Model to Holywood

"How's the filming going these days?" 

"Not bad."

That afternoon, Ed arrived at the set, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. In the sunlight, his skin looked darker, and his teeth appeared even whiter against it when he smiled.

Luca chuckled lightly, "Did you finalize the promotional stuff?"

"Yes, I'm here to inform you about that, as well as the upcoming promotion schedule."

Ed opened his work bag, taking out a contract and a stack of documents. "You have about seven events lined up, mainly in Los Angeles, New York, and the surrounding areas. Each one pays about $20,000, similar to runway fees."

"About $20,000?"

Luca raised an eyebrow, a bit curious.

"Yes, you're an extra and were added last minute. These events include TV interviews, radio promotions, newspaper interviews, roadshows, and so on. Different events have different fees."

Ed briefly explained the movie's promotional plan.

During the audition, Luca wasn't very well-known, so the producers had only offered him a supporting role contract, which didn't include any promotional obligations. Now, this had been added on last minute.

If he had signed a leading role contract, there wouldn't have been all this fuss since such contracts usually require actors to participate in promotions without extra pay.

Luca nodded and took two bottles of chilled cranberry juice from Tony, handing one to Ed. The juice was provided by the sponsor, and they could drink it freely.

Ed took a sip and immediately frowned. 

"Why is it so sweet?"

"It's a drink for women. Girls like sweet stuff. They say drinking this often can improve skin and treat some women's health issues," Luca joked with a light laugh.

"Do you like this stuff?" Ed asked, his face puzzled.

"Oh, of course not. It's tasty because it's free." 

"You're such a cheapskate," Ed grinned, his white teeth stained with red juice, looking like blood.

Luca chuckled, then handed him a bottle of water. "When do my promotions start? I hope it won't interfere with the filming."

"Oh, it won't. You have two events in L.A., two in New York, one in San Francisco, and two others elsewhere. The first one is tomorrow afternoon: an interview on TNT. I checked your shooting schedule, and you're free tomorrow at noon. I'll try to avoid clashes with the other ones."

Luca flipped through the promotional materials. "What kind of topics will be discussed during the interview? Is there a script?"

"It's all here!" Ed flipped to a page. "Since you're a supporting actor, there are only three questions. I've prepared some reference answers for you. Just remember not to go off-script. The media has no integrity, and if you say something exaggerated, they'll latch onto it and paint you as dishonest in front of the audience."

Luca glanced at the questions. 

The first was about his career shift: Why did he go from being a supermodel to acting in movies? 

The second was about why, in his first film, he chose to play a villain. 

The third was about his thoughts on the new movie.

The questions were straightforward.

"The interview starts at 2 p.m. tomorrow, so it's best to get there early to rehearse with the team. Also, you'll need to take care of makeup and wardrobe."

"I got it. I'll contact Billy and Jessica in advance to set a time."

"Great!"

After chatting for another ten minutes, Ed took his leave.

Luca dusted off his pants and headed to the set.

The crew was filming a scene with the four female leads. Katie had officially joined Gina's "Bad Girl" gang, forming a small clique.

Luca only had one scene in this part. Aaron, his character, walked down the hallway with his arms around Katie and Gina's shoulders.

Suddenly, Lindsay Lohan tripped and fell into a trash can headfirst, her legs sticking out. She was wearing a skirt, so her legs, resembling two pale, chubby radishes, were exposed, wiggling around, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"Cut!"

After the director called the cut, Luca and Rachel went over to help Lindsay out of the trash can.

"Lindsay, you could've used a stunt double," Rachel teased.

"No need. This shot isn't that hard!" Lindsay said, tugging at her skirt.

"Nice, you're a dedicated actress!" Luca complimented.

"Don't need you to tell me that!" Lindsay said with her chin held high, a little smug.

"Any plans for tonight?"

"None."

"How about we all go dancing at a bar?"

"Sounds good!"

That night, at the Honeycut Bar on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles, the music blared, and the lights flashed wildly. On the dance floor, a crowd of energetic men and women swayed passionately to the beat.

"Luca, why aren't you dancing?" Rachel asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she squeezed out of the crowd.

"Too many girls!" Luca handed her a beer.

"What's wrong with that?" Rachel asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid someone might take advantage of me," Luca said, shrugging.

Rachel burst into laughter, covering her mouth.

Luca shrugged and handed her a napkin. "What about you? Why aren't you dancing?"

"It's late. I promised Ryan I'd be home by 8 p.m.," Rachel said after taking a sip of beer.

"When does Ryan's new movie start shooting?"

"September. He's losing weight for it right now."

"Nice!"

Recently, Ryan landed a role in a movie called *Stay*, about a psychologist, Sam, and his girlfriend, Lila, trying to prevent a gifted student, Henry, from committing suicide, only to find their own sanity challenged.

Ryan plays Sam, the lead. It's an indie film, likely with limited impact.

But before shooting, the director had personally approached Ryan with the script and invited him to play the lead—a deal anyone would envy.

"Luca, I'm heading home now. When the others are done, let them know I've left."

Luca looked toward the dance floor, where Lindsay, Amanda, and the others were still dancing.

"Got it!"

He saw her off to a taxi and then returned to the bar.

"Hey~ Billy, over here! You're late!"

After sitting at the booth for a while, director Billy finally arrived.

Luca had contacted Billy when he first arrived in L.A., but Billy wasn't in town. After finishing his movie, Billy had gone back to directing music videos, staying busy on set.

Luca reached out to him again that afternoon to meet for drinks and discuss the promotion plans. Billy said he'd be there soon, but ended up half an hour late.

"Haha, Luca! Long time no see!"

Billy rushed over and gave him a bear hug.

Luca patted him on the back and invited him to sit.

"Luca, sorry about the delay. Just as I was heading out, I got a call from a friend. Funny thing is, it's related to you."

"Related to me? Do I know them?"

Luca ordered a whiskey and pushed it over to Billy.

Billy shook his head. "No, you don't know her. Her name's Anne Fletcher. She got the highest certifications in jazz, tap, and ballet by age 12, and opened her own dance studio at 13. Now she's Hollywood's top choreographer."

"Anne Fletcher?" Luca was surprised. This was the actual director of *Step Up*.

"She reached out to you because of *Step Up*?"

"How'd you know?"

Billy blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. "You guessed right! I worked with her a lot when I was shooting music videos.

When I got the script, I knew the movie involved a lot of dancing, so choreography was key. She was the first person I thought of, so I sent her the script.

She just called to say she liked it and wants to work together."

Luca raised an eyebrow. "That's a great idea."

"Haha, yeah, Anne's amazing!"

The two clinked glasses and started discussing the movie promotion.

"Hey, Luca, you invited us out to dance, but you're just sitting here drinking. Not cool, man!" Lindsay Lohan came over, drenched in sweat. Her pink T-shirt was soaked, and a bit see-through.

Luca handed her a napkin and a cold beer, smiling. "I'm talking work with a friend. I'll join in later."

"Tch~ Typical old man," Lindsay teased before taking the beer and chugging it.

"Luca, don't worry about the promotion. Just follow their plan. You're at a bar—relax! Let's go dance!"

Billy, eyeing the lively dance floor, could barely contain himself. He waved and joined the crowd.

"Look at that! A man in his forties or fifties is more lively than you. Aren't you embarrassed?" Lindsay smirked at Luca.

Luca smiled wryly. "I don't dance because I'm bad at it. Can you teach me?"

"No problem, leave it to me! Haha, I never thought a Brazilian couldn't dance."

"..."

That sounded pretty reasonable. 

(End of Chapter)