Chapter 43 45. You have the potential (seeking rewards, seeking follow-up reading, and seeking monthly tickets)

What are you testing for in a movie audition? Is it your acting skills? Your looks? Your background?

The answer is yes, but different types of movies have different focuses.

If it is an art film, then the requirements for acting skills will be higher. Acting skills can break through the limitations of appearance and help actors break through the siege.

For example, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch and others, they all have ordinary looks, and many people even say they are ugly, but they can conquer directors and audiences with their acting skills.

In China, Zhang Yi, Sun Honglei, Huang Bo, Ge You and others also follow this approach.

But if it is a commercial film or a popcorn blockbuster, acting skills are not so important. Of course, it does not mean that you are a blank slate. You still need to know some basic skills, so Eric arranged for Gadot to learn in advance.

For this kind of commercial blockbuster, the director's criteria for selecting actors is more focused on appearance and temperament, and they must fit the image of the characters. Campus films must have handsome men and beautiful women. Who would watch a buck-toothed, round-faced actor, no matter how good his acting is? We are not Ugly Betty.

Megan Fox, the original heroine of "Transformers", Lin Yun from Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid", and the "Twilight" trio who Eric has ordered to expand the script, all follow this routine.

As for the background, it is of course the most powerful of the three, otherwise just ask Gwyneth Paltrow and Xiang Zuo and you will understand.

Since that press conference, MGM has begun to conduct global auditions and received more than 3,400 resumes in one month.

These are all applications from actors. If the auditions were opened to ordinary people, the number would probably become tens of millions.

It is impossible to interview more than 3,000 people. That would be tiring even to death. So the first round looks at their image and resume, and 90% of the people are eliminated at this stage.

Then there are layers of screening, and finally the reports are reported to Eric's desk, and he will finalize the candidates who can participate in the audition.

After a round of screening, only more than 50 people were left from more than 3,000 people. These lucky ones were then sent a brief biographies and some script excerpts to facilitate audition preparation.

Of course, not all of the more than 50 are lucky ones. In fact, more than 40 of them are people with connections, and were stuffed in by their dad’s friends and acquaintances. So background is the most impressive thing.

Even if we don't want to use these people, we still have to give them the opportunity to audition, otherwise it would be embarrassing.

It’s just that after the interview, I was asked to go back and wait for news, and then a few days later I would receive a phone call or email saying that it wasn’t a good fit, without giving any specific reasons, and the matter was over, and we met as usual, hahaha.

In a large house, Tom Hardy sat in a corner, looking at the people who were still walking in one after another, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

He saw James Franco, the young actor who became famous for playing Spider-Man a few months ago. Although he is not a top star now, he is still a hot star. The pressure is a bit high! Then he saw Jake Gyllenhaal, a child star who was nominated for the Best Actor in the Independent Spirit Awards for Donnie Darko last year. The pressure doubled!

The next person to walk in was Heath Ledger, who also debuted as a child star. Last year, he was nominated for the Best Movie Actor award at the 3rd Teen Choice Awards for his role in "Knights of the Cross". He must be under a lot of pressure!

Then we saw Ryan Gosling not far away. It is said that he made his first film last year and was immediately nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Tom Hardy suddenly felt his heart pounding. He had had this feeling before when he auditioned for "Band of Brothers" and "Black Hawk Down".

Fortunately, he got a small role in both works, but that was the end of his acting career.

Those two roles were not enough to help him open up the situation, and even without a microscope, it would be difficult to find him in "Black Hawk Down".

But today I have to audition for the male lead, and that's the male lead of "Transformers". There are so many competitors that I'm really scared.

At this time, another person walked in. Seeing him, Tom Hardy hurriedly stood up and waved: "James, James, come here."

James McAvoy heard someone calling his name, and when he looked in the direction of the voice, he saw Tom Hardy, who also played a small role in Band of Brothers.

Both of them are British actors. They met while filming this drama and chat with each other occasionally. They are not buddies, but they are acquaintances.

"James, it's great to see a friend here. I'm so nervous," Tom Hardy whispered.

