The two workers walking ahead were carrying a huge bookshelf that appeared to be made of mahogany, suggesting it was quite expensive. Matthew followed them through the door. The first floor was a large hall furnished with many long benches. In the center of the hall was a circular reception desk, and a line of bold black characters above it was particularly striking—Angel Talent Agency!
There was no one at the reception desk, and the hall smelled of new renovations.
Seeing no one to greet him, Matthew thought for a moment, then followed the group of workers up the stairs leading to the second floor.
The bookshelf was extremely heavy. As soon as the two workers started up the stairs, the one in the back was bent over. After only a few steps, Matthew noticed the worker in the back suddenly lose his grip, causing the bookshelf to drop sharply toward the stairs, likely hitting someone's legs or feet.
Matthew, having come from a background of manual labor and being a small figure himself, had a natural sympathy for this class of people. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed the bookshelf from the opposite side of the worker.
He was incredibly strong, and the bookshelf immediately stabilized. The worker next to him felt the weight lighten, turned his head, and quickly thanked him, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Matthew nodded slightly at him. "Let's go."
Since he had offered his help, he didn't intend to withdraw it. He helped the two workers carry the bookshelf up to the second floor.
"This way, be careful."
At the top of the stairs on the second floor stood a woman in her twenties, directing the workers to move the items into an office. "Handle it gently; don't scratch the floor!"
The floor was brand new and shiny, clearly a recent installation.
Matthew helped the two workers carry the bookshelf all the way into the office and placed it behind a huge mahogany desk.
"Thank you!"
After setting down the bookshelf, the worker in the back immediately smiled and said to Matthew, "If it weren't for you, this bookshelf would have been damaged."
"It was nothing." Matthew realized then that the worker was about his age, maybe early twenties at most. He casually replied, "You're too polite."
As the two walked out together, the young worker asked, "Are you an employee of this company?"
Matthew shook his head as he walked. "No."
Leaving the office, he saw the woman at the top of the stairs giving tips to the workers. She quickly approached him.
The woman offered him a dollar bill, but Matthew didn't take it. He said, "Are you an employee of Angel Talent Agency? I'm an actor; I called you yesterday."
"Oh?" The woman looked at Matthew in surprise. The young worker also looked over with surprise, then volunteered, "He just saw the bookshelf was heavy and helped us out a bit."
"Are you an actor too?" the woman turned and asked the young worker.
To Matthew's surprise, the young worker nodded eagerly. "Yes, I am too!" He scratched his head and smiled. "I was delivering goods for you today, so I stopped by to check things out."
"Wait here!" The woman first went to dismiss the other workers.
Matthew took a look and realized the company seemed to only have this woman as an employee.
"Hello!" The young worker introduced himself, "Michael Sheehan, from Nevada."
"Hello." Matthew nodded slightly. "Matthew Horner, from Texas."
The woman walked back over and beckoned Matthew and the young worker named Michael Sheehan. "Both of you, follow me."
Matthew immediately followed her into an office, and Michael Sheehan followed suit.
The woman turned on the computer, told Matthew and Michael Sheehan to sit wherever they liked, and introduced herself, "I am Helen Herman, the owner of Angel Talent Agency."
She asked, "Did both of you bring your materials?"
"I did." Matthew opened his bag. Michael Sheehan, however, slapped his forehead. "I forgot my materials in the truck! I'll go get them right now!"
Helen Herman nodded.
"Alright."
Michael Sheehan rushed out.
Matthew, however, was observing the woman. With Dennis Coulter's example fresh in his mind, he held a certain degree of caution regarding the profession of Agent.
The woman was about 1.7 meters tall, with the deep brown hair common among American women, meticulously combed back. Her face was well-defined, her features appearing very three-dimensional. She wore black-rimmed glasses over her deep-set eyes and a gray women's suit, projecting an aura of shrewd competence.
Based purely on appearance, she was more likely to leave a good impression than Dennis Coulter.
Matthew handed a stack of materials to the woman. Helen Herman began entering the data into the computer, saying as she typed, "Congratulations, Matthew Horner, you are Angel Talent Agency's very first client."
"The first?" Matthew asked, slightly surprised. "Did this company just open?"
Helen Herman didn't lift her head. "Yesterday was when I posted the first job advertisement."
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Matthew asked again, "There aren't just you working here, are there?"
"For now, there are two people." Helen Herman still didn't look up. "But only I am working today."
She then asked, "Do you have a side job?"
