System in Hollywood

Annie instinctively reached for the water cup that had been placed on the stool beside her.

She wasn't thirsty yet; she was just worried someone might take the chance to play a dirty trick on her when she wasn't paying attention.

After all, she had seen such things happen many times with her own eyes. A little laxative might cause a competitor to miss a crucial audition opportunity. Some even went so far as to arrange a minor car accident on the way to the audition, sending their rival to the hospital for a week or two. These kinds of incidents were almost daily occurrences in Hollywood.

Otherwise, why would those stars who could afford it always bring their assistants and agents with them to auditions? It was just to have a few more people to keep an eye out.

Annie was alone now, so she had to be extra careful by herself.

It must be said, she was quite confident in her own beauty.

Soon, the audition officially began.

The actors whom Sarah and Mike had specifically contacted to audition for the main roles had already received their scripts, so they just went according to the script.

As for some of the minor roles with only a few lines, they were simply given a segment on the spot to perform impromptu, and that was usually good enough.

The audition began, and the first to enter the audition room was Liv Tyler, who was auditioning for the villainous female second lead, Lori.

At this time, Liv Tyler wasn't very famous yet because *The Lord of the Rings* had not been released. However, her natural, elegant, and ladylike temperament made Wayne unconsciously sit up straight with just one glance.

Liv Tyler's looks might not surpass Jessica's, or even Mia's, but her temperament was simply superb.

Her 5'10" height, coupled with tight jeans, perfectly accentuated her long, slender, and beautiful legs, which were quite eye-catching.

However, Wayne quickly suppressed any distracting thoughts. After Liv Tyler introduced herself, he simply greeted her and then signaled her to begin the performance.

"Miss Tyler, please begin your performance! Mia, please play opposite Miss Tyler."

"Got it, Wayne."

Mia said as she walked over to stand across from Liv Tyler, holding the audition script.

The segment Liv Tyler was auditioning for was the one at the end of the movie, where her character, the mastermind, is discovered and exposed by the heroine, Terry. She transforms from a timid bookworm into a dark, sinister figure, venting years of jealousy and hatred towards the heroine while preparing to kill her with her own hands.

The key to this audition was the emotional shift from a bookish character to a darker one, starting from shock when her identity is exposed, to panic, to hesitation about whether to continue, and finally to taking the desperate step of attacking Terry when the evidence of poisoning is revealed.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Mia deliberately stomped her high heels loudly, quickly taking a few steps to create noise.

Liv Tyler, who had been sitting at a desk reading, turned her head at the sound, frowning slightly, showing a hint of displeasure. But then she 'saw' Terry burst into the room and hurriedly start packing her luggage, which made her pause and ask, puzzled, "Are you going somewhere far?"

"Yes! As far as possible!" Mia said her lines with a blank expression.

But as a seasoned actress who had been in the industry for many years, Liv Tyler wasn't affected at all and continued her semi-pantomime performance.

Her eyes flickered slightly, but her face showed a concerned expression as she asked, "Hey, Terry, what's wrong with you?"

"I... I was wrong! I thought if I didn't run away, if I defeated him, I could end this damn thing! But it hasn't stopped!"

"Terry! What are you talking about? You're scaring me."

Imagining Mia's hysterical look, Liv Tyler leaned her upper body back slightly, adopting a defensive posture as if startled. But her eyes were filled with growing confusion, and at the same time, she couldn't help but show a hint of hesitation.

She was contemplating whether to go through with it if Terry was planning to leave.

"Yes, I'm terrifying!" Mia continued with her lines.

Liv Tyler imagined that the Mia opposite her was a loathsome bully, a person she detested. After a brief pause in her breathing, she finally decided to take action.

"Don't be like this, Terry. Today is your birthday; you should relax a bit. Look, I made you a cupcake! It's topped with the best XX cream from that shop on XX Street."

Liv Tyler said softly, then turned around, picked up the poisoned cupcake she had prepared, lit a candle, and walked toward Mia.

At this moment, thanks to Liv Tyler's natural temperament, from Wayne's perspective, she was far stronger than the original female antagonist.

The gentle voice and temperament instantly calmed 'Terry' a bit. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out to take the cupcake.

As Mia took the cupcake, a gleam flashed in Liv Tyler's eyes.

The previously gentle and serene smile, tightened subconsciously due to nervousness and anticipation, suddenly took on a somewhat eerie, insincere quality.

At the same time, Wayne sharply noticed that Liv Tyler, using her height advantage, made a small motion where her upper body leaned forward slightly, but her lower body was pulled back.

Sensing something, Wayne immediately turned to look at the nearby monitor. Sure enough, he noticed that the monitor's image seemed to cast a shadow on Liv Tyler's face, complementing her odd smile, making her look even more sinister and eerie.

"This woman is very experienced!" whispered James Wan, who was standing nearby.

Auditions are usually not the final decision; they are determined by reviewing the footage recorded by the monitor afterward. After all, some people look great in person but are unimpressive on camera, while others are the opposite.

So, experienced actors need to leave a good impression not only in the eyes of the director and producers but also on camera to increase their chances of passing the audition.

Of course, those who bring their own funding, like Wayne, don't need to worry about that.

"Happy birthday, Terry!" Liv Tyler's voice grew even softer in the audition.

"Thank you, but I already had some last night." Mia paused here, as required by the script, and then continued, "Wait, cake? Oh my god, I died again last night… not slept."

After pausing, Mia looked at Liv Tyler, who had already put away her eerie smile and replaced it with a bewildered, innocent look, and continued, "It's you! You killed me!"

"What? Terry, what are you talking about? You really scared me!"

Surprise, innocence, and a slight sense of unease lurking behind these emotions—Liv Tyler nailed Lori's reaction, far surpassing the original, lesser-known stand-in.

"You poisoned it! In this cupcake!" Mia's gaze shifted to the 'cupcake' in Liv Tyler's hand, quickly reciting, "But I've always thrown them away before, never eaten them, so you had to find another way. Soon, you targeted that murderer, taking advantage of your time as an intern nurse at the hospital to release him, hoping he would kill me for you."

Liv Tyler's pupils constricted instinctively as Mia said, "You poisoned it," her body instantly tensing up.

Though her face still maintained a gentle smile, to the audience, as 'Terry' exposed her plan, it became increasingly forced and stiff. Her eyes quickly flickered through a range of emotions.

It looked vivid and compelling.

At this moment, whether it was Wayne sitting in the main seat or James Wan and Sarah next to him, all nodded unconsciously.

It was clear that they were very satisfied with Liv Tyler's performance.

Next, Mia, taking advantage of her moment of deliberation, suddenly snatched the poisoned cupcake, which was undoubtedly the key evidence of her crime.

Since Liv Tyler's character personally bought the ingredients for the cake, denying it was out of the question.

Seeing this, Liv Tyler finally made up her mind. The smile on her face instantly vanished, and her eyes took on a chilling and crazed light.

"Cut!"

Just as the 'darkened' Liv Tyler was about to kick 'Terry' in the stomach and knock her to the ground, Wayne instinctively called out to stop the audition.

Otherwise, he was genuinely worried that if they continued, Liv Tyler might actually hurt Mia.

"Excellent! Miss Tyler, your performance was truly outstanding; you even managed to scare me!"

Wayne sincerely praised her without any exaggeration.

Just now, Liv Tyler's expression was definitely more chilling than that final smile from Zhang Zifeng in *Detective Chinatown*.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Anderson."

Liv Tyler immediately changed her expression, showing her usual serene and elegant smile, and then casually added, "Then, as an apology, may I invite you to dinner?"

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*(End of Chapter)*