38 Please Mister, May I Have a Role? (1/2)
Wang Yang was in great spirits now that he had found the leading lady for his movie, High School Musical. With one of the lead roles cast, he proceeded to scout for actors for the other roles. Miranda had been incessant in persuading Jessica to change her mind. It was not until Jessica blew her top one day that she finally came to terms with her decision with a heavy heart. And a few days later, Idle Hands settled on Eliza Dushku as their leading lady.
One by one, the cast for High School Musical was filled. Rachel was chosen for the role of Sharpay Evans. She had a winning look and the makings of a great actress. Unlike Paranormal Activity, in which actors strived for realism, High School Musical was more theatrical, and Sharpay Evans was to be portrayed in a dramatic and ostentatious fashion. Rachel was a student of theater, so the role was right up her alley. During the audition, she felt right at home in front of the camera, hitting all the right notes for the character.
The role of Ryan Evans fell on Zachary Levi, who'd been absolutely ecstatic when the news had come to him. Amid all the jollification, he broke out in backflips and almost broke his bones. Notwithstanding, the differences between Zachary and the original Ryan and Zachary's tall stature—standing next to Rachel, he looked more like an older brother to her than a younger brother, so Wang Yang had decided to cast him. Zachary's acting skills were good enough, and he had a solid foundation in music and choreography. With his knack for comedy and Sharpay's deliciously evil persona, they would make for an interesting duo.
For Zachary, getting the part meant getting a huge boost in salary, which meant he was finally able to quit his job at the supermarket to focus on his acting career. In a fit of ecstasy, he took Wang Yang into his arms and smooched him on the cheeks repeatedly. The ordeal lasted longer than Wang Yang was willing to bear, and he was forced to free himself by unleashing his kung fu on his amorous partner, leaving Zachary out cold and sprawled on the floor for a considerable period of time.
In comparison to casting Sharpay and Ryan, filling the roles of Chad Danforth and Taylor McKessie, the respective black friends of the male and female leads, was a cinch. Chad Danforth would be portrayed by Marcus Mansi, a young, 18-year-old Brazilian actor with a talent for dancing and singing. Taylor McKessie would be portrayed by Martina Moon, a 22-year-old girl with a natural gift for acting.
For the role of Kaci Nielsen, the pianist who would be playing accompaniment for the music sequences, Wang Yang chose Zooey Deschanel, a girl of about the same age as him. Although she had never acted in film or television, she had learned to play the piano as a child and was adept at composing songs. Wang Yang had been so impressed by her professional showing during the audition, he decided to pick her even though she was a little tall at 168 cm. She also had a spritely quality that would add a new zest to the character of Kaci Nielsen.
After rounds of negotiation, it was time for the actors to sign their contracts with Flames Films. Upon signing, they were duty-bound to see the shooting of High School Musical through to completion and participate in the movie's promotional events. Of course, with all that hard work came money as well. The highest-paid actor was Jessica. Although she was not famous then, by dint of her high workload and the fact that she was the leading lady, she would receive $500,000. The second-highest-paid actor was Rachel. Her fame in Paranormal Activity justified a remuneration of $300,000. Zachary was allotted $200,000, Marcus Mansi $100,000, Martina Moon $50,000, and Zoey Deschanel $50,000.
Upon signing, they would begin their professional training in singing and dancing. The classes would be tailored to the actors, each according to their abilities. The plan was to get their skills up to scratch before the post-shoot recording sessions began. All expenses associated with the training would be fully paid by Flames Films.
The bios and pictures of the cast were featured on the official website of High School Musical. But they did not elicit much attention from the media. After all, they were not stars and no one would report on them. Jessica Alba? Who was that? Did she appear on television? Her name did not ring any bells. She might have been pretty, but pretty girls were a dime a dozen. The media did not see any reason to track the development of a girl who had yet to acquire a fanbase.
As for Rachel McAdams and Zachary Levi, were they not in that horror film? What were they doing in a high school musical? Was that young director trying to make a scary musical set in a high school? What a joke!
Only a few media websites wrote about the movie's latest development, mostly because of Wang Yang. Compared to the cast, he was significantly more well-known.
Of course, movie fans who looked forward to High School Musical had taken a renewed interest in the movie. While they were particularly pleased with the looks of the leading lady, they wondered why the leading man had yet been cast.
The truth was that Wang Yang had been wracking his brain out trying to find a suitable actor for Troy Bolton. He had approached all the talent agencies in Los Angeles and skimmed through hundreds and thousands of handsome applicants, but he could not find one that met his standards. Those who were handsome lacked spunk, those who were spunky lacked charm, and those who were charming lacked height. Furthermore, they had to look like a high school student and willing to accept an amateur actor's rate. All these factors made finding the right man well-nigh impossible.
”My dear boss, I think it's time you take a flight to New York.” Mark Strong spoke kindly and with a smile, but something in his tone annoyed Wang Yang.
Los Angeles and New York were both frontiers of trend and culture. Los Angeles was home to a thriving film and television industry, while New York was the center of fashion and Broadway. The two cities complemented each other in many ways—for instance, in terms of movie actors. Desperate, Wang Yang got on a plane to New York and embarked on a search for Troy Bolton in the Big Apple.
It was Wang Yang's first time in New York. He was shocked by the contrast between the dense busyness of New York and the laid-back atmosphere of Los Angeles. There was a sense of urgency wherever he looked. People went up and down the streets with such brisk footsteps that he felt he could barely keep up at times.
Prior to Wang Yang's arrival at New York, Flames Films had sent the casting call to the New York chapter of the actor's guild, as well as some other talent agencies. There was some time before any of them had come back with recommendations, so Wang Yang took the opportunity to take a tour of the city. By day, he visited the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building; by night, he went to see a Broadway show, where he kept an eye out for prospective male leads.
The next day, Wang Yang took a tour of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Back when he'd graduated high school, he'd had the opportunity to further his studies there, but he had ended up choosing the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The fact that his favorite director, Robert Zemeckis, was an alumnus of the school played a huge part in his decision. Then, there was its proximity to his hometown, San Francisco, its familiar weather, and its association with the mecca of the movies—Hollywood.