Chapter 347: Chapter 347
Zoe Bowen greeted Director Nash as soon as she entered.
Director Nash knew Zoe Bowen from the previous film; her acting was good, but her resources were quite limited. In the previous film, she managed to turn her career around by playing the second female lead in Director Nash’s movie, and now she’s auditioning for the lead female role.
Embracing their existing relationship, Director Nash nodded at Zoe Bowen.
The three groups of actresses who auditioned before her didn’t know what they were performing, but finally, someone with decent acting skills arrived, sparing Director Nash some irritation.
However, to be honest, while Director Nash appreciated Zoe Bowen’s good acting skills, he felt she wasn’t quite suitable for the lead female role in the current production.
Concubine Jean entered the palace at fifteen, favored at sixteen. With her extraordinary talent, stunning beauty, and exceptional brilliance, she became unmatched in the harem within three years.
Zoe Bowen was older, and her appearance didn’t meet Director Nash’s expectations for Concubine Jean.
As for the other actress, due to Mason Hawthorne’s disdainful glance, Director Nash didn’t even take a proper look at Anna Thornton and simply raised his hand.
No time to dress the actors in ancient costumes!
No support from dark makeup!
There’s not even spare lines or characters!
To portray a darkened heroine returning to the palace for revenge!
According to the scene setup, the two meet in a corridor below the palace walls, both seated in palanquins.
But no one was carrying palanquins for them to sit in; it relied on the two actors walking from opposite sides of the room to meet in the middle, exchanging lines and eye contact as they passed by.
Zoe Bowen had experience from shooting palace intrigue dramas in her last film, so she set herself up with that regal and graceful gait unique to the court.
However, she didn’t expect Anna Thornton to also know the court step! Hadn’t she yet to star in a costume drama?
Though inexperienced, Anna Thornton prepared ahead for the audition. She had been learning dance since childhood, with good bodily balance, which made her not only learn quickly but also imbue every move with a special elegance. With a slight lift of her chin and a step, each motion seemed to drag along the feeling of a long robe trailing the ground.
Anna Thornton’s steps were even steadier than Zoe Bowen’s, each step seemingly treading on the struggles and sacrifices for her return to the palace.
The family’s deep-seated blood feud!
The wrong person once loved, and the betrayal of close friends and family!
The yearning for the deeply loved one!
This lover certainly wasn’t the ’big boar’s hoof’ of an Emperor! Her longing was for her general!
On the day the great general died, pierced by countless arrows, Jean Jones saw with her own eyes his body being brought back!
Blood was able to stain the armor red, as red as the auspicious clothes she wore today to return to the palace.
A muddle-headed sovereign in power, loyalists wronged, good generals tragically dead!
’Better I wrong the world than let the world wrong me,’ that ’big boar’s hoof’ of a man awaited her at the enthronement ceremony.
He thought he was awaiting a beauty to hypocritical prosperous world with him.
But little did he know, he was awaiting a hatred poised to topple his empire!
When they reached the center of the room, Anna Thornton had completely transformed into Concubine Jean.
Zoe Bowen intended to let her speak the lines first, so upon noticing Anna Thornton’s slower steps, she slowed her own pace by two beats.
Anna Thornton didn’t mind and spoke first: "I have returned, are you well, sister?"
Zoe Bowen raised her eyes and met Anna Thornton’s gaze, momentarily stunned.
There was no excessive technique in the phrasing itself, yet, in that instant, Zoe Bowen seemed to see many things in Anna Thornton’s eyes.
Was it mockery? Hatred?
No, these were merely on the surface.
The deeper meaning was too complex, as if she wasn’t the only one returning. Anna Thornton’s naturally light eyes held a dreamlike beauty, but at this moment, they were profound, burdened as if by countless weights.
Zoe Bowen didn’t understand but just felt suffocated under such a gaze when meeting Anna Thornton’s eyes.
In that instant, she truly felt like Concubine Elara, Concubine Jean’s words stuck in her throat.
Director Nash noticed this anomaly and craned his neck forward.
Zoe Bowen, having acted for so many years and received awards for her recognized acting skills, always prided herself on her acting ability. There was no reason for her to be overshadowed by Anna Thornton in a scene, yet she found herself pressed down.
She slightly shifted her gaze, adjusted her mindset in the shortest time, and finally spoke her lines: "I have returned, sister. How have you been?"
However, even though her emphasis was precise, and her aura perfectly disguised. From the details captured by the camera from two angles just now, Zoe Bowen seemed to flinch slightly when making eye contact with Anna Thornton.
Concubine Jean returns, her aura fully unleashed, confronting Concubine Elara, who is now incompatible with her former sister. Concubine Elara is the first person she intends to handle upon her return, so how could she possibly flinch?
"Director, I wasn’t in the right state just now, got a bit distracted, can I try again?" Zoe Bowen asked.
The Director was also eager to see it again!
Director Nash initially had not focused on Anna Thornton, only to realize that Zoe Bowen’s aura had unexpectedly been overshadowed by Anna Thornton’s.
This time, without any bias, Sean Nash carefully watched their performance, leaning towards examining Anna Thornton’s acting.
Zoe Bowen had already regained her state, learning from her previous loss, she cast aside distractions and did not focus on Anna Thornton first, starting with a full momentum.
However, Anna Thornton remained very steady, her emotions and aura gradually intensified with every step she took, just like her journey along the palace walls, laden with the hardships, torments, and convictions on her path back to the palace.
If this segment were truly filmed, it would include flashback montages.
Because Concubine Jean’s return to the palace is not just about her personal loves and hates, but to seek justice for the soldiers who died in resentment at the borders, for her general.
This is from other parts of the story; the script has not yet been released. Anna Thornton clearly made great efforts in privately studying the original novel.
She understood it profoundly, elevating the character of Concubine Jean to a new height immediately.
Although Zoe Bowen managed to regain her state this time, her understanding was not as deep as Anna Thornton’s, still lingering on the emotional entanglements of male-female relationships.
This was something she couldn’t figure out!
Why, when delivering the same line, did Zoe Bowen feel she was once again overshadowed by Anna Thornton?
"Director, sorry, my throat’s a bit hoarse."
Zoe Bowen had worked with Director Nash on a previous film and could tell from his expression that he was not very satisfied with her performance this time.
So, she preemptively found an excuse before the director could speak.
After all, in terms of acting experience, she was more of a veteran compared to Anna Thornton, yet during auditions, she let a newcomer overshadow her twice, how could she bear it?
Fortunately, Director Nash considered their acquaintance and did not make comparisons or criticisms about their performances, nor did he scold anyone.
"You both, don’t leave yet, wait outside for a bit. There might be one last scene to audition for!" Sean Nash didn’t fully express his thoughts, but he had made up his mind internally.
He hadn’t seriously considered Anna Thornton before, but now his gaze towards her was filled with fervor. The kind of fervor untainted by other impurities, purely a satisfaction from finding resonance and a kindred spirit in art.
The script for "Step by Step" actually came out long ago, even before Director Nash’s last hit series. The reason it hasn’t been filmed until now is that they couldn’t find suitable actors.
In essence, Director Nash aimed to film not just the love struggles among the women of the harem, but hoped to expand the scope, requiring an actress who is both beautiful and full of vigor.
Among the actresses who auditioned previously, very few could exhibit both beauty and vigor, and still maintain a strong presence. Because most entertainers are used to being pretty vases, haven’t experienced much turmoil, and their eyes lack stories.
But Anna Thornton is an outlier; she is strikingly beautiful to the point where one might assume she’s empty-minded, but unexpectedly, a single audition revealed her inner potential; not only does she possess tremendous presence, but also a strong ability to empathize with her character.
For Director Nash, who regards his art career as his lifelong faith, such an actress is a treasure.
Zoe Bowen naturally also noticed the fervent gaze from Director Nash towards Anna Thornton, her expression turned sullen.
"Anna, I think we have a seventy percent chance of winning," Mary, who had been watching from the door earlier, felt relieved as Anna’s performance was so excellent. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel-fire.ɴet
Mary knew Anna’s acting skills were good, but didn’t dare be overly confident.
It was also because Anna hadn’t collaborated on many projects before, making others overlook her as a competitor who grows stronger against stronger opponents.
Even if other artists were more famous, or had a higher status, initially seeming quite imposing,
But in terms of performance, none matched Anna Thornton, even the most seasoned Zoe Bowen couldn’t outshine her.
"Be more confident, a hundred percent!" Anna Thornton replied.
As Mary worked as Anna Thornton’s manager, she always felt like she was being propelled by a powerhouse.
In terms of skill, Anna was consistently reliable, never needing Mary to worry.
Aside from Mary’s unnecessary anxieties, she felt her role was just to carry Anna Thornton’s bag.
She snatched up the bag, holding it while also praising: "Big shot, I love your confidence!"
Anna Thornton and Mary were discussing where to have dinner to celebrate, when suddenly someone called out to them.
She turned around, seeing Mason Hawthorne fiddling with the keys of a Maybach, walking towards her.