"Oh, Isa, Suzy's got a really good eye."
It was eight in the evening, and the day's filming had wrapped up.
Because of its latitude, the days in a British summer stretch forever. Eight, eight-thirty, even nine o'clock and the sky still refuses to go dark. So "evening" in England isn't quite what it means anywhere else.
Shooting in that kind of light is a dream. Not because they get longer work hours—God forbid they work overtime—but because longer daylight means more natural light. No need to sit around waiting for the artificial stuff.
Anyway, that wasn't the point right now.
As they sat eating dinner, Columbus tilted his chin toward the edge of the set and said, "Isa, have you noticed that girl called Margot?"
"She's been studying all day."
"When you're acting, she watches you. When others act, she watches them. Every take."
"Tsk—this is starting to make me feel a little disoriented—" He gave a dry laugh. "Your generation's a bit too hardcore, huh? Makes me think mine must've been lazy."
Isabella smiled.
She knew he was teasing.
So she grinned and said, "Director, that's just you getting old. Only older people feel their energy fading and think everyone else's working too hard."
"I think you're right."
She'd only meant to poke fun, but Columbus nodded seriously. "When I was a teenager, I had energy to burn. I'd help out at home and still write scripts at night. But now? No way. These days I can only do one thing a day—either shoot a movie or write. If you told me to film all day and write all night, my brain would tell my body who's really in charge."
"Haha~" His self-deprecating tone made Isabella chuckle softly.
She didn't quite know how to follow up, even though she'd started the topic.
Columbus went on anyway. "Still, even when I was young and full of energy, I never had your guts. Last year, you and Keisha ran straight to Leavesden, right? And this year…"
"I heard that girl Margot met Suzy on her own too, right?"
Now, Margot Robbie might have been the "final boss" in The Voice, but that film wasn't a standard level-up-and-defeat-the-boss kind of story. The 'villain' wasn't the focus—the spotlight stayed on the protagonist's growth and family bonds.
So, in truth, the antagonist's role wasn't that strong. Plus, Robbie was brand-new, no acting experience, so even if she tagged along with the crew, she was basically invisible.
Still, calling her a nobody was just how others saw her.
Whether she'd actually shine or not—that wasn't for anyone else to decide.
And right now, she was soaking up everything around her like a sponge. You couldn't not notice.
Once people noticed, they started to stare. Staring led to curiosity, curiosity led to gossip—and once Columbus asked a couple of questions, his assistant Barnason happily spilled her backstory.
That tidbit left Columbus oddly nostalgic.
He hadn't been that brave when he was young.
Or maybe it was something else—he just felt a Mariana-Trench-sized generation gap between himself and these fearless kids.
"Isa."
"Mm?"
"I think Margot's pretty diligent. Kind of like you were, back in the day."
"Really? So you're saying I'm not diligent anymore?"
She scrunched her face, pretending to be offended.
"Oh, that's not what I meant," he laughed. "I mean, she gives me the same impression you did when we first met. You stunned me. Before filming even started, you'd already prepared everything. If I hadn't already read your background, I'd have thought your real name was Hermione Granger."
"As for her—Margot—she might not be as prepared as you were, but you can see her hunger to learn. Or maybe it's just ambition? Either way, that's why she reminds me of you."
Isabella felt good hearing that.
Pretty words do wonders for the mood.
Shaking her head and grinning, she asked, "So you think she's got the potential to succeed?"
"That I can't promise."
Columbus shook his head. "Success takes luck. Hard work alone doesn't make you famous."
The girl understood what he meant—
Small fame comes from hype, real fame comes from fate.
If your destiny's not tied to fame, no amount of sweat will change it.
They weren't fortune-tellers, so neither of them could say if Robbie would ever "make it." And Isabella didn't dare guess if her own butterfly effect might change the girl's future as Harley Quinn. But she thought: as long as Robbie keeps that hunger, she'll shine.
And, well… she did.
The next day, before filming even began, Robbie was already on set, observing everything—lighting, scenery, you name it.
She was curious about everything but never got in the way. When lighting told her to move, she moved. When the camera crew needed space, she gave it. When the producer drew a boundary, she stayed inside it.
By lunchtime, Catherine had something to report.
"Hey, Isa, that girl Chris mentioned yesterday—she's serious about learning."
"When you guys film, she watches like a hawk. And every time Chris yells 'Cut,' she listens carefully. If she understands why, she stays quiet. If she doesn't, she quietly asks the acting coach why he said cut."
"Seriously?" Isabella was surprised.
