The Best Director

Night had fallen upon Los Angeles. In the elegantly arranged room, the white Labrador Danny lay on the carpet, licking its paws. Jessica sat on the edge of the bed, her brows knit together as she read the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times in her hands. Her eyes were fixed on the section about Wang Yang’s personal life.

“At first, she was my angel, I thanked God. I said to God, ‘God, you are so good! Thank you for bringing her into my life.’ Every time I saw her, I felt it was the most wonderful thing in the world. But then, we suddenly started to act as if we hated each other, arguing every time we met, about where to go, what to eat. I liked cinemas, but she liked amusement parks…”

Looking at these words, Jessica’s face was filled with gloom, and in a strange voice, she muttered, “Thank God for arranging that girl who doesn’t like cinemas, doesn’t like McDonald’s, right?” She laughed derisively and shook her head, “Hey, what the hell are you talking about?” She looked back at the newspaper for a while, then suddenly asked, “Danny, do you think that girl is pretty?” The Labrador cocked its ears, looking at her quizzically.

“Hmm, Danny, by the look of you, you don’t know do you?” continued Jessica, her gaze returning to the newspaper, only to speak to herself again, “What type of girl would she be?” Before she had finished speaking, she smacked her own forehead and said helplessly, “Oh, have you gone mad?”

Just then, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, put down the newspaper, slipped on her slippers, and walked over to the desk to pick up the phone. It was a call from her agent, Ms. Miranda, and she answered, “Hi, Miranda?” Immediately after, she heard Miranda say, “Jessica, I’ve received word from the agency, you’ve passed the first round of auditions for the lead role in High School Musical and have been invited to the second round of interviews.”

“Wow, really? Ha!” Jessica laughed with joy. Even though it was expected, her heart still sped up. Holding her phone, she walked over and sat in front of the white vanity mirror, and with excitement in her voice, she said, “I’ve been looking forward to this for so long! Miranda, when is the interview?” She had been practicing acting, watching campus movies, rehearsing a song every day, all in preparation for the High School Musical audition, and she couldn’t wait. Miranda did not answer her question but instead said with a laugh, “Jessica, I have another piece of good news for you.”

“What? Wasn’t that good news already?” Jessica laughed, “What else is there?” “An even better piece of news,” Miranda’s tone was very cheerful, “Do you remember the audition for Idle Hands more than a week ago?” Jessica hummed in acknowledgment; it was her most recent film audition, Miranda had a good relationship with the director, Rodman Fred, and had recommended her for the audition for the lead role. Miranda chuckled, “As far as I know, Mr. Fred will soon make a decision, and you have a very good chance of landing the lead role.”

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, momentarily stunned, Jessica snapped back to reality and asked with a smile, “Really? Wow, Miranda, it seems my luck is turning.” She was naturally pleased but didn’t care too much, as Miranda had already told her “very good chance” many times before, and each time it came to nothing.

Upon hearing Miranda laugh and say, “Yes, your luck is coming,” Jessica remembered an earlier question and asked again, “Right, when and where is the High School Musical interview taking place?”

“Jessica,” Miranda’s voice softened, “If you land the lead role in Idle Hands, don’t bother with High School Musical.” She explained, “Idle Hands will start shooting soon, and obviously, so will High School Musical, their production schedules overlap.”

Jessica rolled her eyes at her reflection in the mirror, grading her own expression while disinterestedly saying, “Miranda, I don’t want to talk about this; right now, I’m not the lead actress in any movie, so there’s no issue with schedules.”

“You need to think seriously about this. On the Idle Hands side, I’ve spoken with Mr. Fred; he can’t stop praising you, you really do have a big chance this time,” said Miranda seriously.

“Oh, I got it, I’ll think about it,” Jessica replied, feigning seriousness, then asked, “Miranda, so please tell me, when and where is the interview?” Miranda had no choice but to answer her, “It starts at ten o’clock the day after tomorrow, at the headquarters of Flame Film Company.”

Having gotten the answer and fearing that Miranda would keep talking about “choices,” Jessica hurriedly said, “Oh, I know where that is, I can get there myself on the day. I have to hang up, I need to practice my acting! Good night, Miranda.” She finished in one breath, pressed the end call button on her phone, shook her head with a smile, Schedule issues? She’ll think about that when it truly becomes an issue.

“Let’s start.” Jessica looked at herself in the mirror, teeth gleaming in a happy expression, murmuring, “Hi, I’m Jessica, nice to meet you…”

X X

Thud, thud, thud! The stairs echoed under her feet as Jessica descended, dressed impressively. Today was the audition for the lead role in “High School Musical,” and she had woken up early, hurried through her morning routine, and meticulously prepared herself. Only after getting dressed in the outfit she had picked out earlier did she come downstairs.

