[Shout out to The Main Man, Lovpreet S and Marcelo M!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 128
The first round of auditions had officially begun. The long line of men was almost 700 and more. These 700 men were actors who wanted to prove themselves.
Most of them were freelancers who didn't have agents. And most of them were semi-amateurs who worked in small production crews. Some of them had experience in acting, in the theater or on the screen.
One thing was for sure, most of them went to the audition hoping to get cast.
Taken was a successful blockbuster. The film has already crossed the $500 million mark. Kazir Grey became a billion-dollar director, as his three films together grossed more than $1 billion.
Even though the odds were against them, these actors didn't lose hope. It would be more depressing if they didn't try.
So, one by one, the men wrote down their information and handed over photocopies of their documents and 2×2 ID pictures.
The casting director and other members of the production crew took a few minutes to look at each actor. Their requirements were simple, as long as they met the basic John Wick look, they would call them.
Unfortunately for these 700 men, they had no information about the role, especially John Wick. They had no idea who he was, his age, his looks, his affiliations.
But one thing was clear, John Wick was the protagonist because, well, the title of the movie was John Wick, obviously.
Only selected actors had any idea who John Wick was. They were privileged enough to read that part of the script.
"Sir, can you please take off your shirt? You know the drill."
The casting director maintained his stoic expression as he looked at the man. Trying to hide his interest.
They just gave each actor a few minutes to show off.
"Yes."
The man, Viggo Mortensen, casually removed his shirt. He knew this was standard procedure. Auditions for action movies require this kind of request.
Viggo Mortensen had been in Hollywood since the 1980s. He appeared in movies like Carlito's Way, Daylight and G.I. Jane. His most notable role was in Lord of the Rings as Aragorn. Although this role would be around the 2000s and his future was still unknown.
Although Viggo Mortensen has been cast in several movies, he unfortunately didn't receive an invitation for John Wick. He didn't read the script, he was completely clueless. He just understood that this movie could be his way to stardom.
Viggo Mortensen thought he and Liam Neeson were on the same level, but Taken just gave Liam Neeson the push he needed. Now the man was a certified 1st tier actor.
The casting director and other people nodded their heads. They started to write something on their papers and wrote down his name.
'He didn't have abs, but his body has a good figure. He can take a few months to train his body to get the right fit.'
At the current, Viggo Mortensen had long hair and a short beard. His age was 41 years old, which was within their requirements. Furthermore, his facial features also met the requirements.
Viggo Mortensen passed the first round of the audition. He put on his shirt again and thanked the production team. He left the room.
When he was a few meters away from the Grey Pictures, he turned and looked at the building. Actually, he also auditioned for the role of Bryan Mills. Unfortunately, Viggo Mortensen didn't get the part. He didn't even pass the first round of auditions.
When he saw the movie, he regretted that he didn't work hard enough. Especially when Taken was the highest grossing movie of the year as of now... No one knew that Titanic, which was to be released on December 19, would be this year's winner.
Only Kazir Grey knew that his movie could only get second place this year because Titanic would drown the world. Although many people congratulated him, Kazir just smiled.
Technically, Titanic was a 1997 movie because it was released on December 19, 1997.
"Maybe this time the role of John Wick will be mine."
Viggo Mortensen said to himself. He had been depressed lately because Taken had taken a toll on him.
So he didn't cut his hair and forgot to trim his beard. So now he had long hair and a beard. He was actually scared about it because it might affect his audition.
He didn't know that his exact appearance was the reason why he passed.
The first round of auditions ended around 10 p.m. More men came to participate in the audition. As for the people who didn't make it to the audition room, it was unfortunate, but they should have gone to the audition earlier.
Tomorrow, the crew's job was to set up audition for other casts. The demand for the protagonist was stronger, so they have different schedules for it.
While Viggo Mortensen was watching a TV show, his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered it anyway.
-- Hello? Is this Viggo Mortensen?
"Ah, yes, this is Viggo Mortensen."
He got up and left the apartment to get better reception.
-- We want to tell you that you have passed the audition. We recommend that you start training your body from now on in case you get the role. Keep your hair long, around shoulder length, and maintain your beard.
"Y- Yes, thank you very much."
Even though he went to many auditions, he was still happy that he passed . At least he felt that his hard work was worth it.
The call ended quickly. The crew had more actors to contact. They would filter the actors until the worthy ones were left.
[Viggo Mortensen picture]
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[So I'm going to announce something that might cause you to drop this novel. But I have to say it anyway. I want my novel to be as realistic as possible... So Keanu Reeves will not be John Wick].
I have reasons why:
1.) Keanu Reeves looks too young to play an old veteran assassin.
2.) He is busy with The Matrix.
3.) His salary will probably be over $5 million. Something that Grey Pictures can hardly afford. The expected production cost of John Wick is only $25 million.
4.) The chances of Keanu Reeves signing a trilogy and cameo deals are very slim.
5.) As if Keanu Reeves will accept the role of John Wick so easily. He has a lot of scripts to choose from. Note that Keanu is at his peak in the 90s.
There you have it. You can spam this novel with 1 star, I respect your decision.