"Have you seen today's paper?" In her office, Helen looked at Matthew, who was sitting in the chair across from her. "'Gladiator' grossed over thirty-four million dollars in North Arica on its opening weekend," she announced. "A pretty solid result."
Matthew shrugged. "And how does that help ?"
Helen answered honestly, "It doesn't."
"Let's talk about my next job." Matthew was more concerned with that.
Helen shifted gears. "Countless films are made in Hollywood every month, and the vast majority hold open castings. There are plenty of roles out there for you." She pulled a folder from her drawer and slid it across the desk to Matthew. "This is a list I had the agency compile. It includes comrcial films and independent productions."
Helen added, "I'll get you as many opportunities as I can, but you have to do your part. That ans putting in the work, especially for auditions."
She couldn't leverage her father's connections for every single role. And while many Hollywood productions were a chaotic ss of backroom deals, there were still so where auditions and actual acting ability were the deciding factors.
"Alright, let's move on," Helen said, getting straight to the point. "From the latest casting calls, I've selected three projects: DreamWorks's 'Almost Famous,' Universal's 'The Mummy Returns,' and another one from them, 'The Fast and the Furious.'"
Matthew hadn't heard of the first film, but the other two were familiar. He'd seen the first couple of 'Mummy' movies and the latest 'Fast and the Furious,' and he rembered them being major box office successes. Both were pri examples of comrcial blockbusters, especially 'Furious 7,' where the studio had used the lead actor's tragic death for a massive publicity campaign that was impossible to ignore.
He couldn't recall anything about the DreamWorks film, 'Almost Famous,' though.
If he could land a leading role in either 'The Mummy Returns' or 'The Fast and the Furious,' his career would be set.
As if reading his thoughts, Helen quickly clarified, "A leading role is out of the question. The best you can aim for is a major supporting part."
When Matthew nodded in understanding, she continued, "I've researched all three productions. Based on the likelihood of you landing a part and what it could do for your career, DreamWorks's 'Almost Famous' is our top priority."
This caught Matthew by surprise, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why not 'The Mummy Returns' or 'The Fast and the Furious'?"
"'The Mummy Returns' is the sequel to a massive blockbuster, so the competition for even a supporting role will be fierce." Helen had clearly done her howork. "And 'The Fast and the Furious' is a niche street-racing film. A supporting part in sothing like that won't do much for your career. I only included it as a backup plan."
She went on to explain, "'Almost Famous' was originally supposed to be fild last year but was delayed due to funding issues. Now, DreamWorks is fast-tracking it for the upcoming awards season. They've poured a lot of resources into it, gathering a sixty-million-dollar budget for a film about rock bands. It's the kind of project the industry pays attention to."
Helen cleared her throat softly. "The film is a DreamWorks production, and according to Eric, your dedication and hard work on the 'Band of Brothers' set earned you high praise from the entire production team. That should make it much easier to secure an audition for 'Almost Famous.'"
"Besides," she added, pointing out Matthew's weakness directly, "you need a role that will actually hone your acting skills."
"But what about 'The Mummy Returns' and 'The Fast and the Furious'?" Matthew was still hesitant.
"If you're that set on it, I'll submit your resu to all three productions." Helen had no objection to him trying. "If by so miracle you pass all three auditions and the schedules don't conflict, you're welco to take all three roles."
She held up a finger. "However, from this point on, you need to prioritize the 'Almost Famous' audition. The supporting role in that film is the one we have the best chance of securing. My efforts will be focused on negotiating with their team; the other two are strictly backups."
Matthew knew Helen well enough by now; she wasn't one for wasting words. She was laying all this out to make it crystal clear: the supporting role in 'Almost Famous' was his best and most realistic shot.
The other two films, however impressive they seed, were worthless if he couldn't actually land a part.
"The role you'll be auditioning for," Helen said, gesturing toward the folder in front of Matthew, "is detailed in here. Read it over carefully."
