Everyone in the room fell silent at his words.
No one dared to breathe, not knowing what Weston really meant. Was that a casual question, or did he have an opinion on that?
There was nothing Bradley hadnât seen before in the entertainment industry, not to mention the many corporate leaders who often sucked up to him.
He was deemed a cash cow, with most of his shows garnering critical acclaim and raking in the big bucks at the box office. He could guarantee them millions in returns, which certainly made him someone they had to woo and please, Weston, however, was different.
Given his status and position, there was no need for him to bow to anyone.
Bradley asked, âMr. Ford, you are here today forâ¦?â
He had a kind and warm smile on his face, in stark contrast with how he lost his temper on set earlier.
Weston looked at him. âDirector Lane, since when did you become interested in casting non professionals in your movies? I thought that with your high expectations, you would set your standards a tad higher.â
His tone was rather flat, and it was difficult to tell the hidden meaning behind his words.
Bradley knew that it was tough to try to guess what Weston meant by that, and so he decided to be frank instead, âMs. Cohen probably told this to you before; âThere was one female actress previously in the cast whom she was not happy with, as Ms. Colien felt like she did not manage to capture the essence of the supporting role. We are about to fly overseas for framing, and we must decide on the actress for this supporting role before we do that. We donât have much time left, and we couldnât find anyone suitable. Coincidentally, Ms. Steele brought Ruby over for an audition, and I found her look and aura very suitable for the role, which is why I got her to try out a scene.â He paused for a moment and explained to Weston, âMr. Ford, donât worry. Given my professional eye for detail, I wonât let a lousy actress act alongside Ms. Cohen.â
He thought that Weston must be here for Guinevere. The mere mention of Guinevereâs name, however, sent waves of irony through Stellaâs heart. Instead of responding directly to Bradleyâs explanation, Weston walked toward the cameras and said, âIâm rather curious as to how a first-timer would perform?â
Stella clenched her firsts, unable to read what was going on in his mind.
Bradley naturally wouldnât reject Westonâs request, and he replayed Stellaâs audition from earlier as he stood on one side and observed the look on Westonâs face.
He explained, âThings are not fully confirmed at this stage, I simply made Ms. Steele try out the scene.
However, her performance was much more impressive than a few other professional actresses who tried out earlier.â
Westonâs brows furrowed. âImpressive? She couldnât even get her lines right.â The sudden criticism made everyone catch their breath as they turned to look at Stella. Some of them even looked eager to enjoy what looked to be an exciting show. In a place like this, no one would bother celebrating your wins. Instead, they would look upon another personâs good fortune with envy and jealousy.
The opportunity that Stella was presented with made many green with envy.
They had been in the crew for so long, enduring dirty looks and menial tasks, before they were able to land themselves an insignificant role.
Stella, on the other hand, chanced upon such a valuable audition opportunity when she was merely passing by. Many people were in fact gleeful at Westonâs merciless remark.
They had nothing against Stella personally, just that they did not like seeing something so fortunate happening to people other than themselves. Bradley understood what Weston meant, but wanted to try fighting for the chance, âMr. Ford, may I know what the issue is?â
The man stood up and said, âLet professionals do what they are supposed to do.â
With that, he turned around to leave.
When he passed by Stella, he said in a volume that only she could hear, âCome with me.â