America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 84: Inferiority is like an alien
In the apartment building that had been built less than three years ago, Martin followed the landlord Antonio to the second floor.

As we walked up the stairs, Antonio suddenly asked, "Are you an actor?"

Martin was slightly surprised, but did not deny: "Good vision."

"People who speak with your accent are all daydreaming actors." Antonio was as fat as a mountain and panted every time he walked. "Don't be surprised. I've seen this too many times. Most of the residents of this apartment building are actors."

Martin asked, "Has there ever been a star here?"

Antonio was surprised: "Are you kidding? A star? Haha... Let me put it this way, among those who leave me, the lucky ones wake up in time and go back to where they came from; the average ones become high-end call girls; the unlucky ones become streetwalkers in the city center; the worst ones may become homeless in some alley."

Martin thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you lucky enough to have the best luck?"

Antonio came to the third floor and turned into the corridor: "Two of them went to the valley in the north. I heard that they can earn tens of thousands of dollars a week. They can be said to have realized their dreams and become actors."

He took out the key, opened a door, and said, "The previous resident was also an actress. She was lucky and went to the valley."

Martin checked each room again. Just like when he first viewed the house, the small two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment was fully equipped with appliances and furniture. The desks and floors were cleaned very well, so one could move in right away.

Antonio added, "How is it? It's expensive for a reason. From here, you can get to any studio in Burbank within 15 minutes, and to Los Angeles International Airport in 25 minutes. There are no shortage of restaurants, bars, cinemas, art districts, and supermarkets nearby."

He came to the living room window and pointed diagonally across the street: "For long-term parking, go to the parking lot over there. It's $60 a week, you can park as much as you want."

Martin said casually: "It's very nice. I liked it the last time I came here."

Antonio warned: "You can bring people back to spend the night, one or two is fine, as long as it doesn't affect the neighbors, but you are not allowed to have a party here, or I will call the police to drive you away."

"No problem." Martin decided to rent it: "Sign the agreement."

The two signed a house rental agreement. Martin paid half a year's rent in one lump sum and went downstairs to get his luggage.

It was not possible to park for a long time here, so he drove his car to the parking lot diagonally opposite and went to the management office to register for a weekly pass.

Los Angeles has a higher cost of living than Atlanta.

Martin returned to the apartment building, pulling the suitcase in one hand and carrying the bag containing his computer in the other.

When I was going upstairs, a middle-aged man followed me. The light shone on his face, which looked like an oil field in Iraq that had been burned, black, oily, and bumpy.

Martin reached the second floor and turned into the corridor.

The pitted face also entered the corridor.

Martin grabbed the shoulder strap of his laptop bag and walked to the door, focusing all his attention on the pitted face.

The man with the pitted face walked to the opposite side and knocked on the door: "Jessica, open the door! I know you are in there, don't hide from me."

The door opened and a blonde woman appeared: "Jessica moved away a long time ago and is not here."

While Pit Face was still struggling, Martin had already opened the door, entered the apartment, and closed the door. The noise outside became much quieter.

He packed his luggage, organized his belongings, and cleaned the house.

I always feel like something is missing.

Martin quickly remembered that he was not used to having Elena helping him with housework.

He checked the time, calculated the time difference between the two places, and called Elena's cell phone, which was quickly connected.

"I've rented a house and settled down." Martin asked, "How are you doing over there?"

Elena's voice was tired: "Everything is fine, Emma is back, and Scott just had a fight with her this morning." She didn't intend to talk more about her family's troubles, and instead said: "I asked Emma carefully, Jack may have gone to Australia or New Zealand."

Martin doesn't care where Jack goes: "He better not come back."

Elena added: "There are many events held in Atlanta during Christmas, including a bartender competition, and I plan to participate."

Martin left Elena with many cocktail recipes: "I wish you win the championship."

The two talked for a few minutes, and after hanging up the phone, Martin found the bag containing important items, one of which was a hardcover notebook with the most important addresses and contact information.

Louise Mair is still in Morocco and will not return to Los Angeles until the Christmas holiday at the earliest. Martin calls her every few days to talk about life and cocktails.

Kate Winslet lives in London and is temporarily PASS.

As for Robert Patrick, Martin will find a suitable time to visit him.

The same is true for Michel Gondry and Blanc.

Then there is the agency introduced by Louise Mayer, William Morris (WMA).

Coming to Los Angeles means that Martin has to say goodbye to the extensive model of Atlanta completely, and he has to comply with the provisions of the California Talent Act, at least for now.

Jobs as actors, directors, etc. must be obtained through agents.

Martin asked this during their last phone call with Louise, who had already recommended his profile to William Morris.

Of course, a small actor like him can't expect to get the contracts and resources of a senior agent. It's impossible to think about it.

