America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Messing up too much, Afraid of Getting Dealt With

Tuesday, an ordinary morning.

Jessica accompanied Martin as they left the apartment, got into Bruce's Volkswagen, and prepared to head to Burbank for the audition.

The car had driven less than a kilometer when it turned into an underground parking garage nearby.

Mene had another car waiting there.

Martin took off his hat and placed it on Jessica's head, saying, "Be careful."

Under the lights, Jessica's skin was so pale it was reflective, and she looked slightly surprised, "Is it necessary to be this cautious?"

Bruce said, "It's very necessary."

Martin got into Mene's car. After Bruce left, they pulled out of the parking garage and followed behind.

It wasn't that Martin was overly cautious, but last year at the wax museum audition, Adrian had targeted Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriend, who at the time was the top contender.

Today, the situation was reversed, with Martin being the top contender for the audition.

They encountered no unexpected incidents along the way and arrived at Warner Bros. Studios, where they met Thomas and together entered the Warner Bros. office building.

The Warrant Order crew had rented half a floor.

Today's audition involved makeup, and a production assistant led Martin and Mene into the makeup room.

Bruce stood guard at the door.

Thomas said, "You guys are really making this complicated."

Bruce nodded: "It doesn't matter for ordinary people, but scumbags who have done many dirty deeds can't be at ease without doing this."

It wasn't just Martin; Bruce also agreed with this approach.

Having sabotaged others many times, they naturally feared being sabotaged themselves.

Thomas looked at Bruce, then through the glass door of the makeup room at the hallway, and thought to himself that these two were truly a natural fit as partners.

Bruce pointed to the water bottle Jessica was carrying on her back, "Don't let it out of your sight."

Jessica, who had been an actress before becoming an assistant, nodded quickly, "I understand."

Thomas figured it out; Martin and Old Cloth were treating the audition like a war, like the kind CIA engages in with dirty tricks.

But thinking about the messes these two were involved in, their actions didn't seem exaggerated.

An hour later, Martin, in an old-fashioned suit, entered the audition room.

In the audition room, besides the casting director Ellen, there were directors like Scorsese and a string of executive producers including Louise.

There were also five nepotism beneficiaries.

Representatives from Warner Bros. and the actors' union were present as monitors.

They demonstrated great professionalism, each engrossed in a portable game console, not interfering with the audition.

An assistant came over to act opposite Martin; the scene for the audition was still the conflict between Colin and his boss Franco.

Less than a minute later, the audition was complete.

Scorsese didn't let Martin go, however, and instead directed the photographer to take several makeup photos of him.

What the human eye sees differs from what the camera captures.

Scorsese reviewed the audition tape and then the makeup photos, growing more satisfied with each look.

Good acting skills, a positive image, bringing funds into the production, and hardworking. Aside from a slightly lesser-known name, there was no other flaw, meeting his requirements for an actor.

"That's enough," Scorsese called a halt to the shooting, then turned to Martin, "Go wait in the makeup room for a bit."

Martin knew they were likely to decide the audition result on the spot and replied, "Alright."

As he left the audition room, Scorsese looked around, seeking the opinions of the various investors, "For the role of Colin Sullivan, I choose Martin Davis. What are your thoughts?"

"Agreed," said Daniel, the representative from Warner Bros., and Louise from Pacific Pictures, one after the other.

Ellen, the casting director, said, "I agree."

Producer Graham King followed Scorsese's lead and raised his hand, "I agree."

With the matter decided, the others also agreed, even Doug from Dyson Films voted in favor.

The five who were playing video games maintained the attitude of mere observers, without the right to voice opinions.

Scorsese glanced at Ellen beside him, "Go let them know."

Ellen stood and left the audition room, walking toward the makeup area.

Thomas saw her and stood up.

Bruce knocked on the door, and Martin came out from the makeup room.

It wasn't just Martin; Mene, Ellen's favorite, also came out.

Ellen gave Mene a subtle nod, then with a smile on her face, approached Martin, "Congratulations, you've got the role of Colin Sullivan!"

"Yes!" Thomas pumped his fist energetically.

Martin came forward to shake hands in thanks, "Thank you! Thank you, Director Ellen."

"Don't mention it," Ellen gave a special reminder, "One thing, go back and study the character and script thoroughly. Don't watch the original film, don't let the original influence you, because the film we are making is a completely different style."

Martin earnestly responded, "I will remember that."

Footsteps could be heard at that moment, and Matt Damon entered the hallway with two others.

Martin saw Damon, and Damon also noticed Martin.

Matt approached Ellen, "Hey, Director Ellen."

Martin turned and went back to the makeup room to remove his makeup.

As Matt exchanged pleasantries with Ellen, he subconsciously turned to look in Martin's direction, only to lock eyes with someone else.

The owner of those eyes was sizing someone up behind him.

Perhaps as a physical stress response, Matt stiffened his abdomen and tucked in his glutes, making his butt nearly invisible.

