An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 202

#35 – Turning Crisis into Opportunity (5)

I walked past Liam, who seemed to ignore me. Then, another actor approached from behind.

It was Evelyn.

She had long, wavy hair that cascaded down her back.

She approached, her blonde hair swaying gently.

“Hello, I’m Jin Hee-sung.”

She responded to my greeting with a bright smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Evelyn.”

She extended her hand for a handshake.

I shook her hand and replied.

“It’s a pleasure to work with you, Evelyn.”

“Likewise.”

Her smiling face and sparkling eyes were captivating.

Those twinkling eyes.

Long eyelashes framed her eyes, and she had a sharply defined nose.

Her fair, healthy-looking skin was beautiful enough to steal anyone’s gaze.

Several actors were so captivated by Evelyn’s appearance that they couldn’t take their eyes off her.

I, too, was drawn to the actress, whom I was meeting for the first time.

It wasn’t that I was captivated, but I couldn’t help but notice her striking beauty.

Soon, she headed to the script reading room.

I also greeted the other actors and then went to the script reading.

The script reading proceeded after a brief introduction, just like in Korea.

As the acting began, the actors instantly immersed themselves in their roles and delivered compelling performances.

When one person started acting, the rest of the actors were completely drawn in.

When it wasn’t my turn, I focused on the acting actor, admiring and watching as if I were watching a movie.

Their acting skills were remarkable.

If they had acted like this in Korea, all the actors here would have reached the top.

Their acting was truly admirable.

However, Director Jeffrey’s skills were also formidable.

Director Jeffrey interrupted the acting from time to time, as if their performances didn’t fully satisfy him.

“No. I’d like you to deliver the lines with more intensity.”

The actors quickly accepted his feedback.

“Yes, I’ll try again.”

Jeffrey interrupted the acting, finding fault with almost every line.

“Don’t shed tears; act as if you’re on the verge of tears. You’re not crying there; you’re scared and holding back your tears.”

The actor wiped away tears and nodded.

“And make your voice tremble more; act more desperately.”

“Understood.”

In my eyes, it was a near-perfect performance.

But Jeffrey was not easily satisfied.

And then it was my turn.

I started reciting my lines as I had practiced.

“We have to get out of here right now! If we continue like this, no one will survive. I guarantee it!”

As expected, Director Jeffrey interrupted my line.

“Um… good, but instead of being so urgent there…”

Jeffrey explained the meaning of my line and made a request.

I received several directions afterward.

Jeffrey gave me, a supporting actor, the same level of direction as the leads.

However, it was significantly less frequent than the other supporting actors received.

Director Jeffrey would cut off the other supporting actors as soon as they started speaking their lines.

A break came in the middle of the script reading.

The actors leaned back in their chairs, exhausted from the high-intensity script reading.

Liam, the actor in his 40s next to me, was also a man of great experience.

But now he was closing his eyes and showing signs of fatigue.

Some actors who were close to each other spent time chatting during the break.

I didn’t have any close friends among the actors here.

So I just looked at the script and reviewed the lines for the next reading.

But even while practicing, I could feel glances from all directions.

It seemed like the actors were looking at me because I was the only Asian here.

Evelyn, who was sitting across from me, suddenly met my eyes.

She raised her eyebrows and asked me.

“Hee-sung, how many times have you acted in Hollywood?”

Evelyn’s question didn’t seem intended to embarrass me.

Nor did it seem intended to focus attention on me.

She just made eye contact and asked a question out of curiosity to ease the awkwardness.

I smiled and replied to her.

“This is my first time in Hollywood.”

“Wow, your first time! Good luck.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After exchanging a few words with her,

Evelyn lowered her head and fiddled with her cell phone.

I nodded and refocused on the script.

And soon, even more eyes were on me.

Because it was known to everyone that I was the only Asian here and now an actor who had just entered Hollywood for the first time.

It wasn’t that my first Hollywood debut was wrong or a weakness.

But most of the actors didn’t know anything about my acting or even my background.

So they were just glancing at me with suspicious eyes.

After a few minutes,

The script reading started again.

It was my turn again.

I wanted to impress my presence on the actors who had doubted my acting and sent me suspicious glances.

I wanted to show them why I was able to advance to Hollywood.

Why I am standing here as the only Asian.

I read the lines, using all the skills I had practiced.

“If we keep doing this, we could all die!”

The quiet script reading room was silent and focused on my line.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together! If you act selfishly just to save yourselves, that person will die first.”

I continued the lines, looking around and glancing as if I were actually acting.

“Everyone’s life is equal. Don’t try to sacrifice others like that just to save yourself. This is my last warning; remember that.”

The actors who had doubted my acting swallowed hard and fixed their eyes on me.

And when the acting was over, they opened their mouths wide and nodded, seeming to acknowledge my acting.

I looked at their expressions and smirked.

***

Before I knew it, it had been well over three hours since I had been reciting lines in the script reading room.

The actors and staff were showing signs of exhaustion.

Director Jeffrey clapped his hands and shouted.

“Shall we take a break, then concentrate and continue?”

The actors shouted in unison at his words.

“Yes!”

Another break.

“Haa….”

Everyone got up from their seats to stretch their stiff bodies.

I, too, got up from my seat, leading my stiff body, because I was nervous and acting.

Before I knew it, actors who were close to each other were sitting down and talking.

I heard that there were other Asian actors in this work besides me.

I wanted to find some common ground with them and adapt here.

But the Asian actor was a very short-lived extra.

It wasn’t a role that would participate in the script reading.

Rather than being alone in my seat, I moved towards Director Jeffrey to build relationships with people.

Director Jeffrey happened to be next to Liam, who seemed to have ignored my greeting earlier.

Director Jeffrey smiled as he saw me.

