*Chapter 186: Cosplay*

Even with such high efficiency, it was still two hours later by the time Wayne finished auditioning the second- and third-tier actresses.

Apart from the ones she had pre-selected, like Jordana Brewster, none of the other actresses left any surprising impressions on him.

Meanwhile, Simon Pegg had also completed his transformation, looking much greasier than before.

Though not quite as naturally greasy as Vince Vaughn, Wayne and Peter Farrelly discussed it and ultimately chose Simon Pegg for the role of the second male lead, "Jeremy," because his greasy look made him appear funnier than before.

“Let’s change the auditions to groups of five… No, make it ten at a time!”

“Okay, boss.”

These were just newcomers and lower-tier actors, so when the big boss Wayne gave the order, there were no objections.

So, the next round of auditions had groups of 10 entering the temporary conference room, standing in a row.

There was no need for impromptu acting; it was all about appearance. This way, even if each group took five or six minutes, everything could be done within two hours.

“Boss, would you like to take a break for lunch?” Nina Jackson’s assistant asked perceptively.

“Order some sandwiches. Get one for each of the girls who haven’t auditioned yet,” Wayne said after checking the time.

“Will do, boss. I’ll get right on it.”

In just 15 minutes, the assistant returned with five of what were said to be the best roast beef sandwiches in all of Los Angeles. Wayne and Hannah each got two, while Nina Jackson, with a smaller appetite, only needed one.

Being meticulous was probably why Nina Jackson had chosen this assistant.

As for the girls outside, they weren’t as pampered. The assistant ordered them some more affordable sandwiches, and because of the large quantity, they were still on their way.

Since these girls likely wouldn’t eat until after their auditions, to avoid bloating, Wayne knew it didn’t matter if the sandwiches arrived late.

While eating his sandwich, Wayne continued with the auditions.

One thing was for sure: Hollywood, the center of world cinema, had no shortage of beautiful women.

Many actresses, even if they never made it big, still possessed stunning looks.

What they lacked were opportunities.

For instance, Cinzia Rocca Forte from Italy, who had been in Hollywood for six or seven years, playing countless bit parts, was still a lower-tier actress. Her most memorable role was as a flirtatious secretary in the movie Q-Box.

Then there was Diora Baird, a model-turned-actress who had been in Hollywood for two years but hadn’t even made it to the lower ranks. It wasn’t until 2006, when she starred alongside Jordana Brewster in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, that she barely managed to make it to the lower-tier.

And there was Kate Mara, who started at age 14 and had been in Hollywood for four years without making it anywhere. It wasn’t until four years later, with Brokeback Mountain, that she finally rose to the lower ranks.

These were just the ones Wayne could recognize.

As for those he didn’t know, there were plenty more.

The biggest surprise among the newcomers was Helena Mattsson, who was supposed to be studying at a drama school in London at this time and wouldn’t come to Hollywood for another two years.

Though Helena Mattsson never became more than a lower-tier star and didn’t have many notable works, her resemblance to a blend of Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron was striking, even though she couldn’t quite match those two legends. She wasn’t far off from Isla Fisher in terms of looks.

“I see you’re still studying at a drama school in London. Why did you come here to audition?” Wayne asked out of curiosity.

“Well, Mr. Wayne,” Helena Mattsson nervously explained, “I applied to be an exchange student in America, so I’ll be staying in Los Angeles for the next year.”

Wayne nodded and didn’t say anything more.

This left Helena Mattsson, who had been hopeful, feeling a bit disappointed.

Meanwhile, her fellow auditioners breathed a sigh of relief. After all, with one fewer spot taken, their chances improved.

In truth, Wayne did have some interest in Helena Mattsson, but considering he already had plenty of women, including some Korean stars waiting for him and the soon-to-be-of-age Megan Fox, he decided to drop any thoughts of her.

However, after some consideration, he allowed Helena Mattsson and Cinzia Rocca Forte to pass the audition.

This, along with the pre-selected Zhi Ling and Vivian Hsu, made a total of nine.

The remaining spots would be decided after Annie Hirst delivered the “gifts.”

“It’s finally over!” Wayne let out a deep breath and closed the audition list.

After five straight hours of watching beautiful women audition, he found it more exhausting than playing poker for five hours straight.

“Has Peter finished his auditions?” Wayne asked.

"Yes, boss. For the role of Male No. 3, 'William,' Director Farrelly has chosen James Marsden, who previously played Cyclops in X-Men. For Male No. 4, 'Clary,' Sam Shepard has been cast, a familiar face from numerous films where he often plays supporting roles."

Wayne nodded.

Peter Farrelly's choice to cast James Marsden, known for his role as Cyclops, as the villainous Male No. 3 did not surprise him.

Even though Marsden's fame and status weren't the highest among the actors auditioning, he was, visually, the most fitting for the role.

Actors like Paul Walker and Oded Fehr came across as too righteous. They could pull off playing villains, but they wouldn't do it as convincingly as Marsden.

As for Sam Shepard, who landed the part of Male No. 4, he was one of those typical Hollywood actors who specialized in playing authoritative father figures in supporting roles.

Although he had appeared in many films, he wasn't particularly famous, likely not even a third-tier actor.

However, Wayne did know his name because Shepard had played the father of the female lead in the original The Notebook.

