Hollywood Domination Chapter 35: Christmas Party

"This should be a talent." Agata took a sip of her after-dinner coffee, "I mean, indeed, her basic skills still have many flaws, far from being solid, you can easily Pick out more than a dozen shortcomings, but you can't realize all these when she is performing. It can be said to be passion, and it should be said that the passion in her performance has overshadowed everything."

"What we lack is this kind of talent." Rob also showed his approval, "In fact, this kind of talent is the most scarce thing in this entire industry."

"But it's hard to say she's an explosive actor," Agata gestured in the direction of Jenny, "or an experiential genius, we've all seen that kind of actor with a strong personality, John Neil Depp, Phoenix River, Jennifer are completely different from them. You can even say that she has a dual personality. Normally she has a temperament, plain and inconspicuous, which makes people doubt your vision. Rob—— —”

Rob chuckled, "But when she pulls herself together and starts to perform, it's a completely different performance."

"Yeah, that's a whole other story," Agata said. "Of course I've seen her in "CSI," and what I'm curious about now is how she handles Juanita and Roxy, you know, the two characters go in the same direction, but you handle completely different."

Jennie, who has been sitting on the sidelines and being talked about by others, has finally been brought into the topic now-after the audition, the theater had no other arrangements for her, so Rob really let her have dinner at home, of course. Invited his friend Agata.

In the previous post-dinner drink, both Agata and Rob were talking about Jenny's "amazing talent", and she could only listen with a slightly guilty apology. These two masters are really worthy of their status as masters in the industry. The comments made on her performance from the perspective of bystanders are so good that Jenny is a little cold sweat.

"It is true that both Juanita and Roxy seem to be arrogant and glamorous characters, but I think their differences are very obvious." Jenny said, "The most obvious point is that Juanita is smart and elegant. , she is a strong person, so the audience will easily forgive her crimes. After all, more or less, we all have a bit of a strong mentality. But Roxy is ignorant and vain, she is a weak person, and she cannot arouse the audience's impulse to cheer for her, Therefore, the audience will appreciate her beautiful singing and dancing just like Lawyer Billy, but at the same time they are well aware of her ugly nature, shaking their heads and smiling in pity. As the epitome of the times, Roxy inspires the sympathy of the audience, so When dealing with Juanita, you must be restrained and restrained, but when dealing with Roxy, you must be more outward and exaggerated."

Agata and Rob looked at each other, both smiled and nodded. Rob shook his head and said, "I really don't know where your theories come from, Jenny, you obviously just graduated from high school, but your conversation is like He is a top student at UCLA.”

"And her learning speed," Agata drank some wine during dinner just now, so she talks a lot now. "It baffles me. Seriously, Jennifer, I've taught many more talented students than you, and even now I don't think your talent—your voice, your range, Better than some of my top students, but I'm so amazed at how fast you're improving. Can you believe it, Rob? She's corrected her vocal habits in five days, changed the way a muscle group works, if not It happened right in front of my eyes, and I definitely dismissed it as ridiculous. No one, no one, can break an ingrained habit in a few days. Usually, it takes three to four months of consistent practice before students start to change. , it will take another four months of practice to fix the habit of vocalization. There may be a very painful iterative process. As long as you are not careful, you will return to the original more comfortable way of vocalization, but in It’s as simple as eating Cheedos on your body, a few clicks, and then everything changes.”

Jenny knows that this is the function of the golden finger. After all, those students in Agata cannot have such an urgent need to correct their vocalization habits. They can do it according to the practice amount of one hour a day, and spend several months step by step. Even if you want to redouble your efforts, you must take care of your vocal cord health. In this regard, her golden finger advantage is really great. First, she has three times more practice time than others in a day. Second, she doesn't need to worry about her body. So this result is not because she is really talented or something, it can only be said that she is cruel enough to herself, and she is willing to put in this hard work.

Of course, it was impossible for her to tell the truth to Agata. Jenny took a sip of soda water, "This may have something to do with some of my habits. I like to think clearly before doing anything. Roxy and Juanita are In this way, when you know the character well enough, it is not too difficult to perform it. It can be said that for me, the most difficult part of learning a new skill is the process of understanding and deconstructing it. Once understood, the subsequent practice and improvement It will be much easier."

This is also a statement. Both Rob and Agata nodded in agreement, and Rob even commented, "I think it is very appropriate for Cesare to let you play the musical. Considering your characteristics, a good agent will not only raise prices for artists and negotiate film contracts, but also learn to arrange space for artists to grow and improve. Since you are such a deconstructive and learning talent, then acting for a few months After the protagonist of a musical, you will have a clearer understanding of the emotional rhythm of the whole work, and better grasp the expression skills of a story at each stage of transition. Of course, this will be beneficial for you to be promoted to a leading role in a movie one day. If you don’t know the whole work How did you interpret it? During the fragmented shooting process of the film, it will be difficult to grasp the severity of your emotions. This is an expression flaw that cannot be repaired in the later stage. When the audience sees your performance, he will feel that your performance It's disjointed and incoherent. A lead role in a musical, while less paid, is a better path for an up-and-coming actress like you than a supporting role in a movie."

Jenny felt that she had benefited a lot from this dinner. The two industry giants gave her some pointers from a high-level perspective. Although it seemed vague, it was not like "I have a role waiting for you to play." 'Such a direct stimulus, but it has played an immeasurable role in her future development direction and focus. Jenny knows that her current acting skills are far from being a great success, and she is relying entirely on her golden fingers to earn a living. Let alone getting rid of her golden fingers, at least if she wants to convert her golden fingers into a part of her hard power and use them freely, Then she still has to continue to work hard and find ways to improve herself.

Of course, she also knows that it is impossible for Rob and Agata to take such care of a stranger for no reason. If her conversation does not make them appreciate, even if there is a relationship with Cesare, they may not be like this give pointers.

This kind of thing is 'the master leads the door, and the practice depends on the individual'. Although Cesare is an extremely powerful agent, at least some of her current resources are earned by herself. So don’t read newspapers and magazines that often report that a certain actor is very in-depth and knowledgeable. It seems to be a cliché. In fact, if you want to mix in the high-level director circle and get resources to attack the actor and actress, you just want There is such a level. For example, in "Titanic", no matter how good Cesare is, it is impossible to use Jenny as the heroine. In this case, whoever can get the appreciation of James Cameron will have an advantage. So who would Cameron admire more? Is it an actress who is easy to talk to usually, or a little fresh meat who is completely out of place and unable to communicate?

To put it that way, if one day Jenny really gets mixed up in the director circle and becomes a confidant with five or six big directors, then Cesare's effect on her will be greatly reduced, and there may even be some No more. ——Of course, it is impossible to become like this overnight, so she still needs Cesare now, and she needs Cesare very much. After all, if she can think of this, others can certainly think of it. This kind of actress who has a good relationship with a big director will be her most powerful competitor in many cases. , she may not be able to get over it for the rest of her life.

So for Jenny, Rob as a future famous director is a manifestation of her luck. He is still in the initial stage of his director career. In a very stressful time, Jenny took every opportunity to express her confidence in "Chicago" to him, and even said the truth like 'I think it will win the best picture Oscar'. Although Rob thinks she is a little too exaggerated, he obviously likes this, and the number of times he laughs has increased significantly.

"You must come to the party." Rob said to her when he was leaving. "You should have fun this holiday season. I guess this will be the only entertainment you will have for a long time."

Because the Christmas holiday is approaching now, according to Broadway’s practice, Jenny should get her contract after the end of the busiest holiday season in theaters, and then start training and rehearsals, and may wait until the new performance season starts in February , performing on stage. So she basically has no time to go back to Los Angeles, and this period is the most expensive time of the year, and she is also reluctant to pay-the check for "Chicago" has not yet been mailed, and she is completely living on her laurels. No money to travel nearby, let alone time. If it weren't for Rob's invitation, Jenny's Christmas Eve might have been spent in the performing arts space, and she didn't care about this kind of white festival anyway.

"You'd better get on good terms with the troupe." Agata's parting words were more realistic. "I think your airborne is going to be a thrill for a lot of people, so you better get a few more magic tricks out of your own pocket and do them like you did your vocal skills—I hope I'm from Honolulu You can hear good news when you come back."

Different from Rob, who has no intention of going on vacation, she will go to Hawaii with her family for Christmas vacation, and she should not come back 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 don't have that much confidence in this kind of thing."

