Located between Beverly Boulevard and West 3rd Street, the Farmers Market, established in 1934, was an idea born during the Great Depression. A group of farmers gathered their fresh fruits and vegetables at this spot to sell directly to the locals at low prices. After decades of development, the stalls gradually expanded, and as the area declined, the market lost its original livelihood value and transformed into a tourist attraction.
Due to the diverse composition of the population here, the market developed a casual, comfortable, rustic yet exotic character. Boutiques, restaurants, accessory stores, and cinemas are everywhere, and the cozy and relaxed vibe of a traditional market has become a uniquely bright scenery. Of course, no one forgets the freshly made toast, muffins, and golden crispy cookies sold here, filling the entire market with a friendly bustle.
Starting from Sunset Plaza, it only took fifteen minutes to reach the Farmers Market. Joseph glanced around and quickly spotted their destination, "There, Knott's Berry." The crew had arranged to meet at this restaurant next to the market's main entrance, and the two of them hurried over.
It took Joseph some effort to find a parking spot. After he parked the car, Hugo adjusted his collar using the rearview mirror. Joseph said with some concern, "Are you sure this is really okay?"
Hugo, however, remained calm. "I'm fine, really." After tidying up his clothes, he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Standing in the parking lot, he spread his arms toward Joseph. "See? Doesn't this feel right?"
Since Hugo didn't have time to unpack his suitcase, he ended up wearing clothes borrowed from Alex for the audition that was why Alex asked for Hugo's height and weight. Now, Hugo was dressed in a sapphire-blue tennis shirt, paired with light blue jeans, and topped with a navy blue baseball jacket. He looked youthful and energetic, but the calm colors and matching didn't make it appear too casual.
Joseph was still a little uneasy. Attending an audition without formal attire was bad enough, but not even wearing a shirt? That was hard to feel reassured about.
Noticing Joseph's internal struggle, Hugo smiled and pointed toward Knott's Berry restaurant. "You want me to wear a dress shirt to an audition here? Never mind what the casting director thinks, I'd probably feel uncomfortable myself, don't you think?"
The Farmers Market is a traditional marketplace, and it's not unusual to see plaid shirts or overalls with a farm-style vibe. Knott's Berry, on the other hand, is a well-known chicken restaurant, so showing up in formal wear would seem out of place. In that light, Hugo's outfit was actually quite on-theme not too casual, but not too formal either.
Joseph nodded. There was no turning back now anyway. He locked the car and pointed toward the restaurant. "Let's go."
It was only six in the evening, still a bit early for dinner, so there weren't too many people dining yet. Still, a few people were coming and going at the entrance. Suddenly, Joseph tugged Hugo's arm and whispered, "The competition's here."
Hugo followed Joseph's gaze and saw two men stopping at the restaurant entrance. One of them, dressed in a full suit, looked completely out of place with the surroundings like wearing leather shoes into a rice paddy, making it hard not to laugh. He was an unfamiliar face. But Hugo did recognize the other person it was Brad Pitt.
Brad was wearing a light blue dress shirt without a tie. The top three buttons were undone, giving him a laid-back and relaxed look, revealing a glimpse of his tanned chest. Even though he was wearing formal attire shirt and slacks his unruly, casual vibe oddly suited the environment and didn't seem too abrupt.
Seeing Brad, Hugo's first thought was: "A River Runs Through It" already wrapped filming? He thought they'd need more time, especially since that movie required shooting on location in Montana, which was far more complicated than "Scent of a Woman."
His second thought followed quickly: what a small world competing again, just like after "A River Runs Through It."
Brad and the other man only paused briefly at the door. The man smiled at Joseph in greeting, but it came across as smug and condescending. Then the two of them walked straight into the restaurant.
Joseph leaned close to Hugo's ear and whispered an explanation, "That's Brad's agent, a big name in the industry Martin Baum, one of the five co-founders of Creative Artists Agency."
Hugo immediately understood why Martin had such a superior air because he had the status to back it up. Never mind Joseph even someone like Ron Meyer would be a junior compared to Martin.
