Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The sun had gone down in Los Angeles. On the carpeted floor of a plush, familiar bedroom, a white Labrador named Danny was licking his own feet. Up above, Jessica was sitting on the bed with a copy of The Los Angeles Times between her hands and a frown on her face. She was reading the entertainment section, and her eyes were clearly on the part that detailed Wang Yang’s personal life.
“At first, I thought she was an angel sent to me from heaven and I thanked God. ‘God, you’re so kind to me!’ I said, ‘Thank you for letting us meet.’ Every time I saw her, I felt as if everything was right with the world. But later, at some point, we became enemies. The two of us would bicker every time we met. We’d argue over the smallest of things, like where we should hang out and what we should eat. I liked to go to the movies, but she preferred the arcade…”
There was a jealous scowl on Jessica’s face as she read the article. Her lips tightened. She muttered tartly, “Thank God for sending him an angel who didn’t like to watch movies or eat at McDonald’s.” Then, she giggled savagely, shook her head, and said to herself, “Let’s see what else you have to say, lover boy.” She went on to read the article. Suddenly, she asked, “Danny, do you think that girl was pretty?” The Labrador turned his head on one side and stared at her doubtfully.
“I see, Danny. You’re not sure either, huh?” Jessica read on. Before long, she was muttering to herself again. “I wonder what kind of girl she was.” As soon as the words had come out of her mouth, she smote her head and said resignedly, “Jeez, am I going crazy?”
Suddenly, there was a buzz on her desk. Someone was calling her on her cellphone. Jessica let out a sigh, put down the papers, put on her slippers, went over to the desk, and picked up her cellphone. From the caller ID, she could see it was her agent, Madam Miranda, calling. She answered the call. “Hi, Miranda.”
No sooner had she greeted her than Miranda told her, “Jessica, I’ve just received some wonderful news from the agency. You’ve made it through the first round. You’ve been selected to audition for High School Musical.”
“Wow, really? Hah!” The news filled Jessica with rapture. Her heart leaped, and she broke into a smile. The fact that she had half-expected herself to pass the first round did not dampen her joy one bit. She went to the dressing table, with her cellphone held to her cheek, and sat down. Looking at herself in the mirror, she said excitedly, “I’ve waited so long for this opportunity! So Miranda, when’s the audition?” She had been practicing hard every day, brushing up on her acting skills, studying movies about high schools, and rehearsing a song—all in preparation for High School Musical’s audition. She could not wait to show the judges what she was made of.
Miranda, without answering her question, stated cheerily, “Jessica, I have more good news for you.”
“What is it? Wasn’t that the good news?” Jessica laughed. “What else could there be?” she said.
“Even better news.” Miranda sounded to be in good spirits. She said, “Do you remember that audition for Idle Hands over a week ago?”
“Yeah,” Jessica said. It had been her most recent movie audition. Miranda was on good terms with the director, Rodman Flender, and recommended her to try out for the leading lady. Miranda smiled and said, “I understand that Mr. Rodman will come to a decision pretty soon, and chances are good that you’ll get the part.”
Gasping and looking in the mirror, she looked strange to herself with her eyes wide and mouth agape. She straightened her face. “Really? Wow, Miranda, it seems luck has been mighty kind to me lately,” she said, smiling. She was happy, to be sure, but she dared not get her hopes up too much. It was not the first time Miranda had told her she had a “good chance” of getting the part, and every time she did, it went up in smoke.
Miranda replied in a tone more enthusiastic than hers, “Yes, you’re definitely in luck.” Jessica remembered her unanswered question and enquired again, “By the way, when’s the audition for High School Musical? And where will it be held?”
“Jessica,” Miranda said in a pacifying tone, “once you’ve become the leading lady of Idle Hands, you should forget about High School Musical.” She explained, “Idle Hands is about to be shot, and so is High School Musical. There’s a clash between their filming schedules.”
Looking at the mirror and rolling her eyes as though she was practicing for an audition, Jessica said flippantly, “Miranda, let’s not count our eggs before they hatch. I’m not the leading lady of any movie, yet. So there’s no scheduling problem for now.”