"Yes, a night shift driver." Matthew answered simply. "Most of the time is spent waiting, so I can sleep and rest, and it doesn't interfere with doing other things during the day."
Helen Herman continued to ask, "Do you want to develop a long-term career in Hollywood?"
Matthew said without hesitation, "I want to become a big star and earn a lot of money."
As he spoke, he carefully observed Helen Herman's expression. If it were someone like Dennis Coulter, they would show a mocking look, even if they didn't say anything.
This woman, however, showed no change in expression. She just looked up at Matthew and said, "It's a good thing to have goals."
She stopped typing, looked up, and said, "Since you want to pursue this industry long-term, for a long time, perhaps even several years, your acting wages won't be enough to support you. You need a side job! Your side job sounds pretty good."
Matthew nodded. This was also the main reason he continued to work for Red Penguin Company.
It wasn't that he couldn't find other jobs with higher income, but the hours wouldn't be as flexible as being a driver for Red Penguin. Working temporary jobs at low-end restaurants like McDonald's or KFC was worse than his current job.
"Are you a union member?" Helen Herman asked.
"No." Matthew shook his head. "I haven't joined."
"Why?"
Matthew said directly, "No money! I can't afford the three thousand dollar initiation fee, and I worry that higher minimum hourly wages would reduce my competitiveness."
Helen Herman continued entering the information. Seeing the line Matthew had specially marked, she couldn't help but ask, "Your very first role had lines?"
"Yes." Matthew knew this might relate to future work opportunities, and fearing disbelief, he added, "Filming just wrapped yesterday. Many people in the crew know about this."
"Who introduced you to this crew?" Helen Herman asked the crucial question.
"Jolie." Matthew used her name again to leverage his position. "Ms. Angelina Jolie introduced me."
"Oh?" Helen Herman stopped her work. "Are you very familiar with Jolie?"
Matthew shook his head. "Not very." He shrugged slightly. "If I were, I wouldn't be here."
Helen Herman continued to look at him.
"It was a coincidence, I suppose. I helped Ms. Jolie with a small favor," Matthew explained casually. "She helped me get a role with two lines of dialogue."
Although she didn't say anything more, Helen Herman made a special note on Matthew's file. The data entry was complete, and she told Matthew, "Keep your phone turned on twenty-four hours a day. If there is suitable work for you, I will call you."
This was similar to what the other two companies had told him. Matthew didn't expect special treatment. He stood up, exchanged pleasantries with Helen Herman, left the office, and headed toward the stairs.
Just as he reached the staircase entrance, Michael Sheehan jogged up.
"All done?" He saw Matthew and asked, "Are you leaving?"
Matthew nodded. "I've registered. Going back to wait for a call."
"How many roles have you landed, buddy?" Michael Sheehan asked again.
"Only one." Matthew sighed. "The competition is too fierce."
"Don't worry, it will get better." Michael Sheehan laughed. "It was the same for me when I started, but now I've played over twenty roles."
Probably because Matthew had just helped him, the young mover added, "If you have time, register with a few more agencies. You'll have more opportunities."
Matthew was thinking the same thing. "Thanks, I'll visit a few more tomorrow."
Michael Sheehan still needed to register and quickly left. Matthew exited the building, bought several newspapers at a newsstand, went into a nearby street park, found a bench, and opened the papers to look for similar recruitment ads. He compiled the phone numbers and called them one by one, arranging times to submit his information.
Perhaps because he had already played one role, none of these companies refused him.
Over the next week or so, Matthew spent his days, aside from maintaining his exercise and reading routine, traveling throughout the Los Angeles area. He registered with more than twenty acting agencies in total and even visited the two major Actors Guilds, but due to various restrictions, he could only be a temporary visitor to the guilds for now.
During this period, he also received a call from an agency and secured a job on a horror film set, where he lay on the ground pretending to be a corpse.
There was nothing remarkable about this job. Matthew's face was against the ground, his body covered in blood-red specialty ketchup, and the camera only briefly swept past him. He only earned twenty dollars for three hours of work.
The kind of good fortune he experienced on the "girl, interrupted" set wasn't something a small figure like him could often encounter, so Matthew could only wait patiently for opportunities.
Fortunately, he still had his driver job, and the wages he earned were enough to support himself.
Shortly after Red Penguin Company issued his first month's salary, Matthew finally received a call from Angelina Jolie's assistant, Vanessa. Angelina Jolie, fulfilling her promise to repay the favor, helped him get in touch with an acting training school.