Sitting in front of the dressing mirror, Matthew stretched his wrists. It had been over twenty minutes, and the makeup artist was still dealing with the wig. He was quite bored, so he couldn't help but turn his head to the right. In front of the four dressing tables arranged in a row, two were still empty. In the position furthest to the right sat a male actor in his early twenties.
The door to the dressing room opened then, and a staff member led an unusually tall and strong actor to the dressing table next to Matthew, saying, "Mr. Johnson, please take a seat for a moment. I'll go inform the makeup artist to come over."
After the staff member left, Dwayne Johnson didn't immediately sit down. Instead, he looked around curiously.
Matthew was also looking at him curiously, estimating that the man must be around 1.95 meters tall. His explosive muscles were incredibly clear even through his clothes.
Dwayne Johnson immediately noticed Matthew. A smile appeared on his rock-like face. He was about to reach out his hand, but seeing Matthew getting his hair styled, he pulled it back and said, "Hello, I'm Dwayne Johnson."
Perhaps it was because he was new to the film industry, or perhaps it was the demeanor cultivated by a famous star, but Dwayne Johnson seemed very friendly.
Matthew returned the smile and introduced himself, "I'm Matthew Horner."
Unlike in his memory, Dwayne Johnson was not bald yet.
Another makeup artist arrived quickly, and the first step was also to do the wig. Dwayne Johnson sat still for a while, probably also feeling bored. He looked around, and his gaze fell on Matthew again.
"Hey, buddy." He waited for Matthew to look over and asked, "Judging by your accent, you're not from California, are you?"
Matthew replied directly, "Texan."
"Oh..." Dwayne Johnson said in a playful tone, "Never mess with a Texan."
"How come I've never heard that?" Matthew asked curiously, "is there really such a saying?"
Dwayne Johnson pointed to his head, "I just made it up."
After saying that, he broke into a wide grin, and Matthew also laughed. Since the makeup artist was working on their wigs, both of them were trying hard to suppress their laughter.
It was then that Matthew realized Dwayne Johnson seemed to be a very interesting person.
"I'm quite surprised." Matthew was always good at building relationships. Seeing that Dwayne Johnson seemed easy to get along with, he said, "You've surprised me."
Dwayne Johnson didn't understand, "What surprise?"
Matthew kept his body still, only moving his lips, "A big star like you still cracks jokes with people."
"What kind of star am I?" Dwayne Johnson was very humble, "This is my first time auditioning for a movie, and I don't even know if I'll succeed."
"You'll definitely fail!" Matthew deliberately said, "Because the successful one will definitely be me!"
Dwayne Johnson didn't get angry or agitated. "That confident? Matthew, may I call you that? All right, Matthew, I'm good at everything except for one thing: I never give up."
Matthew chuckled twice and said, "Sorry, I'm the same way."
Just then, both of their makeup artists went to the dressing tables to get things. Matthew and Dwayne Johnson exchanged glances and then both laughed at the same time.
When the makeup artist returned, Dwayne Johnson's smile faded, and he asked, "I watch movies often, but how come I've never seen you before?"
Matthew wanted to shrug but refrained, saying, "I haven't seen your matches either, so I don't know how you won your championships."
There were only four actors entering the costume audition, and he didn't believe Dwayne Johnson hadn't seen their profiles.
While the makeup artists were busy, Matthew and Dwayne Johnson also chatted idly, off and on.
Although Dwayne Johnson appeared harmless, Matthew always maintained a three-point vigilance. After all, the two were direct competitors.
In this industry, it's unwise to easily trust others. Even he and Helen Herman took nearly a year to build trust between them.
After a full hour and a half,
Matthew's and Dwayne Johnson's wigs were completed one after another. The makeup artists temporarily left to prepare other cosmetics, and the two sat on chairs, waiting for their wigs to dry.
The dressing room door opened again at this moment, and the last actor walked in. Matthew's eyes drifted over, guessing that the other party should be the last one to go to the audition room.
"Hello everyone..."
The last actor who came in, Matthew remembered, was nicknamed Dark Monster, a veteran actor who had been struggling in Hollywood for more than ten years without becoming famous. This person had a smiling face and greeted everyone in the dressing room with a smile.
He took out bottles of mineral water from his handbag and first came to Matthew, who was closest to the door, giving him a bottle of water. "Sorry, I was late due to traffic and interrupted everyone's work."
"It's fine." Matthew smiled, "Thank you."
