The Best Director

“Magical Yang: Where is Juno?” This was the headline of the latest entertainment report in the Los Angeles Times, complete with a photo of Wang Yang walking his dog and looking around, as if searching for something. This photo was Cole’s masterpiece, and he now had a nickname in the industry: “Wang Yang’s Album”, with a large collection of Wang Yang’s photos, showing all sorts of expressions. Now, media outlets sourcing pictures for stories about Wang Yang were almost exclusively provided by Cole.

The report stated, “It’s been close to a month since we first learned of Magical Yang’s ‘Juno’ project, yet the role of Juno has not been decided. Many thought the part would go to Jessica Alba or Rachel McAdams, but they seem to have been eliminated early on. Initially, it was thought to be a scheduling conflict, but it appears this is not the case. It is understood that this young director has interviewed dozens of well-known actresses and thousands of new girls, yet apparently to no avail.”

“The search for Juno has hit a snag. What kind of girl is Magical Yang really looking for? What kind of young woman is Juno? And who will become Juno?” In his study, Wang Yang absentmindedly fiddled with a ‘High School Musical’ cartoon plastic doll—a tie-in product launched in collaboration with a toy company. Although it didn’t make much money, sales were decent, and it helped boost influence and cultivate a fan base for Fire Films. Picking up a brunette doll, he looked at her smiling face, which slightly eased his mood. With a faint smile, he put the doll back down.

The search for Juno had indeed hit an impasse and was not progressing at all, gradually filling Wang Yang with anxiety. Without finding Juno, casting other actors would be pointless. In these days, he had auditioned countless girls—not the thousands mentioned by the Los Angeles Times, but over three thousand. Each day, he scrutinized hundreds of different types of young girls, a task that went from initially pleasing to the eye to eventually boring.

Among the three thousand-plus girls, there was no Juno, and the number of auditionees over the last two days had significantly decreased, with hope growing ever more faint.

Wang Yang daydreamed for a while, then checked the time, realizing that based on Jessica’s usual pace, dinner would still take about half an hour. He looked at his computer screen, grasped his mouse, and opened a document named “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The draft for ‘Juno’ was already in its initial stages; of course, that was only the first draft. With time and daily contemplation, his thoughts evolved, prompting meticulous or even extensive revisions until utmost satisfaction was reached.

However, Wang Yang didn’t want to think about the ‘Juno’ script right now. Whenever he thought of “Juno,” the blurry images of thousands of girls appeared before his eyes, as if a slideshow was playing at high speed, driving him nearly insane. Therefore, he decided to work on the script for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ Aside from Jessica, he hadn’t mentioned this plan to anyone else and intended to finish shooting ‘Juno’ before starting ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ The current problem was that ‘High School Musical 2’ was about to start filming in early September, and the lead actress for ‘Juno’ had yet to be found.

“Some people can’t do certain things, and when they can’t, they tell you that you can’t either…”

Typing out this line, Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile, remembering Harry George’s words, “You’re sure to fail! That’s who we are, losers!” Smiling, he continued to type on the keyboard: “If you have a dream, you’ve got to protect it, strive to achieve it. That’s how it is.” The fat guy was doing great, having achieved his dream to become Valery Fiest’s assistant, doing what he loved every day.

The study was quiet, with only the sound of the keyboard tapping. As Wang Yang immersed himself in writing the script for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ his phone suddenly rang. Taking it out, he saw it was from Mark Strong. Furrowing his brow, he answered, “Mark, what’s up?”

“Yang, I’ve sent something to your email. Take a look,” said Mark Strong, his voice serious. “It’s urgent.”

“What is it?” Wang Yang asked, skeptical. Mark always claimed everything was urgent, but it rarely was. He logged into his email, downloaded the image file sent by Mark Strong, opened it, and was instantly stunned, laughing in disbelief, “What?! Mark, why are you sending me her picture?”

Mark Slant chuckled and said, “See? These stills are all of her in ‘The World of Heart,’ the movie that premiered in September.” He asked seriously, “What do you think? Doesn’t she look like a high school student? Doesn’t she have the aura?”

Looking at Natalie Portman on the screen, wearing a duckbill cap with a lively smile on her face, one had to admit she had a certain charisma. Wang Yang silently scrolled through with the mouse, knowing that with “Juno,” whether Alan Page was replaced or not, the styling would inevitably vary. The costume designer and art director would create looks based on the distinct features of each individual. Natalie Portman looked mature and serene with her long hair draping down; but with a ponytail, bangs, and a duckbill cap, she appeared youthful and vivid, with a sense of Juno’s character.

And with Natalie’s genius acting, she might play Juno very well… but no. Wang Yang stood up and walked towards the balcony, speaking with a resolute tone, “Mark, let’s not think about this anymore. I’m telling you clearly, I won’t consider Natalie Portman.”

“Why?” Mark Slant asked with a bemused smile.

