Chapter 605 - 601: Talent Is Extremely Important

Lily Sterling had already read the script five or six times, so her grasp of the plot and her control over the character were certainly superior to Yuri Tucker’s. Furthermore, the director had arranged for Yuri’s character to be adjusted based on Lily, who had already been cast.

Therefore, to help Yuri Tucker stand out, Lily deliberately chose a scene where he took the lead, allowing his unique qualities to shine.

A scene between two actors is all about give and take. Yuri Tucker’s inexperience naturally made him nervous at first, but as he was guided by Lily, who slipped into character with ease, his rhythm and performance gradually found their groove.

It was a very short scene, but it left the producer, Tom Miller, and the casting director, Donnie Warner, wanting more.

Neither of them said much, however. They simply showed satisfied expressions and instinctively glanced toward Director Alan.

Yuri Tucker stood there, his heart pounding so hard he felt it would jump out of his throat. Still, thinking back on the performance with Lily, he felt he had done a great job. ’At least, given my current abilities,’ he thought, ’that’s the best I could possibly do.’

’If this isn’t good enough, it just means I still have room to grow.’

Lily felt the same way. She also thought Yuri had performed admirably, but she had no idea if it would meet Director Alan’s standards. All she could do was secretly pray for him.

The main issue was that Director Alan’s expression was unreadable. You couldn’t see any satisfaction, but he didn’t look disappointed either.

A suffocating silence fell over the room. Everyone instinctively held their breath, waiting for Director Alan to speak.

After a long moment, he finally gave a slow nod. "Quite good. I was just imagining what your performance would look like on the big screen. I think it will be excellent. Lily Sterling is elegant and vibrant, while Yuri Tucker has sharp, defined features. Paired with cinematic color grading, the two of you on screen together will have a powerful impact!"

Director Alan’s praise instantly made Lily’s and Yuri’s faces light up with joy.

Yuri Tucker let out a huge sigh of relief and said excitedly, "Thank you, Director! And thank you, Lily, for guiding me through it."

Hearing this, Director Alan and the others all looked at Lily with admiration. The layman sees the spectacle, but the expert sees the craft. As professionals, they could naturally tell that Lily had deliberately performed in a way that would highlight Yuri Tucker and make him shine.

She supported him perfectly, never overshadowing him despite her superior acting skills.

And yet, Lily herself was just a newcomer at the start of her acting career. She didn’t have much more experience than the other actors present, but she was just that professional, that skilled!

It just goes to show you how important talent really is.

However, even though Director Alan thought their scene together was good, he didn’t cast Yuri Tucker in the role of Shino on the spot.

Instead, he had Lily play different female characters from the script, performing several scenes in succession with each of the male actors.

The result was that while the male actors were all certainly handsome, their acting skills left something to be desired. It only served to highlight how outstanding Lily was. She was able to quickly grasp the positioning of different characters and perform the essence of each role in a short amount of time.

The more they watched, the more the directors liked Lily. Director Alan even found himself mentally creating a whole new character just for her as he watched.

’I want to write a script just for her,’ he thought.

After performing with each of them, Lily felt a little tired, but she’d had a blast. Even though they were only short scenes, she had managed to give each character a completely different feel.

Director Alan kept scribbling and making changes in his notebook. In the end, he didn’t say which roles the male actors would play. He simply looked at the expectant faces before him and said with a smile, "Everyone worked hard today. I’ve booked a private room at The Imperial Dragon Restaurant for tonight. If you’re free, please let Director Don know. We won’t be talking business, so there’s no pressure. It’s just a casual dinner."

Director Alan was inviting them to dinner. Did that mean everyone present had gotten a role?

Besides, this was a precious opportunity to have dinner with Director Alan. Who would want to miss that?

Everyone grew excited, declaring one after another that they were free and would be there. Lily was no exception.

"See you all tonight, then. I have to go up for my afternoon nap, haha." Director Alan waved with a laugh as Tom Miller escorted him upstairs to rest.

The other actors immediately swarmed the casting director, Donnie Warner. Lily waited quietly to the side. Seeing her, Yuri Tucker approached. "Lily, you’re coming tonight, right?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "Of course. It’s a great opportunity. You can’t miss it either."

"I’m a free agent. How could I possibly not come?"

"You still haven’t signed with an agency?" Lily asked, curious.

Yuri shrugged and pursed his lips. "Nope. Haven’t had the chance. Plus, I’ve been focusing on my studies lately, so I haven’t really thought about it. If I can land a role in Director Alan’s film this time, I figure agencies will start reaching out. Then I’ll have my own agent, and maybe even my own team."

The last part was a hopeful glimpse into his aspirations for the future, and his eyes lit up as he spoke.

"How about..." Lily hesitated for a moment before looking at Yuri seriously. "What if I introduced you to an agent?"

"Huh?" Yuri was taken aback. "Seriously? It’s not Connie, is it?"

Lily quickly shook her head. "Of course not. Connie isn’t taking on new clients. But there are other agents at my company. There’s one person who’s really great. If he were willing to take you on, I think it would be a very good thing for you."

"But I don’t have much of a portfolio," Yuri said, looking troubled. "I’ve only had one proper role, and that movie hasn’t even been released in the country yet. Would they really want me?"

"But you’re about to land a role in Director Alan’s movie, aren’t you?" Lily reminded him. "You’re a rising star! One film could make you famous. Of course an agency would want you."

At Lily’s reminder, Yuri smiled, his interest piqued. "Oh, right. I guess I’m a pretty good prospect."

"So, are you interested?"

"Of course I’m interested! Why wouldn’t I want to be at the same agency as you?" Yuri nodded eagerly. To him, Lily was his lucky star. Ever since he met her, his life had entered a new phase—especially his career, which had suddenly taken off.

"Then wait for my call." Lily was also very happy. Beau’s current roster was full of lukewarm, mediocre artists; he was in desperate need of a promising newcomer like Yuri.

From an agent’s perspective, the drive required to manage a new talent is completely different from managing an established one. Guiding an artist from the very beginning of their career to stardom is the highest form of praise an agent can receive.

Seeing that the crowd around Director Don was starting to disperse, Lily took out the headshots and resumes for Hannah Warner and a few others. She walked over and said, "Director Don, I’d like to recommend a few people to you. I brought their information..."