Hollywood Secret Garden

Chapter 18: A new Script?

"Yes, Dad, I understand. Jessica and I are diligently attending Mrs. Brown's lectures every day. We haven't fallen behind on any assignments, I promise."

"Very good, that's really good. The only thing that's not good is that I always seem to be falling behind."

"Oh no! Don't even think about it! You promised me!"

"Okay, Dad, we're about to start filming. I believe Uncle Sparrow must be updating you daily about what I've been up to!"

"Alright, I love you, Dad. Say hello to Mom and Jennifer for me, and Mr. Alba too. Let him know that Jessica is doing well too. The scenery at the Napa vineyard is just as beautiful as Forest Park. Okay, goodbye."

Angela pressed the end call button on the bulky phone and handed it back to Mr. Sparrow.

"This is how a child's life goes. I still have at least 5 to 7 years before I can be independent. I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky," the little girl sighed, spreading her hands in an old-fashioned manner.

"Do you always think about these things?" Mr. Sparrow asked as he put away the phone.

"About this? Of course not. The thing I think about the most is how to laze around in bed all day. You know, Mom always places a row of alarm clocks just out of my reach on the bedside table." The little girl giggled and ran towards the prepared set.

At that moment, Director Charles had just finished explaining the scene to Dennis and Mrs. Brent, who played Chessy. Seeing Angela return, he waved to her. "Angela, come over here."

"Yes, Mr. Director, what's the matter?" The little girl stood next to him obediently, feeling somewhat nervous.

"Relax, it's nothing serious. The next scene is a dialogue between you and Miss Ryan by the swings. If you're not confident, you can do a run-through with her first. I'm sure Miss Ryan would be happy to help." Charles smiled as he observed her expression.

"Thank you, Mr. Director." Angela nodded and walked towards the other side. Charles didn't know that he was deeply moved at that moment.

In the past few days, the little girl's performance had surprised him. Since the shoot at the Parage Hotel, her acting seemed to have reached a new level. Not only did she naturally portray her character in many scenes, but she even occasionally influenced the development of the entire scene. The number of NGs (no-goods, or mistakes) was not as frequent as they were in Arrowhead Lake, leaving the director puzzled. He had asked his wife about it, but Nancy just shrugged and replied with a smile, "She always manages to surprise people, doesn't she?"

Of course, Charles didn't know that in her previous life as a neet, the little girl would spend all day cooped up in her room, watching movies or TV series during her breaks. She would repeatedly watch her favorite classic films, such as the original "Sleepless in Seattle."

As the saying goes, if you read Tang poetry a hundred times, you can compose a poem yourself. The little girl was like that now, and she had also read many reviews, becoming familiar with the discrepancies in acting skills among actors in movies. However, she had only watched movies and knew nothing about how to perform on set, in front of the camera and under the scrutiny of many people. She was like a litmus test paper, leaning too much towards acidity or alkalinity, unable to find balance. That's why she always struggled to grasp things at Forest Park and ended up imitating others.

However, filming at the Parage Hotel truly opened Angela's eyes to what it meant to perform in front of the camera, especially during the scenes with Elder Sister and Sweetheart Sister at the bar. The two actresses, who were still honing their skills, served as excellent role models for her. Their insights and experiences opened a new door for Angela, revealing another facet of the same world and allowing her to learn and grow.

However, the young girl hadn't fully assimilated these lessons yet, and her lingering fear from the numerous failed takes in Arrowhead Lake made her somewhat hesitant. Otherwise, the director would have been even more astonished, and he might have even requested reshooting in Forest Park.

"Well, little one, I must admit you're smart, but you can't beat me!" Meg Ryan, sitting on the bench, chuckled lightly, a hint of pride and anticipation on her face.

"I won't give up! This isn't over yet!" Angela, on the other chair, puffed up her cheeks, a frustrated but determined expression on her face. She swung her feet back and forth in the air.

"No, no, dear, it's already over. I love Nick, and Nick loves me. I used to complain about why I left Compton to work here, but now I've discovered the reason. I'm emotional about my impulsive decision," Sweetheart Sister said, looking into the distance. Although her facial expression remained unchanged, the tenderness in her eyes was evident.

At this point, the young girl was supposed to hum through her nose and say, "Just wait and see!" But Meg maintained the same pose for at least a minute and didn't hear Angela's lines. Perplexed, she lowered her head and noticed the little one staring at her with wide, round eyes, mouth slightly agape as if she had seen something strange.

Meg looked at herself, finding nothing disrespectful. She waved her hand in front of Angela. "Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?"

