Inside the audition room, Cameron Crowe sat behind the director's monitor, waiting for the next actor to arrive.
He personally spearheaded this project, holding three important roles: screenwriter, director, and producer. He poured countless hours into it, from persuading DreamWorks to invest to securing film fund investment when capital ran short last year. It was no exaggeration to say that almost famous was his baby.
Cameron Crowe had invested almost all his effort into this film and would not tolerate any mistakes.
Therefore, he personally oversaw many tasks, even managing the initial auditions for the main supporting roles.
A knock sounded, and a young actor walked in. The moment Cameron Crowe saw him, his eyes lit up. The actor was tall and straight, with defined features, a rugged face, and a strong masculine presence.
This young male actor had excellent physical attributes.
"What a pity..." Cameron Crowe shook his head slightly.
The casting director, Gail Levin, then said, "Please introduce yourself."
"I am Matthew Horner, twenty years old, from Texas..."
Standing in front of the camera lens, Matthew gave his self-introduction smoothly and naturally, head held high.
"Mhm..." Cameron Crowe suddenly spoke, "That's enough."
Matthew was stunned. Was that it? He had a bad feeling.
Gail Levin understood the director's meaning and sighed internally at the wastean actor with such a good resume had been rejected by Cameron Crowe.
"Mr. Horner." He continued speaking the standardized line, "We will notify you of the audition results as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Matthew knew there was nothing more he could do. He turned and left the audition room, finding Helen Herman waiting in the lobby.
"You're out so fast?" Helen Herman frowned. "What happened?"
Matthew shook his head. "I don't know either. I introduced myself, Director Cameron Crowe said that was enough, and then the casting director asked me to leave."
Helen Herman's face, hidden behind her black-rimmed glasses, was quite serious. She nodded at Matthew. "Let's go."
She led the way out of the studio, and Matthew followed, asking, "Was I eliminated?"
Helen Herman didn't hide it, stating directly, "Ninety-nine percent, yes."
The frustration that had been suppressed rushed up, and Matthew's expression soured. "I made so many preparations, only to be eliminated just like that."
Helen Herman didn't reply. Instead, she took out her phone and answered a call. A moment later, a formal smile appeared on her face. "Okay, I understand. Thank you. We should grab coffee sometime."
Hanging up the phone and putting it away, she shook her head at Matthew. "You didn't pass."
Although he was mentally prepared, Matthew was still frustrated and scratched his head, unable to figure out why. He simply asked, "There must be a reason, right?"
"Director Cameron Crowe didn't like you," Helen Herman said, looking quite helpless. "A contact in the crew called me. She just got the word from the audition room. Cameron Crowe thinks your appearance is too masculine, and the gap is too large compared to the effeminate, decadent rock star image he has in mind."
Matthew spread his hands, equally helpless, and finally managed a wry smile.
Cameron Crowe had sole authority over production in the almost famous crew. If he didn't approve, there was truly nothing that could be done.
"Let's go." Helen Herman quickly regained her composure. "There's no point staying here."
"Okay."
Matthew walked toward the studio gate with her, feeling inevitably frustrated. After all, he had made so many preparations, yet he was eliminated without even getting a chance to perform.
For this role, he had meticulously studied every piece of information collected by Angel Talent Agency.
He had met twice with a veteran guitarist from a rock band, contacted a groupie from back in the day, and even gone to gay bars looking for bisexual people, only to be heavily harassed... All of this turned out to be wasted effort.
If he said he wasn't frustrated, disappointed, or annoyed, he would definitely be lying.
As they neared the studio entrance, Helen Herman suddenly asked, "Are you feeling defeated?"
Matthew shrugged, not denying it. "A little bit. This is my first failed audition."
Then again, he hadn't participated in many auditions to begin with.
Helen Herman had completely moved past the failure. She said lightly, "There will be many more in the future. You'll get used to it."
Matthew nodded but said nothing. He knew Helen Herman was telling the truth. In Hollywood, where there were so many struggling actors, even a small role often attracted many people. There could only be one winner, and failure was a frequent occurrence.
"I'm fine, just a little frustrated," Matthew didn't hide his thoughts. "All that preparation I did was for nothing."
He shook his head and added, "Alright, that's in the past. We look forward."
This level of failure would only frustrate him for a short time; it wouldn't defeat him. As Helen Herman said, as he participated in more auditions, failure was bound to happen frequently.
