First pot of gold

Elation suddenly came, and his brain was blank for a moment. The extreme happiness instantly drowned Hugo. Although when he was creating the song "Second Chance" just now, Hugo had firmly held onto his confidence to continue steadily on this path. But at this moment, the confusion, anxiety, and unease after crossing over were all consumed by this good news. His heart was filled with glee and he even felt suffocated.

Hugo couldn't help but tightly clench his fists, letting out a low roar from the depths of his throat. This was not an explosive shout released outwardly, but more like a growl from a mastiff in the process of gathering momentum. All the energy was gestating in his chest. Even if it didn't erupt, it still had an undeniable power.

The trimmed nails were driven into the palm of Hugo's hand due to excessive force, with veins piercing through the surface of his skin, and even his bones trembling slightly. This slight stinging sensation made Hugo feel so real, but the remaining bit of his sanity still restrained his joy. He raised his head and looked at Joseph, "Are you saying that I, Hugo Lancaster, got the role of Charlie in "Scent of a Woman"?"

The scene at the recent Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was still vivid in Hugo's mind, and he had to confirm it again.

On Joseph's slightly stiff face, from his eyebrows, eyes, and the corners of his mouth corners, one could clearly see the turmoil in his heart, which was not weaker than Hugo's at all. He squeezed out a hoarse "Yes!" from his throat, but it became indistinct due to his hoarse voice, so Joseph simply nodded to give a definite answer.

"Yeah!" The energy that had been echoing in Hugo's chest turned into a low roar, releasing his turbulent emotions unreservedly. He succeeded, he took the first step by his own effort, won the opportunity to act with Al Pacino, and even won a chance to show himself!

This is indeed hard-won. Setting aside the unspoken rules in Tracey's circle, it was not an easy decision for the "Scent of a Woman" production team to choose to cast Hugo. Before this, Hugo had already messed up three consecutive films, although there were objective reasons for the failures, people tend to habitually attribute the reasons for failure to the lead actor. Moreover, all three of Hugo's films were nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards, which also showed that Hugo was indeed responsible for the failure of the films.

Furthermore, the failure of these three films was not only reflected in the poor word of mouth but also in the box office crash. This caused Hugo's "actor value" to plummet. Even if he had an excellent performance in "Dead Poets Society", it would be difficult for producers to trust him again.

Under such circumstances, the "Scent of a Woman" production team still shouldered enormous pressure and decided to use Hugo. This courage could be called as a favor of recognizing his worth.

In fact, the situation of the "Scent of a Woman" production team itself was not very good now. The male lead Al Pacino's situation was far from his peak period, but his acting skills were still strong enough to earn the trust of Universal Pictures. At the same time, the script of this work itself was not the type that has strong box office appeal, which made Universal Pictures particularly cautious when making investment decisions. Now, with the addition of Hugo Lancaster, it was foreseeable that the news media would not have too many positive opinions about the prospects of "Scent of a Woman".

In any case, Hugo had received his "first" role invitation in life. Regardless of his previous experiences, whether it was the failure of "Hudson Hawk" or the praise for "Dead Poets Society", "Scent of a Woman" would be Hugo's fresh starting point, marking the beginning of his journey as an actor.

Excitedly, Hugo took two steps forward and gave Joseph a big hug. Without Joseph's mediation and effort, Hugo probably wouldn't even have had a chance to audition.

Joseph is not only Hugo's agent, but also the first person he met after crossing over, and the first person who was willing to help him. Hugo has firmly engraved this in his heart.

Joseph felt only a sudden hug from Hugo, who then laughed heartily and said, "Thank you, really, thank you." This made Joseph feel a bit uncomfortable. In the year since taking over Hugo, he had always been distrustful of Joseph because he did not believe in his own abilities. Compared to himself, Hugo was still more willing to ask for Ron's opinion, as evidenced by his Raspberry Award.

However, in recent times, Hugo had not only begun to work hard, but his trust in himself had also clearly increased. Although Joseph won't be moved to tears, it couldn't be denied that this was definitely beneficial for his work and a huge affirmation for a new agent.

However, Joseph was not the type of person who was accustomed to expressing his emotions. Looking at Hugo, who was smiling, he released his hold. His bright amber eyes were filled with joy, which made Joseph feel somewhat uncomfortable. He couldn't help but avoid Hugo's excited gaze and cleared his throat, "This is just the beginning. The filming process ahead will be the most difficult."

