Roy had to take a deep breath, adjusted his thoughts, and explained earnestly, "'Thor' is a top-level production, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures are very confident in this work, and they will give it with a wave of their hand. A budget of 150 million! 150 million, that's the average level of investment for a top Hollywood production right now."
As the official agent of the Actors Guild of America, Roy takes over almost all of the independent production invitations, because every agent knows that 95% of the big production projects with more than 100 million investment are controlled by the five major brokerage companies. In the hands of the top brokers, other brokers can't have access to these resources, let alone top investment such as 150 million - and it is the hottest comic adaptation project in the past two years!
"If the audition is successful, it will be the leading actor of the top production. You know that 99% of Hollywood actors are willing to take off their own clothes and climb the producer's bed for such an audition opportunity, and they don't even care about the producer in the end. A man or a woman!" Roy's vivid metaphor made Renly smile and chuckle, which made Roy feel speechless.
"No, even if it's just an audition opportunity, it's enough to make your name go viral." Roy forcefully emphasizes that for Hollywood, opportunity is a delicate thing, and sometimes it's just a A top agent, or a top producer, or an audition for a top production, is enough to turn an actor's future upside down.
"The Guard is Here"
Renly didn't interrupt Roy too hastily, but always listened with a smile, making sure that Roy was finished before he said, "I know, I know all this. But I also know that once the audition is successful, then What does it mean—" Renly paused, "meaning at least five, or even six movie contracts; it means full cooperation with Marvel for publicity, and there is almost no room for its own development; it means that the label of commercial actors will accompany keep walking with me."
The most representative is Chris Evans (s), before he became popular, he has been active in youth campus comedy, relying on showing off his muscles and stupidity to continue his acting career, and later he was completed. In the Disney photo acquired by Weiwei Entertainment, starred in "Captain America".
At that time, Chris signed six film contracts in one go, and the salary for each work was only $300,000. Later, the movie became popular, and Robert-Downey-Jr., who played Iron Man, was paid as much as 40 million. Disney symbolically increased Chris's salary and gave him the power to distribute dividends at the box office. Compared with Robert, it is still a sky and an underground.
Of course, more importantly, in the next six or seven years, "Captain America" has completely become Chris's label, and even the shackles. Except for Marvel movies, his acting career is almost completely mired in the mire. Not only was the screen image fixed after the success of the movie, but also because of Marvel's contract requirements, actors must maintain a corresponding positive image in order to cooperate with the promotion.
In fact, it's not just Chris, but the main actors in the Marvel series are almost all facing the same problem. Even Robert Downey Jr. is no exception. After the fiasco of other works other than Marvel, he single-mindedly focused on tapping the potential of the "Sherlock Holmes" series, hoping to open up the territory of his career.
Success is also Marvel, and defeat is also Marvel.
Roy didn't speak immediately, but fell silent and thought seriously, "Are you not interested in commercial movies?" This was the only explanation Roy could think of.
From the solid acting skills of "Pacific War", to the ballad style of "Cleopatra", to the polishing of off-Broadway acting skills, these details can be seen. Renly is a person who pursues art. Actors are bound to hope to seek more breakthroughs in acting skills, so it is not surprising that they reject commercial films.
For Hollywood, the character category of the actor is very important. A simple and rude distinction, then there are literary and artistic actors and commercial actors. As the name suggests, the former is mainly active in independent art films, breaking into Hollywood with solid acting skills; the latter is mainly commercial films, with box office appeal and audience affinity. They are among the magic weapon of the front line.
Although it is said that commercial film actors often appear in some art films, hoping to impress themselves, and vice versa, it is even more difficult to achieve success across borders. This is one of the reasons that Steven Spielberg is so special in the industry, and it is also one of the important factors that makes Merrill Streep so high in the industry.
Consider two actors, Gee-ey, who, after entering the film industry from television, the fiasco of a "Batman and Robin" led Warner Bros. to shelve the Batman role. For ten years, this also made George stay away from commercial films and focus on the filming of art films wholeheartedly. Although there was a small victory in the "Eleven Arhats" series, the fiasco of "Tomorrowland" in 2015 returned to the original point again.
