Keep an Eye on Her

"Casting is a crucial part of preparing a film. Finding an actor with the right talent, an affordable fee, and a matching schedule isn't easy, especially for an independent art-house film like ours.

"There aren't many young actors in Hollywood with real talent, and their fees are often frighteningly high." As they walked, Sophia patiently explained these Hollywood basics to her younger sister.

"So what's our main task today?" Irene asked curiously, linking arms with her sister.

This was, in fact, her first time formally observing a film audition.

She knew almost nothing about the pre-production process. Her previous experience shooting music videos offered very little help when it came to making a real movie.

"Deciding on the film's main cast." As Sophia spoke, she pushed open the audition room door and nodded to the production manager and assistant director.

They had already heard from Sophia that the youngest Coppola daughter would be coming to learn today, so Irene's arrival came as no surprise.

"Hi, Aunt Julie! It's been so long. You're still as beautiful as ever!" The moment Irene saw Julie Costello Walzer, she went over and gave her a big hug.

One of the Coppola Family's most important collaborators, Julie was an elder who had watched Irene grow up. The last time, she'd been overseas on vacation with her family and hadn't made it back in time to attend Irene's graduation.

This time, Francis had clearly asked her to come and support Sophia.

With Julie there, the film's day-to-day management and execution were in good hands, leaving the director free to focus on the creative work.

"Little Irene, I heard you were directing music videos recently. That's impressive! Looks like the Coppola family's going to have another award-winning director." To Julie, Irene and Sophia were both like her own children.

"How could I compare to my sister or Dad?" Irene replied modestly, especially with other people around.

Once Irene had finished exchanging greetings with Julie, Sophia introduced two more people. "The gentleman on the left is our first assistant director, Dan Haas. He's also a co-producer." Irene stepped forward to shake his hand.

"And the gentleman on the right is James Woods. He plays Mr. Lisbon in the film and is also involved in the project as an executive producer." Irene shook his hand as well.

The other people in charge of the project were introduced to Irene one by one. She hadn't expected so many people to be involved in something as simple as an audition. The film business really wasn't easy.

Overall, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. After all, Francis Coppola had helped bring everyone together, so they were all willing to show him some respect and keep their behavior in check.

Once everyone was seated, Irene took the seat just behind Sophia, a place set aside for her facing the monitor.

The auditions began soon after.

Everyone invited that day had already made it through the résumé screening. Some had stood out on their own merits, while others had been recommended, but all of them had decent acting skills and screen presence.

Over the course of the morning, twelve actresses came into the audition room. Each gave a brief introduction, then went straight into her performance, without any unnecessary small talk.

Among them were a few actresses Irene recognized by name. The second one, for example, was Kirsten Dunst, who had made a name for herself in Interview with the Vampire and had a mix of classical beauty and modern coolness.

There was also Bryce Dallas Howard. Irene couldn't remember what she'd acted in, only that she was the daughter of renowned director Ron Howard and, like Irene, a "second-generation director."

Everyone grabbed lunch however they liked, then continued with the auditions for the male actors.

The film focused mainly on female characters, so it didn't demand much of its male actors. And since it was a low-budget independent film, no famous leading men were likely to show up.

Over the entire afternoon, Irene recognized just one actor: Josh Hartnett.

Once all the auditions were over, Julie handed the evaluation sheets to Sophia, who was seated behind the monitor.

From the corner of her eye, Irene saw that the top sheet belonged to Kirsten Dunst. It was covered in check marks.

"What about the others?" Sophia flipped through the sheets in her hands.

Dan Haas and James Woods each had an evaluation sheet too, just like Aunt Julie. Clearly, only the four of them would be making the final decisions.

"All right, everyone else can head home. Thank you for coming." Everyone except the four decision-makers and Irene began filing out of the audition room.

"You've all chosen Kirsten Dunst for the lead. Who'd like to explain why?"

Julie took out the tape and slid Kirsten's into the VCR. "She's a solid actress with a naturally melancholy presence, which suits the lead character. And, of course, she's somewhat well-known, so she can draw some people into the theater."

"Sounds good. How much is she asking for?"

"One million."

"Tell her we're offering two hundred thousand, paid in two installments. If she accepts, the role is hers."

"Understood."

With only a few words, the lead role was settled. The other roles were decided just as quickly.

Before the sun had even set, all the decisions were made. Irene had thought the process would take several days, and couldn't help feeling surprised.

Sophia drove Irene and Aunt Julie to Catch LA, one of the most famous restaurants in West Hollywood, where celebrities often came to be seen. All three of them worked behind the scenes, so hardly anyone recognized them yet.

"What's wrong? You've been distracted ever since we left the audition room." Sophia placed the steak she'd cut onto Irene's plate and sprinkled some pepper over it.

"That Kirsten Dunst... I read in the paper that she got paid two million for Jumanji. You're only offering her a tenth of that. Do you think she'll really accept?" Irene finally asked the question she'd been dwelling on.

"Hahaha, let Aunt Julie answer that one." Sophia smiled and tossed the question to Julie.

"Sure, I'll explain. First, the salaries reported in the papers are usually inflated. It's a way for actors to raise their profile. Second, it's perfectly normal to ask for the moon and then bargain down.

"Ours is a low-budget independent film. How could we compete with a commercial blockbuster's budget? If she were only after a big paycheck, she wouldn't have auditioned for us in the first place."

These were all common Hollywood rules. The key was that both sides had to be willing.

"So I get it... If she cares about artistic work, she'll be willing to take part."

"You could put it that way. Art-house films and commercial films are completely different things, so the pay can't be the same."

Only then did Irene understand. In her previous life, she'd known only how to watch movies and had known nothing about what went on behind the scenes. Now she was learning from scratch.

"When I make a movie, I want Aunt Julie to help me too." Irene seized the chance to act cute. Having a great producer would make up for her lack of experience in that area.

"Of course. When our little Irene becomes a director, I'll produce your film too."

Julie probably thought it would be at least a few years before that happened, so she agreed readily. She wasn't especially ambitious, and over the years she'd mostly worked for the Coppola Family, taking on very few outside projects.

After dinner, Sophia drove Irene back to her little apartment in Burbank. As they were parting, Irene quickly grabbed her and insisted she come upstairs for a cup of tea.

"Are you trying to keep me up all night by making me drink tea at this hour?" Sophia complained, though she still picked up her cup and took a small sip.

"Of course not, sis. It's just been so long since we've seen each other, and I missed you~ You've got a long drive back. Why not stay here tonight?" Irene still had a whole bunch of questions on her mind and wanted someone to answer them.

Sophia never refused Irene over little things. The audition was over, and she was waiting for others to report back on the location scouting, so she had nothing urgent to take care of. In the end, she simply stayed.