Without paying any attention to the two clowns behind him, Hugo took two steps forward, but soon halted again. The other auditioning actors lining both sides of the hallway had gone silent, all sneaking glances at Hugo with veiled eyes, as if he had done something outrageous—though truthfully, Hugo's behavior last night at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel could indeed be described as shocking. Those looks made Hugo feel as if he had been stripped naked.
Hugo looked down to check himself, confirming that his light gray shirt and khaki work pants were still intact. He tugged on the pants' suspenders—these were clothes specially prepared for the role of Paul in A River Runs Through It—then pretended to be calm as he walked to the side, picked up a newspaper from the rack, and leaned against the wall to read.
Originally, Hugo had wanted to look for the reception room, but seeing that everyone was waiting in the hallway, he simply followed suit and found a corner for himself. As Hugo started reading the newspaper like no one else was around, whispers slowly began to rise again in the hallway, and glances continued to dart toward him, making Hugo feel what it truly meant to be on pins and needles.
Back in the Death Or Glory band, they used to fantasize together about what it would feel like to be bathed in the spotlight and adored by all. Hugo once thought it would be wonderful he got a taste of it last night. But now, he realized that not all attention is pleasant.
Hugo forced himself to focus on the newspaper and ignore the gossip, but when he saw the front page headline, he couldn't help but laugh. The paper was none other than the Los Angeles Times—of course, this was Los Angeles, and the city's biggest paper was naturally the LA Times. And today's headline featured the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards.
The front-page photo showed Hugo holding the Razzie trophy, tears streaming down his face in a mess that no Oscar winner could match. Under the bold black letters of the LA Times headline, "Thank You, Dreams Come True," it looked downright ridiculous. Even Hugo himself couldn't help laughing out loud at the sight.
The Golden Raspberry Awards is a very interesting translation. "Raspberry" actually refers to the fruit, but in slang, it means "rude" or "disrespectful," as in the phrase "Blowing a Raspberry"—making a derisive sound by placing your tongue between your lips and blowing to make it vibrate. The full name, Golden Razzie Awards, isn't found in most dictionaries. It comes from the word "razz," a variant of razzing or mocking, referring to the same action. So the Razzie isn't really an "award" it's all about mockery. The trophy itself is a raspberry full of sarcasm.
Throughout the Razzie's history up to 2014, only a handful of actors had ever shown up to accept the award in person—because it's a disgrace. No one wants to be known as the "Worst Actor." Which made Hugo's tearful gratitude last night all the more absurd, and explained the intense reactions he'd been receiving.
Look at the media, represented by the LA Times. Look at the snark from those two guys earlier, Stone and Wood. Look at everyone still casting sidelong glances his way… Hugo had thought the reporters hadn't been too hard on him last night and figured the impact wouldn't be too severe. But reality had mercilessly shattered that illusion—worse, the fallout was even greater than Joseph had expected.
Hugo let out a long sigh. Though he had resolved to adapt to his new identity and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of transmigartion, the long and difficult road ahead made Hugo feel like his advantage of coming from 2014 to 1992 wasn't as great as he'd imagined.
Turning past the front page, Hugo tried to soak in the vibes of the 1990s from the rest of the LA Times. The severe economic crisis that had begun in the mid-80s was still ongoing. The white-collar unemployment problem had driven Hollywood's glitz to new heights. The Soviet Union had announced its dissolution last Christmas, and the resulting turmoil continued to shake the global political landscape. Eastern European nations declared independence, Germany had reunified, Arabs and Israelis were demanding direct negotiations…
Finally, Hugo started to feel the reality of the 90s. These news items had all faded from memory by the time he left the 21st century—like ancient history. But now, here they were, vividly alive in the paper in his hands.
When he saw George Bush and William Clinton gearing up for the presidential election, Hugo chuckled. Bush had won the Gulf War and was running for re-election, while Clinton was banking on economic issues to climb the ranks. The competition between them was just beginning. So, 1992 was an election year. What a lively time.
"Hugo, there you are." Joseph's voice interrupted Hugo's reading.
