Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey

After returning to Northridge, Arthur went straight to his study to continue writing in his notebook, which had been his routine for a week already.

Arthur was adapting the popular R-rated high school comedy from his past life, "American Pie." As a student at California State University, Northridge, he was quite familiar with these types of stories.

The screenplay included scenes, content description, and dialogue. Arthur's script outline was about four to five pages long, and the finished script was roughly 100 pages.

Assuming one page per minute, the movie would likely be around 100 minutes long!

In the past week, even with what felt like cheating, Arthur had only managed to write a little over 20 pages. He needed more practice.

The thing was, current computers still used transistors, and there was no typewriter at home. Even if there were, Arthur wasn't proficient with it.

Handwriting was the fastest option, but it was admittedly difficult to adapt to a time 30 years in the past!

"Phew, it's almost dark," Arthur said, standing up and stretching as he saw the dusk outside.

In the evening, Arthur ran into Jennifer Aniston, who had just finished work, on the street.

"Arthur, how did the audition go today?" Jennifer Aniston ran up to Arthur.

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know. They told me to go home and wait for a response. But, an agent did want to sign me!"

"Well, that's the first step," Jennifer Aniston said, walking alongside Arthur.

"How about you? How did you do?" Arthur inquired.

"Ugh, it felt awful," Jennifer Aniston said, hanging her head. "Based on my experience, it's definitely not going to work out!"

"Well, you're still young. There's plenty of opportunity in the future," Arthur comforted her.

"I was auditioning for a TV role, and I still didn't get it," Jennifer Aniston sighed.

Arthur smiled. "How about we find a place for a drink?"

Jennifer Aniston nodded.

They walked to Arthur's house, and Jennifer Aniston found that Arthur's place wasn't far from her rented place. "Oh, you live here?"

"Yeah, you should come over sometime. I live alone," Arthur said, smiling as he drove his car out of the garage.

The two drove to an entertainment center near Northridge University. Arthur reminded her, "A lot of students come here to hang out, about our age!"

"Yeah, it's lively since it's summer vacation," Jennifer Aniston said, noticing quite a few people as they entered a club.

Arthur laughed. "Just a bunch of slackers hanging around!"

Jennifer Aniston laughed and rested her hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You've got quite the mouth."

"Two beers, please," Arthur ordered at the bar, then asked Jennifer Aniston, "Want anything to eat?"

"German hot dogs and mashed potatoes," Jennifer Aniston said.

"And some fried calamari and fruit salad," Arthur added, handing over $10. "Keep the change as a tip."

"Cheers," Arthur said, raising his large 500ml beer glass and clinking it with Jennifer's.

"By the way, Arthur, which agency are you signing with tomorrow?" Jennifer Aniston asked.

"Oh, ITA (International Talent Associates) in West Hollywood. It's a small agency," Arthur replied nonchalantly. "These small agencies basically train talents for the big agencies, just waiting to be merged or poached," he added.

Jennifer Aniston nodded. "My father mentioned that CAA's packaging deals have helped it expand rapidly, merging with many agents over the years."

After the food arrived, Arthur picked up a piece of calamari and asked, "Hey, Jennifer, your father is an actor in 'Days of Our Lives,' right? Didn't he help you with some connections?"

'Days of Our Lives' was a long-running American soap opera.

"I came to Los Angeles last year to make it on my own," Jennifer Aniston said, shaking her head. "Now that my father knows about my situation, he looks out for roles for me..."

After leaving the club, the cool evening breeze made them feel quite refreshed.

"Hey, look! It's 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,'" Jennifer Aniston said, linking her arm with Arthur's and pointing at the movie poster at a nearby cinema.

"Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery," Arthur said with a tone of admiration.

"I heard Harrison Ford got paid $10 million for this sequel!"

"$10 million?" Jennifer Aniston's eyes sparkled. "I saw in the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger got $12 million for 'Total Recall.'"

Arthur smiled and put his arm around Jennifer Aniston's shoulder. "Relax, two actors have already reached that price. In 1978, Clint Eastwood got $12 million for 'Any Which Way You Can,' becoming the first actor to earn over $10 million."

"A few years ago, Sylvester Stallone got $12 million for 'Rocky IV'!"

It was the golden age of action movies, and the highest-paid actors were usually action stars.

"Want to buy tickets?" Arthur asked, pointing at the theater.

"How about 'Rain Man'? It's still playing, and this showing just started!" Jennifer Aniston suggested, pointing at the Tom Cruise poster for "Rain Man."

Arthur agreed and bought two tickets for "Rain Man."

"Rain Man," starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, had been released late last year and was a box office and critical success.

At the Oscars earlier this year, it won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay awards.

The North American box office had already surpassed $100 million. Last year, only five movies hit that mark, with a total annual box office of $3.5 billion!

In the 200-seat theater, there were only about 30 people, making it feel quite spacious. "Rain Man" was winding down its run.

"Tom Cruise is really good-looking," Arthur admired. "1986's 'Top Gun' made him a household name!"

"I heard Tom Cruise's new movie 'Days of Thunder' is casting," Jennifer Aniston said with envy.

Arthur smiled. "We probably wouldn't even get internships there. Tom Cruise is too popular right now!"

"I'm not aiming that high. I've been auditioning mostly for TV roles," Jennifer Aniston said, glancing at Arthur.

"You've got a good look. Maybe you should try for films," she suggested.

"It's not that simple; there are plenty like me in Hollywood," Arthur shook his head, then added, "But I'm pretty agile. Maybe I could aim for action roles."

"But you don't have all those muscles?"

"Tom Cruise doesn't either, and I'm a lot taller than him..."

"Hahaha!"

*****

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