TWENTY
Zane took a seat in one of the leather chairs, hiking one foot up on his knee and smiling widely at Jack. “Mr. Lister, if you please. I take it you already have your lines memorized since you’re beginning filming this week?”
Jack stuttered, looking suddenly flustered. “Not the entire thing, no.”
The director rolled his eyes and produced a copy of the script he had been carrying around, no doubt making last-minute edits even as filming began. He hit Jack with it on the shoulder and the actor took it from him with a glare. The Roland brothers exchanged exasperated glances.
“Go ahead and read your first page for me,” said Zane coolly.
Jack looked around the room, clearly uncomfortable. He was out of his element because no one in the room was treating him like a god, the way he was used to, and it was satisfying to see fear and insecurity on his face.
He pulled the script out and gave it a quick read-over before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and launched into a monologue, his eyes filled with distracted fear.
Only a few lines in, Zane interrupted him, lifting up the half-eaten apple. “Hold on a second; you say you already auditioned for this part?” He looked to Evan for an explanation.
“Who do you think you are?” erupted Jack. “I’m going to win awards for this!”
“Jack, if you don’t pass his audition, you don’t have the part. Period.” Evan reminded him. “My hands are tied here. The executive producers have final say and this is it, so I suggest you put your try-hard panties on and act.”
Fuming, Jack turned back to Zane, who grinned at him happily. “As I said, the quality of this movie is very important to me, Mr. Lister. Please, select another page and try again. Find a section you feel confident about this time. I really don’t want to have to look into firing the casting director who hired you, too.”
I watched Jack squirm as he fought with the urge to lash out at Zane. There was no one in the room who was on his side, and he knew it. The studio heads had sacrificed Jack’s ego for the money, and they were clearly willing to do whatever it took to get Zane’s money into the financing budget. If the industry rags were to be believed, an investment like this would put them far ahead of their nearest summer blockbuster competitor. There was no way Jack could talk his way out of this; he simply didn’t have the same clout as a pile of cold, hard cash. He had always said it was a game, and I realized then that he was right. Unfortunately, his bosses thought it was a game too, and they had just proven to Jack that he was the least valuable pawn in the room.
Jack flipped through the script with a grumpy sigh, trying to find a page he apparently thought he’d be better at. Of course, he chose some screaming action scene that allowed him to look like the badass tough guy who was in the middle of saving his woman, the female lead role he had tried to blackmail me into taking. The studio execs and the director watched with pained faces while Jack performed for Zane, who looked bored more than anything.
After Jack finished the scene, Zane made a big deal of sighing. He handed Jack his finished apple core, which Jack took before he realized he was being asked to throw away trash for Zane.
“Better than the first time,” Zane agreed about his reading. “But I’m still not satisfied. I’m going to give you some directions and you will perform according to my instructions so that I can be fully sure of your ability to take commands from your director.”
“I take commands just fine,” growled Jack through gritted teeth. “I don’t need to do this. Don’t you know who I am?”
“Well you keep saying you’re an experienced and acclaimed actor, so this really shouldn’t be a problem for you,” replied Zane. “Are you ready, or do you need a moment to prepare?”
“I’m ready. I’m always ready.”
“Good. Now get on your hands and knees,” said Zane.
Jack paused. The other men in the room exchanged glances.
“What?” asked Jack.
Zane repeated, “Get down on your hands and knees, Mr. Lister.”
When no one stepped in to interrupt the request, Jack begrudgingly got down on the floor. Even his trademark leather jacket couldn’t save him from looking stupid in that position, and he knew it. Red embarrassment was creeping up his face and neck.
“Very good. Now, crawl around the room and bark like a dog,” said Zane.
“What?!” cried Jack without moving from the floor. “You’re insane! What’s your problem? This isn’t even in the movie!”
“You’re not proving that you can follow orders,” warned Zane, shaking his head. “It’s not been discussed in detail yet, Mr. Lister, but one of the conditions in that contract is meeting with the writers about certain changes to the script. We may be changing your role to that of a dog, and we need to know if you can manage to fill that role.”
“A dog? Are you kidding me?” screeched Jack.
“It’s a simple command,” replied Zane, calm as ever.
“Jack, do as he says or get out of this office,” came the cold voice of Stephen from the side of the room. “You’re wasting everyone’s time with your whining.”
Jack stopped arguing and with a raging cloud of fury, obeyed Zane’s orders. He crawled around the room on his hands and knees, his expensive jeans scraping on the worn carpet of the borrowed office. He moved around one of the other chairs while the studio execs and director looked on, trying not to laugh at the sight. When he caught my eye, I saw a new wave of humiliation fall over Jack’s face, and it gave my soul a happy boost.
His barking, well, that was icing on the cake. First he came out with a big, loud bark, then Zane asked him to try something else.
“One of those yappy little dogs that ladies carry in their purses sometimes,” laughed Zane. “You know, with the silky fur, the ones who act tougher than they actually are.”
Everyone in the room understood the dig, but Jack was in no position to argue. He yapped like an annoying little Chihuahua who’d spotted the postman outside the window.
“Good. Now beg,” said Zane. “Get up on your knees and beg like you want a bone.”