"As long as you are good enough, everything will change after the performance." Agata comforted, but from her tone, she was not very confident.

#

Schubert Theatre, or James Schubert's decision did not surprise too many people. On Christmas morning, Cesare called Jenny and told her that the contract had been sent to the CAA office.

"The weekly salary of four thousand dollars is not too high." Cesare said, "but I reserve room for you to increase the price. This is your salary level in the first three months, and it will be determined after three months on stage. Attendance and drama reviews may go up."

The weekly salary of a Broadway actor is about 1,000 to 2,000. For leading roles, tens of thousands is common, but the exact amount varies from person to person. The weekly salary is 4,000, which is 16,000 a month. This amount of money is a good income for Jenny. The market price may be low, but she is already quite satisfied. At least monthly expenses can solve her urgent needs.

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

One year is also a common practice. The troupe actors are signed once a year. If they do not perform well in one year, they may be kicked out in the next year.

"Your contract is quite special, it's two years." Cesare said, "But you only guarantee performances for six months a year, and you only perform Roxy."

Before Jenny asks, he says, "Yes, I know you'll have a lot of questions, and the terms of the contract are a little weird, but I hope you don't ask questions at the moment, remember? You should trust me."

"I'm willing to fight desperately to be in a musical, so why don't I trust you?" Jenny asked back, "By the way, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Cesare said flatly, "You have no plans to go out these days, right? Lilian and I will return to New York today, and I will find time to go to the theater with you to sign the contract, etc. My phone."

Of course, Jenny has no plans other than tonight's party. Based on her desire to collect money, she thinks Cesare's words are a very good Christmas gift. With this contract, she can apply Joining the Screen Actors Union and being promoted to a group of people who can buy various insurances can be regarded as a rise in social status.

Although the first meal with her was very drunk, Jenny thinks that it is because Rob is really under a lot of pressure. In his daily life, he is not a carnival party. Stylish house parties - in fact, Christmas parties can be regarded as a feature of Broadway.

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 peak box office, so most of the relevant staff cannot return to their hometowns. Or, there are more gays on Broadway than heterosexuals. Even if you have a stable partner, you usually don’t have children, and the meaning of family is very weak, so on Christmas Eve, a large group of people prefer to get together and have fun.

Like Rob's house, there are many famous Broadway directors and directors gathered, and they are talking about very industry topics. Jenny is still unable to get in her mouth. After listening for a while, she was pulled aside by the little fresh meat William to chat up. William came with his family today, and Jenny was introduced to that boss just now. The other party is an executive of Jujamcyn, one of the three major Broadway companies, and also a friend of Rob. Obviously, Ah Gata, Rob, Daxie and others can be regarded as a small upper-class social circle on Broadway.

"I know you were a good student at Agata, so you can't smoke," William complained, "Now you don't even drink alcohol, Jane, you are really boring, this is eggnog, don't you Don't you have any holiday spirit?"

"Alcohol and tobacco are both harmful to the vocal cords." Jenny teased William solemnly, "You see Agata never smokes—I remember she also told you to quit smoking, but when I came to the balcony just now, a certain There seems to be something shining in the human finger."

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

"Tsk tsk." Jenny is not to mention how familiar and skillful this kind of conversation is, she took William's hand and acted enviously, "But this is a female ring, are you sure this is not your Christmas present for me? "

William immediately put his hands behind his back, showing a sly smile, "Who said men can't wear women's rings?"

He lit another cigarette and took a puff, "If you make such a joke, it means that you have never heard of Jules before."

Jenny can only say nothing——William's two sentences contain too much information.

"Ah, she's here." Fortunately, before the embarrassing atmosphere formed, James Schubert, holding a large glass of eggnog, pushed the door into the balcony and interrupted, "Merry Christmas, my Roxy."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Schubert." Jenny stretched out her hand, intending to shake hands, but after Schubert grabbed her hand, he put it on her lips and kissed it lightly, which turned into a kiss Souvenir.

Once seeing this scene, William swam away from them like a fish without saying a word, and didn't even say hello to Schubert. Jenny didn't know where he disappeared—Rob The house in Long Island is not small, and the terrace is relatively large. They just occupied a corner, and several groups of people gathered to chat.

Jenni withdrew her hand in embarrassment, but Schubert didn't stop her, just said, "You can just call me James, Jennifer, your attitude towards me is a bit too unfamiliar."

