America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 97 For Success (Bonus Chapter 6 for Alliance Leader)

William Morris, Office Hall.

Adrian and Tony walked through the partitioned office area to the glass-partitioned office where their agent, John, worked.

The latter's nose was red and swollen, with a band-aid on it, which looked a bit funny.

The faint sound of a phone call could be heard coming from the office.

Adrian knocked on the door and then pushed it open to enter.

John, nearing 40, hung up the phone with a serious expression: "You've come at the right time, the production team has news."

Adrian, having eliminated his biggest rival yesterday, was brimming with confidence: "We won?"

John said, "The crew informed you that the role you got was called Dalton, not Nick Jones."

Adrian said, "I auditioned for Nick Jones! Who's Dalton?"

Tony asked, "Did they make a mistake?"

John carefully reviewed the cast list sent by the production team and said, "A minor supporting character, Nick Jones's sidekick."

Adrian didn't understand: "Why?"

"The production team said you didn't pass the audition, but they thought your acting was good." John specifically asked, "They said you'd be more suitable for Dalton."

Adrian stood with his hands on his hips, pacing back and forth, unable to figure out what the problem was.

Tony touched his clown-like nose: "All that I did was for nothing?"

Adrian didn't fly into a rage. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked, "Who is the winner?"

John said, "Martin Davis."

"Fuck!" Adrian cursed.

Tony was puzzled: "Why him? His experience, acting skills, connections—how can he compare to Adrian in any way? He's only been in Los Angeles for less than two months!"

Adrian considered one possibility: "Did Susan Levine sleep with him?"

"There's no point in talking about this now." John has experienced many failures and successes: "The reality is that we did a lot and still lost. Auditions are about maximizing your chances of winning, but no one can guarantee a 100% success rate."

He waited a moment before asking Adrian, "Do you accept this role?"

Adrian didn't answer directly: "A month ago, I was the male lead in 'Entourage,' and he was just a minor supporting actor. Now he's going to be the male lead in 'House of Wax,' and I'm going to be his sidekick. How can I accept that?"

John knew that everyone experiences setbacks, but some things had to be accepted as soon as possible: "You should take this role, Adrian. You need to think long-term instead of worrying about the gains and losses of a single role."

He raised his hand to stop Adrian from objecting and explained in detail, "We finally managed to get in touch with Susan through Donnie's connections. If you refuse, this relationship will inevitably be broken. Susan is only thirty years old, and she will definitely become a figure like Catherine Kennedy in the future. What you should be thinking about now is how to use this role to build a good personal relationship with Susan."

Adrian rubbed his chin vigorously for a while before asking, "What about Tony? Can the production team offer him a salary?"

John shook his head: "Impossible. The crew only has four personal assistants per actor, and the filming location is Queensland, Australia."

Tony offered, "I'm not going."

Adrian agreed: "Okay, I'll take the role. Help me get better terms."

John said, "I'll do my best."

…………

In the office lobby partition, the moment Thomas received the notification from the film crew, he jumped up from his chair, so excited he wanted to shout.

He had many clients, but this was the first truly significant role he had played.

Even if he's actually a supporting male character.

Why work overtime like a donkey? Isn't it all for success?

Thomas hung up the phone, wanting to share his joy, but found his colleagues all busy and no one cared about him.

I want to yell a few times, but I'm so sorry I don't even have a private office.

Girlfriend? We broke up because I was working overtime so much.

There is only one person I can share with, and must share with.

Thomas dialed Martin's number and said, "We're the winners! We beat that damn role!"

Meanwhile, Martin was taking Bruce to the gym to receive guidance from a beautiful female trainer and get some exercise.

He wiped his sweat with a towel and laughed, "Great! Great! Thomas, our efforts have paid off! From now on, we must be winners, not losers!"

Bruce, who had been chatting animatedly with the big-butt female coach, turned around and asked, "Did you get her?"

Martin gave him a thumbs up: "Done!" He then said to Thomas, "Doesn't the crew have a spot for a personal assistant? Help me get one, I want to take Old Brooks over to see what it's like."

There are four spots available for actor personal assistants, and Thomas thinks it shouldn't be a problem: "We should be able to negotiate it, but there's one thing I need to tell you in advance: the filming location is Queensland, Australia."

Martin is concerned about the role and the future: "I wouldn't mind if the crew went to the moon to film."

Thomas said, "I'm going to the set to discuss the contract. I'll wait for my good news."

After hanging up the phone, Martin opened his arms and gave Bruce a high five in celebration.

The female coach, Susie, with her unusually well-developed glutes, leaned over and asked, "You landed the lead role in a movie?"

"No, it wasn't me." How could Martin steal Bruce's heart? Pointing at Bruce, he said, "He got the lead role. I'm just Bruce's sidekick."

