In the Hollywood film industry, agents play a very special role. They will not personally participate in any film production process, but they can grasp the lifeblood of film development. The behind-the-scenes strategist who lays hands on the rain.
To sum up the tedious and complicated work of agents, they are intermediaries. They find suitable film projects for actors, and they also promote suitable actors for film companies and strive for higher salaries for actors. Many people do not understand the work of agents and think that they are just relying on a lip service, but in fact, the real high-end agents in Hollywood are absolutely no worse than any producer in the industry, and even many directors, Actors have to curry favor with them.
For example, "Avatar" is about to start filming, and James Cameron (James-) has let out the wind to find the right actor, then his first move is to find the top agents in the industry, and these agents will carry out Measure the selection, then submit a shortlist for selection, and then it's the actor's play time.
In other words, not just any actor can get this kind of information, even a top star like Tom-Crusie (Tom-Crusie), without a strong agent, his sources will be greatly limited. , not to mention those second-tier and third-tier actors.
Generally speaking, the big projects newly established by major Hollywood film companies are basically under the control of those top brokers. The resources are firmly controlled and never leaked. The choice of crew members is always delineated within a specific range. Whether to give newcomers opportunities, Whether it is to push a certain actor, or to use a top actor to drive its digital supporting actors, the initial selection power is decided by the agent, from the director to the actor to the screenwriter, and even the photographer, etc.—unless it is As Michael-Bay did with "Transformers," the idea was to pick fresh people right from the start.
The reverse is also true, Leonardo-DiCaprio heard that Alejandro-Gou was in the process of filming a new production, "The Revenant." ” If he wants to appear, then the agent will go out to negotiate, or even arrange the opportunity to have a direct face-to-face conversation. Or Leonardo wants to shoot a commercial film now, and the agent immediately starts to contact the major film companies to obtain the latest, most complete and best projects. After preliminary selection, the agent will hand it over to Leonardo. .
It can be understood in this way that the more senior the agent, the more resources at hand; the film company hopes to find more suitable actors through these agents, and the actors also hope to find better projects through these agents. The agent is like a The huge transfer station, in which countless messages and information are digested in their hands, and then redistributed, becomes the basis for laying a film project.
A good agent can completely reshape an actor. For example, the audience is always curious, why is he/she again? It seems that in the past year, this actor can be seen everywhere, commercial films, art films, too, everywhere. That's the job of the broker.
As a senior agent of an innovative artist agency, Andy has extraordinary abilities and can be regarded as a top player in the industry. Although he manages the agency business of several big-name actors, he occasionally finds new people, or from competitors. It is one of the daily tasks of a broker to dig a foothold to strengthen himself.
When the filming of "War in the Pacific" started, Andy received the news that Steven Spielberg gave up the default Joseph Mazzello and chose an unknown newcomer to star in the lead role. It was discussed for a while, but the "Pacific War" was just a TV series, and its influence was really limited, and the news was quickly forgotten.
Not long ago, HBO watched "War in the Pacific" internally, and discussions about this newcomer came out intermittently. I heard that the five directors of the series were full of praise for this newcomer, thinking that this is a natural actor; just Together with the actors of the crew, they also expressed that the talent and performance of this newcomer are indeed eye-catching.
This attracted Andy's attention, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of newcomer he was and what kind of potential he had.
However, such curiosity is not enough to make Andy act. There is a saying in the industry, "Hollywood can produce a hundred talents every day, but not a star can be born in a year." On this land, There is never a shortage of talent.
This time, Andy came to New York for a business trip and will stay here for two days. The plane will go back to Los Angeles this evening. Before going to the airport, there is a three-hour gap in the afternoon. After thinking about it, he decided to come to Pioneer Village to see, just passing by.
After the meeting, Renly gave Andy a little surprise, not because of his appearance, but his way of speaking. His calmness and wit that did not match his age showed a rare atmosphere. The Vanity Fair in Hollywood is not just about rushing into it. Every footprint is built on the bones. Renly's temperament is really rare, and it is very likely to help him go further.
