Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 30

30.

The general procedure for acting auditions is as follows:

First, the production company distributes an official document with a brief synopsis and character descriptions to various agencies and academies.

Then, when the audition participants gather, they are provided with a script excerpted on the spot.

A script that includes several scenes to be filmed in the actual movie.

The participants read this script on-site and perform acting that matches it in front of the judges.

The important thing is this part.

‘The time given to participants to memorize the script varies widely.’

Some places hand out two or three pages of script and give only about 10 minutes of preparation time to memorize it.

The production company of [Forever Green], Ultra Studio, happens to be one of those places.

Although it’s an impromptu script, it’s three pages long with densely packed text.

In that short amount of time, you have to memorize the lines, analyze the character, and modify it to suit yourself.

It was by no means an easy task.

However, in Lee Min-ki’s experience, these places were rather decent.

Because there were also places that only gave you time to barely read it once or twice before making you act on the spot.

‘Shall we get started?’

Audition waiting room.

Before grabbing the script handed to him by the staff, Lee Min-ki briefly scanned his surroundings.

In the waiting room, the audition applicants were each coiled up, holding onto their scripts and showing off their individuality.

First, there were people who already showed clear signs of anxiety.

“Hoo.”

“Ah… Ah….”

Without saying anything, they fixed their eyes on the script, biting their nails or shaking their legs.

There were also people who put their hands together, whispering and praying.

Those people were mostly rookies.

‘I used to be like that too. Actually, I still am.’

Because the weight of an acting audition is no joke when you’re a rookie.

If you fail even once, you might get abandoned by the agency you barely got into.

But the methods of established actors were a bit different.

Namely.

‘Let’s think about the character a little more.’

There were people sitting in comfortable positions, holding onto the script and muttering to themselves.

‘Those people are the real competitors.’

Lee Min-ki took a light breath and took out his phone to review the words that trainer Kim Ah-sung had said to him.

[Min-ki, remember. In auditions, you don’t get much time to memorize the script, let alone on set. There are many times when it proceeds with ad-libs on the spot. So what’s important? Quickly understanding the script. That’s the key point.]

Trainer Kim Ah-sung said, snapping his fingers.

[Don’t memorize it. You don’t necessarily have to memorize every single word perfectly. Just understand the context and let it flow appropriately, and deeply analyze what kind of character that character is.]

It was a suggestion to give up on perfectly memorizing the script.

Lee Min-ki also had a time when he was overly obsessed with memorizing the script.

He firmly believed that memorizing the script as meticulously as possible would directly lead to the completeness of the acting.

He also had the expectation that the judges would look at his brainpower or diligence.

But now he knows.

That it’s the wrong way.

[If you memorize the script, the lines will become accurate. But if you put down the script, the acting comes alive. It’s obvious which one the judges want to see, right?]

Trainer Kim Ah-sung was right.

‘What the judges really want to see is the character.’

They prefer someone who can embody the character they have in mind, even if they make mistakes in the lines.

A lack of line memorization is okay.

Because that’s something that can be solved with a little more time.

But there were many cases where they couldn’t find someone who knew how to embody the character, even with time.

That’s why Lee Min-ki changed his direction.

‘Let’s memorize the character.’

Having finished his thoughts, Lee Min-ki flipped through the paper.

There, a familiar script was written.

[Forever Green – Bae Jung-wook]

Are they the neighbors next door? Ah, now that I think about it, they were suspicious. Should I say there’s a fishy smell coming from their house?

I sometimes run into them in the hallway. They come out wearing really thick clothes, is that called a raincoat? That’s right, a raincoat, they cover themselves with it so you can’t even see their face.

Whenever they do, their eyes are always bloodshot, and they come out carrying a strange toolbox in their hand.

They also take people to their house, and once they go in, they don’t come out for a long time.

They took people in.

Then you should hear some kind of noise. Talking or something, but you don’t hear anything.

I don’t know what they’re doing at home.

Why, am I weird? Am I too interested in the neighbors? That’s because you don’t know. In their own house, they scream and make a fuss even if they only hear noise between floors.

………

……

…

Lee Min-ki let out a small breath.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to memorize all of this.

But this time it’s different.

Right now, in this audition waiting room, he had one advantage.

‘I already know the contents of this movie.’

Because he watched it, he knew.

He had watched almost all of Director Yeom Gwang-ho’s works, but among them, he had re-watched [Forever Green] a whopping three times.

He couldn’t memorize all the detailed lines.

But Lee Min-ki knew everything about how the actor delivered those lines and who he was talking to in the play.

It was still vivid in his mind.

‘He’s not just a citizen. He’s a resident living next door that the killer got for work. He was already mentally disturbed, and he was also subtly expressing displeasure because he was suddenly being interviewed while having a drink of soju [Korean rice wine].’

Of course, he doesn’t know that the neighbor is a killer, nor does he know that he’s a detective.

Because he never visited wearing a detective uniform when he went in and out of that house.

‘Since he’s standing in front of a narrow door, his body will naturally lean. He’ll be trapped in the frame and feel intimidated. He’ll be embarrassed.’

The difference between knowing the exact situation and not knowing it is enormous, even if you’re doing the same acting.

What was in Lee Min-ki’s head was a completed video.

That video that even the director wouldn’t know at this time.

The only task left for Lee Min-ki was to analyze the character to fit him.

But.

‘…….’

Suddenly, he felt stuck.

What should he say about this?

Isn’t there a time when something you heard really trivially gets stuck in your throat like a fish bone?

Like sand stuck between your toes.

Like a tiny amount of cucumber slices in jajangmyeon [Korean-Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce].

