American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 13 After Becoming Famous
"Oh, Isa~ Can you take me to the set after filming starts? You know, I absolutely love Harry Potter~"

"Yeah~ Isa~ I want to go to the set too—but before I go, I want to know, who's playing Harry Potter? The media hasn't released any information yet, is the casting still in progress?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Is Aunt Rowling looking for a super handsome Harry?"

"Just like in the books! With emerald green eyes and inherited good looks from her parents? Uh... I'm not saying you don't match the image of Hermione as described by Rowling, I'm just curious about what Harry looks like..."

"Oh, speaking of casting, I have another question. Isa, how were you chosen? When did you participate in the audition? Didn't you study piano? I don't remember you studying acting!"

"..."

The incessant chatter made Isabella feel like she was in a market, not at home.

The constant stream of words and countless expectant eyes were like vendors at a vegetable stall, relentlessly hawking their wares to you—

Look, look! Minadi's mare's milk wine is so delicious!

Ahem, it’s a conspiracy.

As Chris Columbus said, Isabella never had a peaceful day after officially signing with Warner.

There was nothing they could do; Warner Bros. had already released the casting confirmation announcement.

Even though the official photos and contract photos will only be released after the full lineup is complete, nothing stays secret forever. With just a few whispers, the media can easily find her.

Then, in the public eye, her image might still be a pixelated mess of question marks, but those who know her...

They've already jumped up.

On the night Warner revealed the news, Isabella received calls from four or five classmates.

At first, Isabella was happy.

I've become famous, you all know that. If I'm not happy about that, then there's something wrong with me.

But the next day, she couldn't take it anymore.

The next day, all her classmates and friends found her.

Not only that, even her teachers and tutors called to congratulate her.

Today, she had no choice but to host a party at home with Warner's permission.

Everyone wants to meet this 'big star'.

It's fortunate that the original owner attended a private school in Mayfair, where there were only about thirty students per grade and not many friends. Otherwise, the house would be too crowded today.

"Um... if the production team allows, I would be happy to invite you all to the set..."

"Who will play Harry? I don't know either, our auditions were separate..."

"Getting Hermione was an accident, and although I'd love to share the interesting experiences with you all, unfortunately, I have a confidentiality agreement with Warner Bros., and today's gathering was even arranged after submitting an application, so... I'm very sorry..."

A busy afternoon.

After seeing off her friends, who were overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions including curiosity, excitement, surprise, and astonishment, Isabella, who had answered countless questions and taken countless photos, felt like she was about to kick the bucket.

The overwhelming enthusiasm made her feel like a speed bump on a highway.

Ok.

At this moment, all the greetings that appeared were like a near miss in her eyes.

Waving goodbye, wearily closing the door.

Isabella went back inside hoping to find some comfort from her older sister and mother, but...

Well, they're not much better off.

Almost everyone who was close to Catherine knew Isabella, so she was bombarded with phone calls from her friends.

Not to mention Vivian, it's not a big deal that friends and family call to inquire. What's really troublesome are the media invitations and the agency's inquiries. The former wants to interview Isabella, and the latter wants to sign her.

Because they did have a confidentiality agreement with Warner Bros., which was included in the film contract, and Isabella was a minor with super strong magic attack, Vivian did it very easily in refusing to speak to the media.

But as for talent agencies...

It wasn't that Vivian couldn't refuse them, but rather that profit-driven businessmen are shameless. Even if Vivian said no to them, those persistent guys would stick to her like glue.

What's most disgusting is that Vivian can't turn off her phone because she has to answer calls from the film crew.

“Mr. Vincent, thank you for your kind offer, but my daughter Isa does not need an agent at the moment.”

"No brokerage firm is needed."

"Okay, okay, I'll consider you if needed."

"No, no, no... Let's skip the meal. Warner has a lot going on, and we don't have time right now."

"OK, bye."

"pat-"

Vivian's phone once again had a close encounter with the coffee table.

