Hollywood Domination

Chapter 7 First Audition

Fortunately, by 2001, computers had become widely used in Los Angeles, and there was one in the manager’s office of Hollywood Star, which had internet access. Jenny Jane had always performed well, never late or leaving early, so even though Johnny’s expression was a little sour, he still opened the office door and allowed her to send an email. Johnny, “Just this once, don’t spread it around.”

“Thank you, old Johnny,” Jenny said with a smile, “And you too, don’t spread it around.”

Johnny snorted, “If you’re talking about Jessica, don’t worry, I won’t dig my own grave.”

It was not that Jessica could not handle the pressure, but from Johnny’s perspective, he definitely wanted both top waitresses to stay in the restaurant as long as possible. Jenny’s progress will be a stimulus for Jessica, and it might even accelerate her departure from Hollywood Star. Jenny was very familiar with such a competitive mentality, and it seemed that Johnny was not unfamiliar with it either.

After confirming that Dave had received the email, Jenny did not probe further and proceeded to continue her shift. She called Dave after her shift ended.

“It’s CSI,” Dave said as soon as he picked up the phone, sounding excited, “They need a criminal with certain requirements for appearance and acting skills. Originally, they had booked Kristen Dunst, but she can’t make it now for some reason. They need to find a replacement immediately, as it’s the first episode of the second season and everything has to be perfect. So they will hold another audition. I have a friend on the production team, and I just talked to him about it – I recommended you.”

A guest appearance on CSI? This was a great opportunity. Jenny’s spirits were lifted by this news. “Dave, I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, it’s just an opportunity. Your resume passing the initial screening would be dependent on your luck,” Dave chuckled on the other end of the phone, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to come on the day of the audition as I’m in New York, but I wish you all the best.”

They chatted for a moment longer, and then Jenny hung up the phone. She looked thoughtfully at her phone for a while before putting it in her pocket.

She did not expect her connection with Dave to bring her an opportunity this early. According to her expectations, after the new season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” started filming, there would be some insignificant minor role that needed to be cast before each episode, also known as extras. After all, most of them were supporting roles with some weight. More extras would be recruited during the filming of the script. Each episode meant many opportunities for extras. If Dave remained assistant director, he would still have to come to Los Angeles to work. At that time, she could get one or two opportunities for guest appearances, which would be considered Jenny Jane’s official entry into the industry. After that, she could try to find some supporting roles in independent films and see if she could join the Screen Actors Guild and find herself an agent.

Unexpectedly, before Buffy started filming, Dave brought her an audition opportunity for a CSI special criminal role. Although he noted that her chances of getting an interview depended on her resume, based on Chen Zhen’s understanding of the entertainment industry as well as Dave’s recommendation as an assistant director, she would definitely have an interview opportunity no matter what. This sort of personal favoritism was universal throughout history and across countries. As long as Dave’s friend really treated him as a friend, would he not give her face?

But Dave himself was not privy to the details of the role, and although Jenny had heard of the famous name of CSI, she wasn’t very fond of bloody scenes in her past life and hadn’t watched this series, nor did it exist in her memory space. So she could only vaguely polish her acting skills while waiting for further developments.

Roughly three days later, she received a callback for an audition. The other party provided the time and location, as well as the requirements for the role she was auditioning for. Even Jenny, who was usually composed, felt a bit nervous at this moment. Although she was very familiar with the rules of the entertainment industry, in her previous life, she got married right after graduating from college and did not have much auditioning experience. The few times she did audition in college, she did so jokingly, so this feeling of putting all her hopes on one audition was a first for her.

No wonder the percentage of psychological issues among those who work in the entertainment industry is particularly high. If one experiences multiple rejections after auditioning with high hopes, it’s only natural for their mental health to be affected. No wonder Jessica doesn’t like talking about her audition process. Despite being a top waitress in Hollywood Star and earning more tips than Jenny, every failed audition undoubtedly meant being rejected, which in turn meant a blow to her self-esteem. The contrast is so obvious that it’d be strange for her to even like talking about it.

On the day of the audition, she took a day off and went to bed early the night before. She calculated the time and arrived at the audition department of CBS TV station on time. She reported her identity and the phone number of the other party to the receptionist, who gave her an access card. With this access card, Jenny entered the bustling audition department.

The office building was large and spacious. Many people hurried past her, and no one paid particular attention to Jenny, even though she was a rare beauty — beautiful girls were common in CBS TV station, especially in the audition department. Jenny was taken aback when she arrived at audition room number 3: there were at least a dozen blond girls sitting there, all with exquisite features and youthful looks.

