Chapter 27 Audition [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Competing for a Role with the Company's Top Female Employee
Three days after Mu Zhi submitted her resume, she received a call from someone claiming to be the assistant director of the "Legend of the Flying Immortal" project, informing her of an audition.
When assistant Minmin heard the news, she jumped up with joy, "That's fantastic!"
But Mu Zhi frowned after finishing the call, and thinking she was worried about the audition, I clenched my fist and encouraged her, "Don't worry, Sister Zhizhi, I believe you will succeed in the audition!"
"Shang Jian will take Lin Xuan to the audition."
Minmin was so shocked she almost bit her tongue. "What?"
"So, the reason Mr. Shang isn't helping us get an audition is because the company gave its only audition spot to..."
Lin Xuan, the number one sister.
"But I remember Lin Xuan is an idol, and she's never acted since her debut..."
There's nothing more to say.
Lin Xuan debuted as part of a girl group after participating in a talent show three years ago.
In the past three years, he has released four digital albums, appeared on several variety shows every year, participated in commercial performances, and held concerts. His entertainment career has been thriving and very successful.
Because his songs haven't become mainstream hits, he's been mocked for being just for his fans. He's appeared on many variety shows, but the jokes have faded, and his popularity has waned. Now, his career has entered an awkward bottleneck period.
Galaxy Culture is actively expanding into the film and television sector, and it prioritizes giving good resources to its top female star.
The company is paving the way for Lin Xuan to enter the film and television industry and transition into acting.
Mu Zhi's feelings are actually understandable.
What's incomprehensible is why the agent didn't explain that the company gave Lin Xuan the audition opportunity for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal".
And kept her in the dark.
Ironically, Mu Zhi thought that having the company's investment gave her a better chance of winning.
Unexpectedly, it turned out that two tigers cannot share one mountain.
Just as I was thinking about this, my agent, Shang Jian, called.
Indeed, the assistant director informed Mu Zhi and Lin Xuan to come for the audition together, so Shang Jian must have known that Mu Zhi would be auditioning for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal".
As soon as the call connected, Shang Jian launched into a barrage of questions and demanded that Mu Zhi come to the company immediately.
"You're an artist under my management, you're under my control, and you must report anything to me!"
"You secretly pulled strings to audition for 'The Legend of the Flying Immortal,' give me an explanation?"
On her way to the company, Mu Zhi had already prepared an excuse.
She explained with great grievance: "I am a loyal reader of the novel 'The Legend of the Flying Immortal.' Knowing that the company invested in this drama, I wanted to play the female lead, so I actively sent an email to Director Wu to try to get an audition opportunity."
"Mr. Shang, I thought that if I got this audition opportunity through my own efforts, and I actually got selected, wouldn't you, as my manager, be proud? I received an audition notice from the assistant director and learned that Senior Sister Lin Xuan is also auditioning. If two artists from the company audition together, wouldn't the company benefit regardless of who gets selected?"
Shang Jian thought to himself: That's bullshit!
For agents, it is a major taboo for their artists to slip out of their control.
Besides, Mu Zhi is a newcomer, and her ideas are too big.
However, Shang Jian had to admit that Mu Zhi's ability to secure the audition spot was no small feat.
"I arranged two films for you, but you've been using your foot injury as an excuse to keep putting them off these past few days."
"What, if it were 'The Legend of the Flying Immortal,' your foot wouldn't be a problem?"
Seeing Shang Jian's gaze sweeping over her already-shoe-wearing feet, Mu Zhi chuckled and said, "If it's a script and a role I like, I'll crawl to the set."
"Mr. Shang, I want to pursue an acting career, and reputation is very important to me. I need to be very careful about the role I choose for my first project. While it's true that artists receive different treatment based on their status, which seems fair, the entertainment industry is unpredictable; things change every year. On the surface, we should try to treat everyone equally."
"If I become famous, it won't be bad for you. Tomorrow's audition is very important. If there's nothing else, I'll go back and prepare."
After saying that, Mu Zhi left Shang Jian, who was still reeling from the rebuke, and pushed open the conference room door to leave.
She felt she had already cultivated a high level of self-control, managing to accept the difference between being a top-tier actress and an unknown newcomer, and consistently maintaining her emotions. Otherwise, she really might have had a major falling out with Shang Jian, even at the risk of being blacklisted by the company.
