America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 194 Having done too many bad things, afraid of being messed with

Tuesday, a very ordinary morning.

Jessica accompanied Martin out of the apartment and into Bruce's Volkswagen, heading to Burbank for an audition.

The car drove for less than a kilometer before turning into the underground parking lot next door.

Menez was waiting there in another car.

Martin took off his hat and put it on Jessica's head, saying, "Be careful."

Under the lights, Jessica's skin was so white it seemed to reflect light. She asked with slight surprise, "Is it really necessary to be this careful?"

Bruce said, "It's necessary."

Martin got into Menez's car and waited until Bruce left before driving out of the parking lot and following behind.

It wasn't that Martin was being overly cautious, but rather that during the Madame Tussauds auditions last year, Adrian had targeted Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriend, who was the frontrunner at the time.

Today, the tables have turned; Martin is the top choice for the audition.

They encountered no unexpected situations along the way, arrived at Warner Bros. Studios, met up with Thomas, and went into the Warner Bros. office building together.

The Infernal Affairs crew rented half a floor.

Today was the audition with makeup on. The crew assistant led Martin and Menez into the dressing room.

Bruce stood guard at the door.

Thomas said, "You guys are making this really complicated."

Bruce nodded: "It doesn't matter to ordinary people, but rotten people who have done too many bad things can't feel at ease if they don't do this."

Not only Martin, but he also agreed with doing so.

If you've messed with people too much, you'll naturally be afraid of being messed with yourself.

Thomas glanced at Bruce, then looked through the glass door of the dressing room into the foyer, and thought to himself that these two were a perfect match.

Bruce pointed to the water bottle Jessica was carrying: "Don't let it out of your sight."

Before becoming an assistant, Jessica had also worked in the acting industry, and she quickly nodded, "I understand."

Thomas finally understood: Martin and Old Brooks were treating the audition like a war, the kind where the CIA was causing trouble.

However, considering the mess these two have been involved in, doing this isn't too outrageous.

An hour later, Martin changed into an old-fashioned suit and went into the audition room.

In the audition room, besides casting director Allen and director Scorsese, sat a string of executive producers, including Louise.

There are also five related accounts.

Supervisors from Warner Bros. and the Screen Actors Guild.

They were very professional, each holding a game console and playing without causing any trouble.

An assistant came over to prepare for a scene with Martin. The audition was still for the conflict scene between Colin and his boss, Franco.

The audition was completed in less than a minute.

Scorsese, however, did not let Martin leave, but instead had the photographer take several official photos of him.

What the human eye sees is different from what a camera captures.

Scorsese reviewed the audition video, then looked at the promotional photos, and became more and more satisfied with them.

His acting skills are solid, he has a good image, he brought his own investment to the production, and he works very hard. Apart from being relatively unknown, he has no other shortcomings and meets his requirements for an actor.

"That's enough." Scorsese called a halt to filming, then looked at Martin: "Go wait in the dressing room for a bit."

Martin knew that the audition results would be decided on the spot, so he replied, "Okay."

After he left the audition room, Scorsese looked around and sought the opinions of the investors: "For the role of Colin, I'd choose Martin Davis. What are your opinions?"

"Agreed," said Daniel, a representative from Warner Bros., and Louise, a representative from Pacific Pictures.

Casting director Allen said, "I agree."

Producer Graham King, on behalf of Scorsese, raised his hand: "Agreed."

With the decision made, everyone else agreed, including Doug from Dyson Pictures.

The five game console users merely observed and had no right to express their opinions.

Scorsese glanced at Allen beside him: "Go and inform them."

Allen got up and left the audition room, heading towards the dressing room.

Thomas stood up when he saw her.

Bruce knocked on the door, and Martin came out of the dressing room.

Not only Martin, but also Menez, Allen's favorite, appeared at the same time.

Allen nodded discreetly to Menne, then walked towards Martin with a broad smile: "Congratulations, you've landed the role of Colin Sullivan!"

"Yes!" Thomas swung his fist forcefully.

Martin stepped forward to shake hands and express his gratitude: "Thank you! Thank you, Director Allen."

"You're welcome." Allen specifically reminded him, "One thing: go back and study the characters and script carefully. Don't watch the original movie, and don't be influenced by it, because we are making a completely different work."

Martin solemnly replied, "I've got it."

Footsteps could be heard from the other side, and Matt Damon led two people into the corridor.

Martin saw Damon, and Damon saw Martin.

Damon walked up to Allen and said, "Hi, Director Allen."

Martin turned and went back to the dressing room to remove her makeup.

Damon exchanged a few pleasantries with Allen, then subconsciously turned to look at Martin, only to be met with another pair of eyes.

The owner of those eyes was looking behind him.

It might be a protective stress response from the body; Damon sticks out his belly and tucks in his buttocks, making his buttocks almost invisible.

