The black Chrysler sedan turned from California's Highway 1, a coastal road, onto the widened four-lane entrance of Malibu Daenerys Studios, following the U-shaped asphalt road to the studio gate halfway up the mountain.
After the guard checked, he waved them through.
Entering the park, an open parking lot first appeared on the left side of the main road, extending all the way to the cliff edge on the south side.
Less than a week after its official opening, the parking lot was already packed with cars, indicating the studio's bustling activity.
The destination was the executive area on the top floor, and as the Chrysler passed through the busy soundstage area, Hollywood actress Joanna Cassidy in the car curiously looked around.
It had been since before she debuted in the late 1960s that Hollywood had seen such a large-scale studio emerge; instead, many old studios were constantly being sold off for other uses.
Just this point alone, the young man who created all this in just a few years would be very difficult to surpass.
Thinking of Simon Westeros, Joanna Cassidy collected her thoughts and began to plan for the upcoming audition.
Joanna Cassidy was there for the role of Queen Hippolyta, Diana Prince's mother, in 'Wonder Woman'.
The casting for the DC Cinematic Universe was arguably the most anticipated event in Hollywood recently.
According to Hollywood media reports during this period, Daenerys Entertainment initially approached Sigourney Weaver for the role.
Sigourney Weaver had just given birth and planned to take a year off, which wasn't too big of a problem since 'Wonder Woman' was scheduled for 1992 and would only begin filming next year.
However, because Sigourney Weaver refused to sign multiple film contracts and demanded a high salary along with other additional conditions, Daenerys Entertainment directly chose to give up.
Joanna Cassidy had been in the industry for twenty years and had some sources of information, so she knew that Sigourney Weaver actually wanted the role.
Sigourney Weaver, an actress who stands 6 feet tall, had successfully become an A-lister with the 'Alien' series and 'Ghostbusters' series over the years, but due to her height, her acting range was quite narrow.
Most of the time, she could only play supporting roles, and her salary had never been high; even for 'Aliens 2', which she single-handedly carried to over a hundred million dollars at the global box office a few years ago, she only received $1 million at the time.
The movie 'Wonder Woman' specifically required tall actresses, and Daenerys Entertainment's minimum height standard for Amazonian warriors was 5 feet 9.
This was perfectly suited for Sigourney Weaver, and the great success of 'Batman Begins' and the grand vision of the DC Cinematic Universe were enough to ensure that even supporting roles in the series could gain high popularity.
If she got the role of Queen Hippolyta, Sigourney Weaver could not only solidify her position in Hollywood for the next few years but also avoid being overtaken by other similar actresses.
However, compared to the past where Hollywood studios would make various concessions if an A-list star merely hinted at participation, Daenerys Entertainment displayed a more dominant stance in casting for the DC Cinematic Universe series than even the major studios of old.
Sigourney Weaver insisted on not budging on core conditions like long-term contracts, and Daenerys Entertainment very decisively chose to give up.
Joanna Cassidy could actually largely understand why Daenerys Entertainment would do this.
The development of sequels for many well-known Hollywood films often fell through because creative team contracts couldn't be agreed upon, and some sequel projects that reluctantly started often failed due to being delayed too long and losing popularity.
For a super series like the DC Cinematic Universe, involving multiple films, if it were delayed because of unresolved sequel contracts with some actors, the entire cinematic universe plan would be affected.
Thus, the opportunity fell to second-tier actresses like Joanna Cassidy.
Joanna Cassidy, 45 years old, debuted in the late 60s and has appeared in dozens of various types of film and television dramas over the years, but she never encountered an opportunity to become truly famous.
Her most famous role, ironically, was only that of Zhora, the snake dancer, in Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'.
Her agent told her that the reason she got the audition opportunity for the role of Queen Hippolyta was because a certain young man admired her for beating up Harrison Ford in 'Blade Runner'.
That's right, this was revealed by Linda Vargas, the casting director for 'Wonder Woman', when she contacted Joanna's agent.
