Chapter 10 The Choice of the Heroine

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"I'm here for the audition for your movie, is it still possible to audition now?"

The blonde girl looked to be just over twenty, and due to the height difference, she had to slightly tilt her head up to look at Wang Yang. She flashed a smile, her two sweet dimples giving her a unique charm.

"In principle, it's possible," Wang Yang replied with a bit of a happy smile upon hearing that the girl was here to audition. This girl gave him a very special feeling, and she seemed very familiar. He knew what that implied; this blonde girl could very likely be a future star.

He bent his thumb towards the street behind them and said, "However, we are just about to go to that fast-food restaurant over there to buy lunch. Come on, let's talk as we walk."

"OK," the pretty blonde nodded. She glanced at Jessica with a bit of curiosity, to which Jessica explained, "No, I'm not the lead actress, nor am I here to audition. I'm Yang's friend, Jessica." The blonde girl nodded with an "Oh."

Sunset Boulevard is a bustling commercial pedestrian street, lined with various clothing stores, restaurants, and cafés. As the three of them walked down the street, with Wang Yang in the middle, the two girls on either side had that star quality, drawing frequent glances from passersby who tried to discern if they were some female celebrities.

"So, do you have a resume?" Wang Yang asked while walking, looking at the blonde girl on his left.

The blonde girl shrugged, indicating she did not have one, and said, "I just saw your recruitment notice at the job board over there. The idea of a DV film really interested me, so I came over to give it a try."

Job board? Oh, right! Wang Yang remembered. After leaving the actors' union that day, he had printed several recruitment posters and posted them on various job boards. After all, many actors were either non-union members or belonged to other unions; it was just a matter of trying their luck. He looked at the girl and asked, "Does that mean you're not a member of the actors' union?"

"No, I'm from Toronto, Canada, and I'm currently studying drama at York University," the girl said with a smile. "I came to Los Angeles to do some field research for a paper and then I saw your recruitment message today, and here I am." She briefly introduced her situation and then added, "Oh, right, my name is Rachel McAdams."

Rachel McAdams? Wang Yang frowned involuntarily, looking at the girl's face—her high nose, her big mouth, those two dimples when she smiled, so pure and sweet, making her feel very approachable... the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed. Who was it? He searched rapidly in his mind, Rachel McAdams, Rachel... and then, a movie poster gradually emerged.

The promotional poster of the 2009 movie "Sherlock Holmes" featuring the heroine Irene Adler's image, with curly hair, dressed in regal purple garments, wearing a smile full of confidence... Irene Adler's actress was none other than Rachel McAdams!

Finally understanding who she was, the heroine of "Sherlock Holmes," Wang Yang's interest peaked, knowing that actors who became famous possessed exceptional skills. Being the leading actress in a movie that had a ninety-million-dollar investment signaled that this Rachel McAdams surely had an outstanding future record.

Indeed, after looking through some information about her, Wang Yang confirmed his thoughts.

Rachel was born on November 17, 1978, in a typical family in Ontario, Canada; her father was a truck driver while her mother was a nurse. Rachel had loved acting from a young age, participating in many stage plays at school. After graduating high school, she was accepted into York University's drama program. Up until now, she hadn't achieved any fame, not having even delivered her first performance on screen yet.

Instead, she had gained a bit of fame in figure skating. From the age of four, she exhibited exceptional potential in figure skating and practiced it continuously, competing for several years.

It wasn't until 2002 that Rachel rose to fame with a role in the campus comedy "The Hot Chick," and subsequently delivered outstanding performances in "Mean Girls" and "The Notebook," causing her popularity to soar overnight, turning her into a youth idol across America.

However, although Rachel would become famous in the future and her acting would be widely praised, that was the future, not indicative of the present. Right now, she was just a student at York University. Who knew if her acting skills were up to par at the moment? And, having almost exclusively appeared in comedy and romance films in the future, it was yet to be seen if she was suitable for a horror film.

"What's the matter? Is there a problem?" Rachel asked, seeing Wang Yang frowning and staring at her, puzzled.

