Chapter 35 Christmas Party

 "It should be a gift. "I mean, it's true that her fundamentals have a lot of flaws, far from being solid, and you can easily pick out more than a dozen flaws, but you won't be able to realize them when she's performing." It can be said that it is passion, and it should be said that the passion in her performance overshadows everything. "

 "That's the talent we lacked. Rob also agreed, "In fact, this talent is the most scarce in the entire industry. "

 "But it's hard to say she's an explosive actor," Agata gestured in Jenny's direction, "or an experiential genius, we've all seen that kind of personality actor with a strong personality, Johnny Depp, Phoenix River, Jennifer and they are completely two types, you can even say that she has a dual personality, in normal times she is a temperament, bland, inconspicuous, makes people doubt your eyes, Rob-"

 Rob chuckled, "But when she got up to speed and started to really perform, it was a different kind of performance entirely." "

 "yes, that's another story entirely. Agata said. "Of course I've seen her in CSI, and I'm curious now about how exactly she handles Canita and Lockhee, and you know, those two characters go in the same direction, but you deal with them very differently. "

 Jenny, who had been sitting on the side and being talked about, was now finally drawn into the conversation - after the audition, the theater had no other arrangements for her, and Rob really let her come to his house for dinner, and of course invited his friend Agata to the house.

 During the previous after-dinner drink, Agata and Rob had been talking about Jenny's 'amazing talent', and she had only listened with a slight smile. These two big names really deserve their status as gods in the industry, and the comments on her performance from the perspective of a bystander are so good that Jenny is a little cold sweat.

 "It's true that Huanita and Lockhee seem to be arrogant and glamorous characters, but I think the difference between them is still obvious. Jenny said, "The most clear thing is that Huanita is smart and elegant, she is a strong person, so the audience will easily forgive her for her crimes, after all, more or less, we are all a little strong." But Lockey is ignorant and vain, she is a weakling, and she cannot arouse the impulse of the audience to cheer for her, so the audience will enjoy her beautiful singing and dancing like lawyer Billy, but at the same time be aware of her ugly nature, and shake their heads and smile pathetically. As a microcosm of the times, Lockhill inspires the sympathy of the audience, so when dealing with Huanita, it is necessary to accept and refrain from it, but when dealing with Lockhee, it must be exaggerated and outward. "

 Agata and Rob looked at each other, both smiling and nodding, Rob shook his head and said, "I really don't know where you got these theories from, Jenny, you have only graduated from high school, but you talk like a top student at UCLA." "

 And her learning speed, "Agata drank some wine during dinner just now, so he talks a lot now." "It's hard for me to be sure, Jennifer, I've taught a lot of students who are more gifted than you, and even now I don't think your talent — your voice, your vocal range, is better than some of my protégés, but I'm amazed at how quickly you're improving. Rob, can you believe it? It took her five days to correct her vocal habits and change the way her muscle groups worked, and if it weren't for what was happening right in front of my eyes, I'd have dismissed it as ridiculous. No one, no one can break the ingrained habit of happening in a few days, usually it takes three to four months of consistent practice before the student starts to change, and it takes another four months of practice to fix the vocal habits. There can be a very painful repetition of this, and if you're not careful, you'll go back to the more comfortable way of making sounds, but in your case it's as simple as eating Cheedos, clicking a few times, and then everything changes. "

 Jenny knew that this was the role of Goldfinger, after all, those students in Agata could not have the urgent need to correct their vocal habits as she did, and they could do it according to the amount of practice they did for an hour a day, and spend months to improve it step by step, even if they wanted to work harder, they had to be careful about their vocal cord health. In this regard, her golden finger advantage is really great, first, she is equal to three times more practice time than others in a day, and second, she does not need to worry about her body. Therefore, it is not that she is really talented or anything, it can only be said that she is ruthless enough to herself and willing to do this hard work.

