Located in the northeastern part of Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of less than eighty thousand people living within an area of just seventeen square miles, yet it has earned the reputation of being the "Media Capital of the World," a title seemingly more prominent than even New York. This is not only because Burbank is adjacent to Hollywood and holds a geographically favorable position, but also because it is home to many top-tier media and entertainment companies. Disney, Warner Bros., NBC, Viacom, and PBS have all set up branches here, and there are dozens of large studios scattered throughout the area, making Burbank busy and bustling all year round.
Driving along Burbank's European-style avenues, Hugo finally saw a sign at the intersection that read "Warner Boulevard." Only then did Hugo breathe a sigh of relief. Though the traffic along the way had been heavy, at least they had arrived at their destination. Glancing at the time, it was already a quarter to ten. Hugo knew that being late was now unavoidable, but panicking wouldn't solve anything, so he could only force himself to calm down and take in the surrounding scenery.
There weren't any landmark buildings around, just rows of villa-style three-story buildings scattered among green trees. They didn't look like residential houses, but rather resembled embassies. Joseph turned the car through a large iron gate, showed his credentials to the guard at the entrance, and then drove into the compound.
There were no signs at the gate of this compound, making it seem like any ordinary place. But Hugo knew that this was the Warner Bros lot, which had the most filming studios in Burbank. Countless movies had been shot here. Because Warner Bros. owned five of the largest studios in Los Angeles, other companies often rented studios here for production. This time, "A Few Good Men" was no different. Though it was produced by Columbia Pictures, filming was taking place on Warner Bros' lot.
Once the car was parked, Hugo and Joseph jogged all the way to the studio, but even so, Hugo was still late. Looking at the clock, the hand was already pointing at "2," which meant Hugo was ten minutes late. In any context, being late was unpleasant; even more so for Hugo, who already wasn't a "popular" actor.
Hugo and Joseph entered the studio, panting and apologizing along the way, but the surrounding staff were clearly cold and indifferent. Their expressions showed obvious disdain and even hostility, without any attempt at concealment. Hugo could immediately sense that something was wrong.
Looking around, there was no sign of Rob, nor were Jack, Demi, or any of the lead actors visible. Joseph had no choice but to ask a nearby crew member, "Excuse me, may I ask where the production assistant is?" Normally, when actors arrive on set, someone would come to greet them be it the director, producer, production assistant, or assistant director. But today, clearly no one had come to receive Hugo.
"I don't know." That was the answer. After getting the same response from three different crew members, if Joseph and Hugo still couldn't figure out what was going on, they'd be fools.
Clearly, the "A Few Good Men" crew was giving Hugo a hard time. This wasn't unexpected.
The success of a film depends on many factors. From the actors on set to the props team behind the scenes, the crew functions as a whole. Only when everyone works together can a great movie be made. But actors bear the responsibility of presenting the entire crew's work on the big screen, so in many cases, the actor's performance determines the film's outcome this is also why actors' pay usually takes the biggest share of a film's labor costs. The film's success directly impacts the crew's earnings. Simply put, whether the crew members get bonuses largely depends setting aside all complex middle processes on the actors' performances.
So, in such circumstances, when the crew decided to drop Tom Cruise, a red-hot star, just two days before shooting began, and replaced him with the current Golden Raspberry Worst Actor Hugo Lancaster, the staff might not have had the power to override the producer's decision, but they were certainly entitled to their complaints and resentment.
With the crew already feeling dissatisfied and unconvinced about Hugo, his being late on the first day of reporting just confirmed their worst assumptions: that he was irresponsible, a diva, inattentive, unfocused, not committed, lacking a sense of time, and unprofessional... Even if it were Tom who was late, the crew might not have taken it lightly, let alone Hugo, who wasn't liked to begin with.
But what could Hugo say? He had no excuse for being late in the first place. Moreover, it wouldn't be wise to offend the crew members. Actually, Hugo had already prepared himself mentally. When he was on the set of "Scent of a Woman," a similar situation had occurred. But back then, Hugo was a supporting actor, and his impact on the crew was limited. Plus, both director Martin and lead actor Al liked Hugo very much, so the filming had gone relatively smoothly. Now, "Scent of a Woman" hadn't been released yet, and Hugo's situation hadn't improved much, so the resistance he'd face in "A Few Good Men" would only be greater.
Therefore, what Hugo could do was express sincere apologies and then throw himself into his work with full dedication, delivering an outstanding performance. Compared to verbal explanations, proving himself with real skill was the only way to win over the skeptical crew.
