System in Hollywood

Compared to the male supporting roles, the competition among the actresses for the female supporting roles was even fiercer. 

Especially for the role of 'Noburi,' Katie's math teacher, who was supposed to be between 24 and 35 years old. Wayne hadn't pre-selected anyone, so there were 27 actresses auditioning for this role.

When Wayne walked into the audition room and took the audition sheet from Sierra, he couldn't help but widen his eyes at the situation, stunned for several seconds.

"No surprise, Wayne. You're just way too popular with the ladies~," someone joked.

Wayne smiled helplessly, then greeted director Nancy Meyers, producer Melanie Sloan, and screenwriter Tina Fey, who were standing nearby.

Meanwhile, Mike, after comforting Jonah Hill, approached a mother and daughter who had also tried to get Wayne's autograph and picture but couldn't get through the crowd. Smiling, he greeted them.

"Hello, Mrs. Anne, and little Amanda."

"Hi, Mike. But I'm not that little anymore, so please just call me Amanda," the blonde girl, with sharp features and bright eyes, complained before her mother could even speak.

Mike chuckled at her displeased expression. 

"Alright, Amanda. How's your preparation for the role?" Mike asked.

"Well… it's okay, I guess. I did hire an acting coach to help me, but the time was really short," Amanda said with a slight complaint, though she didn't seem as nervous as Jonah Hill had earlier.

No surprise there. The young blonde in front of him was Amanda Seyfried, who would later become one of Hollywood's top young stars.

Not only was she pre-selected by Wayne for the role of Karen, the fourth female lead, so there was little competition pressure, but she had also started modeling at 11 and had been acting in TV shows since she was 14.

Now, even though she was only 16, two years younger than Jonah Hill, her acting experience far surpassed his.

"Well, that's just how fast Hemera Films moves," Mike shrugged. "If you want to achieve something in this industry and become a star surrounded by the spotlight, you have to constantly work on improving your acting."

"I know. I'll study hard and won't disappoint Wayne!"

At the mention of Wayne, a look of admiration appeared on Amanda's face. 

Just as boys looked up to actresses like Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau, young girls like Amanda idolized someone like Wayne, who was not only more handsome than DiCaprio but also powerful in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, despite having chosen Amanda for the important role of Karen, Wayne had never personally met her.

In fact, this had just been her first time seeing him up close.

Seeing this, Mike smiled. 

Maybe it was a difference in tastes, but Wayne didn't find Amanda's looks particularly stunning. She was attractive, but not nearly on the level of Martina or Scarlett, in his opinion.

And from what he knew about her future, Amanda's beauty seemed to have a shorter shelf life. By the time she turned 25, her looks started fading. She couldn't compete with actresses like Martina, Scarlett, or Anne, who managed to stay gorgeous well into their late 30s.

So, while Wayne found Amanda interesting, it wasn't enough to hold his attention long-term. She might be fun for a short while, but not for the long haul.

But Mike had a different view. To him, Amanda was more beautiful than Martina, Scarlett, or even Anne. Plus, being younger, she had more potential for growth, so Mike valued her highly.

Still, the focus now was on the auditions, so after giving Amanda some tips and sharing a few of Wayne's preferences, he stepped aside with Mrs. Seyfried to give Amanda some space to prepare herself.

Soon, the auditions officially began.

Since Wayne was going to play the male lead, his audition was skipped entirely. After all, as the sole investor and studio owner, no one would dare oppose his casting, whether he fit the role or not.

Director's authority? Artistic vision? Casting couch politics? None of that mattered in the face of capital.

So the first to audition was Scarlett for the female lead, Katie.

"Scarlett!"

Bored, Hannah had taken on the task of calling out the names.

Soon, Scarlett walked in, deliberately dressed down in a loose t-shirt and jeans to give herself a more plain appearance.

Seeing this, both Wayne and Nancy, as well as Sierra, nodded in approval.

An audition isn't a beauty contest; fitting the role is what truly matters.

Even though Scarlett had already been pre-selected as the female lead, she still made the effort to match the character's appearance. It wasn't just about her acting—it showed her commitment.

"This is your audition script. You have two minutes to prepare," Nancy said after Scarlett introduced herself briefly and handed her the prepared script.

"Thank you," Scarlett said, quickly flipping through the script. Upon seeing that it was a scene from the script she had received earlier, she felt more at ease.

Two minutes later, Scarlett began her performance.

To be honest, while Wayne always thought Scarlett's acting was average, compared to most actresses her age, she wasn't bad at all.

If the total score was out of 100, with 60 being passable, Scarlett's acting was around a 70.

With her physical appearance, that bumped her score to about 75.

In the right role, she could probably reach 85 or even 90, like when she played Black Widow in the Avengers.

After her five-minute performance, Wayne turned to Nancy Meyers to ask for her opinion.

After a moment of consideration, Nancy objectively commented that Scarlett had done well and had no issues. Scarlett then successfully passed the audition.

Next up was Anne, who was auditioning for the villainous role of Regina.

To be honest, out of all the roles Wayne had pre-cast, he was most worried about Anne. The character of Regina was similar to the protagonist in *Happy Death Day*, a pretty, sexy, but nasty and manipulative girl.

Both Rachel McAdams from the original and Jessica Rothe would've been perfect for the role, and it would've been easy for them.

But with Anne? It would be a challenge for her acting skills.

(End of Chapter)