Do you smoke?

"Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts."

A Paramount Pictures staff member held a list and walked to the audition waiting room, announcing, "The four of you can come in now."

Guided by the staff member, Kate Beckinsale and the others followed and entered the inner room, ready for their auditions.

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking on the door echoed.

Immediately, Lyman saw the four pairs of long legs and the stunning women lined up in a row.

Lyman flipped through the information in his hand. In fact, he was quite familiar with these few actresses.

Naomi Watts, so charming that not even gorillas could resist, and she even had the legendary tale of "Mile High Club" attached to her name.

Jessica Alba, the spokesperson for Hollywood's top beauty, who played numerous roles with her sweet looks, had won a significant appeal among the teenage audience.

Gwyneth Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actress, yes, from the movie "Shakespeare in Love." In recent years, her career had been on a steady decline, far from the glory of an Oscar winner.

Kate Beckinsale, renowned as the "British Rose".

Although with the passage of time, British actors had achieved increasing success in Hollywood, the British media still loved to boast. The title of "British Rose" was hardly exclusive; actresses like Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Helena Bonham Carter, and many others had been labeled as such.

But for the insiders in Hollywood, Kate was undoubtedly the best spokesperson for the "British Rose".

A highly intelligent woman who had studied French and Russian literature at Oxford University, she shone at the Cannes Film Festival with her first film after dropping out of college. She possessed a blend of classical and cold beauty...

Unfortunately, these impressive credentials hadn't been much of an advantage in her acting career, and her subsequent trajectory proved the futility of an education in Hollywood.

"Introduce yourselves," Lyman said.

After a brief introduction, Lyman looked to Heath Ledger sitting beside him. "Give them a random acting scenario."

"Huh, what?" Heath Ledger didn't immediately respond. Wasn't he just here to provide some input? How did he become the examiner?

"Your looks are all decent. Try showcasing your acting skills and dialogue proficiency by doing a scene with them."

Lyman said that, and Heath took on the responsibility of the audition, "Uh, if someone points a gun at you, what would you do? And what would you say?"

After speaking, Heath glanced left and right and pointed directly, "Let's start from left to right. Ms. Alba, you can go first."

Upon hearing this, Jessica took a step forward nonchalantly and said, "I can't imagine."

With a slight frown, she boldly retorted, "So, this film is looking for actresses with real acting skills? I think being a vase is enough for a female character."

Such straightforward words made Lyman burst into laughter.

Though he did think like that in his heart, the audition criteria did indeed emphasize this aspect, but seeing Jessica's casual manner, he found it quite amusing.

"So, do you think you lack acting skills? Do you lack confidence?" Lyman followed her words and asked.

Jessica thought earnestly for a moment. "No, I wouldn't put it that way. I would say I still lack the opportunity to exercise my acting, so, could you give me such an opportunity?"

Lyman laughed even more, "Of course, I'm someone who likes to give opportunities, but I have another question I'd like to ask."

"Lyman, go ahead." Jessica's face lit up with a smile.

Indeed, men were visual creatures, and it was difficult to resist her charm.

"There will be some nude scenes in the movie. Can you accept that?" Lyman asked.

Upon hearing this, Jessica looked regretful, "I'm sorry, I can't take on any roles with extensive nude scenes."

Her positioning had been arranged by her agent long ago, and it was quite contradictory to her screen image.

Would any of her teenage fans be willing to see their beloved star freely displaying her body in a film? That would be crazy and ruin all her previous achievements.

Shaking her head, Jessica didn't seem too disappointed. "I can't do it, so I won't disturb your auditions. I hope there will be opportunities for future collaborations."

This straightforward actress turned and left the audition room.

"What about the rest of you? Can you accept it?"

"Is it full nudity?" Gwyneth Paltrow asked.

"Of course not, this is not a pornographic film. It's just the back that will be shown."

This time, the remaining three actresses had no objections. This level of nudity was acceptable for people like them, who didn't rely on teenage fans as their foundation.

"Okay, let's continue. Ms. Watts, it's your turn."