Wang Yang stood at the balcony door, looking at the sky that was about to turn pitch dark, and said, “Why? You know why.” He had inexplicably been embroiled in a scandal with Natalie Portman, with absurd rumors about sending love through film reviews saying “Natalie is my dream”… The problem was, the film review in the school magazine was indeed written by him, and even though he was with Jessica now, everyone thought he had once been madly in love with Natalie Portman, his room plastered with her posters and the like.

If “Juno” were to invite Natalie now? Without even thinking, one knew that the gossip media would dig up that ridiculous scandal again, saying that he still had feelings for Natalie, making a big fuss about it.

But he didn’t care about that; in fact, it might even boost Juno’s attention. Scandals were just that—scandals; they weren’t true, and they would always come to an end. The real reason he firmly refused was because of Jessica.

Your own boyfriend casting the girl he was linked with in a scandal in a movie? Why did it have to be her; couldn’t it be someone else? Whether for work or film, no matter the reason, which girl could handle such a situation without getting hurt? It could very well lead to an immediate argument.

The reason he wanted to do “Juno” was precisely because of the false pregnancy incident with Jessica. Juno was their “daughter,” he didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings or distress to “Juno’s mother” Jessica, not the slightest bit. Therefore, he wouldn’t consider Natalie Portman, no matter how suitable she seemed.

Thinking of these things, Wang Yang said again, “Mark, forget it, I won’t consider Natalie.”

“My boss, you really shouldn’t be like this!” Mark Slant sounded both helpless and urgent, sighing, “I know you’re afraid of your little girlfriend’s misunderstanding, but can’t you explain it to her? I think Jessica would understand.”

Walking to the balcony railing, Wang Yang looked down at the brightly lit kitchen with a warm smile on his face and said, “No need for explanations, this would hurt her no matter what, and she’s my girlfriend!” And they were almost married this month; he chuckled and said, “I don’t want her to have any misunderstandings or to be upset. If she’s upset, it hurts me even more. You also have a family and a wife, you should understand. I want her to be happy, or else even if the film is a success, I wouldn’t be happy.”

“I assure you, this won’t hurt anyone, it’s just making a movie,” Mark Slant continued to try to persuade him, “My wife could understand these things; communication is key, give it a try.” Wang Yang cut him off decisively, “No, no more talking, I’m going to hang up.” Mark Slant suddenly felt frantic, took a deep breath, and said, “Yang, you’re being really immature this time!”

“Fine, I’m immature, I’m only 19, why do I need to be mature?” Wang Yang laughed heartily with an impudent tone, and after a few laughs, he spoke seriously, “Mark, I admit Natalie is very suitable for Juno; but there’s one thing she’s least suitable for, that old saying, she would upset my girlfriend. Buddy, there are others in the world who can act, I’d rather audition another ten thousand people, go to the United Kingdom, Italy, rather than have Jessica upset, that’s it. Bye, Mark, keep preparing for tomorrow’s auditions!”

Mark Slant said helplessly, “OK, you really are a good boyfriend.”

“You’re right, that’s what I’m trying to be,” Wang Yang laughed as he pressed ‘end call’, put his phone back into his pocket, and turned to walk back into his room. But when he turned around, he froze. Jessica stood not far in front, smiling at him. He fell silent for a moment before casually smiling and saying, “Hi, Jessica.” He strode back to his computer, closed the image of Natalie and dragged it to the recycle bin.

Jessica walked over and said softly, “Yang, dinner is ready.” Wang Yang replied with a “Okay” and was about to empty the recycle bin when Jessica’s hand stopped him. She shook her head with a smile, took control of the mouse, and restored the image. Remembering Wang Yang’s words from just now, her heart raced, filled with the feeling of being loved as she gently said, “I heard everything.”

“Oh.” Wang Yang shrugged, slightly at a loss for words, and then smiled, “At least I wasn’t talking bad about you.”

Jessica grinned, holding the mouse to open the image again. She looked at Natalie Portman on the screen, wearing a duckbill cap, and remembered Wang Yang discussing the physical requirements for Juno. She laughingly said, “She really looks like Juno, Yang, get in touch with her!”

“Forget about that,” Wang Yang snatched the mouse back, deleting the image once more, pulling Jessica by the hand towards the door and smiling, “It’s dinner time. Jessie, is there pumpkin pie tonight?”

But Jessica didn’t answer him. She stood her ground, looking back at Wang Yang and said seriously, “Yang, I won’t be angry, nor will I be unhappy. I have confidence in our relationship, and I absolutely trust you!” Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she continued, “I’m your girlfriend, and I don’t care about the gossip with Natalie because I know it’s not true. I care about you, Yang. You don’t want to see me hurt, but I also don’t want to see you hurt.”

