Actor in Hollywood

The pace of change was truly swift.

One moment they were exchanging compliments, and the next, swords were suddenly drawn.

"Be careful, this guy might be a fraud."

James raised his hand and held the business card under his nose, sniffing it like a detective, then looked at Edgar with a teasing and playful expression.

"This guy is just a junior agent. The ink on his business card isn't even dry yet. You can tell he's someone who's just starting out in his career."

"He's here today looking for prey, using sweet talk and trickery to deceive innocent lambs into signing contracts, only to exploit their hard-earned blood and sweat."

"In reality, he's nothing at William Morris, has no say whatsoever, and is just making empty promises about a future he can't possibly deliver."

"Sam, be careful. Don't get fooled."

After saying this, James shoved the business card back into Edgar's shirt pocket and even gave Edgar's chest a light, taunting pat.

Sam widened his eyes. "But… that's the real William Morris!"

James lifted his chin slightly and glanced at Edgar, deliberately leaving some time, but when Edgar didn't rush to defend himself, James continued.

"Of course, I believe he's from William Morris. That can't be faked."

"But everyone in Hollywood knows that at William Morris, everything is based on seniority. All the resources are concentrated in the hands of a few agents and their superstar clients. Just like actors, new agents have almost no chance of making it."

"This very issue is what led five apprentices to break away and form Creative Artists Agency, which is now William Morris's biggest competitor."

"This junior agent has no influence at William Morris. The sweet words he's saying right now are 99% meaningless lies, like the conversations between men and women meeting for the first time at a bar—nothing to believe."

James's words made sense, but they weren't entirely correct.

At least in one respect, if William Morris was really as corrupt and outdated as he claimed, it should have collapsed and disappeared into the annals of history by now.

Yet, that hasn't happened.

This proves that William Morris must have its strengths and advantages, even for unknown, rookie actors and young agents.

Anson remained especially calm, not allowing himself to be swayed by James's words; but he also stayed silent, curious about Edgar's response.

Edgar showed no panic, no anger, no shame—nothing.

From passive to active and back to passive again, within a short period of turbulence, Edgar remained calm, quietly listening to James.

It wasn't until James finished speaking, and his youthful, provocative gaze lingered on Edgar, that Edgar finally spoke slowly and steadily.

"The secrets of our company are clearly no longer secrets in Hollywood."

He chuckled at himself.

"Indeed, William Morris operates by seniority, and because of this, the A-list agents target A-list actors and the leading roles in A-list productions."

"But the key is that a movie doesn't have just one actor."

"Everyone focuses on the top 1% of superstars, but what about the other 99% of actors? That's where we B-list, C-list, and D-list agents come in."

As he spoke, Edgar's gaze briefly scanned the contours of James's upper body, a subtle hint of teasing that only a few would catch.

"Achieving everything in one step is a dream come true, but the gradual progress, like Johnny Depp's career, also has its own charm."

"Who knows? Maybe today in the Hayworth Theater, the next 1% agent and 1% actor are among us, chatting away in this small 200-seat theater while we all start from nothing."

Johnny Depp transitioned from an obscure, unique lead singer of a rock band to becoming one of Hollywood's most distinctive actors, making a name for himself on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year. Recently, rumors have surfaced that Disney has chosen him as the lead for their next big commercial project, "Pirates of the Caribbean."

It's a true Hollywood underdog story.

All of this was made possible by a small-time agent, Tracey Jacobs, who discovered and nurtured Johnny Depp. Together, they achieved mutual success.

At the time, Tracey was just a junior agent at Creative Artists Agency, signing on Johnny, who was unknown, had no idea about acting, and couldn't even memorize lines.

Twenty years later, Johnny became Tracey's trump card in Hollywood. In 1998, when Tracey moved from Creative Artists Agency to one of Hollywood's top five agencies, United Talent Agency, Johnny unhesitatingly followed her, transferring his contract as well.

Despite James's aggressive approach, Edgar handled the situation with ease.

James was a bit surprised. His gaze lingered on Edgar for a moment. "So, are you comparing yourself to Tracey Jacobs? Haha, ha ha ha."

Edgar shrugged slightly. "Yes, and I'm also comparing you to Johnny Depp."

James: ...

Pfft.

Anson's mouth curled up slightly, and even Sam's eyes showed a hint of amusement. It had to be said, this Edgar was indeed quite a character.

He could adapt and was neither arrogant nor servile.

Moreover, he knew how to assess the situation.

When in an advantageous position, he didn't flaunt it, and when at a disadvantage, he didn't lose his composure, always staying calm and keeping the situation under control.

In these few short exchanges, Edgar's offensive and defensive strategies showcased the essential qualities needed in a great agent.

In Anson's view, this junior agent did indeed have some substance.

The only lingering question was how well Edgar could select projects, which is another critical measure of an agent's professional competence.

But for someone like Sam, a golden supporting actor, signing with Edgar seemed like a solid choice.

However...

James, still young and full of energy, wasn't deterred by the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks." Instead, it fueled his pride, showing that he'd rather lead in a small domain than follow in a big one. At this moment, he was being overly critical of Edgar.

Hearing Anson's laughter, James wasn't bothered. He spread his hands in mock protest, "Hey, man, I'm trying to be your Black Knight here. Instead of helping me, you're tearing me down?"

Before Anson could respond, Seth and Chris came over, and James immediately began to complain loudly, calling for backup.

"Seth, Seth!"

"There's a junior agent from William Morris here trying to fool Sam and Anson. I'm not worried about Anson; he can handle himself. But what about Sam? Oh, our innocent Sam."

Anson: ???

Seth had no idea what was going on, but he immediately joined in the teasing. "William Morris? No, no, no. Sam, don't be fooled. Even if you sign with Endeavor, don't be deceived by the William Morris name."

Endeavor, one of the top five agencies in Hollywood, is the youngest, founded in 1995.

Although they grew rapidly and successfully poached talent from competitors to eventually join the top five ranks, they are still relatively young and currently focus mainly on television.

"That's a den of tigers and dragons. Be careful, or you might get swallowed whole," Seth warned ominously.

Sam's face turned pale, his eyes lost focus, and he was completely terrified: he couldn't even muster a smile.