Chapter 50 Break-in

"East 31st Street, audition studio."

Ronald took out a small notebook and compared the address with the address given to him by the taxi driver with a big forehead at the airport.

"This is it."

Ronald and Meg found the address of the audition studio. It was a three-story building with rough exterior walls painted uniformly white. There were black iron handrails on the entrance steps. The simple decoration revealed its extraordinaryness.

A black security guard was placed in front of the entrance.

"Hey, hey...self-recommendations are not welcome here. If you want to audition, please ask your agent to send your portofolio."

The black man stood directly in front the entrance steps behind him, blocking a group of boys and girls who wanted to go in. Several male actors who didn't believe him, but they could not do anything.

"Don't accept actors' self-recommendations?"

Ronald touched his ears. It was the old question of union qualifications.

Regular Hollywood crews will not contact the actors themselves but notify the auditions through their agents.

However, the projects registered by the Actors Guild give priority to union members. To join the Actors Guild, you must get a short-term contract in the registered movies. Agents generally will not sign a person without a union card.

The door for newcomers to enter Hollywood is almost blocked, leaving only a tiny crack. Of course, those actors with connections are not included in this list. Someone will open the door and pull them in.

It seems that the only way is to help Meg find an agent first, submit the audition photos and resume, and then find a way to influence the casting director.

Turning around, Ronald saw Meg holding his arms and looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Ronald's heart was softly pinched by this look, and he immediately felt he has do something. Today, he can't give up so easily, he have to think of other ways to try.

At this time, the white door of the small building opened, and a FedEx deliveryman wearing a purple uniform and a baseball cap hurried out. Ronald had a bold idea in his mind.

"Give me your baseball cap," Ronald said to Meg. "Wait for me here; I'll try to go in."

Meg took off her New York Yankees baseball cap and handed it to Ronald, looking a little puzzled.

Ronald took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket, took the file bag containing Meg and the other two audition photos, whistled, and walked forward quickly.

"I'm here to deliver the audition photos." Ronald opened the file bag, took out the audition photos, and showed them to the big black security guard.

"Which company are you from?" The big black man still stopped him.

"I'm a runner. The actor studio asked me to deliver three extra audition photos and resumes."

Ronald pretended to be a courier boy and waved the file bag impatiently.

"Go in." The big black man put Ronald in and then blocked the remaining boys and girls again.

When he entered the door, he saw the front desk of the studio.

"Delivering the audition materials," Ronald repeated his old trick and waved the file bag in his hand.

"The crew of 'Hot Lunch'?"

"Uh..." Ronald didn't know the name of the movie; he pretended to look at the contents of the file bag. "It's the crew with a lot of boys and girls."

"That's right." The receptionist didn't doubt him. "The conference room on the right after entering the door." He opened another wooden door for him.

This studio is a renovated old house, and the rooms all have wooden doors.

Ronald walked forward alone, and before he reached the conference room, he heard someone talking.

"We have looked at the archives in the studio, all the photos of suitable young movie actors in New York and even Hollywood, as well as those in dramas, musicals, and even TV series. It's okay, but don't you have a suitable extra?"

A woman's voice was saying.

"No, this is not the actor I need. I need... I need an actor with a different temperament, this kind of actor that is very common in England. I don't know if there is no such actor in New York or you didn't find the right one." A middle-aged man's voice was retorting.

Ronald saw this and quietly slipped into the room and closed the door again.

There were two women and one man in the room. The younger woman was about to quarrel with the man.

At this time, another older woman stopped her colleague and said, "Wait, Margaret."

Then she paused and said,

"Director Alan Parker, our casting studio has always been capable in finding all kinds of actors who meet the director's requirements."

"This time, we have spent several hours and have not found a satisfactory actor to invite for an audition. I think this is not normal. Is there some misunderstanding in communication? We have not understood what kind of actor you need."

"I want a real actor, do you understand? Not an American Hollywood star." The middle-aged man waved his hands excitedly and made his grand statement.

Ronald looked at the director and saw that he had long hair, but his big face and stubby fingers betrayed the middle-aged man's attempt to have an artistic temperament by keeping long hair.

'More like a carpenter', Ronald commented in his heart.

"You have to know that in the real world, no one knows whether they can succeed. I don't need a natural winner, do you understand?"

"In England, every actor has received Shakespeare's drama training. They know how to portray an unfortunate person."

"The temperament of the actors you found in the photos is that they are natural winners. When the audience sees their faces, they know that they will win at the end of the movie."

"This destroys the tone of the entire movie. I don't allow the audience to guess the ending from the beginning. I want the audience to experience those misfortunes and dangers with them... worry about the characters, cry for the characters."

The director continued to talk.

The two ladies in the casting studio frowned more and more, looked at each other, and then whispered to each other.

"Margaret, is this the script you got? Why do I remember that the tone of the script I read was very bright and positive?"

