Seated before the makeup mirror, Matthew flexed his wrists. More than twenty minutes had passed, and the makeup artist was still fussing with the wigs. A wave of boredom washed over him, and he couldn't resist glancing to his right. Of the four makeup stations lined up in a row, two were empty. At the far end, a male actor in his mid-twenties was already seated.
Just then, the door to the makeup room opened, and a crew mber walked in, followed by an exceptionally tall and powerfully built actor. The crew mber approached the makeup station next to Matthew and said, "Mr. Johnson, please have a seat here. I'll let the makeup artist know you've arrived."
After the crew mber left, Johnson didn't sit down right away, instead looking around the room with curiosity.
Matthew watched him with equal curiosity, ntally estimating the man's height at around six-foot-five. His powerful muscles were clearly visible even through his clothes.
Johnson noticed Matthew right away. His otherwise stoic expression broke into a warm smile as he said, "Hello. I'm Dwayne Johnson."
Whether it was because he was new to the film industry or simply part of his established star persona, Johnson ca across as friendly.
Matthew returned the smile and introduced himself. "Matthew Horner."
Contrary to his mory, Johnson wasn't bald.
A makeup artist arrived shortly, and the first step was to fit the wig. Johnson settled into the chair before the mirror and, likely out of boredom, glanced around the room, his gaze landing on Matthew again.
"Hey, man." He waited for Matthew to look over before asking, "Judging by your accent, you're not from California."
"Texas," Matthew answered without missing a beat.
"Oh," Johnson said, his tone playful. "Never ss with a Texan."
"Can't say I've heard that one," Matthew replied.
Johnson pointed to his own head. "Just made it up."
He broke into a wide grin, and Matthew laughed along as the makeup artist continued working on his wig.
It was then Matthew realized Johnson seed like a genuinely fun guy.
"I have to say, this is unexpected," Matthew comnted. "You're not what I pictured."
Johnson looked confused. "How so?"
Matthew just smirked. "You're a star, and you're still joking around with a regular guy like ."
", a star?" Johnson said modestly. "This is my first screen test. I don't even know if I'll make the cut."
"You're definitely going to fail," Matthew said, deliberately provocative. "Because the one who's going to succeed is ."
Johnson didn't seem fazed. "That confident, huh? Matthew—mind if I call you that? Well, Matthew, I may not be the best at everything, but there's one thing I never do: give up. Not even when defeat is staring in the face."
Matthew grinned. "Sorry, but I'm the sa way."
Just then, both makeup artists stepped away to get sothing from a table. Matthew and Johnson looked at each other and, at the exact sa mont, burst out laughing again.
When his makeup artist returned, Johnson's smile faded into a more serious expression. "I watch a lot of movies," he said. "How co I've never seen you before?"
Matthew resisted the urge to shrug. "I've never seen you on TV either," he retorted. "No idea how you got whatever title you have."
There were only four actors at the audition. He found it hard to believe Johnson hadn't seen their profiles.
Despite the friendly banter, Matthew didn't let his guard down. They were, after all, direct competitors.
In this business, you couldn't afford to be too trusting. Even with Helen, it had taken nearly a year for the two of them to build a solid foundation of trust.
An hour and a half later, Matthew and Johnson's wigs were done. The makeup artists stepped away to prepare the rest of the makeup, leaving the two actors waiting in their chairs.
Just then, the door opened once more, admitting the last actor. Matthew's eyes drifted toward him, surmising this must be the final candidate for the audition.
"Hello, everyone."
Matthew recalled the final actor's na was Dak Munster, a veteran who had been working in Hollywood for over a decade without a breakout role. The man had a perpetual smile plastered on his face, and he greeted everyone in the room with it.
For so reason, he pulled a bottle of mineral water from his satchel, walked over to Matthew, and handed it to him. "Sorry about the traffic. I'm late and held everyone up."
"It's fine," Matthew said with a smile. "Thanks."
Dak then handed another bottle to Johnson. "It's pretty hot in here. Have so water to cool down."