 Of course, she couldn't tell the truth to Agatta, Jenny took a sip of soda, "It may have something to do with some of my habits, I like to figure out everything first, Lockhee and Huanita are like this, when you know the character well enough, it's not too difficult to play it." It can be said that for me, the most difficult part of learning a new skill is to understand and deconstruct it, and once I understand it, it will be much easier to practice and improve it later. "

 This is also a statement, Rob and Agata both nodded in agreement, and Rob even commented, "I think Cesare made a very suitable decision to let you act in a musical, he should have caught this trait of yours, a good agent will not only raise the price for the artist, negotiate the film contract, but also learn to arrange the space for the artist to grow and rise." Since you are this kind of deconstruction learning talent, after playing the main role of a musical for a few months, you will have a clearer understanding of the emotional rhythm of the whole work, and you will know how to grasp the expression skills of a story at all stages of the beginning and end. Of course, this is beneficial for you to be promoted to the leading role of the movie one day, if you don't know how the whole work is interpreted, then in the fragmented filming process of the movie, it will be difficult to grasp the severity of your emotions, which is an expression flaw that cannot be repaired in the later stage. When the audience sees your performance, he will feel that your performance is disjointed and incoherent. Although the lead role in a musical is paid less than playing a supporting role in a movie, it is a better way to hone for a promising actress like you. "

 This dinner, Jenny felt that she also benefited a lot, these two industry giants gave her some guidance from a strategic perspective, although it seemed vague, not like 'I have a role waiting for you to play' such a direct stimulus, but for her future development direction, focus, but played an immeasurable role. Jenny knows that her current acting skills are far from being successful, and she is completely relying on the golden finger to eat, not to mention getting rid of the golden finger, at least if she wants to convert the golden finger into a part of her hard power and apply it freely, then she still has to continue to work hard to improve and find a way to improve herself.

 Of course, she also knew that Rob and Agata couldn't have taken such care of a stranger for no reason, and if her conversation didn't make them appreciate, even with Cesare's relationship, they probably wouldn't have been so instructive.

 This kind of thing is 'the master leads the door, and the practice depends on the individual', although Cesare is an extremely powerful agent, but at least some of these resources she now earns back by herself. So don't look at newspapers and magazines that often report that an actor is very in-depth and knowledgeable, it seems to have become a cliché, in fact, if you want to blend into the tall director circle and get resources to impact the actor and actress, you just have to have such a level. For example, in "Titanic", Cesare is no matter how good he is, it is impossible to operate Jenny as the heroine, in this case, whoever can get James Cameron's appreciation will have an advantage. So who does Cameron admire more? Is it an actress who is usually very chatty, or is it a little fresh meat who is out of place and can't communicate at all?

 To put it mildly, if one day Jenny really gets mixed up in the directorial circle and becomes a confidant with five or six big directors, then Cesare's role in her will be greatly reduced, or even dispensable. - Of course, it can't happen overnight, so she still needs Cesare, and she needs Cesare very much. After all, if she can think of this, others can definitely imagine it, this kind of actress who has a good relationship with the big director will be her most powerful competitor in many cases, without Cesare's help, she may not be able to overcome the hurdle of the heroine of the famous director blockbuster in her life.

 So for Jenny, Rob is a sign of her luck as a future director, he is still in the beginning of his career as a director, the two can be said to have known each other for a small time, and Rob is also in a very stressful period, Jenny took every opportunity to express her confidence in "Chicago", and even said the truth that "I think it can win the Oscar for Best Picture". Although Rob thought she was a bit exaggerated, she was obviously very much more likely to laugh at it, and the number of laughs had increased significantly.

 "You have to come to the party. At the time of his farewell, Rob said to her, "You should have fun this holiday, I reckon this will be your only chance to have fun in a long time." "

 Because it's now close to the Christmas holidays, according to Broadway convention, Jenny should get her contract after the theater's busiest holiday season is over, and then start training, rehearsals, and possibly wait until the new season starts in February. So she basically didn't have time to go back to Los Angeles, and this time was the most expensive time of the year, and she was reluctant to pay for it - the check for "Chicago" hadn't been sent yet, and she was completely in the same state now, and of course, she didn't have the money to travel around, let alone time. If it weren't for Rob's invitation, Jenny's Christmas Eve would probably have been spent in the show business, and she didn't care about this kind of white holiday anyway.

 "You'd better get along with the troupe. Agatta's parting words were more realistic. "I think your parachute will be a thrill for a lot of people, so you'd better get a few more magic tricks out of your pocket, and get them as if you were going to get your vocal skills — I hope I'll hear good news when I get back from Honolulu. "

 Unlike Rob, who has no intention of going on vacation, she goes on vacation to Hawaii with her family for Christmas and is supposed to return until the end of January.

 Jenny was also mentally prepared for the cold reception she was about to receive, and said with a wry smile, "I'm not so confident in this kind of thing." "

 "As long as you're good enough, everything will change when the show is played. Agata reassured, but from the sound of her tone, she wasn't very confident.

