American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 8: Special Training Follows the Second Interview

“Annie, let me introduce you. This is Vivian, Isa’s mother, Vivian Carlson.”

“Vivian, this is Joanne Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, uh…”

Jesse paused, raised an eyebrow, and said in a strange voice:
"Does this introduction seem a bit redundant? I think you should know her, right?"

“Oh, who doesn’t know Harry Potter’s mother these days?” Vivian extended her hand and said with a smile, “Hello, Ms. Rowling, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Me too,” Rowling replied with a smile. “Vivian, may I call you that?”

"Of course~"

"I really envy you because your daughters are all so amazing..."

In every country, when adults and younger people are together, the former will inevitably become the one to lead the conversation.

Tonight's dinner was indeed initiated by Isabella. After meeting, Vivian and Lorraine chatted the most. Although it was their first meeting, there was no awkwardness between them. Their shrewd emotional intelligence was certainly the key, but more importantly, it was because they were in similar circumstances.

“Vivian, I’ve heard your story. I’m sorry about what happened to Eric, but I admire your strength.”

"Thank you."

“I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart. I’m also a single mother. When I chose to get a divorce, I didn’t have a stable job. Writing is my profession, but before I became famous, it was just self-deception. During that time, my daughter and I lived on government welfare. Looking back now, it was a nightmare.”

"But God will look after everyone who works hard, won't He? You have found your new life with your own hands."

"Yeah~ You're right, God bless."

Vivian was widowed, while Rowling was divorced.

Although there are significant differences between the two, their independent spirit remains the same.

And this is the best topic to bridge the gap.

Of course, while chatting about everyday things, everyone didn't forget the important matter. They discovered that the guy who had been so talkative during the interview had now turned into a ruthless eating machine, burying his head in his food. Naturally, the topic then turned to the person in question.

"Isa?"

Rowling called out to her with a smile.

"Ok?"

The hand that was slicing the steak stopped abruptly.

The little girl raised her head like a groundhog. "Aunt Annie, did you call me?"

“Yeah~ because I feel that you are a little different now than you were during the interview.”

"What's the difference?"

"You were confident in the DV video, but you are silent now."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Isabella immediately looked around.

Noticing everyone staring at her, she twisted the hand holding the cutlery outwards and said helplessly, "Aunt Annie, you are my elders, and my mother is here. If I dare to laugh and joke around now, I'll definitely get a scolding when we get back."

“My mom would say I don’t know any rules, I have no manners, and I’m a disgrace to her. So…”

Isabella paused, then shrugged and said, "To avoid getting scolded, I guess I'll just have to keep quiet."

"Right? Keisha?"

At this point, Isabella nudged her sister with her elbow.

"Uh...Yeah~"

The sudden call to 'speak up for me' made Catherine pause for a second, then she nodded vigorously.

The candid words and the complete lack of coordination made Rowling and the others burst into laughter.

Vivian, on the other hand, held her forehead with one hand, both amused and exasperated.

"Very well, you said it yourself. I'll deal with you when we get back."

"Sigh~ You see~ Being a child is so hard~"

Isabella shrugged.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Everyone laughed even louder.

Of course, nobody took the joke seriously.

After shifting the topic to Isabella, Rowling made no secret of her admiration for her.

"Isa, tonight's dinner is actually an invitation for the second interview. I have two questions, and if you answer them to my satisfaction, I can let you go directly to the final interview. So, are you ready?"

Isabella put down her knife and fork and used a napkin to wipe the stains from the corners of her mouth.

"I'm ready."

“Okay, first question, I want to know why you secretly came to the interview without your mother’s knowledge.”

"My second question is, is Hermione Granger the only role you want to play? Or, if I choose you, but I feel you're not suitable for the role of Hermione, what would you think?"

As soon as the question was raised, all eyes in the room focused on Isabella.

Rowling and Susie's eyes were filled with curiosity.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Vivian and Catherine's eyes.

Isabella shook her head and sighed softly—

“Aunt Annie, the two questions you asked are actually the same to me. If you think I’m not suitable to play Hermione, I will be very sad, because playing Hermione is the biggest reason why I came to the audition behind my mom’s back.”

"I came for the interview for two reasons. First, I really like Hermione Granger. Second, I feel that playing Hermione can change my destiny. And the second reason is more important than the first."

“My family is going through a tough time, and my sister and I both want to help our mother. In my opinion, only Hermione Granger can do all of this. I may be being a bit self-serving, but I still want to say this... If my family wasn't going through a tough time, I probably wouldn't be here.”

Finished speaking.

The large private room was completely silent.

Catherine bit her lip with her pearly teeth;
Vivian closed her eyes;
Susie Jesse looked at Rowling;

Rowling, who had been staring at the girl, laughed and remarked with some emotion, "You're very honest."

"Thank you."

