Chapter 25 Cesare's Showtime 

 Although she had high hopes for auditions for "Chicago", Jenny was not confident enough to think that she would succeed, and her city and self-esteem did not allow her to change her face immediately after realizing that she was out of action, so when Lucy Liu greeted her, Jenny forced herself to smile, "It seems that our bet has come to fruition." "

 "Yes, but the lunch invitation is still valid. Lucy smiled, "After all, we haven't agreed on a bet yet." "

 They went to lunch, and of all the social meals Jenny had eaten, this one was the most enjoyable - they all had salads, Lucy Liu drank an extra bowl of clear soup, Jenny only drank water, which made the whole meal process less difficult, at least Jenny knew that the companion opposite was also starving, resisting the temptation of food.

 As a second-generation immigrant born in Queens, New York, Lucy Liu's personality is actually more American, cheerful and smiling, not as cold and mysterious as the screen image, but because of her parents, there are still some traces of Asian culture in her personality. Perhaps because of this, the two chatted quite speculatively, and Jenny did not shy away from her current financial predicament, "After this audition fails, I think I can walk a few more dogs with peace of mind." "

 Lucy Liu also told her about her hardships in the 90s, "I have tasted enough of poverty since I was a child, when I was 14 years old, my brother and I went to work in an underground black factory, and after I went in, I was smoked and almost cried, and I swore that day that I would succeed." But I didn't expect that day when I was 18 years old, I didn't come after college, and even ten years later, when I was 24, I didn't come. "

 She shrugged, "When I was 22 years old, I started acting and playing soy sauce in movies, and I thought it was my big breakthrough, and then you know what? For the next seven years, I couldn't support myself from acting. It wasn't until I was 29 years old that I got the role of "Pretty Sweetheart" and officially started my career. During this time, I asked myself, 'Can Asians survive in Hollywood? Can I win over others? If there are 2,000 shows in Hollywood every year, there may be 1,400 roles for white actresses, 500 for blacks and Latinos, and less than 100 for Asians, and most of them are small roles'?"

 "But you persevered. Jenny certainly knew she had persevered, and it was rare that in those seven years, her acting skills had improved so much that she could handle a big production like "Breaking Bad," and then — her path certainly didn't get any wider, but in Hollywood, Lucy Liu found her place.

 "Yes, I persevered," Lucy said, spreading her hands, "It's not easy, and I often find it hard to believe that I've really become famous, and that the last thirty years of life are really over." "

 She didn't mention the audition she had just passed, but Jenny understood what Lucy meant, she must have had countless failed auditions in those seven years, and Jenny had only been in the industry for a few months, and she already had a good appearance, so what was a failed audition?

 "What's the first thing you bought yourself when you get paid?" she asked curiously.

 Lucy laughed, "Oh, that's a funny question, it's true, in my twenties, I thought a million times that if I became famous, I'd buy an entire floor of Macy's, but really when I got the check, my Asian side came out and played a bad role, and I hated my mother's excessive savings as a teenager and thought it was shabby, but when I was holding the big check, it was her voice ringing in my ears, like she was talking to me across the street,' Don't slack off on saving, accumulate tens of millions'. So the answer is - I didn't buy anything, I saved all my money. "

 Jenny laughed with her, and they had a good time, and the final bet was to treat Lucy to a meal when Jenny got her first movie role. They exchanged phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch often, which in Hollywood meant they were each other's connections.

 From beginning to end, Lucy didn't mention Cesare, which also made Jenny very comfortable, although she clearly knew that the reason why Lucy Liu noticed her and was so kind to her was probably because of Cesare Vijeri, but there was no need to be too serious, Lucy behaved well enough, and that was enough.

 #

 "Seriously, what do you think of me taking on a few more dog walks?" said Jenny as soon as the phone was answered.

 There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Cesare replied, "Are you sure that was the opening line of your first phone call to me? Sure, this might be good fodder for your biography, but is it a little too dramatic?"

 "Why don't you change your style?" Jenny said in a tone of voice, pitiful and half-sobbing, "Oh, Chesa, I'm sorry, but everything went wrong, and the filmmakers are clearly settled on Lucy Liu, I'm out of play—"

 She switched back to her normal tone, "Do you think it's better that way?"

 "Neiding?" Cesare raised his voice slightly, "please describe the situation carefully. "

 After Jenny had said it again, Cesare only said, "I see, I'll call you back in fifteen minutes." "

 He came fifteen minutes later, and every second was right. "Probably figured it out, it's a difference of opinion between the producer and Rob. The producer wanted to create an all-star effect, he thought you were too famous, and he liked Lucy Liu and wanted to work with her. Of course, Renee Zellweger's agent also had some comments, and she was very concerned about the casting. "

 "I didn't know that the actors also had a say in the lineup, and more importantly, I was still such a small supporting role?" Jenny was a little surprised.

