"The script is called Sleepless in Seattle. I heard it was inspired by An Affair to Remember, which is also considered the beginning of the modern chick flick," Joseph explained the details of the audition. Hugo's eyes widened—he immediately realized which film this was, and his first reaction was sheer surprise. Joseph, unaware of Hugo's reaction, continued, "The story is about a widower and a female journalist who connect by chance through a radio program, and eventually fall in love."
Sleepless in Seattle was undoubtedly one of the most famous chick flicks of its time. Hugo knew exactly what it was about: the film tells the story of a little boy named Jonah, who, on Christmas Eve, calls a radio station to wish for his widowed father to find love again. Jonah's mother had passed away a year and a half earlier, leaving his father lonely and grieving. A journalist traveling to Washington hears Jonah's story on the radio. When Jonah's father also takes the call, an unexpected connection forms between the journalist and the widower.
Upon its release, the film received widespread acclaim and helped establish Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as one of Hollywood's iconic on-screen couples.
At the time, Tom Hanks wasn't yet the most bankable "good guy" in Hollywood, but he had already gained attention through films like Big and Splash. Sleepless in Seattle elevated his "nice guy" image to a new level, and later, with Philadelphia, Hanks firmly established himself as a major star. From then on, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise became the two most famous Toms in Hollywood.
In the early 1990s, Meg Ryan had skyrocketed to fame with When Harry Met Sally, sharing the "America's Sweetheart" title with Julia Roberts. However, in the following three years, her films had been solid but never surpassed the peak of When Harry Met Sally.
Together, Hanks and Ryan's collaboration in Sleepless in Seattle made the film a quintessential romantic comedy classic.
Hugo was surprised. He hadn't expected that the script for Sleepless in Seattle would land in his lap through Rob's recommendation. It was an unexpected gift—but the surprise was more startling than joyful. Once Joseph finished explaining, Hugo raised a concern. "Joseph, are you sure Rob really thinks this role suits me?"
"Yes," Joseph nodded.
"But have you noticed? This is a widower's role—and he has an eight-year-old child," Hugo said seriously, looking at Joseph. "I'm only twenty-five. Do you really think I'm convincing for this part?"
Hugo understood why Tom Hanks had been cast in Sleepless in Seattle: he was the right age and exuded the mature charm needed to play a widower with an eight-year-old son. For Hugo, however, the role would be a stretch.
Joseph paused, then responded, "But… isn't that what acting is? Playing characters different from yourself—even completely opposite to your own persona?"
In truth, Joseph's statement wasn't entirely accurate. While acting is about performance, if an actor's appearance isn't convincing for a role, even the best acting can fall flat.
Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger looking pitiful, helpless, tearful, seeking sympathy—that would feel absurd. In Arnold's career, he played many different types of characters, but never the deeply tragic, suffering type—at least, not convincingly, because audiences wouldn't buy it.
This is the limitation of actors: appearance can often restrict the roles they are suitable for, which is why even the most handsome or beautiful actors face challenges in their career paths.
Despite Joseph's imperfect phrasing, his next sentence left Hugo speechless: "I thought you'd want to challenge yourself, try different roles, break out of typecasting, and take your acting to the next level."
Joseph wasn't trying to provoke Hugo; he was being sincere. After hearing this, Hugo fell into thought—and Joseph did as well.
Hugo knew that to become a great actor, sticking to the same type of roles was impossible. Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts were perfect examples. Both started as America's sweethearts, but by the late 1990s and early 2000s, they took very different paths.
Meg Ryan's career remained largely tied to her sweet, girl-next-door image. Though she tried to branch out, she never achieved significant breakthroughs and gradually declined in prominence. Julia Roberts, on the other hand, took bold risks. Erin Brockovich earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, and although her later career didn't quite recapture the glory of the 1990s, she remained firmly one of America's top actresses—until Sandra Bullock, through films like The Blind Side and The Proposal, began to challenge her position.
