“What do you think?” Dennis Cooper said with a hint of disdain, “It’s just a background role with no lines. One look is enough for him—as long as you don’t look too strange, anyone can do it.”

Matthew Carter nodded. That made a lot of sense, and it made him realize even more how important opportunities were.

They entered another office, where a legal advisor brought over a contract. Matthew Carter took it and flipped through it. Reading it was a bit difficult—his own education level was too low. If he wanted to make progress in the future, he really needed to study more. At the very least, his reading and writing couldn’t stay this bad.

He just focused on the compensation section, then handed the contract to Dennis Cooper. It was better to let his agent handle this kind of thing anyway. There wasn’t much pay to be had, and he didn’t have to worry about a legitimate crew taking advantage of a nobody like him.

Seeing Dennis Cooper looking over the temporary contract, Matthew Carter continued thinking about his own situation. He decided that when he left, he’d find a bookstore and buy a few books about acting. That way, he could learn some professional knowledge and improve his reading skills—killing two birds with one stone.

The agent just skimmed through it and then called out to Matthew Carter, “Come over and sign.”

Matthew Carter went over and signed his name on the temporary contract. The young man who had brought them there said, “You can go now. I’ll call you when you’re needed.”

“Let’s go.” Dennis Cooper called to Matthew Carter. Matthew Carter was momentarily stunned, but still followed him out of the office.

“Why are they rushing us out?” Matthew Carter asked.

“They don’t need you to work today. What’s the point of keeping you here—so you can rack up hours and get paid for nothing?” Dennis Cooper said irritably. “Isn’t six dollars an hour still money?”

Matthew Carter shrugged. The temporary actor contract he’d just signed paid six dollars an hour. He guessed that was probably the local minimum wage. The crew had to pay for all the time he was required to be there, not just for filming, but also for waiting around after being called in.

And the pay didn’t go directly to him—the crew would pay the agency, and after the agency took a ten percent cut (the highest allowed), the rest would be deposited into his account.

When it came down to it, this job barely paid anything.

Matthew Carter now fully understood why actors who weren’t famous had to take side jobs to support themselves.

With a job like this, if you worked more than twenty days a month, you could get by. But how many temp actors could land that many gigs in a month?

“Hey, Dennis Cooper…”

Because of his previous breach of contract, Matthew Carter really needed money. “When can this pay rate go up?”

“Think it’s too little?”

There weren’t many people around, so Dennis Cooper answered casually, “Join the actors’ union, and your pay will at least double.”

Matthew Carter’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Dennis Cooper didn’t even look at Matthew Carter. “Of course it’s true. The actors’ union has rules: the minimum hourly wage for union members is ten dollars, and the minimum daily wage is one hundred and twenty dollars…”

Matthew Carter wasn’t stupid. He immediately sensed something was off. “Do crews dislike hiring high-paid temp actors?”

Just like when he waited for work at the labor market—what boss didn’t prefer cheap labor?

“You’re pretty sharp!” Dennis Cooper said, patting Matthew Carter on the shoulder in a world-weary way. “For someone like you, joining the actors’ union might seem like protection, but in reality, you’d lose your only competitive edge.”

He snorted. “And do you think you can just join the actors’ union whenever you want?”

Matthew Carter blinked, looking like a clueless fool. “Isn’t the entry threshold supposed to be really low?”

“Yeah, the actors’ union entry threshold is low!” Dennis Cooper strode ahead, and when Matthew Carter caught up, he continued, “But even a low threshold is still a threshold!”

“I see.” Matthew Carter needed to figure out some basic rules of the game. “Can you explain?”

Dennis Cooper glanced at Matthew Carter, looking a bit impatient, but since he’d used him as a stepping stone to get into this studio, he explained simply, “It’s not that easy to join the actors’ union. You have to meet the application requirements before you can apply.”

He coughed quietly and went on, “First, you have to have played a principal role in a film, commercial, or TV show under a union contract, and your pay must meet union standards. Alternatively, you can work thirty days on another production of the same standard, but you must apply to join the union within those thirty days. Or, any temp actor who has proof of working three separate days on union-approved productions, along with income verification, is also eligible to apply.”

Hearing this, Matthew Carter immediately realized that even if he wanted to join the union, he wasn’t qualified.

Dennis Cooper snorted again. “And you need a lot of money! In Los Angeles, the membership fee is three thousand dollars, and for someone like you, the semi-annual dues are another fifty-eight dollars.”

“I’d better stay independent,” Matthew Carter decided right away.

Dennis Cooper said in his world-weary tone again, “At least you’re not that dumb.”