"What do you think of him?"
In the audition room, a male actor had just finished his audition and left. Someone from Jive Records leaned toward Britney and asked, "Not bad, right?"
"Nope," Britney Spears shook her head without hesitation. "Too skinny—not strong enough."
The Jive rep whispered something to the music video's director, Martin Jackson, who promptly marked a big red X next to the actor's name.
As the director, Martin Jackson had a say in casting and other creative decisions, but he still had to defer to Britney and the label. Between the three, his opinion ranked last.
That said, Martin didn't think they'd push back too hard. After all, he was the professional here.
"Bring in the next one," Martin said to his assistant.
Soon, Michael Sheen was led into the room.
Britney took one look at him and quietly said to the Jive rep, "He looks decent."
Not far from the audition room, in a nearby lounge, Matthew watched another guy walk in all hyped, only to come back looking crushed. He turned away and glanced at Amanda, who was slumped in a chair, scrolling through her phone.
After bringing them here, Helen Herman had left. According to Amanda, she went to meet with an executive at Jive Records.
So far, three guys had come back from their auditions clearly upset. That made Matthew a little uneasy. He was dying to know what was going on in that audition room, but obviously he couldn't just walk in. He'd tried asking the first two guys who got cut, but neither said a word about what happened inside.
Keeping his voice low, Matthew leaned toward Amanda. "We've been friends a while now. Got any inside info on this audition that I don't know about?"
He'd already gotten Amanda to admit she was Helen Herman's cousin.
"Not really," Amanda thought for a moment. "Oh, wait—yeah. Helen did say Britney has a lot of say over who gets cast as the male lead in her videos."
Matthew gave a slight nod and started calculating his odds.
It wasn't long before Michael Sheen returned to the lounge—unlike the others, he was practically glowing. Matthew didn't need to ask to know he'd passed the first round.
Then someone called out, "Matthew Horner!"
"Coming!"
Matthew stood up and followed the crew member into the audition room.
This was an open call-style first audition, no makeup or wardrobe changes.
As soon as he stepped inside, Matthew quickly scoped out the space. Directly in front of him was a camera, with a cameraman behind it. To the left were a few chairs lined up, occupied by a small panel. The most eye-catching among them was Britney Spears herself, her long golden-brown hair instantly recognizable.
The others, Matthew didn't recognize—probably the director, producers, label reps, maybe even someone from the actors' union.
Most of the actors Helen had brought today were union members, and according to the rules, a union rep had to be present for auditions.
"You're Matthew Horner?" A good-looking man in his thirties asked. "You had roles on the Dreamgirls set and in Gladiator?"
Matthew ignored the camera and calmly answered, "Yes."
Martin Jackson didn't question it. The info sheet from Angel Agency even included a recent Gladiator poster released by Universal.
"Walk back and forth a couple of times," he said.
Matthew walked inside the camera's frame.
Martin Jackson watched him closely—sharp facial features, strong bone structure, tall and solidly built. The guy gave off an undeniable masculine energy.
His eyes drifted from Matthew's rugged face down to his broad chest—muscles firm and well-shaped. When Matthew turned around, Martin noted the long legs and tight glutes.
Even without taking his shirt off, Martin could imagine the sculpted muscles underneath. The guy had a physique like a damn statue.
He nodded to himself—Matthew Horner looked even better than the guy they'd just passed.
He's gotta make it to callbacks, Martin thought. If we cut him now, we're losing a top contender.
"He's one of Angel Agency's top picks," the Jive rep whispered to Britney.
Britney nodded lightly. "He's good. Let's keep him."
"That's it," Martin called out. "You can go."
That was enough for a first round. If Britney and the label liked him, that was all that mattered.
Matthew was a little puzzled. All he'd done was walk back and forth—it seemed like they were just checking if he looked good on camera.
He had just stepped out of the audition room and hadn't even made it back to the lounge when someone from the crew stopped him. "You passed the first round. Come back in five days for a costume and makeup screen test."
"Nice," Matthew muttered, unaware that both he and that Gladiator poster had been part of Helen Herman's pitch to get her clients in the room.
Still, passing the first audition was something to celebrate. When he got back to the lounge, Amanda shot him a questioning look. He gave her an OK hand sign, then walked over to the water cooler, grabbed two cups, and handed her one before taking a big sip himself and sitting down.
"Went well?" Amanda asked.
Matthew nodded. "Of course. They think I'm a great actor."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, good luck with that—Mr. Great Actor."
"You passed too?" Michael Sheen had wandered over.
"Yeah," Matthew replied, setting his cup down. "Felt kinda random, honestly."
"Looks like we'll be shooting together again!" Michael said cheerfully. "I heard everyone who passes the first round gets to be in the video, but there's only one lead. The rest of us are just background."
His mind was already made up—he was going for the lead role, no matter what.
"Wonder who the lucky one'll be," Matthew sighed.
"Hopefully one of us," Michael said, half-joking, half-serious.
He didn't bother asking Matthew for help this time. After last time, he'd realized Matthew wouldn't let "friendship" get in the way of landing a role.
And he wouldn't either.
As Matthew turned back to chat with Amanda, Michael sat silently nearby. He had to get that lead. Word was, the lead male would play Britney's love interest in the video, which would attract tons of attention.
And if they hit it off for real? Michael's thoughts drifted. That could cut ten, maybe twenty years off my career path…
How could he lock down the role?
He'd been in the industry for three years now—he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Especially since…
His eyes fell back on Matthew. That guy's tight with Helen Herman. If she's backing him, my chances aren't great.
No point in working the agency angle… but what about the video crew?
He thought back to the guy giving directions in the audition room. Probably the director or the producer. If he could build a connection there…
Meanwhile, Matthew was still chatting with Amanda, strengthening the bond between them. He didn't even need to look over to know what Michael was thinking. Truth was, he was thinking the same thing.
No struggling actor wants to miss a shot like this.
He kept going over ideas in his head—how to get Britney to notice him, maybe even like him.
According to Amanda, if Britney approved, the role was basically his.
At one point, Helen Herman stopped by to let Amanda know she had to head out for another appointment.
Once auditions ended, nobody got the red-carpet treatment on the way out. Everyone had to make their own way home.
After saying goodbye to Amanda, Matthew walked toward the studio gates alone. A few steps later, Michael caught up with him.
"Hey, Matthew," he called. "Heading back to Hollywood Boulevard?"
"Yeah," Matthew stopped.
"Let's go together," Michael suggested. "I'm heading that way too."
Matthew didn't say no. The two of them walked out and flagged down a cab.
"Your acting classes started up yet?" Michael asked. He was fishing for clues—trying to figure out if Matthew had any special connections.
"Yeah," Matthew replied casually. "They're going well. Really helpful."
Just then, his phone rang. He figured it was the cab, so he answered right away. "Hey, we're right outside Disney Studios. I'm wearing—"
Before he could finish, a voice on the other end cut him off. "Is this Matthew Horner?"
"Yeah," Matthew said. The voice sounded familiar.
His old secondhand phone had a bit of a speaker leak, so Michael could hear it too. He instantly perked up his ears.
"This is Martin Jackson, the director from your audition earlier."
As soon as he heard that, Matthew remembered—it was the guy running the room.
He quickly responded, polite and respectful. "Yes, sir. What's this about?"
"About your audition. I'd like to meet with you tonight to discuss something…"
He rattled off an address. Matthew memorized it right away. "Got it. I'll be there at eight."
Michael heard it too. His face darkened immediately.
Am I really going to have to sit back and watch Matthew Horner land the lead role?