Hollywood Road

"Alright, that's enough for now."

In a small storage room not far from Milton Cafe, Murphy interrupted the clumsy performance of the girl across the makeshift desk. "Miss Stanley, my assistant will inform you of the audition results within a week."

"But…"

The girl was not ready to give up. She glanced at the elderly Mr. Lynch, who was observing from the side, and mustered the courage to say, "But... I haven't finished my performance yet."

Murphy couldn't help but slap his forehead. "I've seen enough of your acting."

With that, he signaled to Jessica Chastain, who immediately walked over and escorted the auditioning girl out of the office.

Once the girl left, Mr. Lynch stood up and pleaded, "Murphy, Kelly Stanley is recognized as the best actress in this area. Could you reconsider?"

"Lynch, you've read the script." Murphy pointed towards the door exaggeratedly. "Do you think the male lead would be interested in her with those buck teeth?"

"Well…" Mr. Lynch fell silent.

Murphy had only agreed to audition the so-called actress Lynch recommended because he had borrowed the independent storage room of the cafe for use as a temporary audition room and storage space. Otherwise, he wouldn't have considered it. Like across the Pacific, it's impossible for a production team to avoid various personal relationships.

Over the past five days, aside from coordinating preparations for various departments of the crew, Murphy had interviewed dozens of actors. Almost all of these actors were Hollywood has-beens, also working as waiters, car washers, and in other odd jobs. This wasn't the issue; the problem was their poor audition performances.

The male actors were slightly better, with a few in their thirties showing some acting skills that met Murphy's considerations. However, suitable female actors were harder to find. Most white girls matured early; those aged sixteen or seventeen didn't look much different from those in their twenties. Those with decent acting skills didn't fit the physical requirements, and those who fit the physical requirements were too young and lacked basic acting skills.

Though it is often said that roles make actors, one cannot deny that actresses like Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Christina Ricci, who excelled at a young age, are rare even in Hollywood.

It was at this moment that Murphy realized "Hard Candy" might not be the best choice. Actresses with unique appearances like Ellen Page were sometimes hard to come by.

Murphy auditioned another girl who also worked as an insurance agent. After she left, he displayed a hint of disappointment.

Sitting in the storage room filled with equipment and props, Murphy suddenly understood that his experience was still too lacking. Despite anticipating various difficulties, there were still things he hadn't considered. He had severely underestimated the difficulty of finding a suitable actress for the film's lead role.

Was he to cancel the project? Murphy sighed heavily; that was not an option.

He had already invested tens of thousands of dollars into this project. Canceling it would mean that money was wasted.

Murphy had considered using makeup and daring scenes to aid the actress's performance, but auxiliary means are just that—auxiliary. If the actress didn't meet the basic acting and physical requirements, the film wouldn't achieve the desired effect.

If the lead actress was too mature, the subtle dynamic between the young girl and the creepy older man would be diluted. If her acting was poor, it would break the immersion instantly.

"There's one more actress to audition," Jessica Chastain reminded.

Murphy snapped out of his thoughts. This project had no room for retreat; he had to press on. "Let her in."

Jessica Chastain called Milton Cafe, and a waiter escorted the waiting actress over. About five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Murphy called for them to enter, and a girl stepped inside.

As soon as the girl entered the storage room, Murphy's eyes lit up.

This was a typical white girl, with short, slightly messy brownish-gold hair covering her small head. Her big eyes curiously examined everything in the storage room. She stood at five feet five inches, casually wearing a form-fitting floral dress, and carried a black sports bag that seemed out of place for her age.

Judging by her physique, she could easily be sixteen or seventeen, but her lively baby face made her look more like thirteen or fourteen.

An electric current surged through Murphy's heart, instantly spreading throughout his body. He knew clearly that he had found someone whose appearance was perfect for the role.

This was practically the real-life version of the girl in the film!

After scanning the modest storage room and glancing at the man behind the makeshift desk, the short-haired girl scratched her head. She hadn't expected that the information she had secretly noted from the Actors' Guild would lead to this scene.

Was this an audition or a game?

