American Fame and Fortune

Chapter 84 Inferiority is like an alien

In an apartment building that was built less than three years ago, Martin followed his landlord Antonio to the second floor.

Walking on the stairs, Antonio suddenly asked: "Are you an actor?"

Martin was slightly surprised, but did not deny it: "Good vision."

"Those who speak with your accent are all daydreaming actors." Antonio was as fat as a mountain and panted when he walked: "Don't be surprised, I have seen too many people. There are many residents in this apartment. Most of them are actors."

 Martin asked: “Has there been a star here?”

Antonio was surprised: "Are you kidding? Celebrity? Ha... let's put it this way, the people who leave my place are more lucky, they wake up in time, and go back and forth wherever they come from; those who are averagely lucky, become high-level escorts; those who are unlucky, I went to the city center and became a street girl; the worst thing I could do was become a homeless person in an alley.”

 Martin thought for a while and then asked: "Is there anyone who has the best luck?"

Antonio came to the third floor and turned into the corridor: "Two of them went to the valley to the north. I heard that they can earn tens of thousands of dollars a week. They have realized their dreams and become actors."

 He took out the key, opened a door, and said, "The previous resident was also an actress. She was very lucky and went to the valley."

Martin checked the room again. It was the same as when he inspected the house. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with complete appliances and furniture. The table and floor were clean, and you could move in with just your bags.

Antonio added, "How about it? It's expensive for what it is. From here, you can get to any studio in Burbank within 15 minutes, to Los Angeles International Airport in 25 minutes, and nearby restaurants, bars, cinemas, and art districts." There is no shortage of it like supermarkets.”

He came to the living room window and pointed diagonally across the street: "If you want to park for a long time, go to the parking lot over there. It's $60 a week. You can park wherever you want."

Martin said casually: "It's very good. I fell in love with it the last time I came here."

Antonio warned: "You can bring people back to spend the night. It doesn't matter one or two, as long as they don't affect the neighbors, but you are not allowed to hold parties here. I will call the police and drive you away."

"No problem." Martin decided to rent it: "Sign the agreement."

The two signed a house rental agreement. Martin paid half a year's rent at a time and went downstairs to get his luggage.

There was no long-term parking here, so he drove the car to the parking lot diagonally opposite and went to the management office to register for a weekly card.

 The cost of living in Los Angeles is higher than in Atlanta.

Martin returned to the apartment building with a trolley suitcase in one hand and a bag containing his computer in the other.

When I went upstairs, a middle-aged man followed me. The light shone on his face, like an oil field that had been lit in Iraq, dark, oily, and pitted.

 Martin reached the second floor and turned into the corridor.

Handhole Face also entered the corridor.

 Martin grabbed the shoulder strap of his computer bag and reached the door, focusing entirely on Hollow Face.

However, the potty-faced man walked diagonally across the street and knocked on the door: "Jessica, open the door! I know you are inside, don't hide from me."

 The door opened, and a blond woman appeared: "Jessica moved away long ago and is not here."

Hunting face was still entangled, Martin had opened the door, entered the apartment, closed the door, and the sound outside was much quieter.

 He packed his luggage, arranged his belongings, and cleaned.

 I always feel like something is missing.

 Martin quickly remembered that he was not used to missing Elena to help him with housework.

 He looked at the time, calculated the time difference between the two places, and called Elena's mobile phone, which quickly connected.

“I’ve rented a house and settled down.” Martin asked, “How’s it going over there?”

Elena's voice was full of fatigue: "Everything is fine. Emma is back. Scott just had a fight with her this morning." She didn't plan to talk more about her family's bad things, and instead said: "I carefully Asked Emma, ​​Jack may have gone to Australia or New Zealand."

Martin doesn't care where Jack goes: "He'd better not come back."

Elena added: "Atlanta holds many events during Christmas, including a bartender competition, and I am planning to participate."

 Martin left Elena a lot of cocktail recipes: "I wish you the championship."

The two talked for a few minutes. After hanging up the phone, Martin found the bag containing important items. In one of the hardcover notebooks, the most important address and contact information were recorded.

  Louise Meyer is still in Morocco and will not return to Los Angeles until Christmas vacation at the earliest. Martin will call her every few days to chat about life and cocktails.

 Kate Winslet lives in London and is temporarily PASS.

Robert Patrick, Martin will find a suitable time to pay a special visit.

 The same goes for Michel Gondry and Blanco.

 Then there is the agency introduced by Louise Mayer, William Morris (WMA).

 Coming to Los Angeles means that Martin has to say goodbye to Atlanta's extensive model completely, and must abide by the provisions of the California Talent Act, at least for now.

 Jobs for actors, directors, etc. must be obtained through agents.

Martin asked Louise last time she talked on the phone. Louise had already recommended his information to William Morris.

Of course, a small actor like him doesn’t have to expect to get the contracts and resources of a high-end agent. It’s impossible even if you think about it.