Wang Yang snapped back with an "Oh," cutting off the train of thoughts in his mind, and shook his head with a smile, "No problem. So, Rachel, why did you suddenly decide to come audition? What made you want to act?"

"It's simple, I became interested, and I want to get this role," Rachel said with a smile as they walked. "Although horror movies are not my favorite genre, what interested me was the DV film. Consumer camcorders have a short history, and the first home DV camera was just introduced to the market earlier this year. Filming a movie with a home DV? Oh, what a surprising innovation, it's so talented and courageous of whoever thought of this idea."

Rachel spoke as if analyzing and reminiscing, "I think, the advent of DV films will become a trend in the future; it allows many young people not to be troubled by funding issues, to shoot their own movies, to show their talent. Wow, I don't know why, but this feels very romantic to me!"

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In the end, she half-jokingly added, "Of course, that four thousand US dollars is also one of the reasons I'm interested."

This girl spoke logically and confidently, truly befitting a top student from York University, and her sincere tone was very likable.

"You surprise me, too!" Wang Yang said excitedly, as Rachel had voiced exactly what he had been thinking. It wasn't common to find someone who understood DV filmmaking and saw its future prospects; most people looked down on DV films, and some hadn't even heard of DV filmmaking before. Finally, someone understood him, which made Wang Yang both excited and comfortable, and he couldn't help but praise, "You're very good, very good! I like what you said, yes, it's very romantic!"

Rachel smiled with a purse of her lips, her dimples becoming more pronounced as she did so, giving her an even sweeter look. She shrugged and said with a laugh, "I thought you liked that 'very courageous, very talented' part."

"I like that too, haha!" Wang Yang laughed heartily.

As Wang Yang and Rachel talked and laughed about DV films, as if lamenting that they hadn't met sooner, Jessica walked on the other side, unable to join in the conversation. She felt a strange anxiety, wanting to say something but failing to find the words, looking at Wang Yang and Rachel, then down at her feet, then back at them again…

She remembered how she felt when she first heard about Wang Yang wanting to make a film with just a ten thousand dollar budget—she couldn't believe it, was skeptical, and couldn't understand it… Even now, she still felt that making a film like this seemed somewhat trifling. She had simply chosen to trust Wang Yang, yet he had never said she was "very good."

"So you don't need to go back to Toronto for now? Filming is going to take at least a week," said Wang Yang, his face brimming with a smile. He had finally met someone who understood DV films, so he was in a very good mood.

Rachel responded nonchalantly, "A week or two is doable. Our university absolutely encourages students to gain more acting experience, and performing also helps with the thesis I'm writing." She laughed again, showing off her sense of humor, "Of course, the four thousand US dollars would also fund my stay in Los Angeles for an extra week."

"Hmm, as long as you don't stay in a presidential suite," Wang Yang replied with a laugh, shrugging his shoulders.

As they talked, the trio had arrived outside a fast-food restaurant on the street corner. Wang Yang turned to Jessica and asked, "Jessica, do you want a burger? What flavor do you like?" Jessica responded absently, "Anything is fine, you decide."

Wang Yang then asked Rachel, "Do you want something to eat?" Rachel nodded, "Yes, I actually am quite hungry, just any burger will do."

"OK, but sorry, I'm not treating," Wang Yang said with a laugh, then stepped into the fast-food restaurant.

The two ladies stayed outside and sat down on a bench by the street. Relaxing on the bench, Rachel stretched out her arms with a yawn and then turned to look at Jessica, smiling and saying, "Hello Jessica."

Jessica smiled back slightly and answered, "Hello, Rachel."

"Hollywood is really beautiful," Rachel remarked, taking in the surroundings with a deep breath and a sense of awe, "I've been here a few days and haven't managed to see all of Hollywood. It seems like wherever you are, you just have to look up to see the sign; the scenery is really wonderful." She chuckled, "And the clothing stores are filled with beautiful clothes that make you not want to leave. But, because of that, I also find it quite surreal, very unreal, so for me, a few days is enough."

She then looked up at the sky, her clear eyes following the clouds, and softly added, "I still prefer the peaceful life in Toronto, where you just need to ride a bicycle every day, where every person on the street knows you and they greet you warmly, which family's dog had puppies, which family laid new sod in their garden... Mmm, that kind of life is comfortable, that's the life I'd prefer to live long-term."