"Me too. I was very happy when I received the audition notice. I flew to Los Angeles the day before yesterday, but now..." Zhan Yimei also had a sneer on her face.

"I felt like my chances of getting the role were slim. There was no way I could be better than James Franco."

"Don't be discouraged. James Franco is indeed the most famous, but if it was just fame, MGM wouldn't have cast them, right?"

"Yes, but I'm still very nervous and my heart is pounding!"

"Relax, think about what you learned in school, and take a deep breath. He's here too."

"who?"

Zhan Yimei waved her hand: "Michael, come here, I'm here."

Seeing so many people waiting for the audition, Michael Fassbender couldn't help but gasp when he walked in. Just as he was about to find a place to hide, he heard someone calling his name.

When he turned around, he saw James McAvoy and his junior fellow student Tom Hardy, whom he met during the filming of Band of Brothers.

As if he had found the organization in an instant, he walked quickly towards the two of them.

Although everyone is a competitor, at this moment, he still hopes to be accepted by a warm little group.

It may not be warm, but it can withstand the wind a little. He is cold!

Sitting next to Zhan Yimei, Fassbender swallowed and whispered, "It's so depressing, isn't everyone talking?"

Zhan Yimei raised her chin and said, "Whoever speaks loudly will become the focus, which is not a good thing at this time. Look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Heath Ledger, they are also whispering."

"Who is that guy? He has a great figure!"

"I think his name is Chris Evans. I saw one of his movies last year."

"The male lead?"

"Yes."

"Stop talking, I'm even more nervous!"

Inside the audition room, Eric sat in the middle, with several people sitting on each side, one man and one woman, who were his partners.

The woman's name is Patty Jenkins, she is 31 years old and serves as an assistant director.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of her name, you must have heard of or seen her works.

"Monster" is the movie that pushed Charlize Theron to the Oscar for Best Actress.

A "Wonder Woman", the one that Gal Gadot will star in in the future.

Not long ago, Patty Jenkins was soliciting investments in the market with the script of Monster, and then she was caught by Judy.

I have to say that this girl Judy has a keen eye for choosing scripts. She brought us "Saw" before and now "Monster".

Eric made the decision right away, promising her that he would invest in the film and allow her to direct it, on the condition that she would be Eric's assistant director on "Transformers".

Patty Jenkins signed the contract very happily. It was worth it for tens of millions of dollars in investment in more than half a year!

The man's name is Neil Blomkamp, ​​he is 23 years old, not very old, and works as an assistant director.

His best-known works should be "District 9" and "Chappie". His current ability is definitely not as good as Patty Jenkins, but he has no problem being an assistant director.

After checking the time, Eric said, "Let's get started."

Soon, a big boy with a sunny face walked in and greeted everyone in a dignified manner. He did not look nervous at all. Although he was only 23 years old, he had debuted for 10 years and had experienced similar scenes too many times.

Judging from his appearance alone, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is qualified and it wouldn't be out of place for him to play a 17 or 18-year-old student. Patty Jenkins and others ticked the box on the form.

Eric didn't waste any words. Today was a busy day, so he got straight to the point: "Joseph, have you read the script? What kind of person do you think Sam is?"

This was almost a compulsory question, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was well prepared for it and blurted it out without thinking.

"I think Sam is a somewhat nerdy high school student on the surface. He doesn't stand out in school, he doesn't have a girlfriend, and no one believes his story about his grandfather, so I think deep down he's craving for recognition."

"But at the same time he is very brave and can stand up at critical moments, so he has courage and passion deep in his heart."

"When Bumblebee was captured, he cared about his companions, which shows that he values ​​friendship."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave a qualified answer, so Eric continued to ask: "If you were asked to play Sam, what would you do?"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"I will present the role based on my understanding of the role and in accordance with the director's requirements and the style of the film. This role is interesting but not complicated, and I think I can handle it."

"Very good, you seem very confident. I like confident actors, because that is a reflection of their belief. Let's have a tryout, Neil, please cooperate."

