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Chapter 102: Eye-Opening Experience
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 17:57:41 +0000 UTC"Hey! Ethan! Come in!"
When Ethan arrived at the gate of the villa and rang the doorbell, Richard Gere's voice came from the intercom. The iron gate opened immediately.
Walking into the yard, Ethan felt a little strange. American parties were usually lively. Just like the one he attended at Jennifer's, music and lights were evident from the entrance, and scantily clad women could be seen everywhere.
But Richard's party this time was unusually quiet—no loud music, no colorful lights. All he could see was a neatly maintained lawn and a beige villa standing silently.
When he was greeted by Richard and entered the living room, he almost thought he had come to some sort of highbrow art appreciation event. Several men were sitting on the sofa, sipping wine while commenting on a piece of art.
"Ethan, come, take a look," Richard said, wearing a dark suit with a friendly smile. He pulled Ethan over to meet the others.
Ethan glanced around and immediately recognized a familiar face.
"Doug Liman? I've watched The Bourne Identity. It's fantastic." Surprised, Ethan extended his hand to shake with the middle-aged man with long, curly hair.
The Bourne Identity had just been released this June. Although Ethan hadn't seen it in theaters, he recalled fragments of it.
"Hello, thank you for the compliment," Doug Liman replied warmly before looking at Richard.
Richard promptly introduced, "This is Ethan, this year's MTV award winner and assistant director and cinematographer of Chicago."
"Nice to meet you, Ethan."
Through Richard's introductions, Ethan met the other men on the sofa, realizing they were either independent producers, casting directors, or art and set designers.
This puzzled him even more. What was Richard planning? Was he putting together a crew?
When they bumped into each other in the restroom, Ethan couldn't help but ask, "This is the party you were talking about?"
"Of course." Richard shrugged and patted Ethan on the shoulder with a smile. "Don't rush; the main event hasn't started yet."
"Alright." Since Richard said the party hadn't officially begun, maybe more people were still on their way. However, the phrase "main event" made Ethan think of all sorts of things.
In the meantime, Ethan stayed in the living room chatting with the seasoned Hollywood professionals, learning about the artwork they had been discussing earlier.
It was a painting in the ukiyo-e style from Japan.
The artwork used incredibly fine brushstrokes to depict men and women in intimate scenarios, exquisitely detailed but not overtly erotic.
Ethan acknowledged the artistic skill but found he couldn't quite appreciate Japanese-style works.
About twenty minutes later, Richard's phone suddenly rang.
"Oh, friends, our 'party' is about to begin," Richard said with a smile, spreading his arms wide. "Come, let's head upstairs and prepare."
"Prepare?" Ethan raised an eyebrow but followed the others upstairs into the largest room.
The room was almost empty. The floor was covered in light-colored mats resembling tatami, and there was a row of tables by the window with seven chairs behind them—just enough for the group of men.
Once inside, Richard pulled out several masks that could cover only half the face. "Gentlemen, pick one."
Ethan hadn't expected this twist. Watching the others choose their masks, he picked one at random—a monkey.
After putting it on, he chose the leftmost chair and sat down, asking, "So, what's this 'party' about?"
Doug Liman, wearing a leopard mask, explained, "It's simple. This is a casting session."
"Casting session?" From those words alone, Ethan could already sense something intriguing behind it.
Richard, now wearing a dog mask, leaned against the table and said, "That's right—a casting session. In a moment, several women will audition for the female lead in our film, and we're the crew members..."
Ethan suddenly understood. No wonder everyone here had different roles—directors, producers, art designers, cinematographers, and Richard, the actor.
"So, you're the male lead, right?" Ethan smirked.
"Exactly. I'm the male lead, so of course, I have to participate in selecting my co-star," Richard said cheerfully. "This film has a significant budget. To ensure fairness, see, there's even a camera over there. Don't worry, it won't capture us."
Ethan turned and saw Richard pointing at a classical Venus painting on the wall. With his keen eyesight, Ethan quickly spotted the camera lens hidden in the eyes of the Venus image. The lens was pointed toward the center of the room, leaving the men behind the table out of frame.
"Smart, very smart," Ethan said, applauding the clever setup. He hadn't expected Richard's party to be this elaborate.
