American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 42 The New Inmates Have Many Questions

The hierarchy in Hollywood is very strict.

Only the investors, producers, directors, screenwriters, and irreplaceable lead actors have a complete understanding of a project before filming begins.

That's right. In non-adaptation projects, many lead actors don't actually know what the project is like before joining the crew. They usually only know the type of story, the general plot, and which characters in other movies their character is similar to.

When even the main actors in a project can be divided into different levels, the supporting actors, who are almost like extras, don't even know the name of the project before joining the crew. Or rather, even if they join the crew, the name of the project they know is fake.

So, when the little ones who appeared at this moment only knew that they were participating in a Warner Bros. project...

As soon as they joined the crew, they spotted Isabella Heywood.

"Oh—Hermione! Mom, she really is Hermione!!"

"I can't believe I saw Hermione here?! Oh my god!!!"

"Look! Mom!! Hermione's smiling at me!! She's smiling at me!!!"

"Oh—Hermione! Isabella!! I love you!! I love you so much!! I'm your fan!!"

"..."

The scene was already chaotic before the children had even completely gotten off the bus.

Those bouncing figures represent excitement, and even though their parents are with them, their guardians had already learned beforehand that they should keep a close eye on their children after joining the crew to prevent them from causing trouble.

However, the bond of blood ties seems insufficient at this moment.

All the children present—every single one—were as excited as if they had been possessed by Nezha, the number one traitor in Heaven, wanting to get close to Isabella and have a close encounter with the goddess they had admired for years and who had amazed the world on screen.

The scene resembled a zombie apocalypse… Everyone had anticipated it. But even though everyone was prepared, the sudden commotion still made Chris Columbus shake his head helplessly, “Isa…” he softly called the little girl’s name.

"Ok?"

The little girl standing on the steps was waiting for him to announce the procedure.

"You have so many fans."

Columbus exclaimed, "Why do I feel like the whole world is your fan?"

"hahahaha~~~"

Isabella laughed.

He narrowed his eyes like a little fox.

"director."

"Ok?"

"That's the charm of Harry Potter, isn't it?"

Isabella now boasts a whopping 60 billion fans!

Because she played Hermione Granger!

It's that simple!
The little girl's smugness made Columbus hum twice, then he gestured to his right-hand man, Barnason, to raise the horn to direct traffic. At Barnason's shouts, all the supporting actors got out of the car, and then, guided by the staff, each little one had a close encounter with Isabella—

"Hello, I'm Isabella Heywood, welcome to the cast of Little Miss Sunshine."

Isabella smiled and extended her right hand to a chubby little boy.

“Oh—I’m Bertram Sanders! Isa! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The chubby boy responded shakily, his hands shaking so badly it looked like he had Parkinson's.

Isabella didn't seem to mind and continued, "I hope we can have a pleasant working relationship in the future."

"Definitely! We will definitely have a pleasant cooperation!"

The chubby boy was incredibly excited, "I...I absolutely love your portrayal of Hermione! So, could you give me an autograph?"

"of course."

Isabella smiled and nodded, taking the marker and photo prepared in advance from the staff. Under their gaze, she drew a symbol and then—"Oh—oh—oh—" The chubby boy's legs went weak as he received the autographed photo.

The little chubby boy's disappointing appearance made his mother's eyes go black.

While supporting her son, she also apologized to Isabella and the other crew members.

Isabella smiled and shook her head to indicate that she was fine, while her assistant, who was standing by, quickly led them to a side to rest.

While waiting for the next little radish to appear...

"Isa!!! I love you!!!"

"..."

In accordance with Hollywood's usual practice, lead actors generally do not meet with extras unless they are filming.

The allure of power, huh?

To put it bluntly, if there's any overstepping of authority in a film crew, a bunch of people will have to leave. What's the point of being on set if you can't even manage a situation? If you're not capable enough, don't be in this industry!

Of course, the above are just general cases; the special case is the children's film crew.

If the main character in a children's project is a superstar, then if everyone isn't allowed to get to know them before filming, the entire shoot will be a disaster. The children's uncontrollable emotions are a minor issue; the major problem is that the production crew is stuck and unable to start filming.

That's why the savvy Columbus arranged a fan meeting for Isabella before the start of "The Voice of China." After handshakes and greetings, the bob haircut appeared at the end.

Perhaps he was scolded by his parents?
The first sound after Isabella was her shout.

She was very restrained when shaking hands with Isabella.

