Anne was clearly nervous—she knew this meeting was a big deal.
Dressed simply yet fresh, with minimal makeup, she tried to embody Mia, the ordinary, slightly awkward girl.
Leon introduced Anne to Marshall, cutting straight to the point:
"Garry, this is my Mia."
"Her role in Final Destination showed her fear and grit, but I want you to see another side of her."
Marshall eyed Anne with interest, his demeanor warm and open.
But he didn't just take Leon's word for it. Instead, he threw out a few impromptu challenges for Anne to perform on the spot.
"Imagine you just tripped and fell flat on your face in front of the most popular guy in school," Marshall said. "How would you react?"
Anne closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A few seconds later, she opened them, and her entire vibe shifted.
Gone was the poised, radiant star. Her eyes darted with panic and embarrassment, tinged with a hint of wanting to cry.
She tugged at the hem of an imaginary outfit, her shoulders hunching as if trying to disappear.
Then, muttering to the air in a soft, quivering voice laced with frustration, she said, "Oh, God, Mia Thermopolis, you're an absolute disaster…"
No over-the-top gestures, no exaggerated expressions.
Yet Anne nailed the desperate, awkward, and oddly endearing vibe of a teenage girl facing a social catastrophe.
Marshall's eyes lit up. He clapped, laughing.
"Perfect! That's the vibe! That 'I-want-to-crawl-into-a-hole-but-can't-stop-replaying-every-embarrassing-detail' energy! Nailed it!"
Next, Marshall had her try a scene where Mia meets her "queen grandmother" for the first time.
Anne slipped into character instantly.
Her eyes flickered with instinctive awe and unease, her fingers nervously gripping a coffee cup handle.
A subtle frown tugged at her lips, her shoulders pulling back slightly, conveying a clear mix of resistance and discomfort.
Then, in a scene where the grandmother mentions Mia's father, Anne's gaze lifted cautiously, a blend of curiosity and longing in her eyes.
She tried to straighten her posture but stiffened with nerves, perfectly capturing a girl torn between wanting to flee and craving acceptance of her royal lineage.
With no dramatic lines, just subtle shifts in her eyes and body language, Anne brought Mia's inner turmoil to life with vivid layers.
Marshall was glued to her performance, finally bursting into a grin and declaring, "You're it! You've got that lovable awkwardness down pat!"
Turning to Leon, he said, "Leon, you've got an eye for talent! She's practically Mia in the flesh—that spark beneath the clumsiness is spot-on!"
Anne's face flushed with excitement, practically bouncing as she grabbed Leon's hand, her eyes brimming with gratitude and joy.
All her hard work, all the waiting—it had paid off in this moment.
Leon was genuinely thrilled for her. In his past life, Anne supposedly won Marshall's favor by falling off a chair during auditions.
This time, the process was different, but the result was the same—and that's what mattered.
With that, the project's core pieces were set: the director and the lead actress.
Leon also confirmed he'd play Michael Moscovitz—Mia's friend Lilly's kind, handsome, music-loving brother, who shares a subtle spark with Mia.
He told Marshall he'd take a basic salary for the supporting role.
Marshall, a seasoned Hollywood veteran, gave a knowing smile and patted Leon's shoulder.
"I get it, kid. Don't worry—this role's gonna be a fan favorite."
For the rest of the casting, Leon handed the reins to Garry Marshall and his team, trusting their expertise and judgment.
That night, back home, Anne was unexpectedly… enthusiastic, tireless in her excitement.
The next morning, Leon woke up to find his "reincarnator-enhanced" body feeling a slight ache in his lower back.
History has a funny way of showing its pull.
Even though the film started two years earlier than in his past life, the open auditions brought familiar faces to the kingdom of Genovia, as if destined.
For the role of Joe, Mia's grandmother Queen Clarisse Renaldi's head bodyguard, the casting team initially suggested burly, stereotypical "tough guy" actors.
One by one, they auditioned—too menacing, too stiff.
Marshall shook his head. "No, no. We don't need a wall or a mountain."
"We need reliable, steady, warm inside, maybe even a touch of humor."
Then Hector Elizondo stepped in, a golden supporting actor from Marshall's films like Pretty Woman (as hotel manager Barney Thompson) and Runaway Bride (as Pastor Fisher).
Hector didn't prep a performance like the others.
Dressed sharply in a suit, he shook hands with Marshall and Leon, sat down, and casually flipped through the script.
Marshall grinned. "Hector, up for playing bodyguard for me and this young producer?"
Hector looked up, a playful glint in his eye. He glanced at Marshall, then Leon, and in his signature low, magnetic voice, said, "Garry, working with you is always a blast. But protecting a princess?"
He paused, as if mulling it over, then added with mock seriousness, "First, I'd need to personally inspect her afternoon tea snacks. Safety first."
That one line—loyal, dependable, with a dash of wit—sealed it.
Marshall and Leon exchanged a look and laughed.
Marshall made the call on the spot: "You're in, Hector! Welcome to Genovia!"
For Lilly Moscovitz, Mia's quirky, whip-smart, slightly socially awkward best friend, they needed a unique spark.
Many young actresses auditioned—some overdid the "nerd" vibe, coming off forced; others leaned too hard into "rebel," missing the mark.
Then Heather Matarazzo walked in.
She seemed a bit nervous, adjusting her large glasses, but her eyes held a calm, almost mature sharpness.
The casting director gave her a prompt: Imagine you just found out your best friend is a princess of a small European country, and you're talking to her about it for the first time.
Heather didn't jump into acting.
She paused for a few seconds, processing, then pushed up her glasses and looked at the casting assistant playing Mia.
In a calm, deadpan tone, she said, "So, does this mean you'll have diplomatic immunity now?"
"Like, theoretically, if we robbed a convenience store, you could cover for me?"
"Just saying, I'm testing the limits of your new privileges here."
Her offbeat logic and earnest delivery, paired with that straight-faced absurdity, had everyone in the room cracking up.
That was Lilly—Mia's fiercely loyal, brainy best friend whose focus always veered off track.
Marshall laughed, slapping his knee. "Stop! Stop! That's it, Heather. You're the one!"
Other roles fell into place with the same uncanny historical pull.
Sandra Oh nailed the strict, no-nonsense vice principal Gupta, commanding "Quiet!" in the auditorium and confiscating items with authority.
Lisa Ann Walter shone as Lana Borgese, the shallow, mean-spirited, Mia-jealous high school queen bee.
For the pivotal grandmother role, Marshall didn't bother with mass auditions. He invited Julie Andrews for a quick tryout, and she was locked in.
It was as if an invisible hand strummed the strings of fate, bringing the perfect notes together for the same symphony.
The final cast list, aside from Leon replacing Robert Schwartzman as Michael, matched the original film's key supporting roles almost exactly.
The only slight difference? Thanks to Anne Hathaway's rising fame from Final Destination, her salary was higher than in the 2001 version.
But since the film was made earlier, most other actors weren't as well-known yet, so their salaries were lower.
This balance kept the overall cast budget miraculously on track, even leaving a small surplus.
Garry Marshall finalized the lineup.
Leon looked at the list, a mix of awe and reflection washing over him.
The advantage of being a reincarnator showed itself in a strange, subtle way.
No need to force changes—just guide the flow, and history's momentum gathered the strongest team.
The foundation of Genovia was set, the core team assembled.
Now, it was time to turn this fairy tale on paper into a cinematic reality.
But just then, Leon got a call from Leonardo…