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I took a breath. Time to wade into harder waters. "I know you auditioned for some of the same roles I did."

Sophie's face went carefully neutral. "How do you know that?"

"My manager told me. Passing Through Jordan. You were a finalist."

"You were better." The words came out flat, practiced. She'd said them before, probably to herself. "They made the right choice."

"I don't know about that." I picked my words carefully. "Sometimes it's not about who's better. It's about who has the name recognition, who the studio feels safe betting on. The business side matters more than the art."

"You still got the part."

"I did. And before that, I got Echoes of Autumn. And The Silent Hour." I watched her face. "You were attached to both of those."

Sophie's jaw tightened. "You really did your homework."

"I wanted to understand." I leaned forward. "Sophie, I didn't know. I swear I didn't know you existed until yesterday. I just showed up to auditions and did my job. I never thought about who didn't get the part, unless it was me. Sound familiar?"

"Boy, does it. But now that you know it’s me, why are you here? Don’t tell me you’re making the rounds to apologize to everyone you beat out of a role. It’s going to be quite a long week.” She gave a weak laugh.

I liked her spunk.

“Yeah, probably not the best use of my time,” I agreed with a grin.

“If you’re here to tell me not to give up, I’m afraid you’re too late.” She gestured at the textbooks on the coffee table. "I’m looking into teaching programs. Drama teacher. Middle school, maybe high school. At least then I'd actually help someone instead of just auditioning for parts I'll never get."

"Don't give up."

"Why not? Twelve years is enough, don't you think? At some point it's not perseverance, it's just delusion."

I thought about Echoes of Autumn, the indie drama I'd taken because my agent said I needed to do "serious work" between franchises. I'd barely prepared for the audition and walked in exhausted from a fourteen-hour action sequence shoot the day before.

"The director didn't choose me for Echoes of Autumn because I was better," I said quietly. "He chose me because the financing fell through, and the only way to get it back was to attach a name the investors recognized. You probably gave a better audition. But I had two Oscar nominations and tabloid coverage. That's what got me the part."

Sophie stared at me. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you deserve to know that talent isn't always why people win or lose in this industry. Sometimes it's just luck and timing and things that have nothing to do with how good you are." I moved closer. "Don't let three losses define twelve years of work."

A tear escaped down her cheek. Then another. "Thank you." Her voice came out choked. "You didn't have to say that."

"Yeah, I did." I meant it. "You're talented, Sophie. Don't let this business convince you otherwise."

She swiped at her face, laughing and crying at the same time. "God, I can't believe Kit Lord is in my apartment telling me not to give up. This is surreal."

The moment felt fragile, important. I'd earned a little trust.

Time to use it carefully.

"Can I ask you about your family?"

Confusion replaced her tears. "My family?"

"Your brother. Russell."

Her face brightened immediately. "How do you know about Russell?"

"I've been trying to understand some things." I kept my voice gentle. "What's he like?"

"He's amazing. Kind of a helpless nerd, but he's my hero. He's always had my back, ever since Mom married his dad." Affection warmed her voice. "When I was getting bullied in middle school, he taught me how to code so I could hack the mean girls' grades and flunk them. We never actually did it, but just knowing I could made me feel better."