"Hello Isa, my name is Margot Robbie."

“I’m also a fan of yours. I love your portrayal of Hermione Granger.”

"Yes, yes, yes... I hope we can have a pleasant working relationship..."

"Oh Oh Oh—thank you for the autographed photo—thank you so much—"

The entire process takes less than thirty seconds.

That's incredibly fast compared to the average minute for everyone else.

This surprised Isabella.

This also piqued Catherine's curiosity...

"Isa, why do I feel like that girl is being a little cold towards you?"

After finishing the meet-and-greet and surprising the children in the group, Isabella was finally able to rest.

On her way back to her dorm, Catherine reflected on what had just happened.

Overall, she was satisfied; she loved how her younger sister shone.

But the ending left her with some regret, because the screams couldn't be sustained.

“Oh, Keisha, that’s not called indifference.”

Before Isabella could reply, Vivian shook her head and said with a smile, "I think it's just the restraint that comes after a pleasant surprise."

"The girl was overjoyed when she saw Isa, but because she was at the end of the line, she couldn't reach Isa immediately. So, while waiting to shake hands, she was left to wait for time to pass."

"This baptism will gradually calm her emotions and make her retract her feelings for Isa."

"It exists safely within the body, waiting for the next eruption."

"At the same time, this accumulation will make the next outbreak even more dazzling."

"..."

Catherine gave her mother a surprised look.

She thought her mother's description of the joy of fans was so poetic!

'Accept the test of time? Slowly withdraw your feelings? And then wait for the next outburst?'

'Oh—it makes it sound like you've been pursued before!'

'Uh...no...Mom was indeed pursued before...'

'So it was based on personal experience!'

"Sorry to bother you!"

In less than five seconds, an entire century had passed in Catherine's eyes.

Vivian was puzzled by that strange look in her eyes. "Keisha, why are you looking at me like that?"

But the next second, she opened her arms and hugged both her daughters tightly. "Oh, Keisha, there's no need to worry about so many things. Look at Isha, your sister doesn't care about these things, right, Isha?"

"Ah."

The little girl smiled and nodded.

Yes, why does Harley Quinn's mood fluctuate so drastically?
Isabella found this strange but didn't care.

Because at this moment she has only one goal, which is to make a good movie.

After multiple rounds of revisions, "The Voice" is now a completely new work. When Isabella could not find its anchor in its past life, all the production was about creating a new life.

This is a very fulfilling thing.

And if we can do it well?

She believes that the joy she will experience then will be even greater than the exhilaration she feels now when embracing worship.

Now that Isabella had proactively embraced her career, after completing her work on Columbus's arrangements, she stopped worrying about the minor details of the film crew. Instead, she diligently followed her vocal coach's instructions, listened to Columbus and Clover's creative ideas for "Azkaban," and practiced the piano and watched movies in her spare time...

Of course, this doesn't mean she was unaware of what was happening in the group.

Catherine follows Barnason around every day. Perhaps it's because she doesn't have to go to school on time? Maybe she can sleep in every day? Or maybe the food on set is better? This girl has recently grown to 5 feet 7 inches, about 1.7 meters tall. Standing next to Barnason, she looks more like an executive producer than one, so, knowing everything, she tells Isabella every day—

"Isa, the kids went to try on their costumes this afternoon. Raymond Hughes's costumes look pretty good..."

"Isa, they officially went to their choir vocal lessons this morning. I heard everyone is quite good at learning. Oh, by the way, the best one is supposedly Margot Robbie, because she has a solid foundation."

"Also, I only just realized that Australian circus is a combination of drama, dance, and acrobatics..."

Hey ~
Having a repeating girl is so great!
The pre-production preparations went very smoothly, which put Isabella at ease. After the young actors gradually got used to life on set, it was July 24th.

Although filming is still a few days away, Anthony Hopkins has already joined the cast.

Then, the old man caused quite a stir on set.

Upon discovering that Isabella was among those greeting him, he smiled and removed his sun cap, giving Isabella a gentlemanly bow. The natural act of bowing startled Isabella so much that she jumped three feet high.

It shot into the sky in a flash!
The sight of him trying to avoid it made everyone at the scene burst into laughter.

The old man was heartbroken. "Oh, Isa, my princess, why did you refuse my gift?"

Isabella's pretty face darkened. "Sir Hopkins! Do you want my mother to beat me up??"

The old man not only had a title, but also medals!

