Chapter 67: Roger's Baptism

 "So..." Josh said on the other end of the phone, a feeling of silence coming over the radio.

 "So..." Jenny repeated.

 There was an awkward silence on both ends of the phone.

 "If I bring Claudia, you don't have a problem, right?" In the end, it was Josh who took the initiative to break the deadlock, after all, he was also the one who called.

 "Of course there is no opinion. Jenny said, "Actually, I think we could have Ann come to a dinner or a party or something, you know, the crew." "

 When Jenny rewatched the original world version of "Pirates of the Caribbean", she found that the original female pirate role was played by the sci-fi queen Zoe Saldana, perhaps because of her relationship, Ann, who was appreciated by Gore, finally won the role of female pirate, so the two collaborators also co-starred in "Pirates of the Caribbean", but the roles were very different, and there was basically no chance to play against each other. It took Ann very little time to finish filming her own scene and went back to star in "Zhijiage". But, of course, she is also a member of the crew, if Josh can bring in another crew cast or crew, this is a crew gala, of course, it is also good publicity for "Pirates".

 Josh was intrigued by Jenny's proposal, "I know there are several crew members in New York, and if you can provide free tickets, I'm sure I'll take them all with me." "

 "... Forget it, just you and Claudia. Jenny said with some embarrassment, "Unless they don't mind standing and watching." Being able to give you two tickets is already the result of Judy's countless phone calls. "

 gave two tickets before, not because it was estimated that Josh would bring Claudia, but because celebrities rarely appear alone on any occasion, and stars like Jenny who only bring an assistant are considered very independent stars, and some stars will bring their managers wherever they go, or close friends and family, although these relatives and friends are not productive in the circle, their status is not low, and their influence on stars is sometimes greater than that of agents.

 "It's okay, I understand, then it's okay for the four of us. Josh panicked, and his discomfort returned. "I'll bring my assistant or something and have them wait in the car so that the men and women are more evenly balanced. "

 "Very well, then we might as well have lunch together tomorrow at noon," Jenny felt that she was the only one to be the calm, active party in the relationship, she opened the notepad and jotted down some basic information, "I invite Ann, you can bring Claudia and dress up carefully, okay? The paparazzi will definitely photograph us." But don't be too nervous, it's just the beginning, Josh, and you and I are still friends. "

 "Oh, am I leaking my nervousness so obviously?" Josh groaned, "Well, don't look down on me too much, Jane, it's just that you know it's really not going to be easy for me. "

 Jenny does not deny that she had a moment when she wanted to have a relationship with Josh half-truthfully, after all, this is Hollywood, and she does not have the idea of 'only doing the most loving things with the people she loves the most', she is 21 years old this year, it is the most active time for hormones, long-term dieting, long-term overwork, and few entertainment activities, and because of various concerns, she has never developed such and such a relationship with men, there is a piece of fresh meat in her mouth, why not eat it? Anyway, they are all going to be in love, and if the half-fake becomes true, they can also save some acting workload. - plus the goodwill for Josh in the shipwreck at that time exploded to the highest point...

 But now, she really can't stand Josh's slimy temper, of course everyone has something they don't want to do, and she doesn't want to fall in love with a stranger, but there are some things that you have to do well if you promise, so that the mother-in-law and mother-in-law want the girl to coax you in turn. Maybe this temper is cute for others, it can arouse their maternal feelings or something, but it only makes her feel impatient, and she still prefers suitors like Will or Jaime, who are either naïve or selfish, but at least have the courage to fight for their own rights.

 "How can I look down on you, Josh, you're my savior. "Jenny didn't reveal her unhappiness either, this 'nasty colleague' was going to be tied up with her for at least a year, and now there was no need to mess up the relationship. "But you don't have to be so nervous, I mean, I like Claudia very much, dear, I'm a pretty girl, I have my self-esteem, I'm not going to eat you. "

 Josh let out a burst of laughter, "No, I'm not worried about this, it's just ... It's just that I didn't think we're doing the right thing, you know? Jane, when I said yes, I thought very simply, everybody does this, why can't I do it? But when it all starts to come true, it's different. We do this and it feels like a kind of fraud to the good people who like us. "

 "Josh," said Jeanne, feeling that she did not need to go down to the Virgin, that she lived in an extremely harsh environment, that neither Cesare nor Judy was the kind of person who would share her suffering, and that as long as she lost her value in their eyes, Jeanne had no doubt that she would be immediately abandoned, and there was no reason why Josh could continue to be spoiled to the point of pursuing moral satisfaction. "If you really don't want to do it, I don't care, I can ask Cesare if he doesn't pursue contract liquidated damages, as long as you can convince your agent that I'm OK here. "

 Josh was visibly taken aback by Jenny's decisiveness, and his attitude became more conservative, "No, no, I'm not... Okay, okay, I'll try to open a little bit. "

 "So our date won't change?" asked Jenny, and after getting Josh's assurance, she hung up the phone without daring to comfort him. She was afraid to comfort Josh a few more words, and he was going to have another cold feet.

