America: Child stars start with The Shining

As soon as Charles entered the room, he found that the guys inside seemed even more reserved than he was.

Several screenwriters and staff sat behind the table, their expressions varied, but they all turned their gazes to the woman in the center.

Charles followed their gaze and then frowned.

She was a middle-aged woman who looked to be around forty years old. She was wearing a smart black suit, her hair was neatly tied back, and there was a thick stack of actor profiles in front of her.

The other person's expression looked somewhat unfriendly.

Especially when he looked at Ciel, his scrutinizing gaze was almost undisguised.

Charles didn't mind. It's normal for directors to treat actors differently during auditions.

He showed no sign of panic despite Clara's gaze; he simply walked calmly to the center of the room, stopped, and bowed slightly to everyone.

For some reason, everyone's eyes were drawn to Charles, and they kept focusing on him.

"Hello, audition judges, I am Ciel."

Clara didn't speak immediately. She just sat there, opened the resume that belonged to Charles in front of her, glanced at it, and her expression didn't change.

After a moment, she raised her head and said in a calm tone:

"Let me introduce myself, I'm a child star from Hollywood."

Charles quickly introduced his experience, emphasizing his experience filming "The Shining" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial".

Compared to other young Broadway actors who came to audition, his resume was indeed much more impressive, which was his advantage.

In this respect, he has far surpassed his peers.

However, Clara showed no surprise after listening, simply nodding slightly before continuing:

"Charles, could you share your understanding of the play *Oliver Twist*?"

As soon as he said this, the assistant director sitting next to him raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He couldn't help but glance at Clara.

What's going on?

When Clara auditioned those young actors before, she never asked them such questions so proactively.

Usually, it's the other guys who ask the questions, and she only chimes in occasionally.

But now, as soon as Charles entered the door, Clara immediately threw out such a very difficult question.

Isn't this blatantly making things difficult for people?

Moreover, no matter how famous the other person is, he is still just a seven or eight-year-old child. Can he answer such a question?

Even adult actors on Broadway might not be able to answer this kind of question very well on the spot.

The assistant director couldn't help but subconsciously look up at Charles.

Charles paused briefly, then immediately spoke:

"I don't think that Oliver Twist is actually about a child being redeemed."

"Its true focus lies in using the protagonist Oliver's experiences to present and reflect the various problems existing within that society..."

Charles's voice was very calm, and he spoke fluently and eloquently, explaining his understanding of the work step by step, following his own train of thought.

He didn't come to the audition unprepared.

Before that, he had already finished reading the original "Oliver Twist". In addition, he insisted on reading every day, whether it was classic literature or various scripts.

Even Ovitz was very surprised by this.

It is almost beyond his imagination that a child under ten years old could read so many works and actually persevere.

Therefore, Charles had a wealth of knowledge, and this level of question was not difficult for him.

Moreover, this was already within his expectations.

When he was on Kubrick's set, he faced a barrage of questions about the script almost every day.

Kubrick required each of them to truly understand the characters and plot in the script before allowing them to film.

Compared to those questions, Clara's question just now was extremely easy.

The assistant director nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Charles's answer.

This child seems to have truly understood the original text; his answer was very accurate, with almost nothing to criticize.

Then, he glanced at Clara again.

Clara's previously indifferent gaze finally stirred slightly.

This child...

The resume and background are good; I pass the test.

They have their own understanding of the plot and their own ideas, so they passed the test.

It was only at this point that she finally let go of her prejudice against Hollywood actors and began to look at the little guy in front of her.

So, all that's left is the most crucial one to consider.

Clara nodded and continued:

"Okay, show us the song you've prepared."

Charles prepared one of Oliver's most classic songs from "Oliver Twist".

Almost every child actor who auditioned today chose this scene.

Clara had naturally heard it many times today. The children in front of her sang quite well, and some of them even had very mature skills. Their pitch, rhythm, and breath control were all flawless.

Overall, however, it all felt too repetitive to her, lacking any novelty and rather monotonous.

Just then, Charles suddenly asked:

"Can we do it without accompaniment?"

The assistant director paused for a moment, then glanced at Clara instinctively.

Clara gently raised her chin, indicating that Charles could begin.

interesting.

You should know that singing a cappella is a very risky thing.

Without background accompaniment, every flaw in the vocals will be magnified infinitely.

Even the slightest breath becomes exceptionally clear.

Conversely, if a singer is good, singing a cappella can best showcase their true skill.

It's unclear whether Ciel's action stemmed from overconfidence in his abilities or from excessive recklessness.

Charles nodded, his body slowly relaxing, and his gaze darkening.

His entire aura suddenly changed.

A few seconds later, he began to sing the first line:

"Food, glorous food!"

As soon as he spoke, Clara's gaze towards him changed slightly.

It wasn't because this line was sung so beautifully, but because Charles handled it in a completely different way than the other children.

When the young actors sang this line, they mostly made a point of showing excitement and longing.

It's as if by simply singing the word "Food" loud enough, the audience can immediately feel the poor child's fantasy of having a full meal.

But Charles did not do that.

The feeling he sang to Clara was like the instinctive reaction of a child who is starving to the extreme.

Hearing this evokes feelings of sympathy and sadness.

Clara sat up slightly, a hint of surprise showing on her face!