Anya Chalotra and The Witcher Ch. 01

Chapter One: The Audition

Anya Chalotra waited for the audition, glancing down at the casting call sheet where the words that had haunted her for weeks were clearly stated: "Nudity required for this role". She struggled to come up with the right words that would get her point across to the casting director.

She thought to herself, "I don't think I'm comfortable with this one scene... no, no, I need to be firm. I refuse to do nudity! No, that's too strong..."

Just then, she was called in for her audition. Aside from that one sensitive issue, Anya was totally prepared. She had read all The Witcher novels and short stories, or at least the ones that pertained to Yennefer. She knew that character inside and out, and in a sort of way, was in love with her. She was desperate for this role. The money and fame that would certainly come from being in a Netflix show based on such a popular franchise were nice, to be sure, but she connected with Yennefer personally in a way she never had in any other role. She NEEDED this part, and she would do anything to get it. Well, almost anything...

As she sat down inside, she was introduced to the casting director, Sharon, and a producer, Griff, who would be conducting the audition. Sharon was a conservatively dressed older woman, with a kind face; Anya instantly identified her as an ally, who might be convinced to omit the nude scenes. Although Griff was a man, but Anya didn't think of him as a creep. He was young for a producer, maybe in his early 30s, and he looked more like a handsome hipster than an old Hollywood creeper who'd pressure women into doing things they didn't want to.

She performed for them a scene based on The Last Wish, which told the tale of how Yennefer first met Geralt. They realized that Anya must have done her homework when she easily slipped into character without any guidance. They knew an actress who really cares about her character would always be more passionate and emotional than someone just in it for the paycheck, and Anya acted so flawlessly that they knew her heart was in it.

The pair commended Anya's brilliant performance and expressed their desire to have her follow up in the next round of auditions. But before they could make it official, there was an awkward silence as the casting director turned her eyes to the floor. Anya began to panic as the producer started talking.

"This part is never easy... As I'm sure you're aware, this role requires some nudity. There's really no way around it. If we offered you this part, your breasts would be on display for a considerable period of time."

"Yeah, um, about that..." Anya tried to speak up, but her nerves meant only a whisper escaped her lips.

"The nudity is present in the source material- you read that right? You should know- and we believe it's important to the plot and not at all gratuitous."

"Maybe, but-" Anya tried again to interrupt, but still no one could hear her.

"And so the way usually we handle these things in the audition is, um..." Griff trailed off, leaving them in yet another awkward pause.

Eventually, Sharon asserted her presence. "Oh for Pete's sake, don't torture the poor girl. Just get it over with." She turned toward Anya and said sternly, "We need to see your boobs. Now."

Anya could not believe what she just heard. A woman who only moments ago seemed so friendly and modest had demanded to see her boobs! She didn't have time to think before she shrieked, "Wha- what!?"

Griff blushed and chimed in, "There's no need to put it so bluntly!"

Sharon sat back and sighed, "She was going to find out anyway. Let me explain, Anya. This show is poised to become one of the biggest Netflix originals to date. We're trying to draw in some of those Game of Thrones fans, if you know what I mean, and everything has to be perfect. I'll be honest, you're a fantastic actress and I would hire you right now if I could. But I can't. Yennefer is a main character and has the most prominent nudity in the show. Our number one priority is finding an actress with exceptionally stellar breasts to play her."

"It's one of the things we're prioritizing," Griff interjected, "of course, your acting prowess will-"

"Don't lie to her," Sharon interrupted. "Yennefer needs to have breasts that are good enough to convince many excited men to watch every episode to see if she takes her top off. Like I said, you're a fine actress, but if your breasts aren't up to our standards, we just cannot cast you in this role. So obviously, we'll need to inspect them before we come to a decision. I'm sorry, but this is non-negotiable."

Anya began to sense that, despite her connection to the character, perhaps this role was not for her. Finally able to gather her thoughts, she replied briefly, "I... I guess that makes sense, but..."

Griff comforted her, saying, "We understand if you would rather not continue. And of course, there are other, smaller roles besides Yennefer that don't require as much scrutiny. With talent like yours, I'm sure we could find something for you."

Anya finally saw her opportunity. They clearly recognized her talent, and passion for the show; she could easily secure another part without having to squabble over nudity. But she couldn't bring herself to give up on Yennefer, the character she spent weeks reading about and preparing to inhabit. She imagined herself watching another woman play Yennefer, as she sat on the sidelines playing some irrelevant role, and she shuddered at the thought. She could not be anyone else.

