An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 194

194. Hollywood (7)

22nd Century Fox.

James looked at the script with the producer and began, “What do you think? Should we go with the two Asian actors as we discussed?”

The producer nodded. “Yes, that would be good. That way, we’ll attract audiences from those countries.”

James smiled. “The concept is strong too. A rivalry between Korea and Japan… As people from those countries fight and compete, 22nd Century Fox ultimately benefits.”

“James, your ideas are always amazing!” The producer chuckled.

James raised his eyebrows, feigning pride. “Each country will try hard to watch the movie so they don’t lose to the other. I guarantee it.”

“Great. I trust you, of course, James.” He smirked.

Then, he made a ‘tss’ sound and looked at the script. “Which of the Asian actors is going to play the villain?”

At his question, James handed over a video. “This is the camera test of the Korean actor, Jin Hee-sung, from today.”

The producer stroked his chin, watching Jin Hee-sung’s performance intently. “Hmm… he certainly acts well. There’s something captivating about him, isn’t there?”

“That’s right. He’s quite a charming character.”

“Can I see the Japanese actor’s video?”

James shook his head. “Not yet. The Japanese actor is coming in tomorrow.”

“Then who are you leaning towards for the villain role, James? I’m curious to know your thoughts.”

James raised his eyebrows, still watching Jin Hee-sung’s video. “It doesn’t matter to me. We’re just picking the better actor for the bigger role.”

“Well, we’ve brought in actors who are quite good in their respective countries, so they’ll be able to handle any role.”

James nodded. “We just need the better actor.”

***

“Wow! Hollywood is amazing.”

“Hiroto, your fans are going crazy that you’re making your Hollywood debut,” Hiroto’s manager said proudly.

“Of course. I’m excited too.”

“Let’s get to the hotel quickly first.”

Hiroto nodded. “Yeah, are we going to 22nd Century Fox tomorrow?”

They got into the waiting car.

“Oh, we’re scheduled to go tomorrow afternoon. I actually have something to tell you about that.”

“What is it?”

He glanced at the driver and lowered his voice. “Um… I’ll tell you when we get there.”

Even though they were speaking in Japanese, the manager was being cautious.

Hiroto tilted his head, wondering what the secret was.

He suppressed his curiosity and waited until they arrived at the hotel.

A few minutes later, Hiroto hurriedly closed the hotel room door and asked his manager, “What were you going to say earlier?”

“About what?”

“You said you had something to tell me in the car.”

The manager sighed and sat on the sofa. “Sit down. I just got the call after arriving in America.”

“You mean 22nd Century Fox called?”

“Yeah, they called to let us know about the meeting tomorrow.”

Hiroto frowned, looking uneasy. “The meeting is still on, so it hasn’t been canceled. What’s going on?”

“Hmm… about our roles. They haven’t been assigned yet.”

Hiroto’s face contorted. “Are you kidding me?”

“That’s what I’m saying. It seems like they’re going to decide after the camera test tomorrow. They said they’ll tell us more about the roles tomorrow.”

Hiroto closed his eyes tightly, suppressing his anger.

Then, he looked at his manager calmly. “Choosing between roles means I’m definitely getting cast in the movie, right? That’s correct, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it seems like they’re considering you for two roles.”

Hiroto tilted his head. “Then who’s up for the other role?”

Hiroto clicked his tongue. “Is there even a character similar to me? Weren’t they only casting Japanese actors?”

The manager slowly nodded. “Korean.”

Hiroto’s face instantly contorted. “What? A Korean actor?”

“Yeah… I heard about this after arriving in America. I wanted to talk to you about it privately, just in case.”

Hiroto let out a long sigh. “It’s going to be a rivalry between Japan and Korea.”

“Yeah, they’re going to decide on the roles after seeing your acting and the Korean actor’s acting.”

He asked the manager, dissatisfied, “Why did they put a Korean actor with me? They could have just used two actors from our country.”

The manager clicked his tongue. “It’s obvious. The competition between Japan and Korea.”

“So why here…”

“They know about the relationship between us and Korea, and both countries have good film markets.”

Hiroto nodded slowly. “If they bring in decent actors from each country, they’ll automatically secure an audience from our country and Korea.”

The manager agreed. Hiroto bit his lip hard and muttered, “And on top of that, a Japan-Korea dynamic… it’ll automatically be marketing for the audience.”

“That’s what they’re thinking. That’s the picture they wanted.”

Hiroto slammed his fist on the sofa and shouted, “Aren’t they just a bunch of thugs?”

Seeing his anger, the manager calmed him down. “Hiroto, it’s true, but think about it. This isn’t an opportunity that comes easily. It’s Hollywood, after all.”