The remaining actresses finally performed well.

However, to be honest, they were still mostly vase-like. Although they had some acting skills as a foundation, their performances felt somewhat unnatural and awkward.

Fortunately, the role of informant didn't require much depth in acting; it was just enough to pass.

Kate stood in place, observing her two competitors beside her.

Every opportunity in Hollywood was crucial, but she wondered how the director would make his choice.

"Heath Ledger, what's your opinion?" After the auditions ended, Lyman pressed his temple and asked, "Who do you think is better? Or rather, who would you like to perform with?"

Informant's scenes would involve interaction with the second-in-command of the mafia, played by Heath.

"I believe Kate is a bit better." Heath was quite decisive.

He had watched everyone's performances, and although Kate Beckinsale was slightly inferior to the "British Rose", she was still a step ahead of the rest.

"Alright, I'll ask again." Lyman nodded.

Lyman turned back and looked at the three actresses waiting for the decision. He said politely, "Ms. Beckinsale, please stay. The rest of you can go back and wait for the notification. If you're chosen, we will inform your agents immediately."

Naomi Watts looked at Kate Beckinsale with unwillingness in her eyes and left the audition room. She had heard this kind of polite rejection too many times before. She lost to Kate in the audition for the female lead in "Pearl Harbor" back then, and it seemed like history was repeating itself.

As the two actresses left, the room fell silent.

"Ms. Beckinsale, your role in the movie has limited screen time. What do you think about it?"

In plain terms, this was a vase role, but it also depended on whether the actress was willing to take it.

"I can accept it." Kate recalled the days after "Pearl Harbor", and her eyes became firm. "As an actress, I can fight, speak, and cooperate with scene performances. I have the professional qualities required for this role; I just need an opportunity to showcase it."

"But what about your salary? Because of the role's nature, I can't offer a high salary. Are you mentally prepared for that?"

"Of course."

Actresses were already low-paid, and she had long been aware of that. At this moment, she only wanted to seize this hard-won opportunity.

"Very well, then you have no problem. You can go back for now, and we will inform your agent."

"Can I..." After getting a definite answer, Kate didn't leave immediately. Instead, she hesitated and asked, "Can I know more about the character I'll be playing, specifically?"

She didn't mention the script because rarely would a production team openly share the script before formal signing. Even after signing, she would probably only get to see her character's scenes listed separately.

"Well, first of all, you need to know that this is a crime-type gangster film, and you will be playing the contact person the police planted inside the gang." Lyman pondered the character's setting and suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, do you smoke?"

This involved her personal privacy, but Kate had no hesitation and answered straightforwardly, "Yes, I've had experience with smoking." The annoyance in her heart during this period led her to pick up the bad habit again.

"That's good. Your character in the film is the owner of a cigar lounge, and you are also the undercover lover of Tom Cruise's character, to complete the exchange of information with him and maintain your cover."

"Any other questions?"

"Thank you."

...

"Let's end here for today." As soon as the words fell, a staff member came to collect the audition tapes, and Lyman and Heath left the room.

The pre-production work was quite tedious, and Lyman couldn't devote too much time to the actors. He spent only an afternoon to finalize the supporting roles. As for the extras, there was no need for auditions; if he had any specific requirements, the agencies like CAA and others could easily meet them.

When everything was done, it was already getting late in the evening. Lyman had dinner with Heath and watched him leave in his agent's car.

Then, he returned to the hotel, took a shower, and went to René's room to discuss some matters.

"Hey, René, how are the preparations going?"

René was looking at the shooting schedule. When he saw Lyman's inquiry, he answered, "It's going well, and everything is going smoothly. We can start filming in a few days."

"Good. Can you help me keep an eye out for an assistant director? I need to find one."

During the filming of "Fury", Lyman realized how important an assistant director could be. Some minor scenes could be easily handed over to an assistant, which would save him a lot of effort.

Unfortunately, Thomas was not interested in learning how to direct and only wanted to be an executor.

"I will keep an eye out for you," René replied.