Whoosh!
With his skateboard tucked under his arm, Anson leapt lightly, flipping over the garden's low wall. He moved gracefully through the lounge chairs and round table, and through the side door's floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see James Franco and Chris Evans in the living room, engrossed in their video game. They were so absorbed in the game, throwing trash talk back and forth, that they didn't even notice the commotion outside.
Anson carefully opened the side door, but as soon as he pulled it open, the sharp creaking sound made him hold his breath. His whole body tensed up as he froze in place, blinking at the two guys' backs to make sure he hadn't startled them. Once certain, his actions became swift.
He yanked the door open.
Whoosh, a gust of wind rushed in.
"Surprise!"
With a sudden leap forward, Anson burst into the room, raising his hands high and dropping a bombshell, instantly throwing the place into chaos.
"Jesus Christ!"
"Shit!"
"Goddamn it!"
A string of expletives burst out as James and Chris were almost scared out of their wits. Then, a figure rolled off like a muffled ball, but the clumsy big guy couldn't roll away and instead plopped to the ground like a goblin slowly falling apart—
Who else could it be but Hayden Christensen?
His awkward and slow movements resembled a sloth more than a goblin.
Wait, or maybe a giraffe? Just imagine a giraffe falling—though we've never seen that in a nature documentary, it probably looks just like this.
A beat later, James, scrambling on all fours, finally spotted Anson. Too angry to stand, he flopped onto his back and let out a howl toward the ceiling.
"Anson, I'm going to kill you! God, you're such a freaking jerk!"
Anson looked at the chaos in front of him, utterly satisfied. Not only did he feel no guilt, but he also laughed heartily, mercilessly mocking his friends like any good friend would.
"Haha, you guys should've seen how close you were to wetting your pants."
Middle finger.
Middle finger.
Middle finger—Hayden, still lying face down on the floor, silently raised his as well.
Anson laughed even harder.
"Hey, guys, I got a new role."
Happiness, when shared, doubles; sadness, when shared, halves.
The first thing Anson wanted was to share the good news with his friends. Living under the same roof, going through the same struggles, and striving toward the same goals—they needed this kind of good news more than anyone.
A pause—
As if someone hit the pause button, all sound and movement in the room froze.
After a brief moment of processing—
Chris was the first to snap out of it. He sprang to his feet, eyes wide, and looked at Anson. "Really?" he asked, trying to contain his excitement, but his voice still quivered, betraying his enthusiasm.
Anson's smile widened. "A movie, a Disney production; and it's a major role."
Chris gasped, "One with lots of lines?"
Anson laughed heartily, "Yeah, one with lots of lines."
"Ah!" Chris cheered, throwing his hands up and sprinting toward Anson. He gave Anson a bear hug, then pounded his shoulder with a clenched fist, laughing uncontrollably, "Ah, ahhh, Anson's gonna be in a movie! Anson's gonna be in a movie!"
At this moment, James finally reacted. He vaulted over the obstacles in the living room, leaping onto the sofa and soaring into the air like a flying squirrel, arms outstretched as if ready to glide.
He aimed himself at Anson and Chris, ready to tackle them.
But to his surprise, both Anson and Chris, in perfect sync, took a step back, letting James dive headfirst into the floor, crashing down hard.
James lay on the ground, groaning, "Damn it, you two jerks."
Instead of getting up, James rolled over and looked up at Anson, "Weren't you out skateboarding? How did you suddenly land a role? Wait, when did you even audition? You didn't mention anything."
After all, Anson was still holding his skateboard.
Anson shrugged lightly, "Irresistible charm, it's a real burden."
"Get lost!"
"Gross!"
"Never thought you were that kind of guy, Anson!"
Amidst the chorus of teasing, Anson briefly recounted what had happened that afternoon. Though a few words couldn't fully capture the ups and downs of the past few hours, his friends couldn't help but marvel, their faces full of amazement.
"Wow, this really is Hollywood. I used to think these kinds of stories were just myths, but I never imagined it would actually happen," Chris exclaimed repeatedly, then gave Anson another hug.
Anson: ???
Why the hug now? Completely unprepared, he couldn't escape. Chris, the hug fanatic, was truly impossible to guard against.
Seeing Anson's look of disgust, Chris laughed out loud.
Then, Chris had a thought, "Could it be because of 'GQ'? The magazine turned out great this time. Maybe they saw Anson and thought he'd fit the role?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
James, full of skepticism, said, "No…" He paused, the thought turning over in his mind, then he became more certain, "No way. If they cast the role just based on a magazine, what does that make Hayden?"
Hayden: ??? Getting roasted even when staying silent?
Chris looked at Hayden, "Still no word from New York?"
Hayden had been back for a while, waiting to hear back after multiple auditions. His agent had told him to wait, but as the days turned into weeks, the silence felt ominous, with not a peep from the other side.
If Hayden hadn't spent a month in New York auditioning, it would all feel like a dream—he'd even start doubting if those auditions had really happened.
Anson wasn't surprised by this.
From what he had seen with Harry Smith, Natalie Portman was likely in the same boat—anxiously waiting, not for herself, but for the male lead.
"Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" had already been released last year, with Natalie in the film; now, Lucasfilm was casting for "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones." Since the male lead would be romantically involved with Natalie's character, she was naturally very concerned.
However, even Natalie hadn't heard anything yet, so how could Hayden expect news?
Hayden's expression grew conflicted.
On one hand, he tried not to get his hopes up, knowing that with no expectations, there would be no disappointment—the outcome was out of his hands now. But on the other hand, he couldn't help but hope. After all, after going through so many auditions, the spark of expectation only grew brighter.
Yet, the "Star Wars" production dragged on indecisively. Even now, they hadn't made a final decision.
It wasn't just Hayden—every actor who auditioned was left hanging, waiting for a verdict that could either be a dream come true or a crushing disappointment.
"No news…" Hayden shook his head. "Maybe they need to audition a few more actors."
James immediately picked up on something in Hayden's tone, "Wait, are there rumors going around? Are they holding more auditions? Are you sure it's for the same project?"
Chris, noticing the disappointment in Hayden's expression, interjected, "James."
But James misinterpreted Chris's caution, "That production has been so secretive, with no leaks at all. Hollywood is full of big auditions every day—who knows if the rumors about new auditions are even related to Hayden's project?"
That… actually made some sense.
Chapter 1.