"Heading back now?" Hannah yawned lazily, asking Wayne.

Nina Jackson's assistant had been so overly eager that all Hannah had done during Wayne's five-hour audition was make him coffee, leaving her bored out of her mind.

"You go ahead," Wayne checked the time and said, "I’ve got dinner plans with Sarah, Ella, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Cynthia Rocafort. I'll head back after dinner."

Hannah, who had just been sleepy, immediately opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Sh*t! Sarah and Ella, fine, but when did you hook up with Emmanuelle Chriqui and Cynthia Rocafort?"

"While you were making coffee."

"…"

It took her only two minutes to brew that coffee, so how had he managed to set everything up so fast? And those two women agreed way too quickly!

Hannah was speechless.

In reality, Wayne didn’t need even two minutes—just two text messages had secured the date.

Wayne then bid farewell to Peter Farrelly, handing over the audition results, and found Emmanuelle Chriqui and the others chatting in the lounge. He invited them to his villa on Roxbury Street.

Unlike Hannah, who was bored, Emmanuelle Chriqui and the others didn’t seem the least bit impatient despite waiting several hours.

On the other side of things, Vivian Hsu and Lin Chi-ling, still recovering in the villa, were overjoyed when they received the news that they had passed their auditions. They rushed to sign their contracts as fast as possible.

Even if it was just a few seconds on screen, for them, this was a significant breakthrough. After all, it was a Hollywood blockbuster with a budget exceeding $42 million.

To put it in perspective, the combined production costs of all the films and TV shows they had done before didn't add up to this amount.

Moreover, Wayne hadn’t shortchanged them—$100,000 and $80,000.

Consider that Zhang Ziyi only received $120,000 for her role as the female lead in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and it's clear that these were not small sums.

For third-tier actors, whose income was often less than that of regular office workers in Japan, this pay was what second-tier actresses might earn for starring in a TV drama.

"Sh*t!" Watching as Vivian Hsu and Lin Chi-ling applied their makeup and left the villa looking gorgeous, Haruka Igawa, who shared the same residence, couldn't help but feel envious.

She silently swore that next time she had the chance to "play cards" with Wayne, she would try harder and be more focused.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t realize that her opportunity had already passed.

After trying her once, Wayne had lost interest.

At that moment, in Villa 7 next door, where Sarah Michelle Gellar resided, Wayne was spending time with Emmanuelle Chriqui and the others.

Even though the four women couldn’t match Wayne’s stamina, he had no intention of calling in reinforcements.

Oddly enough, perhaps because they hadn’t had lunch, their endurance was far less than he had expected.

They were all in their prime, but after just over two hours, they were done.

Wayne had initially expected to stay until after dinner, but after taking a shower and checking the time, he realized it wasn’t even 6 PM yet.

Reluctantly, Wayne got dressed and called Milda.

"Milda, please inform the kitchen that I’ll be back for dinner tonight. Prepare an extra serving. I should be back in about half an hour."

"Understood, sir."

Glancing at the four women sound asleep on the bed, Wayne left the villa without a second thought.

As for whether he would pursue Emmanuelle Chriqui and Cynthia Rocafort further, he hadn’t decided yet.

Half an hour later, Wayne drove back to his villa.

At dinner, noticing Mia was absent, he remembered that tonight was the party hosted by Paramount’s CEO, Sherry Lansing.

Since he hadn’t wanted to attend, Mia and Sarah had gone on his behalf.

However, this did spoil his plans to invite Mia and the others for a poker game after dinner.

After eating, Wayne went to his study to continue working on the script for Wanted.

But to his surprise, Hannah, Jessica, and Charlize Theron had prepared a little surprise for him.

Just over an hour into his writing session, Wayne heard the door open. Looking up, his eyes lit up.

The three women had dressed in ancient Egyptian costumes from The Mummy Returns, portraying 'Evelyn' and 'Anck-su-Namun,' as they sashayed seductively into the room.

"Gulp."

Wayne swallowed hard.

Cosplay truly had a unique allure. Even though he had been with many beautiful women in this life, seeing these three, whom he knew so well, in such attire made his heart race, as if he was falling in love all over again.

And, to be honest, this type of costume really highlighted a person’s figure.

Among the three, even Hannah, who had the least impressive physique, still surpassed Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez. And Charlize Theron’s supermodel-worthy body was incomparable.

"Alright! I must admit, you’ve successfully made me abandon any thoughts of 'Anck-su-Namun'~" Wayne grumbled as he eagerly left his desk to embrace the three of them.

As for writing the script, that could wait until after the "real work" was done. At this moment, wasting even a second felt criminal!

However, what Charlize Theron and the others had intended as a fun addition ended up backfiring. They soon found themselves overwhelmed by their own beauty and cosplay’s seductive power.

By the time Mia returned from the party, she found the three women sprawled on the bed, too exhausted to even move their eyes.

"Oh my God, what happened to you guys?"

Mia was startled and couldn’t help but exclaim.

Charlize and the others were too drained to respond.

But it didn’t matter—Wayne was there.

"Sweetheart, you’re back? I noticed there’s another costume here. Is it yours?"

"…"

Mia glanced at the costume in Wayne's hands and then at the gold dust still on Charlize and the others. She instantly understood the situation.

(End of Chapter)