Swing in Chicago (Part 2)
Steam hissed from the boiler pipes. "..." Staring blankly at the rising vapor, Daniel Summit felt winter creeping into Chicago.
Soon, the season would arrive when he could finally capture the exact backdrop he envisioned for his film. He knew he had to wrap up pre-production before then, no matter what.
'Today is the most important day.' Daniel scratched his pale cheek as he climbed the stairs leading to the studio.
Today was the long-awaited day of auditions. He had even gone back to his apartment for the first time in a month just to shower and change into fresh clothes. Standing at the top of the stairs—his final hurdle—he tried to calm his nerves and organize the mountain of problems he had put off.
The biggest headache, of course, was casting. The budget was locked, and crew hiring, location scouting, and storyboarding were all moving along smoothly.
'On paper, at least.' This was a micro-budget indie film of barely a hundred thousand dollars, running on a skeleton crew of about ten people. In filmmaking, time was money, which meant he needed to lock down his cast and start shooting immediately.
'Please, let there be someone among today's applicants who can carry my first lead role.' After scraping through pre-production, their budget was so tight that even renting this studio for a single day felt like a luxury. He couldn't afford a single mistake.
Back in film school, Daniel had been obsessed with high art. German Expressionism, Soviet Montage, Poetic Realism—he had devoured them all. He had conceived this project with those lofty movements in mind, but the harsh reality of his budget and schedule offered no room for such indulgence.
'Once you step into the real world, nothing goes the way you planned.' Daniel used to believe that art should never be compromised. Back in school, whether in lectures or over drinks, he had been the loudest critic of any director who dared to sell out.
But once he secured funding and actually had to make a movie, the pressure mounted from all sides. That was the tax you paid for spending other people's money. There was no avoiding it. Sure, he had heard of ultra-low-budget films made for ten thousand dollars, but those usually succeeded because the director was a one-man army or had some tragic, tear-jerking backstory—like going completely bankrupt because they couldn't even afford to pay their actors.
In that regard, Daniel was in a much better position. Even if it was solely due to his father's connections, he had at least been introduced to a proper production company. 'Right, let's do this.' Even if today promised to be a grueling ordeal.
The audition pool consisted entirely of rookies who, much like himself, had no real credits to their names. He had expected as much; it was the only option. He was fully prepared to sift through the mud to find a hidden gem.
But among the submissions, there was one profile that defied all logic. Someone had actually submitted the portfolio of Sion Lee, the teen heartthrob who had set Hollywood ablaze over the last few years.
'There's no way the real Sion Lee is coming... It has to be a prank or an impostor, right?' Yet, when Daniel had called to schedule the audition, the voice on the other end had been so identical it gave him goosebumps. He had even called the actor's agency just in case, only to be told that Sion Lee was currently on hiatus. Why on earth would a guy like that suddenly show up in freezing Chicago to audition for an indie film?
'He's probably partying with gorgeous girls in bikinis on some warm California beach right now.' Daniel was absolutely convinced it was a fake. But even if the real deal actually showed up, Daniel had zero intention of casting him. Sion Lee was the exact kind of actor film school snobs loved to hate. To cinephiles like Daniel, he was a pretty boy who starred in trashy Hollywood rom-coms—a guy who chased cheap fame and fortune instead of artistic integrity, someone it was almost embarrassing to call an actor. A star manufactured entirely out of a handsome face.
It was absurd, but if by some miracle Sion Lee actually showed up... 'I'll give him a reality check he'll never forget.' Smirking, Daniel pushed up his glasses as he stepped onto the top landing. But as he turned down the hallway, his breath caught. Standing there was an impossibly handsome young man.
Hearing footsteps, the young man turned. Daniel was met with a pair of mysterious, melancholic green eyes. The stranger stood well over six feet tall, his glossy dirty blonde hair neatly slicked back with pomade. He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, but his proportions were so striking he looked like a runway model. Even as a straight man, Daniel felt his heart skip a beat at the sheer, near-flawless perfection of the youth's features. Swept up in a wave of surreal disbelief, Daniel Summit let out a strangled gasp.
"Y-You're really Sion Lee?!"
The door slammed shut with a heavy thud. Inside the audition room, a man smoking a cigarette looked up. It was James Parker, the film's cinematographer. A white man in his mid-thirties, James smirked at the sight of a pale-faced Daniel Summit frozen by the door.
"You saw him too, huh?"
"...What the hell is going on? This isn't some hidden camera show, is it?"
"I had the same thought and looked around. Checked to see if there were any hidden cameras. Nothing. Besides, it makes no sense. What network would waste their time pulling a prank on a couple of nobodies like us? Shows like that plan everything down to the last detail for maximum viral marketing."
The modern entertainment industry treated every frame and every face as a commodity. Ordinary people who appeared on reality TV routinely debuted as actors a few months later, and even a background prop was usually a paid product placement. That was why this made absolutely no sense. Why would a star of Sion Lee's caliber show up here to audition?
"An actor like him has massive sponsorship deals and is bound by dozens of contracts. Just showing up to an audition like this could trigger breach-of-contract complaints from his sponsors. Yet here he is. It's baffling. Either he's completely insane, or he's the type who just doesn't give a damn about the fine print."