 You must find an agent. Having an agent can save you a lot of trouble. If Martin is new here, an agent can also help him get familiar with Hollywood as quickly as possible.

 Martin found the phone number left by Louise, called her, introduced herself, and made an appointment to meet her in the afternoon.

William Morris was in Beverly Hills Century City. Martin had lunch, changed into formal clothes, and drove there. He came to the company's front desk a few minutes early. After giving his name, someone took him into the company's open office. hall.

 In the office partitions, there are men and women in suits and ties. They are extremely busy and rarely leave their phones.

The front desk took Martin to the innermost partition of the hall, where sat a man in a gray suit who was less than thirty years old. When he saw the two of them, he gestured to them to wait.

The man spoke quickly into the phone, but he probably didn't achieve the effect. He hung up the phone with a bang and cursed: "Bitch!"

 “Thomas, I’m looking for you.” The receptionist said and left.

 “Who are you?” Thomas Lane asked.

"Martin Davis." Martin said simply: "I called in the morning and they asked me to come over to you."

Thomas thought about it: "The little actor assigned to me." Just like an examiner, he pushed back his swivel chair and looked at Martin with his arms crossed: "Young man, which school did you study acting in, and what roles have you played? Who recommended the company you came to?”

 Martin is digging out information.

 Thomas said quickly: "Don't show me those useless things, you have to establish the awareness of saving time."

Martin told the truth: "I worked as an extra when I was sixteen. I learned acting from many people, too many teachers to count. I just starred in a B-level movie called "Zombie Gigolo."

Thomas frowned slightly. He was from a wild background and his resume was too poor.

At this time, a text message sounded on his cell phone, and he reached over to read the text message.

 Martin's words continued: "My recommender is Ms. Louise Meyer."

 Thomas raised his head suddenly: "Louise Meyer? Ms. Meyer from Pacific Pictures?"

 Martin nodded: "It's her."

 Thomas threw his cell phone back on the desk and pointed to a swivel chair next to him: "Sit down and chat." When Martin sat down, he stretched out his hand: "Where is your personal information? Give it to me."

Martin was not surprised at the sight. He took out the information and handed it over. There was nothing strange about his expression or demeanor.

 Thomas looked carefully and saw that he was very inconspicuous in the front. He was a background actor in a late-night scene in Atlanta, and then he worked as a supporting role. Such a resume can be found in Los Angeles by tens of thousands of people.

But seeing the male protagonist of "Zombie Gigolo", Thomas felt that the name was somewhat familiar.

He didn't ask any more questions. He turned his swivel chair toward the computer and tapped quickly on the keyboard with his hands. Information about "Zombie Gigolo" was displayed on the screen.

 The movie was released by Lionsgate and grossed millions of dollars at the North American box office. The male protagonist is called Martin Davis, who looks exactly like the guy opposite him.

 It’s interesting, he is the leading actor in a theatrical movie, which is a very good resume for a young actor.

 Clicking on another video in the search, it happened to be two scenes of the male protagonist in the film - the zombie machine gun dance and the trapeze.

It was followed by an impromptu dance performance at the fan meeting.

After the video was played, Thomas subconsciously lowered his head and looked at his lower abdomen. His deep self-esteem was like an alien shape, piercing his heart and piercing his lungs.

 Looking at the young man opposite, he has an outstanding appearance and a calm demeanor, as if he has an aura of contempt.

 Thomas quickly regained his composure and put on a smile: "It's a male protagonist in a theatrical movie. The reputation is a little bad, but the box office is not bad compared to the investment. You have a good starting point."

 Speaking of this, Thomas thought of a possibility. Although Pacific Pictures was small in scale and never independently produced films, it often participated in various platters. The relationship between Louise Meyer and this person would not be simple.

They all work in Hollywood, and some things can be understood after a little thought.

Louise didn't care. Of course Martin wouldn't hide it. He would bring out this kind of personal connections directly, which would save a lot of trouble: "I have been in Atlanta. Louise recommended me to come to Los Angeles for development. I don't have an agent or an agency. She Recommended my information to William Morris.”

Thomas understood now that the person assigned to him was not a burdensome newcomer, but a potential customer. He said, "You just came here and don't understand the industry. I can introduce it to you. Let's talk about the brokerage contract first."

He introduced in detail: "WMA implements a unified standard in the industry, with a commission of 10%. Newcomers sign a contract for one year for the first time, and three years thereafter..."

Martin has learned about these in detail, so he still listens to Thomas carefully.

One of the biggest advantages of a Hollywood agency contract is that there is no contract of sale.

 The relationship between actors, agents and brokerage companies is very complex. How they get along depends on the power within the industry.

For example, when it comes to Leonardo's level, if CAA is fired and a manager is used instead of an agent, nothing can be done with him.

 After getting to know enough, Martin called Louise again, and then signed a one-year agency contract with William Morris.

 (End of this chapter)