Chapter 194: Distorted Aesthetics

Murphy made all the actors participating in the audition watch Frank Miller's original comics and his short film to fully grasp the film's concept and bring out their best performance during the audition. Since the four main male roles had already been decided, the audition focused mainly on selecting suitable actresses.

In this regard, Murphy adhered to a very simple principle: the appearance of the actresses was key!

In other words, the actresses he sought must be exceptionally beautiful and have a hot figure, while also being willing to accept roles involving significant nudity.

The latter point was not an issue for ninety-nine percent of Hollywood actresses, and the former wasn't particularly difficult either, as Hollywood was not short on beautiful women.

Moreover, there's a strange law in Hollywood: the more beautiful and sexy an actress is, the harder it is for her to reach the top of the acting circle. Especially since the 1990s, very few of the highly popular actresses could be described as extremely beautiful.

There are no secrets in Hollywood, especially in a bustling film crew. Murphy merely mentioned his criteria for selecting actresses during a preparatory meeting, and somehow the news spread. The Disney studio where the auditions were held became a gathering place for "vases."

Perhaps Murphy's fame from his two consecutive hit films, or maybe Frank Miller's comic's fame, attracted many well-known "vases" from Hollywood from the first day of auditions.

For instance, Eva Mendes and Liv Tyler, but both were rejected by Murphy. The former did not meet the beauty standards, and the latter's temperament did not match the sultry setting of the female roles in the film.

As for Devon Aoki, who came through connections hoping to play Mei Hui, Murphy did not even consider her. Despite knowing the peculiar Asian aesthetic in North America, he could not appreciate a face with sunken eye sockets, a small nose, and full of spots.

Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow were also rejected due to their high fees.

After five days of auditions, Murphy confirmed several actors. Jessica Simpson from the music industry was to play Gertie and her twin sister, Sienna Miller was cast as Sydney...

The most difficult to cast were Mei Hui and the madam of the Red Light District, Gail.

Mei Hui definitely needed an Asian actress, but finding one that matched Murphy's preferences was challenging. When Quentin Tarantino visited, he recommended Lucy Liu from "Kill Bill," but Murphy shook his head. He preferred Devon Aoki, who had a lower fee, over her.

Indeed, the film wasn't his investment, but with a total investment amount set, the higher the actor's fees, the less money Murphy had for shooting and post-production, especially the latter, which was much more complex than his previous films. The difference between spending 5 million and 10 million dollars on post-production was night and day.

Frankly, finding an Asian actress in Hollywood that matched a normal aesthetic was very difficult. Murphy auditioned several people, all with sunken eye sockets and small noses, which hardly complimented the peculiar aesthetic standards for Asian beauties in North America.

"Paul..."

Seeing Paul Wilson enter the office, Murphy directly asked, "Did you receive any responses to the invitations you sent out?"

To find a suitable Asian actress, he had Paul Wilson use CAA's channels to look for candidates and sent an invitation to Kelly Hu, who left an impression.

Paul Wilson sat across Murphy's desk, "Kelly Hu is currently under contract, and the schedules don't match. Also..."

"What is it?" Murphy asked.

"Her image... has issues," Paul Wilson pulled out a photo from his folder and handed it to Murphy, "She appears too muscular and robust, quite a departure from the petite and sultry image in the comics."

Since Hu was relatively unknown to Murphy, he only knew of her existence and that she was somewhat attractive, having forgotten her exact appearance. After glancing at the photo, he handed it back to Paul Wilson.

He shook his head, "Continue the auditions for this role."

Murphy refused to believe that in the vast Hollywood, there wasn't a single Asian actress who met normal aesthetic standards.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. After Murphy called for the person to enter, Erica Stanberg, carrying a file bag, pushed the door and walked in.

"Still troubled?" Knowing what Murphy had been worrying about these past few days, she sat on a sofa in the office, smiling, "I have good news for you. I've found the perfect actress for Mei Hui."

"Oh?" Murphy's interest was piqued. He sat on another sofa next to her, "Let's hear it."

Erica Stanberg handed the file bag to Murphy, who immediately opened it to see a resume with a familiar photo attached. Although not extremely beautiful, the woman was closer to the standard of beauty than Devon Aoki or Lucy Liu.