“Haa…”

Hiroto jumped up from his seat.

Seeing him filled with anger, the manager approached him and handed him a water bottle. “I understand that you’re angry right now. I was angry when I got the call too. But let’s think rationally.”

Hiroto repeatedly sighed without saying anything.

“This will be a stepping stone to Hollywood. Hiroto, with your acting skills, crushing that Korean guy won’t be that difficult.”

Hiroto’s breathing gradually subsided. Looking out the window with a determined look, he enunciated each word with force. “Korean guy… I don’t know who he is, but I’m going to crush him with my acting. I’ll use him as my stepping stone to Hollywood.”

***

Thud-.

After a long day, I felt all the strength drain from my body as soon as I entered the hotel.

It was my first time acting in English.

I was nervous and did my best.

But at the end of it, there was the unexpected appearance of a Japanese actor, which shook my confidence.

“Haa… Hyung [older brother or close male friend], I’m going to rest for a bit.”

“Okay, you’ve worked hard today, so get some rest.”

“Yeah.”

I moved to my room with the script in my hand and was lost in thought about the Japanese actor.

But the more I thought about it, the less it seemed to benefit me. It felt like I was just wasting my energy.

However, the fact that I was competing with a Japanese actor ignited my will.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and quickly opened the script, focusing on the content.

The two roles I acted out at the meeting place during the day only showed a small part of the movie.

I wanted to know the overall story.

In the short scenes, the importance of the first and second roles seemed clear, but looking at the overall content, it could be different.

So, I sat in my seat for a long time without moving, carefully reading through the entire script.

I opened my eyes wide and bit my lip. The difference in the importance of the two roles was much more significant than I thought.

The first role was a ‘good’ character.

As expected, it was a role that was always with the main character’s family.

In other words, it was just a supporting role that occasionally appeared when the main characters appeared.

It wasn’t a minor role, as the face appeared in quite a few scenes, but it wasn’t a supporting role either, as there weren’t that many lines.

There were just a lot of reactions and appearances in scenes. There was no real charm to the role, or rather, not enough lines to show it.

In contrast, the second role was the villain, a role with quite a bit of importance, comparable to the main character.

Of course, a villain is a role that cannot be loved by the audience, but in order to be hated that much, they had to appear a lot to show their evil deeds.

And there were more lines than I thought, and many scenes to be seen.

The role of the villain was a ‘terrorist’.

This movie was about the 9/11 terrorist attacks that took place in the United States, so it wasn’t a subject that should be approached lightly.

It was a movie that had to be approached seriously and heavily because it was a story about terrorism, an event that brought shock and fear to Americans.

And here, there are only two roles that I and the Japanese actor have to compete for: a supporting role like a minor role that is with the main character’s family, or the villain who committed the terrorism, the terrorist.

I would be taking on one of these two roles.

In movies, choosing a good role or a bad role is not the answer. The key is which role suits you well and whether you can fully embody that role.

Of course, I wanted to play the villain.

It wasn’t that the terrorist suited me better than the good role, but the movie that would make my first step into Hollywood… I didn’t want to appear in a minor role that no one would even notice.

Even if it was a villain, I had to take on a role that was important, even if it was the terrorist in this movie.

If I were to take on the role of a terrorist, I would definitely be noticed by the public and leave a strong impression on the people in the Hollywood film industry.

That’s what I wanted.

It didn’t matter to me whether the impression they had was of a villain or a hero, as long as Jin Hee-sung from Korea was remembered as an actor who acts well.

Then the first step in Hollywood would be successful.

I vowed not to let the Japanese actor take the villain role. “I have to do this role no matter what.”

I opened the script and started practicing the lines of the villain role because I had to get it somehow.

I was focusing on practicing for a long time when suddenly, the last dream I had in Korea came to mind.

“I… I think I saw this scene in my dream?”

Come to think of it, what I saw in my dream was also a scene where a plane crashed into a building and people were panicking.

I closed my eyes tightly and recalled everything I saw in my dream, including my appearance.

“The role I played in my dream was…”

I grabbed my head and retraced my memories. “…wasn’t a terrorist!”

In my dream, I was one of the people inside the building. In other words, I couldn’t have been a terrorist.

Of course, there was nothing in the script that matched what I saw in my dream. It’s just that the flow of the content is a bit similar. It doesn’t perfectly match the dream.

Nevertheless, if I see it as similar to the movie, the role I will play is not the villain, but… the good role?

I shook my head violently. “No. I want to change… my destiny.”

I pointed to the terrorist role in the script and muttered, “I have to change it.”