When Jada walked out of the audition room, her expression was far from pleasant. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Martin had actually told her to go home and wait for news?

Shouldn’t the decision have been made on the spot?

To be honest, if it weren’t for Will Smith’s sake, Martin would have indeed made a decision on the spot—a decision that she wouldn’t get the part.

This woman didn’t take the role seriously at all; she hadn’t even memorized her lines. The character didn’t have many lines to begin with, relying more on expressions and emotional performance. If she had truly valued the role, three days would have been more than enough to memorize every single word.

Martin watched Jada Smith’s clearly furious figure retreating and couldn’t help but shake his head. No wonder she hasn’t made it big even with Will Smith backing her. Her professional drive is just too weak.

"Did you see Jada’s expression just now?" Halle Berry said smugly.

"I saw it," Betty Gabriel replied, her voice tinged with excitement.

"She failed. Was I wrong?"

"No, she didn’t get any assurance—well..."

"Not bad, Betty. Your chances are high. I have high hopes for you."

"Next, Halle Berry."

"Ah, my turn. See you in a bit."

Fifteen minutes later, Halle Berry walked out of the audition room. Compared to Jada, her emotions were much more stable.

"I’m done. Good luck, girl," Halle Berry whispered softly into Betty Gabriel’s ear before gliding away.

Betty Gabriel’s spirits soared. Her two biggest competitors had failed—her chance had just gotten much bigger.

She glanced surreptitiously at the other two black actresses sitting on the couch opposite her. Their nervous, apprehensive expressions only boosted her confidence further. How did these two even make it to the second round? Personal connections?

She wasn’t wrong. One of the black actresses had been recommended by Spike Lee, the other by Morgan Freeman. They were just here to pad their resumes. Making it to the second round of auditions for a Martin Meyers project was a credential in itself, something to add to their CVs.

Soon, it was Betty Gabriel’s turn to audition.

The girl collected herself and walked into the audition room. Seated behind a long table were Martin Meyers, Drew Barrymore, and a middle-aged man who looked like a producer. All three were watching her with gleaming eyes.

Betty Gabriel, who had just been scoffing at her competitors’ lack of mental fortitude, suddenly realized she was getting nervous too.

She took a deep breath and began her introduction:

"I’m Betty Gabriel. I’m an actress. I’ve been in one film and one TV series, and I’ve also done some theater..."

After finishing her introduction, Betty Gabriel looked at the three people opposite her. The youngest-looking one in the middle, Martin Meyers, was the main decision-maker for this audition.

"Have you read the character script?" Martin asked.

Betty Gabriel hurriedly said, "Yes, I have, Mr. Meyers."

"Memorized the lines?" Martin continued.

"All of them."

"Good. Then do the scene between Georgina and Mercy. I’ll have Drew read with you?"

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Barrymore."

Betty Gabriel had regained her composure. Her confidence in her acting dispelled her nervousness.

Georgina: "I’m sorry, why are you looking at me? I’m so clumsy."

Mercy: "It’s okay, Georgina. Just leave it there. Don’t worry about it."

Georgina: "No, I can’t just leave it like this."

Mercy: "It’s fine. Why don’t you go lie down for a while?"

Georgina: "Okay, I will."

Martin watched Betty Gabriel’s flustered yet desperately composed expression and was very satisfied. No wonder, in the original timeline, director Jordan Peele would pick such an unknown black actress for this role. Her acting is really good!

"Good!" Martin praised, then added, "Now, can you perform ’tears of a smile’?"

Betty Gabriel, who had memorized the script inside and out, was thrilled. This particular scene was very challenging to perform, but she had practiced it many times since getting the script and had long internalized that "emotion."

"Director, can I get an ’action’?" she said, her confidence now so high she even joked with Martin.

Martin laughed.

"Action!"

At Martin’s cue, Betty Gabriel instantly slipped into the confused, struggling emotional state of two souls fighting.

Her eyes lost focus, a vacant smile appeared on her face, and a single tear slid down from the corner of her eye—as if behind this smile lay immense pain.

...

Martin and Drew, both being performers themselves, immediately perked up.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Martin even applauded.

Betty Gabriel was momentarily struck by immense joy, almost breaking character.

"Good, very good. I have to say, your performance was excellent. Your name is—" Martin flipped through her resume.

"My name is Betty Gabriel, sir. You can call me Betty."

"Very well, Betty. Is the number on your resume your manager’s?"

"Yes, sir."

"OK. Tell your manager to keep their phone on 24/7 for the next while. No missed calls."

"Okay, sir."

"Alright, you may go."

"Thank you, sir."

Betty Gabriel suppressed the urge to laugh out loud, politely bowed slightly to Martin and the other two, and then turned to leave.

She held it together until she walked out of the temporary office and reached the parking lot. Only then did she release the excited emotions pent up inside her, punching the air vigorously like a fool.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

After venting with several loud shouts, she immediately dialed her manager’s number.

"Hey, I think I got it."

"You got the part?!"

"Most likely. Mr. Meyers said to tell you to keep your phone on 24/7."

"Whoa! That’s a very clear hint. It seems you really got it. My God, you’re going to be in a Martin Meyers film!"

"Hahaha." Betty Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Her manager on the other end hurriedly cautioned her, "Reel it in. Until the final contract is signed, you must reel it in. You remember those last-minute recasting horror stories I told you about, right? Don’t get carried away. And be careful of competitors trying to sabotage you with underhanded tricks."

Betty Gabriel was startled, recalling the unfortunate tales her manager had shared, and immediately sobered up.

She definitely didn’t want to end up like those unlucky ones.