Hollywood Domination

Chapter 9 Acting Is Not a Simple Profession

Jenny signed the acting contract and officially obtained the role of Juanita, with a pay of $5,000 for one episode.

It was neither high nor low, just about equivalent to her one-month salary working at the restaurant. Emma Swan was straightforward about it, mentioning that they had initially planned to offer a pay of nearly $200,000 to Dunst, but now that they had cast Jenny, they couldn’t offer the same amount, as the producers needed to save some budget.

To this, Jenny maintained a calm reaction. She had discussed the issue of pay in the TV industry with Dave before. For a newcomer like her, $5,000 was a generous amount. It would be unrealistic to expect to be paid the same amount as a veteran child star like Dunst. Jenny considered herself lucky to have landed a debut role on CBS. If it were a smaller TV network like WB, she might not even get $5,000.

Back then when she was still Chen Zhen, she had kept an eye on industry news and articles, therefore she had a decent understanding of the salary and compensation in the TV industry. It was a “sky’s the limit, but there’s a bottom line” situation, and there was a lot of room for negotiation. To put it simply, it was a power play, and whoever had more leverage would have the upper hand. Of course, the lead actor’s attitude also played a role.

Taking the currently popular TV show “Friends” as an example, all six actors in the show have already achieved fame and success, and they have no further demand for the show itself. In the later seasons, because they have portrayed similar roles for seven or eight years, more than half of the main cast members have a dwindling desire to continue acting. So they collectively demanded a high price of one million dollars per episode, and Warner Bros., the production company, had to reluctantly accept it, because these six actors appeared as an organic whole in the show and their storylines were intertwined, making it difficult to continue without any one of them.

But in the case of “Modern Family”, another situation comedy that became popular after “Friends”, there are many main cast members and the plot itself lacks continuity. This meant that a strong reliance was on the witty writing of the script to create funny situations and dialogues, while the performances of the actors then comes secondary. Therefore, although the show also received awards and had high ratings, the increase in salary demands and determination of the main cast members were not as significant.

Of course, if “Modern Family” continues to be popular and the characters become more memorable, the balance of power between the production company and the actors may change again. From Chen Zhen’s perspective, Hollywood is a place with the fewest rules, and the only eternal rule is that every negotiation is a game of multiple factors, and every contract is the result of compromise from all parties involved.

Returning to the topic, for long-running shows like “CSI” that rely on cases to attract viewers, as long as one or two core actors remain unchanged, it’s enough, so it’s difficult for regular or even main cast members to negotiate for higher salaries. Supporting roles like Juanita, who only appear in one episode as a crime suspect, can be easily dispatched with a fee of five or six thousand dollars. The high price of over a hundred thousand dollars previously offered was only for inviting a relatively famous movie star for a guest appearance in a new season to boost ratings. Now that Jenny has replaced her, the budget has been reduced to five thousand dollars. But fortunately, CBS never delays payments, and the checks are always sent on time, which is one benefit of working with a major television network.

After confirming the approximate starting date of filming, Jenny returned to Hollywood Star to continue working. Apart from discussing her upcoming role with Dave, she kept this good news to herself. Jessica thought she had encountered another audition failure, while Johnny, in a good mood, kindly advised her to give up on losing weight again.

Jenny didn’t take these words to heart. After receiving the script, she started working on it immediately — her performance during the audition was crucial, especially her presence and aura. She needed to exude the charisma of a big star, enough to outshine her competition. After all, everyone could see the charisma of a big star on TV, but imitating it accurately was not that simple. However, in real shooting, the most important thing was that her expressions of emotion during scenes with her co-star should be in sync, otherwise the juxtaposition of a physically expressive classical actor with a method actor fully immersed in their role, would create a jarring and incongruous feeling. And in such cases, the director would naturally expect compromises from the supporting actor rather than the lead actor.

Because of this, she had been studying the character of Nick, played by George Eads, with whom she shares most of her scenes. She hadn’t seen this show before, so she had no idea how the future of CSI would turn out, or how long George had been on the show. Based on her research, he was a good-looking and handsome guy that was pleasant to the eyes. As for his acting skills, firstly CSI didn’t leave much room for showcasing his acting, and secondly, his performance was not the lively and experiential method actor type, but rather a conventional and reserved classical acting style. His emotional expression was quite restrained, and his personal temperament didn’t seem like the kind that could easily let go of his inhibitions. There might be a lack of tension in their scenes or the problem of Nick being overshadowed by Juanita’s performance.

Chen Zhen kept trying and practicing various acting approaches, utilizing the ‘performing arts space’ and repeatedly rehearsing scenes with Nick until she felt there was nothing more to nitpick.
By the time she was well-prepared, the starting date of shooting had also approached.

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Due to the practice of shooting and broadcasting simultaneously, the production cycle of American TV shows is quite long. Actors often spend nine months out of the year on set, which is a luxury compared to Chinese TV shows that can finish filming fifty episodes in three months. This is also because American TV shows have a larger budget compared to their international counterparts, and this meticulous approach naturally leads to more refined productions. It also provides a relatively stable life for TV actors compared to their foreign counterparts. Once an actor gets a regular role, even if it’s a supporting role, it’s enough to survive in Hollywood. If they can get a recurring role, it’s almost like having a job with decent pay and flexible time.

