CHAPTER 144: A VETERAN ACTOR AND HIS ENDLESS EGO

The room had been filled with actors and staff for the past fifteen minutes, but the script reading still couldn’t begin because of one person.

Yes, the actor playing the male lead, Samuel Rock, was late!

If the male lead hadn’t even arrived yet, how could they possibly start their work?

I could clearly see the producer and director getting annoyed. They even told someone to call him. But of course, they didn’t dare complain out loud because Samuel was a veteran actor with a massive fanbase.

And his fans weren’t normal fans. They were the type who would throw themselves into a fire just to protect him. They acted like his personal army, attacking anyone who was rumored to have upset their precious actor.

Because of that, nobody wanted to provoke him. His fans once even got an actress kicked out of a drama because of a rumor saying she was rude to him, even though she only acted that way because Samuel kept bothering her.

He was a nightmare to deal with, but unfortunately, his acting skills were no joke.

So when Marissa told me that Samuel Rock would play the male lead, I honestly didn’t know how to react.

He was talented, but also a huge jerk. That’s why it was so hard for anyone to get rid of him. But let’s be real... he got away with it because he was a man. He could act however he wanted and still stay at the top.

If a woman ever did the same things he did, no matter how talented she was, people would work hard to tear her down.

I mean... I wasn’t even a jerk, yet people tried their best to bring me down back then.

"Morning, guys!"

The door swung open, revealing a man wearing sunglasses. He walked in with an indifferent attitude, not showing even the slightest hint of guilt for being late. "Why haven’t you started the script reading?"

The producer, Marcus Langford, took a deep breath before replying, "We’re waiting for you, Samuel."

Samuel shrugged and sat beside Mira Avery, the actress playing the female lead. "Well, I’m here now. So what are we waiting for?"

Some actors tried to hide their anger by pinching their thighs or scratching their necks for no reason. Meanwhile, I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself not to cause trouble on my first day.

Besides, I needed his praise to complete my mission... or maybe not? Penny never said the praises had to come from all senior actors.

She only said I needed ten praises from the actors. As long as even one senior actor praised me, that would already be more than enough.

"Alright, let’s not waste any more time," the director, Damon Carter, said. "We will beg—"

"Wait," Samuel cut him off. "Does anyone have a copy of the script? I left mine at home."

The director didn’t say anything. He simply nodded and signaled a staff member to bring a new script.

Well, I knew he was talented, but leaving his script at home? That wasn’t just careless, it showed he probably hadn’t even bothered reading it.

Every actor writes notes on their script. We underline important parts, mark words that need emphasis, and write down thoughts about tone or emotion.

That’s why actors hate using a clean, untouched script. But this man? He didn’t even seem to care.

"Do you need anything else?" Mr. Carter asked.

Samuel shook his head. "Nope. We can start now."

"Good." Mr. Carter let out a relieved sigh, then continued, "Now we will begin with the character introductions first..."

Mr. Carter then gave a quick explanation about how Samuel should portray Jacob Croix and how Mira should portray Anya Croix. Since they were the main characters in this drama, the director wanted them to build good chemistry together.

Mira was a senior actress too, but Samuel had been in the industry much longer, so she needed a little more time to get used to acting with him, especially since he... didn’t even bother helping her much.

But thankfully, Mira wasn’t clueless. After a bit of practice, she managed to match his pace and create solid chemistry between them.

"Okay, Anya is out of the frame for now, so it’s time for Elena to interact with Jacob," the director said. "Elena, are you ready?"

I straightened my back as soon as he called the name Elena, the character I would be playing. "Yes, yes, I’m ready."

"Good." He continued, watching my expression closely. "There are a few things you need to keep in mind. Even though Elena is a mistress and is shown as a seductress, she’s also a professional secretary. So, I want you to use different tones when Elena talks to other people and when she’s alone with Jacob. Do you get it?"

Honestly, I had already thought about this while reading the script, so I had been practicing two different tones for Elena that felt very distinct.

"Yes, I get it," I said.

The director nodded in satisfaction. Then he asked me to read the scene where Elena and Jacob were alone in the meeting room. The meeting had gone badly, and some of the executives had made Jacob furious, so he wanted to vent by kissing Elena and trying to have a quickie before an office girl interrupted them.

Well, that part was fine with me because I wouldn’t have signed the contract if the director wanted me to add an actual sex scene.

But... Samuel clearly had other thoughts.

"Actually, Mr. Director, doesn’t kissing feel a bit off?" Samuel suddenly said. "I read the novel, and isn’t she supposed to give him a blowjob? Why reduce it to just kissing? Ms. Junni, am I right?"

I frowned, wondering why, out of all scenes that were different from the book, he had to point out that one. It wasn’t even important for the plot.

Besides, why would a man who was too careless to even bring his own script suddenly talk about the novel? Most actors usually wouldn’t read the entire novel because it would affect their view of the drama, which was often different from the novel’s plot.

A moment later, Junniper—the writer—nodded. "Yes, that’s true. But the director and I agreed that in the movie, we want Jacob to look less trashy so we can reach a wider audience."

Mr. Carter added, "Also, we want the movie’s main focus to be Jacob and his wife. That’s why we use a black screen whenever Jacob and Elena have sex. We only want their sexual tension, not the actual sex."

Samuel suddenly turned his gaze toward me. "Well, that’s too bad." Then he asked, "Don’t you think it would be interesting if we added a sex scene to the drama too?"

I smiled politely at him, but my tone was firm. "I’m sorry, but I didn’t sign up for that." Then I added, "If new scenes like that suddenly get added, I’ll step out of the drama."

I meant every word. I would probably have to pay a penalty, but honestly, that would still be better than suddenly performing a sex scene in front of the camera.

I might be a versatile actress, but definitely not that versatile. There was nothing wrong with actors who did sex scenes, but it was simply a no for me.

"You’re a newcomer. You shouldn’t be this picky," Samuel clicked his tongue. "In this industry, new scenes can always be added. You can’t expect everything to follow the first script exactly."

This man.

At this point, I was pretty sure he just wanted to gaslight me so he could push for a sex scene with me in this drama.

"I’m aware of that, and I’m open if Mr. Carter wants to add new scenes for the sake of the story," I said firmly. "But a sex scene is a completely different matter. This is just my personal preference, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that kind of scene."

Samuel laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d heard all day. "Oh, you must be joking. How can you say you’re uncomfortable doing that, yet still sign up for a drama like this? You must be one of those actors who secretly hate the project but still take the job because you need the money."

I kept smiling, even though a part of me really wanted to throw a chair at his head. "I don’t have any problem with the plot of this drama, but I do have a problem if they suddenly ask me to do a sex scene. That’s all. Please don’t twist my words."

In the past, I would’ve gotten into trouble for talking back like this. But now that everyone knew I had strong connections with the Brixtons, people would think twice before trying anything against me.

"Samuel, the sex scenes between Jacob and Elena are not the main point of the movie," Mr. Carter finally spoke up. "They’re not necessary for the plot."