Chapter 11

When she said that, I knew what the part was. There was a lower rank police officer who is friendly with my daughter, and he learns enough to be needed to be killed. It would have him, on set, until fairly late in the shooting, and will be in a lot of scenes with Kurt. As an unknown, he would have to be good. The screenplay has his death the trigger for the unravelling of the coven.

“That’s a big part, Kym, for very little money.”

“You have read the screenplay, haven’t you? What would you think he’s worth if he passes the test?”

“I think that double will be good, and we can set a test up at the studio, this week, I’ll pay for it, if need be.”

“That’s a deal. Set it up for Wednesday and I’ll get my camera and sound guys in to run it, you can book the studio time. One of the small stages would be good. Can you school him on his last scene, with hubby? If he nails that one, he’ll be worth every cent.”

“That’s the one I was thinking about. We can head for the studio on the way back and I’ll see if I can book that stage for the week. All right if I photocopy the pages he’ll need to work with?”

The meals came out and they were big enough to need our full attention. I stayed off the alcohol, along with Benny, the driver, but the others all had a few. I think that Jeff was trying to numb his nerves, sitting here, and chatting with movie stars as if they were mates at the pub. By the time we sat for the photo, it was if we were all mates at the pub. I sat, next to Kym, and Jeff and Kurt stood behind us. Luigi had called a friend, the photographer for the local paper, who asked us why we were in town and hardly believed us when we told him it was purely for Luigi’s cooking.

Jeff was quiet, for a while, on the way back to the city. Then he turned to me with a smile on his face.

“What do I do, now, Julia?”

“Now, my friend, you take your phone and ring your work, they are a seven-day place, aren’t they? You tell them that you have a family emergency and need the week off. Then we go to the studio, and I’ll book us a sound stage and I show you around. Then I take you to see Mum, and then I take you home. Monday, I’ll pick you up and we go to the studio, where I’ll copy the pages you’ll need, and I’ll play Kurt while we do the scene until you nail it. We’ve got until Wednesday.”

“What if I don’t nail it?”

“Then you go back to work, and nothing is changed. Don’t worry, I remember you in a couple of school plays, and you were brilliant.”

“I remember you telling me that, at the time. It made me feel so proud, then. They weren’t like playing opposite Kurt, though. He’s really friendly, is he like that to everyone?”

“Only to the ones he likes, and also the ones he may not like, but are good actors. I think you’re in the first category, Wednesday will see you in the second bit of the second category.”

Jeff made his call and got the time off. At the studio, I parked near the offices and went to see whoever was in charge today. Like the supermarket, this place was open all hours. I was able to book a small sound stage to be reserved for Julia Leigh, for the three days. I then showed Jeff around the place. He was amazed at the complexity of the set-ups, the high technology of the post-production suites, and stood, gob-smacked as we watched some of his favourite TV stars working through a scene from their long-running series.

One of them had worked with us as the Flight Engineer and came over when they had a break.

“Hello, Julia, what are you doing here? I thought you’d finished the film. I’m on the flight, Saturday, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product. I couldn’t get to the showing yesterday.”

“I’ve just booked a sound stage, Eric. Jeff is going to work through a scene that he may have with Kurt. It’s for Kym’s next film. We’ll be doing the screen test on Wednesday.”

He looked at Jeff and reached out his hand to shake.

“Welcome to the madhouse, Jeff. I’m sure you’ve heard that one, before. This job is a lot of glamour but needs a lot of work and dedication to make it happen. What experience have you had?”

“Other than school plays, none, Eric.”

“That’s good, no bad habits to overcome. Julia, if you want, I can come in and play Kurt while Jeff gets the lines. Is it a long piece?”

“It’s about six minutes, but is an integral part of the film, that breaks open the mystery later on.”

“Fantastic, a really meaty lump of a scene. Together, we’ll get Jeff up to speed or die in the attempt. See you both around nine, on Monday?”

He went back to the set, to shoot the seventh take, the director being a perfectionist. We went back to the car.

“Julia; today is getting so I think I must be dreaming. I’ve had lunch with two of the biggest screen stars in the country, and now I’ll watch Eric solve a sticky murder mystery tonight. Tomorrow, he’s going to take the time to school me for the screen test. Are they all so friendly?”

“Not all of them, but Eric is old school. He is happy to bring new talent to the screen. If he’s happy, you might find yourself in his series one day. Knowing that director, you’ll find that very hard work. Eric told me, while we were in Hawaii, that it sometimes takes fifteen repetitions of a scene before they call it a wrap. But that’s all tomorrow. Now we see Mum.”

