The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 15

In the office of the Angel Acting Agency, Helen hung up the phone and leaned back in her executive chair. She raised a hand to rub her forehead and let out a soft sigh, her entire body seeming to unwind.

"A movie poster..." Amanda, her cousin, never hesitated to speak her mind. "Did you really have to make that call yourself and put in so much effort? The money we're making from Gladiator won't even cover the office rent."

Helen folded her arms and asked, "How does a talent agency make its money, my dear? Tell me the basics."

Amanda replied without hesitation, "By taking a cut of the client's earnings, of course. The more money the client makes, the bigger our cut."

"And which clients make the big money in Hollywood?" Helen asked again.

"The big stars, obviously," Amanda could hardly answer otherwise. "The ones who become famous make millions, tens of millions of dollars a picture, plus endorsement deals—"

Helen cut in, "And do you think, my dear cousin, that big stars are going to join the Angel Agency? Will they sign with us?"

"No." Amanda immediately shook her head. "What big star would want to sign with a small company like ours?"

"Exactly." Helen looked supremely confident. "We're going to nurture our own star clients for the Angel Agency."

Amanda knew her cousin was a strong-willed person; otherwise, she wouldn't have started her own business despite the high risk of failure.

"If I go back with an A-list star, or a superstar," Helen concluded, "who will have anything to say against me when I take what is rightfully mine?"

"That's a long shot," Amanda said honestly. "We're a small company, and with the few resources at our disposal, we can't compare to the big five agencies. We're not going to produce a global star like Leonardo DiCaprio overnight. But if you prove your abilities, anything is possible."

Helen spread her hands. "That's why we have to take this one step at a time. By fighting to get a client from my agency onto the promotional posters for Gladiator, I'm paving the way for what comes next."

"Are you that confident in Matthew Horner?" Amanda asked curiously.

She had a good impression of him. Matthew would sometimes stop by to chat, and she found him to be a very warm and cheerful person.

"I wouldn't say that." Helen shook her head, slowly but firmly. "Matthew Horner knows how to make people like him. He's bold and a little shameless, and while those are important qualities for becoming a star, we can't just pour resources into someone we're not one hundred percent sure about."

Amanda nodded in understanding. "We've signed long-term contracts with more than a dozen people in total. We're just looking for the ones with real value."

Helen swiveled her chair to look out the window. After a moment of thought, she added, "I have information that Jive Records will primarily listen to the singer's personal opinion when choosing the male lead for the music video."

She raised a hand and rested it on the arm of her chair. "The singer, whom I've met a few times, seems to have some emotional issues, and no one can say for sure who she'll choose."

"What difference does it make who she chooses, as long as she's choosing from our agency?" Although Matthew had made an impression on her, Amanda wasn't impressed enough to advocate for him specifically.

Helen laughed. "That's not set in stone yet."

Although she had to use her father's connections, Helen felt no shame; for someone like her, her family's network was a resource in itself, a tool for launching a career.

...

After more than a week of intensive acting classes, which Matthew was finding incredibly useful, he received a welcome phone call from his agent, Helen. She told him that a photo of him as the barbarian chieftain, leading his warriors in a roar, was going to be used on a promotional poster for Gladiator as part of Universal Pictures' pre-release campaign.

Matthew felt a surge of excitement; after all, it was the first time he might be featured in the media.

He had seen the on-set photos taken at the time, and although the fur-clad, bearded look was unrecognizable at first glance, his face was still visible if you looked closely.

Although Matthew hadn't received any offers for a new role, he was in high spirits. The news from Helen and his progress in acting class were part of it, but there was another reason: the lawyer representing the adult film company had stopped sending threatening letters.

They seemed to have forgotten all about him, and he hadn't received a letter from the lawyer in a long time.

With a penny-pincher's mentality and the principle of saving money wherever he could, Matthew decided not to get back in touch with the lawyer for the time being.

If he could save on expenses, he could start planning to buy a used car.

It was too inconvenient to be without a car in this country.