This time, it was what manager Park Han-mo had said to him earlier.

[Isn’t there something called human chemistry between an actor and a role? Your role is a bit of a dry character. What should I say about your character? It needs to be a little more stimulating! Fiercely! A subtle salty taste!]

He said his character was a bit more stimulating.

You don’t have to act exactly as the manager says.

But he said to analyze the character, not to imitate it.

Is imitating the acting from the completed movie really Lee Min-ki, his acting? Is that what the directors want to see?

Is that kind of acting really what he’s aiming for?

If you draw someone else’s acting in your head and follow it, can you really capture that taste as it is?

‘What kind of acting is my acting?’

For a moment, worries piled up on top of each other.

And.

‘The problem is that I have too many thoughts. Let’s do what we have to do first.’

Lee Min-ki took action.

It was 1 minute and 30 seconds after receiving the script.

* * *

Inside the audition room.

“Yes, well done.”

“Thank you! This was Kim Dae-cheol, number 8!”

“Yes, go in.”

Director Yeom Gwang-ho, who had finished judging the previous 8 people, let out a tired breath.

“Hoo.”

“Director, what’s wrong?”

The art director asked, as if worried about him.

“You’re overworking too much.”

“No. It’s not that. My mind is clear and sharp.”

“Then it’s the audition that’s the problem.”

“Yes.”

Director Yeom Gwang-ho nodded as if agreeing with the art director’s opinion and said.

“There’s still nothing that really hits me. Is it because the character is just a regular person living next door to the criminal? It seems like they’re all trying to act like petty citizens.”

“Haha, because they are petty citizens.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I should say that the direction is a little different from what I’m thinking.”

Something was missing.

Like a cola that’s lost its fizz.

It was a part that was difficult to overlook.

Since the acting of the actors is so important in a thriller, these trivial things sometimes lowered the quality of the work itself.

“Haha, it’s okay.”

The art director said in a voice filled with laughter, as if comforting Director Yeom Gwang-ho.

“There are still many applicants left. Surely there will be at least one person.”

“Yes, I hope so. Ah, it’s starting soon.”

After a while, a footstep was heard from the side of the audition hall curtain, which also served as a stage.

Dubeok, Dubeok.

A dark stage.

Above it, a spotlight shone precariously, and a person appeared below.

The name of this participant is.

“Number 9, Lee Min-ki.”

It was Lee Min-ki.

‘Hmm.’

The first thought that Director Yeom Gwang-ho had when he saw him was this.

‘First of all, the mask isn’t bad.’

The mask was okay.

He has a slightly delicate face that fits the role of a petty citizen.

I’m worried that his somewhat handsome appearance will break the immersion, but that’s something that can be solved with makeup.

The participants don’t know, but anyway, the face will be flushed with alcohol in the on-site camera.

“Start.”

With Director Yeom Gwang-ho’s words, Lee Min-ki took a breath.

And 3 seconds later.

A change appeared in an instant.

‘Oh?’

Lee Min-ki’s change, that was.

“Are they the neighbors next door? Ah… who is it? They were a bit suspicious. Should I say there’s a strange fishy smell coming from their house? Yes, that’s right.”

He became cocky.

In particular, there were many additions to the lines.

A face and gesture that seemed like someone who was beyond a petty citizen and was slightly fed up with life itself.

‘Was it intentional?’

Director Yeom Gwang-ho raised his eyebrows as if surprised by the aspect that had not been seen among the applicants so far.

But there’s more to see.

However.

“They also drag people into their house, and once they go in, they lock the door. And they don’t come out for a long time.”

The lines went further and further away from the original.

It’s not bad.

Rather, mixing in the informal language was a bit stimulating, so it was just right.

You can feel the antipathy towards the police who came to investigate without any reason.

He’s not a petty citizen.

But there was a character that came out because he wasn’t an ordinary petty citizen.

‘He’s gone beyond the level of simply memorizing the script and rattling it off. He said he was a rookie? Judging by the way he does it, it seems like he’s been in and out of audition halls a lot?’

Right now, in Director Yeom Gwang-ho’s eyes, the scene of Lee Min-ki standing on the set was clearly visible.

‘If I film that with a camera… hmm, how should I frame it? Should I shoot it with a knee shot? I think the uneasy feeling will come alive. Or mix in a down angle?’

It was a good sign.

Beyond simply evaluating his acting skills by looking at Lee Min-ki’s acting, he was thinking about its use.

If Lee Min-ki knew, he might dance with joy.

But the audition time was not over yet.

Lee Min-ki continued his monologue with half-creation, as if he had forgotten about the script a long time ago.

“Hey, no, why are you trying to set foot in someone else’s house without permission? The warrant? You’re trying to invade like this without a warrant. Do you know this is a crime? Hey. I’m also a citizen of the Republic of Korea who pays taxes.”

About 20 seconds later.

Lee Min-ki’s acting ended with a bit of regret.

“Thank you. This is Lee Min-ki, number 9.”

But what should I say?

Director Yeom Gwang-ho’s gaze was filled with a subtle regret.

It’s not a problem with acting skills.

It’s not a problem with the character either.

There seemed to be no big problem even if he adopted that acting as it was right away.

But there was a more fundamental thirst.

A thirst to utilize it.

A thirst to utilize it a little more, differently.

Yes, for example.

“Wait a minute.”

Director Yeom Gwang-ho raised his hand without realizing it.

“Yes?”

Lee Min-ki flinched and stopped the steps he was about to take, and Director Yeom Gwang-ho moved his lips as if looking for an excuse for his actions.

Like that for a few seconds.

Finally, he made up his mind and said.

“Your acting is good enough, read this script too.”