Chapter 37 of 100

Chapter 37

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Under the strong insistence of Franco, and after five more days of negotiations, the cast of "Hard Candy" finally had its male lead. Murphy paid a one-time fee of $40,000 for James Franco's participation. Although the current James Franco couldn't compare to his future self, he had already played significant roles in two films, which was not his true market value.

Murphy was well aware that James Franco's motives for joining the cast were not pure, but he didn't mind; everyone was just getting what they needed.

With this, the production team for "Hard Candy" was officially complete. Including Murphy, there were only fourteen people in total, three of whom were unpaid interns, making it an extremely frugal setup.

In fact, Murphy also wanted to handle all the work himself and save on the salaries, but that was clearly impossible. He was just one person, and although he had received systematic training at film school, he couldn't possibly be proficient in all aspects of filmmaking.

The film had two main actors: the young girl Haley and the photographer Jeff. The character with the most screen time after them was Jeff's female neighbor, a role that Murphy had strongly pressured Jessica Chastain to take on as a cameo.

There was also a girl who tragically dies in the opening scene, and Murphy had already chosen an actress for this role, though her part was minimal, and she would only join the cast after filming began.

The other minor roles were mostly played by Murphy and the production staff. For the scenes shot at Middon Café, the waiters would be played by the café's staff, and Old Lynch had even prepared for this role for some time.

Even in Los Angeles, the opportunity for ordinary people to appear in a film was still rare.

"Let me introduce you," Murphy said in the warehouse that served as a temporary studio. He, Carey Mulligan, and James Franco were meeting for the first time. "Carey, this is James Franco, a very talented actor."

Then, he turned to introduce Carey, "Jim, this is Carey Mulligan, the future British Rose."

After introducing them, Murphy took a step back.

"Hello, can I call you Carey?" James Franco smiled charmingly, stepped forward, and extended his hand. "I'm James Franco, you can call me Jim."

It seemed Carey Mulligan had just recognized him. She said in surprise, "Why is it you?"

"We meet again," James Franco's hand remained extended.

However, Carey Mulligan showed no intention of shaking his hand. She turned to Murphy and said, "Murphy, he's not a good person."

James Franco's smile froze, and he reluctantly withdrew his hand, looking a bit awkward.

Murphy had no idea what had happened between them and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Carey, what happened? Jim is a very talented actor."

"Hmph..." Carey Mulligan only snorted in response.

At her age, few girls would like someone who had exposed their secrets.

Murphy glanced at James Franco but didn't want to get involved in their issues. Carey Mulligan's agent, Bill Rosies, was about to arrive, and he didn't have time to waste on this.

Murphy walked to the simple desk, took out two schedules, and handed them to James Franco and Carey Mulligan. "I want you to go through all the scenes in the schedule before we start filming."

Before filming any movie, actors need to do a lot of rehearsals, and "Hard Candy" was no exception.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. After Murphy called out to come in, Bill Rosies, the agent, opened the door, carrying packed juice and coffee. He first greeted Murphy and handed him a coffee, then politely chatted with James Franco and gave him a coffee as well.

To be a qualified entertainment agent, one must be skilled in handling interpersonal relationships and be adept at dealing with various situations.

This was Murphy's first time directing, and the current James Franco was not yet prominent. Even though the rehearsal location was just a warehouse, Bill Rosies did not show any contempt, at least not on the surface.

In Hollywood, stars could be arrogant and self-important, but agents couldn't afford to be.

Since Carey Mulligan was a minor, her agent or legal guardian usually had to be present on set. Murphy had no objections, and James Franco, though not stupid, had been polite to Carey Mulligan from the start, even when trying to get closer, he did so in a normal conversational manner.

"Director Stanton..."

After everyone had finished their drinks, Bill Rosies timely reminded Murphy, "Carey has classes this afternoon, and we must finish by twelve."

Murphy nodded and gestured to James Franco. "Let's start."

