Chapter 171: Choice

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Choice

When Irene Coppola walked out of the studio gates and got into her car, she didn’t start the engine right away. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. She felt no tears, no sorrow—only relief and calm.

Maybe there had been happiness when she and Loren first started dating. But once work consumed her and she began neglecting him, guilt crept in.

Add in their mismatched careers and interests, the lack of shared conversation, and once the initial rush faded, she gradually forgot what had drawn her to him in the first place.

The end of a relationship might leave a brief emptiness, but for her, it felt more like release.

She still had her films. She still had her dreams. Those were the most solid foundations of her life.

The next morning, sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Disney conference room, spilling across the long table covered with actor profiles and audition playback footage.

Jerry Bruckheimer sat down first, drumming his fingertips on the table before getting straight to the point.

"We need to lock in our Elizabeth Swann today. Each candidate has strengths, but we have to focus on core suitability. Given next year’s market, we need someone with both classical charm and the presence to carry big-screen tension. I’ll say it up front—Kirsten Dunst is my top choice."

Disney representative Amy Pascal nodded immediately.

"Jerry’s right. Between Interview with the Vampire and Little Women, Kirsten has already transitioned successfully from child star. Her audience recognition is the highest, and family viewers trust her.

Her look balances sweetness with stubbornness, and her chemistry with Henry in the audition was solid. The youthful energy in their poster pairing fits Disney’s ’Adventure Princess’ positioning perfectly. That reduces risk for the IP in its early stages."

Fox representative Adelaide Griffin adjusted her glasses, her tone measured.

"Fox leans toward Rosamund Pike. Her classical bearing is unmatched among the four. With her Oxford School of Drama background, her grasp of aristocratic detail during the audition was flawless—the way she lifted her dress, her speech cadence, the restraint in her eyes.

She embodied the governor’s daughter’s noble elegance. On top of that, her line delivery has real power. In the ’resisting the pirate kidnapping’ scene, she layered fear and defiance distinctly. She can give Elizabeth an aristocratic resilience."

Casting director John Owen frowned and opened Keira Knightley’s profile.

"You’re all putting too much weight on familiarity. Yes, Keira’s only done small roles like Pride and Prejudice, but her ’wildness’ is rare. Elizabeth isn’t a hothouse princess.

She’s curious about the pirate world. She craves freedom. Keira’s instinctive grip on the sword hilt during the audition, her improvised ’both shy and annoyed’ reaction when Henry held her back—that ’rebellion beneath the aristocratic surface’ is something the others don’t have."

"Wildness has to be grounded in suitability. Elizabeth’s core is ’growth,’ not ’rebellion,’" acting coach Martha Carter said, setting her pen down as she pulled up Emily Blunt’s audition clip.

"Emily’s delivery is the most technically solid. Her breath control is textbook. In the ’I am not a delicate princess’ monologue, she didn’t rely on screaming.

She built power through vocal crescendo, mapping out the arc from dependence to independence. Her range is broad. She can handle the shift from aristocratic lady to pirate ally without the character’s later toughness feeling forced."

"Emily’s issue is that her presence is too steady. She lacks the character’s early vulnerability," Amy countered.

"Kirsten’s strength is contrast. Her panic when first encountering pirates felt real and believable, and her later determination created a strong arc. That growth trajectory matches audience empathy. Plus, her box office pull is proven."

Adelaide added,

"Rosamund’s aristocratic feel is innate, and that’s Elizabeth’s baseline. Her scene with Henry was excellent—’restrained affection’ done beautifully. The way her eyes avoided his, the slight pause when she turned away...

she captured the tension of ’not daring to show feeling because of status.’ Will Turner is a commoner blacksmith. That class-difference romance needs Rosamund’s nobility to heighten the chemistry."

John shook his head.

"Keira’s rawness is exactly the advantage. Next year’s audience will want fresh faces. Her unfamiliarity lets viewers experience ’meeting Elizabeth for the first time.’ And her fit with Henry is the best.

Their height difference works, and the ’youthful energy’ in their eye contact had no trace of acting—it felt like real young lovers. Casting isn’t about picking the most famous name. Captain Jack carries the star power. For the other roles, we can afford newcomers. It saves on salary, and this film needs freshness."

The room fell quiet for a moment. Everyone flipped through their audition notes.

Irene sat to the side, listening to the debate, weighing whether they needed to rethink the pool entirely.

Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Alba, and Rachel McAdams had all come in through connections. The latter two had used their link to Irene for exposure, but she had never seriously considered them.

As for Emily Blunt, her acting was strong, but her temperament was too mature. It didn’t match the passionate young girl Irene envisioned. She even read several years older than Henry. She was out.

So in Irene’s mind, image-wise, the only real contenders for Elizabeth were Rosamund Pike—who would later change her name to Pei Chunhua—Kirsten Dunst, and Keira Knightley.

She’d already heard from Shelly that Spider-Man was moving into prep, and Kirsten was essentially locked as Mary Jane. There would be a definite scheduling conflict between Elizabeth Swann and Mary Jane.

Since Kirsten wasn’t her only choice, she could afford to let her go.

That left Rosamund Pike and Keira Knightley.

Irene’s fingers tapped steadily on the table, her gaze moving between the two actresses.

Just then, Jerry spoke up.

"We’ve been missing the core requirement. Pirates of the Caribbean is an adventure film. Elizabeth needs to fight and to earn empathy. Kirsten has the empathy, but her action work is weak—she’d need extensive training.

Rosamund has the aristocratic presence, but she also comes across as oppressive. She lacks the liveliness of a young girl. Emily’s acting is strong, but her steadiness works against the character. Keira is green and has that innate stubbornness, but she’s inexperienced, and her big-screen presence still needs work."

He looked at Irene, his tone expectant. "Irene, you created this film. You know best what the character needs."