Hugo's honesty in striving his hardest plunged the meeting room into silence. Although he chose to speak the truth, the frustration in his heart was already surging like a stormy sea. Hugo realized he still lacked experience—when faced with a real opportunity, his emotions had been overtaken by nervousness, and somehow, he had walked into this situation.
This left Hugo feeling helpless with himself. He clearly knew that Scent of a Woman was a golden opportunity, and that he longed to act opposite Al Pacino so he could learn closely from him, but in the end, his nerves ruined everything. Only God knew when the next opportunity would come once this one was missed. Even if Hugo knew which works were truly the hidden gems, if he couldn't seize them, then all of it was empty talk.
Ellen was a bit surprised by Hugo's honesty, especially when she saw the frustrated expression on his face. She couldn't help but smile. This was completely different from the Hugo portrayed in the media over the past three years. The Hugo in front of her now was more like the boy he had been before starring in Dead Poets Society—green, sincere, serious, yet filled with fighting spirit and desire. One could clearly sense the vitality radiating from him.
In fact, Hugo's performance just now had been excellent. More than that, it could even be described as outstanding—otherwise, they wouldn't have given Hugo the time to elaborate at such length, and the director and screenwriter certainly wouldn't have spoken up.
Hugo wasn't just here to audition for a film; he also had his own understanding of the script and the character. Yet at the same time, he wasn't blindly trying to override the script or direct the film himself. On the contrary, he understood his shortcomings, knew his strengths, and conveyed them throughout the audition process. Ellen could see Hugo's nervousness, but beneath that nervousness was a confidence that seemed almost instinctual. It made the Hugo in front of her feel like an unpolished gem waiting to be carved—a presence filled with promise. This version of Hugo had already achieved a natural resonance with the character of Charlie.
Hugo's audition just now had lasted only about thirty seconds, but just as he'd said, it fully displayed the essence of the character Charlie. Honest, kind, and fresh-faced, with a scholarly air that gave people a refreshing impression. This Hugo faintly reminded Ellen of the budding acting star from before Dead Poets Society who had endless potential.
Presumably, Director Martin and screenwriter Bo had also noticed this—that's why they had spoken for the first time today, which was already a clear signal that they were satisfied with Hugo.
Ellen lowered her head and saw that Bo, to her right, had drawn a check mark on Hugo's resume. She glanced at Bo and understood he was satisfied with Hugo. Then Ellen looked again and saw that Martin's copy of the resume in front of him was filled with notes, showing that he had been recording his impressions of Hugo throughout the audition. What did that mean? It meant Martin was already imagining what it would be like to have Hugo on set.
Sure enough, Martin looked up and met Ellen's gaze. A smile formed at the corners of his mouth, and then he nodded slightly and tapped Hugo resume, signaling, "This is the one." Martin believed that whether in terms of temperament or attitude including Hugo's sincerity—Hugo had successfully impressed him. Hugo already possessed all the qualities a great actor needed. What remained was to see what sparks could fly from collaboration between the director and the crew.
However, Ellen still had one hesitation: Hugo's Golden Raspberry Award. Although the Golden Raspberry Awards were mostly for entertainment and lacked real authority, there was no denying that they were a black mark in the eyes of film producers. And Hugo didn't have much credit to begin with. With the added blow of a Razzie, Universal Pictures—the producer of Scent of a Woman would likely raise objections.
If this were a commercial film, maybe the Razzie could be used for publicity, but Scent of a Woman was not such a film. A Worst Actor trophy would definitely become a stumbling block. What's more, Hugo's poor performances in his past three films would make people doubt his acting skills. Who could guarantee that Hugo's brilliant performance today wasn't just a flash in the pan? What if, once Scent of a Woman began filming, Hugo reverted to that Razzie-level terrible acting?
Ellen circled the title "Hudson Hawk" on Hugo's resume and placed it between Bo and Martin to show them. As expected, both Bo and Martin also showed hesitation and fell silent for a moment.
Looking at the four people in front of him, none of them said a word. They were just quietly exchanging glances. Hugo could even see their pens moving over resume. He realized that he truly, truly wanted to seize this opportunity. Although he had made some mistakes due to nervousness earlier, Hugo also knew he had shined in some parts—otherwise, Martin and Bo wouldn't have spoken up.
