In fact, every child actor has an agent, even a transparent nobody in the agency like Yuji.
But for most child actors, it is quite difficult even to catch a glimpse of their agent.
To put it bluntly, the fundamental reason is—the child actor market is simply too deformed!
According to surveys, there are currently over six hundred child actor agencies of various sizes in Japan, and more than forty thousand child actors.
Among these more than forty thousand people, the child actors who can make a name for themselves externally and be known by the audience are the kind that can be counted on both hands.
Therefore, most child actors only have agents in name.
In reality, many child actors without Acting or talent never even see an agent from the time they enter the industry until their child actor career ends.
Yuji was the same before.
On usual days coming to the agency, he basically crammed into a van with a bunch of other child actors.
Fortunately, relying on an adult’s vision and worldly wisdom, he chatted with a certain producer on a set once; the other party became interested in him and recommended him for auditions for “white coastline” and “she and him”.
Otherwise, Yuji would still belong to that category of child actors who ‘cram into cars and never see their agent’.
However…
although the situation had improved, it hadn’t improved by much.
Closing the script for “she and him”, Yuji turned his head expressionlessly.
To his left was a female child actor who had stage fright and was wailing, clinging to her mother’s sleeve and refusing to let go.
To his right was a male child actor who was completely terrified by the solemn atmosphere of the audition.
Uh…
judging by the smell…
it seemed he was so scared he wet his pants.
What torture…
Yuji remained expressionless.
Many people have an inexplicable fantasy about child actors, feeling that they are mature and capable, that even as children they can accomplish adults’ work without stage fright in front of the screen.
But in reality—it!
is!
absolutely!
not!
the!
case!
Stage fright and fear, emotions losing control at the shooting location at the drop of a hat, requiring parents to accompany them on site, and at five or six years old completely unable to remember long lines—this is the true portrayal of most child actors.
Of course, after all, those child actors who can still perfectly express themselves in front of the camera basically belong to the famous geniuses.
But even so, most child actors still need their parents to accompany them, and a small number of child actors have parents who are their agents—for instance, Kana, whom Yuji interacted with yesterday; her mother acted as her agent and was ingratiating herself with the director on set at that time.
Ah…
no, no.
Yuji shook his head.
He had already said he didn’t want to interact with anime heroines, so why was he thinking about them again?
Sure enough, it’s better to just honestly read the script.
Yuji expressionlessly flipped through the script.
“Hey—”
A crisp, familiar voice carrying a solipsistic aura suddenly sounded in his ear.
Yuji was unmoved.
This definitely wasn’t calling him; a minor child actor like him generally wouldn’t have anyone willing to strike up a conversation proactively.
“Hey!
I’m calling you!
You guy!
Why aren’t you answering me!”
A trace of anger seemed to be mixed into the shouting tone.
Yes, yes, hurry up and find the person to look for, then leave.
Yuji thought this to himself.
“Minami!
Yuji!
I am calling you!”
Chubby, fair fingers suddenly stretched out from in front of him, pressing the script down.
“…” Yuji let out a helpless sigh and raised his head.
Standing right in front of him was Kana with her wine-red hair.
At this moment, the other party was holding the script in her right hand, arms crossed over her chest, staring at him with great dissatisfaction.
It seemed that in Miss Kana’s cognition, there probably wasn’t the option of ‘others deliberately ignoring her’.
Moreover…
Yuji could clearly sense that all the curious gazes around had been projected over.
At the same time, there was whispering.
“Is that Kana?”
“That genius child star who can cry in ‘ten seconds’?”
“She’s really so cute in person.”
“The little boy in front of her is also so good-looking, could he also be a famous child actor from some big agency?”
“…” Yuji.
Yuji didn’t hate being paid attention to, but being paid attention to in this way…
To be honest, in every sense, he had a bit of a headache.
Let alone that he really didn’t understand why Kana, this particularly troublesome 2D heroine, would target him and proactively come over to talk to him?
Didn’t he just take a heavy hit to his favorability rating yesterday?
A disgusted face.
Lecturing.
Blaming.
He was this close to pointing at Kana’s nose and scolding her—’Wasn’t there something wrong with your Acting this time?’
Miss Kana…
are you an M?
Uh…
that is actually quite possible.
As for the anime oshi no ko, although Yuji in his past life hadn’t specifically watched it, he had occasionally scrolled through quite a few videos explaining Kana’s character.
When he came across it back then, Kana gave him an inexplicable impression.
If Yuji were to describe it.
That would perhaps be a red-haired Shiba Inu—a Shiba Inu in the true sense of the word.