"So......" Josh said on the other end of the phone, a feeling of wanting to say something and stopping over the radio. 【Book by】

"So ......" Jenny repeated.

There was an awkward silence on both ends of the phone.

"If I bring Claudia, you're okay with that, right?" In the end, it was Josh who took the initiative to break the deadlock, after all, he also made the call.

"Of course there is no opinion." Jenny said, "Actually, I think we can have Ann come to a dinner or a party or something, you know, the crew." ”

When Jenny rewatched the original world version of Pirates of the Caribbean, she discovered that the original female pirate character was played by the sci-fi queen Zoe. Played by Saldana, perhaps because of her relationship, Ann, who was appreciated by Gore, finally won the role of a female pirate, so the two collaborators also co-starred in "Pirates of the Caribbean", but the roles were very different, and there was basically no chance of playing. It took Ann very little time to finish filming her role and go back to star in "Chicago". But, of course, she is also a member of the crew, if Josh can bring in another crew cast or crew, this is a crew gala, of course, it is also good publicity for "Pirates".

Josh was intrigued by Jenny's proposal, "I know there are several crew members in New York, and if you can provide free tickets, I'm sure I'll take them all with me." ”

“…… Forget it, just you and Claudia. Jenny said with some embarrassment, "Unless they don't mind standing and watching." Being able to give you two tickets is already the result of Judy's countless phone calls. ”

gave two tickets before, not because it was estimated that Josh would bring Claudia, but because celebrities rarely appear alone on any occasion, and those who only bring an assistant like Jenny are considered very independent stars, and some stars will bring their managers wherever they go, or close friends and family, although these relatives and friends do not produce in the circle, their status is not low, and their influence on stars is sometimes greater than that of agents.

"It's okay, I understand, then it's okay for the four of us." Josh panicked and said that his discomfort was back. "I'll bring my assistant or something, and let them wait in the car, so that the ratio of men and women is more balanced."

"Very well, then we might as well have lunch together tomorrow at noon," Jenny felt that she was the only one to be the calm and active party in the relationship, she opened her notepad and jotted down some basic information, "I invite Ann, you bring Claudia and dress up smartly, okay?" The paparazzi will definitely photograph us. But don't be too nervous, it's just the beginning, Josh, and you and I are still friends. ”

"Oh, did I leak my nervousness so obviously?" Josh moaned. "Okay, don't look down on me too much, Jane, it's just that you know that all this is really not easy for me." ”

Jenny does not deny that she had a moment when she wanted to have a relationship with Josh half-truthfully, after all, this is Hollywood, and she doesn't have the idea of 'only doing the most loving things with the people she loves the most', she is 21 years old this year, it is the most active time for hormones, long-term dieting, long-term overwork, and few entertainment activities, and because of various concerns, she has never developed such and such a relationship with men, there is a piece of fresh meat in her mouth, why not eat it? Anyway, they are all going to be in love, and if the half-fake becomes true, they can also save some acting workload. ――In addition, the favorability of Josh in the shipwreck at that time exploded to the highest point......

But now, she really can't stand Josh's slimy temper, of course everyone has some things they don't want to do, and she doesn't want to fall in love with a stranger, but there are some things that you have to do well if you promise, so that the mother-in-law and mother-in-law want the girl to coax you in turn. Maybe this temper is cute for others, it can stimulate their maternal feelings or something, but it can only make her feel impatient, and she still prefers suitors like Will or Jaime, although they are either naïve or selfish, but at least they are brave enough to fight for their own rights.

"How could I look down on you, Josh, you're my savior." Jenny didn't reveal her unhappiness either, this 'nasty colleague' was going to be tied up with her for at least a year, and now there was no need to mess up the relationship. "But you don't have to be so nervous, I mean, I like Claudia very much, my dear, I'm a pretty girl, I have my self-esteem, I'm not going to eat you."

Josh let out a burst of laughter, "No, I'm not worried about this, it's just ...... It's just that I don't feel like we're doing the right thing, you know? Jane, when I said yes, I thought very simply, everyone does this, why can't I do it? But when it all started to come true, things were different. We do this like a fraud on the good people who like us. ”

"Josh," Jenny felt that she did not need to go down to the Virgin Mary, she lived in an extremely harsh environment, neither Cesare nor Judy was the kind of person who would share her suffering, and as long as she lost her value in their eyes, Jenny had no doubt that she would be abandoned immediately, and there was no reason why Josh could continue to be spoiled to pursue moral satisfaction. "If you really don't want to do it, I don't care, I can ask Cesare if he doesn't pursue contract liquidated damages, as long as you can convince your agent that I'm OK here."