Angela seemed to awaken from a trance, shivering slightly, and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Her reaction startled Meg. "Angie, are you okay? You were just daydreaming."

"Daydreaming? Oh, that's right..." Angela stopped midway through her sentence, looked at Meg again, and seemed to make a firm decision. Suddenly, her face flushed with excitement, she jumped off the chair and said, "Wait a moment," then ran towards Nancy, who was supervising by the side of the set.

"Nancy, Nancy, I need paper and a pen! Right now!" Angela approached Nancy urgently, pulling at her sleeve.

"Okay, Angie, just give me a moment, alright?" Although she didn't understand what Angela wanted to do, Nancy quickly found a few pages of the script and a pen.

Angela thanked her and immediately found a wooden chair. Without caring about anything else, she spread the script on it and knelt on the ground, quickly writing and drawing.

Nancy watched the little girl with a sense of bewilderment, then glanced at Meg, who was still sitting on the other side, spreading her hands in confusion. Jessica, who had been observing Dennis and Mrs. Brent acting on the set, also noticed Angela's peculiar actions and, after thinking for a moment, ignored the young girl's constant nagging about observing others' acting skills. She ran over to see what Angela was doing.

However, when Jessica asked Angela a question, the young girl ungratefully put her index finger to her lips and made several shushing sounds. Jessica could only sit beside her, sulking, and watching as she continued to write.
Fortunately, Angela's peculiar state didn't last long. After finishing writing what she wanted to convey, she looked at it and clenched her fist, silently saying "YES." She picked up the script and ran a few steps to Sweetheart Sister, who was still sitting on the bench and handed it to her with a beaming smile.

Ms. Meg Ryan, still confused, accepted it and carefully examined the pages before realizing it was a dialogue. Angela explained to her, "This girl accidentally heard the story of a widowed man living in Seattle on the radio. His wife passed away two years ago, and he loved her deeply. Since then, he hasn't dated any other woman and often stays up all night due to missing his deceased wife. His child is very worried about him, so they called the radio station for help. Although this girl is already engaged, she suddenly became curious about this man because of the radio program. Despite knowing that she has a fiancé, she couldn't stop thinking about him. After putting in the effort to find the man's address, she decided to go see him. But when she saw him, his friend's wife happened to visit him. She thought that woman was his new wife, so they only exchanged a greeting and left. After returning to the hotel, the girl called her friend and told her about this incident. That's the dialogue we're talking about! When you say it, you need to show confusion, embarrassment, but..."

"Wait, wait," Ms. Meg Ryan, still puzzled, interrupted, "What exactly are you talking about?"

The little girl hesitated, scratching her head, suddenly unsure of what to say. However, Jessica, who had been following her, suddenly blurted out, "Is this a new script?"

"Yes, it's a new script!" Angela quickly nodded.

"What... a new script?" Meg remained very confused.

"Well, yes, I wrote this script... Yes, it's the script for 'The Parent Trap'" the little girl explained.

"You're the screenwriter for 'The Parent Trap'?" Sweetheart Sister widened her eyes.

"Yes, dear Sweetheart Sister, that's the correct answer," Angela sighed. "If you doubt the authenticity of my claim, you can ask anyone present here."

"I'm sorry, I always thought you shared the same name with the screenwriter" Meg Ryan laughed, shrugged her shoulders and lowered her head to look at the script in her hands. After contemplating for a moment, she asked with genuine interest, "Could you tell me more about your main idea? The one you just mentioned was quite simple."

"Oh, this? Let me think, okay?" the little girl replied, not waiting for an answer. 

Immediately, she crossed her arms and cupped her chin, lost in thought. Occasionally, she mumbled something quietly, like "New York" "Empire State Building" "The Legend of Gold and Jade Alliance" and even at one point, Meg seemed to hear the name Tom Hanks. 

This surprised Sweetheart Sister even more. She had initially found it intriguing and casually mentioned it to cover up her own embarrassment. She hadn't expected the little girl to genuinely start brainstorming. 

Could it be possible for her to come up with a rough script in such a short time?

At that moment, as the filming on the other side concluded, Nancy approached. She saw the solemn expression on the little girl's face and was about to ask, but Jessica, standing beside her, gestured for her to be quiet. Meg handed the few pages of paper she had to Nancy.

Nancy looked at the scripts in her hand with a perplexed expression. She couldn't discern much from the dialogue, but the continuous flow of ideas from the little girl made her give up on interrupting her. Even her intention to call for Angela for the next shot was overridden by this unexpected turn of events.

Could this be yet another delightful surprise?