She never paid attention to what happened outside her own scenes.
"Mhm, I saw it too," Vivian added, nodding. "She does it quietly, but right there on set."
Now, if you ranked The Voice's six leads, Keira Knightley would probably come last. But even she had powerful connections—far from anyone you could casually offend.
So the fact that Robbie had the nerve to ask acting questions during filming? That's what shocked Isabella and amused Vivian.
This crew only stayed harmonious because Columbus and Isabella were easygoing. In another production, anyone with rank or ego would've had her kicked out by sunset.
"Who do you think you are, critiquing my acting?"
But this kid… she was fearless.
Almost like she had social superpowers.
Still, that kind of bold curiosity was admirable.
The odds of an ordinary person succeeding are tiny.
But if you don't even try, you don't even get to fail.
Robbie's performance kept drawing attention. Over time, Isabella kept hearing fresh gossip about the bob-haired girl.
And honestly… the kid really was a success-hungry "maniac."
At first, she was just quietly hardworking, asking the acting coach for advice. But once the filming moved from countryside scenes to the city, it was like she'd finished her warm-up—she started approaching the main cast directly.
Her first target: Keira Knightley.
"Mom, what? Keira taught her acting?"
That night, Isabella perked up, fully in gossip mode.
Knightley, personally certified by Sir Old Grump himself as "the problem child," had actually given lessons?
"What's going on here?"
"Mhm." Vivian grinned, spreading the news. "I heard Margot chatted with her first, complimented her performance—said she perfectly portrayed a young artist crushed by reality."
"Oh~" Isabella understood immediately.
Knightley's dream was the stage, so hearing her acting praised like that? Perfectly targeted flattery. Once she was buttered up, how could she refuse a request for help?
Smart girl.
And it didn't stop there. Soon Robbie had also "accidentally" bonded with Jude Law, Sadie Frost, and Christian Bale.
Vivian said Robbie's secret weapon with Jude and Sadie was family. They had three kids, and even though they were divorcing, they were still parents. Robbie—young, polite, and cute—hit just the right note.
With Bale, her trick was nostalgia. She told him she'd trained in circus arts before joining the crew—because she wanted to become independent early. Bale's mother had been a circus performer too.
She'd been a clown to support her son.
That detail made Isabella smile.
She could admit she wanted success—and fast. She'd chased Harry Potter for exactly that reason.
She knew what it meant to become famous overnight, and how brutal the climb could be.
But compared to Robbie, the future Harley Quinn was downright calculating.
Not in a bad way—just observant, strategic.
Within days she'd figured out everyone's soft spots. She knew Knightley's ambition, Jude and Sadie's past, Bale's mother's story…
That level of intel-gathering? Terrifyingly good.
And since she'd already charmed almost everyone in the main cast—
"Mom, Sis, do you think she'll come for me next?"
August 12, in their Manchester hotel, Isabella asked with a grin while scrolling online.
"I think so," Vivian said, face masked up. "You're the biggest star in the cast."
"Oh~ thanks."
Isabella laughed. Truth stung a little.
"I think so too," Catherine added. "Everyone knows The Voice is your project. If Margot's smart—and she is—she'll definitely come to you. You're the one who designed her character, right?"
"Hmm, true," Isabella nodded.
They were right.
Halfway through filming, Robbie did come for her.
That afternoon, just as Isabella was finishing her shift and enjoying her break, the bob-haired girl suddenly appeared beside her like a cartoon pop-up.
"Miss Isa~" she said, carefully sweet.
A single line and Isabella already melted.
"Am I older than you?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes. You're March, I'm July."
"Oh, then I am older. So, what is it?"
"I wanted to ask you something. About acting. If that's okay."
Straight to the point.
It threw Isabella off for a moment—wait, wasn't this girl supposed to work her angles first?
She didn't get it… until she met her sister's amused look across the room and realized—right, everyone knew she and Columbus were the easygoing ones.
So this was another tailored approach.
Smart.
Isa smiled faintly. "I don't mind. But before you ask me your question, I've got one for you. Is that okay?"
"Uh, sure, Miss Isa. Go ahead."
Robbie hesitated, then nodded.
Isabella said, "I want to know—do you like Harry Potter?"
"Of course I do~ I'm a huge Harry Potter fan~"
Robbie looked puzzled. She didn't understand why Isabella was asking that, but still replied, "Sister Isa, if I remember right, the very first time we met, I shouted your name, didn't I?"
Eh~
That was exactly what Isabella wanted to talk about.
