Chapter 95: Good News

"Smith, you're facing an alien who has invaded Earth and just killed your comrade-in-arms."

Sitting behind the monitor after Will Smith finished his scene, Duke frowned slightly. The future superstar's acting was genuinely terrible. "You've captured the alien. Please show the appropriate emotion."

If he couldn't even handle basic comedy, they would have to find someone else.

Fortunately, black actors naturally didn't lack a sense of humor, or perhaps it was his instinct as a hip-hop singer. Will Smith gathered himself for a moment, kicked the empty air in front of him a few times, and let out a bizarre yell. "You want to invade Earth? You think you're invincible, huh?"

"Come on! Come on!"

Just like before, his expressions were incredibly exaggerated and his performance clearly over the top, but it was perfect for a scene like this.

When Will Smith finished, Duke nodded to the casting director, Thomson. Thomson promised to notify the actor as soon as possible, bringing his audition to a close.

Stepping out of the audition room, Will Smith felt entirely unsure of himself. Although he wanted to transition into film, he knew his acting was honestly lacking. But he hadn't given up. He huddled with his agent to discuss their strategy. This movie was incredibly important to him. It was the latest major production from the famous commercial director Duke Rosenberg, and many media outlets already considered it a highly anticipated blockbuster for next year's Summer Season. If he could kick off his film career with a massive hit, his future path would undoubtedly be much smoother.

That destruction-crazed director's films had already propelled Keanu Reeves, Uma Thurman, and Christopher Lee to stardom. Will Smith knew very well that countless actors and actresses, desperate for a big break, were dying to hitch a ride on Duke's coattails.

Will Smith wasn't the only one harboring these thoughts. As Nicole Kidman and her assistant walked into Independence Day Studio at Warner Studios, she was pondering the exact same question: how could she land this role and finally get a genuinely massive hit of her own?

Just as her agent had pointed out, she had successfully broken into Hollywood by relying on her status as Mrs. Cruise, but she didn't have a single notable work to her name. Furthermore, the moniker of Mrs. Cruise was gradually making her resentful and disgusted. Establishing a firm foothold in Hollywood on her own merits was what she desperately wanted to achieve.

Nicole Kidman had even gotten into a huge fight with her husband over this audition. After she was politely turned down by Fox, Tom Cruise had demanded she drop out of the running. As a result, the two of them—who had already been locked in a cold war—saw their relationship deteriorate even further.

Thinking about the faith she had been forced to adopt, and her arrogant husband's attempts to confine her, Nicole Kidman suddenly—and inexplicably—entertained the thought of dumping Tom Cruise once she achieved independence in Hollywood.

Would she get the role? Nicole Kidman's expression was gloomy. According to Pat Kingsley's analysis, her biggest competitor was her own friend. She knew that Naomi Watts had a complicated relationship with the director, Duke Rosenberg, but she refused to surrender voluntarily. Opportunities always had to be fought for.

She had already given up an opportunity once. Back in the late eighties, the producer of Ghost had invited her and Demi Moore to a party at his house. She had declined, while Demi Moore went. The outcome for the female lead role was painfully obvious: Demi Moore had instantly become one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood today.

Opportunities were far more important than acting skills and looks. She understood that truth to her core. Anyone who stood in the way of her opportunities was an enemy!

"This way, please, Miss Kidman."

Led by a staff member, Nicole Kidman walked into a waiting room to bide her time until her audition.

Upon entering the spacious room, her eyes quickly swept over everyone present. The three women waiting there all shared similar traits with her: blonde or brunette, mature, and beautiful.

Then, Nicole Kidman's gaze landed on a petite figure. If this had been the past, the other woman definitely would have walked up to warmly greet her, and she would have returned a bright smile. After all, they had been classmates in acting school. They had shared some history in their youth and had even looked out for each other in Hollywood.

But right now, she was in no mood to say hello, and the other woman clearly had no intention of exchanging pleasantries either. They were direct competitors!

Every single opportunity in Hollywood was crucial, and anyone blocking the path had to be kicked aside. Nicole Kidman firmly believed this, and Naomi Watts believed it just as strongly. From the moment word got out that Nicole Kidman had her eye on the White House Spokesperson role, the two women—who had previously kept in close contact—had tacitly stopped calling each other, gradually cutting off all ties.

Naomi Watts had even received messages from other actors in the Australian Gang advising her to voluntarily give up the role, but she had outright rejected the notion.

It wasn't clear exactly where those messages had originated, but Naomi had no intention of giving up. Besides, why should she be the one to back down? She had braved the risk of facial disfigurement in a fire just to slowly build a relationship with a rising director, finally securing this long-awaited opportunity. And what about Nicole Kidman?

