“YOUR pay will be transferred to your account as soon as possible,” Daniel said after receiving the copy of the contract.  “Since you don’t have an agent or an assistant with you here, that means that you’re still not under any entertainment company, right?”

  He then glanced at the young man with ice-blue hair who had been following them. This young man certainly didn’t look like an assistant.  But he came with Astrid, so he never asked his identity.

“Yes, he doesn’t, Director.  In fact, he also doesn’t have any acting experience prior to this,” Mark said, sounding like some proud dad.

How could he not be?  He was the one who literally discovered Astrid.  After watching that audition, if the teenager continued on this path, he had no doubt that he would one day sit at the very top of the Star List.  As the person who first offered him an acting role, wouldn’t his name also go down in history?

Daniel was very surprised to hear that.  But if he thought about it carefully, it’s not really that surprising.  He had seen the copy of the other’s ID.  Seeing the date of his birthday, he knew that he was only 18 this year.  With that age, it wouldn’t seem surprising that this was his first acting experience.  But, surely, he had undergone some training, right?

To find out the answer to that, he just directly asked it.  “Did someone train you in acting?”

Astrid shook his head.  “I’ve always like watching movies and series.  And I just fell in love with acting.  That’s why I applied at Redwood Academy of Performing Arts.  Learn everything that I could and hope that one day I could also be one of those actors who could play different roles.  Who would have thought that I will immediately have that opportunity the moment I arrived at the Emperor Star?”

What he said was pretty true in a way.  He just chose words that could explain his good acting skills and they could also show how passionate he was about acting.  Which would probably increase the director and Mr. Rogers’ good impression of him.  And… he suddenly sounded like some white-lotus scum.

So, basically, the teenager was a newcomer in every literal sense of the word – both Daniel and Mark thought.  But the fact that he applied to Redwood Academy, and they guessed that he passed, meant that he was indeed interested in this industry.  Which meant that they were not simply pulling people into this world.  It’s a relief to know that the other was a willing participant. 

Because no matter how glamorous this industry appeared to be, there’s a lot of dark corners as well.  And those dark corners could easily destroy such a young talent.

“If you do a good job with the role of Aether, once this movie is released, entertainment companies would definitely approach you and offer you to be their artist.  With your appearance, you would probably be scouted even before that,” Daniel started.  “I hope you would be smart in choosing the right company.  A good company could easily make or break your career.  So, I hope Astrid would choose wisely.”

As the director of the movie that could potentially propel him to fame, it’s only right that he bore a bit of responsibility.  But right now, all he could do was give this small bit of advice.  He didn’t want to meddle too much.  That would just not be good for the growth of the teenager.  Because a smooth road couldn’t make a person stronger.  And with the teenager’s talent and looks, he needed to be strong.

Astrid understood what the director meant.  Looking for a good entertainment company was on top of his to-do list.  Not only that but also a reliable agent.  Because just like what the director said, those things could easily make or break his career. 

Personally, he didn’t want to go to a big entertainment company.  Yes, being part of one would have a lot of pros.  But at the same time, there’s also a lot of cons.  Especially for a newcomer with no prominent background.  He could easily be ‘slaughtered’.  Aside from that, he was like a moving target for jealousy. 

He didn’t want to pick an entertainment company in which he had to navigate the schemes of his fellow artists against him instead of just spending his time on acting.  In this regard a slightly smaller entertainment company would be better.  But none of that would matter if he didn’t find a good agent.

He needed someone who’s serious about their job.  A hardworking person who cared more about the bigger picture than the easy, temporary fame.  Someone who put first his artist’s interest in mind rather than their own. 

But that’s still a thing of the future.  He’d worry about that when the time comes.  For now, he should focus on his role on this movie first.

“Thank you, Director.  I’ll definitely take down into consideration,” he said. 

Daniel nodded.  “We’re almost at the end of filming.  Only a few scenes are left and that includes your scene.  We’re kind of in a tight schedule right now.  So, would it be okay if we start to film your scene tomorrow?”

“Of course, tomorrow would be good,” Astrid said.

“Great.  We will give you the full copy of the script and a set pass.  Filming your scene will probably last for about four-five days.  You can stay at the hotel where the rest of the crew and cast where staying.  Someone will bring you there tomorrow.”

“I will also send my assistant to meet with you at the planet’s spaceport,” the casting director added.

Astrid nodded to say that he understood.  “Director, is it alright if my brother here comes with me?  The two of us could share a room,” he said, pulling Reas to his side.

Daniel was a bit surprised to hear that the serious looking young man was actually Astrid’s brother.  The two were probably the least similar looking siblings he had seen in his life. 

But he didn’t show his surprise and said, “That’s no problem.”

He doubted that the other’s presence would be a problem considering how silent he had been the whole time.  Since Astrid was basically on his own, it would be good to have someone with him who could at least give him support.

“Thank you, Director.”

Reas also gave the director a nod to show his gratitude.

Daniel stood up and stretched out his hand towards Astrid.  “Welcome to the crew of [The Sleeping God].”

Astrid grasped the director’s hand and shook it. 

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