Before coming, Isabella had actually thought about what Maggie Smith might teach her.
The first lesson that popped into her mind was "liberating your natural self."
Uh… well, what could she do? Most of her knowledge of acting came from some obscure points in her past life's novels. For a long time, authors of entertainment novels mostly emphasized "liberating your natural self," so whenever she thought of classes, those dead memories would instantly resurface.
But after talking with Professor McGonagall, she realized her assumptions were wildly off.
And in fact, they were.
After reviewing Isabella's materials, the elderly lady prepared her lessons and suggested "natural acting" as a deliberate, thoughtful decision.
The reason was simple.
The three major schools of acting weren't suitable for children whose worldview and mental maturity weren't fully developed. Learning any of those approaches was a long process, but the final audition would start in August, and filming would begin by October at the latest—there simply wasn't enough time.
Even though the professor's reasoning made perfect sense, Isabella still had doubts.
"Professor Maggie," she said.
"Hmm?"
"I have a question, related to acting schools."
"Go ahead."
"Is 'natural acting' really a school of acting? Because in my impression, it kind of sounds like an insult."
"..."
Maggie Smith was taken aback. "Sorry, Isabella, I'm not sure I understand what you mean."
"Could you repeat that?"
"Uh…" Isabella thought for a moment.
She said, "In my memory, the media likes to call actors who play all roles the same way 'natural acting.'"
The reason Isabella found "natural acting" funny as an answer was that in her past life, she had watched a program called Drama Scholar's Life, featuring Li Chengru.
On the show, he said that "natural acting" in the industry was a derogatory term, referring to actors with no real skill who perform everything the same way.
But—
"Oh~ I think you've been misled~"
The elderly lady understood the girl's meaning, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Natural acting is actually the highest form of acting in the industry. Playing a character will never feel as natural as being the character."
"Natural acting means the actor presents the role through their own experiences or personality, reducing signs of 'acting.' This makes the performance more authentic and believable. It's considered the highest level in the industry, and it's also why casting exists in the first place."
"In film, isn't casting about finding actors who resemble the characters?"
"If that didn't matter… then why do you think you're sitting in front of me now?"
Isabella understood.
"So you mean, the reason 'natural acting' can become a negative term is because of resting on one's laurels?"
"Yeah~"
The elderly lady paused, then laughed. She liked the girl's metaphor. "Exactly—living off past achievements."
The entertainment industry is the place where luckiest people are most common.
There are many ways to get into university, but in showbiz, every big break feels fated.
Many stars hadn't formally studied acting before becoming famous; they just happened to land roles that suited them perfectly, and then they became popular. When most people gain success simply by performing naturally, who could say natural acting is the worst kind? The reason it sometimes carries a negative connotation is that many stars, once famous, stop improving themselves. When they keep repeating the same path, it inevitably creates a sense of stagnation and fatigue.
Although "natural acting" has a somewhat cheeky connotation, Isabella didn't care.
At this moment, all she wanted was rapid results.
To put it bluntly, right now she wished she had a cheat code!Deep blue! Add it!Game over.
But since there's no cheat, she could only train herself. And before that…
"Professor Maggie, I have another question."
"Ask away, Miss Question-Extraordinaire."
Maggie Smith smiled warmly at the girl.
Isabella stuck her tongue out.
The elderly lady was complimenting her.
Hermione Granger from Harry Potter is the ultimate curious kid.
The more she asks, the closer she is to the character.
"I want to know why celebrities who gained fame through natural acting don't improve themselves afterward."
Isabella asked, "Do they not improve because they don't have time, or because they want to replicate their success?"
This question made Maggie Smith pause.
She looked at Isabella for several long seconds, then smiled and shook her head.
"I think I understand why you impressed Annie."
"Your question is sharp—just like Miss Granger herself. And I want to say, there's no single correct answer."
"My answer is both, plus a third reason."
"Indeed, stars often don't have time to improve themselves because countless projects come rushing in. Who could refuse millions or tens of millions in offers? They also dare not improve casually—audiences like them for their natural portrayal. Who knows if changing their style would lose audience appeal?"
"As for the third reason… aside from experiential, method, performance, and natural acting, there's another acting approach: rewriting the script or customizing the role."
"And this approach actually serves natural acting."
"For example, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks…"
Both Toms started as idols. Cruise's looks were peak-level handsome—his height alone made him perfect for Top Gun. Hanks, while not as conventionally handsome, was sunny and charming in youth, starring in romantic films like Sleepless in Seattle.
