hapter 19
Chapter 19
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As Tasha and Ember talked, a few artists came out of the audition room one by one. Tasha glanced over and realized none of them looked familiar.
This audition was like a club for no–name actors.
The female artists who came out mostly had disappointing looks. Even though it was just an amateur team, not everyone would be accepted. That wasn’t surprising. Leonard had seen big stages before; he couldn’t lower his standards that easily.
It was Ember’s turn for the audition. She gestured to Tasha and went into the room.
Tasha took out her phone and continued browsing search results related to Memories in the Palace. Although the drama hadn’t started filming yet, there were already tons of promotional articles flooding all platforms.
Having seen too much garbage info, she decided to check Manuel’s Facebook account instead to check if there was anything about Memories in the Palace.
Unfortunately, Manuel’s account was basically dead. There were only a few dozen posts, all boring retweets from years ago. The most recent post was from two years ago.
Then she checked Leonard’s account–man, it was even worse than Manuel’s. Leonard’s account was completely empty; either he deleted everything or never posted in the first place.
‘Story in the Palace… Memories in the Palace… Tasha kept repeating the two names in her head. ‘The way Story in the Palace piggybacked on Memories in the Palace didn’t seem like it was just chasing views, but going crazy!
The entertainment industry could be huge or tiny, depending on how one looked at it. Generally speaking, unless it were mortal enemies or desperate nobodies who needed to piggyback on others‘ popularity to survive, it wouldn’t get this ugly.
There must be something fishy between these two dramas–or rather between Leonard and Manuel.
Too bad comedy actors weren’t popular in the entertainment industry; they were almost like a separate country within the
circle.
Before she time–traveled, Tasha never paid attention to these “outside” conflicts.
Just as Tasha was daydreaming, Ember came out with a dreamy expression, as if lost in a trance. “Oh my god! I got selected!”
Tasha resisted asking what she meant by getting selected and stood up. “You made it? That’s great news.”
Ember grabbed Tasha’s hand with a worried face. “But I can’t act!”
“Nah, don’t be humble,” Tasha chuckled. “If Mr. Owens spotted you right away in the drama club, there must be something special about you.”
Ember replied, “Back then, the drama club was filming Hamlet, and they were short on male actors. I cross–dressed as Hamlet once. I didn’t even know what I was acting. And that’s when Mr. Owens noticed me. What did he see in me?”
Tasha patted her shoulder and smiled. “Hamlet is an enthusiastic young prince. Maybe Mr. Owens needs someone to play an enthusiastic character? What did you audition for just now?”
“Maybe you’re right,” Ember recalled. “He had me hold a pumpkin and laugh foolishly. I laughed until I almost ran out of breath, and then I passed.”
The corner of Tasha’s mouth twitched as she started to scrutinize Ember’s face closely.
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Chapter 19
“What’s up?” Ember was puzzled by her gaze and felt a bit uneasy.
“Nothing,” Tasha said, patting Ember’s shoulder sympathetically. “If you don’t like it, you can try saying no. Mr. Owens wouldn’t force you to take it.”
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“Nah,” Ember grinned. “It’s 30 thousand dollars! Wow, I’ve never seen that much money before. I’m planning to quit after this one, so even if I have to play a dumb clown who just laughs, I’m not scared.”
Hearing that, Tasha didn’t stop her.
The hasty audition dragged on until the afternoon. Finally, it was Tasha’s turn.
Entering the audition room, Tasha greeted the panel and handed over her resume, then stayed quiet.
There was only one interviewer–none other than Leonard himself. This famous fiftysome screenwriter had a long, thin face, a shaved head, and a stern expression, clearly a tough nut to crack. He looked even fiercer in person than in photos.
Leonard scrutinized Tasha critically. Tasha knew he wasn’t too impressed with her looks.
Tasha wasn’t wearing makeup. After realizing Angelica’s “good opportunity” was actually a hot potato, she gave up trying to impress Leonard.
Leonard spoke up slowly. “You’re here on Angelica’s recommendation?”
“Yes,” Tasha replied calmly. “Mr. Owens.”
Leonard clearly wasn’t interested in Tasha. He casually tossed her a script. “Pick a role and do your thing.”
Tasha wasn’t disheartened by his dismissive attitude. Better to be ignored–saves time for both sides.
She flipped open the script.
She had watched Story in the Palace and vaguely remembered the plot. There was a particularly annoying villain who impersonated someone in a talent show and was eventually beaten to death by the King.
This villain only appeared in the first episode and was mocked for being a dumb plot. After all, the candidates had identification records, so impersonation was unlikely. The scene was criticized as unrealistic.
Tasha decided to go for this villain.
Flipping through the script, she found it was indeed the first episode’s script. But strangely, there was no mention of the impersonating villain.
‘What was going on? Was that scene added later?‘ Seeing Leonard’s impatience growing, Tasha quickly skimmed a few pages and picked a maid role.
“Lady,” she said in a coquettish voice, “we must be careful of that bitch!”
Leonard lifted his eyes and glanced at Tasha, then casually replied, “Martha, what do you mean?”
Tasha paused for a split second. The pause was super short, and Leonard didn’t notice it.
“As a ruler, the King’s will is unpredictable. How can we guess what he likes or dislikes?” Tasha said earnestly. “You just entered the palace…”
“Martha, you’re judging a noble with your petty mind,” Leonard interrupted impatiently. “Last spring, Concubine Evelyn
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Chapter 19
made rose cake that offended the King’s taboo and was demoted. Her dad, who was the governor of a province, was even scolded by the King in person.
“Every single bite the King takes is no small matter!” With that, Tasha looked at Leonard with concern and gave him a hesitant expression.
That was it for the performance. Next up in the script, the maid had no more lines
Tasha felt like her performance was just okay. There wasn’t much room for this role to shine. But unexpectedly, after Leonard gave her two quick glances, his expression softened.
Wait… A jolt hit Tasha’s heart. ‘No way!‘
Just as she feared, Leonard said in the next second, “Not bad. You’ve got yourself a role.”
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