"Hey, Amanda."
As soon as Matthew entered the lobby of Angel Talent Agency, he spotted the front desk receptionist. Amanda clearly recognized him as well and greeted him warmly. "Hi, Matthew. Helen's waiting for you upstairs."
Instead of heading up right away, Matthew stopped to chat with her briefly before walking through the lobby and taking the stairs to the second floor. He arrived at Helen Herman's office, politely knocked on the door, and only entered after hearing a crisp "Come in" from inside.
"Take a seat, Matthew," said Helen Herman, gesturing toward a single-seater sofa in the room.
Only then did Matthew notice that Helen wasn't alone. There were two middle-aged men, both around forty, and six other young people in the office. One of them he recognized—Michael Sheen.
Is Angel Agency planning to sign all of them too?
Though curious, Matthew didn't ask. He simply sat down on one of the single sofas.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin." Helen Herman spoke up. "Angel Talent Agency is prepared to sign one-year representation contracts with the seven of you. We'll provide you with full support and quality work opportunities."
She picked up a stack of contracts from behind her desk and distributed one to each of them, including Matthew and Michael Sheen. Then she gestured to the two middle-aged men.
"These gentlemen are Mr. Marshall Williams from the Screen Actors Guild and Mr. Beltus Clement, a union lawyer."
Matthew glanced at the others. Like him, Michael Sheen wasn't a union member, so the rest of the group must have been.
"Some of you aren't currently SAG members," Helen continued. "But Mr. Williams can notarize the contract, and Mr. Clement will ensure its legal validity."
She returned to her desk. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask either of them."
The two men showed their entertainment attorney credentials and SAG IDs, confirming their legitimacy.
Matthew had already begun reading through the contract. Thanks to all the effort he'd put in recently, his reading skills had improved a lot. He could now understand a contract like this with little trouble.
He read very carefully, examining every clause. Even if someone in his situation didn't have much to steal, it was still important to fully understand what he was signing.
After carefully reviewing it and confirming everything looked fine, Matthew signed his name without hesitation. The one-year contract made him an exclusive client of Angel Talent Agency and Helen Herman his official agent.
It also meant he couldn't take on jobs from other agencies without permission.
The others soon signed as well.
Afterward, Mr. Williams, the SAG rep, collected the contracts from everyone except Matthew and Michael Sheen—clearly the only two non-union members—and left with Mr. Clement.
"I have a few things I need to go over with you," said Helen, turning to the group of seven. "First, starting today, you're not allowed to accept jobs from other agencies. Second, I'll recommend acting classes for further training. The cost is your responsibility, but you're free to choose your own if you prefer. Third, find a part-time job that fits your actor identity—I might line up opportunities for you at any moment. Fourth, Matthew and Michael, join the union as soon as conditions allow."
Matthew nodded slightly. He didn't know what the others thought, but to him, Helen's advice sounded practical—helpful for long-term development.
Helen added, "Last thing—if you don't have a phone, go get one. Keep it on 24/7."
She waved them off. "You're free to go. Matthew, Michael—remember to stop by the finance office to collect your payment from a few days ago."
Already? Matthew was surprised at first, but considering Helen's connection with Ridley Scott, it made sense.
As the others left one by one, only Matthew and Michael Sheen remained, heading to the finance office together.
It was obvious that Angel Talent Agency had grown beyond just Helen and Amanda—there were new staff now.
Just like at Starshine, Angel Agency took a 10% commission from their pay. Since the amount was fairly substantial, both Matthew and Michael left their bank details. The finance team assured them the payment would be deposited today.
"I got a call from Amanda last night," Michael said as they walked out of the building. "Telling me to come sign a long-term contract today. Totally unexpected."
He looked genuinely happy. "Maybe your 'get familiar' strategy worked after all."
Matthew shrugged slightly. "Maybe."
Once outside, Michael suddenly said with determination, "This is the most important contract of my life!"
Matthew nodded. In many ways, he felt the same.
"Let's give it our best shot together!" Michael stopped and looked at Matthew with rare sincerity. "We're gonna be stars, Matthew. Big stars."
"Yeah." Matthew nodded firmly.
Though he had some reservations about Michael Sheen, their goals were the same.
"Got time?" Michael offered. "Let's grab a drink and celebrate."
"Another time," Matthew replied. "I've got to go sign up for a language class at the Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts."
May was just around the corner, and the deadline for his second tuition payment was approaching. But with the $8,000 he earned from Gladiator, he'd already decided to follow Helen's advice and enroll in a language class to correct his so-called Texas accent.
"The Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts?" Michael asked, surprised. "Are you sure you can get in there?"
As far as he knew, that school had pretty high entry requirements. For actors without big agency backing, it was extremely difficult to get accepted.
Guys like him didn't even bother trying.
And yet this guy got in?
As Michael stared, dumbfounded, Matthew casually explained, "I called yesterday. Once you're in the acting program, you're free to join any of the other training courses."
"You're in the acting program at LAAPA?" Michael's shock deepened.
"Yep." Matthew nodded.
"This…" Michael nearly blurted out How's that even possible?
Matthew checked his phone. "I already paid the first installment."
Michael's look of surprise slowly shifted to envy. The LA Academy's acting program was known to be a hotspot for agents from Creative Artists Agency and WME. Not only could you meet promising actors, but you might even get scouted.
How could Angel Agency ever compare to CAA or WME?
Matthew glanced at Michael, noticed the look on his face, and frowned slightly. He said directly, "Mike, I've got to go. Talk later."
"Ah…" Michael snapped out of it and nodded robotically. "Sure."
Watching Matthew walk away, the envy on Michael's face quickly turned to jealousy.
Why is he always a step ahead? Why do all the good opportunities go to someone who just entered the business?
"But this is just the beginning…" The jealousy faded slightly. "The road ahead is long. I'll get the best opportunities at this agency."
A small company like Angel Talent could only get limited resources in Hollywood. Once others took them, there was nothing left.
When I've built a name for myself here, Michael thought, I'll move to a bigger agency.
While taking the bus from Burbank to North Hollywood, Matthew thought about everything that had happened. It was clear Helen Herman wasn't putting all her eggs in one basket—she was casting a wide net.
He couldn't help but shake his head. He had allowed himself to hope that Angel Agency would really invest in him, but now it was obvious—they weren't stupid.
It was a wake-up call. Even in a tiny agency like this, the only way to rise was to fight for it.
"Competition," Matthew muttered. "If you want to climb higher, you've got to compete. No industry is an exception."
Once he got to North Hollywood, Matthew headed straight to the Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts and signed up for a language class that was starting in May. With Hollywood becoming increasingly international, courses like this were quite common.
After registering, Matthew called Lester to report back in. The stock market was booming, and Red Penguin still had a driver shortage, especially for night shifts. That night, Lester had him back at work—though this time, not for high-end clients. He was now delivering party equipment.
Still a night shift job, ending early in the morning, but Matthew had no complaints. A job that let him sleep a bit at night and left the days free was hard to find.
From then on, his life fell into a rhythm: working nights, training and studying during the day, and waiting for the next acting opportunity.
May arrived, marking the start of Hollywood's traditional summer movie season.
Matthew's acting class began too.