Hugo nodded vigorously and said with a smile, "I know." His smile was full of countless aspirations and confidence.

It was only at this moment that Joseph woke up from the joy of Hugo's successful audition and remembered an important issue, "Hugo, the production team just called and said that since Charlie is only a supporting role in this movie, and considering your situation, your pay will only be fifty thousand dollars. What do you think?"

The audition director, Ellen Lewis, specifically mentioned this over the phone just now, but Joseph couldn't grasp Hugo's thoughts, so he didn't answer directly. Instead, he said that he would call back later to discuss it. As Hugo's agent, Joseph could only give him advice, but the final decision would be made by the actor himself.

Fifty thousand dollars? Hugo was stunned by this number. How much was it in RMB? Hugo didn't know how the exchange rate was calculated now, but in 2014, this was at least three million RMB! To earn three million RMB from starring in a movie was truly amazing. He had read the news before about some actors earning ten million RMB from starring in a movie, but that was someone else's business. At this moment, this pay was for Hugo himself, which left him speechless. Wasn't the speed of making money a bit too fast?

Hugo's dazed look appeared hesitant in Joseph's eyes, and Joseph thought to himself: is Hugo going to mess up again?

"Listen, Hugo, the production budget for "Scent of a Woman" is not as high as '"Hudson Hawk", so naturally it can't be compared. Besides, the real protagonist of this movie is Al, and his salary will definitely take up the majority. As a supporting actor, it's unavoidable that your salary will be reduced. I think you should take on this project. It's an opportunity, a chance for you to find a new direction for development. Salary is only one factor, don't just focus on that."

Joseph earnestly tried to persuade Hugo, and this was the longest speech he had made to Hugo since the Golden Raspberry Awards. When Hugo finally reacted, he immediately realized that Joseph had misunderstood. As expected...

"If you insist on a salary of over five million dollars, it will probably be difficult to find a new project." Joseph continued to persuade him, even using such direct words to wake Hugo up.

Hugo couldn't help but be surprised. It turns out that his predecessor had such a high value, with a movie budget of over five million dollars, and here he was feeling satisfied with a salary of half a million dollars. He really was like a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Joseph, do I have any reason to refuse?" Hugo interrupted Joseph's words and said with a smile.

"Of course, there are countless of them: excellent scripts, Al Pacino, and the appreciation of the crew..." Joseph rattled off, but halfway through he realized he might have misheard. "Wait, are you saying you're accepting this proposal?" He had thought he heard, "Do I have a reason to accept?" But looking at Hugo's expression, he couldn't reconcile the words with the look on his face.

"Yes, I'm accepting this proposal," Hugo nodded, giving a definite answer. "I don't have any reason to refuse, do I?" The crew was willing to take a risk and hire him at this crucial juncture. If he were to nitpick and be choosy, it would be squandering a golden opportunity. Besides, for Hugo, the amount of his pay was not the most important factor. He didn't have the misgiving of a "$5 million salary" and the opportunity brought by the movie "Scent of a Woman" was the most important thing.

Joseph looked at the smile on Hugo's face and cast a confirming gaze once again. Hugo couldn't help but grin and nod in affirmation. Joseph finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. "As for the matter of your pay, I'll handle it. Don't worry," he said. After speaking, Joseph realized he had made a mountain out of a molehill.

Hugo had been performing exceptionally well during this period of time. If he hadn't been willing, he would have refused to audition for "Scent of a Woman" when he heard it was just a supporting role. Or perhaps he would have felt insulted by the open audition, as he had always played the lead role before. That's why those people had come to provoke him. But Hugo still attended the audition and gave it his all. Thinking about this, Joseph knew that Hugo had truly changed.

"After all, there's my 10% commission involved here, so I have to work hard," Joseph joked, trying to ease his embarrassment.

"10%? Hugo's eyes widened at the proportion. That's $50,000! Joseph's commission rate was too high. Although Hugo didn't know how the Hollywood agency industry worked, that commission rate was indeed very high. "You don't look like a broker with the ability to take 10% commission." Hugo quipped directly.

Joseph gave Hugo a roll of his eyes. "It's not my ability, it's the company's ability."