Chapter 32

"Alright, that's enough."

In a small warehouse not far behind the Merton Café, Murphy interrupted the girl's poor performance across the makeshift desk. "Miss Stanley, my assistant will notify you of the audition results within a week."

"But..."

The girl was not ready to give up. She glanced at the elder Lynch, who was sitting on the side, and mustered up the courage to say, "But... my performance isn't finished yet."

Murphy couldn't help but slap his forehead. "I've already seen your acting."

After saying that, he gave Jessica Chastain a nod, and the red-haired girl immediately went over to escort the auditioning girl out of the office.

As soon as the girl left, the elder Lynch stood up and pleaded, "Murphy, Carrie Stanley is widely recognized as the best actress in this area. Can't you reconsider?"

"Lynch, you've read the script," Murphy pointed towards the door, exaggerating, "Do you think the male lead would still be interested after seeing her buck teeth?"

The elder Lynch closed his mouth, speechless.

Murphy agreed to audition this so-called actress recommended by the elder Lynch mainly because Lynch had lent him the independent warehouse of the café as a temporary audition room and storage space. Otherwise, he wouldn't have considered it. Just like on the other side of the Pacific, a film crew couldn't avoid various personal connections.

In the past five days, besides coordinating the preparations of various departments in the crew, Murphy had interviewed dozens of actors. These actors were almost all disappointed Hollywood hopefuls, who also worked as waiters, car washers, and other odd jobs. This wasn't unusual, but the problem was that their auditions were really poor.

The male actors were a bit better; a few actors in their thirties had some acting skills and could be considered. However, finding female actors was much harder. Most white people mature early, and the bodies of sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds were not much different from those in their twenties. Those with some acting skills often had unsuitable appearances, while those with suitable appearances were too young and lacked acting skills.

While it's often said that roles make actors, it's undeniable that actresses like Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Christina Ricci, who showed outstanding acting skills at a young age, are rare even in Hollywood.

It was at this moment that Murphy realized that "Hard Candy" might not be the best choice. Finding an actress like Ellen Page, with her unique appearance, was sometimes a matter of luck.

Murphy auditioned another girl who worked part-time as an insurance salesperson. After she left, a hint of disappointment showed on his face.

Sitting in the warehouse filled with equipment and props, Murphy suddenly realized that his experience was still lacking. He had thought of various difficulties, but he had underestimated the challenge of finding the right actress for this film.

Should he cancel the project? Murphy took a deep breath. That was impossible.

He had already invested tens of thousands of dollars in this project, and canceling it would mean losing that money.

Murphy had considered using makeup and more explicit scenes to assist the actress's performance, but these were just aids. If the actress lacked basic acting skills and a suitable appearance, the film wouldn't achieve the desired effect.

If the actress was too mature, the subtle feeling between the young girl and the creepy old man would be diluted. If the acting was too poor, it would break the audience's immersion.

"There's one more actress to audition," Jessica Chastain reminded him.

Murphy snapped back to reality. There was no turning back on this project. "Bring her in."

Jessica Chastain called the Merton Café, and a waiter would bring the waiting auditioner over. After waiting for about five minutes, the door to the warehouse was knocked on. After saying "Come in," a girl pushed the door open and walked in.

As soon as the girl entered the warehouse, Murphy's eyes lit up.

This was a typical white girl, with short, slightly messy brownish-gold hair covering her petite head. Her large eyes curiously examined everything in the warehouse. She wore a casual, fitted floral dress that hung loosely on her five-foot-five-inch frame, and she carried a black sports bag that seemed out of place for her age.

Judging by her figure, she could easily pass for sixteen or seventeen, but her lively, doll-like face made her look more like thirteen or fourteen.

A surge of excitement ran through Murphy's body, spreading to his limbs. He knew very clearly that he had found someone with the perfect appearance for the role.

She was the real-life version of the girl in the film!

After looking around the simple warehouse and glancing at the man sitting behind the makeshift desk, the girl with short, messy hair scratched her head. She hadn't expected that the information she had secretly recorded from the actors' union would lead her to this scene.

Was this an audition or a game?

