"Before we begin, I want to ask a few questions," Margaret said in a serious tone.
"Of course, go ahead," Owen replied calmly.
"What is the movie exactly about? I know it's horror, but I want details," Margaret said. From the few scenes they had sent her daughter to perform, she couldn't figure out much.
"It follows a couple, Drake and Katie, who record their daily lives at home after they begin experiencing strange occurrences. The story focuses on tension and psychological fear rather than traditional jump scares," Owen explained briefly.
"What kind of scenes would Sophie have if she gets the role?" Margaret asked.
"Katie is the protagonist along with Drake. Most of her scenes will take place at home: in the bedroom, living room, or kitchen. There's no nudity, no explicit content, and no extreme graphic violence," Owen answered.
"Are there kisses?" Margaret continued with the interrogation.
Owen blinked in confusion. Matt also pulled a strange face. Why was everyone making such a fuss over kisses? The same thing had happened with the jealous boyfriend of yesterday's actress.
"Yes, but nothing out of the ordinary. They're a couple, so there are kisses, but no scenes of intense passion," Owen replied neutrally.
Margaret nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced.
Then she crossed her arms and looked at them seriously. "I don't want my daughter involved in an amateur production. Sophie has worked in recognized series, why should she accept this?"
Owen stared at Margaret, wondering if he'd heard wrong.
'Why the hell did they apply for the audition and come all the way here then?' he thought, frowning.
The last thing he needed was some grumpy old woman wasting his time.
Before he could respond, Sophie leaned slightly toward her mother and whispered in a restrained but irritated tone, "Mom, we've already talked about this."
"And I still don't understand it, Sophie. It doesn't make any sense that—"
"Not here, Mom," Sophie cut her off quickly, lowering her voice even more so Owen and Matt wouldn't hear. Though they could hear perfectly well.
Margaret clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Sophie, this isn't professional."
"It's not your decision. I'm an adult now, and let me remind you, there's rent to pay," Sophie said.
Margaret fell silent, unable to counter what her daughter had just said.
"All right, let's continue," Sophie said with an embarrassed smile.
After the argument with her mother, they moved on to what mattered: the acting.
They had Sophie perform the same scenes as the previous actresses, but she elevated them to another level. Her emotional shifts were natural, moving from calm to unease with astonishing ease. When the scene required it, her expressions and body language conveyed a palpable sense of desperation.
Owen and Matt glanced at each other, impressed.
Maybe Sophie's crazy mother wasn't entirely wrong in underestimating this cheap film, which seemed unprofessional at first glance, produced by an actor/producer/screenwriter and directed by a young, unknown filmmaker.
But talent alone doesn't pay the bills. And if no one hires you, you have to take whatever comes your way.
When they finished the required scenes, Sophie looked at Owen with a competitive spark in her eyes. "Don't you have something more complex?" she asked.
It was obvious she wanted to show more.
"There's an interesting scene we could try," Matt snapped his fingers, something in mind, and went on to describe it.
It was a scene where Katie wakes up abruptly from a nightmare in the middle of the night, screaming and breathing heavily. Drake wakes up beside her, startled and frightened by his girlfriend's sudden outburst.
Owen remembered that in the original film, the actor playing Micah had a mediocre reaction. He barely flinched, as if his girlfriend hadn't just screamed in terror in the dead of night.
"We can do it here," Matt said, pointing to two reclining armchairs that could simulate a bed.
Sophie settled into one of them, lying down as if she were really asleep. Owen did the same in the other.
"Whenever you're ready," he said.
For a few seconds, the room went silent. Margaret and Matt watched them closely.
Suddenly, Sophie jerked violently. Her body tensed, her eyes flew wide open, and she let out a choked, broken scream, as if waking from something truly terrifying.
Owen shot up immediately, sitting upright with wide eyes, his breathing ragged and his expression filled with confusion.
"Hey, hey! Are you okay!? What happened!?" he asked urgently, his voice heavy with genuine confusion and concern.
His performance was so natural that, for a moment, Matt felt as though something real had just happened. Even Margaret was surprised at Owen's level of acting.
She had expected this pretty boy to be a terrible actor, since he was casting himself as the lead in his own movie.
Sophie blinked, taken aback. She hadn't expected Owen to react so well. Most of the actors she had worked with in similar scenes had never reached that level of believability.
Still breathing heavily, she stared at him for a few seconds before flashing a faint smile. "Not bad," she said.
