Chapter 204: Chapter 202: The Senior Veteran
Faced with Hannah’s questioning look, Elliana quickly nodded.
Seeing her nod, Zane also breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t take the blame; better to pass it to Zane Bennett.
"Really? What’s up with your face? Did you get into a fight?" Hannah accurately captured the bluish mark on Elliana’s face.
Originally, it was just a bit red, but it unknowingly turned blue, even Elliana herself hadn’t noticed.
Hannah then looked at Zane, and after a few seconds of observation said, "You seem fine."
"No way! It’s got nothing to do with me! It was Zane Bennett and..."
Perhaps due to the pressure from his sister, Zane directly confessed everything, not even omitting the smallest details.
Once Hannah knew, Norman Bennett naturally also knew about it.
At 10 PM, when Norman returned, Elliana got a scolding. However, after some soft coaxing, he quickly stopped saying much.
Instead, Hannah added fuel to the fire, "Norman Bennett, you really should keep an eye on her. She’s so young, going out drinking."
Elliana: "..."
"Norman Bennett, I only had one glass, and it was just a tiny sip." She deliberately gestured with her hand.
Norman reached out to rub her head, saying, "You can drink, but unless it’s necessary, don’t drink."
Evidently, Norman didn’t forbid her from drinking. After all, there’s times when you just need a little sip.
Back in the room, Norman informed her of something. Due to Roland’s overseas financing and the recent booming film industry, her TV series was postponed and directly turned into a movie.
And it’s a sci-fi film!
She hesitated, saying, "But... I think I should..."
Truth be told, she hasn’t encountered the sci-fi genre much, hasn’t even read any novels, and feels it’s a new challenge.
Norman gently patted her back, whispering warmly in her ear, "Go ahead and try boldly, I’ve got your back."
"Mm," she agreed, rubbing her head against his neck lazily, "Is there a cast list yet? Have they found suitable candidates?"
Norman replied, "Yes, all arranged. Go audition tomorrow. You can bring someone from your studio to fill a role gap."
"Got it, I’ll bring Tiana." She knew Norman was teaching her how to operate her studio.
After all, if you want to be a boss, you have to lead your people to make money.
Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly sensed something off, and before she knew it, Norman had covered her lips.
Like a hungry wolf.
...
―――The next day.
Horizon.
"Hello, Miss Lyle." A man in a military green vest extended his hand to her.
This was Gary Young, the director of "Interstellar Immigrants," renowned domestically as a person without bad films.
He appeared in his forties, with a very amiable demeanor, not as imposing as she imagined. Her first impression was easygoing.
"Hello, Director Young, I’ve heard so much about you."
"You’re too kind, Miss Lyle. Talented young actors like you are not easy to come by."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Elliana began her audition. Ultimately, whether she would succeed depended on herself.
She was auditioning for the role of an astronaut, traveling to space to find a new habitable planet as Earth was about to collapse.
Her character needed to be resolute and calm in the latter stages, whereas the early stages were somewhat like herself.
Half an hour later.
Facing the camera and the people behind it, Elliana began her performance.
"I don’t agree! Without probing, people are not allowed to land!"
...
After the audition, it was clear she passed, even though she hadn’t expected it to be so easy. Perhaps it was because she’d thoroughly reviewed the script on the way, rehearsing several times with Tiana in the car.
Thus, during the audition, her mood was exceptionally relaxed, naturally leading to a better outcome.
Afterward, she recommended Tiana to Gary Young. The role she wanted to play only had one or two scenes, essential for advancing the film’s plot.
"Elliana, if you’re bringing people, it’s naturally not a problem. Although it’s a minor role, we still need to follow..." The director spoke very tactfully.
Elliana straightforwardly said, "According to the rules, as expected."
"Elliana, I... I’m a bit nervous," Tiana said.
She’d never tried auditioning before, most roles she’d played were fleeting, just passing by.
Such a solo audition, especially with such a famous director, immediately made her nervous.
Elliana laughed, "Don’t be nervous, believe in yourself, it’s not difficult, go for it!"
...
Gary Young said, "No need to be nervous, go ahead."
Tiana’s nerves caused her to stutter a bit during her audition lines, her heart sunk fearing she’d miss out on the chance.
"It’s okay, try again, don’t be nervous." Gary Young was forgiving, he could see Tiana was just nervous, especially since Elliana brought her, he’d offer more chances.
Tiana took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and tried again. The effect was still not ideal, but better than the first time.
"Mm, that’s pretty good. Try once more."
The third time, Tiana finally got into her groove, naturally receiving Gary Young’s approval.
With the success of the audition, both settled into their roles.
They expected to start filming the first day seven days later, so there was ample time to hone the script, even trying out scenes with the other four leads.
However, Yates Zander was there too, which surprised her.
"Elliana, let me introduce everyone to you." Yates explained the people to her.
Two were male actors with notable fame, Mufeng had a somewhat charming mature man’s weathered look, while the short-haired Carina Windor had the allure and warmth of a mature woman.
The last one, Daniel Kerr, she was quite familiar with, a martial arts actor from long ago, achieving stardom through martial arts action films.
An elder much worthy of respect and admiration, despite aging now, his youthful heroic spirit was still evident.
Facing her, a newcomer, the three were very enthusiastic.
"Truly young and promising." Daniel Kerr said with a smile.
Elliana humbly replied, "I grew up watching your movies, you are..."
Her words weren’t finished before Daniel suddenly turned and even his mustache blew upward.
"Am I that old?"
Elliana: "...this..."
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. Daniel was two years older than Shawn Lyle, so saying she watched his movies growing up wasn’t wrong.
And she really did watch them, even capable of naming all of Daniel’s movie titles.
Seeing her a bit puzzled, Carina Windor laughed, "Just ignore him, old as he is, he still thinks he’s young."
Such an atmosphere was nice, not stiff, yet Mufeng was different, not fond of talking, with a somewhat melancholy gaze.
After engaging with the seniors for a while, they began collaborating scenes, overall going smoothly, laughing throughout the afternoon.
"Elliana, go back and practice your expressions some more, being too deliberate will seem stiff." As they were leaving, Carina Windor patiently advised her.
Also pointed out many of her shortcomings.
Listening to one session of wisdom was better than reading books for ten years.