I approached him and greeted Liam next to Director Jeffrey again.

“Hello.”

Then Liam looked at me with a completely different expression than before and nodded.

“Yes, hello. I’m Liam.”

The actor greeted me so happily.

I was embarrassed that I had approached him with such tension.

“I’m Jin Hee-sung.”

“I’m so glad to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

He welcomed me so gladly, as if he had been waiting for my greeting.

I suddenly thought of Liam, who had passed me by earlier.

What is it?

Did he really not see my greeting and accidentally pass me by?

I felt a sense of guilt at the thought that I had misunderstood him.

I was able to put down the burden on my mind, thinking that I had been too sensitive to Choi Seo-bin’s warning to be careful of people.

I was convinced that I could approach the actors a little more comfortably.

Then, I suddenly saw an actor still sitting alone and approached him to greet him.

“Hello. I’m Jin Hee-sung.”

“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Daniel.”

He and I shook hands happily.

Daniel raised one eyebrow and said to me.

“Your acting was so great earlier.”

“Really?”

“Yes, actually, since it was your first time in Hollywood, I was watching without much expectation. I was so mad at myself for thinking that way; it was amazing.”

He gave me a thumbs up.

I smiled brightly and bowed my head.

“Thank you. Daniel’s acting was also very good.”

“Haha, I have to work harder. And there won’t be anyone here who can’t act.”

We continued talking for a while.

I looked at the passing time and said to him.

“Let’s get along well in the future, Daniel.”

“Okay.”

After a brief conversation with him,

I quickly moved to the bathroom for the script reading that would continue again.

Once it started, it would be an hour—no, two hours was the basic.

I had to act, so I kept drinking water and headed to the bathroom.

There was still some time left, so I headed to the toilet in the bathroom and closed the door.

Bang-.

As soon as I closed the door and entered, I heard the sound of the bathroom door being opened violently.

I was sitting there nonchalantly, but the conversation of the actors coming in was so clear in my ears.

“Charles, you did a good job with the script reading today.”

It was Liam’s voice.

I hadn’t had many conversations with him yet, but I could recognize his deep voice at once.

“Thank you. Liam, you gave a great performance today too. Haha.”

As expected.

The people talking in front were Liam and Charles, a supporting actor.

I was just listening to their conversation with one ear and letting it out with the other.

“But Charles.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been smelling garlic from that Asian guy since earlier.”

But suddenly, it seemed like I was being mentioned in the conversation.

“You smell garlic from the Asian guy?”

“Yeah, didn’t you smell it?”

I frowned at the words.

Charles replied in a slightly higher tone of voice, as if he didn’t know.

“Um… I don’t know?”

“Hmm, I guess it’s because I’m sitting close to that Asian guy.”

I was filled with anger at Liam’s words.

I was angry that he kept mentioning me as ‘that Asian guy,’ even though he clearly knew my name.

Because he brought up the unpleasant stereotype that he smelled garlic to demean Asians.

‘Is this the racial discrimination I’ve only heard about?’

If I actually smelled of garlic, Charles would have smelled it, not Liam.

Liam wasn’t even sitting near me.

Rather, Charles was sitting next to me.

So this was clearly racial discrimination.

Liam chuckled and said to Charles.

“I actually ignored that Asian guy’s greeting as soon as I arrived on set, you know? But he came back to greet me again during the break. Haha.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, his eyes are so torn [a derogatory term for Asian eyes], it was so funny to see him come to greet me twice. Hahaha.”

He was laughing at me, mocking me.

I bit my lip as I listened to the sound.

I was filled with anger.

As Choi Seo-bin advised, I tried not to kick the door and go out to fight.

“But Liam didn’t accept the greeting?”

“Of course, I had to accept it. The director was next to me. How could I ignore him there….”

At that time,

Bang-.

The sound of the bathroom door opening again.

“Oh? Did the director come?”

It seemed that Director Jeffrey had entered the bathroom.

“Yeah, everyone’s here.”

Liam seemed excited at the appearance of Director Jeffrey and opened his mouth to him.

“Director, didn’t you smell anything strange in the script reading room?”

“Well, what smell?”

At his question, Liam chuckled and said.

“Garlic.”

Even at Liam’s words, asking with a smile, Director Jeffrey replied in a voice without a smile.

“Not at all. Why, did Liam eat garlic bread?”

At his words, Liam was startled and started using me as a target of ridicule again.

“No. Not me, but that Asian guy. I keep smelling a strong garlic smell from the actor Jin Hee-sung. Director, you smell that too….”

Before Liam could finish speaking, Director Jeffrey shouted in a firm voice.

“Liam, I hope there won’t be any racial discrimination like that in my work!”

Liam, who was embarrassed at his words, opened his mouth urgently.

“Oh, discrimination. My sense of smell is very sensitive. Everyone else couldn’t smell it, but I guess I was the only one who caught it.”

Liam’s actions were nothing short of brazen.

Even though everyone said no, it was like he was a person who was so eager to discriminate against me.

“Liam, I can’t stand that kind of discrimination, so I hope there won’t be any such thing in the future.”

“Of course. I’m just telling the truth; I’m not exaggerating with lies.”

With that, Liam, Charles, and Director Jeffrey left the bathroom.

I was left alone in the quiet and empty bathroom.

I kicked open the door and stood in the empty bathroom with no one, clenching my fists so hard that they shook.

“Liam… you bastard. I need to be careful?”

I bit my lip and looked at the closed door.

No, in fact, Liam wasn’t the only one I had to be careful of.

Hollywood.

This place is the dream of actors and also called the graveyard of actors.

This is not the place where I used to act in Korea.

You have to keep your mind straight every moment.

I opened my eyes wide and grabbed my mentality.

I moved to the script reading room with Liam and many actors.