CH 13

Chapter 13 Cesare Vigeri

CAA， Creative Artists Agency.

Both Jenny and Chen Zhen have heard of this name — CAA is too famous that as long as you know a little about the American entertainment industry, you will have heard of it. CAA was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, Hollywood. It is the undisputed number one talent agency in the world, with a market share far surpassing the second place. Outside the United States, signing with CAA is something to be proud of and their signed celebrity artists have mostly bragged about it. Even in the United States, it is very attractive to be a member of the CAA family. CAA has a complete range of departments, both on and off the stage. As long as the investor has an idea and enough money, CAA can put together a star-studded cast. If the investor has enough money, CAA can even create an all-star cast from lead actors, directors, producers, wardrobe stylists, and art directors. Of course, the amount of money the investor has to pay is astronomical.

After hearing the three letters CAA, Jenny immediately understood why Fat Jim was so arrogant and impolite to Dave, an assistant director. If Jim was the agent of a big star, then Dave would be nothing in his eyes.

Of course, it’s a bit unbelievable that the agent of a big star would come and watch her perform for no reason. But in Hollywood, everything is possible. The Universal Studios lot doesn’t just film TV shows, but also many big-budget movies. The place where the director’s meeting was held previously was the office building of the studios where even A-list stars can be found, so it’s not impossible for a star’s agent to come in. Since he saw her, gained interest in her, and knew she was filming here, it wouldn’t cost him anything to come in and take a look.

Jenny remained silent the whole way, while Jim couldn’t stop talking because of his excitement. However, there wasn’t much meaningful information in what he said. He talked endlessly about Cesare’s bad temper, how precious this opportunity was to Jenny, and how she should behave in front of Cesare.

“This is your chance,” he said. “Girl, you don’t understand how precious this opportunity is. You will skyrocket, my God, this is simply a match made in heaven. But you must perform perfectly without any flaws. Cesare is a deadly perfectionist. You have to know that I took a risk by bringing you over.”

He began to sweat, and two wet marks soaked through the underarms of his shirt, that even the cologne couldn’t cover up the smell of sweat. Jenny felt a little uneasy because of him. She consciously moved away from Jim a bit, so he wouldn’t get too excited and drip sweat on her, dirtying her costume.

“Cesare,” she said, “Jim, can I ask who Cesare is?”

Both CAA and Universal Studios are situated not far in distance in Hollywood. Jim made a sharp turn and braked to a stop in the parking lot. He quickly got out of the car, grabbed his tie and wiped his face with it, and anxiously gestured for Jenny to follow him quickly. “Vigeri, Cesare Vigeri. Haven’t you heard of his name?”

“No,” Jenny said, “Is he an Italian?”

Jim’s face twisted into a unique expression of despair. “No, no,” he said.

As he walked and talked on the phone, he pleaded, “Oh, please let him be there, please let him be there— Nora! Tell me that Cesare hasn’t left yet!”

He then used his pass to bring Jenny into the CAA building while still on the phone, hurrying to press the elevator button. Jenny didn’t even get a chance to appreciate the decor of the CAA building before being brought into the elevator. Jim pressed a button for a very high floor that was only two floors away from the top.

“I have to brief you,” Jim said, regaining some composure and rationality in the strong air conditioning. He pulled out a handkerchief and quickly wiped his sweat while speaking. “Since you don’t know Cesare, I don’t think you know the rules inside CAA. We don’t have titles, only positions, no exclusive meeting rooms or offices, and we use flat management*. To outsiders, we claim to treat all agents equally, regardless of seniority.”

He spoke crisply, “But of course, all that is mere bullshit for external propaganda. Differences in status would surely exist based on ability and seniority. Just, in CAA, your status is reflected on the floor level your office is on. The higher the status, the higher the floor. The floor we are going to is the office floor exclusive to CAA’s senior agents. And there, only a few don’t have their own offices.”

He took a breath and continued, “So, you understand now how precious this opportunity is? Even within CAA, resources are limited, and competition is fierce. Cesare is a member of the 45th floor. Once you are on the 45th floor, you will always be on the 45th floor. Girl—”

“Jenny,” Jenny interrupted, frowning as she observed Jim thoughtfully. “I still have many questions.”

“You can ask them later. Cesare is leaving for the airport in an hour. There’s no time to waste now. I can only tell you that you should make every effort to seize this opportunity.” Jim said.

