The set was bustling with life and excitement as crew members worked hard.
The Props director was talking with a few crew members, and the cinematographer was explaining how he wanted to shoot the scene with Amelia as both of them went over the storyboards.
Few assistant directors were listening to some actors, and the sound engineer was checking up on the sound equipment to avoid any troubles later on.
On the side, the crew members that had finished with their work were resting and waiting for one of the assistant directors to give them their next work.
This was the typical scene of a set that he would see every day.
For the last ten years, his life has been moving from one set like this to another. He would wake up every day, go to a set, stand on the back, eat lunch on the set and leave.
Then, he would repeat the process every day till the movie or series he was working on ended. Then, he would find another project like that.
It was exhausting but not a bad life. At least he was not going to sleep hungry.
But there was one thing that would always make him doubt himself.
Despite working in the industry for years, no one knew his name. No one ever believed he was an actor, and he never got the respect he deserved. That was the part in his line of work that hurt him the most.
"Hey Harley, are you listening to me?"
"Huh? What? What are you all talking about?"
Harley Martin turned his head and looked at the burly guy in front of him. He was just like him, an extra who had worked in the industry for a long time, hoping for a rare break.
Next to him, a rather young guy who looked like he had just got out of high school was sitting on a chair.
He was a young theatre artist who wanted to chase glory and fame in Hollywood.
"You are really not listening. We were talking about that new guy — Aiden Silvereye."
The burly actor said, his eyes glancing towards Aiden, who was just talking to a gangster-looking guy who everyone recognised as his agent.
"What about him?"
"He's just like us. I heard he got rejected a lot before getting his big break. Don't you find it cool? Maybe there's really hope for us."
At those words, the young actor added.
"I heard rumours that he's actually the son of an executive in a big studio, and that's how he got easy breaks. He's nothing special. If only I had his connections, I would surely be bigger than him."
The arrogance was clearly heard in his voice, but Harley just snorted after hearing that.
"Don't believe those rumours."
"What?"
"Those come and go. From what I know, Aiden Silvereye got good visibility through a reality show. Singing helped him out. Only after that was he able to get a good enough role. I don't know if he's really from a rich family, but there is enough proof to show that he never had it easy."
The burly actor nodded.
He was the oldest guy; according to his experience here, it was easy for him to tell if a rumour was true or false.
The rumour the young actor was talking about seemed like those that people would spread because they were jealous.
"Yeah, his singing skills are pretty good. Having a big following helps get a role in Hollywood, and his last role made him pretty famous, so he has a recency factor to him. Damn, I'm very jealous of him." The burly guy sighed and then turned to Harley. "Dude, what is your opinion on him?"
When Harley heard that question, the first thought in his mind was.
'I feel jealous. Very jealous.'
Harley was in his 30s starting this year, and he was close to being exhausted and giving up on his dream. He couldn't help it.
It was tough to stay hopeful after a decade of failures.
Compared to him, Aiden was a few years younger and seemed to be on his way to making a name for himself in Hollywood, if he already hadn't made one. There was a bit of admiration there for him, but the feeling that filled his heart was undoubtedly jealousy.
But Harley didn't say that.
"I like his acting. He seems focused, and it's true that he came out of a different country and is now doing good in Hollywood. We all know how the industry discriminates. So, it's commendable."
"Ah, I actually think the same too. He seems like a good bloke who's respectful."
The burly guy said that slapping his thighs and Harley just nodded, leaning against his seat.
Closing his eyes, he decided to wait until he had a shot.
***
"Can we go over the scene? It's a short scene, but I think it would be easier for both of us if we go over it once."
Harley blinked as he raised his head to look at the guy standing in front of him. He was the same person about whom he had a conversation with the others not too long ago.
'Aiden Silvereye.'
He thought in his mind for a second as his expressions froze. He had never expected Aiden to approach him like this, but he quickly shook his head and replied.
"It's fine with me, but it's just a small scene, and I only have a few lines, you know. I am pretty sure it would be fine even if we don't rehearse."
"Yeah, but it's just better to be prepared."
Harley nodded when Aiden said that. Though, a dazed expression still covered his face.
It was the first time an actor who was playing an important role had approached him like this. It was a surprise for him.
Normally, these types of scenes won't require a lot of practice. At most, a few words would be exchanged as being an extra; Harley only had a few lines.
He was sure that in the final cut, his scene wouldn't encompass more than 30 seconds.
"Are you okay? You look a bit weird."
Aiden asked when he saw Harley being in thought.
"No, it's just the first time a big actor has approached me like this to rehearse a role. Small actors like me are generally ignored, you know."
"I don't really think I'm a big actor, and an actor is an actor. It doesn't really matter how big their roles are. Anyway, I'm Aiden Silvereye. What's your name?"
When Aiden casually asked, Harley hesitated a bit before replying.
"Harley Martin."
"Nice to meet you, Harley."
While saying that, Aiden suddenly had a thought in his mind and opened up his system to check up on the skill level of Harley.
[Harley Martin] [31 years]
[Acting level: Intermediate Grade 3]
[Special skill: Len's darling]
'What the fuck?!'
Aiden stared at Harley in front of him with wide eyes as his status came into his view. He couldn't believe for a moment that Harley even had a higher skill level than him in acting.
On top of it, he even had a special skill.
'What does Len's darling mean? Is it something along the lines of him getting some kind of boost in front of the camera lens? And why the hell is this guy acting as an extra with so much skill?'
He couldn't help but have so many questions in his mind.
Aiden had only approached him casually to go over the scene, but he didn't expect to come across something like this.
"Ah, are you fine? You have been staring at me for a while."
Harley asked, feeling a bit weird.
His words were enough to get Aiden out of his thoughts, but it still took a while for him to collect his thoughts. Taking deep breaths, he composed himself.
"Yeah, sorry. Let's get over the scene."
Harley nodded, and for the next 10 minutes, both of them talked about the scene. It was the scene just before Alan would meet another one of the main characters of the show.
He would be trying to hit on one of the girls when an angry guy played by Harley would suddenly grab him, accusing him of sleeping with his girlfriend, which Alan obviously was guilty of.
One of the main characters of [Searching for the One], Rod, would save him, and that's how Alan would get to know another main character of the series.
As Harley said, it was a very small scene.
'Why did he suddenly look to be in so much thought. Is it his way of getting himself into the character?'
As they rehearsed the scene, Harley couldn't help but feel like Aiden was acting weird.
But he didn't think too much into it and pinned it on Aiden thinking about his character.
On the other hand, Aiden was not able to stop himself from thinking about Harley and why he was working as an extra while having so much talent.
'Has the industry really gotten blind to not seeing his talent?'
Other than having a good enough skill level, he even had a special skill, so Aiden pinned him in the same league as Rachel or Cameron.
Though, unlike them, Harley was nowhere in his career.
Although there was a lot of curiosity in Aiden's mind about him, he was also thinking of something else.
He was thinking of Harley as the solution to a problem that had recently plagued his mind.
'Maybe Harley is the topic I'm looking for?'
...
