Hitting a brick wall head-on

"Hey, Andy! Did you come all the way here for this too? Is Renly your newly signed actor? Wow... great choice, really a great choice... I mean it. This time's "Buried" is making quite a buzz. It seems like you're going to be busy again for the remaining months of this year. Anyway, I won't keep you. I have to rush as well. Just ten minutes left before the show starts. Hopefully, my old legs can get me there on time. We'll catch up for a drink later..."

During the film festival, Theodore was always surrounded by voices, a constant flow of people. This small town, no bigger than the palm of your hand, seemed to have been engulfed by a sea of people, even crazier than the Cannes itself. Sitting in the hotel lobby for these thirty minutes, the person who had just left was the nineteenth acquaintance already, and the voices of greetings hadn't stopped.

Andy waved goodbye with a smile. However, the corner of his eye couldn't help but glance at the elevator once again, yet he still didn't see the people they were waiting for. Withdrawing his gaze, he looked up, and Renly was sitting beside him, elegantly crossing his legs, engrossed in reading the freshly printed newspaper from this morning. He was so immersed in his reading that his calm and composed demeanor even exceeded Andy's, who had been waiting for a long time. The missed appointment time, along with the constant stream of greetings, made even someone as experienced as Andy feel a bit restless.

"Hey, Andy!" Another voice of greeting interrupted Andy's thoughts. He raised his head and nodded in acknowledgment, then looked at Renly again. "You don't seem nervous at all."

"I'm nervous too. It's just not something you can see." Having lived two lives, his nerves had long been put to the test, and besides, emotional control was an essential skill for nobles to maintain their elegance.

Renly's composure made Andy chuckle lightly. "Were you like this last night?" Andy referred to the audition for "Fast 5" that took place the previous night.

"No, I really wasn't nervous last night." Renly's response was always unexpected. He put the newspaper down, saying, "You only get nervous when you have something at stake. Without any stakes, everything remains surprisingly calm."

A simple sentence, but Andy could sense a deeper meaning behind it. Indeed, Renly had something at stake.

The successful audition from last night had far exceeded expectations. News had already leaked that "Fast 5" was very impressed with Renly, and there was a strong desire to include him in the cast. Reporters had even received the news this morning. This made Andy anticipate today's audition with "Horrible Bosses" even more.

If possible, Andy wouldn't want to miss out on any project, even if there were scheduling conflicts. Judging from Renly's performance at the audition last night, Andy couldn't think of a reason why Brett Ratner, "Horrible Bosses", would refuse.

Brett was the producer of "Horrible Bosses". This year marked his tenth year in the industry, and his breakthrough work was the TV show "Prison Break", in which he participated as a producer. After that, Brett transitioned to the film industry, producing works like "Running Scared" and "Skyline", while also directing films like the "Rush Hour" series and "X-Men: The Last Stand".

Andy and Brett were old friends, having known each other for many years. They had a certain level of acquaintance, and even though they weren't particularly close, it was enough in Hollywood. This was why Andy was able to get his hands on the first twenty pages of the script for "Horrible Bosses". With Renly's talent and Andy's persuasion, "Horrible Bosses" was indeed something to look forward to.

With this, a action film, a comedy, and an artful romantic film—Renly's acting career was set to truly take off next year. The speed of his ascent far exceeded Andy's expectations. Therefore, he had a plan.

The audition was scheduled for 10 AM this morning, but now it was already 10:15. Producer Brett was still nowhere to be found, his room phone and personal cell both led to voicemail. Andy's emotions grew increasingly restless. "So, do you have a plan now too?" Andy quipped. Of course, he hoped for a smooth and harmonious collaboration with Renly, reaching a consensus on both sides. However, truth be told, when he selected the script for "Horrible Bosses", he hadn't anticipated Renly being this enthusiastic and proactive.

Renly shrugged and replied after discussing this topic before, didn't he? Compared to "Fast 5", he indeed preferred to perform in "Horrible Bosses".

Just as Andy was about to continue speaking, he caught sight from the corner of his eye of a figure walking briskly from the lobby in front of them. He immediately stood up and called out, "Brett!" With these words, Andy strode up quickly. The somewhat chubby figure now exuded an unimaginable force, as if a penguin were briskly waddling along—a rather amusing sight.

Renly also followed suit with big strides.

