David stepped aside from the doorway, "You're Anson, right?"
"Anson Wood. It's a great pleasure to meet you, Mr. Klein."
The voice was deep and magnetic, like blue velvet. David turned and looked in the direction of the sound, his gaze involuntarily rising. He was taller than expected.
His height was tall, his proportions well-balanced, and his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him an ideal clothes hanger. Surprisingly, he hadn't chosen the old-fashioned, rigid shirt and suit.
A white T-shirt paired with stone-gray cargo pants, topped with a simple peacock blue knit cardigan. His handsome, rugged face possessed a refreshing, sunny, and clean demeanor. Contradictory qualities were perfectly blended together, and every gesture exuded a unique French charm.
Though not ostentatious, he easily stood out from the monotonous stereotypes.
A quick glance earlier had left a deep impression; now, a closer look made him want to gaze a bit longer.
David's smile widened, "Mister? Ha, it seems Darren described me as particularly terrifying."
"Uncle Darren said that's called professionalism. After all, you're not here to make Friends," Anson did not follow the usual pleasantries.
David paused slightly, looking at the young man in front of him again. Some bluntness can be off-putting, but some straightforwardness can be refreshing. The tone, manner, and expression of speech are also an art.
Clearly, Anson belonged to the latter.
David lightly raised his chin, "What about you?"
Anson and David walked to the desk, but neither sat down. Instead, they remained standing across the table. Anson met David's gaze calmly, "I'm here to make Friends, after all, I'm not professional enough yet."
Is this... a double entendre?
"Haha." David laughed aloud, looking at Anson's clear eyes, feeling lighthearted and pleasant. Then, he sat down and gestured with his eyes, and Anson followed suit.
David, "So, what did Darren tell you?"
Anson needed to search his memory, as everything had happened too quickly today, but there was no information in his mind, "He said to remember to tell you that I really, really like 'Friends'."
So direct?
David was amused again.
Anson's words, however, weren't finished, "But I want to say, you must have heard that countless times, after all, I'm not the only one who likes 'Friends', otherwise the series wouldn't have become the number one rated show in America."
David crossed his hands on his stomach, leaned back slowly into his chair, and lightly raised his chin, a look of pride in his eyes.
"Personally, 'Dream' is very interesting, and 'Veronica's Closet' must have given Uncle Darren some inspiration," Anson finally concluded.
Both of these TV series were also produced by David.
Among them, "Veronica's Closet" tells the story of a female owner of an underwear company and her subordinates, predating "Sex and the City"; however, in terms of success and reputation, "Sex and the City" is far beyond what the former could compare to.
David's hearty laughter erupted from deep in his throat, "Darren probably won't like your opinion."
Anson disagreed, "Creative inspiration is everywhere, but how to evolve an idea into an excellent work is not something everyone can do."
David's eyebrow twitched slightly, and his expression changed without warning, becoming stern. He snorted, "Are you complaining that I haven't been able to produce a work like 'Sex and the City'?"
Is this… a test?
Anson neither panicked nor evaded, meeting David's gaze directly, "I mean you all eventually found your areas of expertise and produced works that countless people love."
The air was somewhat quiet.
David didn't speak immediately, but quietly watched Anson.
Anson carried a pure and comfortable aura. The way he looked at others when speaking was sincere and frank. The atmosphere quietly relaxed. Even an old fox like David, who had been rolling in the Vanity Fair for many years, couldn't help but look into his eyes, completely devoid of the awkwardness of an eighteen-year-old.
For some reason, David thought of Alain Delon.
David's lips curved into a slight smile, and the tense atmosphere dissipated without warning. Changing the subject, "So, what performance have you prepared?"
Originally, it was just a formality; then, just a simple chat; but now, David was a little curious—
He wondered how this young man's performance would be?
It wasn't that he expected some acting genius, even a disaster wouldn't matter, Brad Pitt wasn't also trained little by little; he was just purely curious what segment Anson would choose to perform, and how he would perform it.
Anson was a little nervous, "Oh, now?"
Finally, David saw some age-appropriate emotions in this child, and a smile appeared in his eyes, "What, do we need to schedule another time?"
Anson quipped, "No, I just wanted to say, I have a performance at the small theater in a few days, why don't you come and enjoy the whole show, but now it seems you're not interested."
"Ha." David was amused again, "Your guess is correct."
That small joke allowed Anson to calm down a little—
To be honest, everything happened too quickly, it had only been a short five minutes since the Crossing; he originally thought this audition was just a formality, but then David suddenly cut to the chase, completely overturning the situation. Thousands of thoughts surged in his mind, making him inevitably a bit flustered and nervous.
However, it was only for a moment.
In his previous life, to make money, he had tried many jobs and experienced all sorts of situations, big and small. He wasn't a truly green eighteen-year-old.
Moreover, he had just traveled through time like Flash, and what was before him was just an audition. There was no need to lose his composure.
Thinking about it carefully, this was his spotlight moment; he should be excited and thrilled.
So, what should he perform for the audition?
Generally speaking, new actors often like to perform classic scenes for auditions.
For example, Robert De Niro's "Are you talking to me?" from "Taxi Driver," or the "To be or not to be" monologue from "Hamlet," or even "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" from "Casablanca."
The reason is simple: classics represent resonance, and also familiarity.
If one performs an unknown character during an audition, it's difficult to capture the other party's attention, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity might be wasted.
But the problem is that classics also represent a fixed impression. All subsequent performances will be compared to the original. Being exactly the same is considered unoriginal, while being completely different is seen as unorthodox. No matter how one performs, it's difficult to break the shackles of the original and become one of the crowd.
So, what should he do?
Anson had an idea.
Perhaps, in the limited audition time, the focus isn't on showcasing line delivery, or replicating classics, or even demonstrating basic skills.
Instead, it's about showcasing one's personality and firmly grabbing the audience's attention.
Anson wasn't sure if this idea was correct, but he had to try it to find out, didn't he?
What if it fails?
If it fails, then let Uncle Darren make another call. If he can rely on looks, why rely on skill? If he can take a shortcut, why take the long way around?
Thinking of this, Anson raised his eyes to look at David, no longer finding a trace of nervousness.