In the office of the film set, Gail Levin was faced with a thick stack of documents. As the casting director for the crew of "Almost Famous," he was at the threshold of auditions for several supporting roles, swamped with a mountain of work.
He picked up an actor's application and glanced at the films they had acted in, seeing only two titles he had never even heard of, and promptly marked an X over them.
"Amy..." Gail Levin instructed his assistant director across from him, "Disqualify any actors whose experience does not meet our requirements. Don't bother sending them audition invitations."
The female assistant director adjusted her glasses and replied, "Understood."
Gail Levin continued his work, buried in applications. The actors' information that made it to his desk were mostly from those without connections. The actors with real networking would have already received their audition invitations.
"Almost Famous," with a production budget of sixty million dollars, was one of DreamWorks' key films for the year. The preparation for adequate funding had even been pushed from last year to now. The director and producers placed extraordinary emphasis on casting, not considering actors for major roles, let alone supporting ones like band members, who had only acted in a few films.
"Mr. Levin."
Assistant director Amy-Lynn suddenly spoke, "Take a look at this actor's information."
She was just an assistant director, so naturally, she sought the decision of Gail Levin, the casting director, on uncertain matters.
"What is it?" Gail Levin looked up from behind the stack of documents.
Amy-Lynn handed over a resume, "This actor applying for the role of Russell Hammond has only been in two films, one music video, and a TV show..."
Gail Levin didn't take the documents, interrupting Amy-Lynn, "Lacks experience, disqualified..."
"Let me finish," Amy-Lynn insisted, cut off mid-sentence, "He starred in 'Soul Transfer Girl,' 'Gladiator,' was the lead in a Britney Spears music video, and played Ronald Spears in 'Band of Brothers'..."
"Ah?" Gail Levin immediately took the documents from Amy-Lynn, flipping through them, "The 'Band of Brothers' produced by Hanks and Spielberg? That's the one!"
He muttered to himself, "Matthew Horner, I remember reading that name in some publication."
Amy-Lynn then reminded him, "There are photocopies in the back pages."
After reviewing the actor's resume and glancing at the attached photos, Gail Levin saw the photocopies, starting with a page from "Entertainment Weekly," featuring Matthew Horner walking the red carpet and in military uniform, as well as introductions about his roles in well-known films like "Soul Transfer Girl," "Gladiator," and "Band of Brothers," and his work with Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder, and Russell Crowe, among others.
This couldn't be fake; the photocopy included the issue number of "Entertainment Weekly," which could be verified by checking that issue.
There were also photocopies of Matthew Horner with Ridley Scott on set, Britney Spears on the beach filming a music video, and him listening to David Frankel in "Band of Brothers."
These were undoubtedly authentic!
Gail Levin closed the documents, no longer needing to see more. If they didn't extend an audition invitation to such an actor, then hardly any of the actors' information on this desk would qualify.
He picked up a pen and marked a check, telling Amy-Lynn, "Pass directly if we encounter such cases in the future."
The office quickly returned to silence.
Matthew received the notification call from Helen Herman while practicing Kevin Spacey's performance in "American Beauty" in front of a mirror, securing at least a basic entry qualification for "Almost Famous."
After hanging up with Helen Herman, he ended his practice session, turned off the camcorder and TV, and sat down in front of his newly purchased computer, logging into the blog he had registered recently.
Despite the frustratingly small fourteen-inch curved display and slow internet speed, Matthew found it bearable given the era's standards.
He first decorated his blog page, then logged into MSN. Having bought the computer only a few days ago, he had very few contacts on MSN, precisely four, all acquaintances from real life: Helen Herman, Elena Polyar, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy.
As for Britney, she was too busy to spend time on a computer. Matthew had flown to Pittsburgh to see her just a few days ago, and they had managed to spend just over an hour together. A pop star of her caliber hardly had time for computers.
Scanning MSN for messages and finding none, Matthew continued to work on his blog, preparing to write a post.
Since returning from the "Band of Brothers" crew, he had occasionally written something to practice his English writing skills.
