Chapter 892: An Actress with Amidala's Temperament

In the lounge at Warner Studios, several actresses sat waiting quietly. They exchanged neither words nor eye contact, sitting as far apart from one another as the room allowed, as if the rest were man-eating monsters. Most of them didn't have assistants by their sides; instead, they were accompanied by agents in sharp suits.

These women knew exactly what was at stake. Success meant a bright future was just around the corner, and massive fame was inevitable.

Once, an unknown girl burdened with the stigma of a scandalous past had won the female lead in this franchise, becoming globally famous. Now, she was one of the leading icons among Hollywood actresses.

Who wouldn't want to be as dazzling as Natalie Portman had been?

They had entered Hollywood for fame or wealth, not to remain nameless supporting characters.

In a relatively conspicuous spot in the lounge sat a tall, slender blonde. Unlike the cautious silence of the others, she had been whispering with her agent from the moment she sat down, smiling from time to time as if the female lead were already in the bag.

"Kirk, I want this lead role."

The blonde girl curled her lips into a sweet smile. "Not only is this Star Wars, but the director is Duke Rosenberg. It's the perfect opportunity to become famous!"

The agent, Kirk, nodded gently. This really was the best opportunity. As long as she landed the female lead, his wealthy heiress client would absolutely become an overnight sensation, and he would pocket a massive commission.

The girl looked at her agent and asked, "I told you to ask Duke Rosenberg out. Have you contacted him?"

Although she came from a billionaire family in New York, she had been involved in the entertainment industry since she was young. She knew full well that certain transactions were a reality. She wasn't exactly conservative herself; if she could sleep with Duke Rosenberg, her chances of winning the role would undoubtedly increase.

Besides, just thinking about sleeping with the best and most talented director in the world made her excited. It would also be something to brag about in her social circle later.

However, Kirk grimaced in embarrassment. "I did pass a message to Duke Rosenberg through my ICM connections, but he turned it down."

"What? He turned it down?" the blonde girl pressed. "Didn't you give him my photo?"

"I did." The agent shook his head. "But he still refused."

The blonde girl fell silent. Although she was brimming with confidence, she wasn't an idiot. Duke Rosenberg was the absolute top director in Hollywood; who knew how many women wanted to climb into his bed?

True, she was young, beautiful, and full of vitality, but how many girls like that were there in all of Hollywood?

Moreover, rumors had long been circulating in the industry that the young Duke Rosenberg and the middle-aged Duke Rosenberg were like two entirely different people in this regard.

"Nicola, we still have a lot of hope."

Seeing his client a bit dejected, the agent hurriedly said, "Mr. Peltz has already spoken with Duke Rosenberg on the phone through the Lauder Family's connections."

"Really?" The blonde girl's voice rose a little. She quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Dad contacted Duke Rosenberg?"

"Yes." The agent nodded solemnly. "Duke Rosenberg and Aerin Lauder are very good friends. You probably know that already. Mr. Peltz got in touch with Duke Rosenberg through Miss Aerin Lauder's cousin."

The girl pressed, "What did he say?"

The agent patted her arm gently. "As long as you are a good fit..."

The blonde girl immediately broke into a brilliant smile, clearly having misunderstood Duke's meaning.

The door to the lounge was suddenly pushed open. A production assistant walked in, glanced at the actresses, and said expressionlessly, "Miss Nicola Peltz, it's time for your audition."

This was only the preliminary audition and wouldn't take long. Hearing the assistant's words, the blonde girl quickly stood up, gave her agent a reassuring look, and followed behind the assistant toward the audition room.

In the audition room, Duke, who rarely participated in preliminary auditions, had joined this one. However, while the previous candidates had all been the right age, those with the right looks lacked the acting skills, and those with good acting skills fell slightly short in terms of looks. None of them had the kind of presence a female Jedi Knight should possess.

When the blonde girl, Nicola Peltz, entered the audition room and began a basic performance as requested, Duke's eyes lit up.

Tina Fey and Anna Printz, who were familiar with him, both glanced over at the same time. The girl in front of the camera was very beautiful, and her acting was decent, but she carried the typical aura of a naive sweetheart. There was no way she met the requirements for a female Jedi Knight, right?

Duke would have to be crazy to cast a blonde naive sweetheart as a Jedi Knight.

He had taken notice of this girl because certain memories had surfaced in his mind; it had essentially nothing to do with the casting for Star Wars 7.