Linda Vargas was originally an inconspicuous figure in Hollywood, but she was fortunate enough to participate in Simon Westeros' first film, 'Run Lola Run', as the casting director at the time.
Subsequently, she was highly trusted and consistently served as the exclusive casting director for many of Westeros' films, and is now highly sought after in Hollywood.
However, Linda Vargas, who was impeccable in her dealings with people, was extremely loyal to Simon Westeros, and those who tried to get through to him through her mostly returned empty-handed.
This is probably why she became Simon Westeros' exclusive casting director.
Joanna Cassidy felt that if it were her, she would definitely do the same.
The longer one stays in Hollywood, the more deeply one realizes how difficult it is to climb the ladder in this industry; most people may not encounter a single opportunity to advance in their entire lives.
Linda Vargas was clearly someone who encountered an opportunity and was able to seize it tightly.
It's just that Westeros really admired her for beating up Harrison Ford in 'Blade Runner'.
This... couldn't be some kind of hint, could it?
The young man's preference for women was well-known throughout Hollywood.
Unconsciously, her thoughts strayed, and deep down, she even felt some anticipation.
After her first marriage in the 1970s, she had remained single.
If she could really have something with that young man whom countless women in Hollywood envied so much, it would truly be an irresistible thing.
Thinking this, the Chrysler passed through the second-floor office park and quickly arrived at the executive area on the top floor.
Getting out of the car in the parking lot, she looked around to see several minimalist-style office buildings, their exteriors enveloped in glass curtain walls, standing in a scattered yet orderly fashion.
Although the office buildings varied in height and shape, their overall layout gave a very comfortable sense of order.
Accustomed to the bungalows or small buildings of traditional studios, such a modern, fresh-looking studio office building truly gave a refreshing feeling.
Joanna Cassidy walked to the five-story office building on the northernmost side, entered the lobby, and after a brief conversation with the reception desk, was quickly led to the third floor.
Linda Vargas was already waiting for her, and two other actresses who would also participate in this audition had already arrived.
Everyone greeted each other warmly on the surface, then were led to the makeup room to get ready.
The audition for supporting roles like Queen Hippolyta was on a small scale; the three present were already the last three candidates and needed to audition in costume and makeup.
Arriving at the studio at nine in the morning and busy for an hour, Joanna Cassidy and the other two actresses finished dressing.
The already publicly confirmed director of 'Wonder Woman', Martin Campbell, had arrived, along with several other key behind-the-scenes creators of the film.
Then they spent more than half an hour taking photos, and finally, everyone went to a audition room downstairs where a blue screen had been set up.
After a short wait, at 11 o'clock sharp, Simon Westeros himself finally appeared, personally greeting the three actresses before the audition began.
The three candidate actresses had all been carefully selected, and their basic acting skills were beyond doubt.
This time, in addition to personally meeting and overseeing them, Simon also wanted to see their on-screen performance abilities in a virtual environment.
The DC Cinematic Universe series will use a large amount of virtual shooting technology, and to perfect these, a soundstage within the studio park has been specially set aside for Daenerys VFX's team to conduct various types of virtual shooting experiments in real-time.
Each person had twenty minutes, and Joanna Cassidy happened to be scheduled last.
Entering the audition room, the spacious room contained only a blue screen and a few simple chairs.
Westeros and the others politely stood up.
Joanna Cassidy stepped forward, shook hands with the young man, and exchanged greetings; the others then sat back down.
Simon held a notebook in his hand, skipping the trivial self-introduction segment, and concisely said, "Ms. Cassidy, the plot is as follows: Steppenwolf invades Themyscira, attempting to seize the Mother Box guarded by the Amazons. Queen Hippolyta encounters Steppenwolf, but is quickly defeated after a brief skirmish, and then you question Steppenwolf's intentions.
Please note, this is a virtual shooting performance; Steppenwolf is 10 feet tall and is planned to be filmed using a combination of CG and motion capture technology. There will be no one acting opposite you. Okay, please begin your performance".
Completely improvising towards thin air.
