Chapter 80: Giving You an Opportunity

"You can rest assured about that," Murphy said, considering for a moment before addressing James Franco, "There won't be any scenes with both of you together."

James Franco gritted his teeth, as if summoning a great deal of determination, "I'll talk to my agent."

With the conversation between Murphy and James Franco coming to an end, Seth Logan squinted his eyes, tentatively asking, "Were you discussing film matters?"

Murphy nodded.

James Franco elaborated, "His first film just finished its North American run and he's gearing up for the second."

"Oh," Seth Logan, with his simple appearance but not naive, realized after several fruitless months in Hollywood, unable to land even a minor role, quickly interjected, "Director Stanton..."

"Murphy," Murphy reminded him, "Call me Murphy."

Seth Logan nodded, scratching the back of his head, managing to say, "I... I'm also an actor."

Despite his mature appearance, Seth Logan seemed older than James Franco, but was still a fledgling in Hollywood, lacking in worldly experience.

"While we had a bit of a disagreement," Murphy glanced at Seth Logan and then at James Franco, "like with Jim, I feel a connection with you. So, tomorrow come by my studio, and we'll discuss further."

"Do you have a pen?" he turned to James Franco, who pulled out a pen from his pocket and handed it over. Murphy glanced at it, noticing the fresh label, and remarked sarcastically, "Where did you borrow this from?"

James Franco shrugged, neither admitting nor denying.

Taking a napkin, Murphy wrote down his contact information and the detailed address of his studio, handing it to Seth Logan.

After dinner, the three of them chatted for a while until the early hours of the morning.

The next morning, Seth Logan arrived promptly after Murphy had finished breakfast.

"Paul, this is Seth Logan, an actor from Canada."

In the living room of the studio, Murphy made introductions, "Seth, meet Paul Wilson, my assistant director."

After the two exchanged greetings, Murphy led Seth Logan into a room on the left, which had been converted into an audition room. Murphy was cautious in his approach, not willing to simply pull Seth Logan into his crew without knowing what state he was in before fame.

He randomly picked a scene from a script and asked Seth Logan to perform improvisationally, considering it as an initial audition.

Different from James Franco, whom he knew well, Murphy wasn't familiar with Seth Logan, so he wouldn't casually assign him a significant role.

However, Seth Logan performed well. His second-place finish in a performance contest wasn't just empty boasting. After a two-minute improvisational performance, Murphy had a preliminary approval of him.

After chatting for a few more moments, Murphy learned that Seth Logan was actually younger than himself, despite looking like he was in his thirties.

"The project hasn't officially started preparations yet."

Exiting the audition room, Murphy walked and talked with Seth Logan, "Filming might start at the end of April or early May. Make sure to arrange your schedule."

"No need to arrange," Seth Logan squinted, "I don't have anything else to do. Murphy, I'm waiting for your film."

He wasn't a fool either. Last night, he had specifically searched online and found that not only was James Franco somewhat famous, but Murphy Stanton's name could also be found on IMDb. His previous film "Fruit Candy" had made nearly $1.5 million at the North American box office on a budget of $300,000...

Compared to the TV show auditions and the trivial roles he had auditioned for recently, this opportunity to appear in a film was too rare.

Moreover, it seemed that the altercation last night had some benefits. The three of them got along well, and he believed that as long as he didn't mess up, his chances of getting a role were very high.

Due to the heavy workload, Murphy asked Seth Logan to wander around on his own while he began a busy day.

Interviewing the financial personnel who came to apply, contacting James Franco's agent, communicating with Bill Ross about the needed behind-the-scenes crew, further modifying the script...

Busy until noon, Murphy finally stepped out of his study.

Arriving downstairs, Murphy noticed that Seth Logan hadn't left but was helping Paul Wilson move things. Murphy remembered what Seth Logan had said, seemingly implying that he was happy to be temporarily employed as free labor?

Lunch was ordered as takeout, and the receptionist, who also doubled as a janitor and telephone operator, didn't come over to Murphy's side. She sat quietly on a chair, quietly enjoying her doughnuts and fried chicken legs.

The three of them gathered around a table.

"No need to be polite, Seth," Murphy handed a lunch box to Seth Logan, "The studio is just starting out, so lunch is a bit simple. Don't mind."

"It's okay, it's okay," Seth Logan sat back in his chair, waving his hands, "It's much better than the work meals in Canada."

Paul Wilson raised his coke cup, took a big sip, "Most Hollywood film crews' lunches can't even compare to ours."

The three of them laughed.

"Murphy, Seth is quite talented," Paul Wilson added, "He wrote a script for a local TV show in Vancouver, and it got picked up."

Seth Logan scratched the back of his head, modestly saying, "It's just a small program on the local Vancouver TV station."

"I didn't expect you to be so talented," Murphy seemed not to hear his words, suddenly asking, "Seth, are you interested in working behind the scenes on the crew?"

"Actually..." Seth Logan chuckled, feeling embarrassed, "In addition to screenwriting, I also want to be a producer and director."

He sighed, "These were just thoughts back in Vancouver. Coming to Los Angeles made me realize that entering Hollywood is really not easy. I can't even showcase my best talent, which is acting."

"I can give you an opportunity," Murphy proposed, "If you're interested, you can come here and temporarily work on some behind-the-scenes tasks."

"Really?" Seth Logan's face was full of surprise, "Can I?"

"Of course," Murphy nodded solemnly, "You can come over anytime."

He glanced at Paul Wilson, "You can temporarily be Paul's assistant."

"Great! Great!" Seth Logan's chubby face was already beaming, "I was worried about having nothing to do. Thank you, Murphy."

If he passed the audition, besides being listed in the cast, Murphy could also give him a title like assistant director or associate producer, which wouldn't cost anything and would even provide free labor.

Although Paul Wilson was in the process of contacting classmates to come intern, the more free labor, the better.