Soon, Director Colby reached out to Sarah about the training for her role. Her character had a lot of action scenes that required guidance from a stunt coordinator.
In Director Colby’s productions, even the lead actors rarely used stunt doubles, let alone someone like Sarah, who was still an unknown supporting actress.
In The Mysterious Family, there wasn’t a female lead; only the male lead, Frank, had the top billing. Sarah had the most screen time among the supporting characters.
While Sarah was busy with her training and filming, Elisa had already become a rising star.
During one of her breaks, Sarah scrolled through the news on her phone and couldn’t help but think, “Wow, she really is the main character, huh? Landing the male lead and skyrocketing in her career.”
Elisa had only just entered the industry, and film directors didn’t take her seriously at first. She had to stick to TV drama productions. In a short time, she acted in two dramas, both as a well-loved supporting character.
Though Elisa wasn’t a stunning beauty, her pure look and solid acting skills fit perfectly in idol dramas, often outshining even the leads.
After Ronald distanced himself from his parents and started investing in the entertainment industry, things began looking up for him. On the days Elisa’s dramas aired, he bought a trending topic nearly every day. Now, Elisa had gained a sizable fanbase, secured a few endorsements, and had multiple lead roles lined up in future projects.
As Sarah sat scrolling through the news, Frank plopped down next to her and twisted open a bottle of water.
Frank’s assistant quickly rushed over, “It’s freezing out here. You really shouldn’t drink cold water. You’ll end up with an upset stomach.”
Frank grumbled, “This godforsaken place.”
They had been filming on location, and the place was in the middle of nowhere. They couldn’t even order takeout, so both the food and accommodations were miserable.
Since Frank and Sarah shared many scenes, they’d gotten along pretty well.
Frank glanced at Sarah’s phone and said, “Oh, that girl from the audition is famous now?”
Sarah nodded.
Over the years, plenty of young stars had risen to fame quickly, but Frank didn’t think much of them.
“Jealous?” Frank scoffed. “That kind of commercial value burns out fast. With too much plastic surgery, she can’t land serious roles and is stuck in kiddie shows. One scandal and the fans disappear.”
As a veteran in the industry, Frank could predict a newcomer’s trajectory with alarming accuracy.
It was freezing outside, and Frank had just been stuck getting NG’d by the director for two hours. Now that he was back in the lounge and sipping some hot water, his expression finally began to soften.
When an actor at Frank’s level joined a project, he definitely had an assistant with him. The assistant was always running around, grabbing water and snacks. But when the camera turned to Sarah’s scene, she was already gone.
Frank’s assistant whispered, “It’s strange. Director Colby cast this unknown actress as Mollie, and everyone thought she must have some connections. But she doesn’t even have an assistant. I saw online people were accusing her of being a rich bully, but she seems like a really sweet girl.”
“A newbie like her, where’s she supposed to get an entourage of assistants?” Frank shook his head. “She doesn’t have any connections, and she’s not arrogant. She worked on her last movie with Crystal, and it was Crystal who recommended her. I was there when she auditioned, and Director Colby made the decision right on the spot.”
Frank’s assistant couldn’t help but sigh, “Wow, her first film and she’s already acting alongside an award-winning actress. That’s a better start than 99% of people in this industry.”
Frank chuckled, “If she could handle Crystal and Director Beck, both known for being picky and temperamental, this girl’s got a bright future ahead.”
The wind these past few days was brutal, sharp like knives cutting across their faces, and full of sand. Pretty much everyone in the crew was struggling.
Director Colby insisted on shooting on location, and in the last few weeks, Sarah had traveled to multiple spots with the crew.
After a few takes, the sky started to darken. Sarah finally set down the heavy weapon she was holding and rubbed her frozen hands together.
The producer of the film hadn’t been around much, but he was an old friend of Director Colby and had left most of the casting and filming decisions up to him.
Today, though, both the producer and one of the film’s investors showed up to talk to Director Colby.
Sarah was still in her black costume, her waist cinched tightly. She hadn’t used a wig, so her long hair flowed down her back, and the amethyst pendant on her forehead sparkled in the dim light.
Sarah’s skin was naturally very fair and smooth, so to better match her character’s aura, they had applied a darker shade of makeup to her face.
The investor’s eyes immediately widened. “Who’s that actress? I’ve never seen her before.”
Director Colby casually replied, “She’s a newcomer. I cast her myself.”
“Oh, a newbie, huh? Does she have some sort of backing?”
The investor was trying hard to dig for information.
The producer couldn’t help but laugh.
They’d already looked into Sarah’s background and knew who her parents were. The Brown family had been wealthy, but their fortune had been dwindling in recent years.
Plus, Sarah had a half-sister, and rumor had it she wasn’t treated well at home. Her half-sister was the real pampered princess of the Brown family.
As for Sarah-if her family truly spoiled her, would she be out here acting and enduring all this hardship?
The role Sarah was playing was challenging, and many famous actresses had turned it down because of how difficult the conditions were.
The producer smiled, “Alright then, let’s have them all join us for dinner tonight.”
“Sounds good,” the investor said with a grin. “I’d love to chat with these actors. If their movie flops, I’ll have to hold them accountable.”
A little while later, Sarah got the news.
She found it a bit odd and asked around, only to discover that all the actors with significant roles were expected to go.
In their group, there weren’t many actresses, so Camille and Sarah often hung out together.
Camille clicked her tongue and said, “Just wait and see. Tonight, we’ll be the ones serving drinks and toasting everyone. We might even get harassed a bit.”
There was no way to refuse. Every industry had its networking, and if you didn’t give a face to the bosses, it’d be hard to survive later.
Sarah handed Camille a spray bottle.
Camille looked curious. “What’s this? A new makeup mist?”
Sarah replied, “Pepper spray.”
They were there to work. If someone wanted to act like a sleazy boss instead of a proper businessman, well, they couldn’t just sit back and take it, could they?