He packed a lot into each day: from Monday to Friday, he attended acting and language classes at the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts during the day, read in his spare time to improve his literacy as quickly as possible, continued to work as a driver for Red Penguin Services in the evenings, and visited the Angel Agency every weekend for no other reason than to get on better terms with Helen.

Even Amanda, the assistant at the agency, had gotten to know him and was on the verge of becoming a friend he could talk to.

You could say that Matthew had entered the world of actors, but looking around, he couldn't find anyone better positioned to give him a helping hand than Helen.

"Hey, Matthew!"

The language class had ended, but Matthew was running a little late after a trip to the restroom. He was just approaching the entrance of the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts when a slightly older Ford sedan pulled up beside him, and the driver's side window rolled down, revealing Rachel McAdams' face with a bright smile. "Where are you headed? I'll give you a ride."

Over the past ten days or so, the two had started to get to know each other, and this wasn't the first time Matthew had gotten a ride from Rachel McAdams. He immediately walked over to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in, saying, "Hollywood Boulevard."

Rachel started the car and pulled out onto the road, heading northeast and leaving the busy central district of North Hollywood. She asked, "Are you still working part-time as a driver over there?"

Matthew adjusted his seatbelt slightly. "Haven't been able to find a better part-time job."

"Do they hire female drivers?" Rachel asked. "I'd apply if they do."

Matthew shook his head and answered honestly, "It's all-night work, and the company doesn't like to hire female drivers." Concerned, he asked, "Are you not working at McDonald's anymore?"

That humble temp job at the restaurant would have been the perfect side gig for a struggling actor.

Rachel waited until the car turned a corner before saying, "I don't want to be there anymore. The restaurant is open twenty-four hours a day, and I'm on my feet for eight hours every night. Unlike you, I can't hide in a car and sleep. I almost never get a break, and it's really taking a toll on me."

She pointed to her eyes. "The dark circles under my eyes are getting worse, too. If I don't get more sleep, I won't even be able to act."

Matthew himself didn't know where to begin when it came to helping with such matters.

Rachel continued, "The restaurant is trying to squeeze my pay even more, down to the minimum hourly wage in Los Angeles. I'm starting to doubt if this is the right time to be trying to make it in Hollywood."

"There's always a chance," Matthew replied.

Rachel McAdams nodded slightly. "It's harder than I thought."

Matthew shrugged, recalling a quote he'd recently read in a newspaper, and offered it up with a wry smile, "Poor people have no right to democracy and freedom."

Rachel smiled, revealing two cute dimples. "Spot on."

As the car approached Red Penguin Services, Matthew reminded her, "Rachel, you've signed with an agency. You should talk to your agent when you have problems like this. They might have a solution."

"I guess that's my only option." Rachel parked her car near Red Penguin Services. "I'll get in touch with him later."

She watched as Matthew opened the car door and got out, and waved. "See you later, Matthew."

Matthew closed the car door and stood on the curb, waving back. "Bye, Rachel."

After the Ford drove off, Matthew didn't go upstairs right away. Instead, he bought a few entertainment newspapers and magazines from a nearby newsstand, including Premiere and The Hollywood Reporter, which were dedicated to film and Hollywood. The newly released promotional posters for Gladiator were supposed to be featured in the press.

As he walked toward the entrance of Red Penguin Services, he couldn't wait to flip open Premiere. He easily found the page dedicated to Gladiator, where one of the posters showed him standing before a group of barbarians, roaring in fury.

The poster was a close-up of the upper half of his body, and his entire face was clearly defined. Pleased, Matthew walked through the company's doors.

"Matthew." The receptionist saw him and said immediately, "Lister wants to see you."

In the second-floor office, a bald black man was slouched in a chair, speaking to the tall, thin Lister. "Trust me, there's no doubt that Matthew Horner, that country boy from Texas, is still dreaming of stardom."

A heavyset man beside him scoffed, "He didn't learn your lesson. He didn't appreciate your kindness."