From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Harry Smith was certain, absolutely certain, that he knew the answer.

He was one hundred percent sure that he recognized this face, and he could even vaguely recall fragments of memories. The name was on the tip of his tongue, but it kept swirling around, and he couldn't find the correct answer.

He, that he, the newcomer introduced by who… Wait, he needed a moment…

Harry felt a splitting headache, a breath stuck in his throat, unable to be released. Then, a voice came from behind.

Like a thunderclap.

"It's me!"

All eyes turned towards the source of the voice, burning and surging, sharp and fierce. Layers of pressure instantly poured down like a spotlight, locking onto that figure like a sniper.

Edgar felt his mouth dry. He couldn't help but swallow. This was the first time he had become the center of attention in such a setting. He felt a little nervous, but even more excited, as the blood rushed to his head.

Suddenly, Edgar stood up.

"He is my client!"

His voice was firm and resonant.

So, what was going on?

Time needed to be turned back a bit.

Last month, Sony Columbia officially finalized Sam Raimi as the director and immediately began casting, publicly sending information to the five major talent agencies under the name of the "Spider-Man" project—

The emails were directly copied to the senior leaders of the agencies.

They required the agencies to submit some young and energetic fresh faces, aged from sixteen to twenty-five. There were no other restrictions; the agencies were free to use their discretion.

William Morris also held a high-level meeting between senior agents. At that time, Edgar was still playing the role of secretary, taking meeting minutes.

Initially, Edgar didn't have any particular ideas.

At the time, Edgar was worried about his own situation.

His work hadn't made any breakthroughs. After being promoted to junior agent, he still had to handle assistant work, which was completely different from what he had imagined. Because he had to constantly deal with those trivial matters, it was difficult for him to focus on his own affairs, and after several months, progress was still limited.

Edgar wasn't impatient. He told himself to be patient, because he knew that all senior agents had gone through this.

An opportunity. He just needed an opportunity. One opportunity would be enough to completely reverse the situation, break through that window paper, and change the status quo.

Anson Wood.

This name lingered in Edgar's mind.

He thought that as time passed, he would discover more treasures. After all, this was Los Angeles, and newcomers waiting for overnight fame were as numerous as carps crossing the river.

But the reality was not like that. The more he saw, the more he experienced, the more he realized Anson's uniqueness. His intuition was stronger and fiercer than ever before.

However, Anson was filming "The Princess Diaries" in San Francisco. What should he do?

Should he go directly to San Francisco and barge in?

He could do that, but he needed a declaration of intent to prove his sincerity.

It was at this time that William Morris's list of candidates prepared for "Spider-Man" was released. Thirty-six resumes and photos were put into a kraft paper bag, which Edgar organized and handed over to the front desk for mailing—

Sending emails was not popular yet.

In fact, even twenty years later, film companies and agencies still preferred paper resumes for casting, to physically observe and screen them.

Looking at the thick stack of materials in his hand, Edgar suddenly had a whim, an inspiration.

Thirty-six pieces of information and thirty-seven pieces of information, there was no essential difference, right?

Of course, Anson hadn't signed with him and could sign with someone else at any time; but from another perspective, submitting this information might not necessarily stand out, right?

If—that is, assuming—Sony Columbia really saw Anson, saw Anson because of William Morris, then this could become his declaration of intent.

Acting on impulse, Edgar did just that, secretly stuffing Anson's information into the kraft paper bag.

At least at that moment, Edgar thought it was a brilliant idea, a stroke of genius.

After that, the enthusiasm cooled down, the impulse subsided, the adrenaline returned to normal levels, reason returned, Edgar regretted, hesitated, questioned, repeated, and agonized. He wasn't even very sure what he had done or where the idea had come from. If Anson really got the role but signed with another agency, causing Edgar to lose both his wife and his army, he might even lose his job.

Then, become the laughingstock of the industry.

But…

The arrow had already left the bow.

Time was the best medicine, and Edgar slowly became calm.

After another period of time, Sony Columbia still didn't make any moves, and Edgar almost forgot about it, guessing that his gamble hadn't worked at all—

A resume sinking without a trace was the daily routine of Hollywood, happening several times every minute. There was really no need to make a fuss about it.

But he didn't expect that, at a moment when he had completely forgotten, it would come back in such an unexpected way.

It actually worked.

Actually!

So, what next? What should he do next?

Edgar's knees trembled slightly. He immediately realized his situation.

Ambush from all sides.

He was fighting with a pack of hyenas, and those terrifying eyes were devouring him alive. If they knew the whole story behind the scenes, there might be bloodshed on the scene, and no one would let him go easily.

But he wasn't afraid.

He was nervous, yes, and confused, yes, but excitement took over, and he couldn't help but clench his fists. He had been preparing for this moment all along.

For Anson, and for himself, to seize the opportunity.

His heart was pounding wildly.

Brian thought for a moment, "Anson?"

He wasn't sure if he had heard the name—

"Friends" and "GQ" had indeed created some ripples and sparked some discussion in Hollywood, but this was Hollywood. There was news every day, and there were newcomers every day. Anson's news was already old news, and in the blink of an eye, it had been buried deep in the recesses of memory, gathering dust.

If "The Princess Diaries" failed, all previous efforts would be reset to zero and start all over again.

This was the Vanity Fair.

Although Brian wasn't sure, Harry finally reacted and understood:

Anson Wood and Darren Star.

For a moment, thoughts flooded his mind, possibly developing in different directions. Maybe he should take advantage of the situation and sign Anson, snatching him from Edgar's hands. But the wisp of thought that Harry grasped was…

Wait!

"No, we didn't submit his information."

First update.