She knew that the casting decision for Juno had been driving Wang Yang up the wall recently, causing him to be quite downcast. It pained her, and there wasn’t much she could do to help, but now there was a good candidate right in front of them. Looking at Wang Yang, she repeated, “Get in touch with Natalie, Yang.” “Jessica, thank you,” Wang Yang smiled faintly and said, “But I really don’t want to deal with rumors…” Jessica furrowed her brows, cutting him off, commanding, “Contact her!” Wang Yang was taken aback as Jessica stepped forward, fishing his phone out from his pocket, quickly dialed a number in his contacts, and said, “Hello, Mr. Slant, Yang asked me to tell you to get in touch with Natalie Portman. Uh-huh, bye!”

Wang Yang held his forehead, watching her and began to laugh. Jessica hung up the phone, her face breaking into a sweet smile, put the phone back in his pocket and spread her hands, saying with a laugh, “There, all sorted out.” Wang Yang, still laughing, tugged her hand and headed out, saying, “Let’s eat!” After enjoying a delightful dinner, Wang Yang and Jessica leaned on the couch watching TV when Mark Slant called, seemingly worried that Wang Yang might change his mind; he had contacted Natalie Portman’s agent with lightning speed. Jessica lowered the TV volume with the remote while Wang Yang, with one arm around her waist, held the phone to his ear and listened as Mark Slant said, “Yang, I’ve contacted her, Natalie Portman said she isn’t interested as she wants to focus on her studies.”

“Haha!” Wang Yang couldn’t help laughing, feeling an instant sense of relief because, logically and rationally, he couldn’t convince himself that Natalie couldn’t play Juno. But emotionally, he really didn’t want to work with Natalie. Luckily, it was now resolved! He smiled, “That’s a pity, isn’t it? Now we need to keep looking.”

Jessica frowned slightly at that, but Wang Yang reassured her with a smile. Then he heard Mark Slant laugh and say, “Hey, boss, I haven’t finished talking. Natalie’s attitude wasn’t very firm; she agreed to have a phone conversation with you, right now. I’ll text you her number.” Mark paused and then said earnestly, “Yang, you need to convince her.”

Listening to Jessica’s laughter, she patted Wang Yang on the shoulder, stood up, and walked toward the kitchen, saying with a smile, “Yang, good luck, I’m going to clean up the dishes.”

Wang Yang shrugged, half-reclining on the sofa. He looked at the number sent by Mark Slaughter, repeated it twice in his mind, then dialed the number. While watching a show on the TV screen, he said, “Hi, is this Miss Natalie Portman? Uh, this is Wang Yang.”

Natalie Portman’s voice came through, and she said indifferently, “Hi, Mr. Wang.” After exchanging greetings, Wang Yang went straight to the point on the phone, “Miss Portman, I would like to invite you to play a role in ‘Juno.\'” Natalie immediately responded, “Mr. Wang, it’s almost September, and I’m about to go to Harvard. I hope to fully enjoy college and have a normal developmental experience.”

She continued, “But I really like interesting and meaningful stories, some stories that I can’t resist. But honestly, I’m not interested in stories like ‘High School Musical.’ If it’s the usual campus story, wouldn’t it be better for me to experience it myself in college? What do you think, Mr. Wang?”

“Hm,” Wang Yang acknowledged her point. It was clear that Natalie meant if ‘Juno’ was like ‘High School Musical,’ he should not bother her. He organized his thoughts and said, “I understand, Miss Portman. Let me tell you the gist of ‘Juno.’ Juno is a free-spirited, headstrong 16-year-old girl who one day, probably out of boredom, decides to have intercourse with a boy from the track team named Paulie, and then she gets pregnant…”

He proceeded to recall the story of ‘Juno’ and Natalie listened quietly throughout. When he finished, she asked, “What is it you’re looking to capture in this story?”

Wang Yang sat up straighter and started to sound more serious, “Pregnancy is just the start; Juno faces all kinds of changes. On one hand, she enters the adult world, experiencing the values of the adoptive parents; on the other hand, she’s still in the naive school environment, creating stories with Paulie. Paulie is immature, but he has something adults lack. Through this pregnancy, Juno learns a lot, contemplates a great deal, and her mindset undergoes changes…” After waiting again for him to finish, Natalie seemed quite interested and uttered an “Oh.” After a pause, she said, “Mr. Wang, I would like to see the complete script. Only after I fully understand the story will I know whether I am genuinely interested.”

Wang Yang chuckled, “Of course.” Many things need to be discussed face-to- face to be understood clearly. He also needed to meet Natalie Portman in person to decide if she was truly suitable for Juno. It was a mutual evaluation process. Hearing Natalie’s silence on the other end, Wang Yang had nothing more to say and concluded, “Then, goodbye.” The rest was to speak with her agent to arrange a meeting, naturally in New York; he would have to fly there specifically.

“Okay, goodbye,” said Natalie Portman and ended the call.

Wang Yang pressed the end call button as he listened to the “beep beep” on the phone. He looked towards Jessica walking over, and she asked with a smile, “How did it go?” Wang Yang smiled back at her, “I have to go to New York again.”