The air in the audition room at Santos Productions was thick with a unique tension—a mix of raw ambition and palpable anxiety. Lena sat beside Alejandro and a seasoned casting director, facing a parade of hopeful actors. Seeing her life, now translated into the mythic framework of The Glass Princess, filtered through the interpretations of strangers was a surreal and emotionally taxing experience.

The first wave of auditions for the role of "Finn," the street-smart ...