Old Gary took a sip of wine, cleared his throat, and continued, "That's how it works with movies. Television and radio are even simpler. Don't be fooled by their larger output—their circles are much smaller.
"Usually, all the actors, including extras, are handled by the agencies or production companies behind a few lead actors. Trying to find television work through union listings is basically impossible.
"But you can try registering with some major agencies. They have people specifically handling extra work. Sooner or later, you might get a chance to snag some screen time."
"There are agents like that?" Henry asked curiously.
Old Gary explained, "It usually isn't the job of any particular agent. It's something the new hires at the company handle—whoever happens to be free does it.
"Of course, those actors will still be listed under a particular agent. A lot of the time, directors have requirements when they need people, based on the needs of a movie scene.
"For example, they might need people within a certain age range, men or women, a certain height, fat or thin, a particular hair color, or a certain ethnicity. If I needed a group of ordinary soldiers, I couldn't exactly hire actors so skinny they'd blow over in the wind.
"Once those requirements come in, the agency screens its own roster for suitable actors. That's when you might get a chance to slip into a major production.
"But they're usually background roles with no lines. Supporting roles with dialogue and screen time, no matter how minor, are what everyone fights over. With your attitude of just drifting into roles, you won't have much of a chance."
"Doesn't matter." Henry relaxed, took a drink, and smacked his lips.
At that moment, Old Gary suddenly put on a mysterious air and lowered his voice. "Let me ask you something. Are you one of those people with special abilities?"
"Special abilities?" Henry froze for a moment before realizing what he meant. "You mean a mutant?"
"I don't know what the proper term is, but probably what you just said. A mutant. Are you one?"
"I'm not." I really wasn't a mutant. I was an alien. I wasn't lying—I was being perfectly honest.
Seeing Gary act so mysteriously, Henry asked, "Does being a mutant matter? Is there discrimination in Hollywood?"
Old Gary returned to his normal tone and shook his head. "It's not discrimination. It's just that if you have a useful special ability, you'll be more popular.
"Some mutants look strange and can only play ghosts and monsters in fantasy movies. But if their abilities are useful, they might have more behind-the-scenes work than they can handle.
"For instance, Hollywood has a master sculptor whose ability lets him knead wood like clay. The bigger the production's props department, the more they welcome him.
"Because when finished props need their details adjusted according to the director's demands, other people might spend half a day working on it, while he can shape it in a few moves. If you were a producer, who would you hire?"
Henry's eyes widened. "Aren't other people worried those mutants will steal all their jobs?"
"Ha, it's not that easy." Seeing Henry's incredulous expression, Old Gary explained further, "As far as I know, finding two people with exactly the same special ability—or even similar ones—is very difficult.
"With only one or two of them, how could they monopolize an entire category of work in Hollywood? Besides, this is the world's Hollywood. For actors, what matters is box-office appeal. Without that, they're nothing.
"For behind-the-scenes workers, competence is everything. If a producer doesn't think someone is worth the money, or a director thinks they can't meet his requirements, then that person has no value.
"On the other hand, if they can save a producer money and help a director get the shots he wants, forget mutants—even aliens would be hired at high salaries."
How had a casual chat somehow turned to me? How could a Kryptonian's abilities make a living in Hollywood? Henry pondered.
Still, this made Henry notice something unusual. This world was unexpectedly accepting of mutants.
At its root, although this world had mutants, the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and other organizations openly operating, their actions had not yet targeted ordinary people. Most of their conflicts revolved around mutants themselves.
More importantly, mainstream media had not yet begun selling mutant anxiety. Government departments had issued no discriminatory laws that would leave mutants facing the whole world as enemies, with nowhere to flee.
Whether this was simply because the world was more open-minded, or whether there were other reasons, remained unknown.
Gary did not notice Henry thinking—or rather, Henry needed very little time to think. Old Gary continued on his own, "If you don't have any special abilities, then it depends on whether you're brave enough and whether you have any special skills."
"Acting requires courage? Oh, you mean stunt performers or doubles." Henry suddenly understood.
Old Gary explained, "That's right. It's another path—behind-the-scenes actors who get on camera. It's not just car chases or explosions. Getting punched to the ground by the protagonist, smashing through glass, or jumping from buildings are all jobs for this kind of actor.
"It's dangerous, but the pay is high. The stunt community is even smaller than the ordinary acting community, but demand isn't low. As long as you dare to perform those shots, you won't lack work."
That was a direction a Kryptonian could pursue. Henry thought.
After all, he could not be broken by falls or killed by blows. It was just that... would overly outrageous mistakes expose too much of his abilities?
Especially if they wanted to film his face getting knocked crooked and deformed—that would be nearly impossible. The actor throwing the punch would probably suffer severe fractures himself, unless they used fake fighting.
Shots of being blown away on wires or falling from a great height, on the other hand, could be filmed.
In other words, if he wanted to take the stunt performer route, he would have to reveal his abilities selectively.
At the very least, Steel Body could not be concealed. It would be exposed sooner or later. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain to directors what he could and could not do. Any actor who wanted to hit him for real would truly be kicking an iron plate.
Henry asked, "Are there agents or agencies specializing in stunt performers?"
Old Gary said, "There aren't agencies like that. If you want to go down this path, you mostly need someone to bring you in. Once you build a reputation, directors who need you will naturally come looking, or your agent will know how to market you.
"Otherwise, when you register with the Actors Guild, you can only write down on your self-recommendation form what skills you have, whether you can cooperate with action scenes, and whether you're willing to serve as a stunt double, and so on. Then you'll have to find a way to fight for opportunities yourself."
Before he knew it, several cans of beer had gone down. As a Kryptonian who could not get drunk, Henry had learned some things concerning his future that Christmas night, yet he somehow felt even more confused.
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