Chereads / Hollywood: The Light Shines on Him / Chapter 5 - Thanks, Bugatti

Chapter 5 - Thanks, Bugatti

In the 1990s, retro styles became a significant trend in the American clothing industry.

 

For men's fashion, elements of anti-traditional styles from the 1960s, such as jeans and pullover knitwear, and the vibrant, eccentric punk trends of the 1970s made a strong comeback. Wide shoulders, long lapels, and skinny pants resurfaced as well. The casual style of men's clothing, once reserved for informal days, gradually spread to all working days. Meanwhile, the ready-to-wear market flourished, causing a decline in demand for formal suits. As a result, traditional tailor shops faced shrinking market space and started evolving. The more established shops shifted their focus toward haute couture to stay competitive.

However, beyond the retro revival, 1990s menswear had its own distinctive characteristics. For instance, new high-tech fabrics emerged, giving old styles a refreshed look. Bright, bold colors became popular, even in slightly more formal suits, which featured striking color combinations.

Additionally, suits and shirts were designed to be wide and loose, often padded with thick shoulder pads to accentuate a man's physique. These features aimed to convey power and confidence.

In Lois & Clark, the costumes for Clark Kent and other male characters were heavily influenced by contemporary trends. Burgundy, dark blue, and brown-green plaid flannel shirts featured prominently, with loose, casual designs. Thick shoulder padding enhanced the impression of broad shoulders and added a sense of security. Occasionally, men would skip ties for work, layering cotton crewneck T-shirts under their unbuttoned shirts, allowing the light-colored fabric to peek through.

If modern tailoring highlights men's silhouettes and creates the allure of "formal temptation," then the 1990s were entirely different. Formal wear from this era, with its oversized and padded design, was more about conveying seriousness and stature than attraction.

Under this retro aesthetic, it's no wonder that when William emerged from the dressing room in a high-tech black bodysuit, he left everyone in the studio stunned.

His dark brown hair, slicked back with hair wax, revealed a smooth forehead and sharp, cold brows. The sleek, black bodysuit covered him from neck to ankle, accented only by royal blue wrist guards. There were no other colors on the ensemble.

Given the sci-fi theme of Lois & Clark, the high-tech criminals' costumes needed to reflect advanced technology. William's bodysuit was crafted from premium spandex—the same material used for Superman's uniform. The fabric was smooth, elastic, and glossy, with a subtle reflective quality under the lights. It clung to his skin, perfectly outlining every muscle and curve, down to the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Unlike Superman's vibrant red, yellow, and blue uniform, William's black suit might seem plain, but its simplicity exuded a unique kind of sex appeal. Sometimes, less truly is more. Think of Julia Roberts' iconic men's white shirt in Pretty Woman, Audrey Hepburn's timeless little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's, or Marilyn Monroe's unforgettable white halter dress in The Seven Year Itch. These moments proved that simplicity can be powerfully captivating.

William Bradley is now perfect for this simplicity and sexiness, and all the female creatures in the studio, and even some of the men, look at him as if he was the most delicious piece of meat.

 

Say a man under twenty is sexy?

Some people may think this is ridiculous, but just as Lolita, to Humbert, was the god of love, beauty, and sexiness, William, who has both youthful and mature temperaments and can freely switch between them, is also very sexy in the eyes of many people at this moment.

For the first time, a female producer, who is over 50 years old, has the urge to eat tender grass.

"That mechanical demeanor is too electric! It's a bit like Arnold's coldness, but not quite." The middle-aged lady in the off-white dress whispered to her friend, "To be honest, if he wasn't the same age as my son, I'd really like to leave him a phone number!" "

"Go, go, pull Bradley back to the dressing room and get back on makeup!" Director Schuster circled around William, turned to the makeup artist and said angrily and with a smile: "Draw the eyebrows thicker, wipe off the lipstick-"

"I didn't put lipstick on him, director." The makeup artist said aggrievedly: "The handsome little William was born with red lips"

"—then cover his lips! Don't be so obvious about your cheekbones, he's too handsome, if he looks on camera like this, he will steal the limelight from Superman and the whole story! "

Although the tone was a big NO, in the heart of director Schuster, he couldn't help but admire the young actor in front of him: wearing a simple costume can become a luminous body, so that everyone's eyes and even the camera lens can't help but revolve around him, this is simply born to be a star!

The makeup artist shrugged and turned to the actor to follow her.

William followed without any objections.

William has no opinion on the director's request to dress himself up ugly, one is that he can't risk losing his role and protest with the director in order to be more handsome on camera, and the other is that actors are sometimes too handsome or too beautiful, which is actually a restriction on the way to act.