The elevator beeped and stopped on the 45th floor. Jim rushed out like a whirlwind, but Jenny still walked at a leisurely pace. Jim turned back to glare at her but didn’t say a word as they were receiving curious looks from the people in the cubicles nearby.

“If you want me to make a good first impression,” Jenny pointed out matter-of-factly, “then I can only maintain my pace.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jim suddenly stopped, murmuring to himself. “Let’s go. Cesare’s office is over here.”

Jenny followed Jim to a corner where he knocked on the door and whispered a few words to the female assistant sitting outside before knocking on the door. His movements went from panicked to cautious, as if a sleeping lion was inside the room and any sudden movements would awaken it.

“Come in,” a concise voice came from inside the room.

Jim pushed the door open, motioning for Jenny to enter with him.

Jenny walked in, and the next moment, a look of surprise flashed on her face— one that was not common for her.

#

Cesare Vigeri was a name that screams European, Vijayri being a French surname – thankfully, Jenny was still a pretty good student, and she was somewhat knowledgeable in areas that interested her – while Cesare was a common name in Southern Europe. Considering Cesare Vigeri’s status, Jenny expected to see a middle-aged person with Southern European heritage, of average build, and a slightly dark complexion, because of his profession as an agent, he likely possesses a friendly temperament and a constant smile.

—Cesare Vigeri overturned every one of her guesses.

He was tall, with fair skin, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes. His pure golden short hair was combed back with hair wax – although the roots were slightly darker in color, this was natural in blond-haired and blue-eyed people. After reaching adulthood, it was common for blondes to not have an evenly distributed hair color, with the tips being golden and the roots being slightly brown– just like Jenny, he was a typical Germanic man.

And breathtakingly handsome.

Chen Zhen had seen attractive men and women before. In the 21st century, media were developed and beautiful people could be easily found in TV and movies, bombarding viewers all the time. Even without counting these on-screen beauties, Chen Zhen had seen many men and women who relied on their good looks to make a living. She flew to Milan and New York for shows every now and then and was often invited to attend fashion industry events at home and abroad.

None of them could compare to Cesare Vigeri. Jenny thought: even if this man is an idiot who can’t even deliver lines, with his physique and beauty, he will surely make a name for himself in less than half a year if he was willing to walk the runways.

This immediately piqued her interest: young and good-looking, why is he hiding behind the scenes instead of stepping forward to make astronomical amounts of money? Although agents make a good income, they cannot possibly earn more than the stars they represent.

Maybe she misunderstood and he was just another client and Cesare Vigeri is someone else?

But Jenny’s speculation was immediately cut off by Jim, who took a few steps forward and very naturally – but also nervously – began to promote Jenny to Cesare, “You absolutely have to take a look at this girl, Cesa, she is the best successor I’ve found, just look at how beautiful she is, and this is not even all of it – this girl can act! Man, trust me.”

He shook his head with emotion, looked at Jenny, and continued, his tone intoxicated and convincing, “She’s the most un-rookie-like rookie I’ve ever seen. Cesa, when she’s before the camera, literally – God, I don’t know how to describe it.”

Cesare reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned to look at Jenny.

Jenny felt like she had been hit in the face with a bucket of cold water. Cesare’s gaze was so icy-cold, it took her breath away. It wasn’t just because of his attractiveness but also because of the natural coldness that seemed to emanate from him like an aristocrat— grand and domineering. Jenny believed that anyone who met his gaze would feel a strong sense of discomfort—feeling worthless and inadequate.

She was no exception. When Cesare looked at her, she felt like she had been running under the scorching sun for a long time. It made her conscious of her makeup that may have smudged, the poorly fitted costume she was wearing, and the few clips on the back of her dress to hold it in place. She thought about how she only had a little over three thousand dollars in her bank account— who knew when she would have another opportunity like this? Under Cesare’s gaze, she had the urge to curl up and submit, a thought that naturally made her feel powerless to fight.

However, Jenny Jane was not just Jenny Jane. She was also Chen Zhen, the former wife of a real estate business tycoon. Under Cesare’s intense pressure, she did not back down. Instead, she straightened her back and gave him a relaxed smile.

Cesare narrowed his eyes.

“Appearance-wise, I’d give her a 90.” He suddenly spoke, still maintaining eye contact with Jenny. “But her aura is too plain. What are you basing on to persuade me of her potential to become a superstar? Like I’ve told you, you need to judge people with your heart.”

