Owen and Matt went through résumé after résumé, the same with the reels. Only two more applicants were left before they had to make a decision.
Owen wasn't disappointed with the résumés and reels he had seen so far, but he wasn't excited either. He hadn't found an actress who truly impressed him, who made him think: This girl has exceptional talent, a future star.
However, he knew that talent didn't always show in a reel and that the real test would be the live auditions. Experience and effort could make a huge difference. Nobody is born a perfect actor; some simply need the opportunity and the space to grow.
So far, if he had to pick one based only on the reels he'd seen, he would choose Chloe McDowell. A 22-year-old actress with several projects in horror, psychological drama, and suspense.
Her acting was solid, and her background in suspense and horror gave her an edge for the movie Owen was producing.
Owen moved résumé, which read:
[Name: Emma Scott
Age: 20
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Education:
• Acting School in Los Angeles, no formal university degree, but attended several acting workshops.
• Acting Classes: Occasional courses at Actors Studio and SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
• No experience in theater or professional film, but participated in student projects and short films.
Work Experience:
The Haunting in Willow Ridge (2020) – Student horror short film, supporting role.
Into the Dark (2021) – Minor role in a student horror short film.
Unpaid Projects: Participated in various unpaid roles, including student film projects.]
"This is the weakest résumé so far… though she's very pretty," Matt remarked, without malice or mockery in his tone, just stating a fact.
Owen, sitting beside him and reviewing the same information, let out a slight smile. The girl had platinum blonde hair, long and straight, with a natural shine that complemented her striking blue eyes. Her youthful face, with soft features, a delicate jawline, and thin lips, undoubtedly made her the most attractive candidate they had seen so far.
But beyond her looks, her résumé was practically nonexistent. She didn't hold a university degree in acting, only a few workshops and occasional courses at SAG-AFTRA and Actors Studio. Her film or theater experience was almost zero, limited only to unpaid student shorts.
"Yeah… though her résumé is still better than mine," Owen joked, which made Matt burst out laughing.
"Well, you're a screenwriter, actor, and producer. Have some confidence," Matt replied, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
"And besides, you'll gain experience as the lead actor in a feature film you've produced yourself," he added with a smile.
Owen nodded before moving on to Emma's reels. The recordings were simple, shot at her home with mediocre technical quality, but what really mattered was her acting.
The girl conveyed fear and desperation in a genuine way. Her expressions were intense, though her performance showed clear signs of inexperience. Some reactions were a bit exaggerated or off-beat, but there was something about her vulnerability that stood out.
"Mm, she's not the best, that's for sure… but she conveys a certain fragility that could work really well for Katie if she's directed properly," Matt commented.
Owen nodded in agreement. Even though she had less experience compared to the other actresses they'd seen, and they were already auditioning mostly inexperienced actresses, Emma had something special.
On top of that, her lack of background meant they could hire her at the minimum wage, which would help keep the budget low.
"I think it's worth seeing her in a live audition," Owen finally said.
"Yeah, she might surprise us, and we also need to see how professional she is," Matt replied, jotting her name down on the list for in-person auditions. So far, they had three names.
They continued reviewing résumés until one caught their attention.
[Name: Sophie Thatcher
Age: 20
Academic Training:
• Los Angeles School of Performing Arts (2013–2017)
Advanced Acting Classes:
• Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
• Actors Studio Los Angeles
Work Experience:
• Growing Strong (2015) – Short film – Lily Strong (supporting role). Played Lily, the daughter of a family dealing with an emotional struggle.
• Chicago P.D. (2016) – TV series – Carolyn Clifford (1 episode). Played Carolyn, a young woman caught in a difficult situation with the police.
• The Exorcist (2016) – TV series – Regan (2 episodes). Played Regan, a younger version of the main character in this suspense/horror series.
• Chicago Med (2018) – TV series – Deidre (4 episodes). Played Deidre, a recurring patient who challenged the doctors with a strange diagnosis and unpredictable behavior.]
Matt whistled after reading through her work experience.
"The best one so far. I know all these shows," he said, surprised by the résumé of this girl who was the same age as him.
"It's true," Owen said, reviewing Sophie's résumé again. "Her roles may have been secondary or short appearances, but being part of those productions at her age is already a huge achievement."
Matt nodded, still impressed.
Working in those series between 16 and 18 years old was no small feat.
"The only odd thing is that there's nothing on her record after 2018… Four years without another project is strange. Maybe she decided to take a break, study more, or simply couldn't land another role," Owen commented, frowning slightly.
Matt crossed his arms.
"Or maybe the industry pushed her aside for some reason. You know how this is. One day you're lucky, and the next that luck runs out," Matt said, folding his arms.
"You talk like you've got 20 years of experience in Hollywood, and you still haven't directed your first short film," Owen replied with a slight smile, which only made Matt laugh, because he was right.
Owen clicked to watch Sophie Thatcher's reels. She displayed remarkable skill in conveying emotions, ranging from vulnerability to desperation and inner tension.
Her reel included scenes from The Exorcist and Chicago Med, where she showed a strong ability to adapt to different genres, whether horror or medical drama.
Out of all the applicants, she was without a doubt the best actress. However, Owen was staring at the TV with a frown.
Sophie's face looked familiar to him. He quickly realized why: he had seen her act in Prospect, an independent low-budget sci-fi film from 2018.
The movie starred Pedro Pascal and Sophie Thatcher as father and daughter traveling to an alien moon.
That movie doesn't exist in this reality, which meant Sophie never had the chance to act in it. From what Owen remembered, the film had a low budget, but still much higher than his own, around two to three million dollars, maybe a little more.
However, the film wasn't a huge box office success like Paranormal Activity. It only had a very limited theatrical release. On streaming it became more known, but nothing major, and it didn't manage to recoup its investment.
Even so, it boosted Sophie's career, and the movie received good reviews.
That wasn't all. He had also seen this girl act in the series Yellowjackets, where she had a leading role. A series that mixed psychological drama, suspense, mystery, horror, and dark comedy.
The series came out in 2021 and had one season, though the last thing Owen heard before he died was that a second season had been confirmed, but he died before it was released.
'Because of me, he lost two very important projects for his career...' Owen thought with a strange expression.
Now he understood why Sophie had nothing in her record after 2018.
"What do you think? We should call her for an in-person audition," Matt said once Sophie's reels ended.
"Yes. Although I'm sure she'll ask for a much higher salary, but we can negotiate," Owen agreed.
In fact, he believed this girl should be Katie. Her talent was the best out of all the auditions they had seen. Not only because he knew she had played a lead role in a notably successful series like Yellowjackets, which went on to have two seasons, but also because her reels clearly showed her acting talent.
After finishing all the résumés, they selected only four actresses out of the hundreds who had applied for an in-person audition. Owen sent an email to the four candidates, inviting them to audition.
The movie had a modest budget, even low by low-budget standards, so in the email Owen asked each of them what days and times they were available to schedule the auditions within the next week.
Chloe and Emma replied in less than thirty minutes, saying they could come that very day, asking for the exact time and address.
As for Sophie and Janice (the other girl they decided to give a chance to in person), they also replied quickly, but weren't available that day. They could come tomorrow, with a wide range of availability.
Since Owen and Matt had watched the reels earlier in the day, they arranged to meet Chloe at 4 p.m. and Emma at 5 p.m. at Owen's apartment.
-------------------------------------------------
You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.
Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07