Chapter 32: I Like This Story

"Alright, that's enough."

In a small warehouse not far behind Milton's Café, Murphy interrupted the clumsy performance of the girl sitting across from the makeshift desk. "Miss Stanley, my assistant will notify you of the audition results within a week."

"But..." The girl didn't give up, glancing at the old Lynch who was sitting on the side watching. Gathering courage, she continued, "But... I haven't finished my performance yet."

Murphy couldn't help but pat his forehead. "I've seen enough of your acting."

With that, he signaled to Jessica Chastain, who immediately walked over and escorted the auditioning girl out of the office.

As soon as the girl left, Lynch stood up and pleaded, "Murphy, Kelly Stanley is widely recognized as the best actress in this area. Can't you reconsider?"

"Lynch, you've read the script." Murphy pointed in the direction of the door, exaggeratingly saying, "Do you think the male lead would be interested in her when he sees her crooked teeth?"

"Well..." Lynch closed his mouth.

The actress recommended by Lynch for the audition was more of a favor, as Murphy wouldn't have considered her otherwise. Just like across the Pacific, it was impossible for a film crew to avoid certain personal relationships.

In the past five days, aside from coordinating the preparations of various departments, Murphy had interviewed dozens of actors, most of whom were Hollywood strugglers with other odd jobs like waiters and car washers. While that wasn't a problem, their audition performances were really poor.

Male actors were somewhat better, with a few in their thirties showing some talent, making it into Murphy's consideration list. Female actors were harder to find; most white actresses matured early, and it was hard to differentiate between a sixteen-seventeen-year-old and a twenty-something. Those with some acting skills didn't fit the appearance criteria, while those who did were too young with barely any acting skills to speak of.

Although it's often said that the role makes the actor, it couldn't be denied that actresses like Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Christina Ricci, who showed remarkable talent at a young age, were rare resources even in Hollywood.

It was at this moment that Murphy realized that "Hard Candy" might not be the most suitable choice. Unique-looking actors like Alan Page were sometimes impossible to find.

Murphy auditioned another girl who worked part-time as an insurance saleswoman, and after she left, a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.

Sitting in the warehouse filled with equipment and props, Murphy suddenly realized his lack of experience; he had underestimated the difficulty of finding the female lead for this film.

Should he cancel the project? Murphy sighed heavily; that was simply not an option. He had invested tens of thousands of dollars in this project, and canceling it would mean losing that money.

Murphy considered using makeup and suggestive scenes to assist the female lead's performance, but if the actress didn't meet the basic acting and appearance requirements, the desired effect of the film couldn't be achieved.

If the female lead was too mature, the subtle feeling between Lolita and the strange uncle would be diluted; if the acting was terrible, it would break the immersion.

"There's one more actress to audition," Jessica Chastain reminded.

Murphy snapped back to reality. There was no turning back for this project; they had to keep going. "Let her in."

Jessica Chastain called Milton's Café, and a waiter would bring the auditioning candidate waiting there over. After about five minutes, someone knocked on the warehouse door from outside. Murphy said, "Come in," and a girl walked in.

As soon as the girl entered the warehouse, Murphy's eyes lit up.

She was a typical white girl with brownish-golden short messy hair covering her petite head. A pair of big curious eyes glanced around the warehouse, and her five-foot-five-inch tall body casually wore a fitted floral dress, with a black sports bag slung over her shoulder, which looked totally mismatched with her age.

In terms of physique, there was no doubt that this girl was about sixteen or seventeen, but looking at her lively doll-like face, she seemed to be around thirteen or fourteen.

A surge of excitement rushed through Murphy's heart as he realized that he had encountered someone whose appearance perfectly matched the character in the film.

This was like the real-life version of the girl in the movie!

After scanning the rudimentary warehouse, she looked at the man sitting behind the makeshift desk. scratching her head nervously.

"Hello, please sit" Murphy pointed to the chair opposite him. After the girl sat down, he introduced himself, "I'm Murphy Stanton, the director and investor of "Hard Candy".