"Thanks, you did really well too," Owen replied with a light laugh, settling back into the chair.
"I know," Sophie answered with a playful tone in her voice, not arrogant but confident.
"Modest, huh?" Owen said with a small smile, standing up from the chair and returning to the table with the others. Sophie followed.
"You've done an excellent job, Sophie. Honestly, it was impressive," Matt praised with a broad smile.
Watching Owen's performance had also surprised him. He had never seen Owen act seriously, so he hadn't expected him to be that good. With two actors this talented, the film could reach a high level despite its small budget.
It would be worlds apart from those low-budget movies with awful actors.
Sophie smiled, but before she could reply, Margaret crossed her arms impatiently and said, "Then there's nothing left to discuss. She's clearly the best choice. Hire her."
Owen and Matt exchanged a look. They already knew Sophie was the obvious choice, but that didn't mean they were going to rush it.
"We'll make our decision in two days," Owen said calmly.
"Two days? For what?" Margaret asked, frowning.
"Because I'm financing this, and I'll make the decision on my own time. If you don't like it, then this audition will just have been a waste of time," Owen replied firmly. He wasn't about to let this woman give him orders when he was the one paying for the entire film. If he allowed it now, she'd be just as troublesome on set.
Matt looked at Owen in surprise. It wasn't common to see him so serious, but he was making it clear that he wouldn't be pressured.
Sophie observed the exchange with a half-smile. She couldn't help but feel slightly entertained seeing her mother finally face someone who didn't bend to her dominant attitude.
Margaret stayed silent for a moment. Then she sighed and nodded, though her expression still showed displeasure. "Fine. But I hope you don't waste my time."
After that, they said their goodbyes with a handshake, and Margaret and Sophie left.
Once the door closed, Matt let out a sigh. "Now we just have to see how much that crazy mother asks for," he said, and Owen nodded.
Before rejecting the other three girls who had auditioned, Owen prepared the contract for Sophie. The amount he would pay her for ten days of filming was $3,500.
The absolute SAG-AFTRA minimum was $2,160, so he was offering significantly more. He knew Sophie's mother would ask for a higher price, but that's where negotiations would begin—he'd try to push the number back down.
He decided his maximum would be $5,000. If her mother refused even that and stubbornly insisted on more, the negotiations would end unsuccessfully, and he'd hire one of the other three actresses.
Two days later, Sophie and Margaret returned for negotiations. Sophie looked happy to have been chosen, though she already knew from the reaction she'd gotten, especially from Matt, since Owen had been more reserved and only offered modest praise.
Margaret wasn't as aggressive in negotiations as Owen had expected. She asked for $6,000 at first, justifying it with Sophie's experience and her superior talent compared to other actresses available at that price.
Owen, keeping calm, reminded her that they were working with a tight budget and that, while he recognized Sophie's talent, he couldn't offer more than $3,500. Margaret frowned, clearly expecting more.
That's when the real negotiation began. After some back and forth, Owen raised the offer to $4,000, and Margaret tried to hold it at $5,500. However, Owen stood firm and made it clear he could only raise it to $4,500, and that would be his final offer. Though in truth, it wasn't.
"It's a leading role, yes, but this is an independent project. On top of that, I'm offering you more than double the SAG-AFTRA minimum. If you're not okay with it, I understand, but I do have other options," Owen explained calmly.
Margaret studied him for a few seconds, clearly trying to see if she could squeeze out more. But when she noticed the firmness in Owen's gaze, she gave in.
"Fine. $4,500," she finally said.
Sophie watched the scene with her arms crossed and a slight smile on her lips. Her mother had given in much faster than she expected, and she was surprised at how well Owen handled the situation, especially considering he was her age, standing up to a fifty-year-old woman with such an intimidating presence.
After signing the contract and shaking hands, Margaret and Sophie left.
When the door closed, Matt let out a sigh, and a smile spread across his face, relieved everything had turned out well.
"You should stop sighing every time someone leaves the house," Owen teased, amused by Matt's reaction.
"I know… Anyway, you really do have a talent for negotiating, huh?" Matt said.
"Get used to it. As a director, you can't let yourself be pressured by an actor, let alone by an agent," Owen said, sitting down on the couch.
"I'll keep that in mind…" Matt nodded seriously.
At last, the casting was over. They had found the missing lead actress and were ready to move into the production phase.
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