Ignoring the two buffoons behind him, Hugo took two steps forward but quickly came to a halt as the other actors auditioning along the hallway stopped talking and gave him covert glances, as if he had done something shocking, which he had, indeed, with his behavior at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood the night before. These stares made Hugo feel as if his clothes had been stripped off.
Hugo lowered his head and checked himself, making sure his light gray shirt and khaki pants were still on, and adjusted the straps of his pants, which were specially prepared for the role of Paul in "A River Runs Through It". Then, he put on a calm appearance and walked over to the side picking up a newspaper from the rack and leaned against the wall to read it.
Originally, Hugo wanted to look for the location of the reception room, but seeing everyone waiting in the hallway, he found his own corner in the hallway like everyone else. After Hugo started reading the newspaper as if no one was around, the silence in the hallway was broken again by low whispers, and everyone's subtle glances kept falling on Hugo, making him personally experience what it feels like to have eyes on his back.
In the past, the members of the band Death or Glory used to gather together and discuss what it would feel like to be under the spotlight and be watched by everyone. Hugo used to think it would be a delightful experience, but after experiencing it last night, it seemed that not all attention is necessarily positive.
Hugo forced himself to concentrate on the newspaper and not pay attention to other people's idle chatter. However, upon seeing the headline on the front page of the paper in his hand, Hugo couldn't help but laugh bitterly. The newspaper was the "Los Angeles Times", of course - this was Los Angeles after all, and the largest circulated newspaper here was naturally the "Los Angeles Times". And today's headline on the front page of the "Los Angeles Times" was about the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards.
The front page picture showed Hugo with the Golden Raspberry Award, looking like a complete mess, crying his eyes out. This compared to even an Oscar winner would be exaggerated. Along with the "Los Angeles Times" bold black letters "Thanks, Dream Comes True", it was simply hilarious. Even Hugo himself, looking at the picture, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, have an interesting meaning. "Raspberry" actually refers to the tip of the tongue and coupled with the phrase "blowing a raspberry" means to make a mocking or derisive sound, specifically by putting the tongue between the lips and vibrating it to produce a sound. The full name of the Razzies is "Golden Raspberry Awards" and it comes from the word "razz" a variant of teasing or mocking. So, the Golden Raspberry Awards are not really "awards," but rather a form of ridicule. The Razzie trophy is a raspberry with a mocking connotation.
At the Golden Raspberry Awards until 2014, the number of actors who were willing to attend the award ceremony to receive the award could be counted on one hand, as it was a source of shame and no one wanted to be the recipient of the "worst performance award". This made Hugo's grateful tears yesterday evening even more absurd and funny, which explains why people's reactions were so intense.
Looking at the media represented by "Los Angeles Times", seeing the cold sarcasm of the two Stone and Wood just now, and now everyone used the light to lock in Hugo's low-key discussion... originally Hugo saw that the reporters were not too hard on him yesterday evening, and thought that the impact of the event was not so serious. But obviously, reality mercilessly shattered Hugo's dream, and the negative impact even exceeded Hugo's imagination.
Hugo took a deep breath, even though he had decided to embrace his new identity and try to make the most of his time-travel opportunity, the journey ahead still seemed long and difficult, and he no longer felt that the advantage of having traveled from 2014 to 1992 was as clear-cut.
Flipping through the front page, Hugo tried to find the 90s vibe from today's "Los Angeles Times". The serious economic crisis that started in the mid-80s in the US had spread and the unemployment issue of the white-collar class brought Hollywood's songs and dances to a new height. The Soviet Union announced its dissolution at the end of last year on Christmas, and the resulting turmoil still severely affected the world's political landscape. With the independence of Eastern European countries, the unification of Germany, and the direct negotiations demanded by Arabs and Israelis...Hugo finally had a sense of the reality of the 90s. This news, before his time travel, had lost its colors in the 21st century, like history from centuries ago, but now they appeared so real in this newspaper in his hands.
When he saw the presidential election of George Bush and William Clinton, Hugo couldn't help laughing. George Bush won the Gulf War to seek re-election, while William Clinton played the economic card to seek the upper hand. The competition between the two men had just begun. It turned out that 1992 was the year of the presidential election. It was really a busy year.
