The situations between Hugo and Brad were different.Brad's career was currently on the rise, and he had a powerful agent, Martin Baum. Martin could gather a lot of information for Brad, including this time's attempt to snatch the lead role in 'a few good men' from his agency colleague, Tom Cruise. To put it nicely, everyone has a chance before the contract is signed; to put it bluntly, it's poaching from a colleague. So, Brad certainly had some understanding of the situation regarding 'a few good men'. This also meant Brad would inevitably be more eager when facing Rob; he wanted to get this role, he wanted to act in this script because it was a rare opportunity.Furthermore, Martin's assertiveness was undoubtedly reflected in his control over Brad. Brad's wings weren't fully grown yet; he didn't have enough strength to oppose Martin, so he could only follow Martin's instructions, hoping to get more opportunities. During today's audition, Brad's attitude and words more or less carried Martin's shadow, which was precisely the reason.Hugo, however, was different. He was currently an abandoned child, unloved by anyone. His original agent, Ron, had abandoned him, and Joseph was just a rookie. With three consecutive movie failures and the 'favor' of the Golden Raspberry Awards, if not for 'scent of a woman' acting as a bridge, today's audition wouldn't have had a place for him. But even so, Hugo was still at an absolute disadvantage. Not to mention that Tom was currently the hottest favorite, even compared to Brad, Hugo had no advantage whatsoever.Therefore, Hugo chose to be honest. His knowledge of 'a few good men' came from his transmigrated soul. In reality, he indeed knew nothing about this movie. The only reason driving him to attend the audition was to seize the opportunity! And the biggest chips for this work, the greatest attraction for Hugo, were Rob Reiner directing and Jack Nicholson starring.It couldn't be said which audition strategy between Hugo and Brad was superior or inferior; it only depended on which Actor Rob favored more—provided Tom's contract negotiations weren't successful, otherwise both would end up with nothing.After that, Rob never brought up anything about the movie again and directly started chatting casually. This was when Martin truly shone. Joseph's inexperience was immediately exposed in front of Martin. Although Joseph kept trying to maintain the conversation, the gap in experience, age, and skill meant the initiative in the conversation remained firmly in Martin's hands.Around nine-thirty, Rob got up, intending to leave. The four of them watched Rob get into his car, then stood in the parking lot looking at each other.Hugo and Brad stood facing each other, faint sparks still flashing between their gazes. Today was different from the previous competition for 'a river runs through it'. This time, the two were standing on the same starting line, and Brad not only lacked his previous advantage but was actually overshadowed by Hugo. Though not explicitly stated, everyone understood that Tracy had played a decisive role in the 'a river runs through it' audition. In other words, in the contest of their own abilities, Brad had lost to Hugo.Hugo not only evened the score, avenging his previous failure in the 'a river runs through it' audition, but also made Brad stumble today. The competitive tension between the two invisibly intensified even more.Brad was four years older than Hugo, already twenty-nine this year. Actually, in Hollywood, male Actors' real breakthrough usually comes after thirty, even after forty, when they reach their golden age. So far, the ages of academy award for best actor winners had never left the thirties, with the average age being as high as forty-five.But this also placed young people in their twenties and under thirty in an awkward position. On one hand, they couldn't compete with middle-aged Actors over thirty for roles requiring profound depth. On the other hand, they couldn't match the potential of kids under eighteen. Young people in this age bracket had immature acting skills, limited roles, underdeveloped connections, and a sparse filmography. So, most young people at this stage were just extras in TV series; becoming the lead Actor in a movie wasn't easy.Brad had been playing supporting roles so far. Hugo's truly successful role in 'dead poets society' was also a supporting one, with the thirty-eight-year-old Robin Williams being the real lead. An Actor like Tom Cruise, who skyrocketed to fame at twenty-four with 'top gun', was absolutely a rare sight.Of course, after entering the 21st century, young Actors also won their own slice of the sky. An increasing variety of youth films gave young people considerable competitiveness too. However, at least in the early 1990s, opportunities for young Actors were relatively few. Johnny Depp, Robert Towne Jr., Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves... the young Actors under thirty who had made some name for themselves were just these few, hardly a large number, far from constituting