Chapter 52

Under the same night sky, countless film-related activities were still underway in Los Angeles.

Candace Juen had just finished dinner with a client and returned to her home in West Hollywood. She couldn't wait to turn on her computer and check her emails. The list for the third round of auditions for "All Because of Daisy" was indeed out!

"God bless." She murmured, her middle-aged face full of tension as she clicked on the email with the mouse.

The second round of auditions had taken place a week ago. Anna had said she did well and was confident about making it to the third round. When she inquired with the producer of "All Because of Daisy," Trevor Albert, his tone was hesitant, suggesting that Anna had given the casting team a headache.

Their headache had made her even more anxious over the past week. This was a very suitable debut story, and the lead role "Opal" was very likable. If Anna made her screen debut with it, she might have a bright future. But if she missed it, then...

The email opened, and the list contained only five names: Saoirse Ronan, Taylor Dure... but no Anna Sophia Rob!

"Oh no..." Juen immediately covered her forehead, leaning back in her chair, suddenly looking exhausted, with deeper crow's feet around her eyes.

Anna had been eliminated again. After more than 20 film auditions, she still hadn't even landed a supporting role.

How could this be? She really couldn't understand. Bad luck? Anna's physical appearance and acting talent were both excellent, with the potential to become a top child star. But this pearl, after two large-scale auditions, had only landed a Barbie doll commercial, while Taylor Dure, who started at a similar level, had already shot several ads for shoes and children's clothing and even caught Disney's attention!

Now, Taylor Dure had made it to the third round, while Anna was out early.

Was she envious of Dure's agent? Juen wasn't thinking that way. She just couldn't understand why Anna, who had received a lot of praise in the first round and was one of the key candidates, didn't even make it to the top five in the second round!

Looking at the list, she felt even more disheartened. She could only console herself with the fact that the strongest contender on the list wasn't Dure, but Saoirse Ronan!

Saoirse Ronan, at just over 9 years old, was the daughter of the famous British actor Paul Ronan. Her father had starred in many films, and she had already made her screen debut, appearing in a few episodes of the Irish TV series "Casualty." That was where she had grown in recent years.

Her acting experience was much stronger than Anna's, and she was also American, born in New York, giving her an edge over Anna...

Juen had originally worried that Anna wouldn't stand a chance against Ronan in the third round, but she hadn't expected Anna to be eliminated before the third round.

Why? She took out her phone and called producer Trevor Albert, relying on their slight acquaintance to ask for the reason. What did director Wayne Wang think?

Albert's tone was regretful: "Your girl's performance was too exaggerated. Wayne has always liked her image, but he's concerned about her acting. You know, Anna is a candidate that makes us hesitate a lot. We thought for a long time and ultimately made this regrettable decision. I'm sorry."

"Trevor, Anna only has stage acting experience. Isn't it normal for her to overact in front of the camera at first? She can improve, and she will." Juen tried to persuade him.

"That's true, but... we have other better candidates, like Saoirse Ronan, who is the current frontrunner. Her image is more androgynous than Anna's, but that can be fixed with long hair, and her acting is more mature, which we like."

"Okay, then why not give Anna a chance to compete in the third round?" Juen's anger showed, unprofessional as it was.

"On the day of the second round of auditions, Anna's performance was terrible. She even called Wayne Daisy by her dog Bella's name! Often, she didn't know what she was acting, completely different from our requirements. It was very bad... so we eliminated her."

Juen suddenly understood something. The side effects of the short film! She said urgently, "Anna is about to star in a student short film, also a story about a little girl and a puppy. She got confused! For someone her age, handling multiple stories at the same time is normal..."

"Short film? That's not a factor we consider... I'm a bit busy, Candace, shall we end it here? I believe Anna will find a suitable movie role."

"Trevor, give her another chance!" In a moment of desperation, Juen had only one option: "Wait until Anna finishes this short film, and you can take a look. Your evaluation of her might change! You don't want to miss the most suitable lead, do you? Give her another chance."

"Will we?" Albert was quite skeptical. A student short film? What could it change? The production team was almost ready to sign with Saoirse Ronan, and the third round of auditions was just a formality.

"Then we'll see."

"Hmm... okay, we really value Anna. But you need to act quickly. We need to finalize the candidate before Christmas."

"Thank you, Trevor, thank you very much!"