Joseph had prepared himself mentally too, but facing such indifference from the crew, he couldn't help but feel a little upset, because he knew just how hard Hugo had worked over the past two months, and that this role in "A Few Good Men" had been earned purely by Hugo's own strength. He didn't think Hugo deserved to be treated this way.
Joseph took a few deep breaths, adjusted his emotions, and then raised his voice to say, "We sincerely apologize for our tardiness, but now we've already lost time. I believe Rob and Jack are waiting. Does anyone know where the script reading session is? Please let us know. Thank you."
Joseph was indeed a professional agent. His words struck a careful balance he apologized, but also warned the staff. If they wasted any more time, the director Rob would surely find out, and by then the crew members would have to bear the consequences of the delay. Besides, Jack Nicholson was already on a tight shooting schedule, and there was a scene waiting to be shot. He couldn't afford to wait either.
Sure enough, after exchanging glances, someone stepped out from the crowd, wearing a polite smile and looking rather disheveled and sweaty. "Sorry, sorry, I was just handling something. I'm Allerge Chaplin, the production assistant."
The man before them was of average height and had an unremarkable face. Apart from his receding hairline, there weren't many memorable features unless one counted his greasy complexion. His smile was clearly a forced social grin, awkward even in social situations. But Joseph had no intention of tearing off his mask and merely nodded with a smile. "No problem. Let's go meet Rob quickly. We were already late; I'd rather not waste any more time."
Joseph never once tried to justify their lateness by blaming traffic or other reasons. He simply acknowledged the mistake, which at least to the staff who already had a bias against Hugo won a sliver of goodwill, small as it might be.
Allerge led Hugo and Joseph forward at a leisurely pace, chatting about the weather and traffic meaningless small talk. It was obvious that although Allerge had been forced by Joseph to come out and guide them, he still hadn't given up on making things difficult for Hugo. He was intentionally stalling, ensuring that Hugo's lateness became undeniable, and making it even harder for him to gain favor in the eyes of Rob, Jack, Demi, and others.
This kind of bloodless tactic was far too common on set. It was also why one shouldn't casually offend crew members. Before his rebirth, Hugo had once seen a live performance where a singer had angered the event organizers. As a result, the lighting technician sabotaged the stage lighting. From the audience's perspective, the singer looked like a ghost his face ghastly pale. The singer cried backstage afterward, and there was nothing he could say in his defense.
However, not wanting to offend the crew didn't mean Hugo wouldn't retaliate.
A route that should've taken five minutes to walk somehow took a full quarter of an hour. By the time Hugo arrived at the meeting room, he was already half an hour late. He strode in quickly and said solemnly to Robert, "I'm truly sorry I'm late."
Robert still had a smile on his face, not seeming too bothered, but Jack, sitting beside him, wore a scowl that clearly read "I'm very unhappy." He snorted heavily. "Late by half an hour for the very first script rehearsal? Might as well just push all future rehearsals back by two hours."
Robert stood off to the side looking awkward. Demi had originally planned to step forward and greet Hugo, but now she froze in place. There was no need to turn around anyone could see the barely concealed grin on Allerge's face.
Joseph originally wanted to explain things, but Hugo stopped him. Being late was a fact, and there was no need to make excuses. "I'm truly sorry. It was entirely my fault. I promise this won't happen again. I sincerely apologize." Hugo never once smiled. He simply wore a tense, serious expression and earnestly conveyed his apology.
Jack could easily sense Hugo's sincerity. This genuine attitude did soften him a bit. After all, Hugo wasn't like those younger folks who were always shirking responsibility and making excuses that alone deserved some recognition. Still, Jack wasn't ready to let Hugo off the hook. He crossed his arms and turned his gaze aside, maintaining a cold, unapproachable demeanor.
Hugo continued, "I was already late when I arrived at the studio. After apologizing to the crew, we got delayed a bit more. Thankfully, Allerge brought us here otherwise Joseph and I wouldn't have even known where the meeting room was. But the walk still took a quarter of an hour, so I really am sorry to have kept everyone waiting."
Although it was Hugo doing the apologizing, subtly and silently, all the eyes in the room Robert, Jack, Demi turned to the man standing at the back: Allerge Just moments ago, he had been struggling to hold back a smile, but now he was pierced by a thousand arrows worth of stares. His warm, smug heart instantly felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured all over it.
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu