Hugo had to admit, Elizabeth's flirtation was simply too blatant. If the other party had been a young and beautiful girl, this would have been a delightful encounter. But unfortunately, the woman in front of him was a housewife old enough to be his mother—that was far less appealing.
Hugo looked at Elizabeth's peacock blue eyeshadow shimmering in his vision and felt a wave of helplessness.
Elizabeth's fingertip, calloused with a thin layer of roughness, slid across Hugo's abdominal muscles. The gesture was such an overtly provocative move that it startled Hugo. He felt goosebumps rise across his stomach.
Hugo was a bit flustered—he had never encountered a situation like this and naturally had no idea how to handle it. In desperation, a solution flashed across his mind, and he decided to take a step forward as a way to retreat.
Hugo raised his right hand and held the hand Elizabeth had been using to caress his abs, gently moving it away from his body. Then, with the tip of his index finger, he lightly scratched her palm with his nail. Yet, his face remained adorned with that warm, radiant smile. A jolt of electricity made Elizabeth's muscles tense for a moment, and then she withdrew her hand.
This time, it was Elizabeth who was startled. However, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she threw Hugo a glance—if it had come from a beautiful woman, it would've been full of charm. Unfortunately, Elizabeth wasn't suited for that kind of expression. Especially with that peacock blue eyeshadow, it made the image of "Susan Boyle" flash repeatedly through Hugo's mind. That made the scene a whole lot more awkward.
Elizabeth said softly to Hugo, "Quite experienced, aren't you? Are you trying to tease me?"
"Quite experienced?" What did she mean by that? Hugo didn't dwell on it. Instead, he chuckled lightly, and the clear, sunny smile spread fully across his face, making Elizabeth's already excited heartbeat grow even more erratic.
"I thought this was all part of the audition," he said.
Hugo's frank words left Elizabeth momentarily stunned. Then she saw Hugo looking at Jon, who had been sitting on the side watching the show.
"Right, Jon?" Hugo added.
Jon heard Hugo calling him and couldn't help but let out a light, awkward cough. As a representative of the actors' guild, he had witnessed the entire interaction just now. Although everything had happened under the surface and nothing was apparent on the surface, Jon had been in the industry long enough to recognize that these were the unwritten rules at play. So, he hadn't felt the need to intervene. But now that Hugo had so blatantly called it out, Jon's position had become quite delicate.
Jon quickly withdrew his gaze and looked at Elizabeth, speaking in a serious tone, "Shall we begin the audition now?"
Elizabeth also came back to her senses. She scrutinized Hugo deeply, letting her eyes scan up and down his muscular physique. That blatant gaze made Hugo very uncomfortable. But this time, Elizabeth quickly withdrew her gaze and curled her lips into a slight smile.
"Why don't you try reading this line," she said.
Hugo knew the real moment was coming. He straightened up his thoughts, glanced at the script Elizabeth handed over, took it with his right hand, and placed it on the table. Then, under the astonished gazes of both Jon and Elizabeth, he lowered his head and began buttoning his shirt properly, one button at a time.
Watching Hugo's meticulous movements, Jon was clearly trying very hard not to laugh. He hadn't realized before that Hugo was someone so full of humor. Especially when paired with Elizabeth's earlier display of those unwritten rules, the act of buttoning up now appeared even more comedic. But remembering that woman's instructions, Jon's smile quickly faded. Elizabeth, on the other hand, still had a look of undisguised surprise in her eyes—or perhaps she didn't even intend to hide it. Her gaze toward Hugo now carried a hint of amusement.
For Hugo, trying to read lines with his shirt open, exposing his chest and nipples, would make him feel disconnected from the role. Either take off all the clothes or button everything up—he thought it better to pick one. After thinking about the scene Elizabeth had pointed out earlier, he felt it would be more appropriate to keep the buttons fastened.
After tidying up his shirt, Hugo picked up the script again. His eyes scanned up and down the page. He wasn't a professionally trained actor—he had learned everything out of personal interest. He didn't know anything about acting techniques, and his only method was to imitate iconic characters from classic films to try to understand the craft. After five years of "learning," he still didn't know if he had really grasped anything. After all, bit parts and minor roles didn't really require much acting skill.
This was his first official audition today, and Hugo had no idea how to approach it. In the end, he decided to follow the example of those before him. He hadn't seen A River Runs Through It, but he had watched Legends of the Fall. Brad Pitt played similar roles in both films. Today, Hugo was going to mimic Brad Pitt's performance in Legends of the Fall—using Brad's acting style to go up against the real Brad Pitt. This was the root of Hugo's lack of confidence today. But in any case, he had to try. Besides, he wasn't completely copying. Even with the same character and same acting style, different actors would produce different effects.