For example, Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise, because he is too handsome to attract the box office, so he is characterized as a commercial film actor by academic film critics and judges - even if he can make more money, which actor is willing to be characterized as a commercial idol actor and never have an Oscar chance from now on?

So in fact, many years ago, Tom has been trying to take on some literary and artistic films, and play roles with complex personalities in them, such as "Rain Man", "Few Good People", "Born on July 4th", etc., Tom Cruise performed well in these works, and even won an Oscar nomination for actor, but the big hat of "commercial film idol actor" was still firmly worn on his head, and he couldn't take it off even if he wanted to.

Although God gave William a face comparable to Tom Cruise, who could make a living and even become popular just by his appearance, William didn't want to end up being limited by his appearance and becoming a "male vase". Although it is a bit too early to consider whether the appearance will limit the acting path in the future when you have not yet become famous, it is always not wrong to take precautions.

 

...

 

After three hours of intense shooting, director Schuster said "CUT", and today's scene finally ended.

Schuster touched his chin and was very satisfied with today's shooting progress, if things go at this rate, he would get the outdoor scene done tomorrow, modify and supplement it the day after tomorrow, edit it the following day, and never delay next week's broadcast.

The production process of American dramas is also like an assembly line: Monday to read the script, Tuesday to change the script, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday shooting, Saturday editing, next week's broadcast.

The screenwriters follow the series at any time, so that they can modify the plot according to the audience's opinions after the broadcast of last week's episode. Thus, the situation of filming and broadcasting while revising has highlighted the core concept of Hollywood people making dramas - the audience is God, and ratings are everything.

In the studio, when the director ordered the shooting to end, everyone stopped their movements, wiped the sweat from their heads, and showed a relaxed smile on their faces.

Dean Cane, who was wearing a Superman uniform, released his grip on William's arm and smiled at him: "I'm sorry, I just saw a painful expression on your face, it seems that my strength is too great? Sorry, I didn't mean to. "

"It's fine." William moved his neck, and when he saw that there was no big problem, he replied with a smile: "If you really feel sorry, why don't you give me a few more autographs?" "

Dean Kane showed a surprised expression, William shrugged his shoulders, and deliberately exaggerated: "No way, 'Superman' is so popular in school, almost every boy dreams of being you, with powerful superpowers, punishing criminals and saving the world, etc., This episode will air in about two weeks. If my friends knew that I had seen you, but didn't ask for an autograph, I would probably be torn to shreds." "

Dean was amused, and he was actually tired of signing autographs in Superman's name, but this time he readily agreed, "No problem." "

With the autograph in hand, William changed his costume and left the studio to say hello to Yamon.

As soon as he walked over, a middle-aged man standing next to Yamon preemptively said, "That Bugatti Veyron sports car is really cool." "

"Thank you?" William replied with some confusion: "But it is not my sports car, it belongs to my friend, he has gone abroad, and he is left in my care." "

William, who turned his gaze to Yamon Goffman, tried to get some hints from the other party. He then found Yamon looking at the middle-aged man with the eager eyes.

'Probably a director, or an important person in the production department.' William thought, 'Look at Yamon's attitude, and just write on his face that: Opportunity is coming to my bowl.'

"Well, I have a character here that I want you to try, but that character needs to be equipped with a good car, and I haven't seen a better sports car than the Bugatti in years." The middle-aged man said, "Do you mind bringing a sports car into the camera? Of course, there will definitely be rental fees and gas money. "

 

Before William could say anything, Yamon Goffman had turned his gaze sharply to him. The eagerness and expectation in his eyes made William's heart move, and he instantly smiled and agreed, "I am honored, sir."

The middle-aged man smiled and shook William's hand: "I'm Robert Singh, you can call me Mr. Singh."

Then he turned to Amon and said, "As we have agreed, we will bring him to the audition tomorrow."

Amon sent Robert Singer away with a smile, and after the other party's back disappeared around the corner, he turned around excitedly and hugged William: "You got a great audition! No, it's not even an audition, Singh is the director of the FOX TV series production department, and since he is optimistic about you, this role is definitely yours! Will, I have a hunch that your popularity is just around the corner! "

"Calm down, Yamon… calm down…" William was given goosebumps by Yamon's enthusiastic embrace: "What is it about the audition that makes you unable to even maintain the mask of a WMA elite agent?"

"It's an opportunity you definitely don't want to miss..." Yamon deliberately dragged out a long note as if revealing the mystery.

"90210! "

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