HWI 278

Hollywood What If Chapter 278

"Miss Watts, let's start your audition."

Doug Liman said as the cameraman started filming. They were recording the audition of the actresses.

Naomi Watts nodded. For this movie, she was given the chance to do a scene in the script that she liked.

As expected, Naomi chose the dinner scene. The part where the Smith couple met at the dinner table after realizing that the other person was actually an agent.

"How was Atlanta?"

"Big deal?"

Even though it was a solo performance, Naomi got the part right.

Solo performance, sometimes called a one-man show. Naomi said her lines like she was talking to her husband.

But a minute into her audition, Doug Liman raised his hand and stopped her.

"Your acting is great, but I want to see you act with another person."

The role of Mr. Smith was still open because the crew was still deciding between three actors, Hugh Grant, Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt. The crew was fine with casting Hugh Grant and Russell Crowe because their salaries were affordable. Producer Harold Witsend preferred these two.

But both Doug Liman and Kazir Grey preferred Brad Pitt. Grey Pictures was no longer a small production studio and they could afford to hire superstars. Heck, Kazir and Tom Cruise even have a collaboration this year.

Since Doug and Kazir were interested in casting Brad Pitt, negotiations began. Brad Pitt agreed to a trilogy and cameos, but the salary was still being negotiated.

Since there was no official Mr. Smith at the moment, someone had to step in to accompany Naomi to her audition.

"Kazir, um, would you mind?"

Doug spoke to Kazir who was standing next to him. In the audition room, Kazir was the only one with acting experience. He had been in so many movies... All cameos, of course.

Kazir nodded and agreed. He knew Doug had no hidden agenda. He had done this twice before, when Charlize Theron and Cate Blanchett showed up.

Kazir sat across from Naomi, who was poised and beautiful. The two began to act.

He was not a professional actor, so he could not keep up with Naomi. Just like in the dinner scene, Kazir and Naomi talked peacefully at first until the guns came out... Fake guns, of course.

They had a scuffle until they both admitted that they loved each other and didn't want to kill each other. Naomi was so close to Kazir, it was a miracle that Kazir kept his sanity.

"Too bad, this is just an audition and I can't kiss you... Unless you want me to."

Naomi whispered in his ear and Kazir blushed slightly. After that, the actress thanked Kazir and the acting ended.

"Miss Naomi, are you okay with the trilogy and the cameos?"

"Yes. I want to be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe."

A common response. All the actresses who auditioned had almost the same answer.

"You have to sign up for three to four months of training if you get the role, are you prepared for that?"

"I've been working out and I'm confident in my body."

Perhaps these questions were so obvious because CCU was all about action movies.

All the actresses who auditioned were fit and went to the gym to work out.

"That's good to hear."

Doug Liman ended the audition and told Naomi that she would get a call today or tomorrow with the results of her audition.

As Naomi left the room, people began to talk about her and share their thoughts on Naomi's audition.

'This is going to be tough. Each of them is amazing to work with. I prefer Charlize and Naomi in terms of looks, but I prefer Cate when it comes to acting.' Kazir was in dilemma.

Charlize Theron might be the first choice because her upcoming movies are Aeon Flux and Mad Max: Fury Road. But we can't be sure that she's fit for action movies right now.

However, the three actresses were all expensive to hire. They all already have a foothold in the industry and could demand a minimum of $2.5 million. This could be a problem because there would be trilogies and cameos. Also, they had already talked to Brad Pitt and he wanted at least $7 million for the first movie alone. It would be painful if the actress asked for more.

Even though Grey Pictures has a bigger budget and can afford big expenses, they have to be smart with their money.

Another truth was that there was a pay gap between actors and actresses. It didn't help that actors have longer peak careers than actresses.

Even if actors were over 50 years old, they could still get leading roles, but it was the opposite for actresses. If an actress reached the point of 50 years old, it would be hard for her to compete with younger actresses.

The crew wouldn't spend a lot of money on an actress unless she was Julia Roberts or Michelle Pfeiffer, those actresses had worldwide box office appeal.

Then Doug Liman called the last actress to audition for Mrs. Smith.

Kazir was not surprised to see Jennifer Connelly. She was beautiful, as always.

'She was born in 1970, so she's only two years younger than me, huh?' Kazir thought as he looked at Jennifer's information.

Yes, Kazir was 33 years old in 2002.

Jennifer looked at Kazir but kept her emotions under control. She was surprised that the guy she had seen panting in the gym and vomiting at a party was a superstar director.

Her first impression of the man was not positive, but rather negative. Her agent told her to audition for the role because the Cinematic Universe era was flourishing and Jennifer needed a steady role. Her career had not been steady lately... Well, it was going downhill and she needed a breaking point.

CCU could be her door to that. Since she was here, she might as well give it her best shot.

She kept her smile and started her audition... Only to find out that Kazir would be in the dinner scene. Yes, she chose the dinner scene as well. Maybe because it was one of the most compelling scenes in the movie.

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