 After hanging up the phone with Josh, she felt a little tired, and instead of calling Ann immediately, she sat down in a rocking chair next to the bed, controlled her head with both hands, and took a few deep breaths, wanting to open the window to blow the cold air, but after looking at the black street, she changed her mind: Judy has a lot of work right now, and she had better not trouble her with some photos that she took in the middle of the night, and now is a critical period for Jennifer Jefferson's image, and the team's goal is to save them from the ones they have arranged in advance. None of the other photos can be put on the market, and the goal of these street shots is to build an initial impression in the reader's mind of 'Jennifer = stylish beauty'.

 Tomorrow is a crucial show, and Roger Albert, the icon of film critics, will also come to see her show, and the tickets for the whole show will be sold out as soon as they start, and even the standing tickets will be sold at a high price, and the whole New York City will be waiting for her to bring them a powerful performance. Since "Chicago" has already hit New York, Jenny guesses that most of the audience may have seen the movie version, so the answer to which Roxie is better should be revealed tomorrow night. Every audience member came in with a clear question, and when they walked out of the theater, if they thought Jenny's Roxie was better, then she really won. - In this hype, she has won some chips, but the most tempting bonus is the next one, if even the film critics and the audience think that her Roxie is better, Renee will not even win the Oscar for Best Actress, and the whole "Chicago" movie version will create most of the limelight created by her - this will be a brilliant victory for her.

 Cesare and Judy have also analyzed with her before that if she can fight for this ideal ending, even if she acts in a commercial film like "Pirates of the Caribbean", she will not lose her position as an acting school. It's like Natalie Portman, who also had the commercial blockbuster Star Wars, but no one would suspect that she was an acting fan, all because of her "This Killer Is Not Too Cold". The Chicago musical can bring her a similar effect, tomorrow night's mediocre performance, she will not lose everything immediately, but at least 1 or 2 years will be lost, and she will be further and further away from her goal of dominating Hollywood. It's a very remarkable goal, and at every critical moment, it requires excellent performance, and mediocrity is a failure in itself.

 But now Jenny felt like she wasn't in good shape — especially after talking to Josh on the phone, and she really felt a bit of fatigue. She needs someone to talk to, someone to be comforted, someone to give her some comfort and energy to keep going.

 Who to look for?

 took out her phone and opened the address book, and Jenny filtered down one name after another.

 Makeup Artist Anna ... Agent Anna ... Reporter Anna ... Jenny became irritated and simply removed all the names of the working group.

 Then she discovers that there is no third name on her phone besides Lillian's and Dave's. She has been reborn for almost two years now, and there are only these two friends in the real sense, and one of them she will never take the initiative to contact him to talk about these things - she doesn't have as much moral sense as Josh, but at least she still has a bit of a bottom line.

 Lillian has been working shifts recently, and she should still be in the hospital now, so she can't talk to her on the phone. Jenny pressed back and forth in the address book of her mobile phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally found a phone to dial out.

 "Ann. Her tone was a little pompous, "Honey, I'm back in New York—yes—do you have time tomorrow at noon?" Josh Blanche is also in New York, and Disney has asked him to come to our show...

 After setting a date, Jenny simply turned off her mobile phone, sank into the acting space, and found a big bad movie "Dance of the Dead" that she would never be able to star in.

 She plans to cut out today's simple workout and go straight to sleep later, and what she thinks she can't do tonight, maybe she can do it tomorrow.

 Half an hour later, when the computer screensaver time came, the power of the screen went out automatically, and the room was plunged into darkness, and the moonlight of the Manhattan lights was isolated by the blinds, and only a little spilled into the room, reflecting a vague, still outline on the sofa.

 #

 "Roger. "

 "Emma!"

 "Ben, I didn't expect to see you again. "

 "yes, it's a show we can't miss – we've heard she's leaving Broadway after this year. "

 Before the start of the show, the hall of the old Schubert Theater became a small social gathering of showbiz celebrities, and even the theater manager James Schubert personally entertained these heavyweight audiences, especially Roger Albert, although he was not a professional drama critic, but his position in the critic world also made James unwilling to slack off.

