The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!-Chapter 1

In just ten days, Jolie had connected Matthew with a reputable acting school. While Los Angeles was flooded with such institutions—most of them little more than scams that took your money—this one had a genuine barrier to entry.
According to Vanessa, the institution was called the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts and worked primarily with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and the William Morris Endeavor Agency (WME), preparing actors for both companies.
Actors who weren't signed with either of those two agencies needed a recommendation from someone with influence in the industry just to be considered for admission.
Without Angelina Jolie's referral, for instance, it would have been nearly impossible for Matthew to get into a school of this caliber.
Just like back where he came from, this world was filled with all sorts of educational institutions, the vast majority of which were just scams, with only a few being truly legitimate.
After getting off the bus in North Hollywood, Matthew asked for directions and found the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts without much trouble.
"Hello, sir." A security guard stopped Matthew at the open entrance to the school. "This is private property."
"Hi," Matthew said. "I'm here to enroll in the acting program."
The security guard looked Matthew over, pulled out a list of names, and asked politely, "May I have your name?"
Matthew replied, "Matthew Horner."
The security guard glanced at the list, nodded, and said, "Go on in, Mr. Horner."
He then pointed the way. "Turn left and go straight for about two hundred feet until you see a small white building. The registration office is on the first floor, just inside the door."
He followed the guard's directions and quickly found the registration office. Just as he walked in and was about to speak, his phone rang. He glanced down and saw the number for the Angel Acting Agency displayed on the screen.
"Excuse me." Matthew offered an apologetic smile to the middle-aged woman who was ready to help him. "I need to take this call."
He stepped out of the registration office and pressed the answer button. "Hello, this is Matthew Horner."
"Hello, Matthew."
A familiar, crisp female voice came through the line. "This is Helen Herman."
Matthew immediately recalled the sharp, competent agent he had met.
She spoke quickly. "We have a job for you. If you're interested, come to the office tomorrow at ten a.m. The meeting is at eleven sharp. And don't forget to bring all your documents and a change of clothes."
Although he had no idea what the job was, Matthew agreed immediately. For a young actor like him, jobs chose him, not the other way around.
After hanging up, he returned to the registration desk and told the middle-aged woman, "I'm Matthew Horner. I was told to come and register today."
The woman, who had clearly been expecting him, shuffled through a stack of papers, found the right one, and handed him a form. "Fill this out."
As Matthew filled out the form, the woman explained, "The acting course lasts for six months, with a minimum of twenty-two hours of study and practice per week. In addition, the school will recommend you to major agencies to help you secure a full acting contract."
Hearing this, Matthew nodded in satisfaction.
But then the woman added, "The total cost is six thousand dollars."
Matthew's head snapped up. That figure was much higher than he had anticipated.
The woman's next words brought him some relief. "The fee can be paid in installments."
It made sense, he mused. Everyone who came here to study was a small-time actor, and for them, six thousand dollars was certainly no small sum. An installment plan would reduce the financial pressure for many of them.
"You'll pay two thousand dollars to enroll today," the woman continued. "Another two thousand before classes start in May, and the final two thousand in September."
Matthew mentally calculated his income so far. He'd made $5,500 from his deal with Angelina Jolie, $180 for his part in Girl, Interrupted, and just under $1,800 from his first month at Red Penguin Services.
His total income for this period was $7,400.
As for expenses, six months of rent had cost him $2,400. Then there were his living expenses from the past month. While he had been scrimping and saving on most things, the cost of professional books and newspaper subscriptions to improve his reading skills had also taken a significant bite out of his funds.
At the moment, he had just under four thousand dollars left in his bank account.
Paying the first installment wouldn't be a problem. The second wasn't due until May, and with his ongoing income from Red Penguin, it shouldn't be too difficult to manage as long as he kept saving.
People came up one after another to enroll, and he even spotted a few familiar faces among them, probably from movies, but Matthew couldn't put a name to them and wasn't interested in striking up a conversation right now. After finishing his registration, he went upstairs to the finance department and paid the first $2,000 with his credit card. He picked up a copy of the textbook and left the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts to await the start of classes in May.
Back in Westwood, Matthew bought two newspapers and headed to his apartment building. He didn't have to work today and had no plans to go out, intending to just take it easy.
He climbed to the second floor and unlocked the door to his apartment. As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed an envelope on the floor by the door. He picked it up, opened it, and his otherwise good mood instantly soured.
The collectors had come knocking.
Sinking onto the crumpled sofa, Matthew examined the envelope. While he wasn't entirely sure, he had a sinking feeling it was a so-called "lawyer's letter," signed by Chris Walker, the attorney who had already called him twice.
The letter detailed the terms of his breach of contract, demanding $50,000 in damages.
Matthew casually tossed the letter aside, muttering, "I can't believe they managed to find out where I live."
On second thought, it wasn't that surprising. After all, the previous "him" had given them his real information, and Matthew himself hadn't made any effort to hide his whereabouts. In a modern society like this, finding someone wasn't particularly difficult.
"Time to get some legal advice."
He was the one who had breached the contract, after all, and there was no running from something like this. "Let's see if we can reach an out-of-court settlement."
In the Hollywood movies he'd seen, the price of an out-of-court settlement was usually much lower than the plaintiff's initial demand, but Matthew still frowned with worry.
The lawyer's letter having been delivered right to his door gave Matthew a pressing sense of urgency.
Matthew decided to wait until after his visit to the Angel Acting Agency tomorrow to see what the job was before spending time consulting a lawyer.
For the rest of the day, he buried himself in his books, making the most of his limited time to improve his reading skills. The next morning, after his run, he changed into his only set of formal clothes, grabbed the bag he had packed the night before, and caught a bus to the Angel Acting Agency in North Hollywood.
"Hello." A young woman appeared just inside the agency's door and asked, "Are you the actor who was in before?"
"Yes," Matthew replied. "My name is Matthew Horner. Miss Herman contacted me about a job."
"Please, have a seat." The young woman made a note in the ledger she was holding. "One moment."
Matthew walked into the first-floor lobby. It was a completely different scene from the emptiness of his last visit. More than sixty people were sitting on benches scattered throughout the room, all of them, without exception, young, able-bodied men. Some of them seemed to know each other and were chatting in hushed tones.
It was clear they were all extras, just like him.
"Hey, Matthew!" One of them suddenly stood up and waved him over. "Over here!"
Matthew recognized him. His name was Michael, he thought.
Matthew immediately walked over and greeted him, "Hey, Michael."
Michael sat back down, asking, "Here for the job, too?"
"I haven't landed a role in a while." Matthew sat down next to him. "Came to try my luck. How about you?"
"The usual," Michael sighed. "I worked as a porter for a bit, then did some extra work on small productions."
Matthew smiled, echoing Michael's own words back to him. "Take your time. Things will work out."
Michael was a good-looking guy—tall and strong, with brown hair and blue eyes. Matthew figured he had a future if he could get into teen idol movies or television shows.
Michael nodded vigorously. "I've been in Los Angeles for three years, and damn it, I'm going to make it!"
"When you get famous," Matthew joked casually, "don't forget to give me a hand up."
Michael laughed.
Clap, clap!
Someone in the room suddenly clapped their hands. Matthew and Michael both looked toward the staircase, where Helen Herman, the agent who had interviewed them before, was now standing.
Seeing that all eyes were on her, Helen Herman announced, "We've found a job for you, and it could last for a week."