Monday, January 9, 2023
Owen woke up early on Monday, getting ready for a long day of meetings with the candidates for the role of Skylar.
The shortlist was set: Emma Watson, Margaret Qualley, Cailee Spaeny, and Rachel Brosnahan.
The first two, Emma and Margaret, had been his initial choices. They were the names he himself had proposed when putting the list together, with clear arguments about their strengths and how he envisioned them in the role. The other two, Cailee and Rachel, were additions suggested by Derek.
In Cailee Spaeny's case, the situation carried a hint of irony. Owen had considered her at a very early stage, back when he was still handling pre-production on his own, with no money.
However, as the project moved forward, he had decided to rule her out, not because she lacked acting range (she clearly had it), but because she didn't fully convince him as Skylar.
That was why he hadn't included her in his final list. Still, when Derek added her as an option, Owen didn't object. He had thought about her before, and besides, Derek was the director. He accepted the suggestion without pushing back.
If Cailee ultimately landed the role, it wouldn't be a bad outcome. She was an option that, at another point, he himself had seriously considered.
Rachel Brosnahan's case was different. She hadn't been on Owen's initial radar.
Rachel had risen to fame playing Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a period comedy series with enormous critical acclaim.
If he was being honest with himself, Derek's proposal hadn't excited him much.
Not because of a lack of talent, Rachel was solid, with range and presence. The issue was something else. The vibes. He didn't see her as Skylar. And there was also the age factor: she was 32.
It was true that Emma Watson was also around 31, but her case was different. Her appearance was more youthful without veering into anything childish, and she could more naturally pass for a 20- to 22-year-old student.
Will, the protagonist, was exactly that age, perfect for Owen, who was 21, and Skylar was a Harvard student, not a freshman, so she needed to fall within that same range.
An actress in her early thirties wasn't unusual in Hollywood for that type of role, but it was still pushing the upper limit. Ideally, the actress would be somewhere between 20 and 28.
As for Emma, one of her advantages was that she already had the English accent, which fit naturally with the character's background, having grown up in England.
On top of that, Emma conveyed the sense of intelligence and academic sharpness that Skylar needed, without losing the ability to feel approachable and fun.
Her vibe was very close to the character's. And even though age was her most debatable point, she was capable of looking younger.
With Rachel, on the other hand, Owen ended up accepting the option more for the sake of balance than out of real conviction. It wasn't a choice that particularly excited him, but he understood Derek's point. Having two candidates proposed by each of them seemed fair. After all, the director had the right to defend his vision.
Owen was aware that he was exerting much more influence over the casting. Part of knowing how to lead, and of maintaining a healthy creative relationship, was knowing when to give ground.
He couldn't expect that, no matter how much weight he carried in the project, every decision would always align with his preferences. He could impose them, if he wanted to. But doing so would mean fighting over every point, forcing agreements, and ultimately wearing down key relationships.
And that came at a cost. Not an immediate one, but a very real one.
If he gained a reputation for not letting directors do their job, for imposing casting choices, or for using his position to decide everything, sooner or later word would spread. And in this industry, those rumors mattered. They made good directors hesitate to take on projects, caused agents to raise concerns, and made future collaborations more difficult.
'Or I'd have to be the director myself,' Owen thought with a grimace as he finished his breakfast.
But that wasn't something he wanted. He had no interest whatsoever in learning how to direct, something that clearly takes time.
That day he would have four individual meetings with the candidates for Skylar. All of them had already expressed interest through their agents. They had been sent the relevant portion of the script, along with a few personal notes.
It wasn't a traditional casting process.
Each actress would have a Zoom meeting lasting between 45 and 60 minutes. The conversation would revolve around the character: her relationship with Will, the emotional arc, and how each actress understood Skylar within the story.
There would be no scene readings or formal acting. At most, there might be some light reading if it came up naturally.
What was being evaluated wasn't immediate performance, but rather the understanding of the script, sensitivity toward the character, and commitment to the project.
Just the video calls alone meant about four hours. On top of that, there were short breaks of 10 to 15 minutes between each meeting, during which Owen, Derek, Lianne, and Francine discussed what they had just seen, with the actress no longer connected.
All in all, the process could stretch to around five hours.
And after that, they would reach a conclusion. That very same day.
And unlike the case with Cranston, Owen had no intention of championing any particular actress.