Bruce looked bored and averted his gaze, sitting back down on the bench by the door.

Thomas watched as Matt went to another makeup room and smacked his fist into his hand, "Martin will definitely catch up to him!"

Bruce thought if Matt Damon was as crappy as Martin, he'd definitely be caught.

Soon, the makeup artist left, and Martin came out, hugging Bruce, Thomas, and Jessica one by one, saying, "Thank you, each and every one of you!"

His words were heartfelt; on his own, he could never have landed the role.

The deciding factor in an audition doesn't just lie within the audition room itself, nor is it only the actor who is the key to victory.

It was a victory for the team.

Before noon, Mene's audition results came in as well.

The revered Mene had the casting director eating out of his hand; the audition was just a formality, and he smoothly landed the role of a black police officer following Colin Sullivan.

Since the current timeline didn't feature Frank's Irish mob with any African American members, the only roles suitable for Mene were on the side of the police.

At noon, Martin called Emily, who was busy at Warrant Order Studio, and along with Thomas, Bruce, and Mene, he treated them to lunch.

This was also his team in Los Angeles.

Martin made a special toast to everyone: "It is thanks to each and every one of you that I secured a role in the 'Infernal Affairs' crew, we are a team, this is our team victory, thank you all!"

Bruce led the way, and everyone clinked glasses with Martin.

As the meal was served, Martin said, "Enjoy, everybody."

Thomas didn't rush to start eating; instead, he took a moment to remind him, "I won't worry about the Warrant Order crew, that's your project, and you're the one who bullies others there. But in the 'Infernal Affairs' crew, you need to be a bit more cautious. It's possible that Matt Damon might have ulterior motives, and Leonardo is not easy to deal with.

And there's one more person you should pay close attention to."

Martin was receptive to this advice; Hollywood male actors' feuds couldn't compare to that of the actresses, but fierce battles did happen.

Thomas specifically named someone, "The one playing the main villain is likely to be Jack Nicholson, and he's notoriously difficult to handle."

Martin nodded, "I know, his bad temper is infamous, like the time he smashed someone's car window with a golf club because they were blocking his way – cost him half a million dollars."

Mene, however, asked, "Heard he's slept with 2000 women in Hollywood?"

Thomas succinctly replied, "Nicholson, along with Marlon Brando and Warren Beatty are known as Hollywood's three biggest playboys, and they live up to the name."

Mene looked wistful, "When I'm over 60, I wonder if I could have that many."

Bruce interjected, "Does Hollywood even have that many female casting directors?"

Martin raised another toast with everyone, saying, "Don't worry, I will try my best to coexist peacefully with everyone."

Bruce instantly became alert, estimating there would be plenty to keep busy with on this crew.

Having been through enough crap with Martin, Old Cloth wasn't worried; whether dealing trouble or being troubled, he had plenty of experience.

After dinner, Martin took a moment to remind Thomas to collect some information about Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson before leaving.

"Don't worry, it's not about causing trouble," he reassured Thomas, "Just a precaution."

Thomas had no choice but to trust him.

For Martin, his most vivid memory of Nicholson from his previous life wasn't his movies but rather that he was one of Meryl Streep's affairs and that stories like Jennifer Lawrence seducing him to climb the ladder were well-known.

After arriving, he realized Hollywood didn't care about these things; similar gossipy stories were almost always true when they came out.

After the 'Infernal Affairs' audition, Martin confronted another audition for Warrant Order.

The difference was that in the former, he was an actor, but in the latter, he was one of the decision-makers.

In the audition room for Warrant Order, aside from Louise, Martin, Leterrier, and the casting director, several nepotism entries were also present.

These favoritism entries clearly lacked professional etiquette, whispering amongst themselves from time to time.

Taking advantage of a pause as actors came and went, Martin asked Louise, "Where did these people come from?"

Louise said, "They're from Warner Bros. and the actors' union, sent over as a part of the routine process."

Martin called Jessica over, "Find four handheld consoles and give them to those four."

Jessica was efficient, and before the next actor entered the audition room, she had procured four handheld consoles and handed them to the industry insiders.

Their professionalism soared as they quietly engaged with the consoles, no longer chit-chatting.

Martin understood, in auditions, the professional etiquette of the stakeholders and actors' union reps sent for routine oversight was closely linked to gaming consoles.

Over at the Warrant Order crew, they signed Morgan Freeman to play the main antagonist.

Other actors were recruited one after another.

In addition, both Martin and Angelina Jolie required stunt doubles, with the latter directly contacting the stunt double who had worked for Jolie in "Tomb Raider 2."

On Martin's side, he called the three stunt doubles from "The Hills Have Eyes"; bald-headed Buck and Lewis were suitable in both schedule and payment, so they joined the crew.

Meanwhile, Thomas negotiated Martin's pay with the 'Infernal Affairs' side, which was only one-tenth of Leonardo's, amounting to two million dollars.

Aside from the lower pay, in all other aspects, he was treated as an absolute lead.