**Chapter 69: The Power of Money's Charm**

"Then let's begin!" Susan nodded at Gus Van Sant, who was sitting beside her.

Although she was the producer representing the financiers, sitting in the main seat of the judges' panel, there wasn't any insider favoritism in this audition. Even if Naomi Watts or Anne Hathaway performed poorly, it wouldn't be impossible to replace them. Therefore, Susan decisively handed the decision-making power to Gus Van Sant, the Oscar-nominated director, while she remained a quiet observer.

Gus Van Sant had already discussed everything with her, so without hesitation, he picked up the script and pointed to the two most crucial scenes for the character "Evelyn."

The first scene was when Evelyn, ecstatic after discovering "Betty" had an astonishing talent for mathematics, rushed to convince the main character, renamed "Lawrence," to send Betty to her for training.

Susan Sarandon needed to portray a strong character, but in a way that wouldn't provoke a negative reaction from Lawrence. Instead, she had to make Lawrence seriously consider and eventually agree.

This scene also served as a small test for the script written by Alan Ball.

After all, there can be some differences between written words and spoken dialogue. While a famous screenwriter like Alan Ball probably wouldn't make such a rookie mistake, it was better to test it now rather than waste money fixing it during filming, right?

It's not just producers who need to consider the budget—a competent director should too.

As it turned out, Alan Ball, even with his "Best Screenwriter" title, was no slouch. The script had no issues and was, in fact, excellent.

Equally brilliant was Susan Sarandon's performance.

In this scene, she displayed a high level of skill, capturing Evelyn's mentality and personality perfectly.

At this moment, Evelyn didn't actually think she was in the wrong.

From her perspective, talent should be nurtured and utilized. There was nothing wrong with wanting to raise her daughter to become a world-renowned mathematician. It was her daughter who didn't appreciate it and chose to rebel.

As a result, her daughter ended up a single mother, living in poverty, and eventually died young from an incurable disease. Evelyn even felt that this was some kind of karmic retribution for not listening to her earlier.

So, she was proud.

But she wasn't stupid. Someone who had achieved success in business had to have high intelligence, emotional intelligence, and communication skills.

She treated her daughter the way she did before because, as a mother, she didn't feel the need to care about her daughter's feelings too much. She spoke and acted bluntly, as long as she knew it was for her daughter's own good.

But now, she had grown a little wiser, and since Lawrence no longer saw her as a mother, she changed her approach, persuading Lawrence like a shrewd businessperson.

At that moment, Susan Sarandon's portrayal of Evelyn combined the arrogance of a mother, the purity of a scholar, and the cunning of a businessperson, to the point where even Gus Van Sant couldn't help but offer praise.

After watching, Susan felt a sense of awe and exhilaration.

"It seems Wayne has quite the eye for casting—both her appearance and acting are like Evelyn stepped right out of the script," Susan thought to herself, also gaining a new appreciation for the power of money.

After all, aside from Wayne, who else would invest over 10 million dollars in an independent film, bringing together a star-studded team with Gus Van Sant, Alan Ball, and Susan Sarandon?

If she were making this film, she would probably hire relatively unknown actors and keep the production budget between 1 to 1.5 million dollars.

After all, reducing costs, minimizing risks, and pursuing higher returns—that's the standard operation for a typical producer, isn't it?

Next, Gus Van Sant arranged a second audition scene for Susan Sarandon. This scene involved Evelyn's shock and breakdown after hearing the court's ruling that Betty's custody would go to Lawrence. Then, when Lawrence came to her for reconciliation, Evelyn's despair turned into renewed hope.

This scene wasn't exactly difficult, but nailing it wasn't easy either.

Newcomers like Megan or Liu Tianxian certainly wouldn't be able to pull it off. Anne had experience with school theater productions, but she couldn't convey the required depth.

Even a seasoned actress like Naomi Watts, who had been working in Hollywood for years, wouldn't have been able to play this role if it weren't for her recent breakthrough performance in *Mulholland Drive*, under the guidance of David Lynch.

But for an Oscar-winning actress like Susan Sarandon, while not entirely without challenge, the difficulty wasn't too high.

"Lawrence, you—you…"

With just a few simple words, paired with the way Evelyn, initially slumped in her chair, suddenly straightened up, her face showing surprise, disbelief, and a flicker of hope, she left Alan Ball speechless.

"Haha, looks like our Best Screenwriter has just given his real-time reaction as feedback for this audition," Gus Van Sant laughed, calling an end to Sarandon's audition.

He then turned to look at Susan for her opinion.

Though Susan had handed over the casting decision to him, anyone with emotional intelligence wouldn't completely disregard her opinion.

However, Susan was already somewhat of a Sarandon fan, and she was quite satisfied with her performance. Naturally, she had no objections.

"That wraps up today's auditions. The pre-production work is all set, so Ms. Sarandon, if you join the crew tomorrow, would that be okay?"

"Of course, that won't be a problem," Sarandon replied with a humble smile.

After all, adjusting her schedule was no big deal. As long as the money was there, even an Oscar-winning actress couldn't resist the charm of cash.

Susan personally escorted Sarandon out of the audition room and to the elevator before returning.

By this time, the second audition for Naomi Watts had already begun. She was preparing herself emotionally.

"This is the actress Mr. Wayne selected. Not long ago, she played one of the lead roles in David Lynch's dual female-lead psychological thriller, *Mulholland Drive*."

(End of chapter)