The Perfect Audition (2 page)

“I know what happened,” he said. “Its classic audition panic. She gets the call-back and overreaches. Loses what she naturally has and tries to be something she isn’t.”

“I did notice her lips were fuller than last time I saw her,” said Diana archly.

TG slumped in his chair. No matter how much he liked film, he hated the bullshit that went with it and the desperation from the actors, no matter how big their star was.

“It’s kinda sad, actually,” said TG thinking of his ex girlfriend and Jessica and her overblown lips.

Diana scowled, “Sure, but who the fuck would want to be an actress anyway?” she asked.

TG laughed as the casting assistant bought the next woman in for the role of Isabel, not right thought TG as he watched her work. To comedic, no depth.

He worked with two more actresses when Sapphira De Mont stalked in and sat down without speaking. TG swallowed nervously. She was predatory and dangerous and he glanced at Diana who sat back in her chair, her face blank.

TG was familiar with Sapphira De Monts’ work, she was arguably the most famous and enigmatic women on the planet at that moment but they had never worked together.

“Thanks for coming.” TG smiled, his voice professional.

Sapphira raised her eyebrows at him and reached out and took one of Diana’s cigarettes and lit it.

“Gotta love it when New York comes to Hollywood,” she drawled before crossing her legs in her skin tight leather pants. TG could see the bones on her chest at the gap in her coffee coloured silk blouse, so translucent he could make out the outline of her tattoos underneath the flimsy fabric and the outline of a black, lace bra …

“So, the role of Isabel …” Started TG and Sapphira blew smoke above her head.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking,” she interrupted and TG held his breath. She was the least likely person he would cast as Isabel at this moment, regardless of her significant talent but she had huge box office clout and her agent had petitioned strongly for TG to have a look at Sapphira for the role of Isabel.

“The film is really Isabel’s story. As the widower who’s forced to grieve as well as survive in her half renovated villa. I think when she opens the villa for the tourists because she needs the money, the intention is financial but her guests become family so in that way the film really needs to be an ensemble piece.” TG sat back surprised and relieved.

“I think as Isabel begins to care for the guests, they begin to care for her and then obviously the love interest for her helps her move on and start again. A new start, not a better one, but new.” She mused as she smoked her cigarette.

TG nodded impressed. “Can we do the sides?” he asked as she put the cigarette out in the water that Jessica had opened and turned to the camera.

As the casting assistant said the lines, Sapphira seemed to shape shift in front of the camera and the vulnerability of the character, the nervousness and worry crossed her face as she said her lines. She was exceptional and even Diana sat forward as they watched.

When she finished she turned to TG and shrugged. “Fucking great script.” Don’t you dare butcher it.”

“Not a chance.” Said TG and she nodded her respect.

And with that she stood up and walked from the room, leaving in her wake the scent of cigarettes and Bulgari Black perfume.

“Wow,” said TG as he watched her leave.

“I know,” said Diana. “She is her own woman that’s for sure.”

“But her acting?” She’s good.”

“She is,” said Diana, “She needs a role where she is no longer seen as just the sexy vixen and she knows it. She’s smarter than people realise that one.”

TG didn’t have time to ask her any more questions as the casting assistant announced the arrival of the first actress for the role he had once promised to his infidel ex girlfriend.

“Hi, I’m Anna,” said the younger actress and TG smiled and she went through the role and the lines to camera.

After she left TG turned to Diana, “Sweet but too young, needs to be a little older.”

“She’s a talent to watch though,” said Diana. “Just did the new Judd Apatow film.”

TG stood up and stretched his legs.

“When is the next one arriving?” he asked the assistant.

“Fifteen minutes.”

“I’m gonna take a walk.” Back in ten.”

TG opened a can of Coke and slurped from it noisily as he left the office and stood on the street when he heard someone yell, “Fuck.”

He turned and saw a blonde yelling into her phone. “Mom, just stop, ok? You’re not my manager anymore.” She yelled and snapped the phone shut.

TG stared at her.

“What?” She yelled at him.

He was taken aback. “Are you ok?” he asked.