Leaving the studio gate and reaching the parking lot, Matthew reminded Helen Herman, "Don't we still have backup options?"
"I know," Helen Herman walked to the car and opened the door. "I'll contact the the mummy returns crew as soon as I get back. You should also prepare, review that material, we might need to go to London anytime."
Matthew reminded her again, "And fast & furious."
Although he might not get the lead role, every audition was a rare experience for him, and every role was valuable practice.
Self-study was completely different from participating in actual filming on set. Right now, he needed practice and experience accumulation.
Helen Herman got into the car and rolled down the window. "I remember."
She started her car and drove away first. Matthew then got into his own used ford and left the parking lot as well.
Returning to his rented apartment, he sealed up all the materials related to almost famous. They held no value for him anymore and were now history. Then, he pulled out the material for the mummy returns and began studying it seriously.
Having failed the almost famous audition, Matthew felt an even greater urgency to secure the role of the scorpion king in the mummy returns.
"It seems the guy who played this role later became a superstar," Matthew muttered to himself, stroking his chin. "What was his name again? I remember he transitioned from professional wrestling or combat sports."
Compared to that guy, he was at a disadvantage physically, but he should have an advantage in terms of qualifications and acting skills.
Matthew then laughed. Thinking about these things now was useless. Who knew who else was auditioning? Perhaps there were people who had huge advantages in both areas.
He had been too successful this past year, and he had taken some things too much for granted.
Take this failure, for example: he thought he was fully prepared, and even if he didn't get the role, passing the initial audition would surely be fine. But what happened?
In this intensely competitive industry, not everything could develop the way he wanted.
After calming down, Matthew felt that this failure might not be a bad thing, as it brought his previously somewhat dizzy head back to a state of clarity.
It also gave him a clearer understanding of his current situation.
For those crews, rejecting an actor of his caliber was a simple matter, often requiring no reason at all. Conversely, for him to secure even a tiny role required one hundred percent effort, and success wasn't guaranteed. To be precise, the probability of failure was much higher than success.
The sudden ring of the Nokia phone interrupted Matthew's self-reflection. Seeing that it was Britney's number, he quickly answered the call.
"Matthew, weren't you auditioning today?" Britney asked with concern. "Did you pass?"
"I failed," Matthew said calmly. "The director thought my image and temperament didn't match the role."
Britney immediately said, "He has no taste! He doesn't appreciate someone as outstanding as you!"
Matthew laughed. "Thank you!" He added, "Don't worry, dear, I'm fine."
"That's good." Matthew heard chaotic footsteps on Britney's end. She lowered her voice and said, "I have to attend an event, I need to hang up now."
"Yeah, go ahead." Matthew responded. "Goodbye."
Someone on her end was probably rushing her, as Britney hung up without even saying goodbye.
Throwing the phone onto the sofa, Matthew pondered whether he should fly to Vancouver to visit Britney if he wasn't going to London anytime soon. Even if they could only meet briefly, it would be better than short daily phone calls.
Matthew sometimes felt troubled. Britney was extremely busy, and he was busy too. He couldn't possibly abandon his work to accompany Britney on her entire concert tour, could he? That would truly make him a kept man. Perhaps Americans wouldn't care, but he absolutely could not accept it.
After a while, Matthew received a call from Elena Boyar asking about the audition. Hearing that he hadn't passed the initial audition, she couldn't resist making a few sarcastic remarks.
Matthew knew that was just how she was and couldn't be bothered to argue. Furthermore, the fact that she called immediately to ask showed that Elena Boyar considered him at least a half-friend, or at the very least, a good professional associate.
Over the next few days, Matthew completely shook off the impact of the almost famous audition failure and began preparing for the scorpion king audition. Although preparation didn't guarantee winning the role, the chances of winning without preparation were certainly very low.
To understand the the mummy film series, he rented almost all of Universal Pictures' monster movies from a video rental store. There were several films dedicated just to the mummy. Universal Pictures had been filming monster movies, including the mummy and Frankenstein, since the 1930s and 40s.
In addition, he tracked down and watched video tapes of other films directed by Stephen Sommers, the director of the mummy returns, to gain insight into the director's style and preferences.
In late May, Helen Herman received news: the the mummy returns crew sent a formal audition invitation to Angel Talent Agency, inviting Matthew to the studio near London to audition for the role of the scorpion king.