“Good morning, Mom!” Jessica entered the dining room and greeted her mother, who was making breakfast in the kitchen. She slid open the glass doors, looked out at the lush green lawn, stretched out her arms, and, basking in the morning sunshine, squinted and said, “The weather’s so nice!”

In the kitchen, Kathy chuckled and replied, “Yes, the weather is lovely.” She placed several sandwiches on the dining table and asked, “Jessica, Miranda told me you’re going to audition for ‘High School Musical’ today?”

“Yes, at the headquarters of Flames Film Company.” Jessica said as she washed her hands in the kitchen, then moved to the table to pick up a sandwich and take a bite. She told Kathy, “I’ll drive myself there and won’t be back for lunch.” Kathy nodded, smiled, and patted her daughter on the shoulder, saying, “Good luck, Jessica.” Jessica gave her mom a sweet smile and confidently replied, “Thank you, Mom, I will.” Then, after taking another bite of her sandwich, she mumbled through her food, “Wow, Mom, the sandwich is delicious!” Kathy laughed, “Thankyou, you flatterer.”

Just then, Joshua came in, wearing his sports jersey and shorts, panting from his morning run. He reached for a sandwich without washing his hands and, after glancing at Jessica’s put-together appearance, joked, “Wow, looks like someone has a date?”

“Oh, you’re right, I have a date with a really handsome and charming guy. I’m looking forward to it so much,” Jessica said playfully, and then ignored Joshua. After finishing her sandwich, she washed her hands again and told Kathy, “Mom, I’m heading out.” She then walked toward the garage outside.

Joshua called out to her retreating figure, “Hey, should I tell Yang?” “Whatever!” Jessica’s voice carried back from a distance.

Flames Film Company was located near Hollywood and was easily accessible by car. When Jessica arrived, it was just past nine-thirty. Standing in front of the company’s grand entrance, she looked up at the sign “Flames-Films” and the peculiar logo above, feeling inexplicably elated—this was Yang’s company! What did this symbol mean? She pondered it briefly but had no clue. Moths and butterflies flying toward flames—could it mean self-destruction? Impossible, it surely couldn’t mean that…

Jessica shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked inside. Approaching the reception desk, she smiled at the receptionist and said, “Hello, I’m here for the ‘High School Musical’ audition.”

The receptionist, Aurora, stood up and replied with a smile, “Oh, the auditions begin at ten o’clock. Please follow me, I’ll take you to the audition room to wait.”

Jessica followed her through the bustling offices of Flames Film Company and arrived outside the reception room that served as the audition venue. Several other beautifully dressed girls were already seated, waiting.

“Please wait here; auditions start at ten o’clock,” Aurora repeated, then she returned to her desk.

“Hi.” Jessica greeted the girls politely, found an empty chair to sit on, and took a deep breath to steel herself, feeling a bit nervous as if this was her first time auditioning. She observed the other girls around her—some were touching up their makeup in little mirrors, others were chatting with their agents. They were all very pretty, and Jessica felt she had no advantage over them in looks.

After looking around, Jessica refocused and clenched her fists, psyching herself up, “Come on, be confident, I’ll win the lead role!”

As the audition time drew closer, more girls began to arrive, totaling over twenty. Wang Yang arrived with Sandy Pikes, his secretary Fiona Hasen, and Ms. Robert, the music teacher he had especially invited to help. Yang glanced over the bevy of beauties and located Jessica. She smiled at him, and although it wasn’t appropriate for him to greet her alone at that moment, he looked her way and addressed the aspiring actresses cheerfully, “Hey girls, do your best!” “I will!” “Let’s start already!” The girls responded with enthusiasm, creating a boisterous atmosphere, with a few even whistling. One of the girls stood up and shouted, “Yang, I absolutely loved your ‘Paranormal Activity.’ It was amazing!” On the verge of entering the audition room, Wang Yang stopped, turned back, and smiled, “Thanks, but it won’t give you extra points.” Everyone burst into laughter, and the girl sat down, still chuckling.

“Thankyou…” Jessica watched the closing door and whispered softly, her nerves significantly soothed by Wang Yang’s encouragement.

In the reception room, for today’s audition, the company had brought in a long table, behind which sat Wang Yang and the other judges. Next to the table, an iron stand held a broadcast-quality camera, which the company had rented for use during the auditions.

