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“It was written for her,” Beatrice Lin-Watson to star in new film by Yasmine Amunet
Yasmine Amunet’s directorial success over the last decade has quickly made her a staple in theaters worldwide. Today, in an exclusive with Time Magazine , Amunet announced that she is working on a new film starring Beatrice Lin-Watson. The film, titled “In This Life,” was written by Amunet with Lin-Watson in mind as the lead from the very beginning. “I wouldn’t have pursued this story without her,” Amunet stated in the exclusive interview. Amunet “sent [Lin-Watson] the entire script directly, and she was on board immediately.”
Beatrice Lin-Watson hasn’t acted in a feature film in nearly four years, and fans online are very excited at the prospect of seeing the actress on screen again. Even more so, networks are buzzing with rumors about why the star took time away from the camera for so long. The actress, daughter of stars Hiromi Lin and Eliza Watson, famously missed the premiere of her last film, The Limit of Silver, and has not given an interview since.
Amunet shared very little about the film (which will be produced by Superion Studios), only stating that it’s a love story and that the rest of the cast will remain a secret for now. Superion Studios, the up-and-coming home for projects overlooked by most major studios, shared that they have given Amunet “full creative control” over the project. “We completely trust her to tell this story perfectly,” they said in a statement released this morning.
~
Beatrice awoke gently as sunlight flooded her bedroom. The golden light cast a warmth across her face that nearly lulled her back into slumber. With a gentle sigh, she rolled over to peek at the time—5:57.
Beatrice set her alarm to go off in just a few minutes, so Beatrice reluctantly pulled herself up from underneath her thick, white comforter to sit against her headboard. She picked up her phone to turn off her alarm before it could disturb the near-silent serenity that filled her bedroom. As if on cue, a notification from Lilith— her childhood best friend and assistant— crossed her screen.
Good morning, I emailed an article with the general response to Yasmine’s announcement for you to read with your breakfast. You are scheduled to be at the Superion offices at 9:30. I will pick you up at 8:45. You have three chemistry reads, the casting director requested that you wear all black.
Thanks Lil, formal or casual black?
As casual as you prefer! The sides are at the top of your inbox for you to review on the drive over.
Got it. I’m going to squeeze a workout in, see you soon!
See you soon!
Beatrice finally pulled herself from her bed and crossed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She pulled up the article that Lilith sent her. That is when Beatrice’s penchant for skimming ahead betrayed her— there they were, her parents' names. Beatrice's burbling excitement for the day quickly turned sour in her stomach.
She quickly locked her screen, not even caring to finish reading the article, and spit her toothpaste into the sink. Beatrice turned on the water and flicked her hand under it twice to rinse the toothpaste residue. She then ducked her head and splashed cool water onto her face. Holding her hands firmly against her eyes, Beatrice took a long breath. She forced her anxiety into a ball and willed it back to its hiding place. She would make time for that later, Beatrice told herself.
She wouldn’t.
~
Sometime during the third mile, Beatrice let her mind drift from her run on the treadmill to the day at hand. Yasmine had stated in her interview that the rest of the cast for her new movie would remain a secret at this time— a clever sidestep of the truth about the movie’s cast. It is not particularly difficult to keep the names hidden when there aren’t any other people cast in the film yet. There are only four speaking roles in the story; detailed casting was paramount to the film’s success. It had taken Yasmine and the casting director, Jacob, nearly three months of auditions to get to today. Now, Beatrice had chemistry reads that should ultimately decide which actress would play the role of Celeste: her love interest.
Beatrice is pulled from her thoughts as the treadmill begins her pre-programmed cooldown toward the end of her fourth mile. She finishes the jog and immediately moves to take a cold shower. The actress is a lot of things, but today there is one thing she refuses to be: unfocused. Beatrice showers like it’s a practiced routine— it is. The woman towels off with efficiency, wraps herself in a simple robe, and walks to the kitchen with her hair wrapped up. She pulls a pre-made green smoothie from the refrigerator and sips it as she returns to her room to prepare for the day ahead.
~
Ultimately, Beatrice decided on a thin black turtleneck tucked into a pair of skinny black jeans. She dried and straightened her hair, tying it back in a half-up bun with loose strands framing her face. Her makeup was simple but pristine, only noticeable if you spent long enough looking for it. A loud buzzer rang out in her apartment just as she finished lacing up a pair of well-worn Doc Martens. Beatrice made her way to the door and glanced through the peephole to see Lilith standing on the other side. Her arrival was timed perfectly with Beatrice’s routine as if Beatrice had planned it ahead of time— she had. Beatrice opened the door and quickly stepped aside to let the taller woman inside.
“Your usual,” Lilith said as she extended a large cup of coffee to Beatrice.
“Thank you.”
“I should warn you.” A hint of worry snuck into Lilith’s voice as she stepped aside and let Beatrice shut the door behind her.
“Oh?” Beatrice tucked her phone into her back pocket as she walked confidently across her apartment to the kitchen island, where a large canvas tote bag sat waiting for her.
“There are more paparazzi than normal sitting outside the building today.”
“That was to be expected, wasn’t it? Yasmine announced that I was starring in her latest project.” Beatrice’s tone was measured as if she had planned for this exact conversation.