"Are we absolutely sure it's really him?"
"Well, as far as I know, there's only one guy in the entire country who looks that ridiculously good."
"Argh! But why?!"
"We'll have to ask him ourselves." James slowly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, trying to mask the slight tremor in his hand.
"But seriously, do you think we can pull this off?"
"..." Daniel couldn't find the words. Just minutes ago, he had been eager to tear the actor apart with a harsh, intellectual critique. But seeing the man in the flesh had utterly paralyzed him. The sheer gravity of Sion's presence and appearance was that overwhelming.
'Is... is that what a real actor looks like?' Amidst his mounting confusion, a passing remark from one of his old film school professors echoed in his mind.
And he had just felt that very aura. 'Me? Feeling that from Sion Lee?' The notorious Hollywood brat? The pretty boy whose acting skills didn't even cover a fraction of his fame? He had felt an 'aura' from a guy like that?
'It has to be an illusion. I'm just dazed because he's so ridiculously good-looking...'
"Hey, Daniel?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. What is it?"
"Are you actually going to be able to audition him?"
"...I have to."
"We aren't the only ones having a crisis." Confused, Daniel tilted his head. James gestured toward the door. Daniel cracked it open and gasped. The waiting room had turned into a chaotic, impromptu fan meeting.
"Oh my god! You are so gorgeous in person! I'm such a huge fan!"
"Is it true? Did you really come all the way here to audition for this movie?"
"Thank you. Yes, I'm auditioning with everyone else today."
"But why? An actor like you doesn't need to audition for a tiny indie film. Honestly, you don't even need to look at scripts like this!"
"Haha, well..." Sion merely offered a soft, enigmatic smile. That subtle shift in his expression sent a wave of quiet squeals through the female hopefuls gathered around him. He carried himself with an effortless grace that felt entirely out of place in a tense audition waiting room.
But that wasn't the worst of it. As Daniel scanned the room, counting heads, he realized a significant portion of the male lead applicants had vanished.
'They walked out.' The moment they realized they were competing against Sion Lee, they had packed up and left, knowing they didn't stand a chance. Sion was throwing the entire audition into absolute chaos just by existing. He was like an invasive species disrupting a fragile ecosystem.
"...Damn it, what the hell are we supposed to do now?"
"What do you mean? We cast Sion Lee, obviously."
"Are you insane? I'm here to cast an actor for my movie."
"Then go out there and politely tell him to hit the road."
"..."
"I'm sure Fred would absolutely love that."
"Can we... keep this a secret?"
"Oh, hell no. Count me out."
"Please, James! Just do me this one favor. I'll buy you a beer later!"
"Grow up, Daniel." James's eyes sharpened.
"You're a professional now. This isn't some film school project. Do you have any idea how insanely lucky you are? You're a greenhorn fresh out of college who somehow secured funding for a feature film, and now Sion Lee—a massive Hollywood star—has walked through your door to audition. He's an actor so big that our entire budget wouldn't normally buy us a single line of dialogue from him."
"That's exactly why it's so terrifying..."
"What, do you have that little confidence in your own script?"
"No! It's about the tone of the film, and—"
"Excuses, Daniel. You have to at least test him. Fair and square. As a director to an actor."
"Do you not remember his acting? Watching a sloth eat a leaf in slow motion is more dramatically compelling than his performances!"
"That's just snobbery talking, cinephile. You still have to see it for yourself."
That struck a nerve. James was right. Daniel had no idea why a superstar like Sion Lee had sought out a micro-budget indie film helmed by a first-time director, but as a filmmaker, he had to face his actors head-on.
"Fine. Let's do this. Wherever the hell this train wreck takes us." Though visibly shaken, the rookie director spoke with a sudden, fierce determination. James let out a hearty laugh.
"We'll go straight to the top! If we get him on camera, this movie is a guaranteed hit!"
'That's exactly what I'm afraid of...' Daniel wanted to shoot back, but the die was cast. He took a final look at the audition schedule on his desk, opened the door, and called out the first name.
"Robert Keegan, please come in when you're ready."
Silence. It seemed Robert had tucked tail and run the moment he saw Sion Lee.
"Um... Steve Baker?"
Again, no response. The actors huddled around Sion looked at one another, but nobody stepped forward. Daniel felt a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. What infuriated him even more was that the culprit behind this mass exodus was sitting there with a relaxed, easy smile, looking completely unbothered. He looked so smugly confident, as if he already knew the role was his.
After calling a few more names to an empty room, Daniel gave up.
"...Sion Lee."
"Yes, right here."
"Please come in when you're ready."
Sion stood up and walked forward with effortless confidence. Behind him, a chorus of hushed squeals and encouraging whispers followed: "Oh my god!" "Good luck!" "I hope you get it!" Daniel muttered a quiet curse under his breath.
"Look at him, not a care in the world..."
And so, the audition began. Daniel sat back down and glared at Sion as the young actor closed the door behind him. But despite the director's glaring hostility, Sion remained entirely unfazed, keeping his polite smile. James flipped through Sion's resume and broke the ice with a light chuckle.