“Ms. Robert, we’re counting on your expertise today.” Behind the long table, Wang Yang shook hands with Ms. Robert again. This middle-aged Caucasian woman in her forties was a music teacher from a recording studio in Los Angeles. Her task for the day was to assess the girls’ vocal qualities and musical talent. However, they were making a movie, not scouting for the next music megastar, so the so-called “musical talent” didn’t need to be exceptional—just not completely tone-deaf.

Ms. Robert was a talkative person. She joked, “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Wang, I’ll unearth a ‘Madonna’ for you.” Wang Yang, while organizing files on the table, replied with a smile, “Oh, I don’t need Madonna, I’m looking for a Hepburn.”

After a while, it was ten o’clock. Sandy Pikes reminded Wang Yang. He nodded, picked up the list of auditionees—thirty names in total. The actress to play “Gabriela” would be selected from among these girls. As he scanned the names, he decided not to call Jessica for her audition right away; that would be too much pressure for her.

“Let Jennifer Love Hewitt come in,” Wang Yang told his secretary Fiona Hasen, who responded and went out to fetch her. He felt a bit stunned afterward, having scheduled Jessica’s biggest rival as the first auditionee—was this a bias in his subconscious?

Soon, a girl entered through the door, and it was Jennifer. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, and her fitted outfit left nothing to the imagination about her sensual figure and full bust. She greeted the interviewers with a sweet smile and introduced herself, “Hello, everyone. I’m Jennifer Love Hewitt, and I’m delighted to be here for this audition.”

Wang Yang gauged her camera presence. Except for a nose a bit too long and high, she looked great. He asked, “Hello, Miss Hewitt, it says here in your file that you’ve been learning singing and dancing since childhood, is that correct?”

Jennifer nodded confidently, replying, “Yes, I joined a performance group at the age of five and started learning to sing and dance…”

Meanwhile, in the hallway outside the reception room, the other girls were waiting patiently. As Jessica was pondering “what performance Wang will ask for,” she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder from behind. She reflexively turned to see a girl behind her smiling and saying, “Hi, we’ve met before. Remember the audition for ‘Idle Hands’?”

Jessica studied her for a moment and then recalled, exclaiming, “Oh, I remember, yes!” They had exchanged a few glances during the audition for “Idle Hands,” but since they were sitting far apart, they hadn’t spoken. The girl behind her, Eliza Dushku, extended her hand with a smile, “Hi, I’m Eliza Dushku.”

“Jessica Alba.” Jessica shook her hand, responding politely, “Nice to meet you.” Eliza replied with a smile, “Me too.”

The two chatted for a while when suddenly a singing voice faintly drifted from the reception room. The corridor went quiet—nobody was surprised, as they all knew that singing was part of the performance required. Listening to the melodious and beautiful voice inside, Jessica felt some nervousness again—she couldn’t produce such a professional singing voice…

“What’s wrong?” Eliza noticed her nervousness and asked, “Jessica, does singing scare you?” Jessica shook her head, “Not scared, just… a little normal nervousness.” Eliza patted her shoulder and reassured her with a smile, “Don’t worry, girl, relax! It’s strange, during the ‘Idle Hands’ audition, you were so cool, not nervous at all sitting there.”

“Idle Hands”? Jessica chuckled, shaking her head. That situation was entirely different; she had just gone on a whim at the suggestion of Miranda. Today’s audition, however, she had prepared for many days and had an unprecedented eagerness to land the role. Suddenly she remembered what Miranda mentioned about “scheduling conflicts,” and seeing Eliza Dushku, who had also auditioned for “Idle Hands,” Jessica couldn’t help asking, “Eliza, if you were chosen for both ‘Idle Hands’ and ‘High School Musical,’ which one would you pick?”

“Chosen for both? Wow, I’ve never thought about that,” Eliza exclaimed with a laugh. Jessica immediately felt a bit embarrassed by her foolish question, making it seem presumptuous. But Eliza didn’t mean to mock Jessica. After pondering for a moment, she seriously said, “If that really happened, I think I would choose… ‘High School Musical.\'”

Jessica was a bit taken aback by Eliza’s choice. “Idle Hands” was a movie with a thirty-million-dollar investment, and director Rodman Fred had proven himself multiple times, whereas “High School Musical” had only a five- million-dollar budget and it was Yang’s first film on celluloid. Why would Eliza choose “High School Musical”? Curiously, Jessica asked, “Why?”