Josh was visibly taken aback by Jenny's decisiveness, and his attitude became more conservative, "No, no, I'm not...... Okay, okay, I'll try to open a little bit. ”

"So our date won't change, right?" Jenny asked, and after getting Josh's assurance, she didn't dare to comfort him and hung up the phone. She was afraid that if she comforted Josh a few more words, he would have another coldfeet.

After hanging up the phone with Josh, she felt a little weak, and did not call Ann immediately, but sat on the rocking chair next to the bed, controlled her head with both hands and took a few deep breaths, wanting to open the window to blow the cold air, but after looking at the black street, she changed her mind: Judy has a lot of work now, and she had better not trouble her with some photos that she secretly took late at night, and now Jennifer. During the critical period of Jefferson's image-building, the team's goal was to not make any of the other photos available to the market except for the 'street shots' they had arranged in advance, and the goal of these street shoots was to build an initial impression of 'Jennifer = stylish beauty' in the reader's mind.

Tomorrow is a crucial show, and the critics' vane Roger Roger Tomorrow will be the bellwether of the film critics. Albert will also come to see her show, and the tickets for the whole show are sold out as soon as they start, and even the standing tickets are sold at a high price, and the whole New York City is waiting for her to bring them a shocking performance. Since "Chicago" is already in New York, Jenny guesses that most of the audience has probably seen the movie version, so the answer to which roxie is better should be revealed tomorrow night. Every audience member came to see with a clear question, and when they walked out of the theater, if they thought Jenny's roxie was better, then she really won. - In this hype, she has won some chips, but the most tempting bonus is the next one, if even the critics and the audience think that her roxie is better, Renee will not even win the Oscar for Best Actress, and the whole "Chicago" movie version will create a majority of the limelight created by her - this will be a brilliant victory for her.

Cesare and Judy have also analyzed with her before that if she can fight for this ideal ending, even if she acts in a commercial film like "Pirates of the Caribbean", she will not lose her status as an acting school. It's like Natalie. Portman, she also has the commercial blockbuster "Star Wars", but no one will suspect that she is an acting school, and this is all because of her "This Killer Is Not Too Cold". The Chicago musical could have brought her a similar effect, and tomorrow night's mediocre performance will not lose everything immediately, but at least 1 or 2 years will be lost, and she will be further and further away from her goal of dominating Hollywood. It's a very remarkable goal, and at every critical moment, it requires excellent performance, and mediocrity is a failure in itself.

But now Jenny felt like she wasn't in good shape - especially after talking to Josh on the phone, and she really felt a bit of fatigue. She needs someone to talk to, someone to be comforted, someone to give her some comfort and energy to keep going.

Who to look for?

took out her phone and opened the address book, and Jenny filtered down one name after another.

Makeup Artist Anna ...... Agent Anna ...... Reporter Anna ...... Jenny became irritated and simply removed all the names of the working group.

Then she discovers that there is no third name on her phone besides Lillian's and Dave's. It's been almost two years since she's been reborn, and there's only these two of her real friends, and one of them she'll never take the initiative to contact him to talk about these things - she doesn't have the same moral sense as Josh, but at least she still has a bit of a bottom line.

Lillian has been working shifts recently, and she should still be in the hospital now, so she can't talk to her on the phone. Jenny pressed back and forth in the address book of her mobile phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally found a phone to dial out.

"Ann." Her tone was a little pompous and cheerful, "Honey, I'm back to New York-yes-do you have time tomorrow at noon?" Josh. Blanche was also in New York, and Disney asked him to come to our show......"

After setting a date, Jenny simply turned off her mobile phone, sank into the acting space, and found a big bad movie "Dance of the Dead" that she would never be able to star in.

She plans to cut out today's simple workout and go straight to sleep in a while, and what she feels she can't do tonight, maybe she can do it tomorrow.

Half an hour later, when the computer screensaver time came, the power of the screen went out automatically, and the room was plunged into darkness, and the moonlight of the Manhattan lights was isolated by the blinds, and only a little spilled into the room, reflecting a vague, still outline on the sofa.

#

"Roger."

"Emma!"

"Ben, I didn't expect to see you again."

"yes, it's a show we can't miss – we've heard she's leaving Broadway after this year."

Before the start of the show, the hall of the old Schubert Theater became a small social gathering of showbiz celebrities. Schubert personally entertained these heavyweights, especially Roger. Albert, although he is not a professional drama critic, his position in the critic world also makes James unwilling to slack off.