When we went to see Mum, she sat us in the kitchen and put the kettle on. It was so far removed from our lunch; it almost made me giggle.

“You seem happy, Jamie. It’s nice to see you, Jeff, it’s been a long time.”

“It has, Mrs. Curtis. It’s good to see you so happy, yourself. Last time you came into the supermarket, you looked very down.”

“I had some rough times, Jeff, but they’re all behind me, now. Bert will be home soon, for his tea, he’s setting up for tonight and the bingo. Now, you look as if you want to tell me something. Are you two engaged?”

“Don’t be hasty, Mum, we only just caught up with each other yesterday. No, there’s two things that you should know. The first is that I’ve changed my name, by deed poll, to Julia Leigh Curtis. That’s Leigh with the ‘igh’. I’ve dropped the Curtis bit for my stage name. I have an equity card as Julia Leigh, and a new passport and licence, as well. The second part is that we’re having a flight on Saturday, to Monaco, with my new film being the inflight movie on the way there. I have a ticket for both of you. You’ll need your passports, as we’re going into the city for lunch. It’s the airline I used to fly with, and my old boss is putting the lunch on. It should be fun.”

“So, nice dress for me and a suit for Bert?”

“Whatever he’s got. It will be warm when we get there, and in the plane, so just a jacket would be all right, he can put a coat in the overhead if he brings one. Here’s the tickets.”

“Who else will be on the plane?”

“All the stars from the film, plus a few of their friends. I’ll be playing the part of cabin crew, on the way out. When you see the film, you’ll see why. You’ll need to get to Gatwick by eight-thirty. I’ll organise a car for you.”

“That’s kind of you, dear, but you needn’t go to that expense.”

“It’s all right, Mum. You’re my guests and the guests of the leading lady don’t turn up for a private screening on the bus. It will be with you around seven-thirty, Saturday morning.”

We drank the tea and chatted for a while, until Bert came in and was introduced to Jeff. He was shown the tickets and instructed to have a haircut during the week. I drove us towards our homes, stopping at my place first, where I nuked two instant meals, which we ate at the kitchen table. Then we watched Eric solve another unsolvable murder mystery together, snuggled on my sofa and kissing during the adverts. I took him home and we kissed before he got out of the car.

I went home and tidied up the lounge, wondering at where this was all going. For the first time, in a long time, I felt settled and able to express myself better. I had been on edge for the last four months, wondering if I was doing well. With Jeff’s acceptance of me, as I am now, and as I will be later, I knew that I could go through any hard times to come.

After a good sleep, I wore one of my good dresses to take Jeff to the studio. All I had to do, for the next three days, is to look my best and add my input if needed. Jeff had worked hard on his own looks this morning. I think the prospect of spending all day with one of his heroes could be the impetus he needed to get out the supermarket mindset. At the studio we met Eric, and I told them which sound stage we had use of, and to get their voices loose, as they would need them working well. I went into the office and used the copier to run off two copies of the pages. I highlighted each set of lines in different colours.

At the sound stage, they were making the sounds that made sure the airways were clear. Eric had done this millions of times, but it was a first for Jeff. When they had finished, I sat them down and gave each of them a copy of the screenplay.

“Right, this is the screen test. Jeff, your lines are highlighted in yellow, Eric, you take the pink. The basis of the story is that there are thirteen matriarchs of thirteen aristocratic families, living in Tallahassee. They are also members of a witches coven, but you don’t get to find out until very late in the film. Jeff, your part is a low-rank policeman, who is the boyfriend of my daughter, and you have deduced enough of the mystery to bring it to your boss, who will be Kurt. You outline your ideas in this scene, and Kurt refuses to listen to you, being very friendly with our families and dependant on our sponsorship to be elected as the police chief. Later, in the film, he sees that you could have been right, and solves the case. It's too late for your character, as you have become just another body by this time.”

I waited until they had both read through the lines, Eric going through a second time, with it obvious he was getting into character and putting himself into the storyline. He looked at me.

“Julia, this is brilliant. I can see it in my mind. Who wrote this?”

“Keep it to yourself, Eric. That was written by Kym, and the film will have her doing a lot of direction as well as being the head witch.”

“I teach at RADA, and this is something I could use as the finals for my male actors.”

“She’ll be here on Wednesday, with her camera and sound guys. You can ask her, then. She also did a lot of the rewrites for our film. Now, I’ll leave you boys to get this on the road, I have some organising to do for Saturday.”