"My name is Nicola Peltz, from Westchester County, New York. When I was eleven, I acted in the movie Deck the Halls, which was my silver screen debut."

Nicola Peltz hadn't expected Duke to appear at a preliminary audition either, but she tried her best to maintain her composure, confidently delivering her self-introduction. "Later, I also acted in The Last Airbender directed by M. Night Shyamalan..."

Seeing Duke nodding from behind the monitor, she grew increasingly confident.

After listening to Nicola Peltz's self-introduction, Duke gestured to his side, and Tina Fey said, "Miss Peltz, you may leave. We will notify your agent of the audition results as soon as possible."

"Thank you!" Nicola Peltz politely exited the audition room.

Duke pulled out her file and handed it directly to Tina Fey. Tina Fey asked curiously, "Do you actually think she's suitable?"

Duke shook his head. "Forward this file to Michael Bay."

Explosion Bay was currently preparing for Transformers 4. The actors from the original trilogy would essentially all be replaced, and the female lead Michael Bay was looking for was exactly that kind of typical blonde naive sweetheart.

Returning to the door of the lounge, Nicola Peltz waved to her agent, who hurriedly walked out. A girl with long dark brown hair sitting near the door peeked outside curiously. Perhaps because Nicola Peltz made little effort to conceal it, she clearly caught the conversation between the two.

"How was the audition?"

"Duke Rosenberg was there, and he was very satisfied with me."

This brunette was quite smart and immediately realized this was more than a simple preliminary audition. With Duke Rosenberg present, first impressions would be incredibly important. Even though that blonde claimed her audition had gone perfectly, she wouldn't give up. Having crossed the Atlantic Ocean and the North American Continent from London to Los Angeles, Daisy Ridley had not come here just to serve as someone else's foil.

A while ago, while shopping with three friends, someone had casually mentioned that Duke Rosenberg was casting the female lead for Star Wars 7. Daisy Ridley had practically exploded with excitement on the spot, immediately calling her agent to get in on the audition.

She didn't know why, but she just had this strange feeling—she had to go!

Because of her young age, Daisy Ridley wasn't even a die-hard Star Wars fan; she mostly just felt the franchise's influence through magazines and everyday life. But she clearly knew what a Duke Rosenberg movie could do for her career, and that day, a strange feeling had surged from the bottom of her heart: 'I have to go.'

Thus, for her first audition today, feeling more nervous than she ever had, Daisy Ridley arrived an hour early.

Sitting quietly in the lounge, Daisy Ridley waited entirely alone; even her agent hadn't shown up.

The preliminary auditions moved very quickly. One by one, actresses entered the audition room and came out in succession. Sitting behind the monitor, Duke was far from satisfied. It was true that no one in Hollywood was indispensable, but casting the lead for a massive production was not an easy job. Even for the simplest "eye candy" roles, you couldn't just pull in a sufficiently pretty actress at random and expect her to be up to the task.

Duke had once described the difficulty of casting the female lead for Star Wars 7 to Scarlett Johansson like this: she needed both good acting skills and a strong ability to handle pressure. It felt like picking an athlete who could compete in every single Olympic event.

The assistant soon brought in the final actress auditioning today. Duke took a look. Compared to Nicola Peltz, this British actress named Daisy Ridley couldn't be considered overly beautiful. But unlike Nicola Peltz's naive sweetheart aura, Daisy Ridley stood in front of the camera with a heroic intensity rare among young women. In particular, her strong, slightly rugged facial features and firm gaze bore a certain resemblance to Padme Amidala's presence.

Although he was currently on bad terms with Natalie Portman, his fondness for Padme Amidala wouldn't change because of it. Duke really liked Daisy Ridley's presence, inwardly awarding the young British actress ten extra points. This aura was undoubtedly highly suitable for a female Jedi Knight.

However, to Duke's disappointment, Daisy Ridley was clearly a bit nervous. Her audition performance wasn't good; a simple acting scene, in particular, could only barely be considered passing.

Daisy Ridley was also a bit disappointed in herself, knowing she had messed up. After going to the adjacent dressing room to change out of her costume, she appeared slightly stiff upon returning to the audition room. Fortunately, she was the type of person who only grew braver with every setback. She knew that to make up for her recent mistake, she couldn't afford the slightest slip in the rest of her performance.

She gently adjusted the rhythm of her breathing, preparing to face the upcoming test in her best state.