Rachel McAdams felt both nervous and frustrated. She wasn't sure what to do next.
Her audition was halfway through, with her emotions teetering awkwardly between sadness and bitterness, like being kicked out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal.
So, what now?
Anson?
Should she try to grab Anson's attention? But how? There were likely plenty of people in Hollywood throwing themselves at Anson, and he'd probably seen every trick in the book. She'd just come off like a clown.
But should she just leave it like this? Just walk away?
Was there no hope left for the audition?
In her panic, Rachel didn't have time to focus on Anson. Her attention briefly lingered on him before she turned to Marcia with a pleading look in her eyes.
She stood there, looking like a fool, holding her phone as if she were still on a call, her mouth twisted like a frog's, frozen in place.
She felt like an idiot.
No, she was an idiot.
…
Marcia didn't have time to worry about an auditioning actor's thoughts. Her gaze was fully on Anson, her eyes openly showing admiration.
"Oh my God, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I can't believe it. In just a few months, you've gotten even more handsome."
Marcia half-joked, half-seriously teased him, and Anson spread his hands.
"It's all thanks to the tequila."
With that little joke, the atmosphere immediately lightened, and Marcia's face was all smiles.
"So, are you here to supervise?"
"No, I'm just here to help out. You know, with a small production, the budget is tight, so we need to get hands-on. I thought maybe I could be of some use during the casting, so I came to take a look."
"Oh, and I thought I'd stop by to say hi."
"By the way, I wasn't sure what was on your lunch menu, so I ordered some Chinese takeout. It should be downstairs now, on its way up to the second floor."
Wow, cheers and praise erupted. Both Marcia and Nicholas were thrilled, exclaiming that they had just ordered Chinese food too. It was like they were on the same wavelength.
Back and forth, the room's atmosphere became more relaxed.
Maybe Rachel was the only exception.
Rachel felt a bit dejected and lost, not knowing how to handle the situation. She could only helplessly signal Marcia with her eyes.
Finally!
Marcia noticed and realized that they were still in the middle of an audition, and it wasn't appropriate to leave an actor hanging like this. But continuing the audition now seemed pointless; this actor was just too sweet-looking—
Keller was a character covered in scars.
The theme and plot of The Butterfly Effect dictated that the characters would have a tragic tone. Not just the main characters, Evan and Keller, but every character in the movie was struggling within a cycle of tragedy.
To be precise, it wasn't a tragedy, but a heavy piece tinged with tragedy, even bordering on despair.
Marcia didn't think this actor was the right choice.
With this thought in mind, Marcia looked at Rachel. "Let's end the audition here. We'll notify you later about the next steps."
Rachel was stunned.
She knew that this was essentially a death sentence.
Her first reaction was to blame Anson and the staff member who interrupted the audition. Before that, everything was on track.
However, after a brief pause, Rachel realized there was no point.
She had handled the unexpected situation poorly. And even before that, she hadn't managed to grab the casting director's attention.
She should blame herself.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel tried to calm herself, but understanding the logic didn't make the bitterness go away.
"Thank you!"
Rachel forced a smile. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Anson, so she turned to leave, her shoulders slumped, feeling dejected and frustrated.
But then, a voice called out from behind.
"Wait."
Rachel, lost in her thoughts, didn't realize the voice was directed at her. She had almost reached the door when the voice called out again.
"Rachel, wait."
Rachel froze, finally realizing, and turned around, her eyes wide as she looked around, eventually locking onto Anson.
"Me?" Rachel asked.
Anson's smile grew, "Yes, Miss McAdams."
Rachel: "???" "You know me?"
Of course, he knew her—
The Notebook, Doctor Strange, Spotlight, About Time, and so on. Even though Rachel had never become a massive star, she had always been a bright presence in Hollywood.
This sweet actress had been typecast because of her looks, often stuck in romantic roles as a pretty face. But the truth was, she had always thought deeply about acting and filmmaking. Even if her talent didn't allow her to showcase her full range on the big screen, she had managed to sustain her acting career.
Whether it was in indie films or socially significant works, Rachel had been exploring her identity and image as an actress.
Compared to other beautiful actresses like Kate Beckinsale or Lindsay Lohan, who never quite broke free from their constraints, Rachel had far more vitality in her acting career, eventually earning acting nominations for Spotlight and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
However, at this point, Rachel was still just another small-time actress.
It wasn't until 2004, when she played the role of a mean girl in Mean Girls, that her career really took off.
Anson was a bit surprised to see Rachel at the audition.
From her appearance, Rachel wasn't suited for the role of Keller, and Anson agreed with Marcia's judgment. But Anson understood how an actor felt; having an audition interrupted and then being rejected without completing the performance was a bitter pill to swallow.
So, at the very least, Anson could let Rachel finish a complete audition.
In fact, Anson found it interesting to see Rachel, especially since she later appeared in several time-travel and butterfly-effect-themed movies like The Time Traveler's Wife and About Time.
But Anson couldn't say that directly. He tapped on the resume in front of him.
Rachel realized what he meant and offered a nervous smile. "Sorry, I guess my thoughts aren't quite right at the moment."
Anson smiled back. "That's why I don't like Broadway."
"Huh?" Rachel didn't get the joke.
Marcia burst out laughing, mocking Anson's failed joke.
Anson rubbed his nose. "Because stage actors have to handle too many unexpected situations. Obviously, my acting skills aren't good enough to deal with those. I prefer movies, where actors are allowed to make mistakes."
Rachel shrugged slightly, still not getting the joke. "I don't think I have the luxury of choice. I'm willing to accept any role."
Anson raised an eyebrow slightly. "Any?"
Rachel looked into Anson's eyes, then down at her own shirt, her gaze settling on the curves of her chest. She undid a button with her eyes.
Without saying a word, her intentions were clear. Marcia almost choked on her own spit, not expecting this sweet girl to have such a sharp side.
Looks can be deceiving, after all.
Anson was a bit flustered, not expecting Rachel to look up at him, wink playfully, and flash a mischievous grin—
So, was this her counterattack?