Chapter 45: Audition (2)

Morgan Jackson is in his early forties.

Since childhood, he had one goal.

I want to be an actor.

As a Black man, Morgan dreamed of becoming an actor.

But it was incredibly difficult.

Learning to act and finding an agency were both tough.

I don’t have money.

The main reason was that Morgan had no money.

It wasn’t just a lack of money—he was so poor it was almost fortunate.

His father’s business failure left a mountain of debt, and Morgan had to work multiple jobs from a young age.

Can I… become an actor?

The debt still loomed large.

To earn money, he worked from morning to night.

Marriage? That was a dream for another life.

Morgan always had to make money, and as a result, his face and skin began to age.

I won’t give up.

Morgan refused to give up.

He didn’t care if he sacrificed his youth.

When he had spare cash, he studied acting at an academy.

He didn’t want a glamorous life or one in the public eye.

I’ll become an actor. And… I’ll achieve my dream.

His goal was to be an actor, and his dream was to inspire people.

To bring joy to audiences through his acting.

That was Morgan’s dream.

Can I do it?

He lived with a resolve not to give up.

Even if it meant giving up his youth, he worked toward becoming an actor.

But no matter how hard he tried, debuting grew further away, and his body began to age.

His passion started to cool, and life grew harder.

Is there… any point?

He wanted to give hope to people struggling like him.

But that dream faded, and he began to wonder if it was worth it.

He was stuck in this damn reality, after all.

One day, Morgan bought a can of beer and stared blankly at the sky.

His dream had grown too faint, and he didn’t know what to do anymore. The infuriatingly bright sky seemed to mock him.

Fine. I’ll give up…

Just as he was about to say it, ring ring ring ring ring!

A call came in.

With a tipsy face, he looked at his phone—it was his acting teacher.

Perfect timing…

He’d been studying acting for years but was ready to give up.

Morgan answered the phone.

Perfect…

“Morgan! There’s an audition for Papa! No restrictions on age, experience, or race! They’re only looking at acting skills!”

“What?”

“They’re not even checking follower counts!”

That was the most common question at recent Hollywood auditions.

They asked about follower counts.

Not acting skills or looks, but followers, for one reason.

To gauge ticket power from fanbases.

Followers had become the benchmark.

How is that possible?

In today’s world of free media, actors with low follower counts got no attention.

“It’s probably because it’s an Adele Louis original!”

“…!”

Morgan knew.

The writer called a devil.

He’d auditioned for the writer’s projects a few times, wanting to star in them.

“So, Morgan! Give it a shot! You could pull off the role in Papa!”

At his teacher’s words, Morgan was speechless.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“Okay… I’ll try.”

This was his last shot.

If he failed here, he wouldn’t have the courage to try again.

Morgan nodded with the mindset that this was his final attempt.

Last chance. Last.

He honed his acting even more and read Papa until the pages wore out.

To prepare for any sudden demands at the audition, he studied and practiced various scenarios.

He even took a break from work, fully committing to this last effort.

“Hoo…”

Time passed, and the day arrived.

Sitting in the waiting area, Morgan quietly exhaled.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to ease his tension.

Don’t mess up. Treat this like it’s your last. Don’t aim to be the sun. I’m a bug… I’ll do what a bug can do.

Failure was familiar.

He was confident he wouldn’t be hurt.

With that mindset, Morgan fueled himself with passion instead of nerves.

“Number 143, please come in.”

“Oh, yes!”

After what felt like an eternity, his turn came.

Morgan unclenched his fists, stood up, and entered the audition room.

There he saw him.

That’s…

Adele Louis.

The genius, the devil, stared at him with an impassive face.

Gulp…

Director André was beside him, but Morgan barely noticed.

Knowing the weight of Adele Louis’s name, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Calm down.

Then he steadied himself.

There was no need to be nervous.

This was his last shot, so there was no point in stressing.

“Morgan Jackson. Nice to meet you.”

“Hmm. Scenes 12, 13, and 16, please,” André said.

Morgan nodded, not even receiving a greeting.

“Alright. I’ll begin.”