She followed up with a chuckle, "Of course, that's just my personal preference."

Jessica observed Rachel's elegant and intellectual charm exuding from her, and as a woman, she couldn't help but compare herself with Rachel in that respect. Then she realized she had lost, and quite thoroughly at that. She hadn't gone to college, she didn't understand DV films, and at times she didn't even understand what Wang Yang was talking about...

"Right, there must have been quite a few interviews this morning, right?" Rachel playfully winked at Jessica, whispering, "Jessica, give me some tips. I don't want to be eliminated by that young director."

"Um..." Jessica came back to reality, pushing down the inexplicable sadness in her heart. She thought about the morning's auditions, about a girl named Anne Darren, and several others who were rejected by Wang Yang for the same reason. She said, "They had too much performance trace; many were eliminated because of that. Yang always says he wants natural, life-like acting."

"Life-like acting?" Rachel frowned in thought, then suddenly broke into a smile, saying, "Got it. Yes, Yang is right! For DV films, if it's first-person, it needs to be a life-like performance, with that awareness of being in front of the DV camera, because that's what's real."

"Good! Well said!" Wang Yang, holding three burgers, just came out of the fast-food restaurant and heard Rachel's last remark. As he handed out the burgers to both women, he laughed again in appreciation, "That's exactly what I was trying to say!"

"Thank you." Hearing Wang Yang's praise for Rachel made Jessica's heart tighten inexplicably. As soon as she took the burger Wang Yang handed her, she bit off a big chunk, biting down hard.

Rachel also took her burger, and Wang Yang sat down on the bench, eating his burger while he said to Rachel, "So, let's start the interview now. Rachel, if you were at home at night and encountered a ghost, what would your first reaction be?" This question was exactly the one he had asked Anne Darren that morning, word for word.

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Rachel laughed without thinking, "Me? Maybe I'd just pass out." She laughed again before saying more seriously, "Seriously though, I need to know the script because different character traits mean different reactions."

Wang Yang nodded his head. Rachel had come from an advertisement and not through the actors' union notice, so she naturally hadn't received that brief script introduction. He briefly recounted the story: "An ordinary couple moves into a new house, but all sorts of supernatural events start happening, so they decide to investigate. That means they are always recording the house with a DV, trying to capture the ghost on film."

"Hmm... supernatural events occur in the house, and they think of capturing the ghost on camera, so that means they must be somewhat interested in ghosts, right? At least not scared just by hearing about them." Rachel analyzed the character traits from Wang Yang's description, quickly grasping the essence of the character. This made Wang Yang nod in agreement. Upon receiving confirmation, she smiled and said, "In that case, my reaction would be to get startled at first, then, trembling and scared, ask 'Oh god, are you a ghost?'"

Not bad, Wang Yang mentally gave a tick mark. This question was mainly to observe Rachel's understanding of the script because only if she truly understood the script and what the director wanted would she be able to perform well.

Consider Anne Darren, who had answered the same question previously. Her reaction had been just to scream, which of course was an expression of being startled; but unfortunately, that was just the typical first reaction of an average person, and she didn't understand the character's personality, hence she missed Rachel's second reaction, which was the scared yet curious, "Are you a ghost?"

Wang Yang then asked, "So if it's the middle of the night, and you and your boyfriend are asleep in bed, sleeping soundly, but suddenly you hear footsteps outside, in the hallway of the bedroom, and you're awakened. Please show me your expression upon waking up." This acting prompt had also been given to Anne Darren before.

Upon hearing Wang Yang's question, Jessica, who was biting into her burger, instantly perked up, her eyes on Rachel, feeling somewhat nervous inside. She wanted to know the level of Rachel's acting, maybe she could turn the tables here...

"Hmm... wait a moment." Rachel chewed her burger then swallowed, she slowly closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them again, handed her burger wrapped in greaseproof paper to Wang Yang with a smile, "Can you hold this please? It's affecting my performance. And if you could, please step on the floor to simulate those footsteps, it would help me get into character better."