Many supporting actors are like this. They first find a stable supporting role, accumulate some startup capital, and then run a restaurant or a clothing store while auditioning everywhere during their spare time. On one hand, they satisfy their desire to appear on screen, and on the other hand, they are paving the way for the future, hoping to meet more connections and ensure a continuous stream of supporting roles. Although they may seem to be unknowns, they in fact, live comfortably. They are in no way inferior to those newcomers in the film industry who have worked hard and had one or two small lead roles.

So when Jenny arrived on the set, she did not feel the hostility that she often felt on Chinese sets. It’s not that Chinese sets are notorious for being cutthroat, but rather that producers often demand work to be completed within an extremely short deadline. The result of working overtime for a long time is high-stress levels for everyone, and the resentment from overtime work is not easily resolved.

Things were much easier in the United States. The well-established labor protection laws meant that their working hours were relatively fixed per week, and even if they wanted to work overtime, the production company would not approve it. The work efficiency was at least three to four times lower compared to China. After obtaining her staff access card, Jenny went to the make-up and wardrobe tryouts, and just these two processes took the make-up artist and wardrobe stylist three hours to finalize her look.

“You look stunning, dear,” praised the make-up artist Anna. The production crew didn’t discriminate against newcomers, and although their attitude towards her was unfamiliar, they were friendly. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely become famous in no time.”

“Thank you,” Jenny smiled at her, but she didn’t take the words seriously. She stood up and adjusted her hair, but the hairstylist quickly stopped her. “Don’t touch, I spent a lot of time getting it just right.”

“Okay, the director has probably finished his meeting by now,” Anna checked her watch. “Let’s go and have him take a look.”

After all, this role was relatively important, and it seemed that the director wanted to personally review it. No wonder they weren’t in a rush, seems like they had to wait patiently even if they had finished earlier.

Most of the indoor scenes of CSI were filmed in a fixed studio. As a new show with excellent ratings, they rented a large studio at Universal Studios for the new season. However, the director was not currently in the studio, so the four of them had to go out and find him — This was because most of the main actors had already finished their make-up try-outs earlier, and Jenny was the only one who was booked to come in for make-up try-outs today. The director had a sudden idea, so they had to rush to show it to him during the interval break of his pre-shoot meeting.

She was originally not short in stature, but when she had heels put on, she looked even taller. Under the guidance of the makeup artist, costume designer, and hairstylist, she walked toward the studio. For a moment, she truly had the demeanor of a big star, attracting the attention of passersby. Jenny thought that her attire was one of the reasons for this— as there was an important scene where Juanita was taken away at a banquet, the costume designer had chosen a form-fitting evening gown for her, one that showed some skin.

Anna seemed to enjoy the attention, giggling incessantly. Jenny found her behavior a bit strange, but she didn’t mind, as the entertainment industry was always a place where eccentricities abound. The costume designer and hairstylist, who appeared much more normal, seemed more indifferent to her as well.

Now, dressed in glamorous attire and walking inside universal studios, looking at the tall filming sets and the various people moving between them, — Jenny thought she may have even spotted Harrison Ford passing by in the distance— Jenny felt like she finally had a sense of blending into Hollywood. But she also knew that it was just a warm illusion. In fact, she had only dipped her toe into the deep waters of Hollywood, with such a small area of contact that she couldn’t even gauge the temperature.

“Wow, it looked like even George Clooney was checking you out just now,” Anna suddenly exclaimed, poking Jenny excitedly. “You look like a genuine movie star.”

Jenny was speechless at her remark, and she just smiled and said, “It’s mainly because I’m dressed up so formally.”

“After all, you’re supposed to have been taken away at an awards ceremony,” the costume designer, Van Buren, said. “We’re here.”

The screenwriter, director, and one of the producers of this episode— who is also a rising star in TV show production in recent years— happened to just be finishing up their meeting. He glanced at Jenny and asked her to perform the scene for him, then expressed his satisfaction. Jenny spotted Dave’s friend smiling at her in the crowd. Emma Swan was also present, she waved her hand and greeted them.

“Alright, go back and get changed.” The director was a middle-aged man in his forties with red hair. He looked at Jenny with approval. “Now I know why you were chosen.”

Jenny could already anticipate how many people would come to talk to her after the official shooting started, judging from the admiring glances from the crowd. She couldn’t deny that she was feeling quite good, after all, she was a normal young woman, and having her hard work recognized by others naturally made her happy.

Her eyes inadvertently swept over several middle-aged men standing at the other end of the corridor, these well-dressed, confident passers-by also smiled at her. Beauty granted her privileges in any corner of the world.

For one, the chubby man among them was obviously enchanted by her, with his eyes fixed on her intently and a blatant expression of greed. It was somewhat funny.

Jenny couldn’t help but be amused by his expression, and she glanced at him a few more times before turning around and leaving confidently.

[TL Notes: Love how Jenny doesn’t take things seriously her response to the gazes is hilarious! Something for me to learn from! On a side note, hope you all have been enjoying this so far, for I sure have translating this! ^ㅂ^ Happy reading~]