Chapter 32: The Interview

Normally, talent agencies tended to receive numerous applications, day in, day out.

Hellion was no different... although at the moment, the volume they were receiving was quite manageable as they were recently established.

Still, even for them, filtering through and reviewing those applications typically took roughly a couple weeks to a month or two.

However, Niall’s submission had not only being reviewed in less than a week, he had also been scheduled for a meeting within that time frame.

But that wasn’t all.

Usually, when interviewing a prospective talent, HTA typically delegated the task to a single agent.

Yet, Niall’s case had warranted them to bring on three of their top agents.

Having gone through his file individually, and equally done some background check on him, even they were a bit stumped as to how why he’d come to their agency.

Though he seemed to have been typecast for a while, he had recently shown that he was capable of versatility in the new hit movie he’d acted in. Added to that, he also wrote a hit novel.

It would be an understatement to say he wasn’t already being scouted and prospected by other agencies.

Yet, he had come to theirs.

An agency still in its budding stages with little to no actual milestones to speak of when compared to others with more resources and acclaim.

Added to that, they didn’t have a single renowned actor signed onboard.

If that had been the case, they could’ve at least attributed his interest in joining their agency to that.

But since that wasn’t the case, they had nothing to go by.

Whatever the case may have been though, it mattered little now that he was before them.

Seated behind a wide ergonomic desk, all three flitted their gazes over to him at intervals as they reviewed his application cursorily.

Yet, seemingly unperturbed by it, Niall assumed a relaxed yet professional sitting position on the only plush couch in the office, a thin smile on his lips.

Palms interlocked, his back upright and both of his legs crossed over the other, he awaited the actual commencement of the interview.

"So," Dominic Hale, the agent who sat at the center of the three, began.

"Why you?" he asked, a cold, clipped precision to his voice that was purely professional.

Though he, much like his colleagues were quite curious about the young actor, it wouldn’t stop them from interviewing him as they did every Tom, Dick and Harry who believed they would have an easy time joining their agency.

For a brief moment, Niall stared at the sharp-looking middle-aged man with slicked black hair, one whose temples a few strands of silver had begun to claim.

Then,

"Why not me?" he countered rhetorically.

That evidently seemed to have caught the man off-guard... especially since Niall’s tone was honest without the slightest hint of arrogance or haughtiness.

What it did exude though, was a bottomless well of genuine confidence.

"I submitted an application. It most definitely went through a thorough vetting process. You scheduled a meeting."

"I’d be inclined to believe that if it didn’t pass through those stages successfully, we wouldn’t be here,"

"So,"

"Why not me?" Niall asked again, every bit of his demeanor exuding a certain sense of aplomb.

To that, Dominic whom had done a god job of hiding his initial surprise by being on the qui vive for any chink in Niall’s armor, gave a faint, almost acknowledging smile as he commented;

"Authors and their way with words,"

To that, Niall simply remained quiet, that same relaxed smile plastered on his lips even as the other agent seated on Dominic’s right reacted much the same.

Though he was rather appreciative of the comment, it wasn’t a question so he had no plans on reacting to it.

That said, the mood in the room had shifted considerably.

Whereas it had originally being all business, some measure of gentility had perfused through the air.

No doubt as a result of the way the young actor had answered the very first question.

Which was why,

"I’m curious... what was it about your last agency that stopped being enough for you?

This time, the question came from Marissa Kessler, the agent on Dominic’s right.

Equally middle-aged, the lady’s perfectly coifed brown hair which was styled in a 1940s to 50s pageboy retro wave, accentuated her much more relaxed demeanor which contrasted against Dominic’s cold outlook.

Yet, Niall for one moment didn’t assume she wasn’t equally as seasoned as Dominic.

There was something particularly subtle about her that implied she liked to worm her way into people’s minds and con them into revealing or doing things they’d rather not.

How did Niall know this?

Well, being the occasional haggler he was, it was a pretty nifty trait he had learned to pick up on when dealing with scheming kites, hence he could easily recognize another kindred soul with ease.

And that was why,

"Creative differences." Niall curtly responded, earning a curious yet amused arch of a brow from the agent.