"Thank you, but no, I'm only interested in playing Yennefer," Anya responded without considering the implications of what she had just said.

Sharon hastily spoke, "We're glad to hear it. We have a long day ahead of us, so if you would just take off your-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Griff cut her off, "Hold up, she really doesn't need to do this now." He turned towards Anya and said, "We're already going to invite you back to the next audition. The executive producer will be with us then, you will have to show him your... er, he will have to see the potential candidates with his own eyes, regardless of what happens today. Take the time to mentally prepare. And feel free to bring along a friend or an agent, someone you trust. It makes the process less awkward for everyone involved, and well, regulations require us to offer it anyway."

Anya did not have high hopes that the executive producer, who was probably responsible for implementing the ludicrous 'boobs-first' casting policy, would be easily persuaded to forget about the nudity, but she didn't have any other options. If she made her aversion to nudity clear now, she would certainly not be asked back for the next audition. If she held out until next time, maybe she could think of a way to avoid it.

While pondering her response, Anya remembered something Sharon had previously said. "You said before that if you could ignore the whole... breast situation, you would hire me, right?"

They both nodded in agreement.

"Which means if I show you my... and you don't pick me..."

She waited for one of them to reassure her, but they were quiet for a few seconds until Sharon spoke up, "Honey, we're not trying to pass judgement on you or your boobs. I'm sure they're lovely, but we're not looking for lovely, we're looking for the best. We're trying dozens of women for this part. Don't take it personally if you don't have the best boobs out of them all. Now please, if you're not going to undress today, move along. We have many more actors coming in today."

"Oh, okay, thanks for having me, see you next time...", Anya muttered as she left and began her journey home. She agonized over how to handle the situation. If she went along with it and they found her breasts acceptable, she was a shoe-in. If she fought it, she might lose her one and only shot to land the role of her dreams.

But still, Anya doubted that they would still care for her after she stripped. Her lack of body confidence was the main reason she wanted to avoid nudity in the first place, after all. She thought back to high school, and how some of the older girls would constantly belittle her after gym class, while they were changing in the locker room. That was before Anya even wore a bra; her body had changed immensely since then, and her boobs had gone up at least three cup sizes, but their words still haunted her.

Her intense desire for this part forced her to confront her insecurities in a way she never had before. When she returned home, she went straight upstairs to her bathroom and began undressing. First, she lifted her shirt over her head, and examined her appearance in the mirror. The bra she wore that day was just for comfort; it was black and quite plain. Although she wouldn't exactly call herself a beauty in that state of undress, the sight did not make her uncomfortable.

Then she unhooked her bra and dropped it to the floor. She caught a brief glimpse of her boobs in the mirror before cringing and looking away. Anya thought to herself, "If I can't even bear to be naked alone in my bathroom, how the hell could I be naked in a room full of actors and crew? And that's not to mention broadcasting my naked body to anyone with a Netflix account. I would just be opening myself up to more ridicule, more shame. And what if my high school bullies saw it?" She quivered at the thought.

Still, she had really just peeked at them. She hadn't properly looked at her chest in almost a decade, and a small part of her was hoping and praying that at some point since then, her boobs became spectacular. As Anya managed to pry her eyes open for just a moment, she saw reality for the first time, untainted by the scarring memories of her past.

Her boobs were average-sized, not particularly round or full, but still larger than Anya realized. Despite all the years that had passed, they remained as pert and perky as ever. They were the ideal shape, and if there was any size difference between the two, it wasn't noticeable. Having been almost completely unexposed in years, her boobs were much paler than the rest of her skin, except for her areolas, which were dark brown and perfectly round, with nipples pointing slightly towards the sky.

Her breasts were 'exceptionally stellar'. She knew it with complete certainty now. The producers would undoubtedly see it too. For just that moment, she realized how truly blessed she was.

But for her, the moment was fleeting. She turned away, whispering comments about how hideous her body was, how she could never do a nude scene, and how stupid she was to think otherwise. But Anya still needed this part. She could not live without it. She knew that no one could top her performance of Yennefer, and despite what they had told her, she knew that an actress's talent was ultimately more important than the quality of her tits. If she was stern, confident, and demanding enough, she knew she could get the producers to cave on the nudity. Unfortunately, Anya had trouble being any of those things, but she knew just who she could call for help.