"Hugo, here you are." Joseph's voice interrupted Hugo's reading.
Lifting his head, Hugo found that most of the gazes around him had been retracted, but some people still kept looking at him playfully. By now, Hugo was much more at ease and even found himself chuckling at the thought of last night's embarrassment, so he couldn't blame others. "Is it over?"
Joseph replied perfunctorily with an "Uh-huh", and then quickly continued, "Today is a public audition, not a one-on-one interview with the director. You must not act like a diva and do as they instruct. Remember, this opportunity is very important for you and you must try your best. As for Brad Pitt and the like, don't worry about them, just focus on yourself, okay?"
Hugo opened his mouth to defend himself, saying that he would not play a big game. But he soon realized that Joseph's worry must be a lesson from the past. To avoid falling into the trap, Hugo just nodded, "I know."
"I just went to inquire, director Robert is not here today, only casting director Elisabeth and the actor's union representative Jon Hutman." Joseph quickly explained, looking around at other actors who raised their ears inquiring about the news. This was the difference of having an agent, the agent's network was of utmost importance for actors.
"Elisabeth likes the tough guy like Kevin Costner like in "Dances with Wolver" and "The Bodyguard", both of which she was a casting director. So, in a sense, she won't care much about your Golden Raspberry." Joseph spoke in a low and fast voice, and for the newly arrived Hugo, it was impossible to digest at first. He could only force himself to memorize it forcibly.
Joseph lowered his head and slapped Hugo's stomach hard, startling the latter. Hugo involuntarily clenched his abs, and then heard Joseph say in a low voice, "Go do a few sit-ups later, flex your abs."
"Are you asking me to..." Hugo spoke out in surprise and trailed off, pulling at his shirt. Hugo knew that every industry has unwritten rules and Hollywood was no exception, but he never expected that in Hollywood, these unwritten rules were actually put on display.
"Hugo's reaction actually made Joseph surprised, as he looked over with a wrinkled brow as if he were looking at a stranger. "How come you seem like a different person after yesterday." One sentence immediately made Hugo shut up his mouth. "You're not a first-timer, no?" The second sentence left Hugo speechless."
"Jon is an old friend, but..." Joseph continued to speak but swallowed the rest of his words after starting. He looked at Hugo meaningfully, making the confused Hugo think that he had exposed himself again. Hugo foolishly looked away, "Anyway, you take care of it yourself."
After the explanation, Joseph pulled the script from Hugo's right hand and said, "Do you need me to help you with the play? What section did you rehearse just now?"
This much Hugo knew, there were many possibilities when participating in auditions, but for actors with a script, they would prepare a performance of a section of the script, and whether it would be used would depend on the interviewer's preferences. "No, I'm ready," Hugo said. He was not unwilling to have Joseph help, but he hadn't processed Joseph's previous content, and he needed a little time.
The silence was accompanied by the memories in Hugo's mind being awakened by Joseph's words just now. Elizabeth Leustig was the casting director today and combined with an actor's union representative, Jon Hutman, who was present to protect the interests of the actors, they formed the interviewers. This was also why director's couch thingy was so rare, that was because of the existence of the actor's union which could best protect the interests of the actor group.
Elisabeth Leustig was very fond of actors like Kevin Costner. Although Kevin Costner won the best director Oscar for his debut "Dances with Wolves", he was also shortlisted for the worst actor in the Golden Raspberry Awards because of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". "Unfortunately" he lost to Hugo this time. So Elisabeth Leustig probably wouldn't pay too much attention to Hugo's Golden Raspberry Award, and her preference was also obvious - strong chest muscles, clear abdominal muscles, and heroic spirit, which was basically the case.
As for Jon Hutman, the agent representative of the actors' union, he was also the union representative when Hugo appeared in the audition of "Desperate Hours" and "Hudson Hawk". Hugo realized that this body had actually played many leading actors in major productions before, so Hugo and Jon were also acquaintances. But why did Joseph still say a "but" turning point, and still want to stop? Is there anything fishy here!?
"Hugo Lancaster." The call of the staff came and interrupted Hugo's thoughts making the latter quickly stand up from the comfortable posture of leaning against the wall.