Ordained opponent

Hugo and Brad's situations were different.

Brad's career was on the rise and he had a powerful agent, Martin Baum, who was able to provide him with a lot of information, including the fact that he had a chance to compete for the lead role in "A Few Good Men" before the contract was signed. Brad was definitely more informed about the situation than Hugo, which made him more eager to get the role and star in the film.

In addition, Martin's strong personality was also reflected in his control over Brad. Brad was still a rising star and didn't have enough power to resist Martin's instructions, so he could only follow Martin's lead and hope for more opportunities. During the audition process today, Brad's attitude and words could be said to be, to some extent, influenced by Martin.

Hugo, on the other hand, was an abandoned child who was not loved by his parents. His former agent, Ron, abandoned him and Joseph was just a newcomer. After three consecutive failed films and a Razzie, he wouldn't have even had the opportunity to audition today if it weren't for "Scent of a Woman" as a bridge. Even so, Hugo was at an absolute disadvantage. Not to mention that Tom was currently the hottest commodity, even compared to Brad, Hugo had no advantage.

Therefore, Hugo chose to be honest. His knowledge about "A Few Good Men" was only from his soul's experience of crossing over, and in reality, he had no knowledge about the film at all. The only reason he came to audition was to seize the opportunity! The fact that Rob Reiner was directing and Jack Nicholson was starring in the film was the biggest bargaining chip and attraction for him.

It was impossible to say whether Hugo's or Brad's audition strategy was better. It all depended on who Rob favored more - provided that Tom's contract was not successful, otherwise both of them would be out of luck.

After that, Rob didn't mention anything about the movie and just started chatting. This was Martin's moment to shine, and Joseph's youth and inexperience immediately showed in front of Martin. Although Joseph tried to maintain the conversation, the gap in experience, age, and skill meant that Martin held the initiative throughout the conversation.

At about 9:30, Rob got up to leave. The four of them watched as Rob got into his car and stood in the parking lot, looking at each other.

Hugo and Brad stood face to face, with a hint of sparks still flickering in their eyes. Unlike their competition in "A River Runs Through It" last time, this time they were on the same starting line, but Brad no longer had his previous advantage and was even surpassed by Hugo. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone knew that Tracey played a decisive role in the audition for "A River Runs Through It". In other words, in the contest of their own strength, Brad lost to Hugo.

Hugo not only won back a point and avenged his failure in the last "A River Runs Through It" audition, but also made Brad stumble today. The violent air between the two became even stronger invisibly.

Brad was four years older than Hugo and was already 29 years old this year. In Hollywood, male actors usually don't truly break out until they are in their 30s or even 40s and reach their golden age. So far, the average age of the Oscar winner for Best Actor had remained around forty.

But this also puts young people over 20 but under 30 in an awkward position. On the one hand, they cannot compete with middle-aged people over 30 in roles with profound connotations. On the other hand, they cannot match the potential of children under 18. Young people in this age group have immature acting skills, limited roles, narrow social connections, and a lack of rich works. Therefore, most young people in this stage are just extras in TV dramas. It is not easy to become a male lead in a movie.

Currently, Brad had been playing supporting roles all the time. Hugo's truly successful "Dead Poets Society" was also a supporting role, while Robin Williams, who was 38 years old at the time, was the true protagonist. Actors like Tom Cruise, who became famous at the age of 24 with "Top Gun", were definitely rare.

Of course, after entering the 21st century, young actors had also carved their own plane of existence, and more and more types of youth movies had made young people equally competitive. However, at least in the early 1990s, young actors still had relatively few opportunities. Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves... These were the few young actors who made a name for themselves before they turned 30, and they could hardly be called a group, let alone many.

As a result, the competition between Hugo and Brad, this group of actors, became even more fierce. First, it was "A River Runs Through It", now it was "A Few Good Men". It wasn't hard to imagine that there would be no shortage of such positive competition between the two in the future. However, no matter what happened in the future, at least for now, in the audition for "A Few Good Men", Hugo only had a slight advantage. Everything was still uncertain until Rob made his decision.

Brad chewed his gum silently, looking at Hugo with flat eyes. He didn't say anything, but the burning flame of battle in his eyes was obvious. Faced with such competition, Hugo would never back down. He looked back at Brad with a relaxed smile, exuding a strong sense of confidence.

Martin, who was standing next to them, smiled and said to Joseph, "Your performance tonight was quite good." His tone was that of a senior giving advice to a junior. "But you still need a bit of luck." The implication was that Brad would ultimately get the role because of his connections. Joseph's disadvantage in this regard was too obvious.

Although Joseph had just lost his initiative in the conversation, it didn't mean he was incapable. On the contrary, he was able to hold his own in Martin's deliberate exclusion. This showed Joseph's excellence. "Luck, everyone needs it. If God is willing to give me good luck, I will be more than happy to take it." Luck, like opportunity, is part of one's ability. No one will complain about having too much of it. "Of course, Hugo's performance tonight was indeed surprising. Who knows if it's a good thing?"

Joseph poked at Martin's sore spot again. Everyone was shocked by Hugo's eloquence tonight. Martin obviously had more thoughts about Hugo now. In the brokerage industry, there is no absolute loyalty, only absolute interests. If Martin could offer better terms and poach Hugo, it was not impossible. So when Joseph poked at Martin, his face stiffened, but he said more meaningfully, "Hugo is indeed very outstanding."

"Well, we'll leave now. I hope everything goes well the next time we meet." Although Martin was being polite, his words were mocking Hugo's current situation.

Joseph was not angry but instead chuckled. "Rob is waiting for your call, so I won't disturb you." This sentence meant that Brad was incomparable to Hugo in terms of talent, so Martin must rely on connections to win. This was a naked slap in the face. After speaking, Joseph and Hugo turned and walked towards their car without paying attention to Martin's obscure expression under the moonlight.

Brad didn't say anything, he never did. He just stared at Hugo, as if he could see a flower bloom on his face. But this simple action showed Brad's unshakable determination: Hugo, you are my competitor now!

Hugo felt Brad's sharp gaze from behind and let out a sigh. It didn't matter if others didn't know, Hugo knew Brad's future development, which meant that he had become a competitor with Hollywood's most famous male god. The situation had not yet eased and now he had even made an enemy, making Hugo want to facepalm.

However, Hugo would never easily give up, even if the opponent was Brad. Since he could time travel, it meant that all historical trajectories could be changed. Of course, the most important thing was his own effort. If he gave up easily, the competition result would be predetermined without even competing. People can overcome fate with hard work.

"Whew, my performance tonight was really terrible," Joseph complained as he returned to the car, obviously very dissatisfied with his performance.

Hugo chuckled, "I think my performance was pretty good."

Joseph rolled his eyes, "You know I wasn't talking about you." and started backing up the car.

"But I'm the one who auditioned, right?" Hugo knew that Joseph still hoped he could play a bigger role, but to be honest, it wasn't easy to have an outstanding performance in front of Martin, a dominant agent. So Hugo focused on himself, "I think Rob has a pretty good impression of me. Or is it just my own illusion?"

Hugo's teasing finally made Joseph's lips curve upwards, "I think so too." Joseph backed up the car and looked towards the road. They saw Brad and Martin still standing in the parking lot. Both of them looked unhappy, and Martin seemed to be expressing his dissatisfaction with Brad's audition.

But as Joseph drove by, Martin and Brad stopped and looked over. The four of them made eye contact, and then as the car continued to move forward, they were completely out of sight.

Joseph's lips curved upwards, and his mood improved significantly.