“Hello, Director. I’m a freshman, Erin Ray, and I’ve acted in some short videos. I hope to get the role of gogo.” Erin Ray introduced herself, sounding a bit nervous.

“There’s a script on the table. You have five minutes to prepare.” Shawn Carter said. He noticed that the previous girls auditioning all called him “senior” or “junior director”—strange titles—but only this one called him “Director.”

Erin Ray looked at the script. It was indeed very short, but inexplicably dramatic: [You call this a request? You should be able to beg better.]

Other than that, there was no context. Erin Ray hesitated for a few seconds and asked, “Director, is there any other information or hints?”

This was the first test set by Shawn Carter. If the auditionee asked, he would answer; if not, then nothing. The previous candidates had all asked.

“The character you’re playing is a bodyguard. Someone wants to kill your boss, and then she asks you to leave.” Shawn Carter replied.

“Thank you, Director.” After thanking him, Erin Ray started thinking on the spot.

After about three or four minutes, having pieced together a relatively complete story in her mind, Erin Ray looked up and said she was ready.

“You call this a request?” Erin Ray knew she had a bit of baby fat, so to show a killer’s quality, she gritted her teeth, glared, and said sharply, “You should be able to beg better!”

Actually, whether baby fat looks good depends on one’s looks—if you’re good-looking, it’s baby fat; if not, it’s just a big face.

“Very good.” Shawn Carter nodded. “One fake, two forced, three awkward—the three essentials of pretty-boy acting, all present.”

“Uh…” At first, when she heard the director say “very good,” Erin Ray was happy, but the follow-up comment was a steep drop.

“Director, please give me another chance. I was too nervous just now.” Erin Ray quickly said.

“Use the tone you normally use when talking to friends, and recite the lines again.” Shawn Carter said.

Erin Ray was stunned for a moment. She didn’t know why, but still did as the director said, reciting, “You call this a request? You should be able to beg better,” with a bit of her usual playfulness.

“Do you speak Japanese?” Shawn Carter nodded and then asked.

“I can learn.” Erin Ray immediately replied.

“The filming period is two weeks, and you’ll need to go to Japan. Is that a problem?” Shawn Carter asked.

“No problem, I can ask the school for leave.” Erin Ray nodded like a pecking chick, afraid of losing the role, and quickly added, “I’m very talented with languages—I can speak Sichuanese, Cantonese, and Mandarin, so I’ll be able to learn Japanese quickly.”

This junior was quite cheerful. By this logic, the original character was also of mixed heritage—Shanghai mixed with London, quite a mix.

“Have you signed with an agency?” Shawn Carter asked.

Erin Ray shook her head. “No.”

“The pay is twelve thousand. If that’s fine, go to the legal department to sign the contract.” Shawn Carter knew the market rate from the original character. Even Beijing Film Academy graduates acting in small roles only get eight or nine thousand, let alone Erin Ray, a freshman. Considering the filming period is nearly half a month, the price was quite reasonable.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Director. I definitely won’t let you down.” Erin Ray pledged her loyalty.

“I don’t have any expectations.” Shawn Carter said. “The reason I chose you is simply because your appearance fits and you have a persistent attitude. As for your acting… the awkwardness from earlier is still stuck in my head.”

“Uh…” Erin Ray was at a loss for words.

“I’m not saying this to discourage you, just don’t want you to overestimate your acting and affect the shoot. It’s normal not to have acting skills as a freshman.” Shawn Carter said.

“Thank you, Director.” Before coming, Erin Ray had asked around. The summary was: he’s a rich second generation, but doesn’t have the airs, has a good temper, but isn’t very capable—never clear about short film shoots, and now wants to shoot a feature.

But after the audition, Erin Ray felt this senior was quite impressive—at least he spoke directly, like a teacher.

“Remember to close the door, and tell the assistant director to inform the others waiting for the gogo audition that it’s over.” Shawn Carter said.

Erin Ray left the lounge, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders. She glanced around, wandered the hallway, and saw a middle-aged man with an assistant director badge. She repeated Shawn Carter’s message.

“Alright, just go straight ahead and enter the room with the [杀比法务] note on the door.” The assistant director gave directions.

There were over a dozen people auditioning today. Erin Ray was number seven, and there were still a few waiting. When the assistant director came to announce the end of the audition, complaints immediately broke out.

Of course, no one argued face to face. They all got in the elevator before starting to chatter.

“What a waste of time.”

“The seventh person got the role right away? Must be some shady deal, otherwise why pick before seeing everyone?”

“It’s normal for a big director to pick someone suitable right away to save time, since this is basically an open casting, not an invited audition. But that’s for big directors—who does Shawn Carter think he is?”

“What if the new film is even worse than Six Panels? Maybe we dodged a bullet.”

Casting was still ongoing, and they still needed to recruit foreign actors.

There are quite a few international students at Beijing Film Academy, with a dedicated international exchange center. Of course, some of the international students are Chinese—just Chinese who immigrated and now study in China with foreign citizenship. Is that strange? Not at all, it’s standard practice.