"Yeah, I remember that. And I also remember that later, when we talked, your mood seemed a bit… off? Calmer? Maybe even down? What was that about? Did your grandmother scold you or something?"
"Heh…"
Before Isabella even finished, Catherine—sitting nearby—had already covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
She totally got her little sister's meaning.
Isabella was still hung up on how that day ended.
Everyone else who met her had been overjoyed, but Robbie had gone from excited to oddly calm?
What, seriously—
Was her charm that limited? Just enough to make the girl happy for one moment?
Catherine's movement was small enough that the two didn't notice, while Robbie, hearing the question, shook her head decisively. "Oh no, I wasn't scolded. I just felt a bit embarrassed."
"Embarrassed?" Isabella didn't get it.
"Mm-hmm."
Robbie nodded. "Because when I recognized you, I just shouted your name. Then everything at the scene got chaotic, and I thought maybe I'd caused you a lot of trouble. If that's what you were talking about…"
Robbie paused, then said seriously, "Sister Isa, I'm really sorry."
"I couldn't control my emotions that day."
"Oh~"
Isabella smiled.
Yeah~
Even though she'd said before that she didn't care about that incident, Robbie's mix of excitement and restraint had left her a bit confused—because… well, after playing Hermione Granger, she sort of assumed she'd be dazzling, right?
At least among people her age—that wasn't an unreasonable thought, was it?
So when she shamelessly believed that every aspiring young actor should like her, Robbie's hesitation made quite an impression.
Not that she was holding a grudge.
A year only has 365 days, and she spent more than half of them on set, sometimes over 200 days.
When your contact with the outside world is that limited, little things tend to stick.
But when she realized that those memories weren't really a big deal after all…
"Okay, what do you want to ask?"
Isabella, now confident again in her brilliance, looked utterly at ease.
Her beaming expression made Catherine shake her head and bite back a grin.
Her little sister's mix of denial and pride was just ridiculously cute.
And Robbie, meeting that gaze, blinked—
Pressed her lips together—
"Um, Sister Isa, I wanted to ask… how did you make Lily feel so natural?"
After a two-second pause, Robbie voiced her question.
"I read my character sheet, and… I can't find the right feeling."
In the film, Robbie played the Boss—a girl with resources and talent, but not as gifted as the protagonist.
To put it simply, she was the talented second generation—but not a true genius.
Characters like that usually come with two contrasting sides:
The first—her public self.
Confident, friendly, with a touch of charisma. Pride written all over her face.
The second—her private self.
Arrogant, condescending, all that warmth just a mask. She looks down on everyone.
Not that real rich kids are like this.
It's just that, in drama, "second-generation" characters often carry those stereotypes.
With those settings, the role becomes hard to act.
Because what the filmmakers really want isn't the Boss's confidence, or her private malice—it's her madness when the mask shatters after failure.
Even adults struggle to pull that off.
And kids?
Honestly, the director might as well jump off a building.
Most children just can't do it.
That's why, during early rehearsals, Columbus had said they could film the Boss's part like an old-fashioned melodrama: when she's proud, tilt her chin up and look down her nose; when she's angry, grit her teeth and breathe hard.
But that was then.
After meeting Robbie, Isabella felt—others might not nail the role, but she could.
As for why?
"Marg, do you want to be a star?"
Isabella smiled.
"Of course!"
Robbie answered instantly. "Sister Isa, you're my idol. You're my favorite actress ever."
"Oh~ And are you afraid of failure?"
"Of course!"
Robbie nodded again. "Of course I am. I'm a circus performer. In our world, a performance gone wrong means paralysis or death. So… I really hate failure."
Okay!
That was practically method acting.
Her craving for success was the Boss's outward confidence.
And her fear of failure—since in her world, failure meant lifelong injury—was the raw core of the Boss's breakdown.
As for arrogance?
Yeah, she didn't have that. She was actually quite humble.
But still—
"Anthony."
The little girl called to her "deep blue."
The old man resting nearby turned his head with a smile. "What is it, princess?"
"Oh, please stop calling me that."
Isabella rolled her eyes.
"Take on a student."
She pointed at Robbie. "Her character has two personalities. She's struggling with the second one, so…"
"Okay, no problem. Marg, right? Come here, tell me your problem…"
The old actor chuckled, accepting his granddaughter's challenge.
And then—
Wow.
Having Hannibal teach Harley Quinn how to act? Brilliant move.
Robbie couldn't find the feeling? No problem. Let her follow Hannibal's thought process.
When the bob-haired girl imagined her best friend stealing her Voice role opportunity…
That dark, disbelieving look appeared on her face.