 #

 The decision of the Schubert Theatre, or rather James Schubert, did not surprise too many people, and on Christmas morning, Cesare called Jeanne to inform her that the contract had been delivered to the CAA office.

 "Four thousand dollars a week is not too high. "But I leave room for you to go up." This is your salary level for the first three months, and it is possible that it will rise after three months on stage, depending on the attendance rate and drama reviews. "

 The weekly salary of a Broadway actor is about between 1,000 and 2,000, and tens of thousands are common for leading actors, but the specific amount varies from person to person. The weekly salary is 4,000, which is 16,000 a month, this money is a good income for Jenny, and the market price may be low, but she is already quite satisfied, at least the monthly expenses can solve the urgent need.

 "What about the contract time?" she asked, "a year?"

 One year is also a general practice, the actors of the troupe are signed once a year, and if they do not perform well in the current year, they may be kicked out in the next year.

 "Your contract is special, it's two years. Cesare said, "But you're only guaranteed to play six months a year, and you're only going to play Loxey." "

 Before Jenny could ask, he said, "Yes, I know you're going to have a lot of questions and some oddities about the terms of the contract, but for now I want you to stop asking, remember? "

 "I'm willing to fight to the death to be in a musical, so what's not to trust you?" Jenny asked rhetorically, "Merry Christmas, by the way." "

 "Merry Christmas. Cesare said flatly, "You don't have any plans to go out these days, do you? Lillian and I will be back in New York today, and I will take the time to go with you to the troupe to sign the contract and wait for my call." "

 Jeanne, of course, has no other plans other than tonight's party, and based on her desire to collect money, she thinks that Cesare's words are a very good Christmas present, and with this contract, she can apply to join the Screen Actors Guild, and from then on she will be promoted to a group of people who can buy all kinds of insurance, which can be regarded as a rise in social status.

 Although she was drunk at the first meal, Jenny felt that it was because Rob was really stressed, he wasn't a binge drinker in his daily life, and Christmas parties were also stylish family parties — in fact, Christmas parties were a Broadway feature.

 Traditionally, Christmas is the same as the Chinese New Year, everyone has to go home for the New Year, but for Broadway, the Christmas holiday also means a box office peak, so most of the relevant staff can not return to their hometown, moreover, Broadway's gay is much faster than heterosexual, even if there is a stable partner, there are generally no children, family meaning is very light, so Christmas Eve is willing to a large group of people get together lively.

 For example, in Robb's house, there are many famous Broadway directors gathered, and they are all talking about very industry topics, Jenny can't interject at the moment, and after listening for a while, she was pulled aside by William of Little Fresh Meat to chat. William came with his family today, and just now Jenny was also introduced to the big guy, who is a Jujam executive of one of the three major companies on Broadway, and is also a good friend of Rob, obviously, Agatta, Rob, the big guy and others are a small upper-class circle on Broadway.

 "I know you're a good student of Agata so you can't smoke," William complained, "Now you don't even drink, Jane, you're really boring, it's eggnog, don't you have a little festive spirit?"

 "Both alcohol and tobacco are harmful to the vocal cords. Jenny teased William seriously, "You see Agata never smokes—I remember telling you to quit, but when I came out on the balcony, something seemed to be shining in someone's finger." "

 "Are you talking about my ring?" William pretended to be innocent, showing her the diamond ring on his hand, "the old man's Christmas present to me, three carats." "

 "Tsk. Jenny was so familiar and skilled with this kind of conversation, she took William's hand and made a gesture of envy, "But this is a female ring, are you sure this is not your Christmas present to me?"

 William immediately put his hands behind his back and showed a sly smile, "Who said that men can't wear female rings?"

 He re-lit a cigarette and took a puff, "This kind of joke shows that you really haven't heard of Jules before." "

 Jenny could only be speechless - William's two sentences were too informative.

 "Ah, she's here. Fortunately, before the awkward atmosphere could form, it was interrupted by James Schubert, who was holding a large glass of eggnog and pushing the door into the balcony, "Merry Christmas, my Lockhee." "

 "Merry Christmas, Mr. Schubert. Jenny stretched out her hand, intending to shake hands, but when Schubert caught her hand, he put it to his lips and kissed it gently, turning it into a kiss.

 As soon as he saw this, William did not say a word, and swam away from them like a fish, without even saying hello to Schubert, and Jenny did not know where he had disappeared - Rob's house on Long Island was not small, this terrace was relatively large, they only occupied a corner, and there were several groups of people gathered to talk.