Isabella nodded and asked, "So... Aunt Anne, are you satisfied with my answer?"

Rowling didn't give a direct answer, but instead asked, "Do you know why I'm so eager to see you?"

"Because...you're a mother too?"

“You are very smart. The reason I divorced my ex-husband was because he abused me. The worst time was seven years ago when he kicked me out of the house and wouldn't let me see my daughter, who was only four months old at the time.”

Rowling recalled, "After he pushed me out of the house, I only had one thought in my mind, not divorce, but that my daughter couldn't live without me because he was an alcoholic and couldn't take care of the child. So I called the police and got my daughter back."

“I love my children just as your mother loves you.”

Before she could finish speaking, Vivian had already blown her nose.

Seemingly not wanting her daughter to see her vulnerability, she immediately turned her head away.

Susie thoughtfully offered him tissues, while Jesse smiled and moved on from the painful past.

"Okay, Isa, we are very satisfied with your answer. Congratulations on passing the second round of interviews."

"Next, you'll be facing the final interview."

"We can inform the examiners and the content of the final interview in advance. On the day of the final interview, in addition to Annie, the film's producer David Heyman and director Chris Columbus will also be present. The content of the interview will be a real performance."

"Since you have no acting experience and we like you very much, we have decided to hire an acting teacher for you to give you pre-exam coaching so that you can better face the final interview."

"so……"

"Come on."

Frankly, after learning that J.K. Rowling wanted to invite her to dinner, Isabella understood that she had become the best choice for Hermione Granger in her eyes, at least at this point in time.

Therefore, the result of going straight to the final interview after passing the second interview did not surprise her.

But at the same time, she also admitted that she was very happy.

Because once Rowling took a liking to her, she was just one step away from changing her fate.
No?
At 6:30, the group sat down for a meal.

It was almost eight o'clock when everyone finally got up to say goodbye.

Susie has fulfilled her duties in the project to the very end and has chosen to retire gracefully.

Jesse has to hand over Isabella's audition materials and results to Warner Bros., and he'll have to work like a slave for a while longer.

Rowling had to go home to take care of her children, so she took time out to eat. Her daughter is only three years younger than Isabella.
And Isabella and the others...

Isabella was happy after passing the second interview.

She was laughing and joking at the dinner table.

But after returning home...

Vivian called her two daughters over.

Isabella wilted instantly at her mother's gaze.

Vivian was speechless at his behavior of admitting his mistake, accepting punishment, and begging for leniency.

After a long silence, all the teachings finally turned into a sigh. "Mom loves you, and Mom knows you love Mom, so you can tell Mom whatever you're thinking."

"Please don't do things that make Mom worry anymore, okay?"

“Okay, Mom.” Catherine nodded in agreement.

"Mmm," Isabella responded softly.

Vivian felt a little more comfortable with their obedient appearance. "Alright, you must be tired after a long day. Go back to your rooms, wash up, and rest."

“Okay.” Catherine nodded again.

Isabella, on the other hand, perked up her ears and, like Usachi, slipped away.

"Okay, Mom~ Love you~ Goodnight~"

Before I could finish speaking, the little guy had already dashed upstairs.

The frantic running with its trailing syllables made Catherine's eyes twitch.

No?

One second you were all pitiful, and the next you ran off looking so fresh and lovely?
Don't you ever finish your act?

If Isabella knew what her sister was thinking, she would definitely roll her eyes and say—

'Sister! Mom's already forgiven us, why aren't you running away? Staying here and waiting for her to change her mind?'

In Isabella's eyes, running away when her mother was in a good mood was the best way to avoid being scolded, but...

Vivian took a deep breath.

Her youngest daughter's 'escape' made her feel like she had figured everything out.

"So today was Isha's idea, right?"

“No——”

This question brought Catherine back to her senses, and she decisively shook her head. "It was my idea."

She still remembers the bet.

Vivian was speechless at the blatant cover-up.

"Okay, okay, your idea, I've got it."

Vivian didn't care anymore.

Heartbroken.jpg
…………

Warner acted quickly.

The night before, Jesse had mentioned wanting to hire a teacher to teach acting, and the next day at noon, Vivian received a call confirming that the appointment had been made.

The other party is Sir Maggie Smith, who swept the European and American film scene in 1970 with "The Rain Doesn't Fall," winning both the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress. Yes, it's Professor McGonagall, handpicked by J.K. Rowling.

As a national treasure in the British entertainment industry, Maggie Smith generally does not mentor students.

Therefore, after receiving Jesse's call, Vivian, knowing that such an opportunity was rare, immediately took action, choosing a small gift to express her feelings, and asked her 'grown-up' daughter to get ready.

Vivian holds a grudge a little.

Isabella didn't care about any of that, because she was very excited when she heard the news. Not only would she be able to win Hermione Granger by solving the acting problem, but Rowling had also arranged for her to have her dear Professor McGonagall as her acting teacher?

