The forms reached the American Actors a.s.sociation by post. The staff opened them one by one. After getting approved and verified, they would be filed.
The a.s.sociation had the largest actor database in the US and played an important role among film firms, investors and producers.
Films of all kinds and cla.s.ses could find the right actors in the database, to which the resume-collecting staff contributed a lot.
Female staff had an advantage at work, as the requirements were cautiousness and tolerance when handling complicated paperwork. There were five women working in that section amid a harmonious, relaxed atmosphere.
"Work is coming..."
Bang! A strong black woman set a large box down on the desk. "Come on, sweethearts!"
The other women gathered around and took the papers away.
Most of them were junior applications. They would just register them in the system for the other departments to sort them out.
Some of them just updated older profiles, like Qin Guan's. Actors would renew their data when they got an important role in a film with a big budget, showed up in a famous TV program, or won an award in a compet.i.tion.
Those were all reasons for an update. The staff just registered in the system according to the regulations.
"Name... Qin Guan... Registered or not... Yes. Wow! Another update. Good for him!"
Some actors stumbled upon a chance by luck, but their value still increased in the circle.
There were hundreds of thousands of actors registered in the a.s.sociation, plus some who did not qualify. Among all those actors, only few could become famous.
Martha's colleagues gathered around her curiously.
"Who is he? Let's have a look. Maybe he is our idol..."
"Here he is!" Martha opened Qin Guan's original doc.u.ments in the system.
His photos were displayed on the screen. The Asian actor was really handsome.
"Wow! It's him! I know him. He was the victim of fake news."
"He was the Best Actor Award winner at Cannes!"
That explained why he wanted to update his resume. His value would increase greatly thanks to the award.
After reading his resume, the ladies fell silent.
"He must be very talented. It’s a pity that..."
"It’s a pity that he is Asian. He doesn’t have any experience in American commercial films."
"Yes. I watched his film. He’s got good acting skills. An indie film though... The box office was average."
They exchanged a glance and then returned to their seats gloomily. The pile of paperwork before them seemed boring now.
Martha updated Qin Guan’s resume calmly and found his original doc.u.ments in a case.
"Hey, Martha!" Another girl, who was interested in Qin Guan, called out.
"What cla.s.s of film could he get according to industry standards?"
Martha didn't reply. She just typed on the keyboard. Two minutes later, she said, "C level."
"What? Impossible! That's too low for him." The ladies were aggrieved. Qin Guan was well-known by then.
"That's true." Martha was still busy with work. "The actor a.s.sociation relies on popularity and achievements. He’s only made one film. All his work was in China, so he is still at D level. He might have won the Best Actor award, but he has never acted in an A level film. Besides, he has never been a leading actor in an indie or commercial film, or gotten considerable box office success. It's natural for him to be cla.s.sified at C level."
"Hollywood and America are commerce-oriented. Plus, his skin color explains that cla.s.sification."
Her response was reasonable. The other girls fell silent. Only the clicks of their keyboards were heard in the room.
Martha sighed again. She put a "C" on the paperwork and filed it.
"The most famous Asian actors in Hollywood are Chinese. Chow Yun Fat is no more than B level now. If he fails in a B level film, he will drop another level."