Chapter 18
Tasha arrived at the audition venue.
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The audition was taking place in an audition room at Ironwood Studios. When Tasha got to the audition room, she saw only a dozen or so actors waiting outside, either standing or sitting, without even holding any numbers.
A dozen actors didn’t seem like much, especially considering Leonard’s fame.
All were female artists. This was normal since the show they were auditioning for was a costume drama in the palace.
The sight of Memories in the Palace finally stirred up Tasha’s distant memories.
When she first entered the entertainment industry, there was indeed a very popular palace intrigue drama called Memories in the Palace. At that time, Tasha was busy making ends meet and had no time to watch it, so she didn’t remember much about it.
At that time, another drama aired simultaneously with Memories in the Palace. Coincidentally, both dramas were costume shows competing head–to–head during the summer season.
Even more coincidentally, this other drama was named Story in the Palace.
Given how similar their names were, it wasn’t hard to suspect that Story in the Palace might have been intentionally named as such. After all, Memories in the Palace had high investment and a powerful cast; from day one of filming, they hyped up the audience’s interest. ==Not only did top stars join in, but even bit parts like imperial attendants started out as third–tier actors. Its popularity crushed all contemporary TV series.
On the other hand, as for Story in the Palace, apart from its lead actress and Leonard having some fame, even its male lead was nobody in the entertainment world. No one would not admit that ten Story in the Palaces wouldn’t match just one Memories in the Palace.
This blatant copycat behavior earned widespread ridicule online; even fans of Story in the Palace were considered inferior at that time. Fans of both shows clashed fiercely on various platforms.
The situation then resembled something akin to the Civil War.
Tasha hadn’t watched Memories in the Palace, but after having some money and spare time later on, she did catch a few episodes of Story in the Palace.
Since it had fewer episodes and a shorter runtime per episode, it suited her need to fill her limited downtime. But what really left an impression on Tasha wasn’t just its plot but also its off–screen controversies.
Not long after the broadcast of Story in the Palace, the official account of Memories in the Palace production team stepped up to accuse Story in the Palace of plagiarism and infringement.
Plagiarism, of course, was not identified based on empty claims. The official account of Memories in the Palace had taken excerpts of some dialogue and plot elements from both shows, creating numerous comparison charts and color matching palettes.
Netizens took notice once they saw what Memories in the Palace posted. Well, it looked pretty convincing. Many scenes and dialogues seemed extremely similar.
Further digging revealed that both shows actually started filming on the same day.
So, who plagiarized whom? That became quite a sharp question given so many similarities couldn’t be mere coincidence. Given how confident Memories in the Palace was going public with accusations against Story in the Palace, it was likely that
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5:09 pm Jo
Chapter 18
Story in the Palace copied.
The attitude of Story in the Palace’s team remained ambiguous–neither denying nor admitting anything–and just let things drag out, which naturally led netizens to perceive it as a sign of guilt.
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Just as rumors about plagiarism swirled around, more accusations came from Memories in the Palace. They released part of their script along with proof of creation dates–three years ago.
Memories in the Palace was a top–tier mega–production meticulously crafted by TOP Entertainment over three years. Just the script involved dozens of writers. Every word was carefully considered, every sentence meticulously crafted.
It did not need to copy some no–name production. This move was a thunderous blow, instantly convincing the wavering audience and netizens.
Netizens swarmed to the official account of Story in the Palace, demanding that the production team provide the original script’s creation time. ==As expected, the production team couldn’t produce a script from more than three years ago, not even a single draft page. There were even rumors that the entire creation to filming process took only three months.
This made it crystal clear which of the two works copied the other.
From then on, Story in the Palace was forever nailed to the pillar of plagiarism, and its fans were crushed and couldn’t hold their heads high.
Tasha, who wasn’t aware of this incident at the time, casually commented online, [Story in the Palace is pretty good,] only to be berated by netizens relentlessly.
This incident left a deep impression on Tasha. So, as soon as she saw Memories in the Palace, she immediately remembered the horror of being chased by netizens before she time–traveled.
