System in Hollywood

As if to confirm his words, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a text from Martina.

"Sorry, dear. My performance at the audition was awful. Maybe I should just let someone else take the role. I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'll work harder and improve my acting skills."

Hannah curiously leaned over to glance at the message and immediately rolled her eyes.

Obviously, even though Martina was younger than Annie, her emotional intelligence was much higher.

"Sh*t! Are all these young girls so smart and cunning now?" Hannah muttered under her breath.

Wayne, seeing how considerate Martina was, silently decided to discuss with Nancy and Tina Fey later about adjusting the character of "Gretchen" to better fit Martina's image and personality. He also planned to give her more screen time, upgrading her from the fifth female lead to the fourth.

As for Amanda's reaction when she found out, Wayne didn't care. After all, Amanda wasn't his woman yet.

Soon, the auditions for the role of "Damian" came to an end.

None of the candidates, including Jonah Hill, Mike's new client, had the script in advance. They all had to perform on the spot with the audition script.

Nancy Meyers wasn't particularly impressed with Jonah Hill but was more interested in another small-time actor, Seth Rogen, who would later gain some fame in Wayne's previous life.

At this point, Seth Rogen was a virtually unknown extra, only two years older than Jonah Hill. Having dropped out of school before finishing middle school, he moved from Canada to Los Angeles and had far more acting experience than Jonah and the other six competitors.

Of course, this didn't mean his acting was flawless. It's just that the role of "Damian" called for someone who looked about 17 or 18 years old, excluding many more skilled but older actors.

"What do you think, Wayne?" Nancy turned to ask for Wayne's opinion. However, since Wayne had already told her she could make the final decision, he didn't intervene.

"Your call," he said.

"Then let's go with Seth Rogen. His comedic timing is better than the other candidates."

Wayne smiled but didn't comment further.

If age and physique weren't factors, he would've preferred Johnny Galecki, the actor who played Leonard in *The Big Bang Theory*, for the role of Damian.

Next was the audition for the third male lead, the principal "Duvall."

In the original *Mean Girls*, this role was written as an African-American character, but Wayne made no such stipulation, so both black and white actors were auditioning.

Wayne immediately recognized Don Cheadle, known for his role as "Captain Rhodes," but he didn't interfere in the audition, as it wasn't necessary.

Don Cheadle wasn't an unknown like Jonah Hill or Seth Rogen. He had been acting since 1985, mostly in smaller roles, but gained more recognition after playing the third male lead in *Traffic*, which grossed $207 million globally after its release last month.

His fee wasn't particularly high either. A supporting role like "Duvall" could be secured for just $800,000.

So, unless Nancy Meyers had some issue with Cheadle, there was no better choice in terms of acting skills, appearance, and cost-effectiveness.

"What do you think of him, Wayne?"

Nancy asked for Wayne's opinion again. After Wayne gave her the go-ahead to decide, she promptly chose Don Cheadle.

Next came the most competitive audition for the sixth female lead, the math teacher "Norbury."

A total of 27 actresses showed up, half of whom Wayne recognized by name. Looking at the audition sheet, Wayne couldn't help but sigh.

"Knock, knock."

At that moment, Sera's assistant entered the audition room and approached Sera, asking, "Boss, it's lunchtime. Would you like to pause the auditions and have a meal?"

With Wayne, the big boss, present, this was clearly his decision to make.

"What do you think, Wayne?" Sera turned to Wayne.

After glancing at the long list of auditions, Wayne decisively said, "Let's keep going. You can tell me what you want to eat, and I'll have Hannah go grab something for you. As for the girls outside, just give them some milk, candy, and chocolate. If anyone's hungry, they can have a small snack."

Wayne wasn't being stingy. He knew that the girls outside, determined not to show any stomach bulge on camera, wouldn't eat a full meal even if they were starving. At most, they'd have some milk or a piece of chocolate.

"Alright, boss!"

Sera's assistant quickly agreed. Hannah, who was tired of sitting, happily stood up and asked, "Do you want burgers or sandwiches?"

"Sandwiches," Wayne replied.

Sera and the others, being socially adept, naturally followed Wayne's lead.

To avoid overworking Hannah, who was Wayne's bodyguard, assistant, and a bit more, they all ordered the same sandwiches as Wayne.

Little did they know, Hannah didn't mind driving around a bit.

Now, she wasn't driving the Suburban, F360, or even the Silver Angel. Instead, she was behind the wheel of the six-seater Commander version of the Knight XV, which had just arrived two days ago after being custom-ordered during the *Bourne Identity* shoot in Paris.

This was one of the most rugged and high-end civilian armored vehicles, jointly developed by General Motors and a Russian armored group.

The vehicle's body was built with composite armor made from steel, ceramics, and steel again. Every window was fitted with multi-layer bulletproof glass and reinforced with fiber inserts, making it capable of withstanding direct attacks from 12.7mm anti-material sniper rifles.

The vehicle's shock-resistant floor could even withstand explosions from anti-personnel mines and grenades. Even a 1kg C4 blast under the vehicle wouldn't significantly damage it; the car would keep driving, and the passengers would remain unharmed.

The interior was as luxurious as a high-end car like the Silver Angel, and its spacious cabin rivaled that of a professional nanny van in comfort.

And the best part? This incredibly bulletproof SUV cost only $500,000, which Wayne found to be a bargain.

(End of Chapter)