The little girl watched wide-eyed as Big Mouth Sister delivered her lines to Mr. Buck in a flawless British accent, as if she had been speaking that way for years, even more fluently than Catherine herself. When she got the script, she had wondered how Julia would overcome this challenge. Clearly, the challenge was non-existent now. This is what professional looks like!
"Cut!" Director Charles called out, then stood up, frowning at Catherine. "Miss Mason, what were you daydreaming about?"
"Is it my turn already?" The little girl snapped out of it, stuttering apologetically, "I... I'm sorry. I was... I was amazed by Miss Roberts' performance."
Her look of mixed guilt and awe was both amusing and exasperating, so Mr. Shyer glared at her for a long moment before waving his hand. "Take a few minutes' break and we'll start again!"
Catherine sighed with relief internally. Thankfully, they were shooting indoors. If she zoned out in the lobby later, it would be truly embarrassing. She wasn't worried about Mr. Shyer being hard on her. Her natural charm had quickly made her friends with everyone on set over the past few days. Besides, her acting skills were gradually improving. For kids, encouragement should always outweigh criticism—though her soul wasn't really that of a child.
"Cathy, this is quite memorable," Jessica teased, waving her hand in front of Catherine's face.
"Why?" Catherine blinked, puzzled.
"This is your first NG due to daydreaming," Jessica's grin turned mischievous. Then another voice joined in, "Too bad the cameraman didn't capture it. If Cathy becomes a big star, we could sell it for a lot!"
A tall girl emerged from behind Jessica, making a face at Catherine. It was Annie, the girl who had been in the first scene with her at San Bernardino National Forest a week ago. Yes, Annie Myers, Nancy's eldest daughter, who often played minor roles in her parents' films. This time was no exception. Back at Arrowhead Lake, she had comforted Catherine, thinking her father had scolded her.
"Alright, go ahead and laugh," Catherine crossed her arms, pretending to be angry. "But if I NG again, it won't be my fault."
"Oh, she's at it again," Jessica rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
"Okay, okay, we won't disturb you. Take your time getting into character and then scare Miss Roberts with your acting," Annie said seriously before laughing and running off with Jessica.
Just wait, you little brats! Catherine shook her tiny fist at their retreating backs.
"Hi, Catherine. Do you have any questions you need help with?" A voice called out. Catherine turned to see Julia Roberts smiling at her.
"Oh, not really, Miss Roberts..."
"Call me Julia."
"Ju..." Catherine scratched her head and stuck out her tongue. "If it's alright, I'd prefer to call you Big Mouth Sister."
Julia couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, whatever you like. You're not the first to call me that, and you won't be the last."
"Thank you, Big Mouth Sister. First, I'm sorry for my daydreaming earlier and holding everyone up. I was really amazed at how well you spoke with a British accent. I know you must have worked hard on it, and I was just impressed. Maybe that's the difference between professionals and amateurs," the little girl said, hands behind her back, speaking calmly and maturely.
"Hmm, it's not really a question for an actor," Julia pondered, beckoning Catherine to sit on the sofa with her. "Every actor, when they get a script, will gather relevant information. You need to understand what kind of person the character is. That's the basic requirement."
She paused, recalling something, and shrugged with a chuckle. "I remember when I took on 'Pretty Woman,' I had to go to the red-light district to observe the life of sex workers. I even got propositioned."
"Wow, that's hard to imagine," Catherine's eyes sparkled. Even in the information-rich year 2000 of her past life, such details were hard to come by.
But Julia seemed reluctant to dwell on that topic. She returned to her previous point, "But that's not enough. Everyone sees things differently. While you're figuring it out on your own, you also need to ask people around you about their views on the character and the situations. That helps deepen your understanding. Does that make sense?"
"Yes, I get it," Catherine nodded, still looking at Julia expectantly.
Julia was somewhat skeptical and decided to change her approach: "Alright, Catherine, let me ask you, do you understand your character?"
"Yes, I do," the little girl answered confidently, then added, "I wrote this script."
"Really? Then let's... Wait! Did you just say... you wrote the script?" Julia's mouth fell open in surprise, making her full lips look even more sensual.
Seeing her reaction, the little girl sighed and leaned back on the sofa, feeling aggrieved. "Oh my God, Mr. Buck asked me the same thing, and now you're asking too. Are Mr. Quaid and Miss Ryan going to ask the same when they arrive? It's written in the script credits."
"Oh, Catherine, I'm—I'm sorry. I read the script, and I thought—it was someone with the same name," Julia quickly explained.
The little girl continued to act dejected, "I knew it. No one would believe that an eleven-year-old girl could write a movie script."
"Please don't be upset, Catherine. You know, sometimes the world is just like that..." Julia wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know what to say. Even though the little girl spoke so earnestly, as she said, almost no one would believe that an eleven-year-old girl could write a qualified movie script, so Julia still felt skeptical.
But suddenly, Catherine's gloom disappeared, and she grinned, "Gotcha! Big Mouth Sister!"
Julia looked at her, both amused and exasperated, and ruffled her hair. "A lying child is not a good child!"
"I'm not lying. I really did write the script," Catherine quickly explained. "That's why Nancy invited me to play two roles."
Julia was once again taken aback, blinking before asking, "So the surprise that Alan mentioned... is this?" The little girl shrugged, tilting her head and smiling mischievously.
"Alright, it is quite a surprise. When I was your age, I was still playing with dolls," Julia sighed, seemingly a bit wistful.
"It's no big deal. It was just a burst of inspiration..." Catherine touched her little nose and decided to change the topic. "Honestly, Big Mouth Sister, I'm troubled. Director Shyer is never 100% satisfied with my performance. I think I understand my character well enough and try my best during the scenes, but there's always a bit of a gap."
"Dear, no director is ever 100% satisfied with an actor's performance," Julia shrugged, then laughed as she saw the little girl's troubled expression. She couldn't help but pinch her cheek before saying, "Alright, I was just kidding. I know what you want to ask."
She paused, seeming to organize her thoughts, then asked, "Catherine, how much acting experience do you have?"
The little girl thought for a moment before answering, "Not much. I act in plays during festivals or school celebrations, and sometimes perform music in front of family and friends."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"That's the problem, you see. Catherine, most child stars in Hollywood start doing commercials or small roles at a very young age. I remember Kirsten... Kirsten..."
"Kirsten Dunst!"
"Yes, Kirsten Dunst. She's two years younger than you, but she started doing commercials when she was three. It's these accumulated experiences that led Woody Allen to cast her in 'New York Stories.' I also started with small roles. Acting skills are largely built up through dedicated and passionate participation over time."
Though Catherine knew Julia wasn't targeting her, she still felt uncomfortable. As Julia had just said, "largely," meaning there were some people who could grasp the essence of acting in their first try, the so-called "geniuses," like Natalie Portman, who would star in 'Léon' three years later! Clearly, she wasn't one of those "geniuses."
"Catherine, don't worry. You still have time. I believe Nancy invited you to star in 'The Parent Trap' not just because you wrote the script," Julia consoled the sullen little girl. "Although I haven't acted with you yet and can't comment on your acting skills, I believe you have something special."
"Thank you, Big Mouth Sister." Catherine smiled, but though she seemed to brush it off, she was still troubled. During that week of shooting in the national park, if not for some clever tricks, who knows how long the filming would have dragged on? Maybe she wasn't cut out for acting after all?