Dark Monster seemed very good at handling people. He then handed a bottle to Dwayne Johnson, "It's too hot, have some water to quench your thirst."
Dwayne Johnson also accepted the mineral water, "Thank you very much."
Dark Monster quickly handed a bottle of mineral water to everyone, including the makeup artists and the staff member who brought him in.
Finally, he sat down at the empty dressing table, took out the remaining bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and took a big gulp.
Matthew glanced at Dark Monster, but didn't touch the bottle of mineral water. He simply placed it on the dressing table in front of him, with no intention of drinking it.
Dwayne Johnson first looked at the mineral water, then at Matthew, and also placed the mineral water on the dressing table. Then he turned to look at Matthew, who happened to look back. Johnson shrugged and smiled.
Matthew also shrugged and smiled, then looked to the right. The actor on the far right was unscrewing the bottle and tilting his head back to take a small sip.
Seeing this, he said nothing. He vaguely remembered from the information he had seen that this actor seemed to have started later than him, but came from a good family and had a much smoother career development.
The two makeup artists returned one after another. Matthew and Dwayne Johnson next to him composed themselves and fully cooperated with the makeup artists.
This was a costume audition. Whether an actor matched the role depended not only on themselves, but also on the makeup artist and costume designer. If the other party deliberately created a makeup that was completely incompatible with the actor's appearance, the consequences would be unimaginable... Basically, no one would do this. The directors, casting directors, and producers leading the audition were all experienced. Once they discovered that makeup artists and other behind-the-scenes staff were playing tricks, they would definitely lose their jobs and be reported by the crew to their respective industry guilds, making it difficult to find work later. It could be said that it was not worth the loss.
After Matthew finished his makeup, he went to the costume designer to change clothes, and then received a strangely shaped weapon from the props department. When he came back, the actor on the far right had just completed his entire look and was being led by a staff member to the audition room.
This young actor looked radiant, as if there were no problems at all.
With the assistance of the makeup artist, Matthew completed his entire look. He sat shirtless in front of the dressing mirror, waiting. He was the second person to audition, followed by Dwayne Johnson, and finally Dark Monster.
Matthew looked past Dwayne Johnson and glanced at Dark Monster again, feeling that he might have been overthinking things. Perhaps he had been in the lower echelons for too long, seen too many dark things, and with Helen Herman's occasional reminders, he always subconsciously thought the worst of people in this industry.
Perhaps Dark Monster was really just expressing his apologies for being late in this way? Besides, he even gave mineral water to the makeup artist. If the makeup artist had a problem, wouldn't there be no one to do his makeup?
Even thinking this, Matthew still had no intention of touching that bottle of mineral water. Not only him, but Dwayne Johnson also didn't touch it, and their two makeup artists didn't touch it either.
His gaze inadvertently drifted over another bottle of mineral water on the dressing table. This was placed here by the makeup artist after receiving it. Matthew noticed that the brand logo on this bottle was different from his own; one bottle had a dark blue logo, and the other had a purple logo.
He took another careful look. These were two different types of mineral water from the same brand.
Matthew then looked at the dressing table in front of Dwayne Johnson. There were also two bottles of water there, one with a dark blue logo and the other with a purple logo.
"It can't be that coincidental, can it?" Matthew muttered to himself.
He then covertly glanced at Dark Monster again. The other party sat calmly in front of the dressing mirror, letting the makeup artist style his wig... Matthew's lips curved, "is this the skill of a veteran actor of ten years?"
Footsteps came from outside the door, and a staff member pushed the door open and walked in, "Matthew Horner! It's your turn, come with me to the audition room!"
Matthew picked up his weapon, stood up, and looked at himself in the dressing mirror. The makeup artist also came over to do a final check. After confirming everything was okay, he followed the staff member out the door and walked towards the audition room.
Walking behind the staff member, Matthew tentatively asked, "is the audition going so fast?"
"Don't even mention it, that person had an upset stomach..." The staff member kept shaking his head, "He had to go to the restroom shortly after the audition started, twice in a row. How could the director and producer keep waiting?"
The audition room was right ahead. Matthew said nothing more and strode in.
Inside the dressing room, Dwayne Johnson's wig had dried, and he had also visited the costume and prop departments. When he returned, he found that all the mineral water on the dressing table was gone.
"Where's the water?" he deliberately asked Dark Monster on his right, "I'm thirsty, but it's all gone."
Dark Monster's cheeks twitched slightly, and he said with a smile, "The cleaner just came to clean up and took it all away."
Dwayne Johnson nodded and said nothing more.