Chapter 17 |
Two movers carried a massive bookshelf in front of him, one that looked like it was made of mahogany and cost a fortune. Matthew followed them through the door into a ground-floor lobby filled with benches. At its center stood a curved reception desk with a bold line of black letters emblazoned across it: Angel Acting Agency!
There was no one at the reception desk, and the lobby smelled of recent renovations.
Seeing no one around, Matthew followed the movers up a staircase leading to the second floor.
The bookshelf was so heavy that as soon as the two movers started up the stairs, the one in the back was already straining under the weight. After just a few steps, Matthew saw the mover in front suddenly slip. The heavy bookshelf lurched downward, crashing against the steps and threatening to smash the legs and feet of the man below.
Matthew, who came from a working-class background and felt a natural sympathy for laborers, rushed forward and grabbed the other side of the bookshelf.
He was so strong that the shelf immediately leveled out. The mover next to him felt the weight in his hands lighten, and he turned his head to thank him. "Thanks, you saved me."
Matthew gave him a slight nod. "Let's go."
He helped the two movers carry the bookshelf the rest of the way up to the second floor.
"This way, be careful," a young woman in her twenties called out from the landing, directing the movers toward an office. "Don’t drop anything on the floor."
Matthew helped the two movers carry the bookshelf into the office and set it down behind a massive mahogany desk.
"Thanks again." After setting the bookshelf in place, the mover who had been behind him smiled at Matthew. "If it weren’t for you, this thing would have been wrecked."
"Glad it all worked out," Matthew replied, noticing that the mover was about his age, twenty at the most.
As they walked out of the room together, the young mover added, "Do you work for this company?"
Matthew shook his head. "No."
When he stepped out, he saw the young woman from the landing paying the movers.
The woman held out a dollar bill to Matthew, which he didn't take. "Do you work for the Angel Agency?" he asked. "I’m an actor. I called yesterday."
"Oh?" The woman looked at Matthew in surprise, as did the young mover. The mover then spoke up, "He helped us carry that bookshelf. He's not with us."
"Are you an actor too?" the woman asked, turning to the young mover.
To Matthew's surprise, the young mover nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that's right."
He scratched his head awkwardly and smiled. "I just wanted to help the other guys out."
"Wait here," the woman said before hurrying off.
Matthew glanced around and saw that she seemed to be the only employee in the company at the moment.
The young mover took the initiative to introduce himself. "I'm Michael, from Nevada."
Matthew introduced himself as well. "Matthew Horner, from Texas."
Just then, the woman returned and beckoned to Matthew and the young mover named Michael. "Come with me."
Matthew immediately followed her into the office, with Michael right behind him.
The woman turned on a computer, told Matthew and Michael to take a seat, and introduced herself. "I'm Helen Herman, the owner of the Angel Acting Agency."
She then asked, "Did you two bring your paperwork?"
Matthew opened his bag, while Michael slapped his forehead. "I left my info in the van. I'll go get it."
Helen nodded. "Go ahead."
Michael hurried out.
Matthew, meanwhile, observed the woman. After his experience with Dennis, he was a little wary of agents.
The woman was about five feet, seven inches tall. Her dark brown hair was pulled back neatly, revealing a well-defined face with strong features. Dark-framed glasses rested over her deep-set eyes, and she wore a gray suit that projected an air of intelligence and competence.
Based on appearance alone, she already made a much better impression than Dennis.
Matthew handed over his paperwork, and Helen began entering the information into her computer, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard as she spoke. "Congratulations, Matthew Horner. You’re the first client of the Angel Acting Agency."
"The first?" Matthew asked, slightly surprised. "Is the agency new?"
Helen Herman didn't look up. "I placed my first ad yesterday."
Matthew couldn't help but ask another question. "You're not the only employee here, are you?"
"There are two of us for now," Helen Herman replied, still without looking up. "But I'm the only one working today."
She asked, "Do you have a part-time job?"
"Yes, I'm a driver," Matthew answered.
Helen Herman continued, "Why are you in Hollywood?"
Without hesitating, Matthew replied, "I want to be a big star and make a lot of money."
As he spoke, he watched Helen's expression closely. Someone like Dennis Coulter would have given him a mocking look by now, or even laughed outright.
The woman's expression, however, remained unchanged. She looked up at Matthew and said, "If you want to be an actor, the pay won't support you at first. It’s good that you have a part-time job."
Matthew nodded. That was the main reason he had stayed with Red Penguin Services.
It wasn't that he couldn't find a better-paying job, but the hours certainly wouldn't be as flexible as driving for Red Penguin. And temp work at places like McDonald's or KFC didn't compare to his current gig.
"Are you a member of the Screen Actors Guild?" Helen asked.
"No." Matthew shook his head.
"Why not?"
Matthew was blunt. "No money. The three-thousand-dollar initiation fee is hard to cover on my income, and their high minimum hourly rate would make me less competitive."
Helen continued typing and, noticing a line Matthew had specially marked, couldn't help but ask, "You had lines in your first role?"
"Yes." Knowing this could affect future job opportunities and fearing she might not believe him, Matthew added, "Filming just wrapped yesterday. A lot of people on the cast and crew know about it."
"Who got you onto that production?" Helen asked, changing the subject.
"Jolie. Ms. Angelina Jolie introduced me."
Helen paused. "You know Angelina Jolie well?"
Matthew shook his head. "Of course not."
He gave a small shrug. "I wouldn't be here if I knew her well."
Helen just kept looking at him.
"I did Ms. Jolie a small favor," Matthew explained casually.
"She helped me get a role with two lines."
Though nothing more was said, Helen made a special note in Matthew's file. Once the entry was complete, she told him, "Keep your phone on twenty-four hours a day. I'll call if a job comes up that's right for you."
It was the same thing the other two agencies had told him. Matthew didn't expect any special treatment, so he stood up, said goodbye, and walked out of the office toward the stairs.
Just as he reached the door to the stairwell, Michael jogged up to him.
He saw Matthew and asked, "Leaving already?"
Matthew nodded. "Yeah, I'm done."
"Landed a couple of roles already, man?" Michael asked again.
"Just one," Matthew sighed. "The competition is tough."
"Don't rush it, things will pick up," Michael said with a smile. "I was the same way when I first started. Now I've been in more than twenty roles."
Probably because Matthew had helped him, he added, "If you have time, sign up with a few more agencies. It gives you more chances."
Matthew had been thinking the same thing. "Thanks."
Matthew left the building, walked over to a newsstand, and bought a few more papers. He went to a nearby park, found a bench, and sat down to flip through them, looking for similar job postings. He jotted down the phone numbers and then called each one, setting up appointments to register with them.
Perhaps because he'd already landed a role, practically none of the agencies turned him away.
Over the next week, in between his workouts and reading, Matthew traveled all over Los Angeles, registering with more than twenty acting agencies. He even visited the two main actors' unions, but due to various requirements, he remained just a visitor for the time being.
He also got a call from one agency offering him a job on the set of a horror movie. He just had to lie on the floor and play a corpse.
The job was hardly glamorous. Matthew’s face was smeared with a bloody-red special-effects ketchup, the camera simply swept past him, and he was paid just twenty dollars for three hours.
The kind of luck he'd had on the set of Girl, Interrupted didn't come around often for an actor like him. Matthew knew he had to be patient and wait for his chance.
It was a good thing he still had his flexible chauffeuring job and a salary to support himself.
Shortly after Red Penguin paid him his first month's salary, Matthew finally received a call from Angelina Jolie's assistant, Vanessa, who connected him with an acting school.