I went off to book cars for Mum and myself to be picked up at seven-thirty on Saturday. I then went to see if David was around, finding him in his office. I asked him about the events on Saturday and he gave me a sheet with all the timings on it. I could see that me and the girls would be changing in the crew quarters at Gatwick, so needed normal clothing that matched black tights to arrive in. I was surprised to see that we would be changing in Monaco, with outfits supplied by a good fashion house, which we would keep when we got back. There had to be a link in there somewhere, and I expressed that thought to David.

“You’re absolutely right, Julia. The link is the next film that Kym is working on. I believe that all the main females will be outfitted in his fashions. I think that he wants to get a picture of you all, before you take off, to have in his outlets. Jim has that sheet, so you’ll be contacted by his office, during the week. I may have another project to talk to you about in a few months. I believe that you’ll be working with Kym for a while, but I hope that you can fit me in between her films. No-one has told me what they’re about, yet.”

“You’re not going to get that out of me either, David. You may be able to wheedle it out of her director. He’ll be flying with us. I’ll be happy to work with you, again, if you want me to. The last few months have been great fun, and very satisfying. Thank you for taking the chance with me.”

I went back to the sound stage, where the two of them were sitting with bottles of water, sweat on their brows. Eric grinned as I walked in.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Julia. This man is good, but that scene is something to write home about. We’ve been going at each other, hammer-and-tongs, and have just got to the point where we should be able to do it without needing the script. Give us a few minutes to cool down, and then we’ll show you where we are.”

I looked at Jeff, who seemed wrung-out but extremely happy. I busied myself to let them get their breath back. Eric tapped Jeff on the shoulder.

“Ready for another bout, son?”

“Yes, dad.” Jeff smiled.

Eric went over to a chair, which stood for his office chair in the scene. Jeff rapped on a table and Eric called out “Come in” to start the dialogue. I sat and watched as Jeff went from a docile junior officer to a shouting man who knows he’s right. Eric went from a kindly police chief to a man, with his own agenda, who didn’t believe him, and knew he was right as well. The scene ends with Eric telling Jeff to get out of the office and go back to work, with Jeff storming out of shot.

It was well done, it was powerful, and it gave me an idea.

“OK, guys. I think that you’ve done enough for today. I’m going to see if we can get the set furnished for tomorrow, and we’ll run through it a couple of times. Why don’t the two of you go for a cold shower while I do that, and I’ll meet you in the canteen.” I left them to it and went off to see David, again.

“David, I’m giving you a chance to see a scene from Kym’s film tomorrow, if you promise to keep it to yourself. We’ve just been rehearsing a screen test for an old school chum of mine, who has already met Kurt and Kym. I need a camera and sound man, and some minimal set building. Can you help? My friend is good, and I mean, really good. If we can get the set done for tomorrow, I’d like to run it through before Kym and Kurt get here on Wednesday, with their own crew.”

“That sounds good, Julia. I’ll meet you on the set, after lunch, with Cecil and the set foreman, so you can explain what you’re after. That way, you can do the test tomorrow, and I can gauge it for myself.”

When the guys came into the canteen, they looked much better. We had a good lunch, as the place ran twenty-four-seven and catered to people who knew good food. When we had a cup of coffee, I told them my cunning plan.

“Jeff, we’re meeting David, Cecil, and the set foreman this afternoon, on the set. I’m going to ask for them to give us a proper desk and chairs, and a free-standing door, so you can get more realism. I’ve told David that we’re going to let Cecil run a screen test, tomorrow, before Kym gets here. That means that not only will David be able to gauge your skills, but he will also be able to see what a great actor Eric is. What you showed me, this morning, was excellent from both of you. I know that David is looking at a new project, and this may give you a place in it, before anyone else gets a look-in.”

Eric laughed and put a hand on my arm.

“You’re priceless, Julia, almost Machiavellian. I wanted to do Shakespeare when I first started, but realised early on that I hated the constant repetition every night. TV was a lot better, always something different, but I’ve never had the chance to get a really good part in a film. I’m getting to the point where I may not be employable. There’s talk in the sets of the serial that the producers are going to replace me. I wouldn’t mind, working with that bloody dog brings me up in spots, every time I have to do a scene with it. I’ve been ready to give it a kick, sometimes.”

Jeff cut in with the perfect voice of the current sergeant, “Don’t kick the dog, Guv. It’s done you no harm.”

We all had a chuckle and went to David’s office to tell him we were heading to the sound stage. There, I told the foreman what we wanted, and explained the basic dynamics of the scene to Cecil. He said he would use three cameras.