 "Really, James, that wonder girl is leaving Broadway next year? A few familiar critics immediately exchanged information with him - that is, the good way to hear and hear gossip. "Don't you want to keep her?"

 "I don't want to stand in the way of other people's skyrocketing. James smiled and shook the new guest's hand, "Steve!

 After a short greeting, he revealed a valuable news, "But she will continue to appear for five months in the first half of next year, and I am trying to continue to invite her back in December next year to sit in the year-end performance month." "

 "Oh, so you have six months left on your contract. Industry insiders immediately keenly guessed the details of the contract, "But why don't you divide her performance evenly in the second half of the year? You know, July and August are also the hot season at the box office." "

 James didn't answer, just laughed, but Roger Albert narrowed his eyes in interest, "It seems that Mr. Schubert has some ambitions for next year's Tony Award." "

 The nomination time for the Tony Award is April in the first half of each year, although the nomination is last year's play, but some judges may delay until the vote to see the play, in order to rush for the award, James can only arrange Jenny's performance month in January to May next year, in order to connect with the year-end peak season of this year, which can also stir up momentum and increase the hope of winning the award.

 "We have two good actresses," James is not modest, "and there are also good troupes and stage effects, and I have a feeling that next year will be our year." "

 Although "Chicago" has already won a Tony Award, no one likes to win more than one award, and multi-winning Tony Award-winning troupes can bid more when they tour overseas, so even if Jenny leaves at the end of her contract, James is still motivated to build momentum for her win.

 "You can see that you have a lot of faith in Jennifer. Roger nodded, his interest in Jennifer intensified, and when he saw James turn around to greet another acquaintance, he turned his head and whispered to his partner Richard, "This girl seems to be very good at portraying criminals." "

 "Yes, several of her characters seem to be keen on breaking the law. Richard also took a keen interest in Jennifer after watching CSI, "but her portrayal is not the same, and it can even be said that it is completely different." "

 "You mean Canita and Kitty, right?" Roger and Richard walked into the theater together, followed by some film critics who had also come from afar, and in the Broadway theater world, film critics seemed to be particularly grouped. "I have to say that James did whet my appetite, and I'm curious now about how different Jennifer can make Lockhee different from Kitty. If Lockhee is also played by her soul, then she vividly portrays the different attitudes of the three women in the face of crime. "

 Richard pondered, "If Jennifer had succeeded, she would have been one of the best young actresses of our time." "

 "Natalie, Scarlett, Christen, they're all very talented actresses, but at this age you can't tell the difference between similar roles. Roger frowned, "I think if they were to play the same type of role in a short period of time, they would not be able to avoid homogenization - I find it hard to believe that Jennifer can do this without any professional training." But both James and Ben [Brantley], their performances seemed to prove that I was too old to believe in miracles. "

 He didn't deliberately lower his voice, many film critics heard the old man's comments, and they all nodded with deep sympathy, although they have different mentalities, they all have a strong interest in Jennifer and a strong passion for their careers, otherwise they wouldn't have deliberately gone out to watch the show.

 "We'll find out in a moment. Richard said, and he suddenly turned his head, "Oh, isn't this Josh?"

 "Ah, Mr. Rope. Josh Blanche and his friend, a mediocre-looking makeup artist, passed by Roger and the others and sat down next to them, "Mr. Albert, it's a pleasure to meet you. "

 After a brief pleasantries, Roger asked them what they were most concerned about today, "Josh, you have worked with Jennifer, what do you think of her acting skills, do you think she will surprise us tonight?"

 "To be honest, I haven't seen her musicals before. Josh grumbled nicely, "But I would never doubt her acting skills, working with Jennifer can be very painful at times, you know, especially when she's in a scene with Johnny, and I have to do whatever it takes to get a little attention." But even so, I still have no confidence in my performance. Some actors have this kind of temperament, you will feel that you have lost all the pursuit of acting skills in front of him, and you just want to finish the lines quickly and run away from the camera. "

 Such a high-level compliment made everyone raise their eyebrows, "Do you mean that Jennifer and Johnny are on the same level?"

 "I'm not a film critic, so I can't judge other people's acting. Josh laughed, "But if I had to say, yes, Johnny and Jenny put me under about the same pressure when it came to the show. "

 Johnny Depp is a mature actor who is recognized as an actor with potential, and his performances in many films are remarkable, and there is no shortage of excellent works. Roger even believes that as long as he is not bad at choosing films, he will definitely win the Oscar in the next few years, and Josh actually compares him to Jennifer?

