Hollywood Zenith

Chapter 121 The Boy Who Lived

" Why is it so hard to find the right one!" Ella, the casting director, screamed.

They had been going through interview after interview but still needed to find someone to play the 'Harry' character.

"Finding the right actors to play the characters is a very big challenge," executive producer David Heyman explained. He was also stumped about it.

"We have already auditioned hundreds of actors for the role of Harry, but with little luck," director Chris Columbus said as he also shared their sentiments; he continued-

" How much more? Is anyone left?" He looked at his assistant.

" We have one more. He came in late."

" Yeah, bring him in." He wanted to wrap up today's interview process as soon as possible.

Outside in the hall, Samuel was waiting with his Aunt. A few more people wanted to accompany them, especially Mary, but she rejected the idea. She knew that they would attract too much attention. Samuel alone was already turning heads left and right; it would be ten times worse if such famous people had accompanied him.

" That's right! What will be your screen name? Will you use your real name?" Amelia asked.

Samuel had given some thought to it. If he used the Rothschild name, he would indeed be recognized as there was no one with such a surname outside the real Rothschild family. It would make people biased against him as they would try to gain favors by offering roles he was firmly against.

" I think I would avoid it. I don't want others to say in the future that I used my family influence to get the role or something. I will go with Sam R. Moore."

" That's not a good name in my opinion. You could think about it some more."

" No, It doesn't matter what I chose my name to be. What matters is the talent to make any name famous. right?"

Amelia stared at him. She could only smile and approve; many famous actors took the same route as him. She was happy that her nephew was confident about it.

That's when the staff came and called Samuel to the room. Amelia also accompanied him inside as his guardian.

As soon as Samuel entered the room, every judge noticed him instantly. He had a different air about him, and with his newly acquired cute persona, he looked dazzling. They began to murmur among themselves, but Samuel, with his ability, heard it.

"This is who I want!" Ella, the casting director, whispered.

"This is Harry Potter."

" Right!"

" Calm down! you will scare the kid. Let's see his acting prowess first."

" Ok, but I approve of the look. No, his look is justice!"

" Shut up! don't be loud. What if they heard you? You would be label as a weirdo."

" Where is Jo? She should be here to witness his performance." David Heyman, the producer, asked his assistant.

While this was happening, Samuel was left speechless by their conduct. Are they really professionals? Amelia was also silent and waited for their go-ahead signal. She was also curious about their discussion; they looked enthusiastic, which was a good sign for them.

" Ahm, I am sorry about that. We are waiting for Jo, I mean, author J Rowling. She went to the restroom. Please wait a few minutes." David Heyman, the producer, said to them.

Soon, She arrived, but when she looked at Samuel, who was casually waiting with his hand supporting his chin. She became enamored with him; it was not an exaggeration that she had dreamed about the person for the protagonist a million times already.

With one look, she knew that he would be perfect for that role. Samuel looked at her with his green crystal eyes, which dealt another heavy blow to her.

She would later describe this event in detail in an interview.

" We knew from the start that Sam was Harry Potter. He had the magic, the inner depth and darkness that is very rare in an 11-year-old. He also has a sense of wisdom and intelligence that I haven't seen in many other kids his age. Her words for were somewhere along the line. 'I feel as if I've been reunited with my long-lost son.'"

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Samuel introduced himself calmly, his tone was respectful, but there was a hint of pride. He knew everything about the 'Harry Potter character, which was not much different from his story. So, he acted like himself during the whole casting interview.

" Ok, here are some scenarios. I want you to interpret it in your own style. You may ask the help of your guardian if you need."

Samuel rejected their offer and read the script briefly before walking toward the stage. Everyone was surprised about it; he merely took a glance and remembered everything? It was an arrogant move in their eyes, but they were still glued to his passing shadow. How can an eleven-year boy be like this? They began formulating ideas about his character.

Looking at his clothes and attire, they assumed that he came from a wealthy background and didn't take this job seriously.

But when Samuel started to perform the monologue perfectly, their jaws dropped.

" I am Harry Potter. The boy who lived

He put stressed the latter part of the sentence to sound dramatic. Staff started playing a matching background instrumental in matching the monologue.

For the rest of the wizarding world knows my story, Non-magic people, or as we

call them in the wizarding world "Muggles" have no idea about the events that

took place in my life.

He displayed exceptional play with his accent. Previously, he used a regular American accent but switched it to a British accent for the monologue. He had already absorbed most of the famous languages on the planet, but for the part of playing this character, he also worked on his accent.

I was born on the 31st of July, 1980, to James Potter and Lily Potter. My parents

were extraordinarily gifted at magic. They both went to the Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry.

During those times, a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort was destroying the wizarding world. He was creating an army of wizards, witches, and dark creatures. My parents were part of a group of wizards and witches known as the "Order of the Phoenix," who fought against

Voldemort.

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At Hogwarts, I met my 2 best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. I went

through many adventures at Hogwarts school.

We learned magic. As soon as I was at Hogwarts, it felt like home. It was probably the happiest I had ever felt since the death of my parents.

At school, I was the seeker for the Gryffindor quidditch team. The seeker's job is to catch the golden snitch on a broom, which goes wickedly fast.

I went through many adventures at school, nearly evading death.

It was a hefty monologue with a full page's worth of content, but Samuel delivered it perfectly with added dramatics. He never looked at the script again, which surprised the whole crew.

They don't know who started it, but someone from the staff began to clap, and it spread like wildfire. Judges and everyone else gave a standing ovation for his brilliant performance. They never expected a young to have this caliber of talent.

" Fuck! That was awesome!" David said.

" Language! You should not curse in front of children." Jo reminded me from the side.

" I don't care. I am so excited. I never thought I would find such a talent here."

" I totally feel you. Where was he hiding all this time? We could have avoided so much if we met him sooner." Ella agreed with his assessment.

" Better now than never. We can unanimously agree, right?

" Yeah."

After the applause, they sat down with Samuel to discuss some things. They didn't give a direct answer, but it was evident that he would get the part. As Samuel's representative, Amelia handled the rest while staff and crew walked up to Samuel to have conversations. They explained how impressive they found his performance.

Before leaving, they wanted Samuel to visit again tomorrow to test his chemistry with the other actors. Especially with actors that were playing Hermione and Ron. They needed to get along as they would have to show genuine connection on screen while filming.

" I know it may be hard, but we will write the school to give you special permission for it. So, you don't have to worry about it." David assured them. Amelia laughed awkwardly as Samuel didn't attend any school, but she kept quiet about it.

They could discuss it at a later date when the casting was finalized. While leaving, Samuel noticed several more applications on the judge's table. He saw a familiar face; it was of the child who would initially play the character, Daniel.

He remembered how he got cast; it was a famous story in the other reality. The first casting director accidentally stumbled upon his tapes when he was frustrated. He knocked down the drawer to find Dan's tape. Upon reviewing it, they were amazed at his performance and decided to cast him as 'Harry.'

But this time, Samuel took that role away from him. Although he felt guilty about it. He had no other choice; one person succeeded in the expanse of the other. It was a natural rule of life.