NABC Chapter 52: Chinese Director Takes a Fancy to a Down-on-Hard-Life British Woman?
Chapter 52: Chinese Director Takes a Fancy to a Down-on-Hard-Life British Woman?
The Los Angeles sunlight streamed through the curtain wall of the CAA building, casting sharp shadows on the desks.
The audition list on the table had changed three times. Casting director Allen rubbed his temples, pushed forward a stack of resumes with beautifully photographed portraits, and spoke with a hint of professional advice.
"Lin, these are all the hottest girls in Hollywood right now. Some have experience in teen dramas and are guaranteed to get high ratings, while others are newcomers highly recommended by major studios."
Lin Ruiyang didn't even look up, his fingers gliding over the resumes.
The girls on the resumes all had bright smiles, neat white teeth, and that typical California sunshine vibe.
In 2005 Hollywood aesthetics, this was the standard for success.
"Let's continue."
Allen was a little helpless and could only continue calling for the next candidate.
"Next, Lindsay Lohan," Allen said, instinctively straightening his back as he announced the name.
This Disney princess, who just turned nineteen this year, is at the peak of her career. The afterglow of "Mean Girls" has not yet faded, her new album has just been nominated for an MTV award, and gossip magazines can take photos of her outside nightclubs every week.
She auditioned for a supporting role, and Ellen wasn't sure if it was a strategic move by her agency or if she herself was interested in the script.
This is Hollywood's current "golden goose," an absolute guarantee of high viewership for teen movies.
If they could get her into "The Devil Wears Prada," Fox's marketing department would probably be popping champagne in their office.
Lindsay Lohan walked in, with that kind of confidence that comes from being fed by the screams of her fans.
She was wearing a Juicy Couture terry cloth hoodie, half-zipped up, revealing a white tank top underneath, and low-rise jeans, looking like she had just walked out of Beverly Hills shopping mall.
Before he even opened his mouth, his aura of "I'm just here to take the contract" already filled the room.
She quickly glanced at the arrangement behind the long table.
Lindsay didn't rush to look at Lin Ruiyang. She first nodded and greeted the others elegantly, a natural instinct born from years of experience in Hollywood.
Then she flashed her signature sweet smile, her gaze sweeping over Lin Ruiyang's excessively young face with a hint of curiosity.
"I've read your 'A Separation'," she said frankly.
"My agent said I should take on more fashion-related roles, as it would help with my career transition."
She paused, as if waiting for Lin Ruiyang to respond.
Lin Ruiyang didn't answer; he just nodded, signaling her to continue.
"And—" Lindsay placed her handbag on the empty chair next to her.
"I've read the script for Emily's character. She's very mean, but mean people are usually very tired. That's something that interests me."
Allen politely opened the script.
"Lindsay, let's try that paragraph on page 24. When Andy first steps into the office, as her first assistant, you need to give her a truly memorable and impactful experience."
Lindsay Lohan is definitely cut out for this job.
She got into character almost instantly, first rubbing the armrest of the empty chair in front of her with two fingers in disgust, as if the chair were wearing that ridiculous blue sweater.
Then she rolled her eyes at the empty air, her tone sharp and carrying a typical California girl's contempt:
"Are those your clothes? Or your grandmother's inheritance?"
After finishing the performance, she shrugged confidently, believing that this kind of role was a piece of cake.
She's even started imagining herself walking down Fifth Avenue in the latest Prada collection.
However, Lin Ruiyang, sitting in the center of the long table, did not make a decision immediately as she had expected; he simply made a light mark on the resume.
"Thank you, Lindsay." Lin Ruiyang looked up, his eyes unusually calm.
"Your performance was very energetic. We will inform your agent of the audition results according to procedure."
Lindsay Lohan's smile froze on her face.
"According to procedure?" she repeated, her tone tinged with disbelief.
In Hollywood today, when a popular actress like her auditions for a supporting role, it's often just a formality. Usually, the director or producer will shake hands on the spot to say "pleasant to work together".
