Amelia froze, stunned. The stinging pain on her cheek hadn’t even subsided, and now they were going to reshoot.
“Mr. Jos! Wait a moment!” Daisy grabbed Amelia and rushed over to Jos, pointing at Amelia’s cheek, now emblazoned with a vivid handprint. “Mr. Jos, look at this! Olivia has practically disfigured Amelia! How can we reshoot like this?”
It was the first time Jos had encountered an actor who complained about a scene being too realistic. Glancing at the handprint on Amelia’s face, Jos said, “Take her down to touch up her makeup. Cover the mark.”
Daisy blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his nonchalant response. “Mr. Jos, Amelia’s face is crucial. This kind of treatment is too much! And now you’re asking for a reshoot? Does that mean she has to take another hit? That’s absolutely unacceptable!”
Jos’s brows furrowed slightly. “So, what do you propose?”
Daisy pressed on, “Either use camera tricks or fake the hit, but this can’t go on like this.”
Jos, who had spent most of his career directing period dramas filled with fight scenes, wasn’t impressed. Not to mention slaps; actors in his productions had routinely endured bruises and injuries in the name of authenticity. The idea of an agent making such a fuss had never even crossed his mind.
“Who’s the director here, me or you? If you can’t handle it, then leave.”
Daisy hadn’t expected Jos to be so unyielding and was momentarily stunned. Amelia, still cradling her cheek, saw Jos’s temper flaring and quickly intervened. “Mr. Jos, please don’t take it the wrong way. Daisy didn’t mean it like that.”
Jos held a significant standing in the industry, and this was his first modern drama. Amelia couldn’t afford to miss such an opportunity.
Daisy, unwilling to clash directly with Jos, turned her attention to Olivia, her face darkening. “Mr. Jos is absolutely right to prioritize realism, but Olivia, your strike was far too heavy! Who hits someone like that?”
Amelia said nothing, only covering her face with a faintly aggrieved expression and a forced smile.
Olivia, unfazed by Daisy’s aggression, blinked innocently. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m a rookie, and I got too into the scene. I didn’t know how to hold back…”
Daisy was about to retort, but Olivia added, “It’s really my fault. Before this, I didn’t even understand how to act properly. Thankfully, Mr. Jos has guided me so much during this production, and I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Hearing Olivia’s words, Jos couldn’t help but lift his chin slightly. Yet, under his direction, her acting was flawless, proof that her potential hadn’t been tapped by those incompetent directors. Clearly, Jos was the true talent scout here!
Amelia watched helplessly as Jos’s expression shifted from anger to satisfaction, almost spitting blood in frustration. They had been criticizing Olivia for being too heavy-handed, but with a quick change of tone, Olivia had turned the situation into a compliment for Jos. When did Olivia get so smooth-talking?
Daisy tried to speak up again, but Amelia stopped her. Amelia had figured it out. If Daisy kept pushing the issue, it would only annoy Jos further. Swallowing her anger, Amelia had no choice but to head off for a makeup touch-up. As she left, she glanced back at Olivia, who was now chatting amicably with Jos. Even a renowned director was wrapped around Olivia’s finger. If Amelia hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it impossible to connect Olivia with the meek and submissive girl she used to know.