After hanging up the phone outside the Red Penguin Company, Matthew swung his fist in the air, exhilarated by his imminent step towards his dream of stardom and a promising future.
The call was from Angelina Jolie's assistant, who informed Matthew that he was to meet with an agent next Monday at the Universal Studios soundstage in North Burbank for a screen test. The process was described as a mere formality, a quick look by the casting director followed by signing a temporary actor's agreement.
The role was minor, the kind where the character briefly passes by the camera.
Matthew wasn't expecting to skyrocket to fame overnight; that would be unrealistic. His expectations were firmly in line with the reality of his situation.
While he wasn't intimately familiar with Hollywood—most of his knowledge being common tidbits from the era of rampant information, like Angelina Jolie's marriage to Brad Pitt—the previous tenant of his body had gathered a lot of relevant information in his hopes of breaking into Hollywood, and these memories had stayed with him.
Thus, Matthew was clear about his current status: a temporary actor, or in terms used elsewhere, an extra.
No matter the type of actor, securing work required an agent.
Getting a job in Hollywood is tough, but the threshold for being nominally an actor isn't high. Anyone wishing to be an actor, whether professional or temporary, must start by having a photographer take a few headshots and full-body photos, then register at an agency with details like height, weight, and eye color, and sign an agency contract to be included in a database that agencies use to liaise with production teams.
The previous occupant of his body had already taken these steps; he was registered with a small agency and had an agent's number in his phone, though the agent had never contacted him.
Matthew pulled out his phone and started browsing through it as he walked toward the bus stop. With no better options currently available, it seemed wise to try contacting the agent whose number he had.
If that didn't work out, he could always look for another small agency; after all, Los Angeles was the heart of Hollywood.
He had already thought about finding an agent after his talk with Angelina Jolie, but he had been busy with renting a place and working the previous night, leaving no time to tackle this task.
From the memories left by the previous tenant, agents were not only essential for securing acting jobs but could also help plan an actor's career trajectory. Matthew wanted to attend a specialized acting school, which was essential, but he was clueless about how to proceed and needed advice from a professional like an agent.
Hollywood isn't just home to the big five agencies; numerous smaller ones operate in the gaps between them.
Starlight Agency on Sunset Boulevard was one of these smaller firms.
The agency was modest in size and not long-established, hosting seven or eight newly licensed agents with limited resources. The office space consisted of three rooms: one for the boss, the smallest for finance, and a large one for everyone else.
"Hey, Director Kukka, it's me, Dennis. We had dinner the other day."
The caller, a bespectacled fat man, was speaking to a small-time casting director. Despite the fact that the other party couldn't see him, he put on a sycophantic face, "Your film needs twenty corpses, right? I've already lined up the people! Don't worry, they've all played dead before; you could kick them and they wouldn't flinch! When do we sign the contract?"
"Great! Great!"
He grinned until his eyes nearly disappeared when the other side agreed. "I'll be there first thing tomorrow!"
After hanging up, the fat man dropped his servile smile, flopping down into his chair with a creaking noise that suggested it might collapse at any moment.
"Cursed business!" he muttered under his breath, rubbing his stiff face, "All these low-end gigs!"
He felt his talents were wasted on managing temporary actor gigs for the agency. Nearly a year had passed with no cooperation on a film that saw a large-scale theater release. Most were straight-to-video productions. The TV projects were slightly better, but they were firmly under the boss's control, leaving him no room to get involved.
The phone on his desk rang.
"Hello..." He picked up the receiver, "This is Dennis from Starlight Agency."
"Ah, hello." A somewhat unfamiliar voice came through, "Is this Mr. Dennis Kurlt?"
"That's me!" He hoped it was a new business opportunity.
"I'm Matthew Horner." Dennis didn't recall the name. "I registered with your agency a while ago."
Realizing this wasn't a new business call but rather a hopeful nobody, Dennis's tone grew impatient, "What do you want?"
"I've secured a temporary actor role in a production and need an agent to sign the contract."