The scene where the two auditioned was the one where Sam, with the help of the Autobots, threatened District 7 to release the people.

This was Eric's deliberate choice. Daily campus family scenes like these were not difficult for Joseph at all, he was used to it. However, this scene was to show Sam's arrogance, and he had to act out the feeling of revenge.

A few minutes later, the performance ended. Eric and Patty Jenkins looked at each other, and then looked at Joseph with calm expressions.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's heart skipped a beat, this kind of scene was indeed his weak area, Heath Ledger was better at it, but he still had confidence in himself, which was the confidence given to him by more than ten years of acting experience.

However, Eric immediately asked a powerful question: "Joseph, you should be studying at Columbia University now."

"Yes, I'm a sophomore."

"Then here comes the question. The filming schedule for Transformers is very tight and I won't allow actors to take leave. Can you delay your studies for three months?"

This problem is very realistic and fatal. You should know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt did not study acting, but French poetry, history and literature. It is a question whether he can keep up with his studies if he is delayed, and whether the school will allow it is an even bigger problem.

Creaky The door opened, and everyone's eyes fell on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's face, trying to read the result from his expression, but to their disappointment, the other party looked calm.

Heath Ledger, a good friend who had worked with him on 10 Things I Hate About You, came over and patted him on the shoulder: “How’s it going, brother?”

When the two of them walked to a deserted place, Joseph Gordon-Levitt spoke up: "Heath, I think I screwed up. You have to cheer up. This audition is very aggressive."

“Is it difficult?”

"It may not be difficult, but he will make things difficult for you!"

"who?"

"That MGM vice president, Eric Cooper."

"Eric Cooper? He should be the producer, right? What about the director?"

"I don't know. There were only those few people in the room. I didn't see the director."

Heath Ledger looked towards the audition room in confusion, then he remembered that the director of "Transformers" seemed to have never been announced to the public.

This kind of thing should have been decided before casting, first the script, then the director, and finally the actors, because selecting actors is also the director's job. If the director is not satisfied with the actors, how can the directing effect be good?

"Anyway, good luck to you, bro!"

In the audition house, after Joseph Gordon-Levitt left, Patty Jenkins looked at Eric.

"Eric, you're being very aggressive today, what's wrong?"

Eric asked back, "Is there?"

Another interviewer in his forties chimed in: "It's so obvious. Among the younger generation in Hollywood, Joseph is pretty good."

"It's just that you seemed to have deliberately chosen that scene for him to perform, but this scene is actually just a small interlude in the movie and is not important. Don't you like him?"

Eric took a sip of water and said, "No, I don't dislike anyone. Those who can reach this level are all the best, but they are good at different fields."

"Joseph, he's great, but I don't think his temperament is right for Transformers."

"Don't you feel it? His artistic temperament makes him suitable for campus or urban fresh movies. If he develops in this direction, I think his future will be bright."

"But Transformers needs sunny boys, and their temperaments cannot be mixed together."

After listening to Eric's explanation, everyone nodded in agreement.

Some people are born with an artistic face, and people's first impression of them is that they look very melancholy. Such actors are born to be most suitable for that type.

"Eric, did you really study finance?"

"Why do you ask, Pierce?"

Pierce Sr. smiled and said, "I have been in this industry for decades and have auditioned at least thousands of actors."

"But if you ask me to analyze what path an actor should take, I would never dare to say it, and I think few people would dare to make a final conclusion."

“Even though Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been in the industry for more than a decade, I’m afraid even he himself hasn’t figured out his position.”

"But you can see his position. You should really talk to Joseph about what you just said."

"Eric, this is a very rare ability, usually only possessed by top directors and producers."

Knowing that the other party was trying to flatter him, Eric took the opportunity to ask, "Do you think I have the potential to become a great director?"

"Hahaha why not? Transformers is pretty good, maybe you can use it to practice."

"Interesting suggestion! You said it!"

Thanks to book friend 20200821144723084 for the reward of 100 coins. I forgot to thank you yesterday. Sorry, the boss is very generous!

(End of this chapter)