Her pupils widened—exactly what the crew wanted.
And—wait a sec—was that killing intent in her eyes?
Weird kid.
A genius, maybe?
When the old man told her that "the fall from heaven to hell can be shown with a pause"…
That flickering, unfocused gaze—Robbie's porcelain-doll face lost all innocence.
"What do you think of her acting?" Isabella nudged her sister with an elbow.
"I don't know much about acting. I just know God blesses every madman." Catherine shrugged.
That answer earned her a small "tsk" from Isabella.
So by calling effort "madness," was she insulting her too?
╭(╯^╰)╮
Catherine realized her slip, so she switched topics.
"I think Chris was right."
"Hm?"
"Susan's taste is amazing."
"Oh, yeah."
"And I think Mom was right too."
"Hm?"
"She really is your fan. She's been trying to imitate you—to be as successful as you."
"Hahahaha~~~"
Isabella burst out laughing.
Since even Catherine was praising her, she decided to spare her sister's dignity.
And truth be told, Harley Quinn was pretty great.
Whatever Robbie's reasons for wanting to play the Boss well, Isabella was happy.
Like she'd said before—she just wanted the project done right. After watching for a while and seeing no problems, Isabella looked back to the set.
Filming The Voice went smoothly.
Everyone was professional. The only non-professional actor was playing herself anyway, so there weren't many hurdles.
After wrapping the Manchester location shoot, the film was already more than halfway done.
Next, they'd just swing down to London to finish the exterior shots. By early September, the whole film would be complete.
A one-month shoot for a drama was perfectly normal in Hollywood, so no one was surprised.
Once they reached London, before returning to Leavesden to test Robbie's progress, the crew received an unexpected visitor.
A woman in her thirties—
"Hello, Isa. I'm Darcy Brooke, an editor from People magazine. You can call me Darcy."
The casually dressed woman smiled and extended her hand.
No film gets far without publicity, and The Voice was no exception.
So once production was confirmed, Warner began planning its promo strategy.
Normally, a mid-budget project like this would start promotion after post-production, since the funds weren't huge. But The Voice was different.
Not only was the creative team stacked—with everyone but Keira Knightley being an A-list regular—but Isabella herself was a walking publicity machine. With her tied to Harry Potter, and Warner allowing The Voice to ride the Chamber of Secrets wave, combining campaigns was just cost-effective.
So—
"You're right," Isabella said. "Loving Harry Potter is the reason I joined this industry. Before that, I never planned on becoming an actress. Hermione Granger has always been my favorite book character, hands down. Being chosen by Aunt Rowling was an honor."
Darcy Brooke from People was there to conduct a full interview.
Isabella would be the cover star of the magazine's September issue.
"Can we talk about how you got the role two years ago?"
Darcy adjusted the recorder, leaned forward on the coffee table with a friendly smile. "Isa, you know, a lot of your fans are dying to know how you became Hermione Granger."
"Of course."
Isabella nodded. "Though I'd love to say it was a completely ordinary process—I auditioned, got picked, end of story—I know people want something fun. So I'll say this: two interesting things happened. First, my mom didn't want me to be an actress. Second, I met Aunt Rowling on audition day, and maybe that meeting made me the lucky one."
Interviews were easy.
They ask, you answer. Done.
Still, most celebrities stayed cautious. Because the media loved to set traps for attention.
Like when Yi Li Jing interviewed Zhou Jie—if he hadn't been sharp, she would've wrecked his image.
But in Isabella's case…
People was owned by Warner. Technically, it belonged to the "old guard," but the assignment came directly from Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer. If anyone messed up this interview, that'd mean open corporate warfare.
And that would tank the stock price.
So, forty minutes later, the interview wrapped up smoothly.
Since Harry Potter was clearly more popular than The Voice, most of the talk focused on Hermione Granger—probably a good half hour.
Only three questions were about The Voice: its story type, creative team, and release window.
Sure, that ratio looked lopsided—not exactly "cross-promotion"—but Isabella didn't mind.
The Voice was her project, and Barry Meyer's investment. As long as it made money for Warner, she trusted they'd treat it well.
And indeed—
They did.
Once Warner decided to put Isabella on People's cover, they were taking it seriously.
Because People was America's biggest gossip magazine, with the widest readership—its circulation could hit 3.5 million.
So when a new school year started, and the nation's newsstands were lined with a certain witch from the wizarding world…
Below her photo, the huge headline read:
"Hermione Granger's First Appearance in People!"
Wow~~~
That was what you call perfect audience targeting.