She also hugged Jessica beside her with a smile, "Oh, I'm treating Jessie as my partner."

"OK." Wang Yang took her burger, and when she closed her eyes, he started stepping on the floor one step at a time.

Rachel, with her eyes closed, frowned slightly, then slowly and drowsily opened her eyes before blinking hard a few times. Her expression was blank, she cocked her head slightly listening as if to the footsteps outside the bedroom. As the steps continued, she began to breathe more rapidly, suppressing it without moving her head at all, but her hand was shaking Jessie beside her.

"GOOD!" Wang Yang couldn't help but be impressed, cheering before she even finished her performance, "That's right, that's the performance I want!"

Unlike Anne Darren who was influenced by stage plays, leading to a performance biased towards physical expression; Rachel's series of facial expressions, reactions, and movements were very natural, almost performing with micro-expressions. She understood the intention of the director for creating this scene. The suppressed breath would make the audience more tense. Although she breathed too rapidly when the situation called for it, considering this was on the street and not the actual scene, her level of skill was already remarkable.

What's more, Rachel's performance swept away all the girls who had come for the audition that morning. Could four thousand US dollars find the most suitable lead actress? Obviously not. But now they had found a high-achieving graduate from York University, an actress whose performance might still be raw but was good enough for the job.

Wang Yang knew that the lead actress for "Paranormal Activity" was her, this Canadian girl named Rachel McAdams!

"So you're saying that I've got the lead role in the movie?" Rachel said expectantly.

Wang Yang smiled and nodded, "That's right, it's you."

"Awesome!" Rachel shouted excitedly, hugging Jessie and then Wang Yang. She couldn't stop smiling, "That means I'll be staying in Los Angeles for a while longer. Lucky for me, I'm not missing Toronto that much right now. A DV movie? That's a really interesting challenge. Seriously, I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm looking forward to it too," Wang Yang said excitedly. "Your performance fills me with confidence."

With the lead actress in place for the movie, he truly felt relieved, as in "Paranormal Activity," the lead actress is the one who gets possessed by the ghost, while the lead actor usually holds the DV camera. Thus, the lead actress has much more screen presence and lines than the lead actor, and her performance directly affects the success of the movie.

Wang Yang and Rachel were both very happy, but nobody noticed Jessica, sitting at the end of the chairs, downcast. She was lowering her eyelids, holding the burger in her hands, chewing slowly, lost in thought.

"Let's talk about the role," Wang Yang said, quickly finishing the large burger, then eagerly started discussing the story of the movie and the traits of the female lead, among other things.

Rachel nodded frequently, then brought up her own questions and ideas. She studied drama and had a certain understanding of DV movies, so her conversation with Wang Yang was unimpeded, casual, and enjoyable.

"This movie is all about psychology; we need to make the audience scare themselves, which requires a high level of immersion, and of course, that's one of the advantages of first-person DV movies. Imagine being in a dark movie theater, watching the big screen, following the male lead's camera, feeling as if you're the one holding the DV, and then suddenly... wow! I think the audience in the movie theater would be terrified," Wang Yang said, spiritedly picturing his vision for the future.

Rachel was startled for a moment and asked curiously, "A movie theater? I thought this was just your graduation project."

Graduation project? More like a "dismissal project"! Wang Yang chuckled and shook his head with full confidence, "No, not just any graduation project, this is a movie, a film that can be shown on the big screen. I believe it will be distributed, and it will do quite well at the box office."

"I like your confidence. Imagine my sudden appearance on the big screen at the movie theater, oh, it's like a dream, and I don't think I'm quite ready yet!" Rachel laughed and exclaimed, "But before I came to Los Angeles, I didn't even know I'd be playing the lead actress in a movie, and now I'm about to sign the contract. So, what's impossible?"

She nudged Jessica with her elbow and asked, "Jessica, what do you think?"

Jessica, who had been left out, suddenly uttered "Oh" as if she had only just reacted. During the previous discussion about the movie between Wang Yang and Rachel, she had tried to interject several times, but her words would stop at her lips and she swallowed them back down, feeling her own words were boring and unimpressive; since the two engrossed in conversation hadn't noticed her, she felt as though she had been isolated, filled with an uncomfortable feeling inside.

