Behind The Spotlight Chapter 173
In Collin's defense, he saw the guy's talent and realized that he had a yellow talent in filming action sequences, which honestly surprised him a little.
Anyway, a yellow talent was not enough for him to go crazy since he had already encountered dozens of yellow talents over the years and learned not to place his hopes too high. So far, Collin had only seen white and yellow talents from the applicants, making today feel like an ordinary audition day.
He indeed realized that Golden Talents were hard to find.
'Earlier, I saw a woman who has a yellow talent in licking ass. I shouldn't have asked her about her talent because now I'll never get that mental image out of my head.'
There was a simple way for Collin to see someone's talent: by asking the person about his or her talent. This method only worked if Collin was the one to ask the question, which meant he had to stay actively involved in the interviews. That's why he had been the one asking the applicants about their talents, just to see their prospects and to make sure he didn't miss any hidden gems.
Fortunately, the other agents let him lead the interview, partly because they respected him. His status as an executive helped a lot, as most agents preferred not to challenge someone at his level.
Earnest and the others stopped their bickering once the newest applicant arrived. They knew they needed to act professional for at least the first thirty seconds.
This time, it was Mikael's moment.
The new film graduate introduced himself, and the agents seriously looked at him with prying eyes. Some wrote something on their notes even if those notes would probably end up forgotten.
"Mikael Wagner, right? Tell me about your talents," Collin asked, his cold gaze fixed on Mikael, which made the young man swallow nervously.
The young guy had no idea who Collin East was among the panelists.
"I'm an actor and a band vocalist. I starred in our movie project and also performed in a musical theatre. My band performed in a local bar, but I stopped singing and focused more on my acting career."
"Huh? Why is that?" Collin frowned, genuinely curious.
"Excuse me?"
"I asked why you stopped singing."
"I mean, I feel like it's not for me. I only shine when I'm in a band because they bring out a different energy in me."
"Tch," Collin clicked his tongue, which made Mikael nervous, as if he had just said something terribly wrong.
Collin kept quiet the whole time, and the other agents took the lead and asked Mikael some questions, mostly generic questions they always asked. They also gave him a script where Mikael had to perform on the spot without preparation.
"Why are you asking him about his singing career? This is an audition for film, not music," Earnest whispered to Collin, clearly confused.
"Nothing much." Collin kept quiet while analyzing the situation internally.
"... Do you think I should sign him?" Earnest was hesitant. He had watched Mikael's impromptu performance, and it was barely passable. He couldn't even show a convincing expression, and it made Earnest doubt his potential.
"It depends on you," Collin shrugged because he genuinely didn't care enough.
"Don't be like that. We are friends, right? Just tell me if he's promising or not so I don't waste my time."
"When did I ever know if a person is promising or not?"
"Clearly, you have a talent for it, all of your clients are successful, and you make it look effortless."
"Hey, what are you two whispering about?"
Matteo raised his voice, and it caught the attention of the other agents.
Earnest flinched while Collin kept his composure.
"We are talking about Wyatt's new film. My client is one of the leading actors in that movie, so we're discussing schedules."
"You're talking about the sequel to Week On A Cruise Ship?"
"Exactly."
Some agents believed what he said, while others didn't because they could smell excuses. One thing was for sure: it seemed that Earnest and Collin were talking about Mikael.
Suddenly, most of the agents in the room were interested in meeting Mikael for the second time. Perhaps one of the agents could sign him.
'That Mikael guy has a golden talent, but his talent is a bit troublesome. He only shines when he's in a band, meaning he needs a group, not an individual contract.'
Mikael Wagner
-- Vocalist of a band (Gold)
Collin was interested, but not that much. Signing one person was easy, but signing a band composed of at least four members might be troublesome, especially in terms of contracts, schedules, and drama.
'If only his talent were easier to navigate, I might have convinced him to sign with me because a Golden Talent was still a Golden Talent.'
Collin was different from his past. He had a high status, and he had no reason to pursue every Golden Talent he met. At least Mikael's situation was not attractive enough for him to work hard since he preferred clients he could handle efficiently.
'However...'
Collin had an idea. He just needed to find someone he could trust, someone reliable enough to handle a complicated case like Mikael. He pulled out his phone and texted someone, hoping that person was free.
The audition continued, and some of the applicants caught the interest of the agents, particularly the attractive aspiring actress. The agents had their own reasons for wanting her. Perhaps they found her promising, or perhaps they just wanted to satiate their lust, a sad truth of the industry. Overall, Collin found this audition disappointing.
'I've never found a gem in auditions, even though I attended yearly. I guess traveling around is the better option. After all, that's how I met most of my clients.'
A new applicant arrived and introduced himself. The way he walked was a bit awkward.
"I'm Landers Lopez."
"Eh?"
Collin's eyes widened. Even Earnest was surprised, he knew that Landers was Collin's ex-client and their history was complicated.
"Landers, it says here that you've been a client of ANT, but you changed agencies when your contract ended. Why are you here again?"
The agents started whispering, and some were even looking at Collin. Landers's resume stated that he was once Collin's client.
Landers looked at Collin with guilt and desperation.
"Collin, I made a mistake back then. Please take me back. I'll work hard for you. I have no problem signing a 10-year contract as long as you give me one more chance."
"I have to decline," Collin replied quickly. There was no reason to think about it.
"You made your choice back then, and I respect it. You can't just return now that I'm an influential agent."
"I see..." Landers bitterly smiled. After thinking about it for years, he realized that he had made a mistake. He had waited for his contract to end before looking for Collin again. He even negotiated with an agent in ANT to add him as an applicant. In exchange, Landers had a hard time sitting and walking lately due to the "favor" he paid.
It was sad and disappointing, but Landers had already expected the rejection. Well, at least he tried. After many years of being pushed down, Landers had lost all of his confidence, and talking to Collin was his last chance to make it big.
'... I guess stardom is not for me.'
Landers didn't even perform. He excused himself after the rejection. He decided to look for another career instead of acting. He was done.