Hugo knew he couldn't give up. Since he had decided to go all out for this, he had to put in his full effort. Giving up now was not Hugo's style.
"Gentlemen… and ladies," Hugo spoke up again, drawing the attention of the four people, including Lily, the representative from the Screen Actors Guild. He took another deep breath, calming his nerves and returning to the mental state he'd had when first explaining the character of Charlie—because Hugo knew, this was what he wanted, and this was what he wanted to do. He wasn't going to give up easily.
"I want to talk about my understanding of Scent of a Woman. I know that's not my job, but it is the reason I love this film—and the reason I so desperately want to be a part of it." Hugo wasn't sure if this explanation would help, but when he'd auditioned for supporting roles before, he'd never even had such a chance. But now, he had come to Hollywood. He had come to 1992. Why not try his hardest? At the very least, none of the four people in front of him had interrupted. That was already a good start.
"I really love Dead Poets Society, because it teaches us to have independent thought, to fight for our dreams, to make our lives more meaningful—so that when our lives come to an end, we don't find that we've never truly lived." Hugo's tone was firm because he was so desperate for this opportunity. He absolutely would not surrender; he would rather fail after trying his best than give up without ever attempting.
"And Scent of a Woman teaches us to hold onto our principles, not to let societal or real-world pressures change our correct beliefs. Otherwise, we cease to be ourselves." Hugo spoke rapidly, not only because he was eager to express his inner thoughts, but also because his mind was fully occupied by this firm conviction. There was no nervousness, no panic, no hesitation—only a resolute drive forward. "Both of these movies feature students at preparatory schools, and both show how schools try to intimidate and bribe students into doing things against their will!"
"In Dead Poets Society, those kids, under immense pressure, ended up pointing fingers at Mr. Keating; but in Scent of a Woman, Charlie stuck to his principles—he absolutely refused to betray his friends!" Hugo said quickly. Even though he wasn't raising his voice, when he got emotional, his light brown eyes sparkled with tears, and the proud smile at the corner of his lips bloomed so brightly that it drew people into his rhythm. "I know Scent of a Woman explores a lot of deeper themes, but from Charlie's perspective, what he understands is principle. Maybe in the future he'll face countless hardships and darkness, because the world will always exceed our imagination, but only by sticking to his principles can he avoid losing himself in this vast world."
"So…" Here Hugo finally paused and took a breath. "So I really want to be a part of this movie—no, I want to become Charlie, just like I once wanted to become Neil."
Hugo finally finished this long speech. He was breathing slightly heavily—not from exhaustion, but from excitement. His sparkling eyes looked straight at the four interviewers. Hugo knew he had given it everything he had. The rest would be up to them. If he succeeded, he would cheer; if he failed, he would have no regrets.
Looking at Hugo in front of them, Martin gave a big smile, but didn't say anything to Hugo. Instead, he turned to the two people to his left. "So, what do you think? Are you willing to take that risk?"
Bo and Ellen both knew what Martin meant. If they chose Hugo to play Charlie, it would mean they'd have to bear the severe negative consequences of the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards. Although the awards had already passed, if Scent of a Woman became Hugo's first movie after Hudson Hawk, it would inevitably become a massive target. That kind of risk would have to be borne by the entire team—the director, producer, screenwriter, and the whole production company.
It wouldn't be easy. It would take courage—a whole lot of courage.
It had to be said, from the moment Hugo walked in today, he had captured everyone's attention and used the most direct and sincere way to convince each interviewer. Bo shrugged and gave a smile. "As the screenwriter, I vote yes. Honestly, Universal never believed in this script since day one, even with Al on board it didn't change anything. Adding a bit more weight now doesn't make a difference to me."
As the casting director, Ellen ultimately had to serve the production. Naturally, she had no objections—especially since she had already silently agreed. So, after getting the nod from the director, producer, and screenwriter, Ellen turned to the nervous Hugo, smiled, and said, "Hugo, your performance today was outstanding. We really appreciate your coming in. If there's any news, we'll let you know right away."
Hugo was still waiting for more, but Ellen had already stood up and walked toward the door it was clear the audition was over. What? That's it? He had just heard that conversation and almost thought he'd succeeded, but now it didn't seem so.
One out of three hundred—was it really that hard to break through?
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