Chapter 17: The Lead Audition

Rachel Cyrus had been feeling a bit complicated lately, especially whenever she saw news about Bruce and Gal Gadow in the newspapers and magazines. There was an indescribable sense of irritation lurking in her heart, but she couldn't quite pinpoint why or find a way to vent these feelings.

Logically, Bruce dating was a normal affair, so why did it make her feel so uneasy? She could only attribute it to being too busy recently.

Indeed, since Bruce arrived in Los Angeles, Rachel found her luck seemed to have suddenly improved. First, the annoying bald casting director, Richard Robb, became unusually docile, never harassing her again, and even seemed to be giving her a wide berth.

More importantly, she got more auditions and landed two substantial roles in succession, and even secured a guest appearance in an entire episode of HBO's popular series "the Brink"! With a cast akin to that of a movie and a super luxurious lineup, she believed it would definitely boost her popularity once aired.

Today was an even more important audition. Miramax's new film "Ashes" was about to start shooting, and they were casting for the female lead. When her agent Nancy Jacobs told her that she had persuaded the producers to give her this valuable audition opportunity, Rachel was overjoyed. She had spent several days preparing intensely, more seriously than she ever had in her life.

This wasn't just a wide-ranging open call but a targeted recruitment within a specific circle. Normally, with Rachel's exposure and experience, it would be hard to get such an opportunity, leading her to conclude that her recent roles must have been impressive enough.

To prepare thoroughly, she had also learned the plot summary from Nancy.

"Ashes" was about a small-time thug and gambler who, in order to repay a debt, accepts a strange commission—to abduct a woman with schizophrenia from a mental hospital for the underworld. However, when he successfully takes the woman out, intending to hand her over to the gangsters, they encounter a fierce gunfight and brawl. In their panic-stricken escape, the two embark on an extraordinary journey.

The film included fragmented memories interspersed throughout, revealing the woman's identity and narrating another storyline. It was set to use a lot of tilt-shift shots and close-ups of facial features, offering a blend of artistic and fantastical styles.

Rachel was captivated by the plot just from Nancy's description, let alone the opportunity to be the lead actress, filling her with anticipation.

There was a bit of traffic on the road, but she managed to rush to the audition location on time—a three-story building. Los Angeles had many similar low-rise office buildings along the way.

When she entered the waiting room, Rachel felt a slight tension. She immediately saw five or six charming actors waiting for their audition. She also noticed a few famous actresses, confirming Nancy's prior warning that this film was attractive even to established stars.

This undoubtedly added pressure on Rachel. Looking at her competitors, most were familiar faces, indicating they had significant roles before.

Frankly, with Rachel's experience, she was at a disadvantage against any of them. Now, she could only hope to make a good impression on the casting directors. While waiting, she kept recalling the character's psychology and image positioning she had pondered for days, even spending entire days observing the life of schizophrenics in a mental hospital to study their expressions. If not for her tact and effort, the hospital staff would probably have chased her away long ago.

So absorbed in thought, Rachel didn't hear her name called for the audition until the third time. She stood up in a bit of a flurry and hurried into the audition room, but quickly composed herself and calmly sat in front of the audition panel.

The audition room was not very large and simply furnished. Five people, likely members of the production team and producers, sat in front of a table, looking professional and serious, except for the youngest person at the end, who had been expressing joy, excitement, and a bit of weirdness since she entered.

But now wasn't the time to ponder this. Given her beauty, such reactions weren't uncommon to Rachel, who even hoped it might give her an edge. It seemed our lovely Rachel was a bit mentally unbalanced in her eagerness for this important leading role.

"Rachel Cyrus, right? I'm Philip Walters, and this is the director, Robert Marshall," said Philip Walters, perking up as soon as he saw Rachel enter. He introduced himself actively, thankfully not forgetting to mention the director seated in the middle, else it would have been too obvious.

"Hello, Miss Cyrus," said director Robert Marshall, casting a strange glance at Philip. This notorious playboy from Miramax wasn't originally part of the audition panel, but he had suddenly intervened. However, considering his background, no one really challenged him. But his sudden change of demeanor upon seeing Rachel Cyrus made the preoccupied director feel a bit uneasy and suspicious.

"Rachel, could you briefly introduce yourself to everyone?"

Gregory Harris, the head of production, sitting between the director and Philip, spoke to Rachel with a calm expression, but inside, he was on high alert. Before organizing today's interview, Senior Vice President Richard White had specifically spoken to him, warning that Philip, the troublemaker, might disrupt the audition for the female lead. He also hinted that as long as Rachel Cyrus's performance wasn't too poor, the lead role should be given to her.

As a staunch supporter of Richard White's faction, Gregory had seen similar situations before. Always keeping a watchful eye on Philip, he immediately noticed the latter's unusual behavior and thought to himself, 'Here it comes! Kid, you're still too green to stir trouble! I hope this Rachel Cyrus, this 'canary,' isn't too terrible in her acting, or she might actually mess things up.' However, he also couldn't help thinking about Rachel's stunning beauty and wondered which big shot she might be off-limits to. Countless thoughts flashed through Gregory's mind in an instant.