Chapter 25 Amanda

James Huang has been in Hollywood for many years and has worked as a producer in various positions on three TV series. Robert Lee and George Clint are also seasoned hands in preparing for several video movies. Although Ronan lacks experience, he is definitely humble enough to seek advice when necessary, and the preparation of the crew is on the right track.

By late March, equipment and props rental agreements were all settled, and all backstage staff were recruited. The script, after discussions and revisions by Ronan, James Huang, and Glenn Morgan, was officially finalized. Temporary actors were secured through a small agency, and even the actors for the Arab roles were confirmed.

In Hollywood, there are not many Arab actors, they are poorly treated and not valued, and they mostly play villains or terrorists.

With a salary of only $15,000, Ronan found two Arab actors who had played more than twenty roles.

Antagonists are easier to find; most of the time, they wear masks, and Hollywood always has plenty of temporary actors who look tough and have some filming experience.

The real auditions were only for the main family of four.

For the male lead, James Huang recommended an American actor, Robert Knaup. Born in 1959, he had the required golden-brown hair, was a standard Western white, had a distinctive appearance, and had been in the industry since 1986. However, his luck was average, and he had only been able to play inconspicuous supporting roles so far. With a suitable price and good appearance and acting skills, Ronan decided to cast him after just one audition.

The female lead was the second to be confirmed, and the role went to Melissa Rio, a 38-year-old actress with long golden-brown hair.

Next were the two daughters of the male lead.

The younger daughter was set to be around 10 years old, and the older daughter around 16.

Actors could be a few years older than these ages.

Generally, in the teenage years, the older the actor, the more reliable they are. Hollywood often casts actresses in their twenties to play teenage roles.

At the Warner Bros. audition room, a blonde girl of about ten stood in front of the camera.

This was in the office building of Warner Bros. Studios, which also housed post-production rooms. The film crew of "Human Purge Plan" had simply rented the audition room and a few offices again.

James Huang was adjusting the camera, and Ronan was examining the candidate he had picked from the pile of actor profiles.

The girl had a typical doll-like face, with big speaking eyes and long golden hair, looking like an oversized Barbie doll.

However, she seemed a little nervous in front of the camera.

"Relax," Ronan smiled. "There are no monsters here."

The girl giggled, and her expression immediately relaxed.

Behind her, her mother was observing everything carefully, silently noting down the scene.

With her daughter's sweet and charming appearance, this was her advantage. She had noticed this when her daughter applied for modeling jobs.

The producer seemed to have a good first impression of her daughter.

Ronan conducted the audition, James Huang handled the filming, as had been the procedure before.

"Let's start with a self-introduction," Ronan said.

The main content of the audition was basically industry-standard, neither mysterious nor complicated.

"I'm Amanda Seafried, thirteen years old, from Pennsylvania," the girl smiled sweetly, her tone calm. "I started acting in community theater in Allentown when I was nine, became a child model at eleven, and have appeared in print ads and three TV commercials..."

Ronan nodded slightly. Such a resume couldn't compare with child stars like Kirsten Dunst or Christina Ricci, but among twelve- or thirteen-year-old actors, it was pretty good.

Besides, Ronan couldn't afford child stars like Kirsten Dunst or Christina Ricci.

Most of the time, Ronan would appropriately respect his colleagues. After Amanda Seafried introduced herself, he glanced over at James Huang and received a subtle nod.

If someone stumbled through their self-introduction in front of the camera, there was no need to proceed further.

Ronan directly said, "Miss Seafried, please perform a scene where you are frightened." He glanced at the woman who had been staring at them and added, "Imagine a scenario where a killer breaks into your home, and you have to hide without being discovered."

"Okay."

Amanda Seafried's voice was soft as she took a few seconds to prepare. She hugged herself tightly, sitting on the floor looking very vulnerable, lips pressed tightly together, tears seemingly welling up in her big eyes.

