A cup of coffee

Morning, Los Angeles.

Inside Heath Ledger's apartment.

A melodious "ding-ling-ling..." sound rang out, disturbing the master's sweet dream. Heath opened his eyes and pressed the alarm switch by the bedside. The noise instantly disappeared, and the surroundings returned to tranquility.

It was now 6 o'clock in the morning, really early to get up. But today, he had something important, and he needed to set aside more time to dress up.

After finishing his morning routine, Heath dressed in a casual suit, without a tie, and wearing leather shoes. He looked very energetic. Leaving the community, it was 7:30, and his agent, Davis, also arrived in his car. Heath got into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and received the breakfast Davis had bought on the way. As they ate, they chatted.

The audition for the movie "Fury" was scheduled to start at nine in the morning, but it would be better to arrive at Paramount Pictures headquarters one hour or half an hour early. The car drove smoothly on the road, with the car window slightly open, and a gentle breeze constantly brushed Heath's face, making him couldn't help but exclaim, "The weather is really nice!"

Davis, who was controlling the steering wheel, also smiled and said, "Yes, the weather is great today."

Then he asked, "How about you? Are you confident about the audition?"

"Who knows? I'll try my best." Heath's tone was quite indifferent.

Paramount Pictures headquarters was located in West Hollywood, not far from Heath's apartment, and it was even easier to reach by car. After a half-hour drive, when Davis parked the car, it was only a little past 8 o'clock.

Approaching the reception desk, Heath said to the lady behind the counter, "Hello, we are here for the audition of "Fury"."

The staff already knew about this and smiled, saying, "Okay, please follow me. The audition will start after nine. I'll take you to the audition room to wait." The two followed her, entered the elevator, and went up to the 5th floor.

After getting off the elevator, they walked past the bustling office area and arrived at the reception room designated as the audition location. When Heath walked in, he saw more than ten equally spirited men sitting in chairs, dressed similarly, waiting. It seemed that there were quite a few people who were willing to come early.

"Please wait a moment. The audition will start soon," she reminded them before turning back to the reception desk.

Heath silently found an empty seat and sat down. He didn't have many friends in the industry, and after scanning the room, he didn't recognize any familiar faces. He sat calmly, feeling inwardly peaceful.

Having experienced so much, he was not so anxious anymore. Moreover, just the day before yesterday, Director Greg officially called and said that he had been tentatively chosen for the lead role in "Ned Kelly". Although it hadn't been finalized yet, it was only because the salary and some on-set treatment issues had not been negotiated. It wasn't a matter of his suitability for the role.

Even so, he shouldn't have had to come for an audition. However, for some reason, he felt that he should make this trip. What was the reason? He didn't know, he just kept thinking like that in his heart.

"Hey, buddy." A greeting sounded in his ear. Heath turned around and saw a young man with a crew cut, wearing a bright smile on his face.

"Are you here for the audition too?"

"Yeah." Wasn't that a pointless question? Everyone sitting in this reception room was here for the audition.

"Do you know any inside information?" The young man's eyes had a hint of urgent curiosity as he asked. The crew-cut young man had been observing Heath for a long time. In this small waiting area, most people seemed nervous. Some closed their eyes to calm themselves, some fiddled with the buttons on their clothes, and some took deep breaths...

But he, the crew-cut young man swore, was the only one who seemed extremely composed as soon as he walked in. So he couldn't help but ask this question, even though it sounded silly. But he thought that as long as he could try and increase his chances even just a little bit, he shouldn't let the opportunity slip away.

The competition pressure was too great, and the agent's remarks were vague and didn't provide any useful information. The crew-cut young man still didn't know what type of role he was auditioning for or what the requirements were. The uncertainty of the audition was too great, leaving people feeling unsure.

Heath paused, not knowing how to answer that question. Inside information? Davis didn't say anything either.

"I only know it's a new work by Director Lyman, a war-themed film. I don't know anything else." Heath honestly replied.

The crew-cut young man felt disappointed. He felt that the person in front of him didn't want to tell him any inside information. Well, if he knew, he probably wouldn't say it either. Before any results were announced, why would anyone help their competitors?

