"So it's like this. Laura Davies and Victoria Kaur are both splendid choices on your part. Young, capable, hard-working actors like them are rare nowadays. Especially Victoria – her acting is not something you would expect from someone at her age."
Natalia listened quietly without interrupting, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
She basically already understood what he was going to say.
As expected, Nathan continued, "The entire cast of 'The Youth' is going to be cleared off over the next two months. I have a friend who's got a new project to film, but he's a young director without much fame, and it's hardly any big production. But he's taken a liking to Victoria and wanted her to join the film as the female lead. As you're close with Victoria, could you help persuade her?"
Natalia chuckled.
"That's a good thing! Why don't you tell Victoria herself? Don't you meet each other every day on set? You should have more chances to talk to each other!"
Nathan showed an awkward face.
"That's... I won't lie, I already asked, but she didn't agree."
Natalia blinked, a little surprised.
She knew Victoria. Even though she was part of the upper crust of the media world these days, she wasn't the sort of person who would only go for big projects, nor was she like some snobs that would look down on some up and coming directors.
With the Kaur family at her back, she didn't want for resources, and the team she had with her was well-connected. Essentially, she picked projects by how much she liked them, not the size of the production.
And now that Nathan was willing to recommend it to her, the script itself should be decent.
It was strange that Victoria didn't agree.
Natalia nodded slightly. "If that's the case, she must have her own considerations! I'm just her friend and I can't make decisions for her, so I'm afraid I might not be of much help with this matter."
Nathan hurriedly said, "I know that much, and I'm not asking you to force her, but I still want to try before throwing in the towel."
He rubbed his hands, looking both awkward and pressured. "To be honest, this friend of mine has his eye set on having her as the female lead. I'm not demanding that you persuade her, but could you please help me find out why she's not taking the project so we could know what to fix?"
Natalia thought about it, felt that it wouldn't affect anything, and considered Nathan's sincere attitude. She agreed.
Though she still reminded him, "I'll say this first. I'm only going to ask about why she's not taking the job and I don't plan on persuading her for you. If the answer's still no, don't blame me for it."
Nathan assented hurriedly, and with the talk over, he left thanking her profusely.
He left the gift box on the desk as he excused himself.
Slightly exasperated, Natalia gave Archie a call and told him about it.
Unexpectedly, Archie only chuckled. "I told him to bring a gift here. Just take it."
Natalia was at a bit of a loss for words.
But since he'd said that much, she didn't object.
Hanging up, she gave Victoria a call and invited her out for dinner.
Victoria agreed.
At six in the evening, after getting off work, Natalia went ahead and drove to the mall she was meeting Victoria at.
Victoria had been busy filming with her cast these days and rarely got out. Today was her chance to relax.
Only, the moment they met, Natalia quickly sensed that Victoria didn't seem to be doing so well. Her face was pale, and her whole being seemed drowsy.
Concerned, Natalia asked, "What's with you? Is the work too hard, or are you sick?"
She reached out to feel her forehead.
But Victoria leant away slightly, looking a little guilty as she shook her head. "Not much. Just not feeling very well, maybe because we've had night scenes to shoot lately."
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