The choice would mainly be Derek's. The actress who convinced the director the most would be the right one, unless, during one of the meetings, a clear red flag emerged: a poor reading of the character, a lack of real interest, or a vibe that didn't fit, and Derek still wanted to choose her.
In that case, he might try to persuade him, but he didn't think it would come to that.
He had no intention of repeating a three-hour argument to define a casting choice. That time it had been worth it; this time, it wasn't necessary. Skylar, while important, didn't justify the same level of confrontation. All four options on the table were solid.
Letting Derek make the decision without interference was a way of maintaining balance.
The first meeting arrived without any issues. Owen logged onto Zoom around 8:25 a.m., where Lianne, Derek, and Francine were already waiting.
At exactly 8:30, without a minute of delay, the first actress joined: Margaret Qualley. She was twenty-eight years old, with pale skin, dark hair, and very light blue eyes that immediately stood out.
She was polite, direct, and enthusiastic when talking about the character. She showed a strong understanding of Skylar, her relationship with Will, and her emotional place within the story. She clearly came prepared, interested and committed.
The meeting lasted about fifty minutes, until around 9:20. Then they took about fifteen minutes to exchange impressions in private before moving on to the next call.
The second meeting was with Cailee, followed by another conversation of nearly an hour, a short break, and then the next actress. That was how the entire morning went, one meeting after another, following the same structure. By the time they finished the last one, which was with Emma Watson, it was already around noon.
They logged off to have lunch and clear their heads a bit.
'Online meetings are great,' Owen thought.
They were incredibly efficient. No commuting, no rigid schedules in physical offices, no shared waiting rooms. Nor was there the risk of the actresses running into each other, something that was always avoided in in-person castings and that greatly complicated logistics.
And of course, there was the issue of space. Owen wasn't A24. Second Take Films was less than a year old and, for the time being, didn't have a physical headquarters. Everything was handled remotely.
Still, that was about to change. Alongside the entire casting process, Owen had been looking at offices to rent.
He would need them for rehearsals, which did require physical presence. Rehearsing over Zoom wasn't the same. Chemistry, rhythm, and camaraderie were built far more effectively in person.
And they wouldn't just be for this film. They would be the first step toward the production company finally occupying a space of its own.
At one in the afternoon, Owen logged back in. It was time to decide which of the four would be Skylar.
Throughout the discussion, he remained completely neutral. He didn't tip the scales toward any of them, not even toward the options he had originally proposed. He limited himself to sharing general impressions, technical comments, and honest readings of each meeting.
Even so, if the decision had rested solely with him, he was fairly clear about what his ranking would have been.
First, he would have chosen Margaret Qualley. She had shown a solid understanding of the character, genuine enthusiasm throughout the meeting, and a clear commitment to the project.
She wasn't an A-list actress, but she was a name with growing prestige. Of all of them, she was the one who reminded him most of the original movie from his first world. Her fee would likely fall somewhere between $350,000 and $500,000, a reasonable figure for what she brought to the table.
Second, he would place Cailee Spaeny and Emma Watson, practically tied.
Cailee had a clearly rising profile. She wasn't yet a strong commercial name, but she offered an excellent cost-benefit ratio. Her fee would be the lowest of the group, around $200,000 to $350,000, and she fit very well within the character's age range.
Emma, on the other hand, was very different from the other three when it came to her résumé. She was highly selective. She wasn't an actress who accepted projects by inertia or worked consistently year after year.
She chose carefully. Because of that, the mere fact that she had agreed to the meeting already spoke to a real interest and a genuine commitment to the script.
It was clear that she liked the story. Having someone so careful with her choices get involved said a lot. Her fee would probably be between $300,000 and $450,000, more than Cailee, but slightly less than Margaret.
Last, Owen would place Rachel Brosnahan. Not for lack of talent, but because of a combination of factors. She was the most expensive of the group: she had won an Emmy for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and her name carried significant weight.
Her fee could range between $550,000 and $700,000, practically the same as what they would pay Cranston for the mentor role, a character with far more presence in the film.
On top of that, even though she had come across well in the meeting and seemed genuinely interested, Owen couldn't quite see her as Skylar. She gave off a very different vibe from the character.
But Derek had a different opinion. In the final meeting, his two finalists were Emma Watson and Rachel Brosnahan.
He ruled out Margaret, who, internally, Owen would have placed first, as well as Cailee.
The decision didn't drag on for long. In barely twenty minutes, the field had narrowed down to those two options. Nothing like the endless discussion of Owen arguing for Cranston and Derek for Hawke.