"Hello, please have a seat," Murphy pointed to the chair opposite him. Once the girl, who was still looking around, sat down, he introduced himself. "I'm Murphy Stanton, the director and investor of 'Hard Candy.'"

"Oh, hello." The girl raised her hand to shoulder level and waved, "I'm Carey Mulligan, an actress."

Hearing her distinct British accent, Murphy frowned slightly. "You're British?"

"Yes." The girl took off the bag from her shoulder and placed it by her feet, making herself more comfortable. "I was born in London, but I now live in Los Angeles and will be here for the next few years."

"Ah…" Before Murphy could speak, the girl asked curiously, "Can you tell me what kind of crew this is?"

Murphy looked at her and asked in return, "In what way?"

The girl scratched her head again. She had only performed in her school theater before and had never been part of a formal film crew. This was her first time sneaking out without telling anyone, so she had no idea what to ask.

Her eyes darted around for a while before she said, "Like, what's the content of the movie you're shooting?"

The movie's subject was sensitive, but there was nothing to hide. If she couldn't accept it, there was no point in wasting each other's time. So Murphy said directly, "It can be summarized in one sentence: A man kills a girl, and the girl's friend does everything to avenge her!"

Murphy had underestimated the girl's ability to handle it. Carey Mulligan clapped her hands heavily. "Cool! That's so cool! I like this story."

She jumped up from the chair and almost leapt to the desk in front of Murphy, eagerly asking, "Is there a script? Can I see the script?"

Murphy gestured to the chair opposite him. Carey Mulligan glanced back at it, then smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I got a bit excited."

As she moved back to her seat, she defended herself, "A great actor's emotions are always outward."

Once seated, Carey Mulligan continued, "I just think the story you told sounds cool, and I'm curious about the details."

By now, Murphy could tell that this girl had no prior audition experience and was probably quite young, more like a flower raised in a greenhouse, full of curiosity about the outside world and with little social experience.

"May I ask…" he probed, "how old are you?"

"Sixteen!" Carey Mulligan suddenly drooped her head as if the age issue was depressing. "To be precise, fifteen and a half."

Murphy frowned slightly. Sixteen and fifteen and a half are two different legal concepts. Age seemed to be a problem.

"Is your agent here?" he continued to ask. "Or a guardian?"

"I came by myself." Carey Mulligan instinctively straightened up. "I don't have an agent. I can make my own decisions."

After saying that, she urged, "Aren't we auditioning?"

Setting aside his concerns about her age, Murphy crossed his hands on the desk. "Alright, perform your best monologue."

"A monologue?" Carey Mulligan stood up.

Murphy nodded lightly, "A monologue."

Monologues are quite challenging. Murphy wanted to see if this girl's basic skills were as impressive as her appearance.

To Murphy's surprise, Carey Mulligan almost instantly got into character, performing a monologue not from a children's play but from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," specifically Juliet's soliloquy.

Watching the girl's performance diagonally opposite, Jessica Chastain, who was sitting beside Murphy, was a bit surprised. She had studied drama and knew the difficulty of this piece, but the girl performed it quite well.

Though not outstanding or superb, it was quite remarkable for her age.

Jessica Chastain glanced at Murphy, who looked back at her. He knew Jessica Chastain was more professional in acting, and his eyes held a questioning look.

Although she had reservations about this project, Jessica Chastain maintained professional integrity and nodded lightly at Murphy.

With a relatively mature physique, a beautifully delicate baby face, and above-average acting, Murphy preliminarily approved of this British girl.

Carey Mulligan stopped her performance, patted her baby face, seemingly using this method to break away from the character. After a while, she looked at Murphy, "Did I do alright?"

Murphy didn't answer but instead asked, "Do you only speak with a British accent? My character is American."

This girl was clever, immediately switching to an American accent, "I've been in Los Angeles as an exchange student for a while. How's my Los Angeles accent?"

Seeing Murphy nod slightly, she couldn't help but reveal a cute, playful smile.

"I have a few more questions, which might be sensitive. You can choose not to answer."

Hearing Murphy's words, Carey Mulligan was eager, "Ask, ask, I can't wait."

Murphy cleared

 his throat, "If you encountered a pedophile, what would you do?"