The other is Scarlett-Johansson, whose works such as "Lost in Translation", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", and "Match Point" all showed the great potential of a rising star when she debuted. Rising, after playing Black Widow in "Iron Man 2", she achieved unparalleled commercial success, but the literary and artistic works have never been able to win the favor of the academic school.
At this point, you can see the importance of brokers. The agent has a clear plan for the actor's future, when should he take on art films, when should he appear in some commercial films to increase exposure, how to choose commercial films, and whether art films should focus on directing and producing. The establishment of personal connections such as filmmakers is still purely because of the script.
All of this is very particular, and it is also a bargaining chip for top brokers to get 10% of the salary.
"But if this is the case, you should participate in the audition even more." Roy took out his professional attitude and suggested, "It is not for the success of the audition, but to increase the exposure. Only in this way will you have enough in the future. The freedom to choose works. Otherwise, as a newcomer, no one knows about it, and there is almost no audition, so what is the future positioning?"
It's so lofty and ambitious, this is the fault that every new actor has.
"First of all, if you participate in the audition, you will naturally try your best to win the role, don't you?" Roy was stunned by Renly's answer, and the confident gesture was really irrefutable, and Roy couldn't help laughing, "Secondly , I am interested in commercial films, in fact, I think it should be a very wonderful experience to appear in commercial films, if I have the opportunity, I will definitely try my best."
Renly is telling the truth. Commercial movies are indeed different. Although they do not test high acting skills, Renly always believes that the charm and depth that actors give to characters has nothing to do with the subject matter itself. Matt Da Matt-Damon's solid performance in "The Bourne" is impressive, not to mention Heath-Ledger's record-breaking performance in "Batman: The Dark Knight." performed.
Not only that, the performance experience of commercial films brings different benefits. Imagine yourself in the magical world of "The Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter", or the spy world of "007". Otherwise, it is a magnificent universe like "Star Wars". These are things that cannot be experienced in real life. Participating in it as an actor must be very interesting.
Being able to try out different flavors of life is why Renly has always had a passion for the acting profession. So, not only did Renly not reject it, but he was eager to try it.
It's just that Marvel movies can't, at least not the protagonist. Because Renly knew very well that once he acted, the shackles would be impossible to get rid of; if he played the villain in a Marvel movie, Renly thought it was a good proposal.
"I'm just not interested in Thor, if it's Loki, I'll give it a try." Renly's answer made Roy almost lose his eyes - give up the protagonist and choose a supporting role? If it's a top actor, that's fine, but Renly is just a fledgling newcomer? This... this... is nothing short of a fantasy.
Roy swallowed and suddenly didn't know what to say. If Renly refused to appear in a commercial movie, he was willing to audition for the role of Loki, and if Renly was proactive, he rejected Thor. 's invitation. "You know, you don't have the bargaining capital."
Renly shrugged with a smile, "That's why I chose to refuse." Renly also knew that such an opportunity was indeed very rare, but it wasn't what he wanted, "but I really have no interest in playing a superhero. I don't think I have the air of a superhero." After speaking, Renly laughed at himself, with a relaxed and contented expression.
Roy finally understood, it wasn't that Renly was too stupid and arrogant, on the contrary, it was that Renly was too wise and sophisticated. He knew what he wanted, with clear goals and clear preferences. He would not take it lightly. Compromise, but will not give up easily. After such a person enters Hollywood, the road at the beginning may be more tortuous, but as long as he is given a chance, he can firmly grasp it in the palm of his hand and shine brightly.
Suddenly, Roy realized, is the "Pacific War" considered such an opportunity? The invitation to audition for "Thor" may be the first signal.
"Huh..." Roy let out a long sigh and reorganized his thoughts, "Well, I brought the script here, you can take it back to see." Seeing what Renly wanted to say, Roy This time, he stopped him, and continued, "If you think the script is interesting and you're going to audition, then this gives yourself a chance, at least you can go to the producers and say you want to play the role of Loki. "
Renly couldn't help but chuckle.
"If you think it's boring, you can give me a call then, and I will handle the Marvel side." The role of the bad guy still has to be played by the agent, otherwise the production company will have a bad impression of the actor, then It cannot be reversed.