The Bottleneck of Rising
After changing agents and starting over, Charlize Theron's daily routine consists of working, auditioning, watching movies, and honing her acting skills.
If I have any spare moments, I'll flip through the books Henry recommended to supplement my knowledge. Some are on psychology, and others are about actors' psychology and techniques.
Especially the latter. After this period of imitation practice, she can see her own performance in front of the camera, and by comparing it with the text in the book, Charlize Theron has indeed gained some insights and understanding.
From an outsider's perspective, Henry believes Charlize Theron's acting has indeed improved rapidly. While she's not yet at the level of veteran actors or even Oscar-winning actresses, her performances are no longer embarrassing, though still somewhat raw.
Henry had many other things to do. His most important job, of course, was driving Charlize around to auditions.
Unless it's a film crew with obvious problems, Henry would take the future Best Actress to try out any opportunity they offered.
Occasionally, she'd encounter directors or producers who gave her hints. Or, seeing Charlize's beauty, members of the production team would take advantage of her and make suggestive requests. Henry had to handle these troubles skillfully and fend off these ill-intentioned people.
In reality, it's not uncommon in Hollywood for actors to sleep with actresses and then deny it. Regardless of whether they actually had a chance or not, actresses who pay the price can use other people's explanations to shirk responsibility.
After suffering such a loss, can the woman really call the police or take it to Court? Forget about suing, even making a big fuss won't work. Once her reputation is ruined and she doesn't have strong backing, she'll have no choice but to leave the entertainment industry.
The vulnerability and predicament of actresses are thus evident. It is precisely this disparity that gives men in Hollywood the confidence to act with impunity.
This allows them to make unreasonable demands and unspoken rules without any restraint.
Henry understood these tactics. Regardless of whether the person making the hints or requests had the power to cast the roles, helping Charlize avoid these troubles was part of his job as her agent and boyfriend.
In addition, Henry had to rent a videotape every day as Charlize's teaching material. He also served as her photographer and lecturer, guiding her acting in front of the camera and watching the results of the filming together.
This task, though the longest, was relatively simple. It involved staying in Henry's room, watching movies, imitating and observing camera movements, and studying acting techniques.
However, as an agent with no resources, Henry could only work hard to visit the Screen Actors Guild and look for film crews that were publicly recruiting actors.
Before getting audition opportunities, Henry would sometimes personally contact the film crews.
The big-budget productions of the Big Eight film studios were still beyond the reach of low-level agents like Henry. So, the films he could get in touch with were mostly small independent film crews that were short of money and manpower, or B-movies that were directly released on videotape.
By contacting these small film crews in advance, Henry could not only assess their reliability but also occasionally offer guidance if they encountered any difficulties.
Having spent several years in Los Angeles and about half a year in Hollywood, I have enough experience to guide newcomers to this field.
These small favors helped Charlize secure quite a few audition opportunities, although not many of them were ultimately successful.
But thanks to Charlize Theron's own talent and Henry's diligent support, Charlize quickly secured a role as a background actor. Although it wasn't a role with lines, she still got to appear on screen.
To be honest, because of Henry's strong intervention, Charlize Theron's trajectory at this stage is different from what he knew before he traveled through time.
Charlize Theron's first on-screen appearance was not in the B-movie horror film <Children of the Corn 3>, which was later released directly on video, but in another little-known B-movie, the release of which was still uncertain.
Audition opportunities were frequent, at least once every few days, and I could get on-screen time about once every week or two. Even if it was only for a day or two, and it was always as a background actor, just being a background character in someone else's movie.
For Charlize Theron, who had just entered the industry, such achievements were like a ray of light breaking through the fog, giving her a glimpse of an opportunity to succeed.
In any case, she's better than her former agent, John Thaddeus Ross. Under him, Charlize could only do modeling photoshoots and never acted in movies.
Although John had lent a helping hand when she needed it most, for which Charlize remains grateful, his ill intentions are equally unforgivable.
But Henry knew very well that the real breakthrough was going from a background role to a character with lines. He himself hadn't been able to overcome that hurdle, so how could he possibly help Charlize Theron rise to the top?
Lying in bed, Henry gently released the sleeping girl beside him. He got dressed and, taking advantage of the late hour, went to the warehouse in the dock area to finish the final touches on his underwater server construction.
This huge thing needs to be completed and sent into the sea before the short-term lease on the warehouse expires. There's not much time left. As Henry got to work, he was also thinking about other things.
To help Charlize Theron continue her career in Hollywood, after three months of working together, Henry honestly felt he was inadequate as an agent. He was passable as an acting coach, given the support of cameras and other equipment.
Agents need connections and resources. Besides being eloquent and successful in securing opportunities and negotiating fees, the most important thing is how much information they can obtain!
Hollywood produces an average of about 700 films a year. Not counting the big studios and big productions, the number of films that go to the Actors Guild is probably less than half of that, or even less.
And frankly, the projects that get into the Actors Guild are mostly subpar. The good projects are snapped up long ago.
It would never have ended up in the Actors Guild.
Those who are truly well-informed are the large talent agencies or agents who have celebrity clients.
As for finding a bargain in Hollywood, it's not that easy. At least up to this point, Henry hasn't encountered a script that he remembers as a blockbuster or one that's really worth watching.
Even if you want to take the initiative, you need to know who has the project in order to know where to focus your efforts.
To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of insufficient resources and poor communication.
Faced with this bottleneck, Henry, as an agent, has time to slowly cultivate connections and expand his sources of information; but actresses in their prime don't have that much time.
While there are actresses who achieve success later in life and rise to the top through outstanding acting skills and experience, the level of achievement for these individuals is limited.
This refers not only to achievements in awards, but also to income.
And in the process of gaining seniority, what kind of effort must one put in to remain in the Hollywood environment and not be influenced by other temptations, or even fall into depravity?
Actresses who truly reach the top all shine brightly during the most beautiful years of their youth.
They don't need to hone their acting skills; just standing on the big screen is enough to captivate countless young men and women, giving them the opportunity to achieve great success in both fame and fortune.
During their time together, Henry understood Charlize Theron's attitude. She wasn't the kind of person who was particularly passionate about acting, although she did pursue it. She simply believed that she had the talent and ability to succeed in this field, and therefore put in the effort.
Charlize Theron longed to escape poverty and maintain the insignificant dignity that actors held in the eyes of many powerful figures. She chose a path that was far more difficult and arduous for actresses.
Henry thought to himself that if he didn't want Charlize Theron to waste her time, it was time to resort to some underhanded tactics.