"Of course, the actresses don't know this—or even if they do, they don't care." Richard paused before sitting in the chair next to Ethan. "So now, we're examiners. You can ask the actresses to do anything... anything as long as it's related to your work. Then, score them based on their performance."
"And what if someone scores well?" Ethan asked.
"Then Doug might give her a role."
"And if they score poorly?"
"Then they'll face a penalty."
"Got it." Ethan finally understood the true nature of this 'casting session.'
Richard hadn't exaggerated. This was indeed eye-opening for him. Before entering Hollywood, he couldn't have imagined such activities existed.
This was far subtler and more legitimate than the infamous "casting couch."
After all, this was a "casting session," wasn't it?
And this was only their level of play. Who could imagine the games played by Hollywood's top directors and stars?
With Richard's explanation complete, the group began the 'casting session.'
Knock, knock, knock!
Before long, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," the casting director said solemnly, as if this were an entirely professional audition.
A white woman in a black dress entered the room. She wore a purple butterfly mask, the wings fluttering slightly as she walked, as if ready to take flight. Her golden hair further enhanced the illusion.
"Please introduce yourself," the casting director said, maintaining a professional demeanor.
The woman nodded, placing one hand on her waist. A long, slender leg emerged from her dress, dazzlingly fair.
"My name is Amber Heard," she said in an alluring tone, her voice carrying an irresistible charm. "I come from..."
Whether her information was true or false, no one cared—or even paid attention.
However, Ethan rubbed his chin. Her figure and voice seemed oddly familiar.
Amber Heard?
Why did that name sound so familiar?
As Ethan pondered, Amber finished her introduction. The casting director fell silent, allowing the assistant director to take over.
"I need to see if your figure suits the role. Could you remove your coat?"
"Of course," Amber replied without hesitation. She reached for the ribbon at the back of her black dress and slowly pulled it loose.
With a swish, the black dress fell to the floor.
"Wow," Ethan said as the sight of her bare, flawless skin instantly reminded him of a famous actress.
Amber Heard. Yes, it was her.
He'd seen her uncut London Fields and other movies from her younger days. She was undeniably attractive, though she later lost some of her allure.
That was partly due to her boxing training and the controversy surrounding gender issues, which altered her overall vibe.
Now, however, she was at her peak—a budding flower, youthful and captivating.
But every time Ethan saw her striking poses before him, he couldn't help but think of her future husband, Johnny Depp.
Their divorce battles dragged on for years, providing countless dramatic moments, like the infamous incident that earned Amber the nickname "Texas Tornado."
So even as she posed seductively before him, Ethan felt no particular excitement.
Some things, after all, were better left untouched.
For the next ten minutes, Ethan watched as Amber endured various challenges—tests of flexibility, dancing, and singing.
But the most eye-opening tests were the acting and dialogue exercises. For the former, she had to portray the shy nervousness of a young girl experiencing something for the first time. For the latter, she demonstrated her verbal dexterity with a crystal-shaped prop.
Ethan had to admit, these Americans sure knew how to play.
When Amber finished all the tests, the group began scoring.
Ethan gave her a seven, while the others wrote down their scores. With her score in hand, Amber dressed and headed downstairs.
More scantily clad women entered after her, each offering lively and enticing performances.
Despite the sensuality of the performances, the men maintained professional facades. Even when their legs crossed to conceal themselves, their expressions remained stoic.
Ethan, however, kept his composure, likely because he'd witnessed more intense performances during his past life on set.
Eventually, the actress with the highest score and the one with the lowest were determined.
Amber Heard scored the highest and earned a role from Doug. Though the others failed, they left with contact information for potential future opportunities.
The lowest-scoring actress performed a striptease as punishment, dancing around a pole in the living room.
Despite their masks, the actresses could vaguely make out the judges' appearances at this close range. Ethan, being the youngest and most handsome, naturally drew the most attention.
While everyone enjoyed the performance, Amber approached Ethan, boldly placing his hand on her thigh.
"Got plans tonight?" she asked.
Ethan clicked his tongue in surprise. He hadn't expected her to make a move. Her smooth, silky skin felt amazing, but memories of her future drama doused any spark of interest.
Thankfully, just as Amber leaned closer, Ethan's phone rang. It was Raymond