"Giving me the hard sell, huh?" Marissa remarked rhetorically whilst nodding slightly, an amused smile on her lips.

Honestly, she had inkling as to why he had probably left his former agency. Afterall, the background check she had done on him hadn’t been for show.

Her asking had just been a way to assess if he had left because he had outgrown the agency or vice versa.

Unfortunately for her, it seemed like Niall had sensed what she was up to and was unwilling to play along.

With that out of the way though, the last and youngest agent, Victor Voss, decided to speak, his pen gently ticking aside a tuft of shiny-black hair from his forehead.

Despite the interactions his colleagues had had with Niall, he hadn’t reacted. Not once.

Notably in his late-thirties, he had an air to him that seemed rather relaxed and calm, striking a balance between Dominic’s cold precision and Marissa’s guilefulness.

Yet, there was equally an almost diminutive feel to him... one that implied he was more coiled than he was calm.

"What kind of roles would you refuse to take?" he simply questioned, his ice-blue irises briefly scanning Niall’s application again.

"Roles that would require me to perform intimate scenes,"

The answer came so fast, Victor and the other agents snapped their gazes to him.

More than that, Niall’s tone had shifted considerably, and so had the look in his cool-gray irises.

Any iota of reservation and gentility that he’d had, had been completely replaced by an unflinchingly steely demeanor.

One that gave no room for negotiations and refused to budge a single inch.

Tapping his fingers gently on the table, Victor’s reserved demeanor took on an immediate flip into genuine curiosity, his head tilted slightly;

"And why is that?"

For a brief moment, Niall maintained the agent’s gaze, trying to feel for any metric of insincerity.

However, when he’d realized there wasn’t, he replied;

"I know what kind of man I am, and, I know what kind of actor I want to be,"

"And I’m also quite certain that performing intimate scenes, won’t be what gets me there."

No sooner had Niall concluded, his reserved demeanor slipped back into place.

The atmosphere in the room on the other hand, remained steeped in a poignant silence.

Then, after a couple more seconds;

"Alright. That’s good to know." Victor responded, reassuming his natural demeanor... albeit a genuine smile remained plastered on his lips.

Dominic and Marissa on the other hand, looked between the duo, unsure of what to make of what had just transpired between them.

Nonetheless, they were quick to reign themselves in and return to interviewing Niall.

In the next hour following that, they asked a couple more questions, each in a rotation from Dominic, to Marissa, then Victor, then repeat;

Do you think you need an agency like ours to succeed?

Quick question. If we put you in a bad film with a strong director, or a great film with a weak one, which would you pick?

You get one breakout opportunity. What stops you from fumbling it?

With each respective question, Niall rolled it over in his mind;

’Are you the dependent type, or can you handle things yourself if push comes to shove?’

’How good is your instinctual and long-term thinking?’

’Are you reliable under pressure?’

Only after unveiling the hidden queries that lay beneath each did he respond, answering them as best as he could.

Then, after discussing between his fellow agents for a brief moment, Dominic asked the final question of the day;

"If we invest in you... what do we get in return?"

To that, Niall gave his most cordial smile and allowed the question to linger for a bit.

Then, he replied;

"An asset that never disappoints."

With that, all three agents raised their brows in shared surprise.

Following up almost immediately though, Dominic declared;

"Alright, Mr. Parker. That will be all for today."

"Thank you for your time. We’ll get back to you soon on the results of our deliberation."

Nodding in appreciation, Niall stood up from the chair and adjusted his blazer slightly;

"Thank you for your time. I appreciate the conversation, and I look forward to your decision."

Not a moment wasted, he was already out the door, a faint smile touching his lips.

But as he left, he heard Marissa burst into laughter as she remarked;

"My, my! He’s a cheeky one! I already like him a lot!"

The cause for this had been simple.

Niall had said; I appreciate the conversation, instead of I appreciate your time; almost like he knew all they’d been doing thus far had simply being theatrics.

It signaled a sense of professionalism mixed with just the right amount of charm and easy confidence.

And for Marissa, she knew well enough how far those traits could take an artist in the industry.

In any case, after gathering herself, all three agents decided to have their own meeting.

The goal?

To deliberate upon whom Niall Parker’s agent should be.

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07