She was Mrs. Cruise. She had already established herself in Hollywood and had a CAA agent looking out for her. She had far more opportunities. Why couldn't she be the one to bow out?

Naomi Watts turned her head and looked over to where Nicole Kidman was sitting. At that exact moment, Nicole Kidman looked back. Their eyes met across the room, both faces completely devoid of expression. After breaking eye contact, neither spared the other a second glance.

Concession was impossible. And it wasn't just the two of them; the other two actresses sitting in the room wouldn't yield either. Taking even one step back could mean falling into the abyss, trampled underfoot by countless scrambling competitors.

With pre-production work so hectic, Duke couldn't afford to spend too much time on casting. He was no longer the rookie he used to be. Backed by the capital of two massive blockbuster hits, the rest of the crew would proactively accommodate him even if he didn't explicitly demand it. Not only Will Smith's audition, but the auditions for all four actresses had been compressed into a single day.

"What are your thoughts?"

It was already quite late by the time the auditions concluded. Duke pinched the bridge of his nose and asked the others, "We need to finalize the cast as soon as possible. Negotiations and actor preparations will all take time."

"I think Nicole Kidman is a better fit."

As Fox's representative, Jon Landau was the first to speak up. "This role doesn't require incredible acting chops, and her level is more than sufficient. Plus, she's fairly well-known, and her asking price isn't too high."

"I support Naomi Watts."

The first line producer, Charles Roven, and the second line producer, Robin Grande, both took Duke's side.

The situation was quite clear, but Duke still chimed in. "Nicole Kidman has never proven her box office draw. She certainly has fame, but most of it relies on her identity as Mrs. Cruise. Furthermore, according to survey feedback from several research agencies regarding the roles she's played since coming to Hollywood, North American audiences don't particularly like her."

After speaking, Duke had the casting director hand a survey report to Jon Landau. Landau flipped through it and nodded. "I agree to drop Nicole Kidman."

As a renowned producer, Jon Landau's professionalism was beyond question. Since Duke had provided detailed data, Landau wouldn't insist on casting an actress with a relatively high salary and mediocre box office appeal, even when considering Fox's return on investment.

"Let's call it a day here."

Following Charles Roven's words, a nearby camera assistant came over to pack up the audition tapes. Duke walked out of the room with the group and said to the producer beside him, "Robin, although we unanimously approved Will Smith, his performance is still unconvincing. Compress his salary as much as possible. If you can, keep it under 200,000 dollars."

"I understand," Robin Grande nodded.

They needed to minimize cast expenses as much as possible, relying on newcomers and veteran actors with low quotes to anchor the film, in order to funnel a larger budget into the special effects. In truth, Duke had executed this exact strategy for his first two films. The selling point of these movies had never been the stars anyway.

Returning to his office, Duke did some light tidying up and prepared to head home. Sofia pushed the door open and handed him his mobile phone.

"Did someone call me?" Duke asked.

"Nicole Kidman's agent, Pat Kingsley, called. She wants to set up a meeting with you."

Hearing Sofia's words, Duke shook his head. "It's probably about Nicole Kidman's audition. Just tell her I have to go out for location scouting and turn her down for me."

"An actress named Charlize Theron invited you to her birthday party tonight." Sofia understood Duke well. "I declined it, because Aunt Leah also called and told you to come back to Santa Monica for dinner."

"It's about that time. Let's get off work."

Hearing that it was his mother who called, Duke didn't delay any further. He picked up his bag. "Want to come along? My mom would definitely be happy to have you over."

"Sorry, I already made plans to go shopping with a friend."

As they walked out of the office, Sofia reminded him, "I almost forgot. Aunt Leah told you to swing by the Andrew Acting School and pick up Scarlett Johansson so you can head back to Santa Monica together."

"Didn't she come by at noon to ask about the audition time?" Duke muttered.

"I heard Melanie Sloan mention she had an acting class this afternoon."

Chatting as they walked, the two left the studio, took an electric cart out of Warner Studios, and switched to their respective cars in the parking lot before driving off in different directions.

Following the information Sofia provided, Duke quickly found the Andrew Acting School. In the Los Angeles area, specialized schools like this were a dime a dozen. This one seemed decently sized; not only did it boast a large courtyard, but the three-story building serving as the teaching area was also quite spacious.

Because it was getting late, the school appeared somewhat deserted. Duke parked his car, spoke briefly with the security guard on duty, and was led to a room where he found the little girl sitting idly in a chair, bored out of her mind and playing with her ponytail.

"Hey, Scar," Duke walked over and greeted her.

"Let's go, Duke!"

The little girl didn't act shy in the slightest. She grabbed her backpack, took hold of his sleeve with her free hand, and pulled him out of the classroom.