"That's why you're acting in it?" Wayne shot back, clearly annoyed.
Of course, he knew Jessica, with her overly sweet looks like chocolate ice cream, wasn't fit to play a reckless bad girl. Even though in the parallel world, Jessica later let herself go, playing wild, with rumors swirling everywhere, her sweet face still didn't scream "bad girl" on screen.
But, well, Jessica was his woman now.
Besides, the leading actress of this film was the top billing. The success at the box office, aside from the director, mainly rested on the shoulders of the leading lady.
Hollywood, where profit reigns supreme, has an unwritten rule.
You can pull strings to get someone into a film, but they at least have to fit the character, and their acting can't be terrible. Otherwise, if the producer's profits are hurt, no connection or favor will help.
But Wayne still had some habits from his past life in the entertainment industry. He didn't want to hand over this success to just anyone for free.
So after some thought, he decided to let Jessica take the role. He also arranged one-on-one acting lessons for her, helping her learn how to play a bad girl based on the character's design.
As for those Hollywood "rules," what did they have to do with him?
Even though he couldn't change all of Hollywood's rules just yet, he still had control over the films he invested in.
Now, it was up to Jessica's training results over the past two weeks.
"Lights! Sound! All departments ready—"
As James Wan confirmed the camera angles and lighting intensity, the movie officially began shooting.
The first scene had Jessica, playing Teri, taking a lunch break and having a picnic with a few girls from the sorority on the lawn.
Charlize Theron, playing the sorority president, Danielle, was passionately talking about the sorority's future plans—mainly how to help the girls snag more handsome guys.
At that moment, a latecomer, "Becky," walked over with a tray of food.
Because she hadn't eaten breakfast, her lunch was a bit over-the-top, with multiple chocolate pies and a drink of hot chocolate that was loaded with calories.
But she forgot one thing—Danielle, who prided herself on being a top-tier woman, hated sweets.
Sweets were the enemy of a woman's figure.
In her eyes, women who ate too many sweets were undisciplined, lacked self-respect, and weren't high-quality.
This seemingly nonsensical scene was actually setting up a later moment where Teri refuses to eat the poisoned cupcake made by the antagonist, Lori.
Teri didn't refuse the cupcake just because she looked down on Lori. It was also because Lori had added way too much sugary frosting to cover up the taste of the poison.
Lori, who was somewhat antisocial and didn't join the sorority, didn't know this detail.
That's why her attempts to poison Teri with the cupcake failed repeatedly, forcing her to resort to other means to eliminate Teri.
However, instead of casting a normal actress to play the tardy girl, Wayne gave the role to Megan Fox.
At this point, Hollywood's political correctness wasn't as intense, so if it wasn't necessary, Wayne didn't that actors.
"Becky? What are you holding in your hand?"
On camera, as "Danielle" had been enthusiastically talking, her voice suddenly stopped, and her eyes narrowed like a hawk spotting prey, focusing on the hot chocolate in Becky's hand.
At that moment, the full presence of Theron was undeniable—her sweet appearance contrasted with the intimidating aura she projected.
"I—I didn't have breakfast, so I'm drinking hot chocolate,"
The 14-year-old Megan, whether genuinely scared or just acting, looked extremely natural and impressive. She even shivered slightly when "Danielle" spoke, her tense body reflecting her nervousness and submissiveness.
"Danielle" said nothing, just shifting her gaze from the hot chocolate to the chocolate pies on Becky's tray, and finally landing on Becky's face, her presence growing more menacing.
After three seconds of staring, "Becky" lowered her head in fear, setting down the hot chocolate and picking up her tray, preparing to throw all the "junk food" into a nearby trash can.
Though her stomach growled, and she hated wasting food, she didn't want to be ostracized by the sorority. Otherwise, she'd end up like Anna's character, Ora, and antagonist Lori—with no friends and no men.
However, because she was in such a hurry and kept her head down, she ended up bumping right into Carter, who had come to find Teri.
The tray tipped over, spilling the hot chocolate, along with the hamburger and chocolate pies, all over "Teri."
"Damn! What are you doing?!"
"Teri" screamed, instinctively trying to wipe off the mess from her hair and clothes while glaring furiously at both Becky and Carter.
"Sorry!"
"My bad!"
Becky and Carter said in unison.
Megan's "Becky" was equally scared of Teri because Teri was the sorority's star—the most beautiful, charming, and man-slaying girl. In the sorority, her status was almost equal to the president, Danielle.
Meanwhile, Wayne's Carter, who secretly had a crush on Teri, would get nervous whenever he saw her.
"I'm really sorry. This is all my fault."
Carter quickly took all the blame, subtly hinting that he was a good guy who took responsibility.
"You left your bracelet at my place last night. I thought you'd worry about losing it, so I wanted to return it to you,"
Carter said as he hurriedly pulled out the bracelet Teri had left in his dorm the night before.
"My bracelet?"
"Teri," still angry, froze, even stopping her frantic cleaning.
This seemingly ordinary bracelet was actually a birthday gift from her now-deceased mother. It held immense sentimental value.
Seeing it, her anger dissipated considerably.
But just as she was about to thank him, Danielle suddenly asked, "Teri, you know this guy? You didn't come back to the dorm last night, don't tell me you were with him?"
Hearing Danielle's mocking and disdainful tone, Teri's face instantly changed. She quickly replied, "No! I don't know him! I didn't sleep with him last night!"
As she spoke, Teri made a point of looking disgusted, since Wayne's Carter was portrayed as a typical nerdy engineering student.
Because Wayne was too handsome, the makeup artist intentionally styled his hair and clothes to make him look geeky. With thick-rimmed glasses, even though up close he still looked handsome, at first glance, he didn't meet Teri's trendy, playgirl standards.
This was also a sign that at this stage, Teri only cared about appearances and had never truly looked at Carter.
Similarly, Carter didn't fit Danielle's taste either. Her character preferred long-haired, artsy types.
However, as soon as Teri spoke, Carter hurriedly explained, "We met in an elective class. She got drunk and passed out by the side of the road last night, so I helped her—"
Their words clearly contradicted each other.
Before Carter could finish, Teri cut him off angrily, "Shut up! Come here!"
Scowling, she dragged him aside under the watchful eyes of the amused sorority girls.
The sorority's most beautiful girl had been with a nerdy guy? That was juicy news!
Even Becky looked excited.
"Listen! Don't tell anyone we spent the night together! Got it? Don't tell anyone! Not a single soul!"
Teri glanced nervously at Danielle and the others, warning him in a harsh whisper.
Carter opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated.
He wanted to tell Teri that he hadn't touched her last night—he'd just let her sleep on the spare bed in his dorm and had stayed up all night to make sure she was okay.
But seeing Teri's clear lack of interest and growing impatience, he swallowed his words.
"Well, okay. I'm really sorry about last night, and... about just now. Anyway, I'll get going."
Carter awkwardly smiled and walked away, his retreating figure almost like that of a dejected dog.
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(The chapter ends here)