America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 302 Perfect Audition
Burbank, Leonardo's Appian Way Productions.

Martin came to the front desk, met Thomas who was waiting there, and went into the dressing room together.

Likewise, he called Robert in Atlanta.

The high priest of the Cola Cult immediately took action.

There was no one in the audition room at the moment, so Thomas said, "Return the favor. I will do my best to fight for the pay and treatment you deserve."

Martin nodded: "Once the audition result is confirmed, just go for it."

He was there to return a favor, but the agent wasn’t.

Besides, the script is very large-scale.

Martin doesn't care about size or anything like that. He has taken off his clothes many times along the way.

There is always something to gain every time you take it off. Even if it is a sport that costs hundreds of millions, you can still gain enjoyment and happiness.

Hollywood has a very mature mechanism for nude scenes, with corresponding prices and regulations for how much to take off and where to expose.

These all require Thomas to discuss with the crew.

Several stylists and makeup artists came in and started styling Martin.

Thomas left the dressing room, but Bruce remained there, examining everyone with his wolf-like eyes.

Today is a makeup audition.

Martin's beard was shaved cleanly and his long hair was re-parted into an old-fashioned style. His already young and handsome face looked a few years younger.

The old-fashioned clothes were brought over, and the costume designer took one look at Martin's large frame and said, "Change to two sizes larger!"

The assistant hurried to get it.

The feeling of a thin boy can also be created through styling and lens. For a well-proportioned and strong body like Martin, he can wear loose clothes.

Of course, this also has a limit. It would be useless to have a Johnson who could gain unlimited muscle later on.

If it were O'Neal, there would be nothing he could do.

With the careful care of several top makeup artists and stylists in the industry, Martin seemed to have returned to his appearance when he was 17 or 18 years old.

On the other side, many crew members entered the audition room one after another.

Director Sam Mendes, actress and producer Kate Winslet, investor Leonardo, original author Bernhard Schlink, and producer and screenwriter Anthony Minghella.

Then there are the representatives of the Screen Actors Guild.

Kate asked, "Is the makeup artist done yet?"

An assistant said, "It will take about ten minutes."

Casting director Gina led people to adjust the camera.

Bernhard, the original author, said: "The time span is too long. Can one actor do it? Or a young actor who plays in a commercial film."

"Using two actors is an easy solution." Anthony shared a similar view, but also had doubts: "The only problem is that two different actors can easily give the characters a sense of fragmentation."

Kate finally found Martin, a suitable candidate, and said, "Let's see the audition results first, then we can talk about other things."

Leonardo sat nearby and watched the show with great interest.

Anthony and Bernhard said no more, and were about to have their audition, and it was clear what the details were.

The door of the audition room was opened from the outside, and an assistant brought Martin in.

After taking a closer look at the original author Bernhard, I found that the actor has a good appearance and a very strong aura. You can tell at first glance that he is a very confident person.

This is very inconsistent with the temperament of the young male protagonist.

Anthony is also observing Martin, but he won't judge easily, because excellent actors have many faces, but at the age of 25...

Martin greeted Kate and the others one by one, and took a special look behind them.

As expected, the dedicated gaming team members concentrated on playing the handheld game console and never participated in the actual work, demonstrating their high professionalism.

Sam Mendes took out a script and handed it to Martin: "Let's start."

Kate stood up and walked in front of the camera: "I'll act with Martin."

The audition scene was where the heroine Hannah was changing clothes while the young male lead Michel was peeking at her.

Gina, the casting director, glanced at the camera monitor and said, “Go!”

As she finished her words, Kate turned her back to Martin and unbuttoned her coat one by one, taking it off.

Martin sneaked to the edge of the prop curtain. The shyness and ignorance on his face were gradually replaced by curiosity. He secretly stuck his head out, but then retracted it under the urging of his inner morality.

But the strong desire finally overcame the shackles of morality and the shyness of the boy. Martin seemed to be drawn by a magic power, walked out of the curtain, and couldn't help watching Kate take off her coat...

The original author Bernhard stared at Martin in a daze, as if he saw some real reappearance of his protagonist Michel Berger.

The strong and confident actor opposite him disappeared completely after the casting director shouted "start".

The person is still the same person, but in his eyes, he is no longer the same person.

His temperament has completely changed. The confidence of a successful person is gone, replaced by the youthful restraint. When he walks out of the curtain in hesitation, people can clearly feel his curiosity and desire for mature women. Even his eyes and expressions show the kind of unspeakable but understandable greed for sex. Anthony Minghella looked at the actor in front of the camera, and for some reason, he subconsciously turned his head to look at Leonardo. Leonardo, who was in his thirties, was just like this when he was in his best condition.

