And Yet Another Trip

We are still trying to find a good hotel in Tokyo, and now I have another trip to think about.

I had a meeting with my agent and he seemed more frustrated at my lack of work than I am. He thinks I should be going on more auditions and getting more parts. I don't disagree with that, but I have a steady job, so I'm not so worried about it. I like my job and it pays the bills, but my agent had nothing to do with getting it, so he does not get a cut. As far as he's concerned, he has not really done enough for me. He has gotten me more auditions than I ever would have found on my own, and I'm satisfied with the job he's doing overall, but he is not.

So he went full thrusters and got me an audition for an actual motion picture in development at MGM. That sounds pretty good, but MGM is in Los Angeles, not in Hong Kong. That's where the other trip comes in. My agent wants me to go to Los Angeles in September to audition for this movie.

Ordinarily, I would have to think about it. Do I really want to fly to the other side of the world just for an audition? Getting an audition is a good thing, but most of the time they never actually lead to getting the part. Even if you get the part, a million things can happen that keep you out of it. Your scene can be cut, your part can be cut, they can recast with someone else, the movie can linger in development for years or never be finished at all. Even major international movie stars lose jobs in this business. A long time ago, some celebrity said it's never guaranteed until it's in the theaters. Even then, it can get pulled right away if it bombs.

The odds are always against you in the entertainment industry. You have to accept that and just roll with it if you want to survive. Since I have a steady gig, I'm luckier than most. A lot of people wait tables and work retail while waiting for something to happen. For most people, nothing will ever happen.

I already know all of this and I try to take it as it comes, but when I moved to Hong Kong, I assumed whatever work I got would be in Hong Kong. Flying out to Los Angeles for every audition would be insanely expensive, but my agent is either so confident or feels so guilty that he is going to pay for the trip.

I could hardly believe it when he told me that part. Hong Kong to Los Angeles is not a cheap flight. I had to ask him what he was thinking. That's when he told me that I will be going with three other girls. He set up auditions for all of us, though we are not all up for the same part, and he wants to send us all out there at the same time. That's certainly a less expensive way to do it, but how often can he afford such a thing? If he keeps sending his performers to the United States for auditions, he will go broke in no time.