These things might be just symbols in other countries, but in Britain, and even within the Commonwealth, they have real power and genuine royal protection. For example, banks have to change the records of people with titles, adding their titles to their names. Such gifts are not to be accepted casually in Britain.

If the royal family finds out, they'll be in big trouble.

Of course, if the old lady doesn't care, then it doesn't matter.

Seeing that the little girl was getting anxious, the old man stopped making a fuss. Not only that, he also happily passed the buck—

“Oh, Isa, it was Sir Smith who asked me to respect you.”

"So, if you have any questions, you should go to her."

She said you are one of her favorite students.

"Sir Smith was very kind to me, and I respected her greatly."

Previously, Maggie Smith and Isabella said that they met Anthony Hopkins because of Lawrence Oliver, as Hopkins' acting career began with playing Oliver's understudy.

This news is true.

However, she did not say that Hopkins was able to get the lead role because of her recommendation.

In 1967, Oliver suffered from appendicitis and underwent surgery, requiring him to rest.

Because he had many roles to play at the time and someone had to take over, Maggie Smith suggested that Hopkins give it a try. Oliver accepted, and Hopkins then got his first center stage performance.

Indeed, Hopkins seized the opportunity through his own abilities.

But the theater was packed, and countless eyes were fixed on the center position. In the end, only one could go on stage.

Furthermore, Hopkins was already thirty years old at the time.

He's been playing minor roles for seven years now.

If you can't become a star, then you won't have a chance.

So……

Maggie Smith said she really likes Isabella?
Oh——

Isn't Isabella my sister's granddaughter?
Isabella was stunned by the story. After confirming that the old man's words were true, she immediately raised her head and looked around arrogantly, like a little rascal with a level-five weeding certificate.

Who just laughed?

She asked with a stern face.

"Pfft..."

Executive producer Barnason couldn't resist.

This sight made Isabella's eyes widen. "Hannibal! Kill him for me!"

“hahahahaha…”

The little girl's attempt to forcibly erase her dark history, relying on someone's backing, amused everyone.

After keeping a straight face for a while...

Isabella could no longer keep up the act.

She glared at the troublemakers with a smile, then welcomed the old man's arrival.

Perhaps it's because the old man is such a big name? Or maybe the others wanted to familiarize themselves with the group beforehand? With the arrival of the old man, the remaining four people also joined the group one after another. The second one to arrive was Keira Knightley.

This guy's outfit when he joined the crew was very trendy—

A sun hat, a pair of sunglasses, a tank top, hot pants, and sneakers.

She showed off her 'hot' figure to the fullest.

Uh, she has no breasts.

But that doesn't matter; at this moment, she looks like she's on vacation.

Not only that, this guy's behavior is also very unique—

When Isabella spoke to her, her words and tone were very polite.

There was a sense of unfamiliarity between us.

At first, Isabella didn't think anything was wrong.

Because everyone was not familiar with her, and she wasn't a green-haired Franklin, she couldn't make everyone like her.

However, when Knightley met Hopkins, her attitude immediately changed completely.

Isabella's eyes twitched at the sight of that adoring gaze.

Isabella admitted that Hopkins was indeed better than her.

But isn't the current "The Voice of China" her production team?
So, you, Knightley, are giving me the cold shoulder even when you're laughing out loud?
Are you OK?

Isabella felt unwell at that time.

She even went out of her way to welcome Knightley; wasn't that just like offering a warm welcome to someone who didn't reciprocate?
But after Hopkins dismissed Knightley, Isabella heard another secret from the old man—

"Angry?"

"No."

"Oh, that's just how Kayla is, don't mind her."

"Ok?"

"She doesn't like commercial films; she prefers movies that depict the collision of souls..."

Keira Knightley is an artistic young woman.

She loves Shakespeare's poetry, Jane Austen's *Pride and Prejudice*, and Victor Hugo's *Les Misérables*. Her acting in commercial films, or rather, movies, was actually her parents' and her agency's idea.

She actually wanted to act in plays.

therefore……

Isabella Leong starred in Harry Potter?
She's just a child!
This thing seemed rather childish to Knightley!
This fact made Isabella blink.

So it turns out she's a problem girl!

She was relieved.

Since she was a literary youth, she decided not to hold it against him.

Moreover, as the old knight unraveled the mystery, Isabella remembered something else.

In her past life, Keira Knightley apparently landed the role in Pirates of the Caribbean by being late for the interview.

At the time, the media reported that she had won over the examiners with her talent.

But now it seems...

