After Evelyn went to Cannes, France, Charles couldn't find a film crew for a while, so he found a coffee shop on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to work as a waiter.
The coffee shop owner was a Fat. He hired Charles immediately after the interview and said very directly: "I know what you beautiful young people who come to Los Angeles to pursue your dreams are thinking, so when you have an audition, just find someone to cover your shift!"
Alright, Charles started working with a girl named Laili, who was around 20 years old, the same age as him.
Laili was a young person who came to Los Angeles with a dream of becoming a star. Los Angeles never lacked such beautiful young men and women.
What they lacked, most importantly, was opportunity, just like Naomi Watts, who waited more than ten years for this chance to appear at 33 years old.
This coffee shop paid $10 an hour, which was higher than the minimum wage stipulated by the United States. The income mainly depended on customer tips.
During lunch, Laili asked Charles if he had participated in any productions.
"Me? I've been a human background, and I probably wasn't even in the shot. Even if I was, no one would notice. Then I worked as an assistant, doing odd jobs, helping to move things, and running errands," Charles felt that Laili thought he was also dreaming of becoming a star like her.
I'm not, I'm going to make my own movies in the future!
"Is that so? Then I'm a bit better than you. I've had a cameo in a film or TV show," Laili smiled helplessly.
"That's all it was, a few seconds as a passerby, no one would notice."
"Oh, look here, every day I don't know how many young dreamers it attracts. The brilliance under the spotlight makes countless people brave the difficulties, tsk tsk!" Charles said with a casual tone.
Anyway, Charles didn't mind being a waiter, and being sweet-talked was a must. Making money, it's not shameful!
Half a month passed in a flash. During this time, Mulholland Drive won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival. David Lynch and the Coen Brothers, who were also famous in the independent film industry, jointly received this award.
In half a month, Charles saved another 2000, and now his net worth was 5000 US dollars, which was, sigh!
On the weekend, Charles went to Sony Studios in Culver City, not far from Beverly Hills. His mother, Evelyn, used her connections to get Charles a job as a junior production assistant on a crime thriller called "Enough."
It was nothing, this was what Charles requested. He was really tired of doing odd jobs, running errands, and being an extra. Although a production assistant also had to do odd jobs and run errands, he could learn a lot.
"Enough" was a revenge action movie starring the sexy actress Jennifer Lopez.
Charles could have gone to work at the "Spider-Man" crew in the studio next to Sony Studios. They were hiring many people, after all, it was a live-action movie adapted from the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, with a high investment of over 100 million US dollars.
It was only 2001, and Hollywood only produced three or four movies with budgets over 100 million each year. Most films with budgets over 75 million were considered big productions.
The production budget for "Enough" was only tens of millions of US dollars. Jennifer Lopez had high achievements in music, but in film, she was still somewhat lacking.
Compared to other singers, she could also be called an actress, and she had quite a few works.
Charles was a low-level production assistant, working as a subordinate to one of the producers' deputies. Charles didn't care. At least he could listen and learn, and he could familiarize himself with all aspects of the crew if he put his mind to it.
He worked for two months until the crew finished filming in Los Angeles. Charles not only earned $8,000 in salary, but more importantly, he really learned the process.
It wasn't difficult. Each position had professional managers and staff, and the union could recruit all kinds of talents, but making movies was really an expensive endeavor.
He returned to the house he rented in West Hollywood. He was really unaccustomed to living with his nominal mother, and deep down, he felt a bit awkward. Perhaps it would get better with time.
Charles looked at the calendar, and then 9/11 would be coming soon!
However, Charles had no money. Otherwise, if he had enough capital, he could short an airline stock? Would he be considered an accomplice to terrorists?
New York, it's not safe!
West Hollywood is next to Beverly Hills, the place with the most bars in Los Angeles. Many performing artists live here. The location is certainly not as good as the Platinum Triangle of Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Holmby Hills.
When he gets rich in the future, Charles also wants to buy a few luxury houses on the hillside north of Sunset Boulevard.
Coming to the entrance of an ice cream shop, Charles was about to buy one when he suddenly saw the banana man attracting customers by the door fall down.
Someone wearing a banana costume to be funny, Charles kindly helped him up.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome," it was a female. Charles saw through a hole in the banana that it was a female, probably not very old, but quite pretty. Foreigners mature early, looking like they're in their twenties or thirties when they're teenagers.
After the girl left, Charles waited for his ice cream to be ready, just about to leave.
"Nice to meet you. You seem to come here every night to buy ice cream these past few days!" The girl from earlier had already taken off the funny cartoon banana costume.
"My name is Megan Fox."
"Hmm? Megan Fox!" Charles heard the name Megan Fox, no wonder she looked familiar.
Is this the sexy car mechanic Lady from the future "transformers" series? He took a few more glances, and indeed it was, but she was still too young now!
"Want to rest over there for a bit?" Charles pointed to a bench by the roadside