The following day, the audition location for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal" was a hotel that often hosted auditions for film crews.
Mu Zhi and Lin Xuan auditioned on the same day.
However, the timing was off. Agent Shang Jian had to take good care of the top female star, while Mu Zhi and her assistant Minmin took a taxi to get there.
Once on the floor, I followed the signs and arrived at the entrance to the dressing room.
A middle-aged man stepped forward and introduced himself, "I'm the assistant director of the 'Legend of the Flying Immortal' project..."
According to the procedure, Mu Zhi needs to change into her costume and get her makeup done here before going to the audition room for her audition.
However, the assistant director told me directly that the director had informed me that I had arrived and that I should go directly to the interview room.
When they arrived at the door, Minmin couldn't go in with her: "Good luck, sis!"
Mu Zhi nodded, indicating that there was no need to worry, and followed the assistant director into the conference room marked "Interview Room".
There were four people sitting inside, two men and two women, and a nameplate was placed on the table.
The positions listed in order are director, blank, producer, and screenwriter.
The man with the short haircut, glasses, and a large, round belly, whose nameplate read "Director," was Director Wu Ce? Mu Zhi nodded to him and greeted him politely, "Hello, Director Wu."
Director Wu Ce nodded. "Mu Zhi? Hello."
He then introduced the person sitting next to him, saying, "This is Director Xu Tao."
Mu Zhi looked at the man sitting next to director Wu Ce, who was wearing a black baseball cap with half of his face hidden in the shadow of the cap: "?" She couldn't see his face, but judging from the fact that he had his arms crossed and was exuding an aura of "keep away," he seemed to be in a bad mood.
Director Xu Tao? She was still gradually learning about the entertainment industry in this world and had never heard of this name. Without giving it much thought, she guessed he was probably the director of this project, like the assistant director who had brought her there, and politely nodded.
Then there are the producers and screenwriters.
Director Wu Ce: "Mu Zhi, I watched the self-recommendation video you sent to my email. The makeup and styling were so-so, but it was very close to the female lead I had imagined. Your performance amazed me. As far as I know, you just participated in the talent show 'Chasing the Light Girl,' and you're probably aiming for the idol route. Why did you want to audition for this role?"
Have you had any formal training in acting?
These are routine questions, asked by the director to gain a deeper understanding of the actors.
Mu Zhi had prepared her answer in advance and responded with ease: "Participating in the talent show was arranged by the company. I personally enjoy performing and am also a loyal reader of the original novel 'The Legend of the Flying Immortal.' When I learned online that the female lead had not yet been decided, I boldly kept it a secret from the company and my agent and, with the idea of giving it a try, recorded my favorite performance and sent my 'resume' to your email address."
Regarding the second question...
Mu Zhi was a professionally trained actress in her previous life.
I'll be auditioning later.
Whether someone has studied acting or not is easily discernible.
"I studied acting under a teacher, a close disciple, who asked me not to mention her to outsiders."
That one sentence stopped any further questions about the "teacher".
It's not a lie. In addition to the skills she learned in acting classes at school, Mu Zhi was also influenced by her mother's method acting style, which she gradually integrated into her own performance style.
After the questions were answered, the audition began.
Director Wu Ce asked Mu Zhi to perform the scene from the recording without makeup or styling.
This is a later part of the story, where the male protagonist is about to achieve great success in his cultivation and his mortal body must withstand nine tribulations of lightning.
In order to help the male lead ascend to immortality, the female lead shielded him from the final, fatal lightning tribulation.
She confessed her feelings to the male protagonist on the verge of death.
When Mu Zhi was recording a video at the photo studio, she lay directly on the ground and pretended to be in the male lead's arms to perform the act.
"Just stand up."
The assistant director handed Mu Zhi a printed copy of the script.
"Let me know when you're ready, and we'll get started right away."
Two minutes later.
Mu Zhi put the paper on the chair next to her and gave director Wu Ce an "OK" sign.
"Action!"
As soon as Wu Ce finished shouting, he saw Mu Zhi instantly get into character.