"Oh, hello." The girl raised her hand to her shoulder and gestured towards this side. "I'm Kerry Mulligan, an actress."

Listening to her typical British accent, Murphy frowned slightly. "You're British."

"Yes." The girl took the backpack off her shoulder and placed it at her feet to make herself more comfortable, blinking her eyes. "I was born in London, but now I live in Los Angeles, and I'll be staying in Los Angeles for the next few years."

"Ah..." Before Murphy could speak, the girl curiously asked, "Can I know what kind of film this is?"

The film's subject matter was sensitive but had nothing to hide, and if the other party couldn't accept it, there was no need to waste each other's time. So Murphy straightforwardly said, "In one sentence, it can be summarized as a man killing a girl, and the girl's friend tries everything to avenge her!"

Murphy clearly underestimated the other's resilience, as the girl clapped her hands excitedly. "Cool! That's so cool! I love this story."

She jumped up from her chair, almost leaping to the other side of Murphy's desk eagerly asking, "Is there a script? Can I see the script?"

Extending a hand, Murphy pointed to the chair opposite, and Kerry Mulligan turned her head back and forth, embarrassedly smiling. "Sorry, I got a little excited."

As she moved back to her seat, she explained, "An outstanding actress always wears her emotions on the outside."

Sitting back in her chair, Kerry Mulligan said, "I just think the story you told is cool, and I'm curious about the details."

By now, Murphy could tell that this girl had absolutely no audition experience before, and her age couldn't be very old, more like a curious flower sheltered from the outside world, with barely any social experience.

"May I ask..." he tentatively asked, "how old are you?"

"eighteen!" Kerry Mulligan said, then drooped her head, seeming disappointed with her age. "To be precise, I'm seventeen and a half."

Murphy frowned slightly; eighteen and seventeen and a half were definitely different concepts in the eyes of the law. Age seemed to be a trouble.

"Has your agent arrived?" he continued, "Or a guardian?"

"I came by myself." Kerry Mulligan instinctively straightened her body. "I don't have an agent, and I can make my own decisions."

After saying that, she urged, "Aren't we here for an audition?"

Setting aside the worries about age, Murphy crossed his hands on

the table. "So, let's see a performance of your best monologue."

"A solo performance?" Kerry Mulligan stood up.

Murphy nodded gently. "A solo performance."

Monologues were a relatively difficult category, and Murphy wanted to see if this girl's basic skills matched her appearance.

To Murphy's surprise, Kerry Mulligan almost instantly entered a performance state, and it wasn't a children's play but a monologue of Juliet from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Watching the performance of the girl opposite, Jessica Chastain, who was sitting on Murphy's side, was somewhat surprised. She studied drama and knew the difficulty of this piece, but the girl's portrayal was quite accurate.

Although it couldn't be called exquisite or outstanding, it was still very rare at her age.

Jessica Chastain glanced at Murphy, who had also looked over. Murphy knew that Jessica Chastain was more professional in acting, and there was a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Although he underestimated this project, Jessica Chastain possessed enough professional ethics and nodded slightly to Murphy.

With a relatively mature physique, a beautiful and delicate doll-like face, coupled with a performance above the average level, Murphy tentatively approved this girl from England.

After Kerry Mulligan stopped her performance, she patted her doll-like face, seemingly detaching herself from the character in a playful manner. After a while, she looked at Murphy and said, "Was I okay?"

Murphy didn't answer but instead asked, "Do you only know British accents? My character is American."

The girl was smart and immediately switched to an American accent. "I've been in Los Angeles as an exchange student for a long time. How's my Los Angeles accent?"

Seeing Murphy nod slightly, she couldn't help but reveal a cute and playful smile.

"There are a few more questions, they may be sensitive, and you can choose not to answer."

Hearing Murphy's words, Kerry Mulligan couldn't wait to say, "Ask, ask, I can't wait."

"Suppose you encounter a pedophile, what would you do?"