“Perhaps it’s time you start thinking about it seriously. As for Idle Hands, I’ve spoken to Mr. Flender, and he has nothing but praises for you. I really think you have a good chance of getting the part.” There was a gravity in Miranda’s voice that made Jessica think she might just be right this time.
“All right. I get you. I’ll think about it,” Jessica answered with the pretense of respect, then asked, “Miranda, could you please tell me, when and where will the audition be held?”
Miranda was left with no option but to answer her question. “It will be held the day after tomorrow, ten in the morning, at Flames Films’ headquarters.”
Satisfied that she had gotten her answer, and for fear that Miranda might press her to choose Idle Hands over High School Musical, Jessica wrapped up the conversation as fast as she could. “Oh, I know where it is. I’ll go by myself, then. I’ve got to go now. I need to get my practice in! Goodnight, Miranda,” Jessica said in one breath and ended the call with the press of a button. She wagged her head and smiled. “Scheduling problem? We’ll worry about it when we get to it,” she said to herself.
“Now, where was I?” Jessica looked in the mirror, flashed a toothy smile, perked up her face, and rehearsed softly, “Hi, I’m Jessica, pleased to meet you…”
There was a loud stamping on the stairs. Jessica, dressed to the nines, came swiftly down from her room. It was audition day. Jessica had gotten up early, freshened up, did her hair, did her makeup, and put on the outfit that she had picked out the previous night before heading downstairs.
“Good morning, Mom!” Jessica went to the dining room and called out to her mother who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. She pushed open the French window in the dining room, which led to the garden outside where the grass was green and dewdrops clung to the leaves. She stretched her arms up above her head as she squinted at the morning sun, bathing in its warm yellow light. “What a beautiful day!”
“Yes, it’s a beautiful morning, indeed,” Cathy remarked in the kitchen. She brought a few sandwiches to the dining table and asked, “Jessica, Miranda told me you’re going to audition for High School Musical today. Is that true?”
“Yeah. It’s held at Flames Films’ headquarters,” Jessica replied as she made her way to the kitchen to wash her hands. Then, she returned to the table, picked up a sandwich, and took a bite. She told Cathy, “I’ll be driving there myself. I won’t be back for lunch.” Cathy nodded with a smile and patted her daughter on the shoulder, saying, “All the best, Jessica.” Jessica gave her mother an adorable smile and said confidently, “Thanks, Mom. I will.” Then, she took another bite out of the sandwich and praised with her mouth full, “Wow, Mom, this sandwich sure is tasty!” Cathy smiled. “Thanks, you little flatterer.”
At that moment, Joshua came into the dining room. He was wearing a jersey and a tracksuit and was breathing like an engine from his morning jog. His unwashed hand was halfway reaching for a sandwich when he noticed Jessica’s immaculate attire and hairdo. He smiled and said, “Wow, looks like someone’s going on a date.”
“You’re absolutely right. I have a date with prince charming. I can hardly wait,” Jessica said, camping it up, before giving Joshua the cold shoulder. She finished her sandwich, went to wash her hands again, and said to Cathy, “Mom, I’m off.” Then, she went outside to the garage to get her car.
Joshua looked at her as she walked away and shouted after her, “Hey, do you mind if I tell Yang?”
“I don’t care!” Jessica shouted back in the distance.
Flames Films was located near the Hollywood area and was easily accessible to those who had a car. It was only around half-past nine when Jessica arrived. She was standing at the front door of the film company. As she looked at the nameplate, which read “Flames Films” and the whimsical logo that accompanied it, a strange sense of happiness came over her. “So this is Yang’s company!” she thought. “And what does this logo mean?” She tried to decipher it but to no avail. “A moth and butterfly diving into the flames. Are they seeking their doom? How can it be? There must be something else to it…”
Jessica shook her head and gave up. She went inside the building to the front desk. She smiled at the receptionist courteously, “Hi, I’m here for the High School Musical audition.”
Aurora, the receptionist, stood up, smiled, and said, “The audition’s scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Follow me. I’ll show you where the audition room is.”
Jessica followed Aurora down the corridor and through the inner sanctum of Flames Films to a bustling office, and across the bustling office to the waiting room where the audition was being held. She stood outside and saw that there were already a few beautiful, well-dressed girls sitting in chairs and waiting to be called in.
“Please wait here for a moment. The audition starts at 10:00 a.m.” said Aurora before walking back to the front desk.