An agent must be found. Having an agent can save a lot of trouble. Martin is a newcomer, and the agent can also help him get familiar with Hollywood as quickly as possible.

Martin found the phone number Louise left, called her, introduced himself, and made an appointment to meet her in the afternoon.

William Morris was in Century City, Beverly Hills. Martin had lunch, changed into formal clothes, and drove over. He arrived at the company's front desk a few minutes early. After giving his name, someone took him into the company's open office lobby.

In each office cubicle, there are men and women in suits. They are extremely busy and almost never put down their phones.

The receptionist took Martin to the innermost partition in the hall, where a man in a gray suit, who was less than 30 years old, sat. After seeing the two men, he gestured for them to wait.

The man spoke quickly into the phone, but perhaps it didn't work, so he hung up the phone with a bang and cursed: "Bitch!"

"Thomas, looking for you." The receptionist said and left.

"Who are you?" Thomas Ryan asked.

"Martin Davis." Martin said simply, "I called this morning and they asked me to come see you."

Thomas remembered, "The young actor assigned to me." He leaned back in his swivel chair like an examiner, crossed his arms and looked at Martin. "Young man, where did you study acting? What roles have you played? Who recommended you to the company?"

Martin is taking out some information.

Thomas said quickly: "Don't show me those useless things. You need to build awareness of saving time."

Martin said truthfully, "I was an extra when I was sixteen. I've learned acting from so many people, too many teachers to count. I just starred in a B-movie called Zombie Gigolo."

Thomas frowned slightly. He came from a poor family and had a very poor resume.

At this time, the sound of a text message came from a mobile phone, and he reached out to read the message.

Martin continued: "My recommender is Ms. Louise Meier."

Thomas looked up sharply. "Louise Mayer? Ms. Mayer from Pacific Pictures?"

Martin nodded: "It's her."

Thomas threw his phone back on the desk and pointed to a swivel chair next to him: "Sit down and talk." After Martin sat down, he stretched out his hand: "Where's your personal information? Give it to me."

Martin was not surprised. He took out the information and handed it over. There was nothing unusual in his expression or demeanor.

Thomas looked carefully and found that he was very inconspicuous at first. He was a background actor in a late-night drama in Atlanta and later played a small supporting role. There are at least tens of thousands of people with such a resume in Los Angeles.

But when Thomas saw the male lead of "Zombie Dancing Man", he felt that the name was somewhat familiar.

Without asking any more questions, he turned his chair towards the computer and quickly tapped on the keyboard with his hands. The relevant information of "Zombie Dancing Man" appeared on the screen.

The theatrical film released by Lionsgate Entertainment grossed several million dollars in North America. The leading actor was named Martin Davis, and he looked exactly like the person opposite him.

It’s interesting. Being the leading actor in a theatrical movie is a great resume for a young actor.

I clicked on another video in the search, which happened to be two big scenes of the male protagonist in the film - the zombie machine gun dance and the aerial trapeze.

This was followed by an impromptu dance performance at the fan meeting.

After the video ended, Thomas subconsciously lowered his head to look at his lower abdomen. His deep inferiority complex was like an alien, tearing his heart out.

Looking at the young man opposite, he has outstanding appearance and calm demeanor, as if he has an aura of contempt.

Thomas quickly put himself together and put on a smile: "A leading actor in a theater movie. The reputation is a bit poor, but the box office is not bad compared to the investment. You have a good starting point."

At this point, Thomas thought of a possibility. Although Pacific Pictures is not large in scale and has never produced independent films, it often participates in various assemblies. The relationship between Louise Mayer and this person must not be simple.

We all work in Hollywood, so we can understand some things easily after a little thought.

Louise didn't care, and Martin certainly wouldn't hide it. He just showed it to save a lot of trouble: "I have been in Atlanta, and Louise recommended me to Los Angeles. I don't have an agent or agency, so she recommended my information to William Morris."

Thomas now understood that the person assigned to him was not a new burden but a potential client. He said, "You just came here and don't know the situation in the industry. I can introduce it to you. Let's talk about the agency contract first."

He elaborated: "WMA implements the industry's unified standard, with a 10% commission. Newcomers sign for one year for the first time, and three years thereafter..."

Martin had a detailed understanding of these, so he listened to Thomas carefully.

The biggest advantage of Hollywood's agency contract is that there is no indenture.

The relationship between actors, agents and agencies is very complicated, and how they get along depends on the power within the industry.

For example, when it comes to Leonardo DiCaprio's situation, he fired CAA, stopped using an agent, and instead used a manager. There's nothing they can do about him.

After learning enough, Martin called Louise again and subsequently signed a one-year agency contract with William Morris.

(End of this chapter)