Watching Landon's growth and his deep thoughts on the character, Marina was also filled with emotion:
"Alright, relax. With your current understanding and mastery of Charles, as long as you perform normally, there will definitely be no problem. I believe in you."
She paused and said with expectation in her eyes, "If you encounter any problems with acting in the future, you can come to me at any time."
Meanwhile, as night fell over the past few days, Landon's apartment was enveloped in a different kind of atmosphere.
Rachel would basically head straight here with her clothes after work. She hadn't completely moved in yet, as the apartment did seem a bit small, but she treated it as if it were her true home.
While Landon practiced his lines and studied his movements in front of the bedroom mirror, she would often watch TV alone in the living room, keeping the volume low.
But when Landon became too absorbed and stayed immersed in his character study for too long, she would playfully burst into the bedroom to hug him from behind or hit him with a pillow, coquettishly complaining that he was too focused and was ignoring her. In reality, Rachel was reminding him that it was time to rest.
Landon would then smile helplessly, pull her into his arms for a kiss, and spend some tender moments with her. If it was too late, he would catch her and they would go wash up and rest together.
But more often than not, Rachel would take the initiative to act as Landon's scene partner.
She even memorized Nash's lines from the script and played Nash, using her own understanding to act out scenes with Landon's Charles.
She might not have been professional, but her total commitment and occasional flashes of inspiration often brought new insights to Landon.
In this small apartment, Rachel gave Landon her greatest support... Every day during their breaks, their two young bodies burst with infinite youthful energy. Although many times, because Landon's body was becoming stronger and stronger, he could only endure it helplessly when Rachel was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, both of them never grew tired of it.
Curiously, every morning when she woke up, Rachel's skin was exceptionally hydrated and lustrous, her whole person radiant and full of collagen.
This transformation from the inside out made her increasingly dependent on Landon, finding it harder and harder to be away from him.
At the same time, she could clearly feel the changes in Landon's body.
Rachel knew that with Landon's unwavering routine of morning running, martial arts practice, and physical training, the lines of his body were becoming more symmetrical and smooth, his strength was growing, and his energy was becoming more vigorous.
While enjoying that sense of security, she couldn't help but start to worry secretly, feeling a bit melancholy: In the long run, how could she handle him all by herself?
"Should I find a sister-friend?"
Even such ridiculous thoughts frequently popped into Rachel's mind.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the night before the audition.
Rachel made a point of coming over early, using extreme tenderness to soothe the 'legendarily gifted' Landon,
She helped him iron the shirt and suit he was to wear the next day, and finally, after a deep kiss, she left Landon's apartment.
"Good luck, Landon! You'll definitely get this role!" Her eyes were full of expectation.
Landon wanted her to stay, but Rachel insisted on leaving.
"You need to get a good night's rest and recharge your energy. I'll wait for your good news," she said considerately, though she was just as reluctant to leave.
The next morning, Landon still maintained his morning exercise habit, using running and Eight Trigram Palm to keep himself in peak physical and mental condition.
Just after he returned and showered, Tracy arrived at the apartment on time with a Makeup Artist, as per his prior plan.
The Makeup Artist, Zoe Nyong'o, was a girl of about twenty-three or twenty-four with sexy tan skin and playful dreadlocks. She chewed gum leisurely, exuding the youthful rebellion of a young girl.
When she first saw Landon's handsome face, her eyes instantly lit up, and she excitedly blew a bubble: "Wow! Tracy, you finally wised up for once. You actually have such good taste this time?"
Hearing this, Tracy rolled her eyes.
Then, Zoe approached Landon and, while he wasn't looking, quietly felt his abs.
However, although Zoe always wore a thirsty expression, her work attitude was beyond reproach.
But when she heard Landon's request, Zoe was filled with surprise and confusion:
"I need to look mature, about twenty-five years old. You can appropriately downplay the refinement of my features to make me look steadier. I also need to have the wildness of a college student, but without any obvious traces of makeup," Landon requested.
Since Zoe started her career, most of her clients' requests were about how to make them look more beautiful or handsome. While it wasn't unheard of for someone to ask to be 'dressed down,' it was the first time she'd seen someone of Landon's caliber actively ask to look less attractive.
"Are you sure?" Zoe couldn't help but confirm after hearing these somewhat contradictory requirements; he was so perfect, yet he wanted to look mature and plain.
"Very sure." Landon's tone was firm as he closed his eyes to rest, entrusting himself completely to this unfamiliar Makeup Artist. "I believe in you, Zoe. You can definitely do it."
Zoe shrugged, and though puzzled, she quickly entered her work state.
She spat out her gum, opened her professional makeup kit, and began applying makeup to Landon's face with both hands.
She used foundation to soften the texture of his overly fair and lustrous skin and deepened the shadows of his eye sockets and jawline, making his facial contours appear tougher and more mature.
Then, using an extremely fine makeup brush, she drew nearly imperceptible expression lines at the corners of his eyes, the kind created by frequent laughter.
Landon kept his eyes closed, letting Zoe work her magic on his face.
He cleared his mind, adjusted his breathing, and rested.
After an unknown amount of time, Zoe lightly tapped his shoulder: "Hey, Landon, all done! Open your eyes and take a look."
Landon slowly opened his eyes and looked into the mirror Zoe handed him.
The image in the mirror made him start slightly, followed by a satisfied curve at the corners of his mouth.
That handsome face now belonged to a man who was steady and reserved, with a hint of laziness and a sense of having a story to tell.
Moreover, his age felt instantly boosted to about twenty-five or twenty-six, and with the help of makeup techniques, his eyes appeared deeper and more inscrutable.
Most importantly, there were absolutely no traces of deliberate makeup; it was as if he were naturally born this way.
"Perfect! Zoe, you're a genius!" Landon praised sincerely.
Beside them, Tracy looked at Landon after his makeup was done, a flash of surprise in her eyes and great satisfaction in her heart.
She had recruited Zoe with the intention of grooming her into a core member of Landon's future team. This audition styling was both a job and a test.
Clearly, Zoe had proven herself, delivering a result that far exceeded expectations.
Afterward, Tracy personally drove Landon to the audition location, arriving nearly an hour early.
For an important supporting role in a project of the caliber of A Beautiful Mind, one could never be too cautious or take it too seriously.
The audition took place outside the studio offices of Universal Pictures.
For a role like Charles, the normal audition process would involve a preliminary selection, and after passing that, going directly to the Casting Director's office for the first audition. Then, actors who passed the first audition would be called back—a Callback—to perform with the director, producer, or other actors.
Of course, if it were a lead role, a final candidate for a lead like John Nash might undergo a final Screen Test at the movie studio, but that had nothing to do with Landon at the moment.
However, Tracy had actually managed to get Landon directly into the Callback stage through WMA, making Landon once again suspect Tracy's background.
But this was a good thing for him, so Landon didn't dwell on Tracy's background for the time being.