Bruce, feeling bored, looked away and sat back down on the bench by the door.

Thomas watched Damon go into another dressing room, then slapped his fist: "Martin will definitely catch up with him!"

Bruce believes that if Matt Damon weren't as bad a person as Martin, he would definitely be overtaken.

Soon, the makeup artist left, and Martin came out, hugging Bruce, Thomas, and Jessica one by one, saying, "Thank you all!"

These are the honest words; he couldn't have gotten the role on his own.

The deciding factors in an audition are not limited to the audition room, and the key to an actor's success is not solely the actor himself.

This is a team victory.

Menez's audition results were also released before noon.

Mr. Menez flattered the casting director so much that the audition was just a formality, and he easily got the role of a black police officer who works for Colin Sullivan.

Now is not the future, and Frank's Irish gang certainly won't have any black members.

The only characters who can use Menez are those from the police force.

At noon, Martin called Emily, who was busy at the wanted poster studio, and invited Thomas, Bruce, and Mene to lunch together.

This is also his team in Los Angeles.

Martin raised a toast to everyone: "I was able to land this role in The Departed thanks to the crucial work of each and every one of you. We are a team, and this is a team victory. Thank you all!"

Bruce led the way, and everyone clinked glasses with Martin.

When the food arrived, Martin said, "Please help yourselves."

Thomas didn't rush to eat, but specifically reminded them: "I won't talk about the Wanted crew, that's your project, you're the one who bullies others. When you get to the Departed crew, you need to be more careful. Matt Damon might have other ideas, Leonardo is not easy to get along with, and there's one more person you need to keep a close eye on."

Martin listened to these words. The level of infighting among Hollywood male actors was far less than that among female actors, but it wasn't without its fierce battles.

Thomas specifically mentioned one person's name: "Jack Nicholson will most likely play the main villain; he's notoriously difficult to deal with."

Martin nodded and asked, "I know, he's notoriously short-tempered. He smashed a car window with his golf club because the car in front of him was blocking his way, and had to pay $50 in damages."

Menezes, however, asked, "I heard he's slept with 2000 women in Hollywood?"

Thomas simply replied, "Nicholson, along with Marlon Brando and Warren Beatty, is known as one of Hollywood's three playboys, and they truly deserve it."

Menez said wistfully, "I wonder if I'll have this many when I'm in my sixties."

Bruce chimed in, "There aren't that many female casting directors in Hollywood, are there?"

Martin drank another glass with everyone and said, "Don't worry, I will try my best to get along with people peacefully."

Bruce immediately became alert, realizing he'd be busy on this set.

Having experienced enough awful things with Martin, Old Brooks wasn't afraid. It was just a matter of messing with someone or being messed with; he was experienced in that.

Before leaving after dinner, Martin gave Thomas a few more instructions, asking him to collect some information about Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.

"Don't worry, we're not trying to cause trouble," he reassured Thomas. "It's just a precaution."

Thomas had no choice but to believe.

For Jack Nicholson, Martin's deepest memories from his past life are not movies, but Meryl Streep's affair partners and Jennifer Lawrence's attempts to advance her career by seeking favors.

When he arrived, he discovered that Hollywood didn't care about these things, and similar gossip rumors were basically true.

After auditioning for Infernal Affairs, Martin also had an audition for Wanted.

The difference is that in the former he was an actor, while in the latter he was one of the people with decision-making power.

In the audition room for the wanted poster, besides Louise, Martin, Leterrier, and the casting director, there were also several people with connections.

These people who had connections clearly lacked professionalism, and they kept whispering to each other during the audition.

Taking advantage of a lull in the actors' comings and goings, Martin asked Louise, "Where did these people come from?"

Louise said, "It's a routine procedure, with people sent from Warner Bros. and the Screen Actors Guild."

Martin called Jessica over: "Go get four handheld consoles and give them to those four people."

Jessica was efficient and decisive. Before the next actor even entered the audition room, she found four handheld game consoles and delivered them to her cronies.

The four connected individuals' professional skills skyrocketed; they played games peacefully and said no more.

Martin understood: the professionalism of the people who routinely supervised the auditions, including those from the collaborating parties and the Screen Actors Guild, was closely related to the video game consoles they used.

The production team of the wanted poster signed Morgan Freeman to play the main villain.

Other actors were recruited one after another.

In addition, both Martin and Angelina Jolie needed stunt doubles, and the latter directly contacted the actress who served as Jolie's stunt double in Tomb Raider 2.

Martin called the three stunt doubles for "The Hills Have Eyes," and Bald Buck and Lewis, whose schedules and salaries were suitable, also joined the cast.

Meanwhile, Thomas negotiated Martin's salary with the Departed, which was only one-tenth of Leonardo DiCaprio's, or $200 million.

Aside from the low salary, he received the treatment of an absolute lead actor in every other aspect.

(End of this chapter)