"Which one do you prefer?" Derek asked, looking at Owen through the screen.
It was said more as a temperature check than as a real delegation of the decision.
Owen shrugged. "I don't know. Age-wise they're pretty even. Emma is more accessible budget-wise. Rachel won an Emmy, has more weight, and brings greater prestige, though that's why she costs more. But still affordable."
He added nothing else. The pause was deliberate. He made it clear that he wasn't going to tip the scales and that the decision was the director's.
"Give me half an hour to think about it," Derek said finally.
Owen, Lianne, and Francine nodded, and Derek left the video call.
Francine, understanding that the decision was no longer in her hands, also disconnected. She was going to move forward with the casting of the more minor characters, which at that point was what had progressed the least.
Owen and Lianne stayed connected. They moved on to discussing Cranston's contract. The draft had already been sent, and negotiations were underway. Everything indicated they would close that very day.
Owen wasn't a negotiator. That part was handled by Lianne, along with a lawyer who reviewed clauses and conditions. Even so, he followed every step closely. After all, it was his money.
Derek rejoined the call almost forty minutes later.
"I've decided," he said as soon as he appeared on screen.
Owen and Lianne stopped their conversation.
"What's the final decision?" Lianne asked, already thinking about the next step: notifying the chosen actress and starting negotiations with her agent.
"Emma Watson," Derek replied, without suspense.
Owen and Lianne fell silent for a second, processing the decision.
"Can I ask what made you choose her over Rachel?" Owen asked, genuinely curious.
Derek nodded, as if he had already anticipated the question. "Rachel's Emmy is a double-edged sword," he explained. "It gives her a tremendous amount of prestige, yes, but also a lot of weight and presence. She's an Emmy winner, and it shows. She could end up overshadowing you on screen."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"On top of that, there's something about her that feels very mature. The age difference with you is noticeable. The relationship could come across less as a bond between equals and more as an unbalanced dynamic."
Then he added, "Emma also has prestige, but it isn't excessive. It's more restrained, and her appearance is more youthful. She can easily pass for the same age range as you, which makes the romantic side of the relationship work better."
Owen nodded, finding sense in that logic, it was exactly what he had been thinking.
As for the fee, Derek didn't care either way. He didn't make decisions based on budgets like a producer or an investor would. If an actress was already on the shortlist, he chose the one who truly convinced him for the film.
"Alright, I'll notify her agent and then get in touch with the lawyer to draft the preliminary contract," Lianne said, and before she could sign off, Derek spoke again.
"There's something else I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Owen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think Ethan would be very good for the role of Professor Lambeau," Derek said.
Lianne and Owen fell silent, exchanging a quick glance through the screen.
"I assume you mean Hawke," Lianne said.
Derek nodded. "When I told him he hadn't gotten the mentor role, he understood. But he also told me that he still loved the script and that, if there was a place for him in the story, he'd like to be part of it."
It was obvious what that place was: Professor Gerald Lambeau. There was no other significant role in the film that would suit Ethan Hawke.
"I don't know…" Owen said, somewhat hesitant. "Couldn't that be problematic? He'd have to work with Cranston knowing he lost the role to him. And he surely knows that you would've chosen him, and that I was the main reason he didn't get it."
Owen was aware of the close, almost friendly relationship between Derek and Hawke. He didn't want unnecessary tension on set.
"And his fee would be high for a role with barely twelve shooting days," Lianne added cautiously. She wasn't ruling it out entirely, but she didn't see it clearly either, for the same reasons as Owen.
"Not at all," Derek replied confidently. "I've known Ethan for over ten years. He's not resentful. If a project interests him, he puts the film ahead of any ego. And as for the fee, yes, it'll be a bit higher than the shortlist options, but nothing excessive. He likes the project, he wants to be involved, and he understands that it's an indie film."
Then he smiled. "Besides, you wanted to hire Depp. That would've been expensive."
Owen and Lianne laughed. It was true, Depp would have blown up the budget.
Owen grew serious again, tapping the desk lightly with his finger as he thought. "Can you assure us it won't cause any problems?"
"Ninety-nine percent," Derek replied with confidence. "If he does cause any issues, I'll deal with it myself. I promise."
Owen fell into thought. Ethan's reputation was solid. He didn't carry rumors of being a difficult actor, and if Derek was willing to vouch for him so strongly, there was no real reason to believe he could become a problem, neither for Owen nor for Cranston, who would be the most exposed in that regard.
