"East 31st Street, Audition Studio."

Ronald took out a small book and matched it with the address the taxi driver at the airport told him.

"This is it."

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

However, a burly black security guard in front of the steps ruined the elegant atmosphere.

"Hi, hi... Self-recommendations from actors are not welcome here. If you want to audition, please ask your agent to send you audition photos."

The big black man completely blocked the entrance steps behind him, blocking a group of boys and girls who wanted to rush in. Several male actors who did not believe in evil pushed the big black man's waist, but they were bounced back as if they had hit a wall.

.

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

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

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

However, projects registered by the Screen Actors Guild give priority to union members. If you want to join the Screen Actors Guild, you must get a short-term contract in a registered film. Agents generally will not sign a white actor without a union card.

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

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

As soon as he turned his head, Ronald saw Meg holding his arms and looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Ronald's heart was pinched softly by this look, and he suddenly felt proud. He couldn't just give up today, he had to think of other ways to try.

If Meg can't audition for the movie, it's Meg's loss, and it's the movie's loss.

At this time, the white door of the small building opened, and a FedEx deliveryman wearing a purple uniform and 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 and I'll go try it out."

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

Ronald took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket, took the file bag containing the audition photos of Meg and the other two beauties, 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 an errand boy. The Actors Studio asked me to send three additional audition photos and resumes."

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

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

As soon as you enter the door, you will see the front desk of the studio.

"Sending audition materials." Ronald repeated his trick and raised the document bag in his hand.

“The ‘Hot Lunch’ crew?”

"Um..." Ronald didn't know the name of the movie, so he pretended to look at the contents of the document bag, "It's the crew with many boys and girls."

"That's right." There was no doubt that he was there at the front desk, "Enter the conference room on the right." Another wooden door was opened for him.

This studio is actually a renovated old house, and the rooms are all made of wooden doors.

Ronald was walking forward alone. Before he reached the conference room, he heard a woman's voice speaking.

"We have looked at the archives in the studio, all over New York and even all over Hollywood, of all the photos of suitable young film actors, as well as those in dramas, musicals, and even TV series. It's just that the protagonist doesn't like it. Is there a suitable one?

Are there no extras?"

A woman's voice was saying.

"No, this is not the actor I need. I need... I need an actor with a different temperament, the kind of actor who is very common in England. I don't know if it's because New York doesn't have it, or if you haven't found the right place." One of them said.

The young man's voice retorted.

Seeing this, Ronald quietly slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

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

At this time, another older lady stopped her colleague and said, "Wait a minute, Margery."

Then after a pause, she spoke:

"Director Alan Parker, our casting studio, has always been proud of our ability to find actors of all types who meet the director's requirements.

This time, we spent several hours and still haven't found a satisfactory actor to invite to audition. I think this is not normal. There is some misunderstanding in communication. We haven't understood what kind of actor you need."

"What I want are real actors, do you understand? Not the kind of American Hollywood stars." The middle-aged man waved his hands excitedly while making his grand remarks.

Ronald looked at the director and saw that he had long shawl hair, but his huge face and stubby fingers betrayed the middle-aged man's attempt to grow his hair to give him an artist's temperament.

More like a carpenter, Ronald commented mentally.

"You have to know that in the real world, everyone doesn't know whether they can succeed. What I need is not a natural winner, winner, you know?"

"In England, every actor has been trained in Shakespeare's drama, and they know how to show an unlucky person, an unfortunate person.

The photos of the actors you have found are all born winners with their temperament. Once the audience sees their faces, they will know that they will definitely win at the end of the movie."

"And this ruins the tone of the entire movie. I don't allow the audience to guess their endings from the beginning. I want the audience to experience those misfortunes and dangers with them... worry about the characters and cry for the characters."

The director continued to talk.

The two ladies in the casting studio frowned more and more. They looked at each other and then communicated in low voices.

"Margery, is this the script you got? How do I remember that the script I read originally had a very bright and upbeat tone?"

"I'm pretty sure our director got another script. The tone of his script was darker. I don't know why he did that. Anyway, we have to adjust the direction of the audition..."

Mr. Director turned his head and continued to roar.

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

Already."

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

"Look at these faces, do they look like a loser? Everyone has the word winner engraved on their forehead."

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

The director picked up the photos and distributed them one by one to everyone present, 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 occupied one-third of the face. As a result, the eyes and mouth seemed to be squeezed to the edge.

Place to go.

"What I need is a real actor. Give me the actor I need, not these confident people. I need that kind of... do you understand?"

"A real actor?" the older woman tried to answer.

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

That's it, now I'm done with it.

The two female employees of the casting studio also cast suspicious glances. They originally thought 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 questions to Ronald.

"Well, I think you want loser."

Don't hesitate at the critical moment, just say whatever comes to mind. Ronald gave the answer he understood in his heart.

"Loser?" 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 losers who work hard. In the end, they may succeed or they may fail. But during the struggle, you need the audience to empathize with them and experience their emotions."

Ronald might as well say more, maybe he can impress the director?

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

"Let me tell you, although you Americans and us in England 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 deeply: "Mr. Director, we now understand what you mean. The script we saw seems to be quite different from your current script.

Why don't we make a few copies of the current script and discuss casting later?"

"Okay, okay", Mr. Director handed over the script in his hand, "But you can only make two copies of this script. Do not make it public. It is limited to those present."

"By the way, what's your name?" the director turned to ask Ronald.

"My name is Ronald, Ronald Lee."

I can't keep pretending to be stupid.

"I apologize to you. I am not an employee of the casting studio. I am an audition portrait photographer. I came here to seek cooperation. I came here unintentionally and disturbed your work. I am very sorry."

As he said this, Ronald took out three audition photos and handed them to several people present.

"Did you take Natasha Kinski's new audition photos?" The ladies who got the two photos asked Ronald first.

"Yes, this one was taken by me, and this one was for a romantic comedy."
To be continued...