 Jenny withdrew her hand a little embarrassed, and Schubert didn't stop her, just said, "Just call me James, Jennifer, you're a little too rusty with me." "

 He adjusted his posture and stood a little closer to Jenny, but Jenny didn't think it was strange, from the first time he pushed the door and said the first sentence, she had a clear feeling (William believes he also noticed this, Fuck, this kid is really good enough), James is coming at her - as for what he wants to do at her, then it is needless to say, everyone should know it in their hearts.

 I can't help but say that he is very good at choosing the right moment, they have a good contract now, but they haven't signed it yet, at this time Jenny should be the most reluctant to offend him, if she waits until the contract is signed, she can be completely undicked.

 "Okay, James. She said, recalling all the details related to James Schubert in her mind - of course, she didn't like to make herself look easy, James hooked up casually and she did it, but she really didn't want to offend James at this time, so now she could only try to find a way to reject him without being hurt. "Are you a little too enthusiastic about me?"

 James tilted his head, a little pretending to be innocent, "Yes? I thought for my female lead, no matter how enthusiastic it is, it can't be overdone." "

 He's still good, not the kind of person who is not in a hurry, although he put on a posture, but he didn't move his hands and feet, in general, he was expressing his attitude of pursuit, rather than relying on the unequal relationship between the two, and directly ate her.

 What Jenny wanted to find out now was whether he wanted to chase her or ask for sex because of his status, and in any case, she decided to distance herself first. "Shouldn't you be more enthusiastic about the choreographers in the rooms, you know, they all say that it's not the actors who decide the life and death of a musical, it's the choreographers who sing and dance. "

 James burst out laughing, and he took a step back, "Looks like I've scared you, take it easy, Jennifer, your fur is blowing up—don't worry, your worries are wrong, I was just joking with you." "

 Jenny breathed a sigh of relief, and almost wanted to slap him: this person was so boring and weird, and he didn't say much about the previous hour of continuous observation, and now he was making such a nasty joke, did he think she would find it funny?

 "Huh. She laughed dryly twice, and found that James's laughter was louder, so she simply reached out and tapped his arm, "Have you laughed enough? I hope you can laugh when you receive the lawyer's letter tomorrow." "

 "The evidence is insufficient, can a few words be considered sexual harassment?" James was not the kind of person who couldn't afford to make jokes, and Jenny's counterattack only made him more excited. "But you're in a good position, and hopefully you'll do the same at the advertiser appreciation dinner, which is slim, but it might save you from the fate of blowing the flute for those fat pigs." "

 He looked at Jenny's instantaneous frozen expression, and couldn't help but laugh again - it seemed that this might be a joke.

 Jenny was so angry that she slapped him again, but the distance between the two was much closer, and they were not so rusty. "Do you know you're really bored?"

 James took a sip of wine and ended the joke, "Actually, you're right, we theater managers value the relationship with the choreographer more than the actors. "

 He compared the crowd in the room, and the smile on his face also subsided a little, showing some seriousness, "Otherwise I wouldn't have come here after Christmas dinner - Rob's Christmas party is full of big names, and more than 80% of the choreographers of the new show we will develop next year will drink in this room." "

 "Then you shouldn't waste your time on me right now. Jenny half-jokingly said, "Your stage is in the house." "

 "They're important, but so is my new Lockhee. James said, "Would you like to have some wine?"

 "I don't drink. Jenny said. "Protect the vocal cords, you know. "

 "Good. James doesn't seem like Cesare, and although he is more serious at work (which he doesn't), he doesn't hesitate to praise him in private, "I like your professionalism. "

 He simply clinked the glass with Jenny with a large cup, "I'm sorry, I didn't show too much enthusiasm at the audition that day, there are too many things to do these days, and I haven't asked you to meet." Actually, it's time for us to have a good talk, and I hope you understand what your loxie means to me, and it's a big project I've been talking to Chesa for a long time, and I chose you to let me play the last card we can play. You will be the center of my attention during these months, and I hope you will get used to my presence. "

 Jenny's heart was already stirring when she heard the words of the big plan, and by the time James spoke of the last card, the bell in her heart shook like crazy: as she expected, Cesare had made a lot of efforts in private to get her selected.

 Not only was she interested in his methods, but she was also very eager to know what the big project was.

 Based on her superficial knowledge of Cesare, it was useless to ask so much since he didn't want to tell her. But James seems to have drunk a little bit and is in the stage of drinking and talking-

 This is an opportunity for her.