The origin of talent agencies in the U.S. traces back to the founding of William Morris Agency in 1898, which laid the foundation for the entire industry. But in 1975, five unknown young agents at William Morris, fed up with the seniority-based hierarchy, left the company to start their own. With only $21,000 in savings, $36,000 in loans, and two cars, they stubbornly founded a new agency. That became today's Creative Artists Agency, and Martin Baum was one of the original five.
Creative Artists Agency and International Creative Management were both founded in 1975 and are now among the top three talent agencies in the U.S., constantly competing yet also cooperating. For Martin to show up personally with Brad today, it was clear they were determined to land the role in "A Few Good Men" a strong offensive move.
After explaining, Joseph suddenly remembered something, and his face darkened. "Tom Cruise is also represented by Creative Artists Agency." Clearly, Martin was aiming to secure the role internally. Since Tom declined it, handing it to Brad also under the same agency would be a seamless transition.
But Hugo didn't seem nervous at all. "How do you know this isn't an internal competition?"
Where there are people, there's competition an unshakable truth. Even within the same agency, agents certainly compete with one another, just like Joseph and Ron. If Tom and Brad's agents were rivals, Brad might not have such a clear advantage and could even be hindered by Tom's agent.
Joseph realized he was being overly anxious. Although Hugo's guess might not be right, the audition was about to begin, and worrying wouldn't help. Just like with "A River Runs Through It," even if failure seemed inevitable, you still had to give it your best shot.
Though Hugo appeared calm on the outside, he was still nervous inside.
Even though Hugo seemed to have many opportunities recently, essentially, before Scent of a Woman officially hit theaters, the industry's attitude toward Hugo remained mostly the same. In other words, today's audition was no less difficult than the previous two. Now, with Tom and Brad as his competition, Hugo was even more disadvantaged. This was yet another opportunity Hugo faced after crossing over, but the difficulty was multiplied. So, there was no way Hugo wasn't nervous.
Taking a deep breath, Hugo forced himself to take a step forward and walked alongside Joseph toward the restaurant. After entering, Joseph began scanning the entire space. The environment here resembled a family restaurant, the atmosphere relatively relaxed. Although there weren't many people dining, one could still clearly feel the low murmur of voices steadily warming the air.
"Sir, how many in your party?" the hostess at the entrance asked politely.
"I have a reservation. Mr. Reiner," Joseph replied. The hostess looked down to check, then raised her head with a smile and said, "Please follow me."
The hostess led Joseph and Hugo through the restaurant and finally stopped in front of a long table. It was a table that could accommodate eight people, and three people were already seated. Seeing someone else arrive, the three stood up politely. The white-bearded old man sitting at the end of the long table chuckled and said, "Welcome, welcome."
Standing across from them were naturally Brad and Martin, who had arrived earlier, and the old man with thinning hair and a white beard was, of course, the director Rob Reiner.
Hugo couldn't help but let his gaze rest on Rob. This old man, who started as an actor but made a name for himself as a director, was the one who shot When Harry Met Sally, Misery, The Bucket List, Flipped, and other classics films Hugo had always loved. Although Rob wasn't as well-known as many commercial directors, he always managed to dig out something extraordinary from ordinary people, striking a chord with the audience. He was indeed a remarkable director.
Not long ago, Hugo had worked with director Martin Brest, whose best works included only two: Scent of a Woman, his peak, and 1984's Beverly Hills Cop a film that held the record for highest-grossing R-rated movie in North America for twenty-five years until The Hangover broke it in 2009.
But Rob Reiner was clearly more outstanding. His works extended from the 1980s into the second decade of the 21st century, consistently maintaining excellent creative quality. He could be considered a very capable director.
"I hope you don't mind that I chose to meet here. I couldn't help myself my craving for chicken tonight was almost uncontrollable. So, even though I know this isn't the most suitable place for a discussion, I stubbornly chose it anyway," Rob said with a broad smile, joking.
....
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