“Hi,” Jessica greeted courteously to the girls. She found a chair, sat down, and took a deep breath when no one was looking. She felt an apprehension that she had not felt since the first time she’d auditioned for a movie. She looked at the girls around her. Some girls were touching up their faces on their pocket mirrors. Others were chatting with their agents who’d accompanied them to the audition. They were all stunningly pretty. It reminded her of cheerleader tryouts back in Los Angeles High School. She felt rather plain-looking next to the girls.
She looked around at her competitors once more and kept her eyes down. She clenched her fists and told herself encouragingly, “Good luck, Jessica. Be confident. You were made for this role!”
As time drew closer to the audition, more and more girls arrived. In the end, there were around twenty of them waiting outside the room. At that moment, Wang Yang, Sandy Parks, secretary Fiona Hudson, and a music instructor whom they’d hired for the occasion named Mrs. Roberts showed up at once. Wang Yang clapped his eyes on the gaggle of beauties and picked out Jessica’s face from among them. Jessica smiled at him, but it was not appropriate for him to show her undue attention. He acknowledged her with a glance and said to all the girls, “All right girls, break a leg!”
“I will!””Let’s get started!” the girls answered cheerily. Wang Yang seemed to have caused quite a stir among them. Many were whistling at him. One girl even stood up and yelled, “Yang, I love Paranormal Activity! You’re a genius!” Wang Yang was about to enter the waiting room when he turned around and said casually, “Thanks, but don’t expect any brownie points.” Everybody laughed. The girl smiled good-humoredly and sat down.
“Thank you…” Jessica muttered under her breath as the door closed behind Wang Yang. She was now feeling less nervous due to his encouragement.
The waiting room looked different that day. A long table had been added just for the audition. The judges sat down along the long table. Wang Yang sat down too. On the side a little way beyond the long table, there was a black, metal stand, and on top, there was a black, broadcast camera that the company had rented. It would be used to record the audition.
“Mrs. Roberts, thanks for coming today.” Wang Yang reached his hand out behind the long table to shake Mrs. Roberts’ hand again. Mrs. Roberts was a middle-aged Caucasian woman who worked as a music instructor at a recording studio in Los Angeles. Her job that day was to evaluate the female candidates’ voices and musical talents. Seeing as it was an audition for a movie and not a search for America’s next great singer, the bar was set pretty low. As long as the girls did not sing off-pitch too often, they would be fine.
Mrs. Roberts was an amiable woman with a passion for talk. She said jokingly, “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Wang. I’ll find you a Madonna by the end of the day.” Wang Yang replied smilingly as he arranged the files on the table, “I don’t want Madonna. I want Audrey Hepburn.”
After a while, it was almost 10:00 a.m. Sandy Parks gave Wang Yang the cue. Wang Yang nodded. He picked up the list of candidates for the day and counted the names. There were 30 of them. Somewhere, hidden among these 30 girls, was his Gabriella. He skimmed over the girls’ names, deciding who he should call in first. He would not let Jessica go first because he knew it would be too daunting for her.
“Let’s start off with Jennifer Love Hewitt, shall we?” Wang Yang told the secretary Fiona Hudson.
“Sure,” said Fiona before going outside to bring Jennifer Love Hewitt in.
There was a vacant expression on his face. It struck him that he had just given Jessica’s greatest competitor the accursed privilege of going first, and he wondered if he had done it out of prejudice.
Soon the door swung open, and in walked a girl—Jennifer. She had dark, straight hair that draped down to her shoulders and a body that filled out her attire nicely. She was hot. She flashed her winning smile at Wang Yang and the judges and introduced herself, “Hi everyone. My name is Jennifer Love Hewitt. It’s a pleasure to be here today.”
Wang Yang sized her up for the camera. Apart from her nose, which he thought was too tall, she was perfect. He began the audition by asking, “Hello, Ms. Hewitt. According to your bio, you’ve learned how to dance since you were little. Is that correct?”
Jennifer nodded confidently. “Yes. I joined a theater group when I was five. That’s where I first learned how to sing and dance…”
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside the waiting room, the girls were waiting patiently. Jessica’s head was full of echoes. She played the audition out in her mind and pondered what acting prompts the judges might spring on her. Suddenly, someone tapped her on her shoulder. She twisted her head from the reflex and saw a girl smiling at her. “Hi, it’s great to see you. We’ve met before, at the audition for Idle Hands. Remember?”