They discussed a few more details, and Matthew picked up the file Helen had prepared. "Anything else?" he asked.
"Don't leave just yet." Helen adjusted her black-frad glasses. "I have soone gathering more detailed research on 'Almost Famous' and the specific character. He should be back this afternoon, so I'd like you to wait for it."
Just then, her phone rang. She picked up the receiver, listened for a mont, then said, "Alright, I've got it."
Helen hung up the phone and looked at Matthew. "Your final paynt for the film has arrived—twenty thousand dollars. Go on down to finance."
Matthew took the folder, left Helen's office, and headed to the finance departnt. After signing the necessary paperwork, he instructed them to deduct the two-thousand-dollar agency commission and the ten-thousand-dollar penalty for his contract breach, then to deposit the remaining eight thousand dollars into his account.
It was a little after ten in the morning. Rather than wait around the office, Matthew drove to a used car lot. As luck would have it, the used Ford he'd been eyeing the other day was still there. After so haggling with the owner, he finally purchased the white Ford for forty-five hundred dollars.
He'd worked as a chanic's apprentice for a ti, so he knew a thing or two about cars. The used Ford was a bit old, but it was a solid vehicle and a great value for the price.
After finishing the paperwork and grabbing so lunch, Matthew drove his first car back to the Angel Agency. He settled into the break room and started browsing the news online. The web was flooded with stories about the stock market crash: bankruptcies, foreclosures, and people jumping from buildings.
He knew nothing about the stock market, indexes, or anything of the sort, so he just observed from the sidelines. Still, reading the headlines made him uneasy. The risk involved in stocks seed far too high.
Matthew shook his head, closed the browser tab, and switched to entertainnt news. The headlines were undoubtedly dominated by the divorce between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The once-loving couple was now trading public barbs, their affection seemingly transford into animosity.
"This is Hollywood..." he sighed.
From his understanding, a lasting marriage in Hollywood was a rare luxury. For most stars, love seed to arrive and depart with dizzying speed.
Matthew didn't dwell on it. He had no experience in that departnt, and he only believed in one thing: cherishing the present mont.
As for the future, who could say what it held?
After scrolling through the news for a bit longer, Matthew rembered his plan to start a blog. He was just about to start writing a post when Helen called to let him know that the researcher was back with the information.
Matthew collected the thick stack of research and drove back to his Westwood apartnt. Once inside, he imdiately opened the folder Helen had given him earlier.
At the top of the file was a breakdown of the cast and characters for 'Almost Famous,' highlighting the supporting role of Russell Hammond—the part Matthew was ant to pursue.
Below the section on 'Almost Famous' was material on 'The Mummy Returns,' followed by 'The Fast and the Furious' and a few smaller projects.
The order of the files clearly indicated Helen's priorities.
Matthew, who had co to trust Helen's business acun, also started with the file on 'Almost Famous,' reading through it carefully.
The film was about a rock band on tour. Specific plot details were scarce, but it noted that the character Matthew was vying for, Russell Hammond, was the band's guitarist. The character description ntioned he had a complex relationship with both the male lead singer and a female band aide.
In other words, it was a dramatic role centered on relationships.
By Hollywood standards, a role like that required real acting chops.
The file also ntioned that two actors had already been cast: Kate Hudson as the female lead and Jason Lee as the lead singer.
Next to Kate Hudson's na, Helen had added a handwritten note: "Daughter of Hollywood veteran Goldie Hawn."
After studying the materials and thinking it over, Matthew felt that a role like this would be a major challenge for him.
He set that file aside and picked up the information for 'The Mummy Returns.' Like 'Gladiator,' it was a Universal Pictures project. The 'Mummy' series was a long-standing monster movie brand for Universal, and the recent blockbuster 'The Mummy' had served as a successful reboot. After its massive success, a sequel was the logical next step.
Matthew had a positive, if sowhat vague, mory of the 'Mummy' films. He was curious to see what kind of supporting role Helen had in mind for him.
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