“Do I look ok?” She dared him to ask more questions. “What a stupid fucking question.” she mumbled.

“Ok, well good luck then.” He said and sipped from his Coke and turned from her.

“Hey listen, I’m sorry,” she said behind him. “I’m having a shit day. I’m sorry.” He turned back to her again. “Can I ask a favour?”

“I guess,” he said, his shoulders shrugged casually.

“Can I have a sip of your coke?” she asked. “I have this audition and I’m so parched and I hate to ask but I didn’t bring a water.” TG looked into her gold flecked eyes and nodded and handed the can to her.

She took a greedy sip. “God, I love coke,” she said and gave a tiny burp. ‘The drink, not the drug,’ she clarified in case he was a reporter.

“What’s the audition for?” he asked although he already knew the answer.

“Some fucking film set in Italy that I won’t get,” she said. “I’m not nearly talented enough, I don’t even know how I got this far,” she laughed. “Anyway if I don’t get it there’s some action thing in the works, although I don’t really want to do it,” she mused.

“Why not?” he asked carefully.

It was her turn to shrug, “Well, you know action is hard to break out of and I would love the chance to do some real acting with good actors,” she said her words tumbling over each other.

She had no idea why she was rambling to this stranger but she thought she knew his face from somewhere, although she was notoriously bad with faces and names, much to her pushy mother’s horror.

TG nodded as she kept talking and drinking his Coke. She was tiny, like a little doll but she had a fierceness when she spoke that belied her physical frame. TG found himself mesmerised by her and barely listened as she spoke, instead entranced by her mouth and the way her eyes danced and the way she scratched her shoulder and had a tiny drop of Coke on her bottom lip.

“Hey,” he heard the casting assistant and he turned to her and nodded.

“Well good luck,” he said, smiling at the girl.

“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.” She laughed and handed him back his nearly empty can. “Fuck, sorry.” She grimaced at her own bad manners.

TG waved it away, “Finish it,” he said and walked inside and sat in the room and waited.

“Calypso Gable,” said the assistant a few minutes later and she did a double take when she walked through the door.

“You?”

“Me.” he said and was surprised by the flipping of his stomach as she entered the room. “Hi, I’m TG, the director.” she shook his hand but clearly looked uncomfortable.

“I’m really sorry about my bogarting your Coke and talking too much,” she stumbled. Diana watched TG who blushed slightly.

“It’s fine. Everything that was said out there is off the record.” he offered.

Calypso sat straight in her chair and looked around nervously.

“Shall we do the sides?” he asked and Calypso turned to the camera and went through the scene. TG gave her some direction, which she responded to well and her performance improved. She was luminous on camera but not as known as the other actresses auditioning with only one feature behind her and a hit TV show.

TG watched her as she spoke and moved in front of the camera and he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. She was good but not brilliant he decided.

“The role is of a backpacker who gets her heart broken in Italy and learns independence,” he said. “Is this something you’ve done? Do you understand her motivation?” he asked.

Calypso tried not to snort. “Do I understand the characters desire for freedom to be able to make her own choices?”

TG nodded at her.

“Baby, I am that character, I live it every fucking day.” She felt her hand sweep over her mouth and TG nodded and looked down at the papers in front of him.

“Well thanks Calypso, we’ll be in touch.”

He was thoughtful after she left.

“What do you think?” asked Diana.

“She’s very beautiful,” he said honestly.

“But can she do the part?” asked Diana.

“I’m not sure, but she has a charisma,” he said

TG auditioned the final actress for the role that Calypso had read for. She was good, this young New Zealander, very good. Actually she was perfect but at the end of the long day, when he and Diana blew a joint together and went over the names, he was drawn to Calypso again as he put the shortlist headshots on the table.

“Rose Nightingale, Sapphira De Mont and Calypso Gable.” He said firmly. Diana took a note.

“You sure about Calypso?” she asked. “She seemed scattered and disbelieving of her own chances.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, I think I can get a good performance out of her,” he said in his most professional tone but as he looked at her picture again he felt his stomach flip.

