Kapitel 104: Chapter 105: Oh No, Misunderstanding

Grandpa Yuan on the side had the same reaction because the next person entering for the audition was none other than Ryan Reynolds.

"Ryan Reynolds? Who's that guy? How did he get to be the third one in line for the audition?"

"Ben Stiller was the male lead in the first film. Could this Ryan Reynolds guy be auditioning for the lead role too?"

As Ryan Reynolds' name was called and he strode towards the audition room, everyone couldn't help but turn to look at him, whispering among themselves.

If it weren't for the strict audition order, they would never have believed that this flamboyant guy, who was previously doing aerobics in the corner, could get a chance to audition for the male lead.

"Mike, is this guy your client too?"

Megan curiously asked Mike, as she had noticed him talking to Ryan Reynolds earlier.

As soon as she asked, Annie and others nearby perked up their ears, curious as well.

"Yes, last year, he played a minor role with a few lines in the high school comedy *Dick*, starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams," Mike explained.

"Of course, he got this audition opportunity because Wayne noticed him."

"Yes, Wayne, the writer, has an eye for actors," Mike added quickly when he saw Megan's odd expression.

As they were talking, Ryan Reynolds had already walked into the audition room and began introducing himself to Susan, Nolan, and the others.

"I'm Ryan Reynolds, born in 1976, from Canada. I've previously appeared in..."

At that moment, it was unclear whether Ryan Reynolds was genuinely nervous or acting. The exaggerated, cocky aura he had earlier was gone, and he now appeared somewhat honest and sincere.

However, this caused the director, Nolan, to frown.

In his vision, the male lead, Carlos, in *Resident Evil 2* was supposed to be a cold, sharp, and capable elite soldier. Reynolds' demeanor was clearly not fitting that description.

"Looks like I'll have to talk to Susan about finding someone else. But who could I choose? The new lead can't have too high a salary, or Susan will definitely disagree..."

Several names flashed through Nolan's mind, including his favorite, Christian Bale.

However, he soon realized he had underestimated Ryan Reynolds and Wayne's insight.

Once the audition began, Reynolds quickly shed his nervous, sincere act, snapping into character in an instant. His entire demeanor exuded a cold, powerful presence. The fighting moves he demonstrated, as directed by Grandpa Yuan, were executed crisply and cleanly.

Although he still had a noticeable gap compared to professional stunt performers, even Grandpa Yuan's trained eye could see that for a regular actor, Reynolds' performance wasn't bad at all.

When the two-minute audition scene ended, Nolan's face was already showing signs of surprise.

Though Ryan Reynolds' acting wasn't yet stronger than Ben Stiller's, he had just pulled a clever trick by deliberately portraying a nervous, sincere demeanor beforehand. This allowed for a more dramatic contrast when his demeanor shifted.

As a seasoned director, Nolan quickly caught on to this.

But a good performance is a good performance. Reynolds had met Nolan's expectations, so for the time being, he shelved the idea of replacing him.

"Alright, Mr. Reynolds, you may leave now. We'll notify Mike of the results by tonight at the latest," Susan said.

Although Reynolds was the only one auditioning for the role of Carlos, and his performance had met Nolan's standards, the formal process still needed to be followed, albeit in a shortened timeline.

Among the entire cast, only Charlize Theron had been able to sign a contract before auditioning.

Apart from acting, Reynolds worked part-time as a bartender, so he had developed a keen sense of reading the room. After leaving the audition, he immediately clenched his fists in excitement, holding back the urge to celebrate wildly, and ran quickly over to Mike, giving him a big hug.

After all, Mike was the only person he knew there.

But the others didn't see it that way.

Seeing how excitedly Reynolds hugged Mike, everyone else couldn't help but look at each other with puzzled expressions.

"So, this guy has a thing with Wayne Anderson's agent? No wonder..."

As Wayne's agent, Mike wasn't a household name in Hollywood, but most of the people auditioning here knew him.

And so, poor Mike was now the subject of their misunderstanding.

A few bold ones even slipped him their phone numbers, like some of the guys auditioning for mercenary roles in the first film.

"What's going on? Do these guys want to switch to my agency?" Mike looked at the paper slips in his hand, then at the guys still throwing flirty glances at him from a distance, and scratched his bald head in confusion.

Next up were auditions for the two female lead roles, Ada Wong and Jill Valentine.

Nolan had discussed with Susan earlier and knew that he only had a say in recommending these roles but no final decision-making power, so he wasn't planning to speak up. But soon, he couldn't help but change his mind.

First up was Eva Green auditioning for Jill Valentine.

With formal training and a family of professional actors, Eva Green had no issues with her acting. Additionally, with her years of dance training, she could replicate Grandpa Yuan's moves after watching just twice.

On top of that, her appearance today—with a jacket, leather pants, combat boots, light smoky eye makeup, and bold red lipstick—radiated one word: fierce!

Nolan's original choices for Jill Valentine were Angelina Jolie or Penélope Cruz. But after seeing Eva Green's audition, he immediately felt that she was a better fit.

If scored out of 100, Nolan would give Angelina Jolie and Penélope Cruz 88 and 85, respectively, while Eva Green would score around 90.

(End of Chapter)