An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 193

193. Hollywood (6)

“What is this? Why are there two scripts?”

I opened both scripts to check the contents and roles.

Usually, to assess acting skills, actors perform different scenes of the same role.

For example, an angry scene or a happy scene.

Showing performances in various scenes is how you can check an actor’s acting ability.

But the two scripts in my hand weren’t different scenes.

They were definitely scripts for different roles.

So, in other words, I had to practice and perform both roles.

I tilted my head, examining the scripts.

Why would they give me two roles?

Team Leader Kim, who had been watching silently, asked me.

“Why? Is there something strange about the two scripts?”

Team Leader Kim asked with a worried expression.

“Um… Hyung [older brother or close male friend], something’s weird about this.”

“What is it?”

He looked back and forth between the two scripts and continued.

“The staff said they would test both, right?”

I nodded and replied to him.

“Yeah, but it’s not just two scripts, it’s two roles.”

“Then does that mean your role hasn’t been decided yet?”

I bit my lip.

Team Leader Kim stroked his chin and hesitated for a moment.

Then he suddenly jumped up.

“You start practicing first. I’ll go find out the details.”

Seeing his expression, I could only nod.

In Korea and Hollywood, Team Leader Kim was such a reliable presence for me.

“Thanks, Hyung.”

“Yeah, anyway, you have to do a camera test, so practice both well.”

“Okay.”

Team Leader Kim opened the door and left.

I quickly brushed aside my doubts and began reading the scripts I had received.

They were two short scripts, but even with just those,

I could accurately discern what kind of roles they were.

One script was for a supporting role closely related to the main character’s family.

Being a supporting role with a deep connection to the main character, I thought it would be significant, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

It seemed like I would only occasionally play a comedic role next to the main character’s family, and there were no scenes where I appeared alone.

There weren’t many lines either.

Just reacting next to the main characters and acting through actions.

In short, it felt like a supporting role similar to a minor role.

And the other script was also for a supporting role, but it was a completely different kind of character.

A role that couldn’t help but be significant.

None other than a villain.

Since I couldn’t know the overall flow of the movie, I couldn’t tell what kind of villain it was or what kind of bad role I would be playing.

But I could tell that the character was a villain.

And I could also feel through the script that this role was significant.

Simply watching the movie, I could tell that the first script was for a good role and the second was for a bad role, but as an actor, and as someone making my Hollywood debut, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the second, villainous role over the first, good role.

Of course, it would be better to have a significant role, even if it was a bad one, than to be seen on camera a few times.

Although a suspicious feeling that I had to perform both roles was lingering in one corner of my mind, I suppressed that feeling and quickly focused on practicing my acting.

***

After practicing the scripts for a good two hours,

“Actor Jin Hee-sung, we’re going to start the camera test.”

Only then did a staff member approach me and wave.

“Yes.”

I quickly got up from my seat and followed her to another location.

Team Leader Kim couldn’t follow me here.

He was just waiting for me in the waiting room.

I followed her to the next room,

and the same situation I had seen in auditions in Korea unfolded before my eyes.

The only difference was that the audition room was dark.

There seemed to be several people sitting at the table,

and if it were a typical audition in Korea, I would have exchanged brief greetings with them before performing.

But here, instead of being able to see the people sitting at the table,

only a few cameras caught my eye, like on a film set.

It felt like an actual filming.

“Actor Jin Hee-sung, please start with the script marked as number 1.”

A male voice was heard loudly.

I slowly closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay.”

“Start whenever you’re ready.”

I quickly immersed myself in the role of the first script, the kind supporting character,

and smiled brightly, opening my eyes wide.

Then, I started acting as if there was another actor in front of the camera.

“Henry, I really hope we can all meet tomorrow.”

I continued my lines with rich facial expressions.

“No, I like being with Henry. Can’t I come with you?”

I continued the acting I had practiced for about two hours,

and the people sitting at the table in the dark seemed to be focused on my performance without making any noise.

Because the only sound I could hear was the scratching of their pens.

After continuing my lines for a while,

“Okay. Now, please start performing the role in the second script. Take a deep breath and start calmly.”

As soon as my performance ended, without any reaction, they announced the start of the next performance.

I quickly immersed the villain into my body.

Then, with eyes completely different from the previous role, I glared at the camera.

With the eyes of an evil and cruel person.

Like someone who couldn’t feel any emotions of affection or love.

“I’ll start right away.”

The performance continued for a few minutes,

and I finished with heavy breathing.

“Thank you.”

They nodded at my words.

“Good job. If you go back to the waiting room, we’ll have a meeting shortly.”

