Cathrine took a deep breath, clearing her mind of all distractions. She had performed in school plays and recitals before and often played instruments in front of family and friends. She had some acting experience, but it had been "forty years," and the pressure was immense. However, once she decided to throw herself into the role, she fully embraced it.
"Hey, can you help me get this out?" Holly Parker called to a tall girl passing by, her youthful face radiating a warm smile.
"Sure, no problem." The girl quickly pulled out Holly's yellow travel bag from the pile and asked, "Are you from California?"
"Yes, I live in Napa Valley, Northern California. Holly Parker, nice to meet you." Holly extended her hand.
Just then, a voice from the crowd called out, "Holly Parker?"
"Here!" Holly raised her hand in response.
"Abraham Cabin!" The administrator shouted through a megaphone.
"Same as me," the tall girl said immediately.
"Great, let's go." Holly high-fived the girl, grabbed her bag, and they headed towards the cabin together.
"CUT!" Charles shouted, clapping his hands lightly. He nodded approvingly, "Very good. Let's do it for real."
Cathrine let out a sigh of relief, noticing Nancy's approving glance. Nancy, too, was relieved. The little girl indeed had talent. She hadn't told Cathrine, but even the best child actors often needed five or six takes for each scene. Kids, after all, are different from adults. Precocious kids might do better, but they were a minority. For Cathrine's first movie scene to be completed in just two takes was remarkable.
"CUT!" Charles's voice rang out again. This time, he clapped his hands harder, "Excellent, let's move on to the next scene." If you looked closely, you could see a hint of a smile on his lips.
Nancy knew her husband was starting to acknowledge Cathrine's potential. Despite being a generally agreeable man, Charles was very strict when it came to filmmaking. When Nancy had first mentioned the little girl, he had agreed to the script but had been skeptical about her acting abilities. Now Cathrine was proving she could handle the role, which was good news for the whole crew.
The morning passed quickly. Cathrine, in her groove, nailed her scenes, often in a single take. However, the afternoon scenes presented a new challenge.
"Is this... the outfit I need to wear?" Cathrine asked, eyeing the plaid skirt the costume designer handed her with some dread.
"Yes, Miss Mason. Is there a problem?" The costume designer looked at the outfit, seeing nothing unusual about it.
"Oh, no, it's fine. Thank you. I'll change myself," Cathrine sighed inwardly, taking the clothes to the changing room.
Though it wasn't her first time wearing a skirt and certainly wouldn't be the last, the unsettling feeling of cold air against her legs was uncomfortable. Even sitting down, she couldn't help but squeeze her legs together, inwardly cursing her situation. It was indeed a case of being hoisted by her own petard.
"Hey, Casey, are you okay? Why do you keep frowning?" Jessica waved a hand in front of Cathrine, curious.
"Dear Jessica, if you could, please don't disturb Mr. Claude's work, okay?!" Cathrine said through gritted teeth. Before this, several people had asked her the same question—Jennifer, Sparrow, Mr. Wills, Nancy, and now Claude, the hairstylist working on her hair. But what could she say besides "I'm fine"?
Oh, don't worry about me, Nancy (or Jennifer, or Mr. Wells). I just hate wearing skirts; they make me feel awful. That would be the stupidest answer, and she'd become the biggest joke on set. So, despite her irritation, she could only offer vague reassurances.
Seeing her friend's annoyed expression, Jessica knew she was bottling up her frustration. She always did this, so it was best to let her be. Jessica stuck out her tongue and quickly ran off. Cathrine sighed with mild exasperation and then looked at herself in the mirror, transforming into someone entirely different.
If Holly Parker, who stayed with her father, had a lively and slightly wild personality, Annie James, who stayed with her mother, appeared quieter and more like a little princess. However, both characters had a competitive nature, leading to conflicts at summer camp.
Critiquing a character is easy, but portraying one is different. The afternoon scenes featuring Annie James had more room for performance compared to Holly Parker's morning scenes. Cathrine had to interact with the butler in a way that distinguished Annie from Holly, incorporating subtle actions to help the audience differentiate between the two characters.
"After getting out of the car, walk from here to here, take the items from the trunk, and then stay here. All dialogue and actions will take place here. Got it?" Charles explained to Cathrine and Alan Buck, the British actor playing Martin the butler. After they both nodded in understanding, he returned to his position to start filming.
Once in the car, Cathrine adjusted her skirt and sat down, taking deep breaths. Alan Buck, who got in with her, tried to reassure her. "No need to be nervous, Miss Mason. You did great this morning. Just keep doing what you did."
"Thank you, Mr. Buck. I just... I just..." Cathrine smiled, tightly pressing her legs together. After a moment, she came up with an excuse, "I'm just excited about acting in my own script."
"Your own script? Wait, you mean..." Alan started to ask, surprised, but the director's call to start interrupted him. He quickly got back into character.
The scene was simple: Martin the butler dropped Annie off at the summer camp and left. It relied heavily on the actors' performances to set the tone, which was a challenge for Cathrine in her first major role.
Unexpectedly, it was Buck who caused the first cut by messing up a line. Cathrine wanted to laugh but couldn't, causing her shoulders to shake. This forced Charles to call for a break.
"I apologize. It's my fault. I'll be more careful," Alan explained to Charles, then gave Cathrine a sly wink.
Cathrine was momentarily stunned but then understood. Mr. Buck had done it on purpose to lighten the mood. She felt a surge of gratitude and suddenly, the discomfort of her skirt seemed more bearable.
"Let's start again!" With the director's call, the crew resumed filming. With her nerves calmed, Cathrine performed adequately. Despite occasional mistakes, things went smoothly overall. However, Charles seemed unsatisfied, taking multiple shots from different angles before calling a break to review the footage alone.
Nancy, who had been watching her husband closely, joined him. "Is there a problem?"
Charles shook his head, gesturing at the small monitor. Nancy watched the playback, seeing Cathrine's performance. It was decent for a first attempt, but something felt off.
"Charlie, are you saying Cathrine's performance seems... seems..." Nancy hesitated, trying to find the right words.
"Like she's imitating someone, right?" Another voice finished her sentence. Nancy turned to see Cathrine standing behind them, frowning slightly, looking both frustrated and troubled. Her friend Jessica stood awkwardly beside her.
"Yes, exactly. Your performance isn't quite natural in the finer details. An occasional slip is okay, but too many will affect the whole movie," Charles said gently, though his eyes stayed on Cathrine.
The young girl nodded calmly. "I understand. Can I have five more minutes?"
With Charles' agreement, she headed towards the lake. Jessica wanted to follow, but Nancy stopped her, putting a finger to her lips. Jessica, unsure, hesitated before deciding to inform Jennifer and the others.
Meanwhile, Cathrine stood by the lake, lost in thought. Despite the beautiful afternoon sun shimmering on Arrowhead Lake, she couldn't appreciate it. Her mind was stuck on Charles' comment about her imitation. She realized she had indeed been unconsciously imitating Lindsay Lohan!
To be precise, it wasn't deliberate imitation but a subconscious reaction. Since agreeing to act in *The Parent Trap*, Cathrine had constantly thought about how to portray the role. The original movie had inevitably come to mind as a reference. Although it had been many years, she still remembered most of it. As she overthought it, elements of the original performance seeped into her own, unnoticed until Charles' strict direction pointed it out. If she hadn't been worried and eavesdropped, she wouldn't have realized this flaw at all.
"Damn it!" Cathrine covered her forehead, groaning internally. Did this mean she wasn't cut out for acting?