“I’ll have the offers out tomorrow,” she said as she sucked on the roach.

TG moved the pictures around in front of him and lined them up in a row.

The stars are aligned, he thought to himself and sat back with images of Calypso swimming in his head.

* * *

Calypso left the audition, walked to the parking lot and sat in her black Mercedes SLG. Her mother had chosen the car, it wasn’t really Calypso’s style but Leeza insisted, telling her it was similar to what Stephanie Powers had driven in her favourite TV show,
Hart to Hart
.

‘Shit, shit, shit,’ she said slamming her hands on the steering wheel. Across the lot, she saw a female figure pacing, while talking on a mobile phone. She seemed agitated thought Calypso as she looked closer at the woman and saw it was Rose Nightingale.

Rose was flipping out, thought Calypso. Rose Nightingale, the most together woman in Hollywood, she had survived a treacherous first marriage, according to the insider gossip and had awards to her name for her work and style. The woman was a goddess and here she was, in a dirty parking lot in West Hollywood, yelling at someone down on the phone.

Calypso wondered if she should go and say something but then she thought she couldn’t possibly have anything to say to Rose that would soothe the situation. Whatever Rose was dealing with would be out of Calypso’s realm of experience.

All her life, since her mother had put her to work in Hollywood as a baby, Calypso had grown up admiring other actresses and Rose was at the top of the list.

Rose got into her Lexus and started it up and Calypso watched her pull on her seatbelt and start up the engine and drive away.

Calypso put her head back on the seat of her car and wondered what Rose had to worry about. She didn’t have a crazy mother or a career ladder she had to climb. Rose was already there. The Hollywood career ladder was not for the faint hearted. Calypso often doubted that she would be where she was if it weren’t for the tenacity of Leeza, her mother.

Calypso’s phone rang and she looked at her mother’s name come up on the caller ID. Not now Mom, she thought. Leeza would want to know all about the audition, who else was there, what did she wear and then gleefully tell her that it was all wrong.

She started up the engine of the car and then pulled into the street and turned left towards Sunset. What she needed to do was some shopping, she thought. Some great vintage would ease her disappointment for how badly the audition went.

Driving through Hollywood, Calypso watched a drag queen dressed as Sapphira De Mont’s action heroine character cross the road in front of her. If Sapphira ever needed a double then this person could run a close second, although he wasn’t quite as thin as Sapphira, but then who the hell was?

The thin-ification of actresses was something that worried Calypso, not because she was concerned with the health implications but because she doubted that she was thin enough. She knew some young starlets who faked ADD symptoms to their doctor so they could get Adderall to lose weight. And then there was gossip that another girl, whose star was on the rise had lost a part, even though she gave the best screen test because she was growing the soft white downy hair on her face, like anorexics did. Her manager asked the director to consider CGI. The director asked the manager to consider feeding his client.

Finding a car park, Calypso fed some coins into the meter and went for a walk. Feeling rebellious, she bought herself a large, low-fat frappacino and sipped it as she saw a few paparazzi in the distance taking photos of her as she walked.

She walked into the first store and started to go through the racks of t-shirts. Calypso loved t-shirts and had nearly one hundred both vintage and new. Pulling out a Princess Bride original T-shirt, she held it up to herself and smiled. She loved that movie, without a doubt one of the best movie kisses of all time.

As she walked along the racks she heard her phone chime with a text. She pulled it out of her bag, the t-shirt tucked under her arm which held the frappacino. She looked at the phone and saw her mother’s name and a message.

‘Paps shot you on Sunset drinking a frapp. Just saw on TMZ. Call to discuss.’

Calypso ignored the text and turned her phone on silent and defiantly sipped her drink as she kept on shopping. Leeza and the world could wait, she decided. Sometimes a girl just needed to go offline for a while.

* * *

Across town, Rose was in her Lexus zipping through the winding streets to her home, in the Hollywood Hills. The audition went well, she thought, it was good to audition from time to time.

She would have liked to have enjoyed the audition a little more but coming out to find that she had been misquoted in The Hollywood Reporter about her ex husband, Paul Ross, didn’t thrill her.