The casting session for "300 Warriors of Sparta" was underway.
The room was buzzing with excitement. Zane Blackwood, Kevin Fitch, and the director, Zack Snyder, were all feeling a little bit worried. They were thrilled because so many famous actors had shown up to try out. But this also made the final decision really hard.
"Good grief," Kevin Fitch said, his eyes wide. "We have a lot of big names here for the lead role."
"I know, right?" Zack agreed. "Keanu Reeves... he's tall, handsome, and with a little training, he could definitely play King Leonidas. And he's so famous! Speed, The Matrix... people all over the world love him. If he played the king, it would definitely help us sell more tickets."
"I totally agree," Kevin nodded.
For a moment, both Zack and Kevin looked right at Zane. Zack was the director and Kevin was the producer, but Zane was the boss. He had the final say. If Zane didn't approve, nobody else's opinion mattered.
Ahem~
Zane thought for a moment before speaking. "Keanu is famous, I know that," he said, trying to be gentle. "And I'm sure he'd look great. But..."
As soon as he said "but," Zack and Kevin's excited faces fell a little.
"I don't deny that Keanu is a great actor," Zane explained patiently. "I just... I don't feel like he has that kingly feeling, you know? The king needs to be loud and brave and have this... this dominance. Keanu has more of a cool, quiet feeling. He almost feels too modern to play an ancient king."
Zack still looked hopeful. "Boss, I know what you mean, but I believe I can direct him. I think we could make it work."
As a director, who wouldn't want to work with a big, famous star?
Zane gave Zack a friendly, apologetic smile. He knew Zack just wanted to work with the best.
"I know, Zack. And I'm a huge fan of Keanu," Zane said. "But the character of King Leonidas is the soul of this whole movie. He has to be perfect. If we get the casting wrong, the whole movie could fall apart. I just... I have a gut feeling that he's not the one. I'm sorry."
"Okay, boss," Zack said, moving on. "What about Viggo Mortensen? He's tall, has good muscles, and he's played 'kingly' roles before. I think he could be our lead."
"Huh?"
Zane's head popped up. He was very interested. Viggo Mortensen? Of course, Zane knew that name. In the future, he would play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings—a role that was the definition of a king!
"What are we waiting for?" Zane said, his whole mood changing. "That's a great idea! Whether he's right for it or not, let's get him in here for an audition and see!"
A few minutes later, the actor Viggo Mortensen walked into the room.
Zane, Zack, and Kevin all watched him. He was tall (about 5' 11") and had good, strong muscles. He made a good first impression.
"Mr. Mortensen, here is the script," Zack said. "Please perform this part for us."
"Okay," Viggo said. He took the script pages and went to a corner to read and prepare.
The three of them waited.
Ten minutes later, Viggo nodded. He was ready.
Zack read the other part, pretending to be a scared soldier. "This war is over, my king!"
Viggo—who wasn't Viggo anymore, he was King Leonidas—snapped back, his voice cold as ice. "Silence! The war is not over until I say it is over!"
"But we'll be surrounded! We can't beat them! They are too powerful!" Zack pleaded.
King Leonidas looked at the "soldier" with disgust. He turned to his imaginary Spartan soldiers, spread his arms wide, and roared with all his strength, "Spartans! Prepare for an honorable death!"
"Honor?!" Zack yelled, playing his part. "You're insane! There is no honor in this! We can only retreat, surrender, or die!"
"Hmph!"
King Leonidas glared at him. "The choice is simple for you! Spartan warriors never retreat! Spartan warriors never surrender! This is the law of Sparta!"
He turned back to his men, his face hard, but with a faint, brave smile. He was the King of Sparta.
"Brothers! By the law of Sparta, we must fight for her to the last breath! Death is nothing to be sad about. A new age is coming—an age of freedom! The world will know of the 300 Spartans who defended freedom! A hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, we will still be remembered! We will live on in history!"
He looked at everyone in the room, his eyes calm, and then he suddenly roared one last time, "Prepare breakfast! Eat well! For tonight... we dine in Hell!"
The performance ended.
Clap, clap, clap!
Zane, Zack, and Kevin immediately jumped to their feet, applauding. Their faces showed how impressed they were.
"Viggo Mortensen," Zane said, walking right up to him with a big, excited smile, "the role is yours!" He didn't say, "We'll let you know." He hired him right there on the spot.
Zane felt a huge wave of relief. He had thought about the actor who originally played the part in his old life, Gerard Butler.
But... Gerard was only 27 right now. He was a new actor and just wasn't experienced enough for such a big, hard role. He was too "green."
Viggo, on the other hand, was 40. He was at the peak of his life. His acting skills were amazing, and Zane knew he had the power to play a strong king. He was perfect.
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