"Really? James, is that wonder girl leaving Broadway next year? It's a shame. "A few familiar critics immediately exchanged information with him - that is, the good way to hear and say gossip." Don't you want to keep her? ”

"I don't want to stand in the way of other people's skyrocketing." James smiled and shook the new guest's hand, "Steve! Long time no see—"

After a short greeting, he revealed a valuable news, "But she will continue to appear for five months in the first half of next year, and I am trying to continue to invite her back in December next year to sit in the year-end performance month." ”

"Oh? So you have six months left on your contract. Industry insiders immediately keenly guessed the details of the contract, "but why don't you split her show evenly in the second half of the year?" You know, July and August are also the hot season at the box office. ”

James didn't answer, just laughed, but it was Roger. Albert narrowed his eyes in interest, "It seems that Mr. Schubert has some ambitions for next year's Tony Award. ”

The nomination time for the Tony Award is April in the first half of each year, although the nomination is last year's play, but some judges may delay until the vote to see the play, in order to rush for the award, James can only arrange Jenny's performance month in January to May next year, in order to connect with the year-end peak season of this year, which can also stir up momentum and increase the hope of winning the award.

"We have two good actresses," James is not modest, "and there are also good troupes and stage effects, and I have a feeling that next year will be our year." ”

Although "Chicago" has already won a Tony Award, no one likes to win more than one award, and multi-winning Tony Award-winning troupes can bid more when they tour overseas, so even if Jenny leaves at the end of her contract, James is still motivated to build momentum for her win.

"You can see that you have a lot of faith in Jennifer." Roger nodded, his interest in Jennifer increased, and when he saw James turn around to greet another acquaintance, he turned his head and whispered to his partner Richard, "This girl seems to be very good at portraying criminals." ”

"Yes, several of her characters seem to be keen on breaking the law." Richard also had a strong interest in Jennifer after watching CSI, "but her portrayal is not the same, and it can even be said that it is completely different." ”

"You mean Canita and Kitty, right?" The time was almost up, Roger and Richard walked into the theater together, followed by some film critics who also came from other places, and in the Broadway theater world, film critics seemed to be particularly grouped. "I have to say that James did whet my appetite, and I'm curious now about how different Jennifer can make Lockhee different from Kitty. If Lockhee is also played by her soul, then she vividly portrays the different attitudes of three women in the face of crime. ”

Richard mused, "If Jennifer succeeds, then she will be one of the best young actresses of our time." ”

"Natalie, Scarlett, Christen, they are all very talented actresses, but at this age they can't separate similar roles □□." Roger frowned, "I don't think it's possible to avoid homogenization if they play the same type of role in a short period of time - I find it hard to believe that Jennifer can do this without any professional training." But both James and Ben [Brantley] seemed to be proof that I was too old to believe in miracles. ”

He didn't deliberately lower his voice, many film critics heard the old man's comments, and they all nodded with deep sympathy, although they have different mentalities, they all have a strong interest in Jennifer and a strong passion for their careers, otherwise they wouldn't have deliberately gone out to watch the show.

"We'll find out in a moment." Richard said, suddenly turning his head, "Oh, isn't this Josh?" ”

"Ah, Mr. Rope." Josh. Blanche and his friend, a mediocre-looking makeup artist, passed by Roger and the others and sat down next to them, "Mr. Albert, it's a pleasure to meet you. ”

After a short greeting, Roger asked them what they were most concerned about today, "Josh, you have worked with Jennifer, what do you think of her acting skills?" Do you think she's going to surprise us tonight? ”

"To be honest, I haven't seen her previous musicals either." Josh had a good temper and laughed, "But I would never doubt her acting skills, working with Jennifer can be very painful at times, you know, especially when she and Johnny are in a scene, and I have to do everything in my power to get a little attention." But even so, I still have no confidence in my performance. Some actors have this kind of temperament, you will feel that you have lost all the pursuit of acting skills in front of him, and you just want to finish the lines quickly, and then run away from the camera. ”

Such a high-level compliment made everyone raise their eyebrows, "Do you mean that Jennifer and Johnny are on the same level?" ”

"I'm not a film critic, so I can't judge other people's acting skills." Josh laughed, "But if I had to say, yes, Johnny and Jenny put about the same pressure on me when it came to the show. ”

Johnny. Depp is a mature actor who is recognized as an actor with potential, and his performances in many films are remarkable, and there is no shortage of excellent works. Roger even believes that as long as he is not bad at choosing films, he will definitely win the Oscar in the next few years, and Josh actually compares him to Jennifer?