Besides, he began to imagine him in the role of Gerald Lambeau. And it fit. Maybe even better than he had fit as the mentor.
Lambeau was a brilliant, proud, and frustrated professor. Ethan had a natural authority, a presence that would work perfectly in contrast with Cranston.
Sean Maguire would be the human mentor: warm, quiet, approachable. Lambeau, by contrast, would represent the institutional mentor, more academic, structured, driven by ego.
That contrast could elevate the film.
And given Ethan's career trajectory and financial position, money wouldn't be the central issue. At that stage of his career, what he was looking for were projects with substance, with a strong festival run and awards potential. If he himself had asked to be part of the film, his fee would be reasonable.
Owen looked up. "I'm fine with Ethan playing Lambeau."
Derek's eyes widened, surprised. "Really?" he asked, thinking Owen would want a bit more time to think it over.
"I'll trust your word," Owen replied, "and Ethan's enthusiasm for the script. Plus, his level and his name can elevate the film if everything goes the way we expect."
There was also a practical advantage that was impossible to ignore: by choosing Hawke, they saved an entire day of meetings with the five actors they had been considering for the role. Time gained. Energy preserved.
And besides, turning him down a second time wouldn't be a good look. If Ethan was showing such strong interest in the film, saying no again could end up backfiring.
Owen respected and admired Hawke as an actor, and he didn't want to leave a bad impression.
Derek nodded. For a moment, he looked at Owen with a mix of relief and respect. It was curious to think that a twenty-one-year-old could make decisions so quickly and yet with such calm and clear logic behind them.
That same day, Emma and Ethan were informed of the decision. Shortly afterward, the deal with Cranston was also finalized. His salary was set at $700,000, to be paid starting from the beginning of shooting, distributed weekly: $175,000 per week. The contract included bonus clauses tied to strong box office performance and festival recognition.
The next day, Tuesday, meetings began to determine the best choice for the best friend: Chuckie. The process was almost identical to the previous day, with one difference: this time, two scenes were read, a brief dialogue and a moment of direct improvisation with Owen.
Two options proposed by Owen made it onto the shortlist and convinced Derek.
The first was Jeremy Allen White, recently known for The Bear. He had a very believable neighborhood energy, an authentic working-class presence, with dry humor, contained violence, and zero glamour.
The second option was the one that surprised everyone most when Owen proposed it, but ultimately made sense once he explained his reasoning: Jacob Elordi.
Owen saw something in him that went beyond his public image. He reminded him of the physical presence Ben Affleck had had in the original version: dominant and very tall.
Not as a heartthrob, but as someone who took up space. Although the general perception of Elordi tended to associate him with the role of a heartbreaker, Owen didn't see him as fragile or superficial.
Derek's three options were different: Barry Keoghan, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and John Boyega. All interesting, each with a very different take on the character.
…
"Well, Jacob, that'll be all," Derek said from the screen. "Thanks for your time."
"Thank you," Jacob replied, still wearing a faint smile as he shifted in his chair.
"Very good improvisation," Owen added, his voice coming through the laptop speakers. "It was fun."
Jacob laughed. "It was, and you were great too. Thanks for the opportunity."
Derek nodded with a brief gesture of approval, and one by one they began to say goodbye. The call came to an end.
Jacob closed the laptop and let the silence fill the room.
He let out a long breath.
"Hope they decide quickly…" he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.
A few days earlier, when he had received the offer, he had been genuinely surprised. Owen, the same one he had competed with for the lead role in The Spectacular Now, was now calling him for his new film.
And not just any project, one that was being closely followed by the media, a shift from horror to drama, surrounded by articles, expectations, and buzz. The role of Chuckie, on top of that, had really appealed to him. It had street energy and something he didn't get to play very often, or rather, had never played.
He was still processing all of that when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Jacob said without getting up.
The door opened and his mother, Melissa, appeared, wearing a calm smile and that familiar presence that always put him at ease.
"Did you finish?" she asked, leaning lightly against the doorframe.
"Yeah," Jacob replied. "Just now."
Melissa stepped in and sat in the chair across from him, watching him closely, as if she could read his face without him saying a word.
"So?"
Jacob shrugged. "I think it went well. The writer-actor told me I improvised well. That's got to be a good sign."
Owen didn't seem like the kind of person who would say that just to be polite.
