A little later, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan arrived. The couple had just returned from their honeymoon, and "The Parent Trap" was their first film together post-wedding, although they weren't playing a married couple in the movie. They were both in high spirits.
As later reviews would describe, if Julia Roberts was the quintessential American girl-next-door, then Meg Ryan was the epitome of the all-American sweetheart. As soon as she arrived on set, she warmly greeted everyone, whether she knew them or not, and finally gave Nancy and Julia a hug, apologizing for being two minutes late.
Enthusiastic, bold, yet not obnoxious—this was the impression the little girl had of her. Compared to the lively and unrestrained charm of Big Mouth Sister, both were equally captivating and, of course, very sexy. After getting Meg's autograph, just like with Big Mouth Sister, Catherine started calling Meg "Sweetheart Sister."
As for Dennis Quaid, he was very composed, greeting everyone on set with a smile and great poise. Unfortunately, Catherine didn't know much about male actors except for a few very famous ones. She only knew Leonardo DiCaprio from his movies and nothing about his personal life, let alone having the in-depth understanding she had of Julia or Meg.
The reason she remembered Dennis was that he played the father in the original "The Parent Trap." Also, his marriage to Sweetheart Sister was quite prominent. Who could have predicted that the couple, once seen as the model marriage of the 90s and parents of a son, would part ways just after entering the 2000s? Both accused each other of infidelity, but who knew the real story? Regardless, Catherine still respectfully asked Dennis for his autograph, accompanied by Jessica and Annie.
After the couple finished their makeup, the trial shooting began. Dennis, a seasoned Hollywood actor, got into character after just two takes. Meg needed a couple more tries but wasn't slow either.
"I wish I could act as well as you both someday," Catherine muttered while acting with Meg.
"Alright, kiddo, you should be content. I've never played a lead role at your age!" Sweetheart Sister pinched the little girl's chubby cheeks, laughing.
"If I get to play a lead role but don't perform well, wouldn't that be a tragedy?" Catherine said, feeling frustrated. Why does everyone like pinching my cheeks?
"Listen, Catherine, I thought you were great when you acted with me earlier. Don't overthink it. Sometimes overthinking can confuse you. If you feel unsure, try being yourself," Sweetheart Sister said with a sunny smile. It was hard to imagine that once she got into character, she could instantly transform into that silly and irritating woman determined to take the father away from his children for love.
Catherine was stunned. She realized she was indeed overthinking. Always worried about not performing well, always concerned about disappointing Mr. Shyer, always afraid of mimicking the original version. So many worries! After all, it's just a try. Even if she wasn't perfect, with Sweetheart Sister and Big Mouth Sister, was there any doubt about the box office? Meg had said her performance with her was great, and Catherine felt the same. It was because she had decided that if things didn't work out, she would stop acting after "The Parent Trap," so she relaxed, and her acting became more natural.
Sometimes, things work out in unexpected ways. George saw her potential and talent but never considered her fundamentally different from other child stars. Nancy knew she was mature in her perspective but never realized she held herself to adult standards, getting stuck in a loop of overthinking. Making a movie involves constant retakes, even for those with natural talent. If someone gets every shot right on the first try, that would be abnormal. Catherine, being new to everything, didn't matter; what mattered was learning from each retake. Without the shared experiences from Julia and Meg, who knows how deep she would have gone into her loop?
However, in the upcoming scenes, she didn't have the chance to reflect and apply this newfound understanding, as the crew was set to film the pivotal scenes in the hotel, focusing on the confrontation between Elizabeth and the third party, Meredith, in the hotel bar.
In the original "The Parent Trap," this was a fairly ordinary scene with a simple plot. After swapping identities to return to their father's side, Annie learns about her father's upcoming remarriage but can't stop it. She calls for help from Hallie, who is with their mother. They conspire to bring their parents to the same hotel for a vacation. Elizabeth and Nick meet by chance at the hotel and, due to a minor incident, only exchange a brief, polite greeting. This leaves Elizabeth feeling upset and disappointed, so she goes to the hotel bar to drink. Meanwhile, Meredith, who came to the hotel with Nick, also goes to the bar. Recognizing the slightly tipsy Elizabeth as a famous fashion designer, she eagerly approaches her and even invites her to design her wedding dress.
In Catherine's redesigned version of the script, Meredith is no longer the villainous, gold-digging woman who wants to marry a millionaire to elevate her status. She genuinely loves Nick but hates children, which causes friction with Annie. She's somewhat cunning yet slightly silly. Thus, the bar scene transforms into a humorous encounter where two women discuss the men they're divorced from or about to marry, unaware they're talking about the same person. This naturally makes their conversation very engaging and amplifies the comedic effect.
Catherine put a lot of effort into this scene. The two women needed to appear somewhat silly, yet still show their love for Nick, their decisiveness, and their distinct psychological nuances. They also had to inject humor and jokes to make the audience laugh, given the context of the scene. Catherine meticulously crafted each line while writing the script, and the positive feedback she received from those who read it was very encouraging.
The comedic effect of the script could never match the live performance. After a few trial runs, and despite a few takes due to issues with lines or props, Meg and Julia finally nailed the scene. To Catherine's amateur eyes, it seemed perfect. Meg skillfully combined the dreamy anticipation of a woman talking about her boyfriend and wedding with the hidden frustration when mentioning children. Julia, on the other hand, vividly portrayed a tipsy mother, blending disappointment and hope for her divorced husband with the sadness and restraint of discovering her child's deceit—again, from Catherine's amateur perspective.
"Jessie, did you see that? That's real acting," Catherine whispered to Jessica, nudging her.
"Really? I didn't see much difference from their performances this morning," Jessica said, kneeling on a chair with her hands on the backrest, eyes fixed on the set.
Catherine rubbed her forehead, unsure how to respond. Jessica couldn't compare to someone like her who had watched countless movies. She finally shrugged, "Alright, Jessie, I can only say that you should carefully observe Miss Ryan and Miss Roberts's performances. If you can pick up on anything, I believe it would be far more useful than some acting classes."
She sighed, "It's a shame we don't have a DV. Recording this to study later would be incredibly useful. Their acting hasn't even peaked yet!"
"DV? What's that?" Jessica asked curiously.
Catherine quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had said too much. She hastily brushed it off with a few vague words, then turned Jessica's head back toward the set. "Alright, Jessie, just pay close attention."
Honestly, this scene gave Catherine more than just an acting example. Combining what the two women had told her with some information from her previous life, she could clearly see the paths chosen by these two actresses with similar personalities.
Sweetheart Sister, as she said herself, often took roles that aligned with her natural persona. Whether in "Sleepless in Seattle" or "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks, or "City of Angels" with Nicolas Cage, there was always a bit of herself in the characters.
Big Mouth Sister, however, liked to challenge herself. She could be the stepmother in the family drama "Stepmom," the big star in the romantic comedy "Notting Hill," or the determined single mother in the biographical film "Erin Brockovich."
It's hard to say which approach suits her better. Regardless, both women are the dream of men across America... Wait, is it too early to think about this? Or do I want to be every American man's dream girl?