It wasn't just Meg and Julia—look at top actors like Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn, Meryl Streep, and Jack Nicholson. They all continuously challenged themselves, explored different roles, and ultimately carved out their own acting paths.
The lesson was clear: in the pursuit of acting excellence, fear of challenge ensures failure.
Hugo had just experienced that fear. When he first heard about the role in Sleepless in Seattle, his immediate reaction was, "I can't do it." That was fear speaking. An actor may not naturally fit every role, but once you receive a script, you have to think seriously, weigh it carefully, and then judge whether the part suits you—that's the correct approach. Hugo hadn't even paused to think before deciding he wasn't right for the role, and that was not the attitude of a truly outstanding actor.
So, was Hugo capable of playing the lead in Sleepless in Seattle?
"Actually, Hugo, we've never really discussed what kind of actor you want to become," Joseph admitted. "I haven't mapped out your acting career. Every time we got an audition opportunity, we were just happy, without considering whether it was the right fit for you."
Joseph was self-reflecting. As an agent, he should not only have a broad perspective but also a clear plan, arranging opportunities based on the actor's characteristics and needs. Otherwise, an agent is just a middleman, never a part of the industry's decision-making echelon.
Although Ron Meyer was a profit-driven businessman, he was highly competent as an agent. He had carefully planned a path for Hugo's acting career—step by step—even if Hugo hadn't yet reached the final stage, it was still admirable. Joseph, by contrast, lacked such foresight; he was still too inexperienced and didn't fully understand the industry. But at the very least, he should be able to make preliminary judgments about scripts—a skill crucial for both Hugo's and his own future development.
"Actually, on my way back, I asked around," Joseph continued, hesitating for a moment before speaking honestly. "Nora doesn't favor you. You weren't her first choice, even with Rob's recommendation." Joseph began to wonder if Hugo's doubts were justified. "On one hand, she thinks you're too young. On the other, she thinks you're too handsome."
This is one of the limits actors face. Hugo's looks had been fully utilized in A Few Good Men, but they weren't as crucial in Sleepless in Seattle, which required a steady, mature, and thoughtful male lead, rather than just a good-looking one. If Hugo were cast in something like Pretty Woman, looks would be an advantage, but here it was not enough.
"So who was her first choice?" Hugo asked casually.
"Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid," Joseph replied. The first choice wasn't surprising, and while the second wasn't ideal, it made sense.
Dennis Quaid had been working in Hollywood for thirteen years but had never become a major star. His most famous work was The Right Stuff (1983), and in 1991, he married America's sweetheart, Meg Ryan. Dennis' screen image had always been that of a handsome, reliable, masculine man, so in that sense, he could have fit Sleepless in Seattle.
"But why did they turn it down?" Hugo asked, knowing that if Julia and Dennis hadn't declined, Rob wouldn't have recommended him to Nora.
Joseph shrugged. "Julia didn't want to work with Dennis? I don't know. Julia and Meg were direct competitors, and Meg was Dennis' wife, so it's understandable. But Nora was primarily focused on choosing the female lead first. Only after that would the male lead be cast. Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jodie Foster were all on the shortlist."
Hugo was surprised—none of the eventual leads were on that list. Then he fell silent, realizing something important: most roles are inherently flexible. Unless it's a biographical film, there is no fixed template for what a character "must" be. The actor brings the role to life, giving it its form and soul. People think of Anthony Hopkins when they hear "Dr. Hannibal Lecter," and that's the actor defining the character.
The same applied to Sleepless in Seattle. Hugo's initial resistance to the male lead stemmed from comparing himself to Tom Hanks, whose persona was already ingrained in the public's imagination. Hugo's own image at the time was far from Hanks', so his first reaction was, "Impossible."
But now it seemed that this wasn't necessarily the case. Nora hadn't yet settled on the male or female lead. Her only instinctive judgment was that Hugo was too young and too attractive to play the part. But was that really true? And if so, why did Rob think Hugo was perfect for this film?
...
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