Both became famous through natural acting and never changed their style.
Any breakthroughs they had were subtle innovations in script or character.
Take Cruise: his forte is playing characters with strong dramatic conflict. His roles in Interview with the Vampire and Mr. & Mrs. Smith follow the same pattern—the story and setting change, but the essence is the same. In showbiz, this counts as growth.
Hanks is similar. He can play all kinds of roles, from comedy to drama, but the core of his standout roles is the same—good guys embodying the American Dream.
Hanks rarely plays villains; his persona isn't suited for that.
But maintaining the core while changing roles—isn't that still a form of transformation?
"Yes, there are three main schools of acting, but all techniques leave traces on the performance. Being yourself is far more natural. So when some stars become famous enough, everyone helps them play themselves."
"And I want to say, this form of acting is actually the most difficult."
"It requires talent."
"Cruise doesn't have as much talent as Hanks, so he's mostly stuck in action and comedy films. Hanks has more talent, so using the same core, he can play both a fool and an officer—hence the awards."
"So, if you're asking this to understand the future of actors who perform naturally, I can only say: if Hermione Granger becomes a massive hit, your lower limit as a performer will be Tom Cruise. As for the upper limit?"
"Tom Hanks is the upper limit, but it can be surpassed—it depends on talent."
"Of course, I'm not saying Cruise is worse than Hanks. In the action genre, he's still excellent."
"Does my answer satisfy you, Miss Question-Extraordinaire?"
Maggie Smith raised an eyebrow at Isabella.
"Yeah~"
If you want, I can continue translating the next part, where Isabella starts her actual acting training under Maggie Smith and the lessons get deeper.
Although her little scheme had been seen through, the girl wasn't embarrassed and simply smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Professor Maggie."
"So, can we officially start the lessons?" asked Maggie Smith.
"Haven't we been in class all along?" the girl tilted her head playfully.
Her cute, teasing question made the elderly lady laugh.
"Being cheeky, huh? Do you think this retort fits Miss Granger's character? Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Granger, I must now formally inform you that the you in the script is not exactly the same as the you in the book."
"So, in order for you to better understand the character, I'm going to punish you by making you read the script…"
Because Isabella in her past life wasn't part of the entertainment industry, and because this glamorous-yet-dark world was really intriguing, upon discovering that Professor McGonagall was approachable, she instinctively wanted to indulge in some gossip.
Of course, she also admitted that asking so many questions was partly her way of scouting out the future.
In her memory, many child stars faded into obscurity as they grew up—
Some due to family issues; Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone was ruined by his family.Some because they lost their looks; Haley Joel Osment, who played young Forrest Gump, lost his youthful charm.
And some simply couldn't sustain their popularity due to a lack of acting skill, like Emma Watson…
Uh, okay, the reasons the last category faded are actually many.
Although Isabella hadn't entered the industry yet, and even if she did, she didn't know how long she would stay, people don't just watch their feet while walking—they look ahead and make predictions.
So, when Maggie Smith explained that Isabella could only play Hermione through natural acting, she wondered whether there would be opportunities to switch paths in the future. And with fame allowing one to control everything, her mind finally settled a bit.
...
Long conversations and long tests are different. The former is a good way to understand someone; the latter usually ends in mistakes. As for the second round? Battle Hawk prevailed over the old lady.
After confirming that Isabella was perhaps exactly the "Miss Question-Extraordinaire" Rowling was looking for, lessons on natural acting could begin. Maggie Smith stated that over the next three to four weeks, she would teach Isabella only two things:
How a beginner with no acting experience could naturally convey the script's requirements.
This, in essence, is acting.
How all performances could be executed under the scrutiny of an audience.
Film sets have many people; if you can't perform freely under observation, it doesn't matter how much Rowling likes you.
These two points might seem easy, but in reality…
"Oh~ Isabella~ you're here to learn acting, right? Why are you doing homework?"
It was evening, at home.
After dinner, Isabella went back to her room, with Catherine following. She wanted to ask how her sister's lessons had gone, but when she entered the room, she saw Isabella bent over her desk, writing and drawing.
"Yes, Professor Smith asked me to read the script and extract Hermione's parts."
Without looking up, Isabella continued, "She said doing this will help me better understand Hermione, because the script's version of her is different from the book. And if I can notice the differences in this process…"
"Then I can prove I'm truly a perfect Miss Granger."
"Oh~" Catherine nodded, understanding. "It's like a spot-the-difference exercise, right? Testing your attention to detail and patience?"
