After Audrey finished her introduction, Dean nodded, "Let's start the audition. Just choose a scene you've prepared."
Audrey nodded. She took a moment to gather her emotions and selected the scene where the wealthy heiress loses everything.
In that scene, the wealthy heiress's plan fails, and she loses both love and career, plummeting into the lowest point of her life. She even faces the threat of imprisonment.
When the director called for the start, the entire room fell into silence, with even breathing barely audible.
Audrey lowered her head slightly. After a few seconds, she raised her head again.
Her whole demeanor had changed, her face carrying a sense of mockery, yet there was no trace of despair. Instead, there was a deep-seated pride.
Dean was stunned, and Eric beside him was also taken aback.
They had been sitting here watching auditions for several actresses. Most of them had chosen this scene because it marked a significant turning point in the character's life. This scene was a true test of acting skills.
However, those actresses had all chosen to portray the character as resigned and unwilling.
This only indicated that they didn't fully understand the character, or at least hadn't delved deep enough. They hadn't completely immersed themselves in the role.
A heiress who had been proud her whole life couldn't possibly abandon her pride, even when left with nothing.
The entire room watched Audrey in silence, not even blinking.
It wasn't until Audrey had completed the scene and lowered her head, gradually breaking character, that the room's stillness was broken.
Audrey wasn't formally trained in acting. Even though she had done a lot of research, when she started acting, she couldn't seamlessly incorporate those techniques. So, she relied on empathetic acting.
She fully immersed herself in the character.
Later on, she found that this approach took an emotional toll, so she slowly began to integrate acting techniques.
Through gradual refinement, she developed her current acting skills.
Everyone in the room knew that the acting scene had ended, but no one spoke. All eyes remained on Audrey, who had lowered her head.
After about a dozen seconds, Audrey raised her head again, the intense aura from before completely gone.
Her expression was serene and composed.
Dean was the first to speak, asking, "What kind of roles have you played before? You didn't mention this in your self-introduction."
Audrey had actually played quite a few roles before, although they were mostly supporting characters.
But in this world of the novel, she couldn't say that. She replied, "I haven't played any roles, but I was part of the drama club in college."
Dean looked at her somewhat incredulously and murmured, "Naturally gifted? However, you did indeed incorporate a lot of techniques just now."
Audrey responded smoothly, "I took acting classes."
Dean nodded, "Good. You can leave for now. We'll notify you of the audition results within three working days."
Audrey acknowledged and then bid her farewells, leaving without even sparing another glance at Eric sitting across from her.
After she left, Dean turned to Eric beside him and said, "I think she's quite good. Her acting is solid, and her grasp of the character is accurate. It's hard to believe that she has no formal acting experience."
Eric also hadn't anticipated this. He had assumed that Audrey's adept understanding of character backgrounds in the character synopses was already impressive enough.
Unexpectedly, her portrayal was so well-executed and fitting.
Eric thought about Dean's words earlier—could she really have a natural talent for this? When did Audrey ever take acting classes? Living under the same roof...
Never mind, he shouldn't dwell on that. Given their household situation, living under the same roof didn't make them any less distant than strangers, perhaps even more distant than strangers.
After Audrey came out of the room, Anna immediately approached her. "Audrey, how do you feel?"
Audrey shook her head, her tone subdued. "I've given my best effort. The rest is up to fate."
Anna nodded and pulled out a piece of chocolate from her bag, handing it to Audrey. "I believe in you. Have a little something to eat. You didn't have breakfast today, and I was worried about your blood sugar dropping."
Audrey took the chocolate and finished it in a few bites.
Then, without lingering, the two of them left.
After they departed, the others gathered together and conversed in hushed voices.
Someone asked, "Do you know who she is? I don't think I've seen her in the industry before, but her mindset is really stable. I'm so anxious, but she seemed completely unfazed."
Others were equally skeptical. "I haven't seen her either, but she probably isn't a newcomer. After all, this is an audition for the second female lead. A completely unknown newcomer wouldn't have such an opportunity."
Someone who appeared more experienced chimed in, "That's not necessarily the case. Some directors like using newcomers, thinking they're more dynamic and malleable."