"She starred in Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and had a notable performance in Brett Ratner's 'Rush Hour 2' last year," Erica Stanberg seemed very invested, "Her well-known roles in Hollywood are all as a 'fighter,' which fits Mei Hui's character perfectly."

Murphy briefly skimmed the resume and placed the file bag on the coffee table between the sofas. He was more familiar with Ziyi Zhang's Hollywood journey than Erica Stanberg.

To be precise, Ziyi Zhang's "fighter" image in Hollywood matched Mei Hui's character setting well.

Seeing Murphy silent, Erica Stanberg added, "This is a recommendation from a friend of Harvey, you might have heard his name, Avi Nir, one of our project's investors."

"I see," Murphy quickly understood.

This must be Ziyi Zhang's American suitor, seemingly very concerned about her.

In Hollywood, it's common for major investors to recommend candidates for less critical roles in a project. However, most film crews are cautious since funding often comes from various sources, and they're accountable to more than one investor. If the recommended actor is unsuitable, they won't easily be cast.

Since Harvey Weinstein could send the information through Erica Stanberg, he obviously approved of the candidate. Murphy wasn't opposed, as this was much better than Devon Aoki or Lucy Liu.

Moreover, Erica Stanberg added, "Mr. Avi Nir will add an additional five million dollars to the project's budget and personally cover Miss Zhang's fees."

"Let her audition," Murphy nodded, then cautioned, "If the audition isn't good..."

Erica Stanberg understood Murphy's implication. Miramax wouldn't joke with tens of millions in investment, "That's also mine and Harvey's view."

If Ziyi Zhang's audition for Mei Hui was unsuitable, Miramax would definitely refuse Avi Nir, even if he was a friend of Harvey Weinstein and influential within the North American Jewish community.

After sending Erica Stanberg off, Murphy and Paul Wilson resumed their earlier conversation.

Besides the role of Mei Hui, the casting for the madam of the Red Light District, Gail, was also undecided. According to the comic's depiction, Gail had to be played by a black actress.

In Murphy's memory, beautiful and sexy black women often didn't look black, and the only beautiful black actress in Hollywood he could recall was Halle Berry. But inviting the new Oscar Best Actress for such a role would cost how much? Ten million or fifteen million dollars?

Then, there would be no budget left for post-production special effects.

"This is Rosario Dawson..." Paul Wilson handed another profile to Murphy, "She starred in 'Josie and the Pussycats' last year and 'Men in Black II' this year. I've met her; she has a good image."

Murphy glanced at the photo in the profile, nodded, "Let her audition."

After Murphy handed back the profile and Paul Wilson stood to leave, Murphy called him back.

"Also, Paul," Murphy pondered, then said, "The film needs many sexy female roles. You'll be in charge of the auditions, I've spoken to Erica about it."

"Ah... Sure!" Paul Wilson was evidently excited.

From his first role as casting director, he could feel Murphy's trust. It's an important position in Hollywood film crews, also known for its many hidden benefits.

Having followed Murphy for a long time, Paul understood his boss well, knowing what could be done, what couldn't, and where the lines were drawn.

However, the thought of many actresses and their agents circling him excited Paul Wilson.

While conducting main actor auditions, Murphy also oversaw other preparations, discussing post-production settings with Helena, experimenting with high-speed slow-motion action scenes with Phil Rash, finalizing shooting results with Frank Miller, and exchanging ideas on actor makeup with Jack Watson...

The preparation progressed smoothly. Murphy, along with Harvey Weinstein, met with international distributors inclined to pre-purchase, explaining his filming philosophy and the potential audio-visual effects of the film to boost their confidence.

The film's production cost was tens of millions of dollars, beyond Miramax's current capacity. After securing initial funding from Avi Nir, financing and pre-sales were necessary to cover the subsequent production costs.

International distributors were eager to follow the footsteps of a successful director. The difficulties encountered were not significant, except for the delay in finalizing a few key actors.

For instance, Jessica Alba auditioned for the role of Nancy, impressing greatly, but negotiations with the crew led to significant disagreements.

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