"I am sure that our director got another script. The tone of his script is darker. I don't know why he did this. In any case, we have to adjust the direction of the audition..."

The director turned his head and continued to roar.

"In the film and television industry, no one can guarantee you success. The only thing that can guarantee you is a hot lunch. This is the meaning of the movie's title. The people you choose look too confident."

The director picked up the audition photos spread out on the table in the casting studio:

"Look at these faces. Do they look like someone who will fail? The word winner is engraved on everyone's forehead."

"Do you think he can play a role in my movie? What about her? And him?"

The director picked up the photos and handed them to the people present one by one, and also handed one to Ronald.

Ronald glanced at the director and found that Director Alan Parker not only had a big face but also had a nose that took up more than one-third of his face. So that the eyes and mouth seemed to be squeezed to the edge.

"What I need is a real actor. Give me an actor I need, not these people with overflowing confidence. I need the kind of... Do you understand?"

"A real actor?" The slightly older lady tried to answer.

The director shook his head and asked Ronald again, "Do you know? What kind of actor do I need? You can explain it to your colleagues."

It's over. This time, it's exposed.

The two female employees of the casting studio also cast a suspicious look. They originally thought that Ronald was from the director's side, but now it seems...

"Tell me, what kind of actor do I need?"

The director was still asking Ronald questions.

"Um, I think you want an underdog."

Ronald couldn't hesitate at the critical moment, and he said whatever he thought of. He said the answer that he understood in his heart.

"Underdog?" The two female employees looked at each other and saw a hint of understanding in each other's eyes.

"To be more precise, you need a group of hard-working underdogs, just like Rocky. In the end, they may succeed or fail. But in the process of struggle, you need the audience to empathize with them and experience their joys and sorrows."

Ronald simply said more; maybe he could impress the director?

"Ah, finally someone understands what I mean, God bless." The director breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you ask me, although you Americans and English people speak the same language, sometimes it is difficult for us to understand each other. Our cultures are completely different."

The two female employees of the casting studio stared at Ronald intently.

"Mr. Parker, we now understand what you mean. The script we saw seems to be quite different from your current script. Why don't you let us make a few copies of the current script and then discuss the casting issue?"

"Okay, okay," the director handed over the script in his hand, "But this script can only be copied twice. Don't make it public, and only circulate it to the people present."

"By the way, what's your name?" The director turned around and asked Ronald.

"My name is Ronald, Ronald Lee."

He couldn't play dumb anymore.

"I apologize to everyone, I'm not an employee of the casting studio; I'm a photographer. I'm here for a job. I accidentally walked in here and disturbed your work. I'm very sorry."

Ronald took out three audition photos and handed them to the people present.

"Is this Nastassja Kinski?" The ladies who received two photos asked Ronald first.

"Yes, I took this one, and this one is for the romantic comedy."

"Oh, these photos look very good." The employee named Margaret said.

"We were in need of a photographer recently."

"Hi, I'm Ronald V. Lee."

Another female employee also smiled and said, "So you are the Ronald Lee. Sleepy Ron?"

"Uh, that's me." Ronald was annoyed. How did they know this nickname?

"Oh, my God. This is the kind of face I was looking for." The director got the photo of Meg Tilly that Ronald deliberately handed to him.

He showed the photo to the two ladies, saying, "That's the feeling I want."

"Mr. Parker, Meg is outside the door. If you need, why don't you let her in and observe her on the spot to see if she is suitable for this movie?"

Ronald looked at the two female employees in the casting studio, and they did not object.

"Your guard. Someone needs to notify him." Ronald thought of the responsible black man.

"I'll go with you." The employee named Margaret, who had quarreled with the director at the beginning, volunteered to go out with Ronald.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Ronald apologized again.

"It's okay, we are looking for you too," Margaret blinked, "It's not easy to trick Sean."

Ronald knew his attempt to break into the casting studio had been seen through and apologized to her again.

"Have you known Director Parker before?" Margaret asked.

"No, I met him for the first time today," Ronald said.

"Go and call your girlfriend," Margaret said.

"Meg, Meg, come here," Ronald waved desperately to Meg Tilly in the distance.

Meg rushed to the door, and Margaret ordered the big black man to let her in, which caused a commotion among the boys and girls gathered at the door.

"The director of the Hot Lunch crew wants to meet you. He saw your photo and thought he could give you an audition." Ronald said to Meg, who was expecting.

"This is Meg Tilly, and this is Margaret, um...Miss."

"Just call me Margaret, your girlfriend?"

"Uh," Ronald was about to answer, but Meg had already rushed over, put her hands around Ronald's neck, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Ronald. Thank you."

Meg Tilly said, thinking of the days when she had been rejected everywhere, buried her head in Ronald's chest.

"Don't be like this. Today is your lucky day. The director is still waiting; let's go in." Ronald comforted.

"This is Meg Tilly in the photo." Ronald was introduced to the director.

Meg Tilly was waiting nervously on the side...