38. Live Auditions and A Wake-up Call.

Disclaimer: The story that I have written here takes on the names of real people, but it is not intended to represent them or make any commentary on them whatsoever. This story is entirely fiction, and it should be viewed entirely as such.

I own nothing but my original characters and works. If you recognize it from somewhere else, surprise, it isn't mine.

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Recap of the previous chapter -

Mark was writing a letter to a new friend of his, a Pen-pal. He also helped them out when he found out that they were in a bind, with the intention of gaining favorability towards himself.

We then saw a third-person POV of a fanboy of Mark's. He was excited to read Mark's new book and was defending his idol's new career choice against his friends.

Then we saw them reading the preface and how our fanboy won the golden ticket, which allowed him and his friends and family to meet with Mark and get a tour of Eidolon and the set of Knives Out.

Mark had his fourth and final meeting with Universal a few days later. There, he had enough of their stupid power plays, so he showed them his ace. He also successfully sowed discord between Steven Spielberg and Universal. Later a deal is struck which leaves Mark grinning ear to ear.

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~ Third Person POV ~

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Date: 2nd May, 1990.

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Location: At the audition hall of Eidolon HQ.

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Time: 9:08 am.

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It had been an eventful last few weeks for Wendell, he had been at his lowest point in life for the past 2 months after shutting down his production studio.

The only good thing was that his girlfriend was still by his side, his mom always reminded him that she was a keeper and how lucky he was to have her in his life.

He wanted to give up on his career in Hollywood, but his girlfriend was still holding him up. She told him that he had the talent and skills and soon somebody would recognize it.

He didn't believe it, he didn't think he would get a second chance at his Hollywood dream. But then it came, "the chance", as his father always likes to say.

His dad is a huge believer that the lord gives everyone a chance to turn their life around. But it's up to the person whether they can grab on to it.

"Mark Spencer" and Eidolon were that chance for him, he had let him know early on why he chose him for the position. How, Mark believed that he had an eye to identify the most suitable actor for the job.

Mark had given him the incentive that if he performed well in hiring for his films, he would be made the main casting director for Eidolon. He was also tasked with showing a friend of Mark's named Kevin the "ropes" of the job.

He thought at first that Kevin would just be a rich, self entitled kid who recently graduated from uni and was lucky enough to become friends with Mark. But after working with him for over a week, he was happy to find himself wrong.

Kevin was very enthusiastic and hardworking, but what really blew his mind was the talent. The speed at which Kevin could pick something which he had spent months and years learning in days was just mind-blowing.

And Kevin wasn't even arrogant or cocky about his talent. When he asked him what made him so humble and mature, he just laughed at the beginning. He later told him this.

"When you are in a group with Mark and are constantly comparing yourself with him. You realize soon that no matter how good you are, there will always be someone who is better."

Kevin told him that Mark taught him a very important lesson. About how one should never compare themselves with others as that is not a good comparison.

As everyone's circumstances, talents, interests and goals are different. So what they will achieve will be different from someone else.

It's better to compare oneself with their own past self and see if any improvements have been made or can be made, and always strive towards it.

Even in his mid 30s, Wendell thought it was very well-sounded advice. He had heard of it a thousand times before, but he still couldn't stop his mind from comparing himself with his peers.

But that different approach of how that isn't an accurate comparison really helped in focusing more on introspection and working inwards to improve themselves.

His chain of reminiscent thoughts was broken by the next actor, the live auditions were going on. There was a small crew shooting the auditions so that they could send their favorites for Mark's opinion.

A lean built man had taken the center stage. He had a very distinct look, long dark hair, a thin mustache and goatee. His suit was simple yet well-fitted and looked very good on him.

He hadn't seen him acting yet, but could definitely see how he had become a teenage heartthrob on the television. He browsed through the provided information once more and began his questions.

"Mr. Depp, could you please introduce yourself and then begin acting the scene that you had provided with."

The man now identified as Johnny Depp gives a small bow and gives out an eccentric introduction and even cracks a joke which made him chuckle. But the real kicker came in when he saw him perform.

And what a performance it was, the scene had been the final act of the movie where Benoit Blanc goes off on his rhetoric about Marta being innocent and someone framing her.

