An Unexpected Path

Old Gary took a sip of his drink, wet his throat, and continued, "That's the situation with movies. TV and radio are even simpler—don't let their higher output fool you; their circles are tighter.

"Usually, all actors, including background actors, are handled by the talent agencies or production companies behind the main cast. Trying to land a TV gig through the union's listings? Basically impossible.

"But you can try registering with some big talent agencies. They have people dedicated to background actor work, and sooner or later, you might get a chance to snag a shot."

"There are agents like that?" Henry asked curiously.

Old Gary explained, "It's not usually a specific agent's job—it's the newbies at the agency, whoever's free, who handles it.

"Of course, those actors are still listed under some agent's name. Because a lot of the time, directors have conditions when they need people, to match their film's scene requirements.

"For example, they'll want a certain age range, male or female, a specific height, fat or thin, hair color, ethnicity. If I need a bunch of soldiers as extras, I can't exactly hire actors so scrawny they'd blow over in a breeze.

"When those requirements come in, the talent agency screens its roster for suitable actors. That's when you might get a shot at a big production.

"But it's usually those background roles with no lines. Supporting roles with lines and screen time, big or small—everyone's fighting over them. With your casual attitude, you don't have much of a chance."

"Doesn't matter." Henry relaxed, took a drink, and smacked his lips.

Then Old Gary suddenly got a mysterious look, lowering his voice. "Let me ask you—are you one of those people with special abilities?"

"Special abilities?" Henry was caught off guard for a second, then a possibility hit him. "You mean mutants?"

"I don't know the right term, but yeah, mutants. Are you one?"

"I'm not." I'm really not a mutant. I'm an alien. Not lying—I'm being honest.

Henry saw Gary's theatrical secrecy and asked, "Does being a mutant matter? Is there discrimination in Hollywood?"

Old Gary returned to a normal tone and shook his head. "No, it's not discrimination. It's that if you've got useful special abilities, you're more in demand.

"Sure, some mutants look weird and only play monsters in fantasy films. But if your ability is handy, you might never run out of behind-the-scenes work.

"I know of a master sculptor in Hollywood whose power lets him mold wood like clay. The bigger the production's prop department, the more they want him.

"Because when finished prop details need tweaking to match the director's vision, others take half a day, and he finishes in a few moves. If you were a producer, who would you hire?"

Henry's eyes widened in shock. "Aren't others worried those mutants will steal all their jobs?"

"Ha, it's not that easy." Seeing Henry's disbelief, Old Gary elaborated, "As far as I know, finding an exact match—or even a similar—special ability is rare.

"One or two people can't monopolize an entire job type in Hollywood. Besides, this is Hollywood, the world's stage. For actors, it's all about box office draw; without that, they're nothing.

"For behind-the-scenes staff, it's ability that counts. If someone can't deliver more than their pay to the producer or meet the director's demands, they're worthless.

"Conversely, if they save the producer money and help the director nail the shots they want, I don't care if they're mutants or aliens—they'll get hired with a fat salary."

Huh, how did the chat land on me? How would a Kryptonian's abilities work in Hollywood? Henry mused.

But it also made him notice something unusual. This world's acceptance of mutants was surprisingly high.

At the root of it, this world had mutants, the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and other groups operating in the open. But their actions hadn't targeted ordinary people yet—mostly they fought among themselves.

More importantly, the mainstream media hadn't started peddling mutant anxiety. The government hadn't enacted discriminatory laws that would leave mutants with no escape, enemies everywhere.

Whether this was just because the world was more enlightened, or if there was another reason, he couldn't tell.

Not noticing Henry's thoughts—or rather, Henry's thinking time was very short—Old Gary went on, "If you don't have any special abilities, it depends on whether you've got guts or some unique skills."

"Guts for acting? Oh, you mean stunt actors or stunt doubles." Henry caught on.

Old Gary explained, "Right, that's a path too—behind-the-scenes actors who get on screen. It's not just car chases or explosions; getting knocked out by the hero's punch, crashing through glass, jumping off buildings—that's all their work.

"It's dangerous, but the pay's good. The stunt actor circle is even smaller than regular actors, but the demand isn't small. So if you're willing to do those shots, work won't be scarce."

That's a direction a Kryptonian could take, Henry thought.

After all, I can't break or die. But... would too many obvious slip-ups expose my abilities?

Especially if they want a shot of my face getting punched out of shape—that's nearly impossible. The actor throwing the punch would probably break their hand. Unless it's faked.

Wire work for explosions or falling from heights—that I could do.

So if I go the stunt actor route, I'd have to selectively reveal my abilities.

At least the Iron Body can't be hidden forever; it'll come out eventually. Otherwise, it's hard to explain to a director what I can and can't do. Any actor who tries to really hit me? That's a genuine brick wall.

Henry asked, "Are there agents or agencies that specialize in stunt actors?"

Old Gary said, "No such companies. If you want to go that route, you mostly need someone to bring you in. Once you build a reputation, directors who need you will come knocking, or your agent will know how to pitch you.

"Otherwise, when you register with the Actors Guild, you write on your self-nomination form what skills you have, whether you can handle action scenes, and if you're willing to work as a stunt double. Then you find your own way to grab opportunities."

Before he knew it, a few cans of beer were gone. As a Kryptonian who couldn't get drunk, Henry had learned some things about his future on this Christmas night, but he also felt more confused.

New book is signed. Request for follow-up reads, collections, recommendations, thanks~~