DunnWalker, the director, was visibly excited. He composed himself and asked gently, "Excuse me... are you Miss Natalie Portman?"
The young girl pursed her lips tightly and glanced at DunnWalker cautiously, but her attention was fixed on George Lucas.
Before coming here, her mother and manager had reminded her that only George Lucas was Jewish among the people present. He would definitely lend a helping hand if necessary.
As expected, George Lucas nodded encouragingly at her.
She was relieved and looked at DunnWalker with curiosity and nervousness, "I am Natalie, Director Walker."
DunnWalker stood up, nodded, and turned to Lucas, "George, I've decided to let Miss Portman play Queen Padmé Amidala. You won't refuse, will you?"
Lucas coughed. If possible, he naturally hoped to use a fellow Jewish actor, but he and DunnWalker weren't the only ones responsible for the casting. "Let's watch a performance first. If she passes, naturally everything will be fine."
DunnWalker encouraged, "Miss Portman, I believe you can do it!"
Next, an assistant handed Natalie an A4 sheet of paper with a short paragraph of lines on it.
It was also one of the more prominent scenes of Queen Padmé Amidala in the entire movie.
Natalie read it silently twice, then confidently smiled and handed the script back. "I've memorized it, gentlemen."
DunnWalker couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She was indeed a smart and studious girl. "Then let's begin."
Natalie Portman was not yet an adult, but fortunately, she had acted in a few movies. She took a deep breath and took a big step forward. "I am Padmé Amidala. This is my handmaiden, my decoy! I'm sorry, but in order to escape pursuit and siege, I had to make such a choice. Now, I ask you to believe me. Naboo is willing to offer its loyalty, gain your friendship, and exchange peace..."
After a series of lines, Natalie knelt on the ground with an "expectant" expression on her face.
But the expressions of the several important figures were somewhat complicated.
DunnWalker, who had directed two movies and witnessed the superb acting skills of Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman, couldn't bear to watch Natalie Portman's performance. It could be described as a disaster!
Where was the acting? It was clearly a high school student reciting a text!
DunnWalker coughed heavily. "Miss Portman, you can get up."
Natalie took the opportunity to stand up and smiled. "Everyone calls me Nat, Director Walker."
"Okay, Nat, your performance... was wonderful." DunnWalker couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh, especially to such a delicate and lovely face. "If nothing unexpected happens, Padmé Amidala is yours."
Natalie's eyes lit up, and she cheered, "Really, Director Walker?"
DunnWalker was afraid that the old guys would object, so he quickly confirmed, "It's true. You can go back and inform your agent to prepare to sign the contract."
After Natalie left, DunnWalker thought these old guys would criticize him severely, but unexpectedly, they actually approved of her performance.
"A very delicate girl, her performance was sincere and solid, with great potential."
"The script requires Queen Padmé Amidala to be a young girl, and there aren't many young girls in Hollywood who are both famous and scandal-free like Natalie Portman."
"I heard her agent has always been her mother? Jewish people, they are often very conservative."
...
DunnWalker didn't expect Natalie Portman to receive unanimous approval. The other girls hadn't even auditioned yet and had already lost the opportunity.
Of course, there was also a second female lead, Queen Padmé Amidala's decoy.
...
Because she had seen too much depravity among Hollywood girls, Shelley Hirschler had been Natalie's agent since she became famous, in order to prevent her daughter from being corrupted by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. She even restricted her daughter's social interactions.
Because of her role as a young girl in "Léon: The Professional", which left a deep impression on many people, Shelley Hirschler didn't want her daughter to become an object of sexual fantasy. She repeatedly rejected many blockbuster films like "Lolita" and "Romeo and Juliet" to avoid her daughter continuing to have a "Lolita" image and being disturbed by some "creepy uncles".
This domineering management style, although limiting Natalie's freedom to some extent, also made her a rare white lotus in Hollywood.
At least so far.
Seeing her daughter walk out with a smile, Shelley Hirschler eagerly asked, "How was it? Did it go well?"
"It went well, beyond imagination!" Natalie shook her head proudly, her face full of pride. "Director Walker said he would sign a contract with us as soon as possible."
"Sign a contract? What contract?" Shelley Hirschler didn't react for a moment.
Natalie pursed her lips and smiled. "Of course it's an actor's contract. I've already got the role of Queen Amidala!"
"That's impossible!"
Shelley Hirschler, who had been an agent for ten years, didn't believe such words at all. She thought it was just flattery from the big shots on set to appease her daughter.
The audition had just begun, how could they have decided on the cast? Even if they had, there was no reason to inform the actor directly; they would contact the agent first.
Seeing her mother's disbelief, Natalie said angrily, "Director Walker wouldn't lie!"
Seventeen-year-old Natalie had reached the age of first love, but her mother's strict requirements prevented her from enjoying the opportunity to fall in love like other girls her age.
Wasn't DunnWalker's behavior during the audition any different from the boys in her class who pursued her?
That was a famous Hollywood director!
Thinking of this, Natalie Portman felt happy and proud.
But she was smart and hid her feelings. She didn't want to be controlled like a puppet by her mother anymore.
But how could a young girl's thoughts be hidden from her own mother who had raised her for seventeen years?
Shelley Hirschler's expression changed slightly. "Director Walker? You mean DunnWalker?"
Natalie raised her head, a little angry. "Who else could it be?"
Seeing her daughter's expression, Shelley Hirschler became more certain of something. "Nat, during the audition, did DunnWalker... say anything special to you?"
"Mom!"
Natalie's face suddenly turned red. She tried hard to hide it, but she couldn't hide the feeling of shame and nervousness.
Shelley Hirschler sighed softly. If DunnWalker had feelings for her daughter, there wasn't much she could do to stop it. During the filming of the movie, she couldn't prevent them from interacting, could she?
"Nat, you should still focus on your studies. You're still young. It's not too late to enter Hollywood after you graduate from college and are mature enough." Shelley Hirschler said earnestly.
"Mom, I know."
Natalie was a little impatient, pouting. Suddenly, she remembered DunnWalker's flustered look during the audition, calling her "goddess" and "queen", and couldn't help but laugh.
"Like a big fool!"
...
That evening, Shelley Hirschler received a notification from the crew: Natalie Portman was officially invited to play the role of Queen Padmé Amidala.
Shelley Hirschler looked at her daughter curled up on the sofa in the hotel room, giggling and watching TV, her thoughts were complicated.