Of course, just "maybe".
"I know you starred in 'War in the Pacific', and I watched the internal preview." Andy said, this is a lie, and HBO has not opened any kind of preview for the time being.
"This is good news." A gleam of excitement appeared in Renly's eyes. "The results of our seven months of hard work are finally out. It seems that we will be able to see the finished product in person soon."
A dark light flashed in Andy's eyes. Renly's performance was normal, but not normal - shouldn't the focus of the conversation just now be the agent's powerful abilities? "This is a very good work, and I believe it will cause another storm of praise like 'Band of Brothers'."
"Haha, I'll cross my fingers and pray." Renly's response was still flattering, which made Andy even more amused.
For any rookie actor, encountering an offer from a top agent, if not flattered, should not be so peaceful. So, is Renly's performance so indifferent, is it because he does not have a clear understanding of Andy's agent status, or because he does not have an accurate understanding of the importance of an agent
Looking at Ren Li's spring-like smile, Andy felt that these two possibilities were not high, so it was the third one. Ren Li was also considering it, but, because Ren Li was so confident, was it because of arrogance or because of wisdom?
"Fairy Wood"
However, it doesn't matter. Agents and actors are inherently a two-way selection process. Both parties hope to choose a better partner and seek higher interests together. Whether arrogant or wise, this shows that Renly is a smart person, which also means that the future cooperation between the two parties may collide with more sparks.
An actor with purpose, ambition and faith can often go further in Hollywood.
"You want to be a star?" Andy asked a similar question a second time, trying to probe further.
Renly shook his head with a smile, "No." The answer made Andy's eyes twinkle slightly, a little surprised, "I want to be an actor."
Andy's smile bloomed, over-confident, or, idealistic, "The real top actors are stars."
"But not all stars are actors." Renly's response was seamless.
Andy didn't speak immediately, but paused for a moment, looking at Renly's eyes seriously, trying to spy on the emotions hidden in his eyes, he saw confidence, tenacity and determination, "There are many geniuses in this world, But not every genius can be successful; likewise, there are many dreams in this world, but they often end in tragedy.” In Hollywood, dreams are the cheapest thing.
"Haha." Ren Li chuckled, spread his hands and shrugged gently, "I think only time will know the answer, doesn't it?"
No anger, no excitement, no impulsiveness, not even an excuse, Renly's response really caught Andy's eyes, he showed a big smile, like a Maitreya Buddha, "I can't refute this, can I? After a pause, Andy began to test again. "So, what kind of actor do you want to be? Jack Nicholson (Jai)? Tom Cruise?"
The former is the most representative acting star in contemporary America, while the latter is the most successful box office star in modern history. Andy's question is very directed.
"I don't know. 'Pacific War' is just my first work." Renly's answer made Andy raise his eyebrows slightly. The impression was even more profound. "Of course, if possible, I would like to challenge different roles and try different possibilities." Renly smiled, "I am from a British Academy."
Andy suddenly realized - the definition of a British college party actor is: competent for different roles, thousands of people, an actor must be competent for a thousand or even 10,000 roles, this is performance; rather than focusing on one type of role. , or a performance in which only a certain character can be fascinated.
"This is not an easy task." Andy sighed aloud. In two short sentences, the information revealed made Andy very satisfied.
Renly chuckled lightly, looking relaxed, "If it's simple, then everyone can achieve it."
This is a refutation of Andy's bucket of cold water just now. It's cunning and wise. This is another bright spot. Andy's eyes narrowed into slits because of his bright smile, "I'm starting to miss my youth." The subtext is , Renly does not know how high the sky is, just relying on the impulse and enthusiasm of his youth, he simply does not understand the cruelty of real life.
Renly also replied with a smile, "So you're not me, and I'm not you either."
Is this a mockery of him being too timid, too worldly, and too boring? It's... it's really fun, it's so fun. Andy laughed happily, picked up the Coke in front of him, raised his head and drank it, then stood up and said with a smile, "If I don't want to miss the flight, then I should go to the airport now."