"You've made my movie-watching mentality even more unhealthy," Roger joked, "and I think I'll keep my eyes open for the whole musical, trying to find her flaws." ”

In the midst of laughter, the lights dimmed, the opening curtain sounded, and the show began.

#

Roger wasn't kidding, and his mindset had shifted from leaning towards Jennifer to wanting to burst her acting bubble — and in his opinion, Jennifer was certainly talented, but what she needed was not a lot of praise but fair criticism. If he had casually watched her performance at this time, he would have given her a lot of praise, which might have made her lose herself. He doesn't doubt Jennifer's talent and talent, but no great actor has reached maturity in a single film, and perhaps her performance can shock most audiences and critics, and even Hollywood's new Ding Josh. Blanche, but Roger believes that in the performance of more than 100 minutes, Jennifer will definitely expose the small problems in the performance, after all, this is a live starring role of more than 100 minutes, which is different from TV and movies, everything is directly delivered to the audience, that is, she noticed her own problems, and if she did not keep up with the basic skills, she would also 'knowingly commit it'.

Roger has always been merciful to young people with potential, but this time he decided to be stricter, this girl has a good team, what she lacks is not opportunities and resources, but precisely vicious negative opinions, a great actor must learn to grow from public opinion, even if this public opinion may not be fair. Although it is a bit nostalgic to say this, Roger does sincerely think that he is also thinking about Jennifer's development. She is still young, and some of her faults have not had time to be fixed, and after a few movies, once the acting habits are finalized, some ills will follow for life, for example, Leonardo's facial expressions, Tom. Cruise's fascination with appearance, and the men and women whose names he couldn't count for a while, how terrible, those floating eyes and dull lines......

Dang Ann. As Benson sang and danced on stage, he pulled out his binoculars to take a closer look at her close-up, and then nodded politely - this is a very good actor, with solid basic skills, and they are all the same in the UK......

The lights turn to Jennifer. Roger's telescope immediately moved to her, squinting slightly to ward off the glare and skimming the details of Jennifer's body: he had watched "CSI" carefully, and even rewatched "Chicago" again, and it was almost incredible that there was no repetition of the form of the performances between Winetta and Kitty, but this can also be explained by Kitty's short appearance. And Vanita and Lockhee were in a similar state for a long time - they were both criminals, both beautiful, and both were covering up their crimes.

Although the essence is completely different, the external state is very similar, and the actor is likely to use the same way and interpret the role of the same temperament when performing, and this is a taboo in the acting industry. Two people you play in the same way, even if the phases are similar, this is also a sign of limited acting skills. Even if such an actor is a smash hit, he will be quickly forgotten by the audience and will not be able to impress them too deeply, because their acting skills are very 'narrow', and the audience will quickly get tired of those few facial expressions and small movements back and forth.

After the first performance, the scene began to change, and Richard leaned over and whispered to Roger, "Take the lead." ”

Roger put down the binoculars and nodded slowly, although no one saw it in the dark, his expression was already very solemn.

Film critics have a pair of sharp eyes, in the director's moving frame, they can grasp the image that may only exist for a second or two, interpret the director's shooting intentions and aesthetic techniques, Roger is also very impressed by some of the small movements and expressions commonly used by Canita in "CSI", these facial expressions sometimes remind him of Marilyn. Monroe - her performance has a strong Golden Age legacy, her expression is slightly pompous, and the charm and temptation are placed on the stage in a bright light, such as an exaggerated wink, a graceful autumn wave, and the extravagance and vulgarity of twisting her waist and swinging her hips when Canita walks......

None of these small movements appeared on Lockhee—Roger was sure he hadn't missed a second, his eyes scanning Jennifer, not a single facial expression or body movement. Jennifer used a completely different performance technique on Lockhee, completely different from Canita and Kitty, and even the temperament has completely changed, if the performance of these three characters is frozen, removing the elements that can identify the identity, such as clothes and hairstyles, and then putting it on the website for the audience to distinguish, Roger has no doubt that the audience can accurately distinguish the three people. To put it in an exaggerated rhetorical way, Jennifer even changed the way her facial muscles moved.

This level of acting skills is not something Renee can compare with, of course Renee is very cute, her acting skills are also very layered, BJ and Lockey in "BJ Single Diary" are two completely different characters, and Renee handles both roles very naturally, but if you look closely, you can still see some of the same small movements, for example, Renee always uses a one-legged stance when she is impatient, and her temperament is too ' 'Women of good family', it is hard to believe what a vulgar and ignorant woman Locke is.