“Yes, I understand.”

No questions were asked about the performance.

Because we would be having a meeting right away anyway.

I bowed my head and followed the staff to the room,

still with one unresolved question.

I waited for the meeting time, wondering about the reason for giving me two roles.

The camera test was to check English pronunciation and enunciation,

so character understanding wasn’t important.

But the fact that they gave me two script for two roles clearly meant that I might be taking on one of those two characters.

***

As I entered the meeting room, a very bright and cheerful atmosphere greeted me, unlike the camera test earlier.

“Oh, Hee-sung-ssi [Mr. Hee-sung]. I’m so glad to meet you like this.”

James looked at me and smiled brightly.

I also smiled and replied.

“James, I’m honored to be invited to Hollywood like this.”

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

Team Leader Kim and I sat down side by side in front of him.

Director James stared at me intently and opened his mouth.

“I was so impressed by Jin Hee-sung’s acting before.”

When I raised my eyebrows, he snapped his fingers and continued.

“It seems like it’s been a while, but you performed on stage in New York, right?”

At his words, I immediately shook my head.

That video of me spontaneously going on stage during my New York trip.

That video was circulating on the internet, and that’s how he found out about me.

The video first became known not in Korea, but in the United States.

“Ah, you saw that?”

“Yes, it was very impressive. Your acting was so good that the memory lingered for a long time.”

“I’m so honored that you saw it so favorably. Haha.”

We continued the conversation in a friendly atmosphere.

“Was it difficult coming from Korea?”

At his worried question, I smiled and joked.

“Well, it took a long time, but I felt like it didn’t take even an hour because I was so excited to come to Hollywood.”

“Haha, if someone like Jin Hee-sung doesn’t come to Hollywood, what Korean actor would come?”

James praised me a lot and continued.

“While you were in the waiting room just now, I watched the recording of your performance several times.”

I swallowed hard, feeling nervous.

It wasn’t like I was acting for the first time,

but it was my first time acting in English and showing my acting to an American director, not a Korean director.

So, I couldn’t help but be nervous.

He raised the corners of his mouth and continued.

“I already trust Jin Hee-sung’s acting skills, so acting skills weren’t really important to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, since you have to act in English, I wanted to see your diction more than your acting. I was very curious about your English pronunciation.”

That was also a part I was worried about,

and it was the point I had been most conscious of and practiced since Korea, so I waited anxiously for James’s evaluation.

“The performance you gave in New York was also in English, but that was just light everyday conversation. I was very curious about what your diction would be like when you were seriously engaged in acting.”

I nodded and focused on his next words.

“But I loved it.”

James smiled brightly and said.

I breathed a sigh of relief and replied.

“Really?”

“Yes, there were no awkward or lacking parts.”

“That’s a relief. I practiced hard.”

He nodded with a proud face.

“Then, is there anything Jin Hee-sung wants from our side?”

“What kind of things are you….”

At my words, he touched his lips with his hand and said to me.

“Things like appearance fees or filming environment.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Team Leader Kim, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“I think you can discuss the appearance fee separately with me.”

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

The conversation was progressing smoothly without any obstacles,

and I was looking for the right timing to ask about the reason for giving me two scripts.

At that time.

James carefully looked at me and said.

“But, actually, there is one thing our side is worried about.”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“First of all, I haven’t given you the full script yet, have I?”

The script I was given during practice was a short few pages,

and at his words asking if I had received the entire script, I quickly nodded.

“No, the few pages you gave me during practice are all I have.”

“Here it is. Take this and read it slowly.”

He handed me a thick script.

I looked at the script and asked him.

“Then, can I ask what you said you were worried about?”

“Actually… we have a total of two Asian candidates on our side.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Team Leader Kim and I looked at each other and widened our eyes.

“Two people?”

“Yes, two people including Hee-sung-ssi.”

Team Leader Kim asked James at the same time as he finished speaking.

“Is the other Asian actor Korean too?”

“No. He’s a Japanese actor.”

I swallowed a sigh at his words.

I had a bad feeling since they gave me two script for two roles.

So, does that mean that the two roles will be divided between me and the Japanese actor?

I straightened my back and asked him.

“Then, could it be that… do I have to compete for the two roles I acted out earlier?”

He looked straight into my eyes and replied.

“Not exactly. You have two roles you acted out today, right?”

“Yes.”

“Both are supporting roles, and we plan to divide them between the two of you.”

At his words, I couldn’t help but frown.

Saying they’re dividing them, but in the end, it was no different from competing as I said.

I couldn’t sigh in front of him and express my anger,

so I tried to hide my expression as much as possible and held back my words.