Just by using his eyes, subtle expressions and a few body movements, he was able to perfectly portray the youthfulness and innocence of the boy.

At this moment, Kate seemed to realize something and turned around.

Martin turned around and ran, ran past the curtain, hid behind the wall, held down his heaving chest, and after a moment he walked out step by step.

The conflict between ethics and primitive desires suddenly broke out at this moment.

The uneasiness and shame of peeking at the heroine changing clothes, unable to resist the temptation and desire, even though he knew it was "dangerous" to come back, he still struggled to come back.

At this moment, Leonardo cursed Martin a thousand times in his heart, and then sighed: This pervert and bastard is indeed the most suitable to play a pervert.

The little pervert is also a pervert!
The audition scene ended here, and Sam Mendes shouted, "Stop!"

The male and female protagonists in front of the camera seem to be still trapped in their roles and unable to extricate themselves, walking towards each other step by step.

After walking a few steps, Martin was the first to break away and shouted, "Kate!"

Kate Winslet seems to be completely immersed in the character's emotions, just like Hannah is about to do, reaching out and touching Martin.

The script is quite explicit, with many scenes going straight to the obscene level.

Kate's hands were like that, too.

Martin stepped forward, grasped her wrist, and said, "How did I do?"

Kate came out of her role and was silent for a moment before she said, "Very good, you've got me into the show."

Sam Mendes was not looking ahead, but was looking at the monitor with producer Anthony.

The images captured by the camera are different from what we see with our naked eyes.

Even Bernhard, a layman, came over.

After rewatching the audition footage, Sam asked, "What do you think?"

Anthony said: "The audition went very well. Martin perfectly presented the character's mental journey at that moment. It was natural and smooth. I couldn't ask for more."

"Yes, that's him!" Bernhard interrupted hastily, "The Martin just now is the sixteen-year-old Michel in my novel."

Casting director Gina said: "It was an almost perfect audition."

The audition was not over yet. Martin left the audition room and returned to the dressing room to re-do his makeup and styling.

When he appeared in the audition room again, he had become a middle-aged man.

If an ordinary young actor wanted to play a middle-aged role, especially a middle-aged person with a complicated psychological process like Michel, he would encounter various problems, especially in terms of mentality.

But Martin played the middle-aged man more easily than the young man just now.

Introverted, vicissitudes, quiet, even a little autistic.

After the auditions were all over, the original author Bernhard could no longer bear it and stood up to stop Martin who was about to leave: "Mr. Davis!"

Martin seemed to have not completely gotten rid of the role. His eyes were full of vicissitudes, and he just nodded slightly.

"Thank you!" Bernhard's words were a little strange, but the middle-aged German man said sincerely: "You made the characters in my book really come alive."

Martin just said, "You're welcome."

Bernhard took Martin's hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

Martin then left the audition room.

Bernhard turned and looked at the big guys in the crew: "I am a layman in film making, but I can feel the resonance between the characters and the actors. Martin Davis is a perfect fit."

Sam asked Anthony, "What do you think?"

"There are many actors in the industry who can play a single teenage role or a single middle-aged role." Anthony is also an Oscar winner for Best Director and has a wide range of experience: "But there are not many actors who can play two roles with such a long time span at the same time."

He said bluntly: "I give up my previous opinion. With an actor like Martin, why should we find two people to play Michelle? That would only weaken the character and the film."

Sam looked at Leonardo, one of the investors.

Leonardo said: "Martin is very good, not only in acting, but also in business appeal as the leader of the Coca-Cola cult. We can also get sponsorship from Coca-Cola. There should have been Coca-Cola in Germany at that time, right? I remember that the United States had troops stationed there."

He considered it from the perspective of an investor: "With so many followers in the Coke Cult, there must be a group of them who contribute to the box office for their leader."

Kate has known Martin the longest among these people and understands him best: "I said that Martin is very suitable for this role."

Leonardo reminded: "That guy is a lunatic. If he gets into shape, he can compete with Nicholson. Kate, you have to be at your best. This is a play from the male lead's perspective. If you perform a little worse, you will be suppressed by him."

Kate was very confident: "No, I just had a feeling that Martin could get me into the role."

Leonardo recalled the happy times with Martin: "Yeah, I was in a very good state in the few scenes with him."

Anthony stood up at this time and said, "Since Martin has been decided, there is no need to wait any longer. Go inform him and his agent."

Kate said, "I'll go."

Leonardo followed: "I'll go with you."

(End of this chapter)