Suddenly, footsteps outside the audition room startled Amanda Seafried, causing her to gasp and quickly cover her mouth...

But within ten seconds, Ronan called a halt, then instructed, "Now, perform a scene where you are resentful towards your dominant sister."

The audition lasted for twenty minutes before concluding.

Ronan made a phone call to have the actress for the elder daughter brought in for another audition. Turning to James Huang, he asked, "What do you think?"

"It's passable, her acting is above the baseline," James Huang replied honestly. "But, she's not among the most outstanding ones; two others performed better than her."

Ronan directly stated, "Those two have poor physical appearances."

To be precise, they were too unattractive. Children around ten years old needed to be cute and lovable; otherwise, they wouldn't add to the film's appeal.

James Huang disagreed, "Physical appearance isn't the most crucial factor. There's makeup, there are filters..."

Ronan rubbed his chin and continued, "Amanda Seafried has a significant advantage in appearance. Her delicate demeanor, sweet appearance, and adorable big eyes can attract the audience more. In the midst of slaughter and horror, a soft little girl can touch people's hearts directly."

"Um..." James Huang pondered for a while before saying, "You have a point."

Ronan wouldn't easily use his authority to override others; that was the most basic way to solve problems. He smiled and said, "So, she's the one we're going with, right?"

James Huang agreed, "Yes."

Ronan circled Amanda Seafried's profile with a red pen. As long as the price was right, she was the chosen one.

Although they were once the four little flowers of Hollywood, they could only play supporting roles later on. However, their own conditions were really good.

As the audition room's door was knocked from the outside, a staff member entered with a blonde actress. This wasn't Ronan's selection; she probably came through James Huang or another channel in the crew.

This was normal; everyone had their own social networks in Hollywood, and favors worked the same way here.

As long as they didn't cross the line, Ronan wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Moreover, the appearance of this actress was indeed unforgettable.

Round breasts, round buttocks, round thighs, the epitome of the American bombshell.

Ronan could see that the staff member standing beside this actress was secretly swallowing saliva.

Even among Americans, such a sexy bombshell was quite rare.

After sizing her up, Ronan said, "Please introduce yourself."

The blonde bombshell noticed Ronan's gaze and said, "I'm Jessica Blake, twenty years old this year..."

After the self-introduction, Ronan exchanged a glance with James Huang, reached a consensus, and then said, "Imagine a scenario where a killer breaks into your home, and you act startled."

Jessica stuck out her tongue to lick her plump lips, then let out a piercing scream.

Ah—

The decibel level was extremely high, as if it could penetrate the roof.

Then, the blonde bombshell kicked off her high heels and ran, causing intense bouncing of her chest. The tight shirt burst open a few buttons, revealing a pink lace bra inside.

She boldly tore open her shirt, threw it on the ground, and turned to run towards Ronan and James Huang.

Those bouncing bombs seemed to be experiencing an earthquake of magnitude eight...

Seeing that the bombs were about to jump out of the bra, Ronan quickly shouted, "Stop!"

The blonde bombshell's performance was overly exaggerated, but her basic acting skills were still there, so she immediately stopped.

Ronan directly said, "Miss Blake, that's enough. We'll inform your agent of the audition results in three days."

Jessica Blake nodded at first. When she turned to pick up her shirt and prepare to leave, she suddenly looked back at Ronan and winked.

"Eliminated?" James Huang asked.

Ronan nodded, "Yeah."

The actress hadn't been too excessive, just overly exaggerated. If he hadn't stopped her, her bra might have come off.

Although those bouncing bombs were dizzying, this was a formal audition.

Moreover, the person sitting behind the camera wasn't a perverted director who would be thrilled for a year after seeing a nude audition.

The morning audition ended, and they still hadn't found a suitable candidate for the elder daughter. Ronan put down the materials, went to the restroom to splash some water on his face, and the blonde bombshell followed quietly behind.