Chapter 23: **Chapter 23: Going Back on Your Word—This is Too Unfair to Newcomers!**
Wayne couldn't help but pause, looking at Liv Tyler's eyes filled with just the right amount of admiration and passion, enough to stroke any man's ego. He muttered to himself, "You really can't judge a book by its cover," and then agreed without hesitation.
The second person to enter was Willem Dafoe, auditioning for the role of the medical professor.
This was pretty much just a formality.
After all, the sleazy medical professor who uses his authority to take advantage of female students has a total screen time of less than two minutes and only seven or eight lines.
Wayne chose him purely for his fame and image—he perfectly looks like one of those seemingly gentlemanly but actually quite unscrupulous types.
The same goes for Anthony Hopkins, who came in next.
For regular actors, like Wayne and Jessica, who play the male and female leads, or Anne Hathaway, who's sitting outside with a bunch of extras, preparing to audition for a role with only one or two lines, it's definitely not easy to portray a mentally disturbed serial killer who specifically targets beautiful women.
Even ignoring the factors of appearance, their acting skills wouldn't be up to par.
But for Anthony Hopkins, the Oscar winner who starred in *The Silence of the Lambs* and would later star in *Hannibal*, this role is simply a walk in the park.
So his audition was just a formality.
Next came Charlize Theron, auditioning for the third female lead, Danielle.
Although this South African beauty has yet to win an Oscar for her role in *Monster*, she is already quite famous and beginning to develop the presence of the "Queen Theron."
Of course, even if she really became that "Queen Theron" from her previous life, she would still bow her head before the producers who represent capital.
The most important thing is that when Charlize Theron was campaigning for the Oscars, it was rumored that she spent several million dollars and took the Harvey Weinstein route. So this seemingly powerful South African beauty knows how to play her cards right.
Hermola Pictures is now far more established than before. Moreover, if she wants to continue campaigning for the Oscars, she needs both connections and a lot of money. So, even if it means playing a supporting role with not much screen time, as long as the money is right, she will accept.
And like Liv Tyler before her, Charlize also invited Wayne to dinner after her audition.
It's obvious she had done her homework before coming, knowing exactly who was in charge at Hermola Pictures and who was calling the shots for this movie.
"Damn! Darling, your charm is off the charts. These bitches are all throwing themselves at you!"
"You're just figuring that out today?"
Wayne responded with a mischievous grin. He then reached out, pulled the annoyed Mia into his arms, and gave her a French kiss right in front of Sera and the others, quickly dispelling her resentment.
"Alright, you're right, I knew it a long time ago. So, who are you planning to have dinner with first? Liv Tyler or Charlize Theron? Or both at once?" Three minutes later, Mia, sitting on his lap with flushed cheeks, asked while gasping for air.
"Well, I think I might take on the tougher challenge." Wayne joked casually.
For the first time, having both at once would be too challenging, and he might end up with neither. So, it's better to take it step-by-step.
The auditions continued. Since the remaining roles were minor ones with only a few lines, Wayne handed over the authority to James Wan, which moved James Wan to the point of tears!
Don't get it wrong, that's literally.
As a new director without any achievements or connections, he often doesn't even have the authority to cast minor roles and has to consult with producers.
After all, Hollywood is producer-centric because producers represent capital.
For a director to become the center of a production and lead the casting process, there's only one scenario: capital believes that the director will make them a lot of money, so they are willing to compromise a bit.
No one would trust a newcomer like James Wan, but Wayne had faith in him.
However, when Anne Hathaway walked in, Wayne broke his promise.
Seeing Anne Hathaway smiling with a hint of nervousness, Wayne, who was checking James Wan's shooting schedule, instinctively paused, straightened up, and showed a surprised expression.
This caught the attention of Mia, sitting beside him, and Hannah, standing slightly behind him, both of whom rolled their eyes.
"My name is Anne Hathaway. I'm 18 years old. Last year, I appeared in the TV show *Get Real*."
While introducing herself, Anne also glanced at Wayne, who was sitting in the main seat. Seeing his reaction made her even more nervous.
James Wan frowned at this sight.
If she gets nervous even during a simple self-introduction in an audition, how will she perform in front of so many people and cameras on set?
James Wan's skepticism was quite reasonable.
But he didn't understand Anne's mindset.
Anne, who started acting in theater during high school and participated in several low-budget stage plays, is actually quite competent in terms of acting—at least slightly better than Jessica. She would never be so nervous during a typical audition introduction.
The reason she was nervous was that she was contemplating how to win over Wayne.
In Hollywood, trading favors for opportunities isn't just an unspoken rule; it's an open secret.
It was just her first time having such thoughts and preparing to act on them.
Moreover, coming from an upper-middle-class family, having attended both elementary and high schools affiliated with a church, with relatively strict family upbringing, she was still a virgin.
"But... if my first time is with him, I think I'd be getting a good deal."
Looking at Wayne's incredibly handsome face, Anne couldn't help but think.
Next, James Wan patiently had Anne perform an impromptu scene. At this point, Anne managed to temporarily set aside her thoughts and gave a fairly decent performance.
This slightly improved James Wan's opinion of her, given that his taste is quite normal.
However...
"There doesn't seem to be a suitable role left for her," James Wan said first after Anne left the audition room, preparing to make a note on his sheet.
But at this moment, Wayne suddenly spoke, "Let's swap the Asian female foreign student who's being bullied by her sorority or the black girl in the sorority who gets scolded by Danielle for liking sweets with her."
"Such a pretty face is sure to attract the audience. It would be a waste not to use it."
"And given her beautiful face, quiet demeanor, and introverted personality, which leads to her poor social skills and being ostracized by her peers, it makes logical sense."
After a brief moment of thought, James Wan nodded in agreement with Wayne's suggestion.
After all, these two roles are not important. One has only four or five lines with no solo shots, and the other has a few one- or two-second solo shots but no lines at all.
"So, Wayne, which one do you think she should get?"
"I'll ask her later and let her choose."
James Wan was stunned.
Let a completely unknown actress choose her own role?
Now, he finally understood Wayne's true intention.
Silently marking his notes, James Wan grumbled internally. They had agreed to give him the authority, but Wayne went back on his word. This is really unfair to a newcomer!
Despite his complaints, James Wan had no intention of never working with Wayne again.
After all, considering Wayne's generosity, he quickly dismissed that idea.
Are you kidding? In Hollywood, this land of fame and fortune, who would say no to money?
The first rule of survival in Hollywood is: Whoever has the money is the boss. No matter who you clash with, you can't go against money!
The Big Seven are at the top of Hollywood's pyramid, not just because they control critical global distribution channels, but more importantly, they are backed by big capital or directly owned by it.
Otherwise, how could they dare to mess with Wall Street's financial giants and come out unscathed? Do you think Wall Street's financial giants are pushovers?
Only capital can contend with capital—unless you have a cheat code!
*(End of Chapter)*
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