Thank goodness it was Nokia, otherwise it would have gone out of business long ago.

She leaned back on the sofa with a sigh of helplessness. When she saw her eldest daughter lying lifelessly in the dining room chair with a face full of grime, and her youngest daughter standing in the entryway with a lifeless expression, staring blankly at her, she burst out laughing.

As if teasing a cat, she stretched out her arms and clapped her hands. Isabella darted over and jumped into her mother's arms.

"so annoying……"

Isabella suddenly felt that being famous was exhausting.

The muffled words sent a shiver down Catherine's spine, and she wailed, "Why is my phone ringing off the hook too?!"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Vivian was overjoyed.

While patting his younger daughter's back, he looked at his older daughter and said, "Children, this is just the beginning."

"So-called celebrities are the focus of everyone's attention. When countless people's eyes are drawn to celebrities and countless people scrutinize them with magnifying glasses, celebrities have no freedom and no privacy. Moreover, everything and everyone around celebrities will be affected."

"So at this time, everyone has to make choices."

"Take me for example, all the friends I know now are people I met after I got married."

"When I was famous, I had no friends, and my only family was my parents."

Vivian was the youngest in her family, with an older sister and an older brother, but these people rarely interacted with Isabella and her family.

Ultimately, it was because Vivian's rise to fame brought them countless troubles.

The older sister is seven years older than Vivian. When Vivian became famous, she had just entered the workforce. When many people learned that she had a celebrity sister, they would ask her why she didn't become a celebrity or work in the theater industry. These questions left her speechless and embarrassed.

After arguing several times, the two stopped communicating.

The second brother was two years older than Vivian. After Vivian became famous, some of the second brother's friends wanted to be his brother-in-law. This disgusted both the second brother and Vivian, and after discussing it, they stopped seeing each other.

Vivian has experienced the price of fame, which is another reason why she doesn't want her daughter to enter the entertainment industry, but things don't always go as planned...

No?
"Mom, could you ask the film crew if I can attend classes there?"

Catherine suddenly asked.

"Oh Keisha, you don't need to drop out of school."

Isabella understood what her older sister meant and climbed out of her mother's arms.

"Going to Oxford or Cambridge was your father's last wish. Staying in São Paulo will make things easier for you."

"Besides, do you think leaving school will free you from troubles? No, as long as you still consider me your sister and I still consider you your older sister, then as long as I'm still in the entertainment industry, people will definitely talk about me when they talk to you. Or, as Mom said, many people may approach you just to get to know me. This is something that can't be changed or avoided."

So...accept change, embrace change, hmm?

Catherine remained silent.

He met Isabella's gaze firmly for a moment.

Finally, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Vivian did not interrupt during their conversation.

After the conversation ended, Vivian kissed each of them on the forehead.

She is very happy.

To be fair, the overwhelming enthusiasm didn't last long.

This is not only because Warner Bros. did not release Isabella's photos, so as a minor, she cannot be directly exposed by the media; when the public only receives text messages, she still has a certain amount of privacy.
Furthermore, it's because Isabella and her friends don't have many friends, and...

They are all quite wealthy.

Many things only need to be discussed once or twice. Any more than that, and the other person's parents won't allow it, because of family upbringing.

So, with fewer phone calls, the family's life returned to normal.

Of course, all sorts of important matters also followed one after another—

First, Vivian needs to help Isabella get a leave of absence from school.

Filming on set means you can't go to school; otherwise, Warner Bros. wouldn't have included hiring a tutor in the contract.

While processing the paperwork, the principal expressed both regret and congratulations, welcoming Isabella to come home often.

Secondly, Vivian was going to help Isabella apply for a children's performance license.

In the UK, minors need a license to act. This license doesn't prove how good the child actor's acting skills are, but it clearly indicates the actor's and guardian's information. After obtaining the license, various associations can conduct inspections on film sets in accordance with regulations.

The guardian listed on the certificate was not present?