The scene had been a weird one, with an eccentric analogue about donut holes that made people laugh when they read it. So to perform it on stage, with all seriousness and for it to be done so well that it felt real was no small feat.

Yet, Mr Depp over here had excelled, though there were a few hiccups with him. A major one was that he didn't look old enough to play Beniot, who is supposed to be in his 30s in the movie. Well, he will leave that decision up to Mark.

"Mr. Depp, I see you have been doing well on the TV. You have even played a supporting role in a movie and made some small appearances in some movies. But you have become confined after your rise to prominence as a teen idol on the television series 21 Jump Street."

"I am guessing, you are looking for a breakthrough, something which will break you out of the mold you have been cast into. But what I want to know is why Beniot Blanc?"

"You don't exactly fit the look, you're a bit too young for the role of Blanc and would have to be aged up at least a decade with the help of a make-up artist." He said futher illustrating his point.

"Making you almost unrecognizable, Mr. Depp, now I think you already know about this. From your amazing performance earlier, you could have chosen Ransom and easily gotten the role. So it begs the question, why play Beniot Blanc?"

Mark was sitting in the backseats of the theater higher up, watching the auditions' incognito, from the shadows. He didn't expect a future superstar to show up for his auditions, he was personally a fan of Depp's work.

The things that had happened to him because of Amber had been ugly. He would try his best to get him on his side and have his back regardless if history ever decides to repeat itself again. He was interested in Depp's answer as well, so he leaned forward.

After composing himself, Johnny gave his answer. "I want to play Beniot Blanc because he is different, he is unique. The way he was shown in the books is so different from the traditional protagonist of a detective novel like - Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, the genius and hyper competent type."

"Whereas Mr. Blanc is flamboyant, practical, gentlemanly, even somewhat eccentric, but incredibly clever, insightful, and really a good detective. His laid back personality and charm really appealed to me, I am personally a fan of the books and would love to play the man."

Kevin spoke up finally. "Well, I can't really guarantee anything, but I will definitely put in a good word for you with the boss. Your age might be your weakness, but it could also be your greatest strength."

When Johnny turned to look at him, a little confused by his claim. Kevin explained how Blanc was a recurring character in the Knives Out world and with him being so young would allow them to easily cast him as Blanc for the coming decade or two.

Obviously, provided that he didn't increase fees alarmingly and didn't make any high demands. He told him to think properly if he wanted to commit himself to such a long journey with the character. As it would most likely leave an indelible mark on his persona.

Johnny thanked Kevin for his advice and help, he then left with a look of determination as if he was dead set on playing Blanc and make himself into a movie culture icons like Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker and the Terminator.

His ambition was high, but he knew with each movie, Blanc's character would just keep getting more and more relatable and loved by the audiences. He was betting on the passion of the makers of the film.

After all, Mark Spencer wrote the character and the world of knives out himself, so Depp believed that he was the person who could bring it to life on the big screen as well. With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he left to go meet his two best friends, Keanu and River.

He wanted to give them the good news of his passing the live audition round. He knew Rivers would take a while as he was also applying for the movie. With all of them being fans of Mark's books, it was no surprise that they would apply for a role.

Keanu had regretted that he couldn't as he was already selected for an action movie whose hadn't been even been shot yet. He was just told the code word, it was being simply being called thunder for now.

Depp had been waiting at a nearby restaurant where they had agreed to meet up at after being done with the auditions. He waited for an hour before rivers came out, he looked excited and happy.

Johnny was very happy to see his friend look so happy after so long. He had been actually mired with depressive thoughts after failing to win the Oscar for his performance in Running on Empty due to his young age.

He had met River through Keanu a few years back, and the three's friendship had only gotten closer and stronger. Despite their bad habits of indulging in drugs and alcohol, they were actually good people inside.

They had just lost their way, River especially. As he was on a self-destructive path after achieving huge success in Hollywood, yet failing miserable at the same time at the Oscars.

Even without his bias as his friend, Johnny would still pick Rivers as the winner for best actor. As, Dustin's acting was just amplified when put up against Tom, who was known for his sub-par acting.

It was Dustin's seniority and connections that won over the Oscar judges. The judges' biases against the younger actors and directors in Hollywood was well known, and because of it his friend had almost given up on acting.