She smiled, with quiet pride. "You'll get it. And if not, another role will come along soon."
The next day felt long to Jacob.
He waited for news from his agent for hours. He checked his phone more times than he'd care to admit, but nothing came through.
Luckily, he had a scheduled photo shoot, which kept him busy, wardrobe changes, lighting, and carefully measured smiles.
That night, he went back home. His parents and sisters were waiting for him, they had traveled from Australia and were staying with him for a few days. They were originally from there, but Jacob had moved away to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, and every so often they reunited when they could take time off and cross thousands of miles to see him.
A loud, familiar, comfortable table, something he didn't always have. In the middle of it all, his phone vibrated.
Jacob looked down almost by reflex. He saw the name on the screen, and his pulse quickened.
Christian.
He knew it was rude to answer at the table. And he also knew his mother would probably scold him, but even so, he answered immediately.
"Hi, Christian… any news?" Jacob asked, getting straight to the point.
There was a laugh on the other end. "Wow. I've never heard you this anxious," his agent replied. "I think you were only like this with the Elvis role in Priscilla."
"So…?" Jacob asked, not really in the mood for jokes.
"Congratulations," Christian said, now without any teasing. "The role is yours. You're Chuckie."
Jacob went quiet, the phone pressed to his ear. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
"Yeah," he said, relieved. "That's great."
Around the table, everyone was watching him. They didn't need details, his expression said it all. His sisters smiled immediately, celebrating without even knowing the specifics. His father nodded, proud. And his mother beamed.
"Thanks for letting me know. We'll talk later about the details, I'm having dinner with my family," Jacob said, and ended the call.
"I did it," Jacob said, looking at his family.
The table erupted in reactions, laughter, congratulations, and overlapping comments.
His mother stood up right away and hugged him.
"I told you," she said with a smile full of pride. "Opportunities come. They always do."
"Congratulations, little brother!" Isabella exclaimed, the oldest and the closest to him. "You can finally break out of that damn typecasting."
Jalynn, his other sister, looked at him with a conspiratorial smile. "You're welcome," she said. "You can give me a percentage of your salary later."
Jacob looked at her, amused. "You're welcome?" he repeated.
"Yes," she nodded. "I'm your good-luck charm. I come to the United States for a week and you land an audition."
Laughter erupted around the table again.
Even though Chuckie was a supporting role, an important one, yes, but a supporting role nonetheless, for someone with Jacob's fame and net worth, celebrating it like this might have seemed excessive. But it wasn't.
What had been hardest in his career was breaking out of typecasting. The heartthrob. The Kissing Booth, once, twice, three times. He had taken those Netflix projects more out of necessity than choice, otherwise, he would have had to go back to Australia. His family was middle class.
Then came Euphoria, which at least gave him more complex material and better performances, but which still reinforced a very specific image.
Years in that mold. Then, just recently, in October of the previous year, Priscilla arrived, the drama directed by Sofia Coppola and distributed by A24, set to be released in November 2023. Playing Elvis had been a huge leap in prestige, a dramatic role he deeply appreciated.
But even so, he was still an iconic, attractive, dominant figure. Another kind of heartthrob, more serious and auteur-driven, but a heartthrob nonetheless.
Chuckie was something else entirely.
A working-class guy. A neighborhood best friend. A man who fights and stands by his troubled friend. Nothing like the image the public had of him as an actor.
That was why they were celebrating. It wasn't just a role, it was a real crack in the mold.
'I need to practice the accent,' Jacob thought, almost smiling, as the idea began to take shape.
…
By January 15, Owen was already looking at the calendar with a faint smile. All the intense meetings, the decisions, and the difficult discussions were behind him.
The main cast was completely locked in. So were the most relevant supporting roles. With that defined, the shooting date was officially set: Wednesday, February 1.
In the following days, they would finalize the remaining minor supporting roles and the extras. At the same time, formal rehearsals would begin.
Meanwhile, Lianne was handling permits, catering, and the hotel, along with another producer they had added to the team, a $12 million film couldn't be sustained with just two producers.
For Owen, those days were calmer on the executive side. Fewer meetings, fewer contracts, and fewer endless video calls. With rehearsals underway, he began to focus more on his acting work and to let go of part of the operational load, which was left in Lianne's hands and those of the new producer.
That's how January moved along. But before shooting began, Owen still had one key stop on his calendar.
Sundance.
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