**Chapter 106: Not Sexy Enough**

This score was already considered quite high for him, who had strict standards.

"What do you think, Director Nolan?"

"Very good, both the appearance and temperament perfectly match the image of Valentine I had in mind," Nolan first offered a sincere evaluation, then added with praise, "Mr. Anderson's eye for talent is indeed exceptional!"

Although part of this compliment was mere flattery, most of it was genuinely heartfelt.

On the profile sheet in his hand, there were pictures of Eva Green without her signature smoky eye makeup—she looked like a completely different person.

Susan smiled at his words but didn't say much. She also believed that the sexy yet sharp Eva Green was a perfect fit for the role of Valentine.

However, when Zhang Ziyi walked in next, both Susan and Nolan simultaneously furrowed their brows.

Zhang Ziyi had also received the script and character outline ahead of time. Today, she deliberately dressed in a long red gown paired with black stockings, and her makeup emphasized a more sensual look.

But this only made her lose the "mysterious oriental charm" she was known for and highlighted a fatal flaw—her body was quite ordinary.

Although her action scenes were quite good, Nolan still remarked, "I don't feel any sense of sensuality from her at all," which summed up his evaluation of Zhang Ziyi.

Susan glanced down at the profile in her hands and felt the same way. After a moment of silence, she picked up another script and handed it to Zhang Ziyi.

"Miss Zhang, please try this scene. You have five minutes to prepare."

Zhang Ziyi wasn't foolish; upon hearing this, she immediately had a bad feeling. However, she knew she couldn't refuse, so she smiled and quickly flipped through the new script.

As she expected, the script in her hands was for the role of the female reporter from *Resident Evil 2*. Although the role had a decent amount of screen time, it couldn't compare to Alice or Valentine and even exited the plot early. However, compared to Ada Wong's screen time in the first film, it wasn't too much less.

The only thing bothering her was the gap in importance between the roles.

Still, Zhang Ziyi had strong mental resilience. She quickly set aside her emotions and focused on memorizing the lines.

Five minutes later, she began her second performance.

Although it wasn't as smooth as her previous one, both Nolan and Susan felt it was much better this time. This was the difference brought by the right character fit.

"Thank you, Miss Zhang. You may leave now. We will inform your agent of the results as soon as possible."

Zhang Ziyi politely thanked them and left with heavy footsteps. As soon as she exited the audition room, her face darkened.

"Should I call Wayne?"

Zhang Ziyi felt a bit conflicted.

The results weren't out yet, and the auditions were still ongoing. Would it be too early to call Wayne now?

After some thought, she decided to wait for a while.

What she didn't know was that as soon as she left the audition room, Susan greeted Nolan and Director Yuen, then picked up the phone and walked to the dressing room.

A moment later, Wayne received a call from Susan, during which she explained the audition process and the evaluations of Zhang Ziyi.

However, after hearing it all, Wayne laughed and said, "Isn't that good?"

Susan was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"One sexy character—Alice—is enough. If all the characters are the same, how will Alice, the protagonist, stand out?" Wayne explained.

"Also, there are so few Asian actresses who fit the modern makeup and body standards you're looking for."

As he spoke, Wayne couldn't help but recall Chingmy Yau's iconic red outfit and poker scene from *God of Gamblers II*.

Too bad Chingmy Yau retired last year after getting married.

As for Fan Bingbing from the original version, he hadn't had a chance to get to know her, so how could he know if she was a better fit for Ada Wong than Zhang Ziyi?

"The most important thing is, this is just a supporting female role with average screen time. How much can it really affect the film's reputation and box office?"

Susan was speechless.

The quality of a supporting female role does affect a movie's box office and reviews, but the impact is generally not significant.

Unless it's a big-name star in the role.

Otherwise, the male lead, female lead, and storyline have far more influence on a film than a secondary female character. Even the quality of the special effects would surpass the importance of a supporting female role.

If you had to estimate, a secondary female role's influence on a film might account for 5% at most.

You could see this in the promotional materials.

They usually talk about the director, the male lead, and the female lead. Who mentions the supporting female character?

"Alright, I think you're right," Susan said with a helpless smile. "I'll pass your thoughts along to Director Nolan. If it doesn't work out, we'll just put her in a combat suit to hide her lack of curves."

Wayne almost burst out laughing.

Zhang Ziyi wasn't that bad—she was just a bit too slim. Her body wasn't as terrible as they were making it out to be.

It was just that his aesthetic preferences differed from the typical Western ones.

After hanging up, Susan returned to the audition room and relayed Wayne's opinions to Nolan, sharing her own thoughts as well.

"I think Wayne makes a good point. Besides, if not Zhang Ziyi, can you think of another Asian actress who's the right age and has a similar level of fame?"

Nolan frowned and thought for a long time before coming up with a name. "What about Lucy Liu?"

Susan couldn't help but twitch her lips.

Thanks to her role as the third female lead in this November's *Charlie's Angels*, Lucy Liu had become one of Hollywood's most well-known Asian action stars, with a figure that certainly didn't lose out to her Western counterparts.

In fact, Susan had thought of Lucy Liu when they were casting, and she had even mentioned it to Wayne, but he dismissed it outright with, "She's too ugly," leaving her speechless.

Now, of course, she couldn't use that reason to reject Nolan's suggestion.

"Lucy Liu is famous, and her image is great, but let's not forget her pay is much higher than Zhang Ziyi's now. Plus, there's the age issue. The *Resident Evil* series is slated for five to seven films, and Lucy Liu is already 32 years old." 

(End of Chapter)