"Hello, please sit down," Murphy pointed to the chair opposite him. After the girl, who was looking around, sat down, he introduced himself, "I'm Murphy Stanton, the director and producer of 'Hard Candy.'"

"Oh, hello," the girl raised her hand to her shoulder and waved, "I'm Carey Mulligan, an actress."

Hearing her typical British accent, Murphy frowned slightly. "You're British."

"Yes," the girl took off her backpack and placed it by her feet, making herself more comfortable. She blinked and said, "I was born in London, but I now live in Los Angeles and will be staying here for the next few years."

"Ah..." Before Murphy could speak, the girl asked curiously, "Can you tell me what kind of production this is?"

Murphy looked at her and countered, "What do you want to know?"

The girl scratched her head again. She had only performed in school theater groups and had never been part of a professional film crew. This time, she had come secretly and didn't know what specific questions to ask.

Her eyes darted around for a while before she said, "For example, what is the content of the film you're shooting?"

The subject matter of the film was sensitive, but there was no need to hide it. If the girl couldn't handle it, it would save both of them time. So, Murphy said directly, "In a nutshell, a man kills a girl, and the girl's friend goes to great lengths to avenge her!"

Murphy clearly underestimated the girl's tolerance. Carey Mulligan slapped her hands together. "Cool! So cool! I like this story."

She jumped up from her chair and almost ran to Murphy's desk, eagerly asking, "Do you have a script? Can I see the script?"

Murphy extended a hand and pointed to the chair. Carey Mulligan turned to look and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I got a bit excited."

As she stepped back, she defended herself, "A good actress always expresses her emotions outwardly."

Sitting back down, Carey Mulligan added, "I just think the story you described is really cool, and I'm curious about the details."

By now, Murphy could tell that the girl had no previous audition experience and was likely very young, like a flower raised in a greenhouse, full of curiosity about the outside world and lacking social experience.

"Can I ask..." he probed, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen!" At this, Carey Mulligan suddenly drooped her head, seeming disappointed by her age, "To be precise, fifteen and a half."

Murphy frowned slightly. Sixteen and fifteen and a half were two very different things legally, and age could be a problem.

"Is your agent here?" he continued, "Or a guardian?"

"I came by myself," Carey Mulligan straightened up instinctively. "I don't have an agent; I can make my own decisions."

After saying that, she urged, "Aren't we auditioning?"

Putting aside his concerns about her age, Murphy crossed his hands on the desk. "Alright, perform a monologue of your choice."

"A monologue?" Carey Mulligan stood up.

Murphy nodded lightly. "A monologue."

Monologues were one of the more challenging types of performances, and Murphy wanted to see if the girl's skills matched her appearance.

To Murphy's surprise, Carey Mulligan almost instantly entered her performance state. She didn't perform a children's play but a monologue from Juliet in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Watching the girl's performance from the side, Jessica Chastain was somewhat surprised. She had studied drama and knew the difficulty of this monologue, but the girl performed it quite well.

It might not have been brilliant, but for her age, it was very impressive.

Jessica Chastain glanced at Murphy, who was also looking at her. He knew Jessica Chastain was more professional in acting and had a questioning look in his eyes.

Although she was skeptical about the project, Jessica Chastain had enough professional ethics to nod slightly at Murphy.

The girl's mature figure, beautiful and delicate doll-like face, and above-average performance made Murphy initially approve of the British girl.

Carey Mulligan stopped performing, patted her doll-like face, seemingly to detach from the role, and after a while, looked at Murphy. "Did I do well?"

Murphy didn't answer but asked, "Do you only do British accents? My character is American."

The girl was smart and immediately switched to an American accent. "I've been an exchange student in Los Angeles for a long time. How does my Los Angeles accent sound?"

Seeing Murphy nod slightly, she couldn't help but smile in a cute and playful way.

"I have a few more questions, and they might be a bit sensitive. You can choose not to answer."

Hearing Murphy's words, Carey Mulligan eagerly said, "Ask away, ask away, I can't wait."

Murphy cleared his throat and said, "If you encountered a pedophile, what would you do?"