Joanna Cassidy didn't have the presence of mind to pay attention to the slight, peculiar sarcasm in the young man's tone when he spoke the last sentence.
She quickly brewed her emotions, then drew the sword from her waist, making a gesture to slash a few times to her right, and in an instant, as if struck heavily, she fell backward to the ground.
Barely propping herself up with her sword, she said, "Who are you?"
Usually, auditions require someone to act opposite and deliver lines.
This time, however, no one responded.
Only the people in the room and the camera recording were watching her.
Joanna Cassidy was not lacking in this kind of adaptability.
Recalling Simon's introduction, she mentally supplied Steppenwolf's lines.
After a brief pause, her face showed a look of understanding mixed with feigned composure, and she said, "Steppenwolf, why have you come to Themyscira?"
"..."
"Whatever you're looking for, it's not here".
"..."
Aside from the playful remark, "Please begin your performance," Simon then observed Joanna Cassidy's acting very professionally, occasionally making a few notes in his notebook.
A segment of improvisation ended, and Simon then had Joanna Cassidy try out several other shots.
The brief twenty minutes flew by, and the time reached noon, 12 o'clock.
Simon closed his notebook, stood up again, and shook Joanna Cassidy's hand, saying, "Thank you for making time to come, Ms. Cassidy. By the way, it's already noon; if you're not in a hurry, you're welcome to stay for lunch before you leave".
Hearing Simon's invitation, Joanna Cassidy smiled and nodded nonchalantly: "Of course, thank you".
After speaking, she was led by a staff member to remove her makeup.
This time it was simple; about twenty minutes later, Joanna Cassidy arrived at a small restaurant in another office building.
She had originally thought the young man was inviting her, but then found that the other two actresses who participated in the audition had also stayed.
Not only Westeros, but Martin Campbell and Linda Vargas were also there, so lunch turned into a working meal, with everyone discussing matters related to 'Wonder Woman'.
Seeing another actress who participated in the audition almost unashamedly chatting with the young man, who was the focus of everyone's attention, with obvious flirtation in her words, Joanna Cassidy realized that she was still a bit too reserved.
Perhaps she should be more proactive.
However, since someone else had already taken the initiative, and although Martin Campbell and the others seemed to ignore it, she ultimately couldn't muster the courage.
She had started as a model and knew that her self-maintenance over the years had been very successful.
But, fawning over a young man who was old enough to be her son still made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but envy the men in Hollywood.
Or, to be precise, the men in power in Hollywood.
No matter what kind of women they liked, it seemed perfectly natural to outsiders.
Women did not have this 'privilege'.
Today is Wednesday, May 16th, 1990.
Although he had indeed said he admired Joanna Cassidy for beating up Harrison Ford in 'Blade Runner', Simon had no romantic intentions towards her.
His entire workday schedule was packed, so he had no time for dalliances.
Regardless of whether those around him might believe it or not, he basically would not entertain such thoughts in a work setting.
After having lunch with everyone, the three actresses left, and Simon then discussed the morning's audition results with Martin Campbell and a few others.
Among the three actresses in the final competition, Joanna Cassidy was originally ranked last because she was the shortest, just meeting Simon's required 175cm minimum height for an Amazonian warrior.
The other two actresses were both taller than Joanna Cassidy.
However, Joanna Cassidy's acting experience was ultimately richer.
Although she had never quite made it big, two decades of training in Hollywood would be enough to open up even a block of wood.
So, re-examining the morning's costume photos and filmed scenes, everyone, including Simon himself, felt that Joanna Cassidy was more suitable for the role.
As for her height, it could be fully compensated with high heels.
They then discussed the audition arrangements for other roles and Martin Campbell's ideas for the film.
At three o'clock, it was time for the audition for another character in 'Wonder Woman', Queen Hippolyta's sister Antiope.
In the original film, this role was played by Robin Wright.
This time, Simon was interested in Linda Hamilton; her tough female image in 'Terminator 2' had left a very deep impression on Simon.
However, the team did not fully bet on Linda Hamilton; there were still three people participating in the audition.