***

When the auditions began, more people showed up than expected.

They must’ve filtered through the first round…

The actors here had been pre-screened via audition videos.

With too many people flooding the venue, they’d decided to select only those with proven skills based on videos.

The issue was the open call allowing anyone to apply.

Well… No wonder there’s a crowd.

I’d heard Hollywood auditions had gotten weird lately.

With new policies, cultures, and media, and shifting public perceptions, things had changed a lot.

The most shocking thing I’d heard recently was about SNS.

SNS is ruining everything.

I understood why Manchester United’s Ferguson cursed out social media.

To think they’d ask about SNS followers for box office and ticket power…

I’d never encountered that at auditions I’d attended.

That was because Adele Louis’s works had guaranteed ticket power.

Fans of my work would watch no matter what.

“Something… No one’s really stood out,” I said.

“You feel it too?” André asked.

“Yeah. Honestly… I don’t feel any sense of conflict.”

André’s prepared scenarios varied.

But he always tested actors on one theme.

Conflict.

With daughters, wives, coworkers, neighbors, and more.

He listed every condition that could spark conflict.

As an adult, a child, or an elder, how do you resolve conflict? That’s the top priority.

Why focus so much on this theme?

The reason was simple.

Because it’s Papa.

It was about how a man, a father, would act in conflict.

A child shows their growth process.

An elder shows their wisdom.

So, resolving conflict was the key focus.

“Too many came having read the book,” André said.

“Right?”

“It’s backfiring.”

André was right.

They came for the role in Papa, but this audition was purely about acting skill.

They didn’t need to act like Papa’s protagonist.

“Benjamin was decent, at least,” I said.

“Ugh.”

André pressed his temples.

He’d said at dinner yesterday that he’d never cast Benjamin.

But, on the flip side, no one so far had matched Benjamin’s performance.

He’s got experience.

Not just as an actor, but as someone who’d performed in my works the most.

He probably understood my works’ direction better than anyone.

His fee is high, but he’s worth it.

Time passed, and the auditions continued.

I watched the actors with a bored expression.

He’s getting anxious.

André’s confidence from wanting to cast a rookie was visibly fading.

“It’s almost the end,” he said.

Time flew, and it was the last actor’s turn.

Number 143, huh.

The numbers weren’t in order.

They were randomized to avoid confusion.

He’s… really unattractive.

I knew I shouldn’t think this, but Morgan was strikingly unattractive.

Among today’s actors, he stood out as the least appealing, almost impossible to call average.

Short, overweight, and bald.

“Morgan Jackson. Nice to meet you.”

“Hmm. Scenes 12, 13, and 16, please,” André said, looking indifferent.

Scene 12: A husband whose wife suddenly got angry, took the kids, and went to her parents’ house.

Scene 13: A father whose daughter suddenly fell ill.

Scene 16: A father hearing his daughter say she’s quitting school.

He picked the toughest ones.

André seemed to have given up to some extent.

Morgan’s resume showed only extra roles with no presence.

If he passed the video round, he must have some skill…

As I thought this, Morgan warmed up.

“Alright. I’ll begin.”

Morgan’s performance started.

He suddenly pulled out his phone.

“I’ve searched everywhere! Fuxk! Fuxk! Fuxk! My wife went to her hometown! Come to the pub! Fuxk! I’m buying tonight! Let’s party till we drop! Woo!”

“…”

Neither André nor I could speak at Morgan’s crude, rough outburst.

“I’ll start scene 13.”

“Uh… Is that it for scene 12?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

It was the shortest performance so far.

Morgan took a deep breath and began.

“Where’s my daughter hurting? Stomach? Head? Ugh… I drank like crazy last night—wouldn’t you be sick? Go to your room and sleep it off!”

“…”

Actors for scene 13 had assumed a baby or a 10-year-old daughter.

Papa depicts a child from infancy to adulthood.

Morgan chose an adult daughter.

Not bad.

It was a completely new acting style compared to others.

But… how will he handle conflict?

The others could be played off humorously, but scene 16 required real conflict.

I watched Morgan’s performance with keen interest.