Susie immediately abandoned Martin, her sidekick, and continued chatting enthusiastically with Bruce.

Even Bruce agreed when he wanted to test the flexibility of her glutes.

Martin suppressed his excitement, calculated the time difference, went to a quiet place, and called Louise.

"I got the role. That's all, just wanted to say thank you."

"I don't see any sincerity." Louise was not polite to Martin at all, determined to squeeze him dry. "Where's the new recipe? The Italian cannons have already been fired. I don't have the new recipe, so I feel uneasy and can't do my job."

Martin didn't refuse, but he didn't give it to him immediately either: "By the time you come back, you won't need it in Morocco."

Not long after hanging up, Kelly Gray's cell phone rang.

"I heard you landed a lead role in a film?"

"Not the male lead, just the most important male character," Martin explained simply. "The film has a female lead, and I'm acting opposite her."

Kelly said, "That slut Louise just called me to brag about it. Martin, what about what you promised me?"

Martin thought to himself, "What does your squabbling have to do with me?" He was very helpless: "I just arrived and I've been racking my brains to find a role. I have no status or power, so how can I help you contact the production team? This project has already been scheduled to be filmed in Australia. Not to mention me, even Louise has no say."

Kelly smiled. "I'm just reminding you not to forget your promises."

Martin said, "That will have to wait until I have a certain amount of power and status."

Meanwhile, at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.

After being released on bail by his lawyer, Jason Shawn went up to the top floor of the hotel and knocked on the door of a luxury suite.

The door opened from the inside, and the handbag seller, whose skin had been specially tanned, said, "Paris is waiting for you in the living room."

"Thank you, Kim." Jason Sean strode into the living room.

Upon seeing him, Paris, dressed in pink loungewear, couldn't help but say, "I told you to go to the audition, why did you hit me?" Her voice suddenly rose, "You didn't even go! I had no reason to talk to the production manager!"

Jason waved his hand and sat down on the single sofa.

Paris, her temper flaring, retorted, "I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me? I've done so much for you, you idiot..."

"Shut up!" Jason suddenly exploded. "Do you know why I hit him? That bastard insulted you, he insulted you with that videotape!"

He waved his hand: "Forget it, there's no point in saying this, Paris. Thank you for everything you've done for me, let's end it here."

After saying that, Jason felt inexplicably relieved and left the suite without looking back.

As the door closed, he heard a series of sounds of things breaking.

Paris smashed the TV, the floor lamp, and everything else she could find to smash.

After she finished venting, panting heavily, she said to the handbag carrier, "Jin, tidy up this place. Also, throw away everything related to Jason Sean, everything!"

Paris went to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Kardashian found a large trash bag and squatted down to clean up the trash scattered on the floor.

This feeling was so awful that she wanted to storm out, just like Jason Shawn did.

But she held back.

…………

In the afternoon, Thomas arranged to meet Martin at the Thiago Cafe.

"The contract is basically settled. Your experience with 'Zombie Gigolo' helped you a lot." Thomas negotiated the maximum possible salary: "$15, second only to Eliza Cuthbert among the actors."

Martin was prepared for this. The top executives of the production team took the vast majority of the total pay. He remembered reading a report that Leonardo DiCaprio received over $2000 million for "The Wolf of Wall Street," while Jonah Hill, the lead actor, only received $6.

There are many similar examples. Mickey Rourke, the villain in Iron Man 2, was paid as little as $2.5.

Thomas explained in detail: "Full insurance in accordance with union regulations, business class airfare to and from Australia, a personal assistant's salary during the shoot, a separate makeup trailer, accommodation in a private suite, and a car provided in Australia..."

Martin's gaze swept over Thomas's face. The agent's eyes were bloodshot, his eye bags were heavy, and he looked five years older lately. His hairline had receded, and his hair looked thinner, though Martin wondered if it was just his imagination.

"Sure." He wasn't qualified to ask for more: "I trust you to handle things."

Thomas worried that Martin might become complacent: "Securing the role is only the first step. You're a new actor, so show the right attitude and cooperate well with the crew. Let people see your professionalism!"

Martin nodded. "I will." He then asked a crucial question: "What if someone in the crew wants to harm me?"

Thomas considered for a moment and said, "If it's a producer, director, or cinematographer—someone with a much higher status than you—just bear with it. Once you're in a higher position, you'll have plenty of ways to get revenge!"

He knew the industry was a toxic environment: "If someone is less powerful than you or about the same level as you, then retaliate tenfold and show everyone that you're not to be trifled with! In this circle, it's normal to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. If you're a coward, everyone will take advantage of you."

I check for typos at least twice after I finish writing. Some sentences have many typos and are incoherent, so it takes longer to post.

(End of this chapter)