"…Marcia?"
Nicholas Stamos, the assistant casting director sitting nearby, noticed Marcia rubbing her temples. Slightly concerned, he called out to her and shot a questioning look her way.
"Do you need an aspirin?"
Marcia shook her head. "It's not physical."
"Uh…"
"I've been pondering whether Keller, a character in a script so full of tragic destiny, should possess a classical aura like in a Shakespearean play—a bright yet melancholic quality."
But clearly, this isn't easy.
Nicholas thought for a moment. "Claire Danes?"
In 1996, before "Titanic" was released, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in "Romeo + Juliet," which earned him the Best Actor award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The film's lead actress was Claire Danes. She wasn't the typical beauty, but her eyes and demeanor had a unique charm.
After the movie was released, many critics questioned Claire's casting, believing she lacked the classical essence required for a Shakespearean role. These criticisms caused Claire's acting career to have its ups and downs.
But Marcia had a different opinion.
When Baz Luhrmann filmed this movie, he intended to reinterpret it with a post-modern approach. The casting of Leonardo and Claire was a deliberate choice to break conventional thinking; their modern vibe was part of the film.
In fact, few people know that Claire was the top choice for the female lead in "Titanic" and had already received unanimous approval from the producers and director. All she needed to do was sign on, but she refused—
The reason was that James Cameron insisted Leonardo DiCaprio be the male lead. Claire had just worked with Leonardo and, being a strong-willed actress with her own ideas about acting and roles, didn't want to be tied down as a "screen couple" with him. It would limit her flexibility.
So, she refused.
Marcia thought about it seriously for a moment and then shook her head.
"No, Claire Danes…"
"She's too strong-willed to be swayed by her brother."
In "The Butterfly Effect," Keller's brother is obsessively protective, rejecting any man who comes close to his sister, even if that man is his best friend, Evan. He goes so far as to hurt Evan just to "protect" his sister. The young and naive Keller doesn't stop her brother.
To Marcia, Keller should possess a kind of broken beauty.
Clearly, Claire Danes doesn't fit that image.
Unfortunately, Marcia hasn't yet found a suitable actress—
Surprisingly, and somewhat expectedly, far more actors showed up to audition today than anticipated. The auditions have been going on for three hours, and the line outside shows no sign of shrinking. The place is buzzing with activity.
For a project with a budget of just $10 million and no famous screenwriter or director, it's astonishing that it has drawn so much attention.
Using Eric and Mackie's "Final Destination" series as a reference, attracting a three-digit number of actors to an audition would already be impressive. But today's turnout is at least four or five times that.
The only reason is that "The Butterfly Effect" has a unique draw:
Anson Wood.
"Wow."
Marcia let out a soft sigh.
"Let's just hope the 'Anson Wood' card can attract enough actors to help us find a suitable first love for the new Spider-Man."
Her remark made Nicholas laugh. "Anson's first on-screen love wasn't Jennifer Aniston?"
Marcia raised an eyebrow. "Correct. But that's exactly why, from Jennifer Aniston to Anne Hathaway to Kirsten Dunst, we need to find the next standout first love. It's a tough task."
Marcia seemed to catch a playful glint in Nicholas's eye and made a stopping gesture with her hand. "Don't look at me like that; I'm already regretting it."
"Oh God, my weakness really is handsome men."
Nicholas chuckled heartily beside her.
Just then, the next actress opened the door and entered.
The girl hesitated, unsure whether she should interrupt the strange scene of laughter and sighs inside.
Nicholas waved her in.
She quickly stepped in, placed her portfolio on the table, and Marcia took it, quickly scanning through it.
Nicholas spoke up, "You can start now."
The girl was taken aback: "…So soon?"
No small talk, no self-introduction—just straight into the audition?
This made Rachel McAdams a bit nervous, but she forced herself to stay calm—
It's an audition, after all. There are countless possibilities, and it's entirely possible for the casting director to skip introductions and background checks. That's why they need to prepare their resumes.
Just a year ago, Rachel had come from Ontario, Canada, to Los Angeles to chase her dreams. Other actors had taught her auditioning techniques, one of which was to always have a well-prepared resume, from the headshot to the self-introduction to the layout design—everything matters. This advice had given rise to a whole industry:
Professional resume-making services for actors.
A resume could cost as little as $500, or as much as $8,000 or more, with no upper limit.
Rachel, a clueless newcomer from a small town in Canada, wasn't sure whether to believe it, but she didn't do it because she was short on cash. Now, she finally started to believe it might be true.
Like right now.
She didn't even have a chance to introduce herself. All her information and background were on that single sheet of paper, which made Rachel lose confidence. She wasn't sure what the casting director could glean from such a thin sheet.
"Stay calm. Rachel, stay calm!"
Taking a deep breath, Rachel forced herself to focus:
Acting is what matters.
This audition had no script or specific requirements. The actors were simply asked to prepare a scene they were comfortable with, keeping it under two minutes. That was it.
Now was the time to showcase her skills.
Marcia hadn't noticed Rachel's nervousness, and even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was busy assessing the lightweight resume in front of her:
So far, Rachel had only been in two projects—one a TV series that no one had heard of, where she had a guest role, and the other a comedy film that was released earlier this year, "The Hot Chick," where she played a cheerleader.
And born in 1978, she's already 24? And only two roles?
Oh, she's from Canada, the boondocks. No wonder.
In a glance, Marcia made her judgment—just another pretty face.
She looked up and saw Rachel's bright, beautiful features. Sure enough, as expected, a classic girl-next-door type—
Not suitable.
Even before the acting began, Marcia had already made up her mind.
This is Hollywood. Often, decisions are made before an actor even realizes it, leaving them no chance to voice their case.