Okay, you stop work first, pay a £20,000 fine, and then we can talk.

After completing these two tasks, Vivian treated Susie, Jesse, Lorraine, and Maggie Smith to a meal to thank them for their recognition, support, and help for Isabella.

"Oh~ that's mainly because Isha herself is amazing and works very hard~"

At the dinner table, Rowling said with a smile, "I can indeed give Isa a chance, but she has to seize it herself. If she can't, then I can only say... Warner Bros.' total investment in the film is actually 250 million, including marketing and distribution."

“That’s right, an investment of 250 million is not something we can decide based on our own preferences.” Maggie Smith nodded.

“We don’t have that ability,” Susie said with a smile.

“Chris has principles, and his mentors can keep them in check,” Jesse added. “If Chris thinks Isha isn’t good enough, we can push him all the way to the chairman of Time Warner.”

Isabella stood to the side, grinning foolishly.

But as for the brain...

It is indeed 'ang' very high.

My little feet are twitching too.

Happy.jpg
Finally, Vivian took her daughter to a bookstore. Isabella bought some DVDs of classic movies, while Vivian picked out a bunch of study materials related to the agent qualification exam.

Isabella bought the DVDs because she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, a suggestion Maggie Smith made during a previous dinner.

If she wants to stay in the industry, she needs to watch more classic works. This doesn't mean she should learn techniques before she's an adult, but rather that she should be able to understand what others are saying when they tell her that a certain shot or state is needed.

As for Vivian buying books...

"Would you like your mom to be your agent?"

Vivian was about to take a book off the shelf, but she stopped halfway through.

He turned his head to look at his youngest daughter beside him.

"If you can't rely on your family, life will be very tiring."

Isabella smiled and shrugged, saying that although her adoptive father was a real jerk, her mother was quite nice.

If her mother cried every day after her father passed away...

She would break down.

After finishing these trivial but important tasks, it was already early September.

Catherine has started school.

Because Isabella's current identity is somewhat sensitive, the usual scene of the two sisters accompanying each other on the first day of school was no longer seen; only Vivian stood beside Catherine. Even though they chose to keep a low profile, after returning home, Catherine still told her younger sister that many people had asked about her, requesting photos and autographs, and that she shouldn't be too eager.

However, no matter who came, her attitude was clear: she would politely decline.

Wow~ So decisive?

At night, at the dinner table, Isabella smiled and looked up.

"of course."

Catherine nodded vigorously, as if trying to prove that she would definitely choose family.

"However, Robbie's ability to easily get rid of them is also related to me."

“Robbie?” Isabella was taken aback, then said, “Robbie Williams?”

She gave a name.

“Yeah~” Catherine said, “He released a new album, and a lot of people at school are fans of him.”

“Oh~ I know~” Isabella’s laughter turned into a curve.

Robbie Williams is a superstar in the Western music scene.

In the early 1990s, he debuted as a member of a choir and gained countless fans.

After going solo in 97, he became the most successful Britpop rock singer since The Beatles.

His first album was six-platinum in the UK, and his second album won an award.
In August of this year, his third album became an instant hit as soon as it was released, because the title track of his third album is called "Better Man".

Those who enjoy listening to music should know that this song is very popular in the Chinese-speaking world.

Sandy Lam, Nicholas Tse, Eason Chan, and Jason Zhang—these are all artists who have covered this song.

But compared to his good looks, his songs are utterly insignificant, and coupled with his playboy-like romantic history, so…

He once revealed in his autobiography that many of his female fans were fans of him because he was handsome. Furthermore, some female fans who were particularly attracted to his looks even applied for roles in his music videos. As for the final result...
I understand everything I understand.

Even if Isabella hadn't started filming yet, and even if Harry Potter had already been released, she wouldn't want to compete with someone with such an electric eel-like personality for female fans. Therefore, it's perfectly normal in Isabella's view that her older sister's classmates were discussing Robbie instead of her.

But Catherine doesn't think so.

"come on!"