Jessica looked at her carefully, trying to put a name to her face. And then it hit her. “Oh, I remember you! Yes,” she cried. They had locked eyes with each other during the audition for Idle Hands, but they had never spoken, as, at the time, they’d been sitting far apart. The girl, standing behind her, reached out for a handshake with a smile. “Hi, I’m Eliza Dushku,” she said.
“Jessica Alba,” Jessica shook her hand and said politely, “Pleased to meet you.” Eliza responded with a smile, “Likewise.”
The two talked for a while. At some unnoticed moment, the air was filled with music and singing that came faintly from the waiting room. The corridor fell silent as the girls stopped to listen—not out of reverence, but out of curiosity as to what type of song they would be required to sing when it came to their turn. Jessica’s heart sank as she listened to the singing, which, even through the wall, sounded rich and melodious. She knew she would never be able to sing with such professionalism.
“What’s the matter?” Noticing her troubled expression, Eliza asked, “Jessica, are you afraid of singing?”
Jessica wagged her head and declared, “No, I’m not afraid. I’m just… a little nervous.
Eliza patted her on her shoulder and consoled her with a smile, “Relax, girl. It’ll be all right! It’s funny, though. When I saw you the other day at the Idle Hands audition, you were so calm. You were sitting by yourself, cool as a cucumber.”
Idle Hands? Jessica smiled and shook her head slowly. That was different. She’d only gone to the audition for laughs because Miranda had told her to. But today, her dreams hung in the balance. She had been practicing tirelessly in hopes that she would get the part. She had never wanted anything more in her entire life. Suddenly, she remembered the issue of scheduling that Miranda had told her. She looked curiously at Eliza Dushku, who, like herself, was auditioning for both Idle Hands and High School Musical, and asked, “Eliza, if you were selected for both Idle Hands and High School Musical, which one would you choose?”
“Selected for both? Wow, I’ve never thought about that,” Eliza sighed, dreamily. Jessica instantly felt the fool to have mentioned that. It made her sound as if she herself were gunning for both the parts. But in truth, Eliza took no offense. She thought for a minute and said sincerely, “If I really were that lucky, I suppose I’d choose… High School Musical!”
Eliza’s answer surprised Jessica. Idle Hands was a 30-million-dollar movie. It was directed by Rodman Flender, whose filmmaking prowess had been proven time and time again. Meanwhile, High School Musical only had a budget of five million dollars and was Wang Yang’s first attempt at shooting on film. Why on Earth would Eliza choose High School Musical? Curious, Jessica asked, “Why?”
Eliza shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know, either. Some people say High School Musical is going to be a flop, yet here we are auditioning for it. I guess that’s why.” Smiling slyly with her eyebrows raised, she added, “Did you know, Paranormal Activity made 160 million dollars in box offices in North America alone? I think Yang’s a genius. His second movie should be a hit as well. Besides, I just don’t get Idle Hands and the whole horror-comedy schtick. I mean, are they trying to make the audience scream or laugh? I’m still young. I can afford to take risks. It’s not the end of the road for me if it fails. And who knows? This might just be my big break.”
“You make a fair point…” Jessica nodded. She did not want to think about it anymore.
Just then, Jennifer came out of the audition room looking like a million dollars. From her expression, it was evident that her audition went more than smoothly. Later, Fiona Hudson, the secretary, came out and called the next girl in for the audition. The girls went in and came out, one after another—some hanging their heads in shame, others skipping out jubilantly. Jessica noticed that those in the former group had horrible voices while those in the latter group had beautiful voices.
Next, it was Eliza Dushku’s turn to audition. She entered the room. After a while, she came out smiling from ear to ear and over the moon. She bowed her head next to Jessica, and, barely able to contain to her enthusiasm, told her in hushed voices, “Wow, Wang Yang’s smile is so dreamy! I wish I could go out with him.” Jessica was twirling her hair around her fingers unconsciously. She smiled and said, “Is that so…” Eliza nodded animatedly, beaming. “I have a good feeling about this audition. Break a leg, Jessica,” she said.
