There were three candidates for the leading role of "Maggie."
In addition to Hilary, there were Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd.
The former was signed to a small talent agency. Without John's extensive connections, it would be difficult to even find information about the agency. The latter two were both signed with CAA.
Of course, CAA, being the industry's premier talent agency in Hollywood, had quite a number of actors under its wing. However, these two were just passable, barely scraping by. They didn't hold much value and were abandoned early on.
Despite their years in the industry, they hadn't achieved fame. Still, compared to the completely unknown newcomers who hadn't fulfilled their acting dreams, they were faring relatively well.
In this industry, one needed to make comparisons. Without comparisons, how would you know if you were any good?
There were so many people chasing after the dream of stardom, but only a few managed to rise above the rest.
Now, after much difficulty, they had a chance. The opportunity to audition for the leading role in Lyman Rust's new film had unexpectedly fallen onto the shoulders of these three actresses. Amid their excitement, they were also fully dedicated to giving it their all.
Just past noon and not even one o'clock, let alone the fact that the audition was scheduled for three in the afternoon, they were all present.
The three actresses sat in the waiting room, exchanging glances, sizing each other up.
They were well aware that there was only one opportunity, and the others were competitors.
Unfortunately, things were never that simple.
...
After renaming itself Firefly Films, this was the first time the formerly known Rodrian Entertainment had been this lively.
Early in the morning, John arrived at the company with several boxing coaches and nutritionists. Then, the actresses scheduled for auditions arrived, each accompanied by their respective agents.
By the time it was three in the afternoon, Lyman had entered the company punctually.
He had burned the midnight oil the previous night while crafting storyboards, so he had woken up late.
"How is it? Have everyone arrived?" Lyman asked.
"They're all in the waiting room," John replied.
Lyman nodded and led Thomas and John to the area where the actresses were waiting.
His gaze swept over the three of them. Setting aside everything else, their appearances were all very fitting.
Their facial features were quite strong.
The actresses that John had selected were all decent choices.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Lyman," he began.
"Hello, Director."
The three actresses stood up in succession, politely responding.
"Well, let's do this. Prepare yourselves. We'll have individual auditions in a little while."
After speaking, he left and sat in a separate room.
A few minutes later, the first to enter was Hilary.
Lyman didn't rush her into performing. Instead, he asked a few questions.
"Have you had any experience with boxing?"
"No," the girl instinctively shook her head.
"What's your current weight?"
"125 pounds... oh, 57 kilograms."
"Are you willing to build muscle?"
"Yes."
"Gaining ten kilograms?"
"Yes, I can do that."
In the lightweight division, the weight limit was technically 61.29 kilograms. However, Lyman wanted the boxers to look like they were in the junior welterweight division. This would create a more striking appearance and improve the visual impact of their punches.
"Then, you can leave for now."
Hilary, feeling a bit puzzled, pushed open the door of the audition room.
Seeing her exit the room so quickly, the other two actresses waiting for their turn to audition had displeased expressions. They thought they had one less competitor and almost burst into laughter.
"Next."
A Firefly Films staff member announced.
Sandra Block took a few deep breaths, adjusted her mindset, and opened the door to the waiting room, striding confidently towards the audition space.
Inside the improvised audition room, Lyman, John, and Thomas were discussing the previous candidate. There was also a representative from the actors' union present, listening intently but refraining from speaking. He was here purely as an observer, with almost no authority to voice his opinion. His influence only came into play if someone was being treated unfairly; then, as someone who had paid union dues, he could step in.
"Her appearance is good, but she's a bit thin," Lyman spoke first.
"According to the union records, she has won an Oscar for Best Actress," Thomas flipped through the documents and continued, "Plus, she's willing to build muscle. The filming is still some time away, so we can give her a try."
"John, what do you think?" Lyman inquired.
"She has a foundation in acting, but she has no experience with boxing and no prior roles related to such characters. Let's take another look," as a representative of CAA, he naturally preferred to choose a CAA actress. However, he didn't heavily interfere with these decisions. He was a clever person, and Lyman had a strong personality. John's words would be as good as useless; he was being very diplomatic.
Next was Sandra Block's turn.
Lyman asked her similar questions. However, her physique was too good—certain areas were rather prominent. It didn't quite give off the impression of a boxer. It felt like those areas, which had been trained for a long time, were trying to break free from their constraints. Besides, the idea of a female boxer throwing a punch with that area sticking out seemed quite odd.
Her weight just barely met the lightweight division's requirements. She would need to gain some muscle, but compared to the previous candidate, she fell short. However, Lyman was willing to give her a chance as well.
Similarly, Ashley was in a similar situation. Their physique and appearance were all quite decent.
Lyman called the three girls together again and directly presented his requirements, "You probably guessed the theme of this movie by now. The template for the female lead is a boxer."
"There will be a two-week training period ahead. I've arranged boxing coaches and nutritionists to guide you during this time, helping you increase your weight and muscle mass."
"At that time, we'll finalize the selection."
And so, the three of them left Firefly Films in a haze of confusion. They hadn't even touched the script, let alone know what the story was about.
However, the one thing they were clear about was that there was still a competition among them. That was a standard that was directly related to the casting process.
Lyman truly valued this movie, not because it would earn a lot of money, but because he genuinely loved this kind of material.
After returning home in the evening, he started working on storyboards for "Million Dollar Baby" again.
The visual design this time was different from before due to the period setting. Lyman intended to go for a more retro look, with a strong sepia tone to the visuals.
When it came to the scene where Maggie injures her spine, the lighting and shadows would become increasingly oppressive, yet the colors would remain slightly bright, creating a contrast.
Apart from these considerations, Lyman had many other thoughts as well.
He decided to add a segment of failure to Jerry Boyd's storyline. Unlike in the original work, where everything went smoothly, it would come to a sudden halt.
This would add more layers and make the theme of "What's the use of trying?" even more weighty.
It was like giving hope, facing setbacks, striving to catch up, plunging into the abyss, recovering, and making a resolute choice.
As the night grew late and he finished the last set of scene storyboards, Lyman stretched his body and prepared to go to bed.
Goodnight.