“Then you should remember this: opportunities don’t just fall into your lap for no reason. Don’t think that your daily efforts are useless—maybe some important person is watching you. How should I put it? If you perform well, maybe others won’t care, but if you perform badly, people will definitely remember. There are so many extras in Hengdian, and the ones who make it are those who really know how to handle things. For example, when you helped me just now, maybe that caught the eye of someone important, right?”

John Lane made a lot of sense—at least Henry Clark thought so, and couldn’t help but nod along.

It was rare to have someone willing to listen to him lecture, so John Lane continued enthusiastically, “Acting is like a thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge. There are so many extras in Hengdian—think about it, what are the odds that an opportunity will come to you? Very, very slim. With so few chances to begin with, if you don’t take it seriously and can’t seize them, then you’ll have even less chance to stand out.”

Someone called him from the other side, so John Lane stopped talking and patted Henry Clark on the shoulder. “I have to go do something. Think about it carefully, and don’t learn bad habits from those old-timers.”

John Lane was about to leave. Henry Clark thought he was a good guy, so he suggested exchanging phone numbers. John Lane readily agreed, they swapped numbers, and then he left.

Carrying his bottle of mineral water, Henry Clark walked slowly, thinking about what John Lane had said.

He glanced at the group actors who were playing cards and sleeping, and thought, if he were the director, he definitely wouldn’t want to give these people any opportunities, let alone promote them to special roles or named characters.

“Henry Clark, don’t be like them. Be diligent—yeah, learn from that Zhan Guosheng. It’s okay to suffer a little loss; what matters is always showing your best self!”

Thinking this, he walked to the actors’ rest area.

Hu Jun was talking to the director, while the female star was having her makeup touched up by her assistant. Henry Clark had already found out that this actress was Gan Tingting, who played Pan Jinlian in the new version of “Water Margin.” She really was beautiful, especially in that Republican-era floral dress, which gave her a unique charm.

“Should I take a photo with her? She’s gorgeous!”

“Forget it, I’m going to be a star too—I can’t lose my cool.”

With that thought, Henry Clark turned and walked away, continuing to wander around the set, carefully observing how everything operated.

Watching and learning as much as possible was his top priority right now.

Chapter 010: Newbie Gift Pack

At 2:30 a.m., even the energetic Henry Clark was dozing off with his eyes half open and half closed when the crew finally announced wrap for the night. The whole night, they only shot one scene; the rest of the time was spent in boredom.

Henry Clark calculated that the crew paid extras 70 yuan per day, and for three hours of overnight work, 10 yuan per hour.

So, for his first time as an actor, he earned 100 yuan.

At wrap, the extras leader Big Boss Stone arrived on the bus, and the junior leader David Bolton was in charge of roll call, checking the number of people who worked, and tallying attendance and extra pay. Tonight, all extras got 70 yuan in wages and 30 yuan in overtime, which was recorded in the crew’s accounts.

The crew would settle with the actors’ union, and the union would pay wages every half month, directly depositing them into a Construction Bank card.

“Henry Clark, just letting you know, for the next few days ‘潜伏黎明’ will be shooting night scenes. You’re new, and I prefer to use regulars for extras, so if you can manage it, try not to take any leave these days. Once we finish with the ‘潜伏黎明’ crew, if you want to make any changes, we’ll talk then.”

David Bolton wrote down Henry Clark’s name in his notebook, noted the three hours of overtime, and gave a few more instructions.

Henry Clark didn’t mind staying up late to film, so he agreed readily, “Don’t worry, I’m sticking with you, Brother Bolton, for now.”

David Bolton smiled, “If the night shoot ends early, before midnight, you can still go to other gigs during the day. If I have any crews, I’ll send you the notice.”

“OK.” Henry Clark changed his clothes, took out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket, opened it, offered one to Big Boss Stone who was doing roll call, then another to David Bolton who was taking notes, and handed the rest to Simon King, saying, “You smokers, help yourselves.”

“Yuxi, good cigarettes.”

The shoot was over, and smoking was no longer forbidden. The extras and featured extras couldn’t hold back—they all came over for a cigarette, and in the blink of an eye, the pack was gone.

With cigarettes in hand, the atmosphere changed. Many of the old Hengdian extras who had previously ignored Henry Clark now came over to chat with him for a bit, getting acquainted.

“Xiao Xu, where are you from?” Big Boss Stone finished roll call, cigarette in mouth, and asked Henry Clark in a friendly tone.

“Huai City, Jiangsu Province.”

“How long have you been in Hengdian?”

“This is my second day.”

Big Boss Stone nodded and said to David Mason, “Xiao Zhang, Xiao Xu is new—look after him.”

“Don’t worry, boss. Xiao Xu knows how to handle things. I like bringing in newbies like him.” David Bolton patted his chest in assurance.

After a few casual words and finishing their cigarettes, the information was checked, and everyone got on the bus.

The driver asked, “Is everyone here?” Without waiting for an answer, he started the engine and hit the road.