The rehearsal began with James Franco reciting a monologue, seemingly warming up and finding his state. He had considerable experience and was not a part-time waiter actor. Murphy wasn't too worried. After a brief observation, his gaze fell on Carey Mulligan.

During the initial audition and subsequent communications, this girl had shown a certain level of acting skill. She had been performing in theater groups since elementary school in the UK, but lacked real acting opportunities.

In Murphy's eyes, this girl's acting talent was not top-notch but was still good.

Of course, he was a novice and might not have the most accurate judgment.

A few minutes later, Carey Mulligan and James Franco began rehearsing the first scene, where the two characters first meet.

James Franco approached Carey Mulligan from behind. "Haley..."

Carey Mulligan turned around, lightly touching her lips as the script dictated. "Jeff?"

Her voice carried a hint of surprise, but her face told a different story. Carey Mulligan had shown earlier that she didn't like James Franco, and with her personality, her emotions were written all over her face. Even without a close-up, Murphy could see the dislike in her bright eyes, almost as if she wanted to write "I want to kill you, you bad guy" on her face.

"Carey..." Murphy interrupted their rehearsal, beckoning her over. "Come here."

Carey Mulligan, scratching her short blonde hair, walked to the desk where Murphy was sitting and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

She could read a lot from Murphy's expression.

Murphy immediately remembered that she was not an ordinary girl and had a particularly strong rebellious streak. After a moment's thought, he changed his approach. "Carey, do you remember our conversation at the café?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded lightly. "I'll never forget. What decides our future is not what we think but what we do."

Murphy smiled, looking at her and then at the confused James Franco.

Carey Mulligan was innocent and rebellious but not stupid. She immediately understood and leaned in, lowering her voice. "I know, an actor must have professional ethics. Don't worry, Murphy, I won't let you down."

Her voice was low, but the warehouse wasn't very big, and both James Franco and Bill Rosies heard her. They looked at Murphy simultaneously.

James Franco tilted his head, realizing that his good looks and charming smile, which had always been effective, were no match for the few words from the guy across from him.

The other guy seemed particularly skilled at dealing with girls her age, making him an excellent role model.

Bill Rosies, a professional entertainment agent, was different from the eccentric James Franco. He knew how rebellious Carey Mulligan was and that she was a very difficult girl to handle. If not for the recommendation of his long-time client, Julian Fellowes, he would never have taken on her as a client.

He could even imagine this rebellious girl, who had forced her parents to let her enter the entertainment industry, causing chaos in this small production.

But what he saw now completely overturned his previous views. This new director, Murphy Stanton, could not only control Carey Mulligan but was doing so in an extremely subtle and skillful way.

Interesting... Bill Rosies crossed his arms and watched, saying nothing.

He wondered if Carey Mulligan's insistence on playing this role had anything to do with this young director, Murphy Stanton.

If that was the case, he might be a talent.

Seeing that Carey Mulligan had understood the issue, Murphy stood up and nodded in approval. When the girl smiled happily, he spoke again.

"Carey, in the scene we just rehearsed, Haley doesn't like Jeff, right?"

"Yes," Carey Mulligan nodded eagerly.

"Jeff says Haley is mature," Murphy explained, "but he wishes she were a fool. Haley wants Jeff to think she's a fool, so..."

Murphy looked at Carey Mulligan, who was quick to understand. "So Haley acts innocent, eating chocolate cake, liking those bands, and wearing cool T-shirts. This is all to make Jeff let his guard down and mislead him."

"Exactly." Murphy snapped his fingers. "You're really smart."

Carey Mulligan was just a bait to attract James Franco. Even without him, the independent rehearsals of the male and female leads would not have been truly possible, and Bill Rosies, the agent, would always be with Carey Mulligan.

Murphy had considered all this.

On the other side, Carey Mulligan unconsciously raised her chin, smiling adorably, but this smile was only for Murphy.

Watching her, James Franco's heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest. He took a deep breath to calm the boiling blood.

What a formidable guy, James Franco thought, looking at Murphy. If he had such skills, he wouldn't have always had more goals than achievements.

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