Roger wanted to find someone to compare himself to Jennifer, but found that he couldn't find a second actor who could switch his acting state so completely.

He no longer paid attention to other people's performances, and even put down his binoculars and immersed himself in Jennifer's overall performance, trying to find the moment when she came out of the play, to find her weaknesses - this is no longer a comparison between her and Renee, but a process of testing miracles, Roger is a rational man, he refuses to believe in miracles, and what is happening in front of him now seems to be telling him loudly, 'You are wrong, you are witnessing the birth of a miracle girl right now.'" ’

The self-absorption of "Roxie", the sharp emotions in the lines, the delirium, vanity, ugliness, hypocrisy of Lockhee, all these complex emotions, even if they are not performed after eating thoroughly, just experiencing them one by one, all require a certain age experience, Renee played a very good Lockey at the age of thirty, which is also closer to the age of the character. But Jennifer is only 21 years old this year, and she is even several years younger than the character!

Roger didn't come back to his senses until the end of the performance, and the sound and light feast of "allthatjazz" provoked an enthusiastic response from the audience, but he just instinctively watched Jennifer closely. Jefferson. ――Even the best actor is allowed to make one or two small omissions in a whole performance......

But Jennifer. Jefferson didn't.

Of course, he stayed for the afterparty, and unlike at the party after the premiere of "Chicago", Roger took the initiative to talk to Jennifer, and he noticed that the girl's face was a little pale, and the whole person looked weak, and often showed discomfort with the noise during the conversation.

"Are you alright, Jennifer?" Roger cared.

"Thanks, I'm fine." Jennifer smiled at him, and Roger (not for the first time tonight) was shocked to discover that Jennifer was indeed very quiet and reserved in private, a far cry from the striking grandeur she displayed on stage. "It's just that I've been a little sluggish these days, you know, I've had a tight schedule lately, and I'm tired."

She tentatively tried almost apprehensively and apologetically, "It's a shame you didn't make it to my best of days - Roger, I hope my performance tonight will satisfy you." ”

She was genuine, Roger could feel it, Jennifer was worried about her performance, she really didn't think she was performing at her best.

He almost laughed at the uneasiness she had hidden behind her smile - she was worried that she would lose to Renee. She, Jennifer. Jefferson, Jennifer, who had surprised him so much that he barely jumped for the first 2 hours. Jefferson, worried that he would lose.

If it was his own youth, Roger didn't know if he would have hung Jennifer's appetite and appreciated her anxiety, but he was too old to do these things, and now Roger could only care about his movies, he shook his head and said his thoughts bluntly. "My dear, for a talented young actor like you, what you need to worry about is no longer your performance, and what can affect your career is no longer your acting skills."

He looked at Jenny and thought of Elizabeth. Taylor, Ingrid. Bergman, Vivien Leigh, thought of these talented beauties in all shapes and sizes. At the end of the show, Roger said meaningfully, "I think what you have to worry about is something other than acting -- the fate you should pray for." ”

Jennifer had a look of astonishment on her face, and in this moment, her paleness and weariness were swept away, and joy and doubt rose at the same time, but their conversation could not continue. Schubert interjected apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, but Roger, our advertising rep is desperate for Jenny to say a few ...... to a few long-time customers."

Roger didn't stay at the party for long, his physical health was no longer allowed, and when he left through the back door of the theater, he happened to be with Josh. Blanche collided, and Josh caused a brief confusion, so much so that Roger was hit several times by the paparazzi's flashing lights before getting into the waiting vehicle sent by the hotel.

The car drove through the brilliant neon, Roger closed his eyes in the back seat, but did not fall asleep, and when the phone rang, he quickly picked it up.

"How?" He asked.

"After the performance, the other party's offer has reached half a million dollars." His agent said, his tone exuberant. "Straight double – I guess the response to the show was good?"

Roger just hummed, and did not mean to respond carefully, and the agent no longer asked, but quickly explained, "250,000 deposits, and the remaining 250,000 will be paid immediately after seeing the column, and the source is absolutely legal." Roger, it's not a small amount of money. ”

Although Roger is rich in wealth, a cash flow of $500,000 will not be a small amount of money for anyone, even if this is the entertainment industry, unless it is a few dozen people at the top of the pyramid, even a star with a salary of millions will still be tempted by 500,000 cash.

"I see." Roger said.

He hung up the phone, carefully tucked it into his pocket, slowly leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

The author has something to say: Note: Kristen Dunst is the female lead of Spider-Man, her name is relatively unpopular, and I believe everyone knows everything else.

As for those famous actresses, they don't need popular science|――

Updated~