Jim did not react in time and missed the chance to defend himself. Cesare turned back to his desk and continued to sort through the files. “Appearance-wise, yeah, she can be a magazine cover model. Good acting skills, great, sufficient to make her a leading actress in a TV series, and maybe even have a future in the movie industry. But what we’re talking about is a superstar, Jim. Do you know what we’re talking about? I know you’ve always been a womanizer, using all kinds of cheap tricks to pick up girls. But barging into my office like this?”

His tone paused for a moment, then continued, with no change in tone. However, Jenny realized that Cesare Vigeri possessed an even chillier and unapproachable side to him. “This is your new low.”

Cesare finished sorting the files on his desk and turned to face Jim. “You have two minutes to convince me not to fire you, starting now.”

“Cesa, I know, I know what you mean.” Jim was already sweating profusely and began to speak as soon as he found an opportunity. “You’re right, at first, my intention was to have some fun. I noticed her during her makeup tryout at Universal. When I heard she was starting to shoot this week, I went over to take a look. I wanted to use— you know, that trick— ‘Hi, I’m a CAA agent’ — anyway, I went there, but when I got there, oh my God, when I saw her in front of the camera, I knew she was not a woman in my league. Cesa, you should take a look, you’ll understand. Jenny is literally the incarnation of Marilyn Monroe— no— she was even better than Monroe. Younger and even more stunning. But that aura, that feeling of dominating the room—”

Cesare’s gaze shifted back to Jenny as he looked at her from top to toe. A barely discernible crack appeared in his icy-cold expression.

“Tape.” He said. Jenny realized he is a man of few words.

“Err—err—” Jim awkwardly stuttered, perhaps because of the realization of his carelessness. “I—err—I know you are almost due to leave for New York, then to Paris, and will not be back until two months later. She acted in the first episode of the newest season of CSI, I—err—they have not edited it into the final film.”

Cesare closed his eyes and pinched his nose. “It’s 10:43 now,” he checked his watch. “I want to see her performance tape by 11:30. You have 47 minutes.”

Jim looked back and forth between Jenny and Cesare, Jenny waved at him and it was as if he received a push in the back, he abruptly turned around and hurriedly pushed open the door before running out.

The door swung back and forth on its hinges, and Jenny could hear his heavy footsteps causing a commotion of gasps.

Cesare paid no attention to Jim. When Jenny turned her attention back, she found him behind the desk and pulling open a drawer to take out a bottle of air freshener. He walked to where Jim had been standing and sprayed several times into the air, then meticulously put away the air freshener. He gestured to Jenny. “Sit.”

It was still a single word, concise and clear: “sit.” There was no “please” or the more polite “have a seat.” Cesare had always held the upper hand in the situation, and it seemed that he did not mind abusing it.

But Jenny decided that this situation was not in her favor. It wasn’t just because she didn’t like being in a subservient position like Jim, but also because Cesare did not seem to carry much interest in her at the moment.

Even though she was still confused about Cesare’s identity and experiences, Dave, Lynch, and Jim’s behavior all confirmed one thing: Jim was right. Cesare was a big shot, and this was Jenny’s big opportunity.

How could she let it slip away?

“It’s 10:44 now,” Jenny Jane said, as she sat in the visitor’s chair across from the desk, with her legs crossed and one hand elegantly resting on the armrest. “There’s still one hour and forty-seven minutes until 12:30. Mr. Vigeri, nice to meet you.”

She smoothly switched into Marilyn Monroe mode, lowering her voice and uncrossing her legs. She smiled confidently while staring at Cesare Vigeri, almost tauntingly, she said, “Now, you have one hour and forty-seven minutes to convince me that you’re a good agent.”

Cesare remained unmoved, his cold attitude yet remains, with only a slight wrinkle at the tip of his nose and an almost imperceptible flicker in his eyes. However, Jenny knew that she had successfully ignited his interest.

“Good.” Cesare said, “You have successfully caught my attention, well done.”

He pulled out a blank folder, opened it with a snap, and symbolically asked, “Now, shall we formally begin?”

Author’s Note: CAA is indeed the most powerful talent agency in Hollywood, with more than 50% of the market share, involved in the front-end and behind-the-scenes of the film and television industry, as well as representing artists and booking performances in the music industry. While they do have a flat management structure, in reality, the idea of floor representation is fictional. Their headquarters is indeed located in a building in Century City. What’s more, a distinctive feature of CAA is cross-representation, where each top-tier artist doesn’t have just one agent but multiple agents managing different parts of their business, which prevents agents from jumping ship and taking their artists with them.