“Expecting something to happen doesn’t mean it won’t be a hardship when it does happen,” Lilith stated sincerely, catching Beatrice’s eyes across the apartment.
Beatrice slid a pair of simple silver aviators on as she returned to the front door, where Lilith was waiting for her. “We shouldn’t be late,” Beatrice said with a gentle smile; Lilith couldn’t see if it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Of course, I’m parked in the garage as usual.”
The pair exited the apartment silently, and Beatrice dutifully locked the door before checking the handle twice. Beatrice kept her head ducked as she pulled a simple gray hoodie from her tote and hung it over her arm. Lilith led them down the long hall to the stairwell that led directly to the parking garage attached to Beatrice’s apartment building.
Over the last four years, Beatrice and Lilith have perfected this performance. Lilith backs into the reserved spot closest to the stairwell so that the passenger side door is a mere two steps from the exit. Before they step out, Beatrice pulls on a hoodie and tucks her hair inside it as she lifts it onto her head. Then, Lilith steps out the door and uses her body to shield Beatrice’s profile as Beatrice quickly climbs into the car.
The paparazzi aren’t technically allowed in the garage, but as more and more time stretched between Beatrice’s public appearances, tabloids became increasingly desperate to snap a picture of the young actress. When one of Beatrice’s neighbors led a horde of photographers into the garage’s side entrance for the low price of $20, Beatrice didn’t leave her apartment for nearly two weeks. They haven’t taken their chances since.
Lilith quickly shut Beatrice’s door and walked around the car to the driver’s side, locking the doors as soon as she was inside. Beatrice reached over and checked the lock before buckling her seatbelt. Lilith gently caught Beatrice’s glance with a warm smile as she turned the key in the ignition.
“It’s chilly today,” Beatrice broke the silence as Lilith finally pulled out of the spot. Gentle lo-fi music began to fill the inside of Lilith’s SUV.
“It is.” There was always tension that filled this vehicle in the first few minutes of every drive. Beatrice is grateful that Lilith knows better than to comment on it. It’s gotten better; it has. Not long ago, Beatrice could not even bring herself to sit in the front seat as they left. She would hide in the back until they were around the corner and out of sight of any paparazzi before deftly climbing to the front at the next red light.
It wasn’t that Beatrice hated fame and publicity. She hated that she never had the choice. For almost everyone, privacy was their default. Every photo, thought, and comment that they shared was a choice. For Beatrice, there were more photos of her online from before she hit puberty than most people will take in a lifetime.
As Lilith turned the car onto the final straight-away to exit the garage, Beatrice pulled her feet onto the seat. The actress pressed her forehead to her knees and pulled her hood taut on the sides to shield her face. When Beatrice felt the SUV roll over a speed bump, she began to count.
1, 2, 3, 4… the camera clicks began to fill her ears.
5, 6, 7… bright flashes peeked below her hood.
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13… the car began to turn to the left.
14, 15, 16, 17… the car straightened out again as Lilith accelerated.
18, 19… the flashes and clicking faded.
20, 21, 22, 23… the car began to slow again.
24, 25… a gentle turn to the right.
26, 27, 28, 29, 30… Beatrice lifted her head.
Beatrice took a deep breath as she lowered her feet off the seat. She took off her sunglasses, quickly followed by her hoodie, and tucked them both back into her tote bag that was sitting on the floor. The actress sat back again in the car and watched as the streets of New York began to pass by with familiarity. She let her mind settle on the hum of the city, a melody that was always different and yet, it told the same story every time. It focused her.
“I’m surprised there are only three chemistry reads today,” Lilith pulled Beatrice from her thoughts.
“It’s two more than Yasmine wanted.” When Lilith gave her a confused glance, Beatrice continued, “she called me last night. Apparently, Yas already has a favorite, but the casting director had someone else in mind.”
“Wait, then why are there three?”
“I requested the third,” Beatrice stated matter-of-factly.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“If I knew that one actress was Yasmine’s favorite and the other was Jacob’s, I would only be focused on Yasmine and Jacob, not the actor. I needed a neutral choice without the baggage attached.”
“You watched the tapes last night to pick a third option?”
“No, Yasmine and Jacob picked someone they had ruled out early in the audition process. I have no idea who I’m meeting today.”
“So some poor actress that neither the director nor the casting director liked got a call in the middle of the night last night to find out that she is going to do a chemistry read with the Beatrice Lin-Watson for a role that she had previously been told that she didn’t get,” Lilith’s tone was teasing.
“I doubt she even knows it’s me.”
“Well, you’re going to give her a heart attack when she finds out.”
“I should review my sides,” Beatrice chuckled.
Just as Beatrice pulled out her phone, a new email from Yasmine popped into her inbox. The subject line read, “For the role of Celeste….” Inside were three headshots.
If anyone asked Beatrice which file she opened first, she would lie and say, “the first one, of course.” She opened the third one.
If anyone asked Beatrice which photo caught her eye at first glance, she would lie and say, “they were all beautiful.” She would never forget seeing those dark eyes for the first time.
If anyone asked Beatrice which chemistry read she was most looking forward to, she would lie and say, “I went in with an open mind.” She had already made her choice.
If anyone asked Beatrice which name she was most excited to see next to hers at the top of the movie poster, she would lie and say, “the name is the least important part.” It was Ava Silva.