Combined with what Angelica said on the phone that day, it seemed Leonard was going to film Story in the Palace.
Tasha felt a headache coming on.
No artist wanted to be associated with the word “plagiarism.” Story in the Palace was, at best, a subpar work without knowing the details; after recalling its future troubles, it was nothing more than a hot potato.
Anyway, since Angelica had given her the chance, Tasha had to come for a walk–through. After all, given her conditions, Leonard probably wouldn’t be interested.
Tasha sat down outside the audition room, and a girl sitting next to her came over with a beam. “You’re here for the audition too?”
Tasha nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah. Hi, I’m Tasha. And you?”
“Ember Kalidas!” the girl exclaimed, “But not Amber, E–M–B–E–R! Your name’s so cute.”
Tasha chuckled. “Is it? I don’t think so.”
Tasha’s name was originally supposed to be “Timothy.” Her parents were overly confident, believing Tasha would be a boy. They debated for months before settling on this name.
In the end, after ten months of pregnancy, Janice gave birth to an unexpected girl. ==Orson was utterly disappointed. He didn’t bother to name Ye Chu until the birth certificate registration, simply tweaking a few letters of the name Timothy meant for the boy as Tasha’s name instead.
Tasha wasn’t exactly fond of her name and had even thought about changing it to a stage name later.
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Chapter 18
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Obviously, Ember was a chatterbox. Without needing Tasha to warm up the conversation, she blurted out, “I’m here for the audition too. But don’t worry. I’m not your competition.”
“Huh?” Tasha was intrigued. “Why not?”
Ember glanced around to make sure no one was listening before whispering, “I’m not from the film department. I’m in finance.”
Tasha made no response.
Ember complained on, “I don’t even know why I’m here. I only joined the drama club to get second–class credits. Then Mr. Owens saw me and insisted I’d be perfect for a role, so here I am. What role could I possibly fit? Accountant?”
Tasha nodded sympathetically. “But you’re cute. Maybe that’s what Mr. Owens saw in you.”
“Wait, Mr. Owens? Leonard Owens!‘ she exclaimed inwardly.
Tasha had been feeling something was off. Before she time–traveled, as the screenwriter, Leonard didn’t seem to be affected much after Story in the Palace was exposed for plagiarism. ==The discussion around him was minimal, at least in her memory. For someone of his stature in the screenwriting world, that was highly unusual.
This time around, it was even weirder. Even with rushed preparations, with Leonard’s reputation, he shouldn’t have only attracted a handful of people.
It turned out Leonard wasn’t the screenwriter–he was the director.
Everything made sense now. Angelica’s helplessness, the sparse audition venue, and no one targeted Leonard as the screenwriter after Story in the Palace was exposed for plagiarism, and no one called him washed up…
Because Leonard had switched careers.
Tasha was practically bowing down to Leonard. ‘What kind of guts does it take for a renowned screenwriter to dive into directing and go head–to–head with his own senior?‘
While directors and screenwriters weren’t completely separate, they were not interchangeable either. Each could dabble in the other’s field, but shouldn’t just jump in.
To put it bluntly, a great director might also be a great screenwriter, but a great screenwriter aiming to be a professional director? That was a whole other challenge.
Moreover, Leonard not only switched from screenwriting to directing without warning but also decided to compete with his senior, a master–level director. While his senior spent three years on Memories in the Palace, Leonard rushed out Story in the Palace in just a few months to shamelessly ride the coattails.
To draw an analogy, it was like a top–tier pastry master suddenly deciding to join a cooking competition, going up against the previous champion, and competing in the champ’s specialty.
No wonder Angelica was complaining. Not cursing out loud was probably the utmost respect she could muster for her teacher.
To outsiders, Leonard was challenging himself; to insiders, he was just losing it.
Tasha was even more determined to steer clear of Story in the Palace. ‘During the audition, I’d better underperform a bit and get Leonard to cut me loose quickly.’
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