Brett halted his steps by the hotel reception desk. He was a typical Jewish man—his curly hair, neatly trimmed sideburns, and salmon-like robust figure all revealed his heritage. His red round-necked t-shirt paired with a suit jacket didn't help his appearance; he looked like a less handsome version of Seth Rogen, not that Seth was particularly handsome to begin with.

"Andy, Andy, Andy." Brett immediately recognized the person before him, his face showing an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know, we had an appointment at ten, and I'm late. Plus, I'm actually leaving now. I'm really sorry. But I have an urgent matter and need to go to Sheridan Theatre."

Brett looked around briefly, then noticed Renly standing beside him. After a quick glance, he turned to Andy and said, "How about this? Why don't you two come with me to the theater? We can have a brief discussion along the way, what do you think?"

Andy's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he smiled as he said, "Brett, we've known each other for ten years. Are you still trying to pull this on me? Walking from here to the theater takes at most three minutes. What meaningful discussion can we have in that time? If you're genuinely interested in the audition, you could at least give me ten minutes of your time. Or, we can sit down right here, face to face, and talk? Or maybe reschedule?"

No pleasantries, no obfuscation—Andy was straightforward and honest, leaving Brett little room to maneuver.

Brett let out a somewhat helpless smile and earnestly said, "Honestly, we feel he's too young, only twenty years old. We're looking for an actor in his early thirties to play this role. The director specifically brought this up." Brett raised his chin, glanced at Renly once more, and continued, "Being so young, he should stick to playing roles in teenage films. I believe he'd be more suitable for that."

This was a believable reason, at least on the surface, without much room for counterargument. Indeed, Renly's age was an insurmountable obstacle. In "Horrible Bosses", the three employees were supposed to be good friends, conspiring together to murder the boss. However, if they cast the twenty-something Renly, it also meant that the ages of the other two actors couldn't differ too much.

However, Andy didn't buy into it at all.

In the realm of acting, it wasn't uncommon for thirty-year-old actors to portray eighty-year-old characters, or for forty-year-olds to play twenty-five-year-olds. This especially held true for men—whether they had facial hair or not, styled hair or messy hair—visual effects could create a vast discrepancy. And with today's astounding makeup techniques, any sense of incongruity could be minimized.

When Brad Pitt starred in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in 2008, he played from age six to eighty. Segments depicting him in his early twenties and thirties were all portrayed authentically by him. At that time, Brad was already forty-five.

"Bullshit," Andy retorted unceremoniously. "When I introduced Renly to you, I made it clear that he's only twenty years old. Moreover, in "Buried", he portrayed a twenty-eight-year-old middle-aged man and received recognition from both the audience and critics. Don't tell me you were completely unaware of this, and just nodded along to the audition to save face. Neither of us are newcomers fresh out of society."

His words were sharp, pressing relentlessly, leaving Brett almost no breathing room.

However, Brett wasn't flustered. He simply spread his hands with a wry smile, as if saying, "You're the one who made me tell the truth. So don't blame me for not considering our relationship when I decide to use more well-known actors."

Simple and straightforward, no extra explanations, no superfluous clarifications—just that direct. The implicit message was that they didn't want unknowns.

Seeing that Andy was about to speak again, this time Brett didn't leave any room, continuing, "I got a call this morning. Both Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis have agreed. You know."

Andy couldn't argue. Before the audition, Andy already knew that Brett intended to assemble an all-star cast. Renly's visibility, Toronto, and Telluride renderings were crucial, and that's why Brett was willing to give Renly a chance. However, now that Bateman and Sudeikis had agreed to the project, Renly basically had no chance.

"Brett," Andy still wanted to make an effort, though he didn't finish his sentence. Brett understood Andy's intention and interrupted, "If you wish, I can still give him a chance, as I said, we can walk to the theater from here. But you know the outcome."

Visibility—this was Renly's fatal weak point. It had nothing to do with talent, appearance, or even salary. When the production team had their mind set on using more renowned actors, that marked the end of the game.

"Believe me, he's great, everything's great. But we can only look forward to the next collaboration." Brett patted Andy's shoulder in a friendly manner and said.

Andy didn't continue to fight because doing so would only diminish his worth. All other conditions could be reversed or compensated for, but qualifications, experience, and visibility—these things were beyond the realm of an agent's power.

Watching Brett leave the hotel, Andy turned to Renly. Both of their eyes were filled with an undeniable disappointment. Failure wasn't impossible. Failure after struggling and giving it their all was acceptable, but when even the chance of trying one last time was snuffed out, that kind of failure was the most disheartening.