“I will!” Jessica looked toward the audition room and felt a lump in her throat. She took a deep breath.
Eliza Dushku’s intuition was spot on, for Wang Yang was indeed impressed by her performance. Her pretty face and smoking hot body earned her an A in the looks department. Her acting skills were adequate and deserved a solid B+. Her dancing was an A+; in fact, many years later, she would star in Bring It On. But her singing was, in Mrs. Robert’s opinion, a B. Of course, she had other flaws, too. Although her smile was mesmerizing, it was a tad too sexy for the judges; they wanted something with an innocent quality to it. For that, she got a B in charisma.
Wang Yang checked the name list in his hand. They were halfway through the candidates and making good time. It was late enough into the audition that the candidates’ anxiety had toned down, but not so late that they were overwhelmed by the dread of waiting. He turned to secretary Fiona Hudson and said to her, “Fiona, please send Jessica Alba in for the audition.”
“Certainly.” Fiona Hudson came out of the audition room and called out to the girls, “Ms. Jessica Alba.” Jessica rose from her chair and said, “Is it my turn now?” Fiona Hudson nodded and replied, “Yes, it’s your turn to audition.”
Jessica wiggled her body around, making sure her clothes fit properly, patting off any wrinkle or dust, and running her fingers delicately across her auburn hair. She went into the audition room. Once inside, Fiona closed the door behind her, and Jessica walked to the table where Wang Yang and his panel of judges sat. She first greeted Wang Yang with her eyes and then the judges with her most brilliant smile. “Hi, everyone. I’m Jessica Alba.”
“Hi, Jessica.” Wang Yang smiled at her from across the long table. He could see that Jessica was still a little nervous, so he decided to take the edge off with small talk. “Jessica, please have a seat. How are you feeling? How do you like it here?”
Jessica sat down in the leather chair. She nodded and answered, “I like it here. It’s pretty convenient to get around.”
Wang Yang was wracking his brain trying to get her to loosen up. He looked around, and suddenly, an idea came to him. Pointing to the wall where the company logo hung, he asked with a grin, “Do you see that logo?”
Jessica looked at the spot where his hand indicated and said, “Yep.”
Wang Yang held his hand to his mouth and said, as though telling a secret, “That’s my handiwork. When I showed the original version to our designer, Ms. Lisa Gero, she said, ‘What’s this? Two penguins and a crown?'” With that, he pulled a disappointed, resigned expression.
Wang Yang’s antics made Jessica crack up in laughter. Feeling much better already, she said cheerily, “You know, that logo is kind of cute.”
Sandy Parks and Mrs. Roberts gazed from face to face and found between them a shared suspicion. They’d had several nervous ones throughout the audition, yet the young director did not go to such lengths to make any one of them feel at home.
Seeing that Jessica had finally relaxed, Wang Yang got down to business. He stood up and said, “All right, Jessica, let’s begin the audition…”
Jessica rose from her chair too. “Sure.” She nodded.
Wang Yang went up to the broadcast camera that stood beside the long table and angled it at Jessica, who was just a few feet away, bringing her image into focus. And there Jessica was in the viewfinder, standing splendidly in the middle of the audition room in her youthful outfit, looking like a star. The camera loved her. Wang Yang put his face to the viewfinder and it covered the top half of his face like a black Mardi Gras mask with his smiling mouth showing underneath. “Jessica, give me a side pose.” Jessica obliged and turned the side of her body to the camera. Then, he said, “Okay. Now, do the right side. Good. Let’s see that 45 degrees. Very good. Now turn around… Good. Look at the camera and smile.”
Jessica looked straight at the camera. Smiling an innocent-looking smile, she cried, “Hi!”
“Wow! Nice.” Wang Yang could not help from praising. Jessica’s smile was truly captivating. Everything about her—from the way she looked, to the way she moved, to the way she spoke—screamed “Gabriella”. Without a shadow of a doubt, she had surpassed even the original actress, Vanessa Hudgens. In terms of looks and charisma, she received an unequivocal A+. She was the best contender in the audition so far.
Wang Yang seemed so genuinely pleased by Jessica’s performance that Jessica’s anxieties vanished. And at that moment, she felt beautiful.