Even though he wasn't professionally trained, Hugo understood the importance of understanding dialogue. He had noticed that many actors had unique rhythms and tones when delivering lines. More precisely, each person has their own way of speaking. Capturing that trait in a character could be a huge help in portraying them convincingly.
After carefully reading the lines, Hugo adjusted his breathing before he finally spoke, "Even so,Paul and I received as much training in fishing as in theology." Hugo's voice was naturally rich and mellow, warm and gentle with a hint of melancholy—like velvet that intoxicates the listener. At this moment, Hugo deliberately slowed down and softened his speech, which gave this line a kind of rhythm that resonated deep in the heart.
"As a Presbyterian, my father believed in the depravity of man and that only by following God's will could one regain strength and beauty." This line is a complete sentence composed of three clauses. Hugo slowed his breath, so the whole sentence was delivered neither too fast nor too slow, adding a touch of wisdom to it and giving the words a profound meaning. "To him, salmon was like eternal salvation, a grace from God. And that grace came from art, and art did not come easy."
Hugo actually had a background in music, so he had a special sense of rhythm when reciting lines. He delivered this profound line with the cadence of a sonnet, creating an unexpectedly brilliant effect. It could be said that Hugo had his own understanding of the lines, doing his best to fuse the character and the dialogue. If he had performed this line with an open shirt, it would have looked utterly ridiculous. It was precisely because Hugo had considered the content of the lines that he buttoned up his shirt. Looking at it now, that was clearly a wise decision.
After the lines were finished, Hugo still felt a bit unsatisfied. This dialogue gave him too little room to perform—he had just gotten into the groove, and the lines were already over. But even so, Hugo was very content. He thoroughly enjoyed the process of performing. Before today, the most lines he had in any performance were about this length. Today, he had received such a substantial acting opportunity just in an audition—this was truly a wonderful thing.
Once the line-reading ended, Hugo looked at Elizabeth with great anticipation. He was quite satisfied with his own performance just now, but he didn't know how it looked in others' eyes. Beyond the lines, there were also his facial expressions, his gaze, his movements—how the entire performance came together was something only Elizabeth could judge.
Sitting to the side, Jon, though only a representative agent from the actors' union, had witnessed countless auditions. Hugo's audition was absolutely stunning. Though still somewhat rough, Hugo's grasp of rhythm and control of the character's emotions clearly showed his talent. "Hudson Hawk," "Desperate Hours," and "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane"—these three terrible films hadn't completely burned out his talent.
It should be known that before these three films, Hugo had made a name for himself purely based on acting talent—not to mention his outstanding performance in "Dead Poets Society," which shot him to fame. It was only after that that Hugo made very poor project choices, leading to consecutive "honors" from the Golden Raspberry Awards.
In fact, this could be a good thing. After polishing and settling down, Hugo could still become an excellent actor—not just a pretty face coasting by. However, Jon knew that the decision about the audition wasn't in his hands. And based on what he knew, the situation didn't look optimistic. Jon couldn't help but look at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's expression remained calm, with no special emotion showing, but in fact, she was very impressed with Hugo's performance just now. Although Hugo had just received the Worst Actor Award at the Golden Raspberry Awards last night—not to mention the astonishing feat of being nominated three times in two years—Elizabeth hadn't forgotten Hugo's breakout role in "Dead Poets Society."
In "Dead Poets Society," Hugo portrayed the character Neil Perry with vivid depth. His demeanor, gaze, body language, and delivery all fused into one cohesive portrayal. Compared to the lead actor Robin Williams, he was in no way inferior. That year, Hugo didn't receive any Best Supporting Actor nominations, which had caused quite an uproar in the critics' circle.
That performance just now reminded Elizabeth of Hugo's acting in "Dead Poets Society," and once again, she saw that flash of brilliance—the talent that once captivated so many. Unfortunately, many things had already been decided before Hugo even came to the audition, and Elizabeth had no intention of changing them.
"Hugo, do you have any particular thoughts about this script?" Elizabeth didn't respond to Hugo's eager hopes. She had no plans to comment on his performance and instead changed the subject.
Hugo didn't know how Hollywood auditions worked, but the fact that Elizabeth didn't give any feedback on his performance and deliberately changed the subject was clearly unusual. Hugo lowered his gaze back to the script in his hands. The line he had just read wasn't actually from Paul, the younger son in "A River Runs Through It," but from the elder son, Norman. This kind of switch wasn't rare in supporting role auditions, but for a lead role audition, it was certainly worth noting.
Could it be that something had gone wrong with his audition before it even started, or that it was already doomed to fail? That would be far too strange!