"..."
Isabella paused her pen over the script. The ink smudge on the page made her mouth twitch. "Sort of."
"Alright, good luck. I won't bother you then."
After giving her sister some encouragement, Catherine quickly left.
But a few seconds later, she returned. "Oh right, something I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Mom told me today that she already paid my tuition for the new semester."
"That's great! You can continue studying at St. Paul's."
"You haven't started earning yet, so Mom used the family savings to pay for my tuition, which included some of your money. And once you start earning, the household expenses might fall mostly on you… uh…"
Catherine didn't know what to say. After a long pause, she sighed. "So… thank you…"
Her awkward gratitude made Isabella chuckle.
This was exactly why she was willing to support the family.
Not dwelling on small matters, she said, "If you really want to thank me, just let me continue my homework."
"Alright, goodbye." Catherine didn't insist further and closed the door.
The sudden little interruption didn't affect Isabella much. She kept her head down, reading the script…
Well, not exactly—there was now an ink smudge on her notes.
Although Professor McGonagall hadn't explicitly said why she should go through the script, because scripts can exist in many forms, a full story script is a script, and a single-character script is also a script. In formal Hollywood productions, actors only need to review their own character's lines, so technically, comparing differences between the script and novel wasn't Isabella's responsibility.
But Isabella felt she could guess McGonagall's intentions.
She was helping her become Hermione Granger.
The little beaver nickname fits—book Hermione is diligent and studious, using every possible moment to learn and enrich herself. Now, reviewing the script, Isabella was embodying that little beaver.
She was secretly working hard, aiming to impress everyone.
Of course, this idea wasn't entirely hers; it was inspired by a story from her past life.
She had once heard that Yu Entai, upon receiving My Own Swordsman, asked the director what he should prepare. The director said he would play a learned scholar, so he needed to study The Analects and Book of Songs. He memorized most of it, only to find that his lines contained just one reference: "Zi once said…" He felt talent wasted.
In the past, this amused Isabella.
But now, she felt she understood the experiential method.
Yes, natural acting is not random acting.
If you resemble the character, that's luck, a gift from heaven, not a license to be reckless.
The script Isabella received was a standard Hollywood-style script. On average, one page translates to 0.8–1.2 minutes of screen time. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone had 236 pages. Starting work at 7 PM, Isabella worked until after midnight, transcribing over forty pages related to Hermione.
Though tired, she didn't stop. She washed her face with cold water, then compared the novel to the script, taking over three hours to mark all the differences.
By 10 AM, her faint dark circles and neatly compiled handwritten notes made Maggie Smith nod in approval.
"All done?"
"Yes."
"I don't think I told you to finish all of this in one night."
"If there wasn't a time constraint, I would have found all the differences between the script and the book."
Maggie Smith smiled. "Looks like you understand my point. How late were you up last night?"
"Until 4 AM in Mayfair."
Six hours of sleep barely sustained her. Maggie Smith's eyes flickered.
The energetic little girl made her purse her lips. "Do you know what my first work in Hollywood was?"
"Othello?"
After learning that Maggie Smith would be her teacher, Isabella had glanced at her profile.
The elderly lady had starred in Othello in 1965 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
"Yes, Othello. Sir Laurence Olivier took me to the U.S. back then," Maggie Smith recalled. "Many people say he was a genius. His self-directed and performed Hamlet and Henry V elevated Shakespeare's plays to a new height. But Laurence told me—even geniuses must learn to present themselves. Only geniuses who are seen by others are truly geniuses; unrecognized geniuses waste God's gift."
"You're amazing."
"So… let more people see you, alright?"
The elderly lady's words made Isabella smile.
"Professor Maggie, isn't that what I've been waiting for you to guide me on?"
"Ha~" The lady was pleased.
"Alright, then come with me." She picked up the script and stood.
"Where are we going?" Isabella asked, puzzled.
"To the theatre I founded."
Note: In Hollywood, scriptwriting often follows formulas. When creating characters, writers usually have archetypes in mind, such as mythology or historical stories. Slight alterations make the character tailored to a specific actor—for example, Sofia Coppola said the male lead in Lost in Translation was written for Bill Murray, and Quentin Tarantino wrote Jules in Pulp Fiction for Laurence Fishburne, but Fishburne couldn't play it, so Samuel L. Jackson, who resembled him, was cast. Customizing roles to match actors is common in Hollywood, especially for award-worthy performances.