The scene begins when the female lead falls to the ground after blocking the lightning. He "understands" that the conference room floor is dirty and the camera is not good for framing the shot, so he lets Mu Zhi stand.
But it didn't pose any difficulty for the little girl in front of him.
While watching Mu Zhi's performance, I unconsciously sat up straight, and goosebumps rose all over my body.
"My Lord, do you remember ten thousand years ago in Blood Demon Valley, when I cut my finger and fed a dying Elegant Lamp Grass with my blood? It had three small white flowers."
"My Lord, do you remember a thousand years ago in Heaven, a lowly fairy named Ya Deng broke the Queen Mother's seven-colored glass cup? It was you who pleaded for her and spared her the severe punishment of being banished to the mortal realm?"
"On the day you jumped off the Fallen Immortal Platform, she arrived too late..."
“In the eighth reincarnation, Ya Deng was your wife as she wished. This is the ninth. I know that you, my lord, are going to become an immortal. I dare not stop you with my love for you. This ending is good. I don’t care about becoming an immortal. I just want to be with you, my lord, day and night. Even if it’s only for one lifetime, it’s enough.”
After reviewing nearly a page of lines for two minutes, Mu Zhi memorized them all without any hesitation, demonstrating her excellent command of dialogue.
When Mu Zhi performed in front of thin air, it was as if the man she deeply loved was standing right in front of her. The deep affection in her eyes and the tears that fell like pearls were heartbreaking. Without makeup or costume, she successfully drew people into the play.
"Card."
Mu Zhi immediately stopped crying.
Director Wu Ce assigned a new scene to Mu Zhi to act out.
The female protagonist, Ya Deng, descends to the mortal realm to find the male protagonist who has been reincarnated. The two meet on a bustling street, a scene that evokes both laughter and tears.
It's very short.
Mu Zhi not only delivered a nuanced performance, but the close-up shots captured by the camera also showed how beautiful her smile was.
The screenwriter excitedly whispered to the producer, "She's even more beautiful than the character I described. Her face would be absolutely stunning for a fantasy drama."
The audition is over.
Mu Zhi saw the familiar expressions of amazement and satisfaction on the faces of the four "interviewers" present, knowing that she had performed well today, and she was confident that she would win the role of the female lead "Ya Deng".
Instead, they received the reply, "Your performance was great, but we will announce the audition results in 3 days."
"Okay." I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
It seems that director Wu Ce does not use the audition results as the standard for casting, but also considers other factors.
As soon as they came out, assistant Minmin rushed forward to inquire about the interview results.
After hearing Mu Zhi's account of the audition, her face puffed up with anger: "Sister, if they don't get selected, it's because they're blind!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Agent Shang Jian and others also arrived.
Ask Mu Zhi: "How did the interview go?"
Mu Zhi's gaze fell on a short-haired woman wearing sunglasses standing next to her agent, Shang Jian. She was wearing a sleeveless short-sleeved trendy T-shirt with high-waisted loose jeans. Her arms were very thin, and a section of her tight waist was exposed, giving her a somewhat skin-and-bones appearance.
Is this Lin Xuan? Mu Zhi's first impression: So thin.
He replied to his agent, "The audition just ended. They told me to go home and wait for their notification."
Shang Jian responded with an "Oh," and since this was the first time his two artists were meeting, he introduced them to each other.
Mu Zhi extended her hand to Lin Xuan: "Hello, senior sister, I am Mu Zhi."
Just then, the assistant director came over and told Lin Xuan to go to the dressing room to change clothes and get her makeup done in preparation for the audition.
Lin Xuan took off her glasses, her arrogant and scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Mu Zhi's face. She gave a soft "hmm" in a very indifferent tone, ignoring Mu Zhi's outstretched hand, and turned to enter the dressing room.
Mu Zhi silently withdrew her hand, then heard her agent, Shang Jian, asking her about the details of the audition so that Lin Xuan could prepare in advance.
"Director Wu said that everyone's audition script is different, it's random," Mu Zhi said lazily.
We're competitors, why should I help Lin Xuan? She's not innocent.
In the interview room.
After Mu Zhi left, the people inside started talking.
Director Xu Tao, who had been sitting silently next to Wu Ce, finally spoke up: "Do you mean what you say?"
Wu Ce: ? ? ? What did I say?
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