Johnson took the mineral water as well, clearly puzzled by the gesture. "Thanks a lot."
Dak quickly distributed a bottle of mineral water to everyone, even the makeup artists and the crew mber who had brought him in.
Finally, he approached the empty station, sat down, pulled out the last bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and took a long swig.
Matthew glanced at Dak but didn't touch the bottle of mineral water, setting it down on the station in front of him with no intention of drinking it.
Johnson looked from the mineral water to Matthew, then also placed his bottle on the station. He turned his head to look at Matthew, who was already looking back at him. Johnson just shrugged and smiled.
Matthew returned the smile, then glanced to his right. The actor at the far end of the row was twisting his bottle open and tilting his head back for a small sip.
Matthew saw this but said nothing. He vaguely recalled from the casting information that the actor had gotten into the business even more recently than he had, but ca from a good family and had enjoyed a much smoother career path.
The two makeup artists returned one after the other. Matthew and Johnson composed themselves and fully cooperated with their work.
This was a makeup audition, and whether an actor fit the role didn't just depend on their performance. The makeup artist and costur were also crucial. If they deliberately applied makeup that didn't suit the actor's features, the consequences were easy to imagine.
But the directors, casting directors, and producers running the auditions were all seasoned professionals. If they found out that the makeup artists or other crew mbers were up to sothing, those people would not only lose their jobs but also be reported to their respective unions, making it difficult for them to find work again.
Matthew finished with makeup, went to wardrobe to change, picked up his strangely shaped prop weapon, and returned just in ti to see the actor from the far right, now in full costu, being led by a crew mber to the audition room.
The young actor was in high spirits and seed unaffected by the water he had drunk.
With his look complete, Matthew simply sat before the mirror, waiting for his turn. He was second to audition, followed by Johnson, and finally, Dak Munster.
Matthew glanced at Dak again, wondering if he was overthinking things. Perhaps it was because he had worked in a shady business for so long and seen so many questionable things, coupled with Helen's warnings, that he subconsciously assud the worst of people in this circle.
Maybe Dak really was just apologizing for being late. Besides, he had also given a bottle to the makeup artist. If sothing was wrong with it, there would be no one to do his makeup.
Despite these thoughts, Matthew still didn't touch the bottle of mineral water. Not only him, but Johnson and both of their makeup artists hadn't touched theirs either.
His gaze drifted to another bottle of water on the station—one his makeup artist had brought over and left there. Matthew noticed sothing odd: the logos were different. One bottle had a dark blue logo, while the other had a purple one.
A closer look revealed they were two different types of mineral water from the sa brand.
Matthew then looked at the station in front of Johnson. There were two bottles there as well—one with a dark blue logo, and one with a purple one.
He cast another discreet glance at Dak, who was sitting stiffly before the makeup mirror, letting the artist adjust his wig.
The corner of Matthew's mouth lifted into a smirk. "A ten-year veteran, huh?"
The sound of footsteps approached from outside the door, and a crew mber walked in. "Matthew Horner! It's your turn. Co with to the audition room."
Matthew picked up his weapon and stood. He glanced in the makeup mirror, and the artist ca over for a final check to make sure everything was in place. Only then did he follow the crew mber out the door and toward the audition room.
Trailing behind the crew mber, Matthew asked casually, "That audition was pretty quick, wasn't it?"
"Don't get started. The guy before you had stomach issues," the crew mber said, shaking his head in disapproval. "He had to run to the bathroom a minute after he started, and then again a second ti. The director and producers weren't going to wait around for that. They sent him packing, of course."
The audition room was just ahead. Matthew said nothing more as he walked in, thinking only that from now on, he'd have to be even more vigilant in Hollywood.
...
Back in the makeup room, Johnson had just returned from wardrobe and props to find that all the bottles of mineral water on the stations were gone.
"Where's the water?" he asked Dak, who was to his right, his tone pointed. "I'm thirsty. Why'd it all disappear?"
Dak's cheek twitched, but his smile remained. "The cleaning crew ca by and cleared everything away."
Johnson just nodded and said nothing more.
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