Eliza shrugged, “I don’t know, although ‘High School Musical’ isn’t well- regarded, we all came to audition for it, maybe that’s the reason.” She raised her eyebrows with a smile and added, “‘Paranormal Activity’ grossed 160 million in North America. I just think, that guy is smart, and his second film should be good; and you know, ‘Idle Hands’ is a horror-comedy, and I really don’t understand the genre. Are they expecting the audience to scream or laugh? I’m young, taking a chance won’t make me lose all my opportunities, but maybe I’ll make it.”

“You’re right…” Jessica nodded, no longer dwelling on the issue.

Just then, Jennifer emerged from the audition room with a beaming smile on her face. Judging by her expression, the audition had likely gone well. Next, the secretary Fiona Hasen called in another girl to audition, and so it continued. One by one, girls went in and then came out, some with disappointment written across their faces, others exuberated. Jessica noticed that those who left disappointed tended to have unpleasant singing voices, while those who left smiling had lovely voices.

Then it was Eliza Dushku’s turn to audition. After a while, she came out jubilantly, whispering to Jessica with a chuckle, “Wow, Wang Yang’s smile is so charming! I’d love to date him.” Jessica twirled her hair and laughed, “Oh, really…” Eliza nodded with a grin and added, “I feel good about this audition, Jessica, you should do your best too.”

“I will!” Jessica looked towards the audition room and took a nervous breath.

Eliza’s intuition was accurate, Wang Yang was indeed very pleased with her. Her beautiful face and sexy figure scored an A for appearance; her acting was good too, scoring a B+; her dance received an A+, and in fact, she would go on to star in ‘Bring It On’; her singing got a B, which was the rating given by Ms. Robert. Of course, she had her flaws, her charming laugh leaned more towards sexy than sweet, which is why she only got a B for temperament.

Wang Yang reviewed the list in his hand, with less than half of the applicants left. Neither early nor late, it was the time when most auditionees’ mental state tended to be at its best. He turned to his secretary Fiona Hasen and said, “Fiona, let Miss Jessica Alba come in for her audition.”

“Okay.” Fiona Hasen went out and called out to the girls, “Miss Jessica Alba.” Jessica, who was sitting, immediately stood up and asked, “Is it my turn?” Fiona nodded and replied, “Yes, it’s your turn to audition.”

Jessica straightened her clothes and smoothed down her auburn hair as she walked toward the audition room. Once inside, Fiona closed the door and Jessica walked up to the long table where Wang Yang and the other two judges were seated. She looked at Wang Yang, then gave them all a sweet smile and said, “Hi everyone, I’m Jessica Alba.”

“Hi, Jessica.” Wang Yang smiled back at her from behind the table. He could tell she was a bit nervous, so he didn’t rush to start the audition and instead started some light conversation, “Jessica, take a seat. How does it feel, is our company’s environment okay?”

Jessica took a seat in the leather chair and nodded, “The environment is great, and the location is very convenient.”

Wang Yang thought about how to help her relax and looking around, an idea struck him. He pointed to the company logo on the wall and said with a laugh, “See that logo?” Jessica looked over and said, “Yep.” Wang Yang covered his mouth, whispering, “That’s my work. When I handed the draft to our company’s designer, Miss Lisa Gro, she said ‘Is this two penguins and a crown?”‘, and he feigned a defeated and disappointed look.

At this, Jessica burst into laughter, feeling much more relaxed, and said with a laugh, “Wow, that kind of logo would be pretty cute.”

Sandy Pikes and Ms. Robert exchanged glances, sensing something different. Among the previous auditionees, there were those who were nervous, but the young director hadn’t helped them relax.

Seeing that Jessica was much more at ease, Wang Yang moved on to the main event, standing up and saying, “Alright, Jessica, let’s start the audition…” Jessica also stood up from her chair and nodded, “Okay.”

Wang Yang walked over to the broadcast-quality camera near the long table, adjusted the lens toward Jessica who was standing a few steps away. On the camera’s screen, Jessica, dressed in youthful attire stood there, oozing screen presence. Looking at the screen, he said, “Jessica, give me a left profile.” Following his direction, Jessica turned to her left side. He continued, “Okay, turn to the right side; good, look at a 45-degree angle; very good, turn around… okay, now face the camera and smile.”

Jessica faced the camera and smiled sweetly, saying, “Hi!”

“Wow! Really good.” Wang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim. Jessica’s smile was incredibly sweet and captivating, and her looks and charm perfectly embodied “Gabriela,” undoubtedly surpassing the original actress, Vanessa Hudgens. In terms of appearance and temperament, she was a definite A+, the best among all the auditionees thus far.

Hearing his praise, a confident smile spread across Jessica’s face, and all the tension in her heart vanished.