Hugo took a small step forward and found that the eyes of all the waiting Actors around him had gathered on him once again, which made him feel like his stomach was starting to cramp.Most of these gazes were likely waiting to see him make a fool of himself, especially that block of wood and that rock; they made no effort to hide their provocation, staring nakedly at Hugo.Hugo took a deep breath to calm himself down, ignoring the various gazes around him, and then set off, preparing to walk towards the conference room at the end of the right side of the hallway, but as soon as he took a step, he felt a tug from behind, and he subconsciously looked back to see Joseph pulling on the newspaper in his hand.Only then did Hugo realize what was happening; he quickly let go, and Joseph snatched the newspaper back, after which Hugo moved forward again.Halfway there, he saw Brad Pitt walking out of the conference room; he was the Actor who had finished his audition just before Hugo.At this moment, the young and frivolous Brad had his shirt unbuttoned, looking youthful and sexy, his whole being radiating immense, sunny confidence, his smile like the signature expression of a quarterback on a school american football team—no malice, but ready to face competition anytime, as if they were born to be the center of the world.At this point, Brad was already twenty-nine, which normally wouldn't be considered a young and reckless age, but Brad had waited until he was twenty-eight to truly become an Actor.The overnight success of "thelma & louise" had given him a taste of fame, with the media's praise pouring in like a tide, and the spotlight gathering on him had caused Brad to lose his way for a moment.The entertainment industry has this kind of power, making age and experience pale in front of the spotlight.Thus, at this very moment, twenty-nine-year-old Brad was like a nineteen-year-old greenhorn, flamboyant and confident, cool and unrestrained.Brad confidently turned back to wave at the interviewer, then took large strides toward Hugo.He spread his palm and ran it through his hair from his forehead, brushing it back in what he thought was a charming manner, complete with a toss of his head.This move, full of nineties flair, might have looked extremely handsome to others, but in Hugo's eyes, it almost made him burst out laughing: it was just too comical.Brad walked with a lopsided gait as he passed by Hugo.Out of the corner of his eye, Hugo could clearly see him deliberately using the sway of his shoulders to create an aura.This way of walking could often be seen on campus, very flashy.At the same time, he shot a confident look at Hugo, as if to say, "My audition is in the bag; now it's your turn to play," the competitive intent couldn't be more obvious.However, as Hugo watched Brad's figure, he had no intention of accepting the challenge; his entire focus was drawn to Brad's flashy posture, and in the end, he couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.But soon, Hugo realized it wasn't that Brad was too comical, but that his own thinking was too ahead of its time; for example, those bell-bottom jeans Brad was wearing were truly painful to look at.Thus, Hugo quickly lowered his head, bit his lower lip to suppress his smile, and then walked forward quickly.Brad noticed Hugo's abnormality, slowed his pace slightly, and looked back at Hugo's retreating figure.Light and confident, sunny and youthful, that upright figure didn't have dazzling brilliance, but it had a warm temperature that made one involuntarily cast their gaze toward it.No matter what others said, Brad regarded Hugo as his biggest competitor for this "a river runs through it" audition, and now it seemed that Hugo was indeed a heavyweight opponent.However, recalling his own performance during the audition just now, Brad quickly regained his confidence, resumed his flashy pace, and walked toward his agent amidst the attention of the other auditioning Actors.When Hugo reached the door of the conference room, he suddenly remembered something.He looked back at Brad's retreating figure and frowned in confusion.He remembered that when he had looked at Brad Pitt's profile before, it stated that Brad's height was six feet (1.83 meters)—which was the same as Hugo's current height.But when they passed each other just now, Brad was clearly a head shorter than him, at most five feet ten inches (1.78 meters), which was a huge difference.Hugo had thought the most famous short person in Hollywood was Tom Cruise... Could it be that Brad was still growing?Or perhaps elevator shoes hadn't been invented yet?"Hugo." The female Staff Member standing at the door shifted her gaze from Brad's retreating figure to Hugo in front of her, interrupting Hugo's thoughts.When she saw the face Hugo turned toward her, a flash of amazement crossed her eyes, and when she saw Hugo's hazy peach-blossom eyes and that warm, sunny smile, her gaze actually drifted away shyly.Hugo didn't notice this anomaly; he continued to show a polite smile, whispered a "Thank you" to the Staff Member as she opened the conference room door, and then entered the room.The female Staff Member stood in place, blushing and heart-racing as she watched Hugo enter the audition room, and couldn't help but sigh: Indeed, handsome guys are pleasing to the eye and beneficial to physical and mental health.The conference room door behind him closed.Hugo's gaze quietly surveyed the room's furnishings.He wasn't sure if this was a conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel or if it had been rearranged specifically for the audition, but the setup inside was very simple: two desks piled