Having good parents really does allow you to do whatever you want...

Shortly after Keira Knightley joined the cast, Jude Law and his wife Sadie Frost also joined the cast.

Isabella felt comfortable talking to them. Jude Law was a charming gentleman in her eyes, and Sadie Frost had an artistic air about him.

Uh……

Isabella admitted that the above feelings might be related to Knightley making her uncomfortable.

There's no harm without comparison.

But after welcoming them into the group, the old gentleman suddenly appeared next to Isabella and told her to keep her distance from the two men, "Isabella, don't get too close to them."

"what?"

“Jude’s private life is very dirty; he loves to play around. If you get close to him, you’ll be corrupted. Sir Smith won’t let me off the hook. And Sadie is even worse than him. She’s religious, but not to God; she believes in…”

The old gentleman winked at Isabella.

"evil?"

Isabella felt she understood the old man's implication.

"Ah."

Hopkins nodded.

Jude Law is a notorious playboy.

How to describe it...

He changes girlfriends even faster than Leonardo DiCaprio.

And it doesn't discriminate between meat and vegetables.

The reason he married Sadie Frost was simply because Frost had connections.

Jude Law was a mistress who rose to power.

He knew Frost was married when he was pursuing him.

Furthermore, it was he who encouraged Frost to divorce his wife and marry him.

Frost's acceptance of this situation was related to her family.

Her father was into psychedelic art and lived a bohemian, nomadic life. She had more than a dozen siblings. So, one day, a handsome guy seven years younger than her started pursuing her.

Wow~
Why would she refuse?
Not only that, she had a godfather who was a god.

Very open-minded.

Since both of them are playful and adventurous, that's why they came to "The Voice of China".

Yes, these two are already preparing for a divorce.

All that's missing is an opportunity.

The antagonistic couples on "The Voice of China" provided the opportunity they were looking for.

After the performance, they argue in front of the media, saying they've been elevated by art, and then they can go their separate ways.

Isabella was speechless at the jumbled stories.

At that moment, she really wanted to say that the Harry Potter crew was just too normal.

No wonder J.K. Rowling, a mother herself, personally oversaw the formation of the production team.

Compared to Harry Potter, other film crews are like a bunch of monsters and demons.

At the same time, she was also somewhat relieved that Maggie Smith treated her very well.

With Hopkins standing right next to me...

What evil thing dares to approach?
Of course, Columbus could play the same role; none of these people dared to offend Spielberg. But in Britain, the old Londoners, under the Union Jack, were certainly faster at handling matters than the Americans.

The day after Jude Law and his wife arrived, Christian Bale also joined the crew.

Like the old knight, this man expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Isabella's welcoming gesture.

This is not only because his father and stepmother are not ordinary people, and he knows who he can and cannot mess with, but also because he has received guidance from Spielberg and studied acting with Judi Dench.

We're... one of our own, right?
Well, before seeing through these people's true colors, Isabella dared not trust anyone.

With all five family members present, the film crew could actually begin shooting.

But Columbus did not do that; instead, he organized a script reading for everyone.

The goal is also very simple:
1. It helps everyone get into character. When shooting a road movie, if the lead actor can't get into character, the director won't be able to show the scenes he wants.

Of course, the main purpose was to help Isabella get into the swing of things.

Columbus knew that Isabella had a habit of rehearsing, so everyone went through the script with her.

cough--

Coach Yi also has some privileges.

2. That's to see if everyone has any opinions on their own portrayal in the script.

If so, the screenwriter is right here, ready to make changes at any time.

The creative team spent three days working together.

As the discussion ended, the one who benefited the most was not Isabella, but Knightley.

Upon discovering that the character she was playing was actually a girl pursuing art, who was defeated by reality and returned to tranquility, but then, inspired by her younger sister, rallied and chased the sun again, she was immediately overjoyed—

"Oh—Isa—this is the notebook you wrote?"

"Uh... I guess so..."

"Wow! This is amazing! I love this character!"

"..."

This change was somewhat unbearable for Isabella.

But Isabella had no interest in knowing what kind of person Keira Knightley really was.

As long as the person can play the role well, she can do whatever she wants.

After the exchange, everyone rested for a day, and then August 1st arrived—

"Now I hereby announce that filming for 'Little Miss Sunshine (pseudonym)' has officially begun!"

Coach Yi went up on stage to give instructions.

She announced the start of filming!

Her project...
(* ^ ▽ ^ *)
(End of this chapter)