When the call ended, Juen sighed. She naturally understood Ronan's competitiveness, but at least Anna still had a slim chance.

It depended on her own performance, and more on that peculiar Asian teenager. Juen vaguely saw Ye Wei's confident smile in her mind. Could a 15-year-old high school student really produce something good? And before Christmas? Could "Dance of the Angels" change this outcome?

She had many questions in her heart, but none had answers.

Juen flipped through her phone's contact list and called Janet. She knew that Anna and the others were attending a pre-production dinner for the short film tonight, but this situation couldn't be kept from them.

...

Meanwhile, countless phone calls were being made around the world.

"Robert, I just called Ye Wei, and he still refused us."

"Damn it! Gale, did you tell him our buyback price is $800,000?! He wouldn't even take $800,000, what is that kid up to!"

"I already told him. His response was, 'Not even $1,000,000, but $5,000,000 is negotiable, and $10,000,000, you can take it.' He's mocking us. He also said, 'If "Little Miss Sunshine" was produced by Focus Features, Willis would change his name to S (without Will).'"

"Good-One! Ha ha, who would have thought Willis would be interested. Our luck is just so bad!"

"Yeah, who would have known. Now we're the company's sinners."

"You know that. If we can't get "Little Miss Sunshine" back, our producing careers are over. But think about it, if we get the project back and work with Willis, what could be the result? Bruce Willis!"

"I know, I know... we'll all rise..."

"Gale, take action. We need to teach that kid a lesson, or he'll think he really controls everything."

"I'm happy to. How dare he play with professional filmmakers, pretending to be rich and mature, ha ha..."

"Is he still messing around with some short film?"

"Yes, he seems to have even invited USC students to help. It's hard for us to interfere, right?"

"Even if we do nothing, what can he produce? This isn't urgent, just follow the plan."

...

"What!? Oh, okay, I know..."

In Santa Monica, the Good Taste Nation restaurant was still bustling with people laughing and enjoying their meals. Toto and Bella were lying down, tired, with their tongues out, panting.

Janet received a call from Ms. Juen and learned the bad news. Her smile quickly faded, and her brows furrowed deeply, "Okay, okay..."

David looked puzzled, and Ye Haogen and Gu Qiao were also worried. What bad news had happened?

After hanging up, Janet looked at everyone and sighed, "Anna didn't make it to the third round of auditions for 'All Because of Daisy.'" A low murmur of surprise spread around.

David's mood sank. His daughter's birthday wish was still fresh in his ears... He looked at Anna, who was playing happily in the distance, her smile bright. If she knew the result, she would be very sad...

"Juen said Anna still has a chance. Once 'Dance of the Angels' is finished, the casting team is willing to see the results."

Janet's face was full of worry, knowing that the result wouldn't change. What could you expect from a ninth-grader, to produce a short film that would shock Wayne Wang and change their minds? Ye Wei had already done enough. It was unfair to place these unrealistic expectations and demands on him.

"Let's ask Wei if we should tell Anna the result first."

Soon, when Ye Wei was called over and learned the situation, he was suddenly furious: "What a joke, Anna is so perfect for Opal! Is Wang Ying crazy? Have they even read the original novel!?"

He was full of anger, wanting to run to Wang Ying and tell him how excellent Anna was, but...

At that moment, Ye Haogen said, "Son, Juen said Anna was affected by the short film..."

Anna's parents smiled kindly at Ye Wei, trying to reassure him. Janet said, "We absolutely don't blame you. Anna really likes 'Dance of the Angels,' and so do we. Actually, even if she made it to the third round, she wouldn't have much of a chance. Her opponents are too strong." David nodded.

"No, she's not." Ye Wei looked at Anna, who seemed to have sensed something and made a cute face at him, then laughed. He smiled. This short film had taken on more meaning. For him, for Anna, they had to seize this opportunity to create a miracle...

He closed his eyes and spoke firmly, "Anna's performance was over the top? Then Wang Ying and the others will be in for a big surprise. They will see an Oscar-level Anna!"

"Wei, do your best." Everyone encouraged him, but they didn't really have much hope.

Ye Wei added, "Don't tell Anna about this. I'll tell her when the time is right." Everyone nodded in agreement, and he excused himself to go find Lily. He suddenly thought of something else to ask her.

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