"Honestly, we thought someone was playing a prank on us."
"I figured you might think that," Sion replied smoothly. "I assumed you'd think it was just someone with the same name. I was in such a rush to submit that I forgot to attach a headshot, and I only realized it after I hit send."
"Well, for a rushed application, your resume was incredibly detailed..."
"Ah." Sion offered a small, devastatingly handsome smile. "I suppose it was."
Taken aback by the young star's effortless composure, James quickly cleared his throat and shifted gears.
"We heard through the grapevine that you're currently on hiatus."
"Yes. I hear the paparazzi who used to stalk me are either facing mass layoffs or booking flights to Chicago as we speak."
"...So, what brings a star like you to a project like ours?"
"Just trying to help those journalists find a new career path." Sion chuckled. "No, in all seriousness, I felt I had reached a point where I needed a new challenge."
As the interview began in earnest, Sion spoke with a calm, deliberate sincerity.
"When I watched films like Sex, Lies, and Videotape or At Your House Tonight, I couldn't help but think, 'I want to do something like that.' Seeing films that broke away from the rigid, formulaic Hollywood mold made me realize how much I wanted to expand my range as an actor."
"...Ha. So what you're saying is, there's no particular reason it has to be our film?" Daniel, who had been listening in silence, interjected sharply. He barely managed to suppress the urge to yell, 'You came to our audition just to satisfy some passing whim?!' To Sion, this was probably just a fun little experiment. But to Daniel, this movie was his entire life.
Sion paused, taking in the director's undisguised hostility. He took a slow, quiet breath and gave a small nod.
"I suppose you could look at it that way. I saw the casting call in a trade magazine and applied. That's all."
"So you admit you didn't take this seriously?"
"The impulse was light, perhaps. But the decision itself was not."
"...What is that supposed to mean?"
"I fully anticipated the scene in the hallway just now," Sion said calmly. "I also know exactly what kind of media circus will follow if I'm cast. I knew it would make the other actors and the production crew uncomfortable. Hell, even the fashion brands sponsoring me are going to throw a fit. Their lead designer is always throwing tantrums about me maintaining a 'cool, high-fashion' image."
Sion spoke of these high-level industry realities as if they were casual gossip. Intrigued despite himself by the actor's candor, Daniel pressed further.
"And despite all that, you still chose to apply? Just to change your image?"
"Above all else... because I got a feeling."
"A feeling?"
"A feeling that this project would be incredibly fulfilling. Call it an actor's intuition. And seeing how much you dislike me, Director, I knew I wouldn't get any special treatment here. Honestly, that's exactly what I was hoping for."
Daniel narrowed his eyes. Beside him, James blinked in sheer disbelief. Was this how A-list Hollywood stars actually operated? Or was Sion Lee just a complete anomaly? Did this kid not realize how many people's livelihoods depended on him? Every single move he made carried a price tag of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Yet Sion paid no mind to their bewildered expressions and continued in a steady, even tone.
"I know it must sound incredibly arrogant for someone who knows nothing about your film to say these things. But this is how I've always lived. I follow my gut. It's landed me in a lot of hot water with the tabloids, sure, but I don't regret it. To me, acting is about honing your mind and body to put them on display. If you aren't passionate about the work, there's no point in doing it."
"..."
"..."
It was a remarkably blunt way to speak in an audition. Yet, the raw sincerity behind his words struck a chord, plunging the small room into a profound silence. Daniel and James each processed Sion's words in their own way. Actor. Director. Cinematographer. In the end, those were the only titles that mattered. A film was, after all, a collaborative art born from the synergy of individual artists.
Realizing how petty he had been acting, Daniel felt a flush of embarrassment creep up his neck. He cleared his throat.
"...I apologize. I was being defensive."
"I understand," Sion replied easily. "We're in Chicago, far away from the Hollywood bubble."
In the early 2000s, information didn't travel instantly or without distortion, especially when it came to celebrity gossip. 'He seems so... used to this.' The hostility in Daniel's eyes melted away, replaced by a sudden wave of shame. He felt incredibly embarrassed for having judged the man solely on tabloid rumors and commercial film credits. The tabloids painted Sion Lee as a spoiled, toxic brat, yet here he was, speaking with the maturity and gravity of a seasoned professional. It was a stark reminder of how easily the media exaggerated things, and how utterly untrustworthy the yellow press truly was. Daniel took a quiet moment to reflect on his own narrow-mindedness.
"In that case, let's proceed with the cold reading." With a newfound respect in his eyes, Daniel handed over the audition script. Sion took it, a quiet thought passing through his mind.
'Well, that seemed to do the trick.' He obviously couldn't tell them the absolute truth—that he knew Daniel would become a legendary director in the future, or that he wanted to rebel against a Hollywood system entirely corrupted by corporate greed. The explanation he had spun on the spot was a necessary lie. Yet, even if his actual motives were far more calculated...
'My desire to shed my old image and give this role everything I have is absolutely real.' Looking up, Sion saw Daniel and James watching him, their eyes now shining with genuine anticipation.