Dennis was slightly intrigued, "How many parts?"
"Just one."
Upon hearing that, Dennis's fledgling interest evaporated. Was it worth the hassle for a single extra's role?
"Mr. Kurlt?" the caller urged, not hearing a response.
As his cell phone rang, Dennis glanced at it and saw a familiar casting director's name. He set aside the receiver and waved at a young agent who had recently joined the agency, saying gruffly, "Take this call, I've got a business matter to attend to."
The younger agent picked up the receiver and started talking.
Dennis Kurlt answered his cell phone, only to be met with a tirade, "Dennis, what are you doing? I asked for cheap non-union actors, not expensive union members! Why are there union members among the actors you contacted? If I wanted union actors, wouldn't I have gone directly to the union? What do I need you for!"
"Sorry!" Dennis quickly apologized, "That must have been an oversight by my assistant..."
He didn't actually have an assistant; he was just shifting the blame.
"Tomorrow morning!" he promised, "I'll have the right actor profiles to you by then!"
After a few more curses from the other end, Dennis listened and then hung up, sitting back heavily in his chair.
"Wait, I want to confirm this!"
The younger agent's voice carried over, "You said you've got a role in a project directed by James Mangold, starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, called 'Soul Shifters'?"
"What?" Dennis was taken aback, "James Mangold? Winona Ryder? Angelina Jolie? 'Soul Shifters'?"
How could such prestigious names be connected with a nobody extra he hadn't even remembered?
If he wasn't mistaken, this was a Sony Columbia Pictures project with a budget of forty million dollars! Not even the big bosses at his agency could touch that level of production.
Had there been a mistake? Dennis couldn't believe it.
"Yes!" the voice on the other end was firm, "It's a job referred by Miss Jolie."
Jolie? Angelina Jolie? Dennis shot up with surprising agility for his size and dashed across the room, grabbing the phone from the young agent, ignoring his indignant look, and blurted, "Sorry for the interruption, I had a call. I'm your agent, Dennis Kurlt."
The young agent, angry at Dennis's shameless behavior but cowed by his seniority, fell silent.
"Hello, I'm Matthew Horner." The person on the other end seemed oblivious to the exchange, "Can you handle my representation?"
"Absolutely! Of course!" Dennis responded eagerly.
For an agent, a single gig like this might not be significant, but representing it meant the chance to connect with figures from a project like 'Soul Shifters' and personalities like Angelina Jolie, realms he had never touched.
This could be the stepping stone to higher-level business opportunities, a door opener he couldn't ignore.
Idiots might stick to extras forever, but not him, not in this dead-end company.
Thinking of the potential to establish higher-level connections, Dennis hurriedly said, "Let's meet, Matthew. Come to the office, and we'll discuss everything in person."
After hanging up, Dennis noticed the young agent still staring at him. He snorted, "What are you looking at? He was my client all along."
He was right. The young agent, still visibly upset, reluctantly sat back down.
About forty minutes later, a receptionist brought a young man into the office, announcing, "Dennis, someone to see you."
Following her gaze, Matthew saw a heavyset man with glasses, easily weighing over 200 pounds.
"Are you Matthew?"
The fat man smiled broadly and approached. Matthew nodded, "You're Mr. Dennis Kurlt?"
"Just call me Dennis," the fat man said familiarly.
He glanced at his watch and suggested, "Let's talk over coffee downstairs."
Matthew agreed, and they headed to the café. Once seated, Dennis ordered two coffees and asked, "This is a job referred by Miss Jolie?"
"Yes," Matthew replied without hesitation, playing his cards well, "Please keep this confidential. Miss Jolie doesn't want others to know."
Dennis nodded, "Tell me about it."
Matthew had prepared his story well, embellishing where he could. Essentially, he narrated his journey to Hollywood, a serendipitous meeting with Jolie, and how she helped him land a temporary acting job.
"Rest assured, I'll accompany you on Monday."
After hearing everything, Dennis declared proudly, "Just focus on acting. I'll handle everything else!"
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