He adjusted his posture and stood a little closer to Jenny, but Jenny didn't find it strange. From the moment he opened the door and said the first sentence, she had a clear feeling (William believed that he also noticed this) , Fuck, this kid is really good enough), James is here for her - as for why he is here for her, there is no need to explain it, everyone should know it in their hearts.

I have to say that he is very good at picking the right moment. They already have a good contract, but they haven't signed it yet. At this time, Jenny should be the last person to offend him. If she waits until the contract is signed, she can instead Absolutely not*.

"Okay, James." She said, quickly recalling all the details related to James Schubert in her mind-of course, she doesn't like to make herself appear easy, and she will get started when James hooks up casually , but she really doesn't want to offend James at this time, so now she can only try to find a way to reject him without hurting the face. "Is your attitude towards me a little too enthusiastic?"

James tilted his head, pretending to be innocent, "Is there any? I thought no matter how enthusiastic my lead actress is, it's not too much."

He is considered to be a character, not the kind of person who is in a hurry. Seeing the unequal relationship between the two, he decided to eat her right away.

What Jenny wants to figure out now is whether he wants to chase her, or whether he wants **** and entertainment because of his status. No matter what, she decides to distance herself first. "So, shouldn't you be more enthusiastic about the directors in the inner room? You must know that they all say that it is not the actors who decide the life and death of a musical, but the song and dance director."

James suddenly laughed out loud, and he took a step back, "Looks like I scared you, take it easy, Jennifer, your hair is blowing up - don't worry, your worries are wrong, I I was just joking with you."

Jennie breathed a sigh of relief, and almost wanted to slap him: This person is really boring and weird. I won’t say much about the one-hour continuous observation before, and now I’m going to open such a bad one. Just kidding, did he think she would find it funny?

"Hehe." She laughed twice, and found that James' laughter was louder, so she simply smacked his arm with her hand, "Have you laughed enough? I hope you can laugh when you receive the lawyer's letter tomorrow."

"There's not enough evidence. Could it be that a few words are considered sexual harassment?" James is not the kind of person who can't take a joke, and Jenny's counterattack made him even more excited. "However, your response is not bad. I hope you can also perform like this at the dinner to thank the advertisers. Although the chances are slim, this may save you from the fate of blowing **** for those fat pigs."

He looked at Jenny's froze expression for a moment, and couldn't help laughing again—it seemed that this might be a joke.

Jenny was so angry that he slapped him again, and the distance between the two of them narrowed a lot, and they were not so unfamiliar after a while. "Do you know you're really bored?"

James took a sip of his wine and ended the joke, "Actually, you are right. Our theater manager values ​​the relationship with the director more than the actors."

Compared to the crowd in the room, the smile on his face restrained a little, showing some seriousness, "Otherwise, I wouldn't come here after the Christmas dinner - Rob's Christmas party is full of big names, next year More than 80% of the song and dance directors of the new drama we are going to develop drink in this room.”

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

"They're important, but so is my new Roxie," James said. "Want some wine? No?"

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

"Very good." James didn't look like Cesare. Although he was more serious in the workplace (in fact, he was not), he did not hesitate to praise him in private. "I like your professional attitude."

He simply clinked a glass with Jenny with a big glass, "I'm sorry, I didn't show too much enthusiasm at the audition scene that day. I have too many things these days, and I didn't ask you to meet. In fact, we should Let’s have a good chat. I hope you can understand what your Roxy means to me. This is a big plan that I have discussed with Chesa for a long time. Choosing you made me play the last available card. In these few You will be the focus of my attention, I hope you can get used to my presence."

Jenny's heart started to move when she heard the words "big plan". When James said the last card, the bell in her heart rang like crazy: Sure enough, as she expected, Cesare wanted to let She was elected, and she made a lot of efforts in private.

Not only is she interested in his means, but she also really wants to know what this big plan is.

Based on her superficial understanding of Cesare, since he doesn't want to tell her, it's useless to ask so much. But James seems to have drunk a little wine and is in the stage of talking too much after drinking—

This is her chance.

The author has something to say: Note: Cheedos is a small snack in the United States, very popular~

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Updated, the second day of the second update for three consecutive days, so watch the second update later!

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