"Yes." Lin Ruiyang closed the resume, looked at Allen, and said, "Next."
As Lindsay Lohan walked out of the room, her sky-high heels stomped an angry rhythm down the hallway.
Allen looked at the slammed door, then glanced at Lin Ruiyang. Her expression seemed to say: You just rejected the highest-paid teenage star in Hollywood right now.
The girl who came in next was named Emily Blunt. When Allen gave her name, his tone carried a hint of businesslike weariness.
Compared to Lindsay's adoration and adulation, she looked utterly dejected.
Because she was late for the previous audition, she practically ran in, her messy hair plastered to her pale forehead, and she exuded an extreme sense of tension.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Emily Blunt," she began, her voice slightly hurried and British.
Allen frowned slightly, flipped open the script, and reminded him:
"Emily, the script portrays you as a quintessential New York girl. Although your name is Emily, you might need to try adjusting your accent; we need that crisp, decisive edge of a Manhattan elite."
Emily Blunt pursed her lips, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes, but then she looked at Lin Ruiyang sitting in the center.
"Director, I just rushed over from another film set. I failed the audition there." She let go of everything, with an almost self-deprecating honesty.
"If I used that awkward New York accent, I guarantee my performance would be a disaster. But I think... if the character were a British girl desperate to stay in Manhattan, her scathing remarks would be even more powerful."
John opened her mouth as if to retort, but Lin Ruiyang raised his hand, signaling her to continue.
"Try using your original accent on page 24."
Emily took a deep breath.
When she raised her head again, the embarrassment had vanished, replaced by an inherent arrogance, reminiscent of old European aristocrats.
"Are those your clothes?" She stared at the "Andy" in the void, speaking rapidly, each word like a cold needle carrying the damp chill of London.
"Or is it some kind of sociological experiment about aesthetic catastrophe?"
The audition room fell silent; the British accent gave that biting line a completely new soul.
Emily's words didn't feel like the sharp tongue of a little girl, but rather like an ultimate judgment that you could never step into our social class in your lifetime.
"Lin..." Allen looked at Lin Ruiyang, his eyes filled with amazement, "The contrast in accents is surprisingly good."
Lin Ruiyang stared at the playback on the monitor, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.
He knew that Emily was indeed a New Yorker in the original script.
But this British girl, through her natural talent, elevated this character from an ordinary workplace villain to a class symbol with a European fashion heritage.
"Thank you, Emily." Lin Ruiyang didn't give an immediate response, maintaining his calm tone, "Your agent will be informed of the result."
After Emily left the room, Lin Ruiyang looked directly at John:
"Change the script and make the first assistant a British citizen. The conflict we want is the disdain of a self-proclaimed fashion icon, a British girl, for an American bumpkin."
"But this will involve a series of subsequent logical modifications!"
Although John was also moved by the performance, his professional habits made him instinctively resist change.
"There's only one logic: it has to be appropriate," Lin Ruiyang decided.
"We've decided on her internally. Also, we've covered up the news of her previous failed audition; I don't want the media to make a fuss about it at this time."
However, Lin Ruiyang underestimated the neglected "American sweetheart".
After leaving CAA, Lindsay Lohan quickly contacted the paparazzi she was familiar with.
She wasn't sure who would ultimately be chosen, but she saw the disheveled British girl walk into the audition room.
That evening, Page Six's headline arrived as expected: "A Chinese director's outrageous decision: Abandoning Lindsay Lohan and choosing a down-on-her-luck British actress?"
The article maliciously states: "According to insiders, Ryan Lam exhibited extremely strange tendencies during the audition."
He seemed hostile to local teen idols, but showed great favor to a British newcomer who couldn't even handle a New York accent and was so down on her luck that she had to touch up her makeup in a hallway.
Does this mean that our magician is planning to turn Manhattan into a suburb of London?
NBC's "Today Show" quickly followed suit, with commentators even mimicking a broken London accent on the show to mock Lin Ruiyang's defiance of Hollywood rules.