a group.Thus, the competition among Actors of Hugo and Brad's generation became increasingly fierce. First 'a river runs through it', now 'a few good men'. It was easy to imagine that such head-to-head confrontations between the two would definitely not be few in the future. However, regardless of what the future held, at least for the current 'a few good men' audition, Hugo had only gained the upper hand. Before Rob made a decision, everything was still subject to change.Brad chewed his gum deliberately, one bite after another, his eyes fixed flatly on Hugo, saying nothing. But the blazing competitive fire in his eyes was unmistakable. Faced with such competition, Hugo would absolutely not back down. He also met the gaze calmly, a relaxed, faint smile always lingering at the corner of his mouth, his powerful confidence unwavering.Standing beside them, Martin spoke to Joseph with a thin, insincere smile, 'You performed quite well tonight.' His tone was entirely that of a senior advising a junior. 'But you still need a bit of luck.' The subtext was that Brad would ultimately get the role because, in terms of connections, Joseph's weakness was just too obvious.Although Joseph had lost the initiative during the conversation earlier, it didn't mean he was incapable. On the contrary, being able to hold his ground under Martin's deliberate exclusion proved Joseph's competence. 'Luck, everyone needs it. If God is willing to give me good luck, I'd be more than happy to accept it.' Luck, like opportunity itself, was part of one's capability; no one ever had too much. 'Of course, Hugo's performance tonight was indeed somewhat surprising. Who knows if that's a good thing?'Joseph poked at Martin's sore spot again. Everyone had been shocked by Hugo's eloquent talk tonight, and Martin clearly had more thoughts about Hugo. In the agent industry, there was no absolute loyalty, only absolute benefit. If Martin could offer better terms, poaching Hugo wasn't impossible. So, poked by Joseph this time, Martin's expression stiffened slightly, but he spoke even more meaningfully, 'Hugo is indeed outstanding.''Well, we'll take our leave now. Hope everything goes well for you next time we meet.' Although Martin was speaking politely, his words still carried a sarcastic undertone about Hugo's current situation being far from good.Joseph, however, wasn't angry. Instead, he chuckled lightly. 'Rob is waiting for your call, so I won't disturb you any further.' This sentence essentially meant that in terms of ability, Brad couldn't compare to Hugo, so Martin would have to pull strings behind the scenes to possibly win. It was a blatant slap in the face. After speaking, Joseph ignored Martin's obscure expression under the moonlight, and he and Hugo turned and walked towards their car.Brad didn't say a word, not a single one the entire time. He just stared intently at Hugo, as if he could see a flower blooming on Hugo's person. But this simple action revealed Brad's unshakable determination: Hugo, you are my rival!Feeling Brad's sharp gaze piercing his back, Hugo let out a soft sigh. Others might not know, but Hugo knew about Brad's future development. This meant he had become a rival to Hollywood's most famous male god. Before he could even catch his breath from the current situation, he had already made another enemy. It really made him want to facepalm.However, Hugo would absolutely not admit defeat easily. So what if the opponent was Brad? Since he could transmigrate, it meant all historical trajectories could change. Of course, the most important thing was still Hugo's own efforts. If he gave up first, then the outcome was predetermined without even competing. Man can conquer nature—what's needed is struggle!'Whew, tonight's performance was just awful,' Joseph complained in annoyance once back in the car, clearly very dissatisfied with his own performance earlier.Hugo chuckled. 'I think my performance was pretty good.'Joseph, sitting beside him, rolled his eyes. 'You know I'm not talking about you,' he said, then started reversing the car.'Ha, but I'm the one who did the audition, right?' Hugo knew Joseph still wished he could have played a bigger role, but honestly, performing well in front of a forceful agent like Martin wasn't easy. So Hugo shifted the focus back to himself. 'I think Rob had a pretty good impression of me. Or is that just my own delusion?'Hugo's teasing finally made the corner of Joseph's mouth twitch upward. 'That's what I think too.' Joseph finished reversing and looked towards the road. Through the car window, they both saw Brad and Martin still standing in the parking lot. Brad and Martin's expressions didn't look good; it seemed Martin was expressing his dissatisfaction with Brad about the earlier audition.But as Joseph drove past, Martin and Brad both stopped and turned their gaze over. The four pairs of eyes met briefly, then, as the car continued forward, they completely passed by each other.The curve of Joseph's mouth immediately lifted into a smile, his mood clearly much improved.