 "You've made my movie-watching mentality even more unhealthy," Roger joked, "and I think I'll keep my eyes open for the whole musical, trying to find her flaws." "

 In the midst of laughter, the lights dimmed, the opening curtain sounded, and the show began.

 #

 Roger wasn't kidding, and his mindset had shifted from leaning towards Jennifer to wanting to puncture her acting bubble — and in his opinion, Jennifer was certainly talented, but what she needed was not a lot of praise but fair criticism. If he had casually watched her performance at this time, he would have given her a lot of praise, which might have made her lose herself. He doesn't doubt Jennifer's talent and talent, but no great actor has matured in a film, and perhaps her performance can shock most audiences and critics, even Hollywood newcomer Josh Blanche, but Roger believes that in a performance of more than 100 minutes, Jennifer will definitely show a small problem in her performance, after all, this is more than 100 minutes of live starring, and TV, Movies are different, everything is directly delivered to the audience, that is, she notices her own problems, and she does not keep up with her basic skills, and she will also 'knowingly commit crimes'.

 Roger has always been merciful to young people with potential, but this time he decided to be harsh, this girl has a good team, what she lacks is not opportunities and resources, but precisely vicious negative opinions, a great actor must learn to grow from public opinion, even if this public opinion may not be fair. Although it is a bit nostalgic to say this, Roger does sincerely believe that he is also thinking about Jennifer's development. She is still young, and some of her faults have not had time to be fixed, and after a few movies, once the acting habits are set, some ills will follow for life, such as Leonardo's facial expressions, Tom Cruise's obsession with showing off his appearance, and the men and women whose names he has been unable to count for a while, how terrible, those floating eyes and dull lines...

 As Ann Benson sang and danced on stage, he pulled out his binoculars to take a closer look at her close-up, then nodded politely – this is a very good actor, with solid fundamentals, and they are all the same in the UK...

 As soon as the lights turned to Jennifer Jefferson, Roger's telescope moved to her, and he narrowed his eyes slightly to ward off the glare, scanning the details of Jennifer's whole body with sophistication: he had watched "CSI" carefully, and even rewatched "Chicago" again, and it was almost incredible that there was no repetition of the performance form between Winita and Kitty, but it could be explained by Kitty's short appearance. And Vanita and Lockhee were in a similar state for a long time - they were both criminals, both were beautiful, and both were covering up their crimes.

 Although the essence is completely different, the external state is very similar, and the actor is likely to use the same way to interpret the role of the same temperament when performing, and this is a taboo in the acting industry. Two people you act like one, even if the stage is similar, this is also a sign of limited acting skills. Even if such an actor is a smash hit, he will be quickly forgotten by the audience and will not be able to impress them too deeply, because their acting skills are 'narrow', and the audience will quickly get tired of those few facial expressions and small movements back and forth.

 After the first performance, the scene began to change, and Richard leaned over and whispered to Roger, "Take the lead." "

 Roger put down the binoculars and nodded slowly, although no one saw it in the dark, his expression was already very solemn.

 Critics have a sharp eye for images that may only exist for a second or two in the director's moving images, and Roger is also impressed by some of the small movements and expressions that Canita often uses in "CSI", which sometimes remind him of Marilyn Monroe - her performance has a strong Golden Age legacy, a slightly pompous expression, and puts the charm and seduction on the table in a bright light, for example An exaggerated wink, a graceful autumn wave, and the extravagance and vulgarity of twisting her waist and swinging her hips when Huanita walks...

 None of these small movements appeared on Lockhee - Roger was sure he hadn't missed a second, his eyes scanning Jennifer all the time, not a single facial expression or body movement. Jennifer uses a completely different acting technique on Lockhill, which is completely different from Huanita and Kitty, and even the temperament has completely changed, if the performance of these three characters is frozen, removing the elements that can identify the identity, such as clothes and hairstyles, and then putting it on the website for the audience to distinguish, Roger has no doubt that the audience can accurately distinguish the three people. To put it in an exaggerated rhetorical way, Jennifer even changed the way her facial muscles moved.

 This level of acting skills is no longer something that Renee can compare with, of course Renee is very cute, her acting skills are also very layered, BJ and Lockey in "BJ's Single Diary" are two completely different characters, and Renee handles both roles very naturally, but if you look closely, you can still see some of the same small movements, for example, Renee always uses a one-legged stance when she is impatient, and her temperament is too 'good family woman', which makes it hard to believe Locke What a vulgar and ignorant woman Nozomi is.