Oh~
This is her favorite Hogwarts headmaster~
Uh……

one?

Because Hogwarts also has the headmaster, Dumbledore, and Snape, right?
True Harry Potter fans should all like the old headmaster and the half-blood prince.

Maggie Smith lived in South Kensington, just a half-hour walk from Mayfair, so even though Vivian had only gone to buy the souvenirs on short notice, they still arrived at Professor McGonagall's mansion at the appointed time.

With Rowling acting as the middleman, Maggie Smith naturally extended a warm welcome to their arrival.

He repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Vivian for bringing him gifts.

Since learning is a long process, Vivian couldn't stay too long, so after agreeing on the end of get out of class, she tactfully took her leave. Only then did Maggie Smith take a serious look at Isabella, and after just a few glances, the 66-year-old woman was also attracted by the beautiful figure.

"I think I know why Susie recommended you so highly, Isa. You look even better in person than on DV."

"Thank you for your compliment, Sir Smith."

"Just call me Maggie."

“Okay, Ms. Maggie.”

“Annie said you’ve never studied acting, but I’ve seen your audition materials. When you read the novel Susie gave you, your pronunciation was quite clear. In industry terms, your delivery of lines is pretty good. So before the formal lessons begin, I want to know, do you really know absolutely nothing about acting? Do you have absolutely no understanding of acting?”

"Uh... I really haven't studied acting, but..."

"But what?"

Maggie Smith became interested.

"But I know about experientialism, methodology, and expressionism..."

Isabella answered truthfully.

The old lady was delighted.

“Okay, okay, now I believe you haven’t studied acting. And I’d like to say that this is actually a good thing, because as long as you haven’t studied acting, our teaching should go very smoothly.”

"What? Why?"

Isabella was a little confused. "You mean it's easier to draw on blank paper?"

"That's right..."

Maggie Smith blinked and shook her head—

"Because in my opinion, the experiential, method, and performance styles are not things that children should learn, or rather, teaching minors performance techniques is a harmful thing in my eyes."

"Take the Method acting school, for example, Isa. Since you can name it, you should know that this technique relies on emotional memory. During training, actors need to constantly search their minds for past memories that have left a deep impression on them, and these memories must be associated with a strong emotion..."

"For example, fear. Some people are afraid of insects. When they see certain insects, they feel like the insects are staring at them with countless compound eyes. That kind of fear can give them goosebumps all over their body. The method school of acting suggests that actors memorize such scenes and hypnotize themselves to face the terror each time they use them. This approach can indeed help actors get into character quickly, but..."

Maggie Smith paused, then said, "This technique is also very harmful. From a psychological perspective, conquering sadness is what allows you to grow and be happy, while repeatedly experiencing fear can only lead to depression."

"The same applies to experiential learning. Thinking what the character is thinking? Reflecting on what the character is thinking? This is indeed the best way to play a role, but it's difficult even for adults, let alone children?"

"That can easily lead to a split personality."

"Expressionism is the simplest of the three. It doesn't require you to memorize emotions or become the character. But dissecting a character and designing actions and inner feelings for him is not something children should learn."

"so……"

Maggie Smith drew out her voice.

He gazed intently at Isabella.

Isabella felt like she understood what the old lady meant.

"Ms. Maggie, are you saying there are other forms of performance in this world?"

"of course."

"You want me to guess?"

Do you have the answer?

Although Isabella had never studied acting, she felt that she had heard of a fourth major school of thought besides experience, method, and performance, and that one was—"playing yourself?" She frowned slightly, somewhat unsure of herself.

Even she herself found the answer somewhat funny.

but--

"Yeah~ Miss Granger~ Congratulations on getting it right~"

Before Isabella could finish speaking, the old lady had already stopped laughing.

He stood upright, his face serious, his eyes like an ancient well, without a ripple.

Moreover, his serious tone made Isabella feel like she was in a classroom.

At this moment, he was not facing a kind old lady at all, but a head teacher who was like a stepmother.

Very fierce~
"Miss Granger, do you have any other questions?"

The indifferent question made Isabella's mouth slightly open.

After a two-second pause, she shook her head and instinctively replied, "No, Professor McGonagall."

If Isabella had a mirror in front of her, she would have noticed that she was somewhat 'timid' when she shook her head.

That was the cautiousness one showed when facing someone in a superior position;
It is also a genuine expression of emotion when facing serious people.

This made the old lady smile again.

“Okay, Isa, you did a great job.”

At this moment, she became Maggie Smith again.

The sneak attack, which involved instantly getting into character and then decisively withdrawing, left Isabella somewhat dazed.

However, after a few seconds, Isabella cheered up again.

Because she found that the other party's teaching seemed more interesting than she had imagined.

(End of this chapter)