm leaving this afternoon."

Martin said, "I'm going to Mexico soon too. If you need anything, call Old Brooks, but I doubt you'll get through."

"What could possibly happen?" Menez had his own way of dealing with it: "Don't forget, I have a trump card."

Martin glanced at his almost-whitened face. In Hollywood terms, Menezes certainly had nuclear weapons.

…………

West Hollywood, an ordinary boxing gym.

Mike Vogel, wearing boxing gloves, punched the training dummy repeatedly.

He gathered his strength in his right hand and punched the dummy hard in the head, causing the dummy to shake violently.

Agent Pinto came in from outside and asked, "Want to take a break?"

Vogel turned and nodded, raising his fists at the coach, who then took off his gloves and came to Pinto.

"Please give us some privacy," Pinto said after the coach left. "As expected, the company has prioritized Martin Davis for the role of Eric."

Vogel understood that the other person had won the role, and said, "I'm more experienced than him, just for a Best Young Actor award?"

Pinto shook his head: "No, I have definite information that Martin handled Craven all by himself, so he got that award. Can you?"

Vogel knew he couldn't, but his strong character wouldn't allow him to say such a thing. He raised his fist and shook it: "I can beat all the terrifying monsters Craven created into a pulp."

Pinto pressed his fist down: "There's also good news. You got the role of Costers, with not much less screen time than Eric, but you have to dye your hair dark."

Vogel said, "Go talk about the pay."

Pinto sat down by the boxing ring, pointed to the side, and after Vogel sat down, said, "Have you ever considered changing your image and acting style?"

Vogel didn't understand: "Why?"

Pinto explained, "Among the Tier 5 and Tier 6 clients in the 20 to 25 age group, you and Adrian were originally the highest priority, but now the company's resources at this level are being prioritized for Martin Davis."

He pointed to Vogel's hair color, face, and body: "Your temperament, age, and style are quite similar, so the roles that Martin Davis would choose first are the ones that are most suitable for you. If you don't change your mind, you can only choose the ones he doesn't want."

Vogel wasn't new to the industry and knew how ruthless it was, but he was used to everything. After thinking it over for a while, he said, "Give me some time, I'll think about it carefully."

Pinto advised, "You haven't really made a name for yourself yet, so it's relatively easy to change your image now. Your role in 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' is similar to Martin's role in 'House of Wax.' Martin has now landed the lead role in Wes Craven's new film. If you don't make a change, you'll live in Martin's shadow for a long time playing similar roles."

Vogel asked, "Do I have no other resources?"

Pinto said, "Of the roles Martin picked, you auditioned for several, and I put in a lot of effort, but the company wasn't willing to invest heavily in recommending you, so we didn't get anything out of it."

Vogel jumped off the boxing ring, went to the dummy, and without gloves on, unleashed a furious barrage of punches on it. When he stopped, his knuckles were bright red.

He turned to Pinto and said, "I'll make a decision after I finish filming this movie."

Vogel was not Pinto's most important client, so Pinto said no more: "Okay."

…………

Three days later, accompanied by Thomas, Martin arrived at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants studio and signed an actor contract with producer Brad Irisman, who represented the production team.

After signing the contract, the latter shook hands with Martin: "Welcome to the crew."

Martin smiled and said, "It's my honor."

Things are different now. As the winner of the Saturn Award for Best Young Actor, Martin has gained some prestige.

Brad posed for a photo with Martin, who was holding the contract, as a future promotional tactic.

In another office, Bruce also signed an assistant agreement with the production team.

Similar to "The Hills Have Eyes," Thomas secured a paid assistant position for Bruce on the set.

Of all the actors in the cast, aside from the four female leads, only Martin received this treatment.

Martin's salary for the role was $25. In addition to the normal treatment for the main actors in the production, the production team also provided him with two round-trip business class tickets to Los Angeles.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" was also a mixed-production project, with the main filming location in Mexico. Its schedule did not overlap with "The Hills Have Eyes," giving Martin Scorsese ample time to film Craven's film first before joining another production.

In addition, both production crews chose to film their indoor scenes on a set in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California.

This is a famous resort city and a popular filming location for Hollywood productions.

The elephant-trunk-shaped beach arch, which often appears in Hollywood movies, is located here.

Three chapters, totaling 9000 words, are now available.

(End of this chapter)