"I think, I mean, yeah," Jessica forced a smile.

Wang Yang, now completely engrossed in his film and his aspirations for the future, failed to notice that Jessica's smile was a sham. He glanced at his watch, it was almost one o'clock, so he stood up and said, "It's about time, let's head back to the coffee shop." He then smiled at Rachel, "My lead actress, come with me; I need to explain to the agent sent by the actors' guild that I've found you."

"OK," Rachel nodded.

Thus, the three of them returned to the "Sweetheart" coffee shop. Hardly had they settled down when Wang Yang was eager to continue discussing the movie with Rachel. Although she realized Jessica was struggling to get a word in, Rachel deliberately steered the conversation towards Jessica; but Jessica seemed unappreciative, responding with a noncommittal "YES" or "NO" to get by, her expression growing increasingly impassive.

By one o'clock, Mark Strong had returned punctually. Wang Yang, seeing him, excitedly said, "Hey, Mark, I've found my lead actress, it's her, Rachel McAdams!" He pointed at Rachel and half-jokingly, half-schadenfreudely said, "But unfortunately, she's not a member of the actors' guild, so you won't be getting her commission."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Rachel greeted Mark Ronster politely.

Mark Ronster uttered an "Oh" and sized up Rachel, nodding, "Not bad, not bad. Though she doesn't look very old, if you don't mind me asking bluntly, Miss McAdams, how old are you?" Rachel smiled and replied, "I'm 20 this year, haven't had my birthday yet." Seeing her dimples as she smiled, Mark exclaimed, "Wow, what a sweet smile! And at a young age, from my many years as an agent, I can tell, Miss McAdams, you have a promising future."

"Ah, there goes my commission," Mark lamented, shaking his head regretfully as he looked at Wang Yang with a mix of jest and dissatisfaction, "Young director, I really don't get it, Miss McAdams and Jessica, they seem about the same age, both have sweet looks, why didn't you choose your girlfriend?" He shrugged, "Oh, Rachel is certainly not bad, but she made me lose my commission, I hate her for that."

Before Wang Yang could speak, Jessica, who had been silent until then, suddenly furrowed her brows and, glaring at Mark Ronster, yelled, "I've said it, I'm not his girlfriend! I hate these kinds of jokes, OK?! Does walking together make me his girlfriend? Why do you men always think about these things?!"

Everyone was stunned. Wang Yang hadn't expected it, Rachel hadn't, and least of all, initiator Mark Ronster... Why had Jessica suddenly burst out like that?

"Uh... uh, sorry, my fault..." Mark Ronster scratched his head, though baffled, he apologized nonetheless.

"Jessica..." Wang Yang murmured her name, but then he also didn't know what else to say.

After venting her anger, Jessica herself was also taken aback, her face turned sour as she looked down, not looking at anyone, and said, "Sorry, I... I'll just go to the restroom..." Then she quickly stood up and hurried away as if fleeing.

"I'll go check on her," Rachel stood up, giving Wang Yang a reassuring smile, and followed her.

"Oh, young director, you've caused a mess!" Mark Ronster shook his head in concern for Wang Yang, crossed his arms, and with a didactic tone said, "If it was me, I'd definitely choose Jessica as the lead actress in the movie. Please, I don't see any difference between her and Rachel. Sure, she looks a few years younger, but who cares? Why upset your girlfriend over something like this?"

Does walking together make me his girlfriend? Is that what Jessica really thinks? Wang Yang's brows furrowed tightly, his good mood disrupted. But why was she so angry? About the role of the lead actress? Or just because of Mark Ronster's joke?

Damnit! It's all this guy's fault, always saying things he shouldn't... Wang Yang glared at Mark Ronster, leaning back in his chair, teeth itching with frustration, and he slapped the coffee table with a bang, shouting, "Mark, she's not my girlfriend. I hate that kind of joke, too, OK?! Does someone coming to help out make her my girlfriend?!"

Mark Ronster rolled his eyes, shrugged and said, "OK, OK! My fault, all my fault, I'm the villain here."