Hollywood Domination

Chapter 4 Dave

Jenny Jane works at a restaurant called “Hollywood Star,” which is self-explanatory from its name— it is situated not far from Hollywood. Although the restaurant’s not fine dining, and the chances of a big star dining there are almost zero, the restaurant’s long-standing history and good food, helped accumulate a few celebrity photos which were displayed on the walls. Chen Zhen believes that Jenny Jane chose to work there partly because of the proximity to Hollywood.

As for Jenny, she stayed there after her transmigration because the salary at this restaurant was decent. Although she was approached by two people who claimed to be talent scouts and tried to chat her up in the past month, Chen Zhen wasn’t interested. As someone who had attended film school and kept in touch with many classmates after graduation, she knew that almost every story about being discovered on the street by talent scouts was just a publicity stunt.

Perhaps when the film industry was just starting out, people did not realize how beneficial it could be to become a movie star, so production companies did send talent scouts to find talented young men and women on the streets. But in 2001? Even the adult film industry is fiercely competitive among actresses. At least the film industry no longer needs talent scouts, while some labels under record companies are still seeking new talent. Of course, the advertising and modeling industries still maintain their traditional “talent scout” system. But these formal talent scouts are all fixed employees of the companies and even have business cards, while the so-called talent scouts who chat up people in restaurants are just looking to deceive or scam— be it their bodies or their wallet.

Although such scam schemes have been around since the 1920s, the character Roxie Hart in the upcoming movie “Chicago” was shown to be duped by a salesman who claimed to be a relative of a producer, which goes to show that it is still thriving today. In Los Angeles, there are too many men and women who are full of hope and dreams of becoming a star, and they work in restaurants waiting for their chance. But Jenny Jane is not one of them. In fact, another female server at Hollywood Star also has ambitions to enter the entertainment industry, but her goal is more practical: she wants to start in the advertising industry, work as a model in ads, and then compete for roles in TV dramas.

It’s a good idea, but it means nothing to Chen Zhen— because she doesn’t have much time left.

She traveled back in time from 2014 to 2001, giving her only 14 years to take advantage of her knowledge of which movies and TV shows will be successful. After 14 years, this advantage will disappear as she won’t have knowledge of hit films anymore. She cannot waste this advantage, so she cannot afford to start with TV shows before transitioning to the big screen. Almost no female actor who started in TV has become a Hollywood A-list, and even a successful TV show like “Friends” takes seven to eight years to produce and can typecast actors. It’s clear as day the hardships involved to transition from TV to movies.

Of course, nobody had dominated Hollywood by being an advertisement model, a model, shooting AV, reality shows, singing, etc.

The only way to dominate Hollywood is to act in movies. Only by starting with movies, would she have a slight chance to complete 70% to 80% of this task within 14 years. As for how to reach the top… Chen Zhen has not even thought about it, and she doesn’t even know how to quantify this goal.

Even her short-term goal of “acting in movies”, is overwhelming enough.

Jenny served a few customers with a sweet smile and received generous tips from them. Seeing that most of the customers in her area were dining, she walked to the counter to take a break and rest her sore legs. She started to familiarly analyze how she should proceed in her career.

To become an actress, she needs to find an agent. An agent knows the channels for auditions and can apply for auditions and contact various performance opportunities. If she is a client that an agent likes and is willing to spend a lot of effort to promote, she may even receive special treatment in auditions. However, the more capable an agent is, the pickier they are with their clients. At her current level, the best agent she can find might be able to get her a supporting role in a TV drama, and that’s only if she’s very lucky. If the agent doesn’t like her, she might end up being a model or acting as an extra in TV dramas.

It’s not that Chen Zhen is too picky, but in the entertainment industry, the first work is very important. Even if it’s an independent film that will never be released, as long as you act in a movie, the chances of getting the next movie are higher. After several films, you can try to play supporting roles in small productions, then lead roles in small productions or supporting roles in big productions, and eventually catch a leading role in a big production. Unless you’re extremely lucky and meet someone influential who can help you skip a few steps, most Hollywood actors and actresses have to work their way up step by step.

Then the vicious circle returns: in order to get an audition for a movie, you have to find a better agent, but better agents have higher requirements for their clients. Her credentials are not enough to attract attention, and she can’t even get the opportunity to show her acting skills with a lucky break.

It’s like the vicious circle of the actors’ union – The Screen Actors Guild provides many benefits, such as insurance and minimum wage negotiations, as well as introductions to performance opportunities and agents. To join the Screen Actors Guild, you need a performance contract with a relatively high amount, however, if you don’t join the actors’ union, it’s difficult to get a high-paying performance contract.

For those without relevant background connections, the entertainment industry is very closed off, and it’s extremely difficult to break into the circle.

Of course, this is normal. If it were that easy, the industry would have been overcrowded. The higher the return, the higher the threshold for entry. The film industry, at the top of the entertainment industry, is especially so. If Jenny Jane wants to be a model now, it would be much easier – just take a few pictures, send resumes all over the world, and some magazines will want her.

The restaurant welcomed a small peak in business at noon. Jenny Jane carried a tray and wore a business smile, collecting a circle of tips. In the gap between serving and billing, she was still calculating her own path. Her lucky break only applied to her acting skills, and from what she can see now, it’s not at the level of a prodigy. In terms of the entertainment industry, sorry, but there’s no way for her to say that she’s confident that it is sufficient.

