“Clear your schedule and prepare well for the role of Zhao Zijin,” Mr. Kentala said.
Did she just finish her audition? Elisa was confident in portraying Zhao Zijin well, but she never expected Mr. Kentala to cast her directly.
The entertainment industry is all about capitalism; it doesn’t care if you have good acting skills, it only cares if you can make money.
Elisa’s reputation is currently very poor, and her public image is bad. If she were a producer, she probably wouldn’t accept such a notorious actress to play the role of Bai Yueguang in the entire drama.
The role of Zhao Zijin is too captivating, the character is better developed than the female lead, Birdie. It’s likely that the audience will find it hard to accept Elisa playing this role.
The producer was immersed in Elisa’s recent performance. Watching Elisa sit in the chair, he almost felt weak at the knees, as if he wanted to kneel down and call her “Queen Mother.”
When Asher mentioned casting Elisa for the second female lead, he instantly snapped out of it; he was startled awake.
If it weren’t for the inappropriateness of the situation, the producer would have almost strangled Asher. He lowered his voice and reminded, “Mr. Kentala, what are you thinking? Who is she? She’s Elisa.”
“I know she’s Elisa.”
“She has a lot of negative history.”
Asher calmly replied, “But she’s a good actress.”
“She has some terrifying antis (anti-fans).”
“But she’s a good actress.”
“She doesn’t have any fans, none at all.”
“But she’s a good actress.”
“She even slept with a director for a role. Don’t you detest these kinds of actresses who use indecent means to get roles?”
Asher paused, his hand on his chin. Elisa slept with a director? Since when did this happen?
He counter-questioned, “Do you think her acting requires her to sleep around for roles?”
“It’s not about whether I believe it, it’s about whether the audience believes it,” the producer tried to argue. “Mr. Kentala, how about giving her the role of the third female lead? She played Clio very well.”
“No, she is my Zhao Zijin.”
“I think Clio is better. Mr. Kentala, this isn’t just your work. With so many investors watching, are you really going to spoil the whole plan for the sake of one bad egg?”
The “bad egg” comment came up again, and Asher’s face showed impatience.
Unable to contain himself, he asked loudly, “Let me ask you, why does the character of Clio, the third female lead, turn negative later? Why does she become jealous of Birdie from the beginning?”
Clio’s character had some twisted traits from the early stages of the script; initially, she was jealous of Birdie’s good looks, which led her to repeatedly try to ruin Birdie’s reputation.
The producer suddenly realized the crux of the matter, his gaze shifting from Lorelei and eventually settling on Elisa’s face.
Seeing his awkward expression, Asher snorted, speaking sharply, “Is it because she’s jealous that Birdie is less attractive than her?”
Upon hearing their conversation, Lorelei’s face turned pale. Asher’s final comment felt like a direct slap to her face, even though he didn’t name her directly, everyone present knew she played Birdie.
The producer remained silent, and the room fell quiet. Asher earnestly looked at Elisa, “You’ve got the role of the second female lead. Go home, rest, and wait for further notice.”
Elisa nodded and said, “Thank you,” then she placed the chair back in its place, took her bag, and left the audition room.
Lorelei felt discontent. After Elisa left, she immediately questioned Asher, “Mr. Kentala, why did you give the role of the second female lead to Elisa?”
Asher was somewhat surprised, lazily folding his arms and looking at her, “Wasn’t it you who introduced her? I thought you two were close. If she succeeded in the audition for the second female lead, shouldn’t you be happy?”
Lorelei found it hard to speak, feeling a lump in her throat, unable to express her anger. After all, Asher was not someone she could afford to offend.
She forced a smile and said, “I think the role of the third female lead has more scenes, and I also want to have more scenes with her.”
Asher was not naive. Having been a director for so many years, he had seen all sorts of tricks and deceptions. He instantly understood that Lorelei’s feelings towards Elisa were superficial, showing a kind facade while stabbing her in the back.
Hedidn’t care about the face of a female star; no matter how famous they were, they were nothing in his eyes.
“Don’t act alongside her. Time is precious on the set. How far are you willing to be pushed by her? Do you really believe the compliments you receive about your acting?” he bluntly advised.
Asher was always quick with his words, and he meant what he said. Lorelei’s agent, Thomas Armstrong, stood by, feeling anxious, and pulled Lorelei aside to apologize. “Mr. Kentala, please, we’ve signed the contract, and we will certainly perform well in this drama. I will rearrange the schedule for Yang Yue and focus on studying the script at home. I will definitely not be outdone by Elisa.”
The first part sounded somewhat pleasant, but Asher sneered at the latter part. He was tired and simply waved his hand to dismiss them.
Reluctantly, Lorelei was dragged away, and after returning to the studio, she vented her frustration and even slapped her assistant.
Thomas was accustomed to handling such situations and sent the assistant to the hospital with money, staying back to accompany Lorelei.
“What’s going on with Elisa? When did her acting become so good?”
“Who knows? If it weren’t for her face, I would have thought she’s a different person,” Thomas comforted her, patting her shoulder. “Don’t be upset; after all, you’re the female lead. Just go home, study the script thoroughly, and don’t let her outshine you.”
“Speaking of her face,” Lorelei’s eyes narrowed, exuding a chilling vibe. “Why didn’t she wear makeup today? Doesn’t she usually follow your arrangements?”
“I don’t know why she suddenly changed her mind,” Thomas frowned.
“This is your responsibility. You better handle her. I don’t want to see her on the set,” Lorelei expressed her desire to eliminate Elisa through Asher, but she didn’t expect to be outmaneuvered, leaving her unable to hold her head up in front of everyone.
“Don’t worry, I will deal with her for you,” Thomas assured her, but couldn’t help asking, “I’ve been wondering, Lorelei, why do you have such a strong hostility towards Elisa?”
If Elisa had shown her current prowess earlier, he wouldn’t have given up on her. After all, who wouldn’t want to earn an extra dollar? Unfortunately, he and Lorelei were on the same boat, and Elisa had become a useless pawn.
Considering Elisa’s tainted past, it wasn’t something that could be easily erased with just acting skills. Therefore, he had to firmly grasp onto Lorelei, the money-making star, and solve any trouble for her.
When Elisa’s name was mentioned, Lorelei’s expression turned sinister and twisted, a stark contrast to her usual graceful and generous demeanor.
“Because of her face, and her name-Elisa-it’s as if she was born to thwart me!”
Meanwhile, Elisa finished her audition and emerged from the room. Iris was waiting outside with a bottle of water and handed it to her. “Elisa, have some water. You’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you,” Elisa replied, taking a sip from the bottle. Her dry throat found relief after being moistened by the water.
Iris watched her drink and couldn’t help but ask, “How did the audition for the third female lead go?”
“It didn’t go well.”
“Oh…” Despite expecting this outcome, Iris still looked disappointed upon hearing the result. Elisa had finally received an audition script and had hoped for a breakthrough, only to be disappointed.
“Usually, audition results take about a week to come out, right? You really don’t have any chance at all?” she asked.
Elisa screwed the cap back on the bottle and looked at Iris, who seemed dejected. She smiled faintly, reached out, and lightly tapped Iris on the forehead. “I didn’t get the third female lead; I got the second one.”
“The second one is good too, as long as there’s a role… What! The second lead!”