Fighting for a Chance

What supported Hollywood's cultural entertainment industry was a solid structure of power and money. So don't be fooled by its glamorous surface—the way people devoured one another behind the scenes was the true face of this flashy world.

Even the head of the stunt team, who had been cursed at like a dog, held a black belt in karate and had competed in amateur boxing matches. Yet he could only nod submissively as he was berated for over half an hour.

If the director had not realized that he needed to let the man go and have him contact other actors capable of performing stunts, today's shooting schedule might really have fallen apart.

Though what he really wanted was to vent all the pressure he had suffered from the production side since filming began on the other man.

It was not aimed at anyone in particular. He had merely happened to become a punching bag.

Did the person being targeted dare say anything? Not unless he no longer wanted to make a living in Hollywood. The production side and the director were people he simply could not afford to offend.

So now, even though a great deal of time had already been wasted, he still had to find a phone booth and somehow drag a living person to the filming location to replace the lead actor's stunt double who had run off.

If he truly could not find anyone, the last resort would be for his old bones to go up himself. Whether he got blown up or fell to his death, it would still be better than paying damages for breach of contract.

Stunt performers might have the right to refuse a performance when safety measures were insufficiently prepared. But how could the production side possibly leave such a massive loophole untreated and allow a mere actor to hold them hostage?

The solution used by film studios or production companies was to sign contracts with professional stunt teams.

Actors could refuse to perform because it was unsafe.

Then the stunt team had to find a way to improve the unsafe conditions, or simply offer more money to make the actor willing to perform. Failing that, they had to find another actor willing to do the stunt and ensure filming proceeded smoothly. Otherwise, the team would suffer the consequences of breach of contract.

Breaking a contract once was like marrying the wrong wife—you would lose nearly half your fortune. Breaking a contract in Hollywood was even worse; it could ruin the reputation you had built and affect future business.

Just as he hurriedly dialed several numbers from the phone book without anyone answering, his mood already as bad as it could possibly get, someone knocked on the phone booth outside.

"What do you want? If you're in a hurry to make a call, go somewhere else. I'm using this."

"Heh heh, calm down." The person knocking on the booth was Henry. He said, "Qian Ning, boss, what I mean is, if you really can't find anyone, could you give me a chance to try?"

Qian Ning hung up the phone in confusion and slowly stepped outside, looking at the young man who had volunteered himself. He looked unkempt and had terrible taste in clothes. He was probably just college age.

He recognized Henry. He was a background actor whom he had seen a few times over the past few days, nothing more than part of the backdrop.

"Don't call me boss. You're not part of my team yet. Call me Qian Ning." The stunt team leader looked him over and asked, "You want to try stunt work?"

"Yes."

"Any experience?"

"No. I've only worked as a background actor."

"Member of the Actors Guild?"

"Yes."

Qian Ning studied Henry's build. It was not much different from the male lead's, except that he was a little taller.

After all, the stunt performer for this scene could not be chosen casually. He was mainly serving as the lead actor's double, one who would appear on camera. His build and skin tone could not differ too much before they could even consider anything else.

The man before him had passed the first test, so Qian Ning asked, "Kid, what's your name?"

"Henry. Sir. Henry Brown."

Henry rarely introduced his surname. He had picked it casually anyway. But considering that he might be signing a formal contract, he gave it.

"How are you going to convince me that you can perform the move the director wants?"

Henry said, "I remember this scene involves two cars driving side by side. One of them explodes and rolls over, and the male lead jumps from that car to the other car driven by the female lead, which comes to pick him up. Right?"

Qian Ning nodded without speaking.

Henry continued, "I can first try the jump between two stationary vehicles and let the director confirm whether the shot will work. Then we can get the cars moving and try the jump again.

"Once you and the director are both sure there's no problem, we can do it for real. That way, we won't waste film or trigger the setups that blow the car away.

"Or are you saying, Qian Ning, that we don't even have time for this little rehearsal? Then I have no way to prove whether I can do it. It'll depend entirely on whether you're willing to gamble."

Did the old man have the luxury of not gambling?

Of course not!

Those unanswered calls just now had not only been to members of his own team. He had also called several well-known stunt performers in the industry, hoping to get them to save the day.

These were the connections Qian Ning had accumulated over years in Hollywood. Unfortunately, they had either refused him or he had failed to reach a single one of them. He did not even get the chance to see whether his connections could still come through.

After all, temporary emergency replacements like this were the biggest headache. He genuinely did not even know where to begin looking for someone.

The method Henry proposed, a test jump, was already enough to determine whether he dared perform this stunt. As long as he could make a lateral jump between moving vehicles, the explosion sequence would only require cooperation from the support crew off-camera.

So Qian Ning directly pulled Henry over to the producer and director, who were locked in confrontation, and said, "Let this kid try."

"Can he do it?" "Who is he?"

Neither the producer nor the director paid any attention to a background actor. They had not even recognized that Henry was part of their own crew.

The assistant director responsible for coordinating the background actors' positions did know him, but temporary promotions like this were not uncommon on a film set.

Usually, some under-the-table deal had taken place, and someone suddenly gained an opportunity.

But this opportunity was truly not one just anyone could take. At the very least, none of the supporting actors with any standing envied it.

It was just a faceless double role, and he had to perform dangerous stunts. Whoever envied it could take it! Did they know why stunt performers were listed among the behind-the-scenes staff?

Qian Ning ignored everyone else's thoughts. He merely relayed Henry's earlier suggestion to the producer and director.

The director was the first not to voice an opinion. All he wanted was the shot he envisioned: someone jumping from one car, then the original car blowing into the air.

The producer had more to consider. He asked directly, "Has his performance contract been signed? Who is his agent?"

Hollywood regulations required actors' contracts to be finalized through an agent or manager. There was no such thing as acting as your own agent.

Qian Ning had not asked about that in detail. So he could only look toward Henry. Henry obediently replied, "I don't have an agent. I'm only registered with the Actors Guild, and the guild's public agent signs contracts for me."