The three of us had a group hug and Eric said that he was looking forward to the morning. We told Cecil that I wanted the boys to do a run-through before the actual test, so that they made sure they had the words. I also whispered that he gets there about twenty minutes earlier than I was going to tell David.

David walked with us as we were leaving.

“Does anyone mind if I bring in the writer of my next project? It will give him the idea that I’m actually doing something. I’d also like to give Jim a heads-up; he may have a new client to sign up.”

We all said it was all right, and to join us at around ten-thirty, but to make sure that nothing was said to Kym, until she had her own test in the can. I drove Jeff home, and told him to relax, and not to drink any alcohol as it might do nasty things to his voice. He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on my lips, said ‘Thank you for everything” and went inside. I drove home to have a quiet evening, wondering if I’d overstepped the mark today.

The next morning, I picked Jeff up at nine, and we went to the studio. The set now looked a lot better, with a desk, a proper chair, a couple of other chairs and a free-standing door, firm enough to slam. Eric was there, talking to Cecil and the sound man. Cecil got Jeff to stand where he would do most of the dialogue and they set up a camera to cover the two of them, from the side, with another that would show Eric, whether sitting or standing. The third camera would be operated by Cecil, himself, so that he could alter the aspect as the scene evolved. The sound was just a boom mic, set over them.

Eric got them started on the voice loosening, and then they were ready for the run-through. I noted that Cecil got the two remote cameras going, and the sound man set the recording going. They took their places and Jeff was behind the door and knocked. As the scene progressed, the sound man looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Where Jeff stormed out, through the door, closing it with a slam, Cecil waited a few seconds before standing back from the camera.

“Bloody hell, you two. That was brilliant. If I don’t see you in front of my lenses in the future, I’m a Dutchman!”

The guys wiped the sweat off with wipers I had brought with me. We were talking when David came onto the sound stage, with Jim and C.J. Eric went over and shook his hand.

“C.J., I saw your last film and it was brilliant. I would have loved playing the murderer, he was such a multi-layered character.”

They made themselves comfortable in directors chairs, and Jeff went back behind the door. Eric gave me a wink as he went to the desk. With the sound and cameras running, I called action. The scene was already brilliant, but, this time, both of them gave it their all. At the end, both were sweating, and our visitors were sitting there, coming out of their total concentration on the scene. Jim just grinned.

“Jeff, I’ll have a contract for you to be on the books if Julia brings you to the office. I’ll be stupid if I didn’t sign you. Eric, why haven’t we seen that commitment before?”

“No-one asked me, Jim. This is the sort of meaty character that I would love to play.”

“What about your series?”

“That’s nearing the end-by date for my involvement. If they don’t replace me, offer me something I can really get my teeth in and that’ll be it, for me. No more friendly country copper.”

C.J. spoke.

“Eric, that was brilliant. I’ll keep you in mind when I’m writing another screenplay.”

“Pencil me in C.J. that could be something to be a semi-colon, but not a full stop, in my career.”

C.J. then turned his attention to Jeff.

“How would you like playing a policeman, Jeff. It’s a part that is comes in near the end of the film. Hopefully, we’ll have a cast finalised before we start filming. It’s not a huge cast. This film I’m paring it down to create a sort of noire feel, suitable for a slow-cooking gothic horror. It’s set in the wildest storm, in a black-out, so there’s no mention of any technology. David’s getting into the groove with it. It will be a far cry from the latest offering. I’m looking forward to seeing the film at the premiere, I’ll be too busy to go on that flight. David, can you email me a copy of this screen test after it’s been edited. I’ll need to talk to my producer.”

“No!” I said, firmly. “This take is private. The scene is from another director’s upcoming film and I’m paying the studio for the stage, and will pay Cecil for his time, if I have to. If you want to talk to people, then organise your own scene, from your project. I’m sure you already have a scene in mind.”

David looked at Cecil.

“Sorry, boss. Julia’s right, the scene is in my camera and isn’t going anywhere except to Julia and the actors. You can see it, because Julia has told me that you have been invited to, but it’s not going anywhere.”

C.J. smiled.

“I appreciate your ethical stand. I’m sorry that I expected to be feted. I’ll set up a take once I have the script close to finalised, and David will be in touch with you all. Now, you, young lady, have a fiery streak that’s good to see in a younger person in this game. Too many are yes-men who hang onto your coattails and don’t have an original idea in their head. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself until I’ve watched the film. Thank you for letting me see this, today, and thank you for standing up for your rights and the rights of whoever that scene was for. For the life of me, I’ve wracked by brain but have no idea of who the writer or director could be. You can surprise me, sometime later.”

Marianne Gregory © 2024