She raised her little fist at her younger sister.

"what?"

Isabella didn't understand what she meant.

"Surpass him!"

"What?"

“Since the troubles of social interactions after becoming famous are unavoidable, I hope you become as famous as possible,” Catherine said. “I think the troubles of being slightly famous and being very famous are probably the same, right? Everyone wants to know you. So, the more famous you are, the less I lose out.”

"And I think you have an advantage over him. Robbie can only sing, but you can act and make music."

"..."

Isabella was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by the godlike logic.

At that moment, she felt that her older sister might have been traumatized at school.

For example, other classmates said she didn't look like Hermione? Did she get into Harry Potter through connections? Otherwise, Warner Bros. wouldn't have kept quiet about releasing her picture until now? And then Catherine got upset? And they had a fight?
Since Catherine herself hadn't said anything, Isabella didn't want to speculate. She nodded and replied, "I'll try," before continuing to eat. With Catherine starting school, preparations for Harry Potter were nearing completion.

All the lead actors completed their formal contracts before September 10th.

When the date reached the 13th, Isabella received another call from the production team. However, this time it wasn't director Jesse calling; like Susie, he had already retired.

A Warner associate director told her to report to Leavesden on the 15th.

If all goes well, her work will officially begin that day.

No objections, depart on time.

Although it rained heavily in Britain on the 15th, and the dark clouds made it extremely inconvenient for people to travel, when Isabella braved the torrential rain to enter the film set, the newly decorated but old-looking magical world still made her somewhat lost in thought.

In her past life, when she watched Harry Potter in the movie theater, she was deeply attracted by the mystery of the magical world.

Even now, surrounded by props, many of the constructed scenes are just empty shells, half-finished and incomplete. And the main body of Hogwarts isn't even here; the school scenes were all filmed in the proper cathedral, which, I think, is in Oxford?

But even the scattered 'broken pieces' under the dark clouds still gave her the feeling of entering a magical world.

The antique feel of the dimly lit scenery seemed to evoke the darkness of the Middle Ages;
The exquisitely carved props seem to tell the story of the glory of the colonial era;
Standing casually in the rain, it seems to be demonstrating its invincibility after the start of the Industrial Revolution;

Unfortunately, the cost-saving set design resembled a post-World War II decline...

To be honest, Isabella's original purpose in wanting to enter the industry was simply to make money.

No matter how much she liked Harry Potter, she couldn't deny the fact that she was there for the money.

but now……

She acknowledged that it was her good fortune to join a film project that could be recognized worldwide during the early 2000s.

even more……

"Oh, Isa, why are you standing in the rain?"

Maggie Smith's voice brought Isabella back to her senses.

The other person just arrived and got out of the car.

After finding Isabella standing motionless in the rain, she asked with a puzzled look.

Perhaps because the heavy rain would easily wet her hair, the old lady tied her hair up high at the back of her head today.

Perhaps because of the drop in temperature, she was wearing a black trench coat today, with the long hem reaching her calves.

Stare for a few seconds... Wow~ He looks even more like the head of student affairs now~
Seeing that Isabella didn't reply, Maggie Smith glanced ahead and then looked at her again. "Miss Granger, I don't think you'd want to reread 'Hogwarts: A History' on a rainy day, would you?"

"Oh, of course not!"

Looking back at the film set ahead, Isabella smiled and said, "Professor McGonagall, I feel like we're making history."

The words have not yet fallen.

Before the old lady could respond, Isabella walked straight toward the direction of the report.

The elegant figure made the old lady somewhat lost in thought, but after Isabella's figure came into full view...

"Honey, you weren't wearing boots today, so your shoes must be wet, right?"

"..."

Isabella paused, then quickened her pace.

Maggie Smith smiled and laughed.

Harry Potter is indeed excellent, which is why she could understand Isabella's distraction.

But if you think the set design is good, just say so. Why do you have to put on airs in front of me?
This is really...

Cute~
(End of this chapter)