But speaking and writing were entirely different matters. Matthew typed a few words, deleted them after a glance, and repeated this process several times, growing increasingly frustrated.
He decided to stand up, drink some water, and calm down before returning to the computer.
"Let's write something simple..." Matthew muttered to himself.
He had initially planned to write about his experiences on set, but that was beyond his writing capabilities at the moment.
After some thought, Matthew began typing.
"My first blog post, what should I write about? Hmm... I'm an actor, the not-famous kind. But I just received an audition notice for a big project with a sixty million dollar production budget. Even though it's for a minor supporting role, I'm really happy."
He paused, then added a few more lines: "Cheer up! I'll definitely pass the audition!"
Then, he published the post.
Unfortunately, with no followers on his blog, Matthew browsed a few portal sites, checked some news, and returned to find his blog post's view count still at zero.
In an era overflowing with social networks, where a single tweet from a celebrity could elicit thousands of responses, he had also engaged with these platforms, even following a few celebrities and gossip studios on Twitter.
Gossip about big-name celebrities from across the Pacific filled many of his lonely, difficult nights, much like certain romantic comedies, providing rare comfort to the single.
A message notification on MSN pulled Matthew back from his memories, coming from Elena Polyar.
"Big star, got any insider news?"
Matthew thought for a moment and replied, "An A-list just started a blog, does that count?"
"You have a blog?" Elena Polyar typed back, "Send me the link."
Matthew copied the URL and sent it to Elena Polyar.
There was silence from her end for a while. Matthew resumed browsing the web. About two minutes later, Elena Polyar sent another message.
"Which crew's audition are you preparing for?"
"DreamWorks' 'Almost Famous,'" Matthew typed after a moment's thought, adding, "Why? Planning to give me a boost?"
He was just making a casual remark, not expecting Elena Polyar to reply, "I could release a news piece to promote you. I met Helen Herman last week; she provided me with a valuable news tip. Consider it returning the favor."
Matthew wouldn't refuse such an offer, "Sounds good. Will your editor approve?"
"You were just on 'Entertainment Weekly,' right?" She was well-informed, "And 'Gladiator' is still in theaters. Shouldn't be a problem."
"Then I'll wait for your good news."
Matthew chatted a bit more with Elena Polyar before finding a professional actors' website to browse.
After studying at the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, his acting had improved, but starting from a low base without prior foundation, his talent was at best mediocre.
Playing a character like Ronald Spears with almost one facial expression was manageable, but a complex bisexual role was challenging.
Despite the difficulty, he never thought of retreating. In the fiercely competitive Hollywood, opportunities were crucial, but capability was key to seizing them.
He wasn't a prodigy; talent wasn't innate but honed through practice.
Over the past year, he had consumed vast amounts of material related to acting, yet found little applicable.
The next day, Matthew specifically bought a copy of the grandiosely named yet essentially gossip-filled "American News Report" to see if Elena Polyar had indeed written a news piece about him.
After flipping through the paper at home, he found a small article, barely larger than a tofu block, credited to Elena Polyar.
"The rumored boyfriend of Britney Spears, Matthew Horner, who starred in heavyweight films like 'Gladiator,' has recently been the subject of new buzz. According to insiders, he is preparing to join the shooting of DreamWorks' sixty million dollar production 'Almost Famous'..."
Although the report was brief, Matthew felt satisfied. It was, after all, a positive development.
"American News Report" had a substantial circulation in the western region, not a small audience by any means.
Matthew, eager for media attention, would not miss any opportunity to be featured. The materials submitted to the "Almost Famous" crew by Helen Herman included the "Entertainment Weekly" article about him. According to her, media visibility was also a form of experience.
Time flew, and on the day of the audition notification from the crew, Matthew, accompanied by Helen Herman, arrived at the production studio of "Almost Famous."
This initial audition resembled that of "Band of Brothers," focusing on personal appearance and demeanor. If the external attributes didn't match, there would be no chance for a makeup audition.
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