Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey

Jennifer Aniston, no wonder Arthur felt a bit familiar - it was Rachel from her younger days.

In the evening, Arthur returned home, laid in bed for a while, then his phone suddenly rang. He groggily went to answer it.

"Hello, this is the home of Arthur Smith!"

"Hi, Arthur Smith, I'm the assistant casting director from 'Edward Scissorhands.' Come to Twentieth Century Fox at Century City for an audition tomorrow at 8:30 AM!"

"Oh, alright, thank you!"

After hanging up, Arthur wasn't too surprised. He had sent out a lot of resumes recently, with most getting no response.

Being a film student with acting classes under his belt and at his current age, Arthur didn't have many options.

In terms of knowledge about Hollywood movies, Arthur was second to none. 'Edward Scissorhands' was directed by Tim Burton, and 'Batman' to be released next month is also directed by him.

Tim Burton's gothic style would soon earn him great fame, and the leads in 'Edward Scissorhands,' Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, would also gain significant recognition from the film.

The next morning, Arthur dressed carefully in front of the mirror. "Looking like this, there's no reason I can't at least land a bit part, right?"

He then drove his Ford Taurus towards Los Angeles. Century City is located in West LA, near Beverly Hills.

On Reseda Boulevard, Arthur suddenly saw Jennifer Aniston, whom he had just met the previous night, waiting at a bus stop.

"Hi, Jennifer, where are you headed?" Arthur stopped the car and asked.

"Oh, I'm going to Culver City!" Jennifer Aniston explained.

"Hop in, I'm heading to Century City. Culver City isn't far from there. Let's go," Arthur said, opening the door.

"Okay," Jennifer Aniston thought for a moment and then sat in the passenger seat, "Thank you, Arthur!"

Arthur started the car, "No problem, it's on the way. We'll get there once we pass through the Santa Monica mountains along the 405 freeway."

"By the way, are you also going to Century City for a job?" Jennifer Aniston laughed, "Jeff said you're a student at California State University, Northridge in the film school!"

"Yeah, I'm going to audition for a small role in a romance movie," Arthur chuckled, "Are you also auditioning?"

"Yes, I'm often on my way to auditions," Jennifer Aniston, who came from a family in the performing arts, said. Her father was a TV actor, and her mother was a photographer and model.

"Are you from California too?" Arthur asked.

"I was born in California, but moved to New York with my parents when I was little. Then my parents divorced, and my mother opposed me entering the entertainment industry. After graduating from drama school, I came to Los Angeles on my own..."

Jennifer Aniston was 20 years old, the same age as Arthur. After graduating from high school drama school, she came to Los Angeles two years ago.

"Do you have an agent now?" Arthur certainly didn't.

Jennifer Aniston shook her head, "I don't have any acting experience. My acting career hasn't taken off yet. I'm working while looking for audition opportunities!"

"Oh, I see," Arthur nodded, "I just left school to start my career!"

Jennifer Aniston smiled, "Jeff said he wants you to replace me as a waiter."

"Haha, Jeff doesn't have much faith in me. I'm actually writing a script now," Arthur smiled, "I'm more interested in film production and screenwriting than acting!"

"Then why are you pursuing acting now?"

"Oh, because it pays well and it's easier to meet people in the industry," Arthur said, glancing at Jennifer Aniston in the passenger seat, "Work hard. When I make my own movie, I'll invite you to be the lead actress!"

Jennifer Aniston nodded, her smile never fading, "You'd better hurry up. I feel like nothing lasts long for me now."

"Don't worry..."

After more than half an hour, Arthur's car arrived in Century City. "Arthur, I can walk from here. It's not far."

"No, let me drop you off," Arthur insisted and continued driving. In less than ten minutes, they arrived at the Columbia TriStar headquarters in Culver City.

"Thank you, Arthur!" Jennifer Aniston genuinely thanked him.

"Good luck," Arthur fist-bumped Jennifer Aniston.

"You too," Jennifer Aniston winked at Arthur, "Future leading man!"

With that, Jennifer Aniston got out of the car and headed straight to her audition location.

Arthur returned to Century City and found the Twentieth Century Fox location for his 'Edward Scissorhands' audition.

The leads for 'Edward Scissorhands' were already set. The male lead was Johnny Depp, who rose to fame from his TV show '21 Jump Street,' as for the female lead, it was Winona Ryder, the 18-year-old star of the recently released comedy 'Heathers'!

Arthur was auditioning for the supporting male role in 'Edward Scissorhands,' who is the spoiled boyfriend of the female lead.

After registration, Arthur was led by a staff member to a corridor. "Sit and wait!"

"Thank you," Arthur said, noticing over 30 people, both men and women, there already, and it wasn't even 8:30 AM yet.

It seemed like the female supporting roles were also being auditioned. Arthur's build and looks were good, but apart from drawing some women's glances, he didn't cause much of a stir.

He found a seat and started thinking about the role he was auditioning for. The part wasn't big but it was something, though the character wasn't very outstanding. In fact, it was even less memorable than the female lead's brother, but that was a child actor's role!

However, the moment Arthur entered, he caught the attention of a middle-aged woman.

Tracy Jacobs, an agent at ICM, had signed Johnny Depp last year because of '21 Jump Street,' preparing to push him towards film work.

For the lead role in 'Edward Scissorhands,' they had initially considered actors like Gary Oldman, Tom Cruise, and Robert Downey Jr., so securing the role for Johnny Depp was quite a feat!

Tracy Jacobs called her assistant, "Get me the info on that good-looking guy over there..."

The assistant followed her direction and saw Arthur Smith deep in thought.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.