If things don’t work out, the worst-case scenario would be not returning, which isn’t that bad… She can start as a model and transition to television dramas, and she can still make a living with her lucky break. Although her son is the source of her motivation for returning, objectively speaking, his grandparents and her ex-husband’s love for this little treasure, would be ample for him to never be short of money or love.

Of course, this is only the last resort, and if there’s any way to console herself, Chen Zhen would definitely want to reach the summit as soon as possible and go back. But now she doesn’t have a good way to break through, so she can only exercise and make sure her weight is of a level suitable for the camera, and then wait for the right opportunity.

If it doesn’t work, then starting from the community theater would be a good idea. Although the competition for stage plays is also fierce, because the compensation is relatively low and the threshold is also relatively low, she can first get small roles in the community theater and then look for supporting roles in the larger theater. She doesn’t necessarily need to be in the lead role, as the exposure rate of supporting roles is enough for her to make some friends…

After the lunch hour ended, Jenny welcomed her own lunch break, though it would be a short one as customers would come in to have coffee and some small snacks throughout the afternoon. She could sit behind the bar to rest, but she also needed to come out and serve customers from time to time.

She still had chicken salad for lunch, leaving out oil, vinegar and salad dressing. Many women who want to lose weight think that eating salad is dieting, but they are not aware that the calories in oil and vinegar dressing and salad dressing are comparable to a large piece of red meat. Since Jenny has decided to lose weight, she won’t let herself suffer in vain.

Not only that, but she is also consciously controlling her taste buds, giving up all sweetened drinks. Due to the cheapness of corn syrup in the United States, drinks with added sugar are in abundance, and drinking them can cause excessive sodium intake.

People who often drink sweetened drinks are very likely to have imbalanced body health. In the United States, there are many lower-class people living in “food deserts” who buy large amounts of sweetened drinks that are cheaper than water due to ignorance and a mentality of wanting cheap goods, and they end up becoming so obese that it becomes difficult to move, and then there are also problems with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.

Of course, the middle class can understand the disadvantages of consuming sweetened drinks, but their eating habits and physical fitness developed over the years make it difficult for them to lose weight. In this dietary environment, maintaining their body figure is no different from a monk’s ascetic life.

At least Johnny always makes known his disapproval when he sees Jenny’s meal, “This extreme weight-loss method will make you faint, Jenny. What’s wrong with you? You used to have a piece of my devil cake every day and said it was the epitome of your life, but now you don’t even eat hamburgers, let alone cake.”

On the first day of work after her transmigration, she did eat a piece of devil cake, the most popular dessert in Hollywood Star, but Chen Zhen couldn’t even finish half of it due to the fact that white people’s taste buds are less sensitive to sweetness. Hollywood or all American desserts are at least two times sweeter than Chinese ones, and Chen Zhen seemed to have brought her own taste buds system with her. She almost threw up after eating less than half of the cake.

As for the hamburger, the mustard sauce and mayonnaise inside are also high in calories, and almost all sauces have problems with excessive salt and sugar. The pasta sauce sold in supermarkets contains more sugar than two Oreo cookies in a spoonful. Jenny smiled, “I may have an audition, Johnny, so I’m dieting.”

Johnny sighed and patted Jenny’s shoulder. “I don’t know whether to wish you success or failure.”

He wasn’t surprised by Jenny’s desire to enter Hollywood. In Los Angeles, especially in the streets near Hollywood, this was not uncommon.

Also, because Jenny’s body inherited Chen Zhen’s taste buds, she was relatively accustomed to light diets. As for the constant hunger pangs causing a slight stomachache… Jenny has gotten accustomed to it. Jenny slowly savored the plate of salad and finished it all up. When she spotted an approaching customer through the window, she dusted off her skirt and stood up to say to her colleague, “Kevin, I’ll take care of this customer.”

Kevin was the male server she worked with, he hadn’t finished his meal yet, hence he gave Jenny a grateful look for her caring gesture.

Jenny didn’t pay any mind to him. She picked up the menu, adjusted the smile on her face in the mirror, and walked towards the entrance. “Hi, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon.” Her customer smiled back at her, seeming to be in a good mood.

“Same as usual?” Jenny asked.

It was the seventh afternoon in a row that he had come to have coffee, and Jenny had already memorized his order, which was an advantageous skill for waitresses to earn tips.

“Same as usual,” the customer replied.

When Jenny brought him a mocha with no sugar, double milk, extra whipped cream, and lots of cinnamon sprinkled on top, she said, “The weather is nice today, and you seem to be in a good mood.”

“I had a very pleasant day, and you?” the customer’s eyes sparkled with happiness.

Chatting with customers was also a skill for earning tips, but today Jenny’s aim for chatting was not for that reason. She shrugged, “Besides an audition I have in a couple of days, and the nervousness stemming from it, everything else is fine.”

The male customer was stunned for a moment, but soon he nodded in understanding, “You came to Los Angeles with a dream, right?”

“So far, my dream hasn’t been going very smoothly,” Jenny pouted, gestured to her uniform, and smiled at the male customer, “Anyway…”

“My name is Dave,” the male customer said.

“OK, anyway, Dave, have a nice day,” Jenny winked at him and smiled again, “If you need anything, just call me.”

She picked up the tray and gracefully left, discreetly observing Dave through the restaurant’s ubiquitous mirrored walls.

His stare was closely following her retreating figure.

Good sign. Jenny thought: I’d better work the day shift for the next week.