Jack was in too deep now, and he obeyed without argument. He sat up on his knees like a dog on its haunches and put his hands up like limp paws, whining as if he wanted a treat.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Laughter bubbled up from my throat and I couldn’t stop it from soaring out into the room as I watched Jack being humiliated in front of men more powerful than he would ever be. Bad boy Jack Lister, the Hollywood Heartbreaker who could never be tamed or shamed, yapping like a pretty dog on the whim of a movie investor. He wanted a blockbuster part so badly that he was willing to humiliate himself to get it. It was a beautiful moment.
Jack’s face reddened as I laughed at him on his hands and knees. The men in the room looked at me, somewhat shocked—all of them except Zane. He was smiling at me, happy to see me happy.
“Would you like to wrap this up?” Zane offered, holding his hand out to me.
Without putting down my phone, I walked over to stand next to Zane and hold his hand. “It would be my pleasure,” I replied.
Holding my phone right in front of his shocked face, I said to Jack, “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ve failed the audition. You’re just not cut out for the part. But thanks for coming out today. I’ll be sure to send this audition tape out to all the studios and agents in town so that you can try and get some work from it.”
“What is she talking about?” asked Jack. Fear crossed his face.
Zane shrugged, and wrapped a hand around my waist as I stood next to him. “You heard the lady. She is my professional consultant on the matter, and she has the final say. It appears your performance didn’t convince her, so I guess we’ll be recasting your part. Thank you for your time today, though.”
“This is insane!” shouted Jack from the floor.
“Don’t worry, Jack. You’re still going to get the fame you wanted out of this—blockbuster levels of fame,” I snickered. “
YouTube will love it when I post this photo for all your fans, and all the people you screwed over in LA. I told you to leave me alone, and you wouldn’t listen. So now you’re going to pay for everything you did.”
Jack’s perfectly chiseled jaw dropped open. His eyes went wide as he stared at my smartphone and realized that I had been recording his humiliating audition process. Fear filled his eyes.
He swore at me for a few seconds before Zane interrupted him, straightening in his chair.
“That’s quite enough. You do not talk to her, or anyone, that way.”
“You’ve ruined my career!” screamed Jack as he got up from the floor, fists clenched. “You’ve undone everything I’ve ever built!”
“Doesn’t feel so great, does it, Jack?” I teased him. “Now you know how it feels, after you did it to me and so many other people. Karma’s a bummer sometimes.”
“This is not over!” Jack flew into a rage, yelling indiscriminately at everyone in the office until security finally burst in to grab him by the arms and drag him away.
“Get him off the lot!” shouted Stephen to the guards. “He’s off the project!”
“Well, I thought I’d seen everything in this business,” muttered Thomas, wiping a hand over his face.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience to your day, gentlemen, but I assure you that I fully intend on following through with my investment. I’ll make sure your project can move ahead as planned. I’ve enjoyed the work you have produced over the years so much that I’m probably due for a donation, anyway.”
The brothers exchanged glances, and the director shrugged and nodded.
“With that kind of addition to the budget, we can afford someone much better than Jack Lister now, anyway,” said Evan. “I’m fine with it. He was pure hassle.”
“It sounds like we still have a deal, Mr. bin Alaman. And, if you like, we can still honor the provisions you specified in the contract.” Stephen reached out as Zane got up from his chair and the two of them shook hands.
“I think that sounds fair enough,” Zane said. He promised to arrange the payment as soon as we were back in Al-Dali, and left Shara’s contact information for the studio execs.
“Hey, Julianne,” said the director as Zane and I moved towards the door, hand in hand. “Before you go, do you want to audition for real? Now that Jack’s not on the production, you could be a big part of it. I know you weren't down with the idea before because of Jack's involvement, but maybe you'd consider it now that he's gone.”
Zane looked at me, waiting for my answer as expectant silence filled the room. The offer was tempting, I had to admit. The only thing that had made the movie unattractive before was Jack. Now that he was out of the way, I could have an easy track back to the A-list by being a part of a huge summer blockbuster. It was just the kind of shot I was waiting to get.
But when I looked at Zane, suddenly the offer didn’t seem so appealing anymore. I may have won this round against Jack, but there would always be more actors like him to take his place, more people who would try to take advantage of me. I would always be fighting against the unfair tide that told actresses they were useless after they were thirty and gave them access only to the most meager parts in response. Zane had been my savior in this battle, but he couldn’t change the industry—it was bigger than both of us.
I loved acting, and I loved cinema, but I had fallen out of love with Hollywood. It felt like my old life was burning down in a cleansing fire, and I was being given the chance to try something new. Finding Zane had been like finding a part of myself I had always been looking for, and through him I had the chance to work in a movie industry that wouldn't try to crush my spirit at every turn. Accepting anything less, even a Hollywood blockbuster that would temporarily pad my bank account, felt like too much of a compromise now.
I looked up at him as he watched me curiously, waiting for my answer. His eyes were heavy with emotion, but he didn’t try to sway my decision. He respected me too much for that.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said to Evan. “But I think I’m going to have to pass.”
“Are you sure? I promise you won’t have to go through an audition process like Jack,” he tried to joke.
“I think I’m going to try working on some different projects for a while,” I replied, looking up at Zane. “There are some amazing things happening in Al-Dalian cinema right now. I need to expand my palate beyond what LA can offer me.”
The director shrugged and nodded. “Okay, but let us know if you change your mind.”
Zane smiled down at me, putting his arms around me in a warm embrace even as I replied to the director, “Don’t hold your breath.”
Then I realized, I finally had it all: a new man, a new start, and everything I ever wanted.
The End