Chapter 2
"Hello, did Josie ask for me?"
"What? No, she didn't. Well then."
Ryan hung up the phone with a disappointed sigh. It seemed that news about him in the crew had spread, becoming a joke among temporary actors and agents.
Those who had heard the rumors were reluctant to sign with him.
Fortunately, there were countless agents in Hollywood, so he wasn't worried about finding another one. Besides, some agents might not have heard about what happened.
With this in mind, he continued making calls.
"Jason, any luck?"
"Oh, sorry, it didn't work out."
...
"Hey, Jack, can you ask your agent for me?"
"You've been dropped by your agent too."
"Alright then."
Almost every day, countless temporary actors in Hollywood were either dropped by their agents or kicked them out.
"What, a newly opened agency!"
"Chen, can you give me the specific address?"
"Thanks, I owe you a drink."
After asking around, Ryan finally found a newly opened agency to give it a try.
As for not using an agent!
That's a joke!
Do you think it's easy to get into a film crew?
Especially for big crews with connections, forget about it if you don't have any.
For example, the job on his last crew was arranged by his agent's connections.
Without thinking much, Ryan packed up and immediately went out to take a taxi, trying to see if he could sneak in and find another agent.
After running around for half the city, Ryan finally arrived at the address of the agency, a slightly old three-story building with a sign just erected at the entrance, with a few English words written on it: "Starry Sky Talent Agency".
The Starry Sky Talent Agency in front of him seemed to have just been established, with some workers coming and going at the entrance, very busy.
At least it didn't seem like some shady company.
"It seems somewhat reliable."
Ryan muttered to himself and walked in. Inside, it was somewhat messy, with no receptionist in sight, only a few workers bustling around.
At that moment, a young woman came down from upstairs, about twenty years old, a typical American young woman, with a slightly sweet appearance, overall quite pretty.
"Are you a worker here?"
The woman looked at him with a puzzled expression. Ryan shook his head and said, "Hello, my name is Ryan Gosling, a graduate of the film department at the University of Southern California. I'm looking for a job in the film crew to get familiar with the filming process."
He didn't mention wanting to be a director or the experimental short film he had made.
A graduate of the film department at the University of Southern California!
The woman couldn't help but look at him in surprise, somewhat curious. The film department at the University of Southern California was quite famous.
However, for Hollywood, a graduate from the film department at the University of Southern California wasn't particularly rare.
But a graduate from the film department at the University of Southern California looking for work in a film crew was indeed uncommon, somewhat surprising.
But there was something familiar about the name Ryan Gosling.
"Ryan Gosling!"
"A graduate of the film department at the University of Southern California!"
The woman looked him up and down for a while, then suddenly seemed to realize something and said, "Ryan Gosling, you're the guy who dared to promote an experimental short film everywhere on Tom Hanks' set!"
Indeed, his last set had Tom Hanks as the lead and was directed by Robert Zemeckis, funded by Paramount.
Yes, it was called "Forrest Gump."
In such a set, even a small matter could become widely known.
And this wasn't a small matter.
Ryan smiled awkwardly and said, "That was just a misunderstanding."
Misunderstanding!
The woman was speechless. How could that be called a misunderstanding!
"Are you still trying to sneak your experimental short film into the crew?"
Faced with the question, Ryan immediately replied, "How could that be!"
"I've learned my lesson from last time, and now I just want to find a job to make a living."
However, the woman still looked at him with suspicion, making him feel uncomfortable.
"Well, let me briefly introduce myself. I'm Heidi, the receptionist of this company."
"You can go to the office on the third floor and give it a try."
"I hope Helen won't take you as a big trouble." With that, Heidi turned and walked away.
Big trouble!
Ryan nodded wryly and headed to the third floor.
Although Heidi's tone wasn't pleasant, he couldn't argue with her.
Letting an unstable factor into the crew, for anyone, was a big trouble.
In no time, Ryan reached the third floor and found the office Helen mentioned. Knocking on the door, a very pleasant voice came from inside.
"Come in!"
Upon hearing that, Ryan pushed open the door and walked in. Inside was a very simple office, with only the most basic office supplies, and no extra decorations.
At the moment, a woman was sorting out files in front of the desk, seemingly a little older than Heidi, probably in her mid-twenties, with delicate features and a hint of Eastern feminine beauty, quite tall even when sitting down, at least over 1.65 meters, perhaps even over 1.7 meters.
Even in Hollywood, known for its beauties, she could be called a "beauty," or even a fashionable woman.
The only downside was her overly neutral professional suit, her cold facial expression, and the hint of shrewdness in her eyes, indicating she wasn't just a pretty face relying on her looks.
A hint of surprise flashed in Ryan's eyes. Having a beautiful female agent wasn't bad at all.
The woman looked up at Ryan, very calmly, and said, "I'm Helen Solomon, the owner of Starry Sky Talent Agency."
"Can you show me your information?"
Ryan handed over his information and casually asked, "Does Starry Sky Talent Agency only have Heidi as an employee?"
Just now on the stairs, he looked around and only saw workers, no other employees.
Helen briefly looked over the information and said, "Yes, you're right."
"The company currently only has Heidi as an employee, but I've already posted a job advertisement."
Indeed, it was a new company.
"If everything goes well, you could be my first client."
First client!
Ryan shrugged, agreeing. He didn't have much choice now.
"By the way, you worked on a film crew in your first year of college, right?" Helen asked.
"Yes." Ryan nodded and said, "Sometimes I also do some temporary acting or background work."
"Then you must know quite a few temporary actors and crew members!" Helen asked again.
"I know a few, but they're mostly low-level." Ryan replied truthfully.
If he hadn't known so many people, he might not have found out about Starry Sky Talent Agency.
In fact, even without an agent, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to find work on a regular crew if it weren't for that incident.
"Are you a guild member?" Helen asked as she put down the information.
"No."
"I'm not a full-time actor, so I haven't joined the actors' guild."
"As for the Directors Guild!"
Ryan said somewhat helplessly, "I don't have that qualification yet."
The entry requirements for the Actors Guild
were relatively lax, but the Directors Guild was much more difficult to join.
"It's indeed not easy to pass the application for the Directors Guild."
"By the way, can you bring the experimental short film you made? If it's possible, maybe I can find a small distribution company to give it a try."
Helen finally mentioned the experimental short film, indicating that Heidi had already informed her over the phone.
Of course, when she mentioned distribution, it wouldn't be online distribution, but offline video distribution.
"No problem, I can bring it over tomorrow." Ryan agreed readily.
It seemed that Helen had some connections of her own, so she could try recommending it to a distribution company.
After that, Helen didn't say much more, just asked him to keep his phone on for 24 hours, and if there were suitable crews, they would notify him, without even signing a formal contract.
Back home, Ryan stayed up all night to re-edit the short film.
The next morning, he sent it to the Starry Sky Talent Agency by FedEx, addressed to Helen.