with a mess of documents, a high stack of chairs on the right side, and a few large boxes in the corner on the left, but the luxurious, tidy carpet and exquisite chandelier still showed the meticulousness of the decoration.At this moment, there were two people sitting behind the desks, a man and a woman, who were clearly Jon Hartman and Elizabeth Rusti.Elizabeth was a middle-aged woman around forty, not exactly beautiful, looking more like an ordinary housewife; one couldn't tell at all that she was a successful casting director.Jon was also at least forty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking quite scholarly, but his receding hairline gave away his middle-aged uncle vibe."Hey, Hugo, nice to see you again." As the casting director, it was naturally Elizabeth who led the interview, while Jon, sitting next to her, was only there as a representative of the Screen Actors Guild to ensure the rights of the Actor, and would not directly participate in the film casting decisions."This is Jon, a representative of the Screen Actors Guild. If you have any questions, you can ask him." Elizabeth introduced him briefly, and Jon, sitting next to her, nodded with a smile without interrupting Elizabeth's words."How are you? Is everything okay?" This question from Elizabeth was very ordinary, but given today, it seemed meaningful, clearly hinting at the front-page headline of the "Los Angeles Times".Hugo didn't think that much; he just flashed a bright smile and said honestly, "I'm fine, except for being a bit nervous."Seeing that Hugo didn't directly respond to her, Elizabeth didn't mind; her eyes were even filled with joy at seeing Hugo's handsome and sunny smile.In fact, in Hollywood, where handsome men and beautiful women gather, there are countless Actors with good looks.Casting directors have seen thousands of Actors and have long suffered from aesthetic fatigue, but even so, the surprise generated when seeing a truly "excellent specimen" is even more impactful."Hugo, you know, the character of Paul needs to be healthy, sunny, handsome, and unrestrained; our requirements for physique are very strict."Elizabeth had a faint smile on her face, with no particular expression.Hugo didn't have much of a reaction, which was typical of a rookie Actor.Although Elizabeth felt a bit surprised, she didn't mind and continued, "Take off your shirt; I need to see your physique. If necessary, you will need to hit the gym for a while."Elizabeth said this so openly and candidly, appearing completely professional.But Hugo knew that this was the "unspoken" rule of Hollywood—not hiding anything, just putting it directly on the table.If not for Joseph's reminder just now, Hugo wouldn't have reacted at all.Before he transmigrated, he was just an extra or a supporting role and hadn't reached the level of encountering unspoken rules; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained in obscurity for so long.Once Hugo understood, he didn't hesitate.Models only wear underwear when accepting interviews, and it is very normal for Actors to train their bodies according to the needs of the role.Moreover, for a man, taking off a shirt is nothing to make a fuss about.Hugo quickly unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his chest.Although this body was left behind due to a drug overdose, in fact, his physique was quite impressive.This was thanks to the muscle-man trend that was popular in the eighties.From Sylvester Stallone to Bruce Willis, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Dolph Lundgren, as well as Mickey Rourke and Jean-Claude Van Damme, the popularity of action films meant that Hollywood was always filled with a reverence for muscles and fitness.Under this trend, almost all male Actors would work out to impress producers with a healthy, sunny, and sturdy appearance.Hugo was the same.Although he didn't have a rock-hard eight-pack, his well-proportioned six-pack combined with his smooth, well-defined chest muscles were still visually striking.With Hugo's sunny smile, the image of a surfer boy made it very easy for people to feel favorable toward him.Elizabeth stood up, raised her right hand toward Hugo, who was standing in front of the desk, and then it landed on Hugo's arm, squeezing it hard twice.This... is this to check if the pork has been injected with water?Hugo didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen the world, but he thought this scene was actually quite funny.His first reaction was to look at Jon, the Screen Actors Guild representative sitting next to him.At this moment, Jon was still sitting steadily on the side like Mount Tai, taking in Elizabeth's actions without any reaction; clearly, he didn't think there was anything inappropriate about Elizabeth's behavior.Actually, Hugo also understood that if one really needed a good physique, it was only natural for the interviewer to squeeze and tap to check it.Moreover, many female artists would even dress revealingly in hopes of attracting the interviewer's attention, so this was not strange.But the problem was that Elizabeth and Jon were just too calm about it; such things are done implicitly back home, so it seems Hollywood is indeed a different place.Suddenly, the right hand Elizabeth was using to squeeze Hugo's arm applied a little more pressure, and the warmth of her palm was clearly transmitted through the fabric.This action, carrying a clear flirtatious intent, made Hugo withdraw his gaze from Jon and look back at Elizabeth.He saw Elizabeth's eyes lift slightly, a hint of allure flowing between her glances.Is this flirting?Hugo was stunned; had he just been hit on by a middle-aged woman?