 "Dear," Cesare said 'Honey,' but his tone was not sweet. "You have a good line in your screen debut, and the most important thing in our line of work is to be careful enough. You know, Zellweger's father is German with Swiss ancestry, his mother is Norwegian, and like you, she's Germanic born in the United States, and you both have blonde hair. If it were me, I would have pushed Lucy Liu, not you, to play the role. "

 "I see. Jenny said, "It's the same position, isn't it? And I'm going to look younger than Renee." "

 "Yes, Renee's acting skills are fantastic, but she is not good at looks. Her agent is a friend of the producer, she has starred in three comedies in the past three years, each of which has been high at the box office, her acting skills are very good, she has won awards, and Rob is just a new director who is directing a film for the first time. "And you're a lot better looking than her, and all of that makes up the situation, and the producers think that Liu can be more racial, and we already have white Americans, blacks, Eastern European Americans, and the other lead Jones is British, wouldn't it be nice to have another Asian?—— at least the reasons he said were decent." "

 "So you're explaining why I didn't get the role?" asked Jenny.

 "No," Cesare replied, "I just want you to be more convinced that I'm a competent agent." "

 "You mean?" said Jenny, a little confused, "you can't say what I guessed, do you?"

 "You've got the role. "At least that's what Rob said to me." "

 "... Can you elaborate on that?" asked Jenny, "how-"

 Although she knew that Cesare was a little eager to promote and suppress, she was also a little dizzy now.

 "I'm assuming you already know at least the Chicago storyline. "Your character has to make Loxie feel threatened in every way before she can get pregnant." The scene is so short, who can convince the audience more? You, a blonde beauty who is exactly the same as Lockhee and more glamorous than her, or Lucy Liu? This character is not about acting skills, but about appearance and temperament. Rob also thinks you're a better fit than Lucy, and he's watched CSI on my recommendation, and he thinks you're good enough for those few minutes. "

 No wonder Jim was so mysterious at the time, it turned out that the role was almost in her pocket before the interview, so it seems that there is another explanation for the director's overall leadership - he has already paid attention to Jenny, of course he knows what kind of qualities he wants to find in her, and once he decides that she will pass, there is no need to waste any more time.

 "But on the producer's side?" Jenny paused, "Oh, I think the director must have been dissatisfied with the strength of the producer and the actors, right? Of course, he was going to play two Best Supporting Actress for the first time—"

 Thinking that at this time, the two leading actresses had not won the Oscar yet, Jenny changed her tone halfway, "Two big-name stars cooperate, and the producer is the famous Weinstein, I think Rob should have suffered a lot of anger." "

 "And he took the play very seriously, so much about the casting of such a small number of scenes," Cesare said, "and even personally involved — you should easily see that Rob is a very controlling man." "

 "Yes, understood. Jenny switched the hot phone to an ear, "Insisting on choosing me is a backlash from Rob, do you think he can succeed?"

 "It's not Weinstein who admires Lucy Liu, it's his executives. "Weinstein admired Rob, and I think the outcome should be pretty certain." "

 "Then I'll start preparing for the role now. Jenny said.

 "Your acting skills are good enough for that role. Cesare's tone was a little annoyed, but not directed at Jenny, as if he was just tired of this positive way of expressing himself, "I'm going to continue to arrange some classes for you, for your next audition, you just have to take the class." "

 "Yes—hey, wait, what movie is it!" Cesare asked after hearing that he was hanging up the phone.

 "You'll know when it's time to know. Cesare was ready to take the line.

 Jenny had no choice but to shout, "Okay, thank you, goodbye." "

 "Jefferson?" Cesare continued, not hanging up, "I repeat, Rob is a very controlling man. "

 "I know. Jenny said.

 "I'm very optimistic about him. "

 "I know. "

 "So do you know how to get along with him on set?" asked Cesare.

 Jenny sighed, "Trust me, I know. "

 "Good. Cesare was really going to reel in this time, "By the way, when you call me next time—"

 He lengthened his voice, "Please don't use such a Loser opening line, thank you." "

 With a snap, the phone hung up.

 Jenny stared at the phone for a moment before going about her business: she hadn't exercised well in a long time, and now that she had been given the role, fitness was of course essential.

 While dancing and, she was thinking back to today's peaks and turns, and finally came to several conclusions: 1, the competition in Hollywood is really fierce, and the game is really quite complicated.

 2. Cesare Viggieri is really good.

 It's hard to believe, but his eloquence may have been quite good, and while Rob Marshall might have thought she was more suitable for the role, without Cesare's push, the possibility that he would be angry for such a small role and the filmmaker and the actress would seem very small to Jeanne. Cesare didn't mention his role, but Jenny could imagine what he did.

 Fuck, Cesare Vijeri is amazing. He was so powerful that Jenny felt for the first time that maybe under his plan, dominating Hollywood might not just be a dream, but indeed a goal.

 Two days later, Lucy Liu sent her a message: It seems that we are all wrong, find me a time to fulfill our bet.

 At the end of the text message, she added a smiley face and added the XOXO hug symbol.

 The author has something to say: Note: The article mentions that Lucy Liu's family financial situation is true, and it is reported anyway. It is also true that she has been in the entertainment industry for more than 7 years before she came out, she made her debut in about 90, and the first influential TV series was in 97, and she was a permanent supporting role. For the past 7 years, it has been intermittent, very scarce, and the work density is definitely not enough to support itself.