Looking up, Hugo noticed most of the curious glances had pulled back, though a few still eyed him with mockery. But Hugo was far more composed now. Even he couldn't help laughing at last night's embarrassment, so he couldn't blame others for doing the same. "All done?" he asked.
Joseph gave a perfunctory "Yeah," then quickly continued, "Today's a public audition, not a one-on-one with the director. So don't act high and mighty just follow instructions. Remember, this is an important opportunity for you. You must give it your all. And forget about Brad Pitt or whatever—just focus on yourself, okay?"
Hugo opened his mouth to defend himself, wanting to say he wouldn't act all high and mighty, but quickly realized Joseph's concern likely came from past experience. Better to just nod and avoid raising suspicions. So, Hugo nodded, "I got it."
"I just asked around Director Robert isn't here today. Only the casting director Elizabeth is in. And from the actors' guild, it's Jon Hutman," Joseph reported quickly, while glancing around at the eavesdropping actors nearby. This was the difference a agent made connections were everything for an actor.
"Elizabeth likes Kevin Costner types—those tough guy roles. Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard were both cast by her. So in a way, she won't care much about your Razzie." Joseph spoke quickly and quietly. For Hugo, who had just transmigrated, there was no time to process everything; he could only force himself to memorize it all mechanically.
Then Joseph lowered his head and gave Hugo's abdomen a firm pat, startling him. Hugo instinctively tightened his abs, only to hear Joseph whisper, "Do a few sit-ups later and flex those abs."
"You're asking me to…" Hugo blurted out in surprise, but didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he tugged at his shirt. Hugo knew that every industry had its unspoken rules, and Hollywood was no exception. But he hadn't expected that Hollywood didn't bother with "unspoken" rules at all—they just laid everything out in the open.
Hugo's shock in turn made Joseph look at him in surprise. He frowned and stared at Hugo as if seeing a stranger. "Why are you like a different person after yesterday?" That one sentence made Hugo immediately shut his mouth. "It's not like it's your first time." The second sentence left Hugo speechless.
"Jon's an old friend, but…" Joseph continued, but he only got partway before swallowing the rest of his sentence. He gave Hugo a meaningful look, making Hugo, who didn't know what to make of it, think he had slipped up again. His eyes darted away in a daze. "Anyway, just handle it however you want."
After that, Joseph took the script from Hugo's right hand. "Need me to run lines with you? Which scene were you rehearsing just now?"
This part Hugo did understand. There were many possibilities in an audition, but for actors who had received a script, they'd always prepare a portion of it to perform. Whether or not the casting director would use it was up to them. "No need, I'm ready." It wasn't that Hugo didn't want Joseph's help, but he hadn't yet digested all that Joseph had just told him. He needed some time.
With the silence that followed, Joseph's words began to gradually awaken memories in Hugo's mind. Elizabeth Leustig was today's casting director, paired with a representative from the Screen Actors Guild to protect the actor's interests—namely, Jon Hutman. That made up the interview panel. This was also why unspoken rules were quite rare in Hollywood now; the existence of the actors' guild protected the interests of the acting community to the greatest extent.
Elizabeth was especially fond of actors like Kevin Costner. Kevin Costner had won the Academy Award for Best Director with his debut "Dances with Wolves," but had also been nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."
Unfortunately, this time he lost to Hugo. So Elizabeth probably wouldn't mind Hugo's Golden Raspberry win too much, and her preferences were obvious defined pecs, sculpted abs, and heroic charm. That was pretty much it.
As for Jon Hutman, the representative from the Screen Actors Guild, he was the same one who'd been present when Hugo auditioned for "Desperate Hours" and "Hudson Hawk." It was only now that Hugo realized this body had actually starred in quite a few big-budget leading roles before. So technically, Hugo and Jon were already acquaintances. But why did Joseph still add a "but" and stop midway? Was there some other trick to it?
"Hugo Lancaster." The call from a staff member interrupted Hugo's thoughts. He quickly straightened up from the relaxed posture he had against the wall.