The crew-cut young man politely smiled and changed the subject. He had invited trouble for himself. The momentary hesitation from Heath and his vague answer made the crew-cut young man start thinking about many things. Fear of people's wild imaginations, as they say. It can lead to overthinking!

Heath didn't react much. Seeing that the other person didn't want to chat anymore, he continued to wait. As more people entered the reception room, the audition time drew closer.

At this moment, Lyman, René, Thomas, one of the producers named George, and Sandy, the person in charge from Paramount, along with a staff member from the actors' union who came specifically for this, walked in together.

Lyman looked into the crowd and spotted Heath's figure. He felt delighted and said to René and George, "You guys start the first round of auditions. Record the performances, make notes. I have something to attend to, so I'll leave first."

René had already known what Lyman was thinking and understood that they had considered contacting Heath after the successful release of the previous film. However, when they inquired, they couldn't find him. At that time, Heath had returned to Australia, coinciding with a change in his agent, causing some confusion in contact information. Of course, if one were to get curious about the information recorded in the Screen Actors Guild, it didn't include precise addresses, only addresses in the United States, not Australia. After all, when someone traveled all the way from the United States to France, regardless of the salary for the role, it was a big help.

The bond between them was quite significant for their current situation. Thomas and George, who had just rushed over from France, were confused, not understanding why the audition was starting while Lyman had something to do. But seeing René nod in agreement, they didn't say anything. It was just the first round of auditions, after all. It didn't seem like a big deal.

Lyman waved at Heath's direction and immediately walked over. "Hey, buddy, long time no see. Can I have the honor of inviting you for a cup of coffee?"

"Of course." The two exchanged glances and both smiled.

The crew-cut young man sitting behind them saw this scene. How could he not understand what was happening? He sighed in his heart, feeling envious, unable to hide it on his face.

Seeing the two of them leave the reception room one after another, the crew-cut young man sighed to himself. In this world, it's tough for honest people. Just as the latter was having some thoughts, Davis, the agent, was waiting in the corridor for the audition results.

He thought it would continue until the afternoon and was considering where to have lunch. In the blink of an eye, he saw his artist leisurely walking out of the reception room. When did the audition that started at nine progress so quickly? While Davis was still confused, another person walked out from behind.

Lyman Lattes! Davis was very familiar with that face. After all, he cared a lot about matters concerning his artist. His mind was in chaos because Davis had noticed the two people laughing and talking while walking towards him. Great, they still said they didn't have any connection, but they even kept it from their own agent.

Damn, it's truly frustrating!

"So, during that time, you went back to Australia to be with your family."

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to come find me at the actors' union. At that time, I didn't have any roles to play, and Christmas was approaching, so I went back home."

"That's quite a coincidence."

"..."

Davis watched as the two people approached, and it seemed like Heath didn't notice him at all.

He couldn't help but create a little presence for himself. "Hey, buddy, why are you coming out?"

"This is?" Lyman stopped in his tracks and asked, following Davis's hint.

"I am his agent, sir."

Heath nodded beside him, confirming this fact.

"In that case, let's go together. There's something I need to discuss with your agent." Saying that, the three of them left Paramount Pictures building together. Then they went to a café nearby.

The café wasn't far from Paramount headquarters. Sitting by the window on the second floor, Lyman put down the spoon in his coffee cup and looked at Heath across from him. Compared to their last meeting, he seemed even more mature and full of energy.

They had already discussed many things along the way, so Lyman spoke directly, "Buddy, how about it? I really hope to work with you again."

Sitting next to Heath was Davis, his agent. At this moment, the agent was filled with excitement, hoping that Heath would immediately agree.

"Fury" was a big-budget production, with over $50M invested. It could bring a significant advancement to an actor's career. If it succeeded, one couldn't even imagine. Even if it failed, it wouldn't affect much, and they would still receive a hefty paycheck, not to mention their share.

Hurry up and agree! Davis shouted in his mind. But in this situation, it wasn't his place to speak.