The setup of the audition office resembled a hospital, with a spacious waiting area outside. Jenny couldn’t help but think it felt like a plastic surgeon’s waiting room for follow-up appointments. She was taken aback by the number of competitors, with over ten people vying for the special role in just one episode, and most of them were good-looking. The competition in Hollywood was indeed much more intense than in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Jenny walked up to the office door and registered her name with a secretary before receiving the audition script and sitting down to review it. She didn’t have much interest in chatting with the other auditionees, as they were all her competitors. They were all aspiring unknowns eager to make a name for themselves, rather than successful actors who had already found their place in Hollywood.

Socializing with them would only be a waste of energy.

She had already known that she would be playing the role of a cunning and ruthless female celebrity with a dark backstory- a premeditated murderer who cleverly covered up the evidence and outwitted the CSI team. This explained why the production team had specifically invited an experienced actress for a guest role, as it would be easy for extras to mess up such a character. Jenny speculated that if it weren’t for the imminent start of shooting and their inability to find a suitable guest actress, this demanding role wouldn’t have been open to lower-level actors.

Based on the script she received, there was room for interpretation in this scene. Although it was short and didn’t have many lines, it was full of tension and required good acting skills from the performer.

[Inside the dressing room]

Nick took out an evidence bag containing the victim’s gloves, which were stained with blood.

Nick: Do you know what this is?

Juanita, dressed in glamorous attire, was touching up her makeup and looked at Nick through the mirror with a cold and indifferent tone.

Juanita: These are Judy’s gloves. What are you trying to imply? Over a hundred people saw her wearing them when she died. We all witnessed it.

Nick: Yes, these are Judy’s gloves. She was wearing them when she died, in the fitting room a hundred yards away. She suffered a fatal stab wound and tried to stop the blood flow with her hand, which is why her blood is all over it. But we couldn’t find the primary crime scene. The bloodstains in the fitting room were too small, with no spatter marks. The killer dragged her from the primary scene to the fitting room. Then the blood was cleaned up thoroughly, and we didn’t find any evidence.

Juanita made a bored expression.

Nick: We searched your dressing room but found no traces of blood.

Juanita: You’re wasting my time, officer. I have an important interview to attend. Vogue, you know? V-O-G-U-E.

Nick: However, Ms. Juanita, I’m here today to share some good news with you. Judy left more than just her blood at the crime scene. We have deduced that this was a crime committed by someone she knew, and it happened suddenly. Judy tried to fight back against the assailant and likely left some scratches on the assailant’s body.

Juanita and Nick both turn their gazes to a scar on Juanita’s shoulder.

Nick: And these are a pair of cashmere gloves with torn marks on the fingertips and palms. After rapidly losing blood, Judy quickly lost her ability to resist and tried to find support as she fell to her knees, but ultimately failed. However, this process has left us with a crucial and valuable clue – wool fibers. At the crime scene, she left behind enough evidence to convict, wool fibers stained with blood.

Juanita’s expression changed slightly as she involuntarily glances over at a rough decorative wall.

Nick took a quick step to the wall, shining his flashlight and carefully examining the surface, but found nothing. The wall was very clean, without any traces.

Nick looked at Juanita, and their eyes met in the mirror. Juanita revealed a smug, subtle, and cunning smile.

Juanita stood up and walked towards Nick gracefully, reaching out her hand towards the evidence bag. Nick quickly hid the evidence bag behind his back. Juanita continued to raise her hand, till it was gently touching Nick’s cheek. She took a step closer, so close she could almost plant a kiss on his lips.

Juanita: I told you, I have an important interview. You have my search warrant, officer, please feel free.

Nick clenched his teeth, while a mysterious and unpredictable smile crept up Juanita’s face, and slowly walked away.

From the script, it can be deduced that sexual attraction exists between Juanita and Nick, and she is very confident in her criminal behavior, believing that Nick will not be able to collect ample evidence. Nick is also aware that he has been played by Juanita. In just a few lines of dialogue, the power dynamics between the two shifted back and forth, creating tension in their interactions. Meanwhile, the timing of Juanita’s appearance at the end of this episode is simply perfect, and the challenge in portraying Juanita lies in her strong self-confidence and outstanding acting skills. In other words, she needs to portray a star acting like a star.

Based on her impression, CSI is a flagship show of CBS. She has done some research in the past few days and found out that the average ratings of the first season of this show have been ranking first or second in the US, with a viewership of over 20 million. As the first episode of the new season, the viewership is expected to be even higher. In this episode, she is playing a glamorous superstar that possesses a strong sexual attraction to the protagonist. This is a role that even actresses who have played supporting roles with some weight won’t underestimate. Jenny looked around and indeed she spotted one or two familiar faces.

“I’m sorry for making you all come here for nothing,” she silently apologized in her heart. “This role, I’m taking it.”

Yes, this role seems tailor-made for her— Chen Zhen is determined and confident in winning it.