 Roger wanted to find someone to compare himself to Jennifer, but found that he couldn't find a second actor who could switch his acting state so completely.

 He no longer paid attention to other people's performances, and even put down his binoculars and immersed himself in Jennifer's overall performance, trying to find the moment when she came out of the play, to find her weaknesses - this is no longer a comparison between her and Renee, but a process of testing miracles, Roger is a rational man, he refuses to believe in miracles, and now what is happening before his eyes seems to tell him loudly, 'You are wrong, you are witnessing the birth of a miracle girl right now.' '

 The self-absorption of "Roxie", the sharp emotions in the lines, the delirium, vanity, ugliness, hypocrisy of Lockhee, all these complex emotions, even if they are not performed after eating them thoroughly, just experiencing them one by one, all require a certain age experience, Renee played a very good Locke at the age of thirty, which is also closer to the age of the character. But Jennifer is only 21 years old this year, and she is even several years younger than the character!

 Roger didn't come back to his senses until the end of the performance, and the sound and light feast of "All That Jazz" provoked an enthusiastic response from the audience, but he just instinctively watched Jennifer Jefferson closely. - Even the best actor is allowed to have one or two small omissions in the whole performance...

 But Jennifer Jefferson didn't.

 Of course, he stayed for the revival After Party, and unlike at the party after the premiere of "Chicago", Roger took the initiative to talk to Jennifer, and he noticed that the girl's face was a little pale, and the whole person looked weak, and often showed discomfort with the noise during the conversation.

 "Are you alright, Jennifer?" Roger cared.

 "Thanks, I'm fine. Jennifer smiled at him, and Roger (not for the first time tonight) was shocked to find that Jennifer was indeed very quiet and reserved in private, which was very different from the striking spirit she displayed on stage. "It's just that I've been a little sluggish these days, you know, I've had a tight schedule lately and I'm tired. "

 She tentatively asked, almost apprehensively and apologetically, "It's a shame you didn't make it to my best of days – Roger, I hope my performance tonight will satisfy you." "

 She was genuine, Roger could feel it, Jennifer was worried about her performance, she really didn't think she was performing at her best.

 He almost laughed at the uneasiness she hid behind her smile - she was worried that she would lose to Renee. She, Jennifer Jefferson, who had surprised him so much that he barely jumped for the first 2 hours, was worried that she would lose.

 If it were his own youth, Roger didn't know if he would have hung Jennifer's appetite and appreciated her anxiety, but he was too old to do these things, and now all Roger could care about was his films, he shook his head and said what he thought. "My dear, for a talented young actor like you, what you need to worry about is no longer your own performance, and what can affect your career is no longer your acting skills. "

 He looked at Jenny, thought of Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, and thought of the various endings of these gifted beauties, and Roger said meaningfully, "I think what you have to worry about is something other than acting — the fate you should pray for." "

 Jennifer had a look of astonishment on her face, and at this moment, her paleness and tiredness were swept away, and joy and doubt floated up at the same time, but before their conversation could continue, James Schubert interjected apologetically, "I'm so sorry, really sorry, but Roger, our advertising representative is desperate for Jenny to say a few words to a few long-time customers..."

 Roger didn't stay at the party for long, his health was no longer allowed, and when he left the back door of the theater, he happened to collide with Josh Blanche, causing a brief confusion that Roger was also hit by the paparazzi's flashing lights several times before getting into the waiting vehicle sent by the hotel.

 The car drove through the brilliant neon, Roger closed his eyes in the back seat, but did not fall asleep, and when the phone rang, he quickly picked it up.

 "How?" he asked.

 "By the end of the show, the offer had reached $500,000. His agent said, his tone exuberant. "Straight double – I guess the response to the show was good?"

 Roger just hummed, and did not mean to respond carefully, and the agent no longer asked, but quickly explained, "250,000 deposits, and the remaining 250,000 will be paid immediately after seeing the column, and the source is absolutely legal." Roger, it's not a small amount of money. "

 Although Roger is rich in wealth, a cash flow of $500,000 will not be a small amount of money for anyone, even if this is the entertainment industry, unless it is a few dozen people at the top of the pyramid, even a star with a salary of millions will still be tempted by 500,000 cash.

 "I see. Roger said.

 He hung up the phone, carefully tucked it into his pocket, slowly leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

 The author has something to say: Note: Kristen Dunst is the female lead of Spider-Man, her name is relatively unpopular, and I believe everyone knows everything else.

 As for those famous actresses, they don't need popular science