In his own words, he once told him that he had already peaked in life, what more is left there to achieve. He felt purposeless, the few good things that kept him going were his family, his friends and the books of Marc Spector which Johnny had introduced to him.

River loved every book of Mark's but The Invincible and The Boy's were his most favorite. He hadn't acted in a movie for over a year. But when they found out that Marc Spector was hiring actors for his movie, River had immediately contacted him and insisted on joining the live auditions for the movie.

Johnny was happy for his friend, but he was also a bit worried if Mark would live up to the hype, hailed as a genius and one of the best writers of his time. But now he was starting as a director, he had to prove himself again but now as a director.

"Hey, Johnny, did ya make it?" River asked with a jaunty smile on his face.

"I did, and it looks like you did as well. What happened over there?" Johnny asked with a grin on his face, nursing a drink.

"Well, it was definitely an experience." he replied with an odd look on his face.

Riven told him how his audition started out normal but turned into a one on one session with Mark Spencer himself after he gave his performance. Mark had guided him through the performance, with himself playing another character in the scene.

After that performance was done, Mark had told him that he would agree to give him the role, but he would have to follow some strict rules if it was to work with him.

When Johnny asked what those would entail, he explained how they would have to hold off on drugs completely for the time they were shooting, and they also can't consume alcohol during their work hours.

Johnny told it's going to be alright, that everyone says this, but those are just empty words. But River refuted, he told him that Mark was dead serious and that on their very first day of shooting.

They would have to pass a drug test and if they fail, they won't just be fired, but they will also have to pay compensation to Eidolon for loss of time and money. River said that after having a talk with Mark, his worldview had shifted.

About how Mark noticed his depression and after some talk he felt like coming clean to him. So he told Mark about his circumstances, how he felt cheated about not winning the award, and how it felt like there was nothing left to achieve.

Mark's reply had left him stunned. He asked him, "if not winning the Oscar really felt bad, then why don't you just try to win it again?"

"Why dont you try to perform so magnificently that they will be forced to hand over the Oscar for the best actor to you, despite your young age?"

Those questions from Mark made him question his own resolve. Did his ego really get so big that he felt like he was the only one that deserved the best actor award? Also, why did he even felt like giving up?

He knew his own potential. When he had just started out on his journey as an actor, he felt himself improve and grow every day. But after the Oscars it was like his life had grown dull, he couldn't bring himself to care enough about anything.

So Mark proposed to him a new dream, "to win the most Oscars for best actor, supporting or main lead." It sounded crazy, but Mark had said it so simply, like it would be an inevitable outcome only if he was willing to put his soul into his work.

Mark told him if he really wanted that, then would have to put his trust in him and join him on this crazy adventure. He would have to give up drugs completely and only drink alcohol in moderation.

Thankfully, he hadn't fallen that far into the rabbit hole. He knew it would be difficult, but he would have to get back on his feet. Mark had taught him an important lesson and had given him a wake up call.

Mark said that he could only delay shooting the scenes of Ransom for a month, so he had to get clean and practice his scenes; he had also given him the address of the Knives Out estate to explore later on.

When Depp heard all this, he almost shed a tear but turned away at the last moment and gulped down the last of the drink. He proclaimed that he would support him as well and try to reduce his alcohol intake.

His girlfriend Winona was also constantly on his case, about him becoming an alcoholic at the rate he was drinking and that he should take better care of his health.

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Author's Note: This chapter was easy and hard to write at the same time. The scenes were easy, but the dialogues with the very few that were present kept making me feel like that isn't something he would say.

Still being able to finally introduce Johnny Depp and River Phoenix to the story was nice, I even wrote down the part where his thoughts changed. I know it was a sudden shift, but the basic premise of why it worked was because Mark is very good at reading people's body language and manipulating them.

These abilities along with his unique skill Character Evaluation allowed him to properly gauge River and then slowly help him get out of his slump. It would need more than that, but Mark was hopeful that at least in this world, River won't be dying from overdosing of cocaine and heroin.

Once again, thanks for reading my work. I am entirely motivated by interaction, suggestions and feedback. So please leave a comment or review and I will probably write faster.

If you like my work please throw a power stone my way so my book can climb the rankings. Slurp some nice ramen and I hope you all have a beautiful day

Update schedule for this book: 1 chapter every 2 days.}