Chapter 10
Hudson
When I walked onto the set, Keith was standing in the parking lot, tapping his watch. “You’re killing us, man. Killing us! You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago!”
“Traffic, Keith! This is LA. I couldn’t do anything about it!”
“The hell you couldn’t. Leave earlier, Hudson! I am telling you, you can’t fuck this shit up. I worked too hard to get you that audition and to get you in a position where you could succeed. I need you to come in here and impress, not show up late and throw the damn day away.”
I brushed past him because I knew I didn’t want to get into a dumb argument on my first day. He walked behind me, step-for-step, going over what I needed to do today.
“The first thing you need to do is talk with the director, Simon. But you already met him in the audition, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
I thought back on Simon from the audition and went over what I already knew about him based on his reputation. He was going to be difficult to win over, but it was the only way I was going to make it on this set. If he didn’t like me, I was done, and I wasn’t going to screw up right off the bat. I would prove myself any way I had to.
“Secondly, you’ve got to meet your co-star. Now, listen…” We breezed by some of the camera crew. They were separated from the other workers by their uniformity. I smiled and waved as we crossed paths.
Keith continued, “I told you that this woman was a piece of work, and I mean that. She is a lot more seasoned than you and if anybody gets cut from the movie, between you and her? It would be you. So, make sure you understand that you are walking on egg shells with her. If she hates the way you shake her hand, then cut your fucking hand off. If she hates the smell of your cologne, you find out what her favorite scent is and buy a crate of it. If she…”
“Damn it, Keith, I get it! I get it. She can be a bitch. I’ve dealt with women like that before. Do I need to remind you of Monica?”
He shook his head. “Dear God, no. I completely forgot about that train wreck. Hell, you lasted a few years with her, so you should be able to at least last the length of this movie shoot with Mona. You’ve been primed for this moment.”
I looked around at everyone. Most people barely recognized me and the ones who did immediately referenced a cheesy line from one of the many commercials I’d shot in times past.
“Well, Mr. Andrews, I am glad you finally made it on set.”
I turned around and saw Simon standing with a notebook in his hand. He smiled like a snake as people moved around us, scurrying to their places.
“Yeah, I ran into a little bit of traffic on the way in.”
“Uh-huh,” he muttered, barely even looking at me. “I understand. But, please, for future reference, we need you here on time. We normally start right at 8 am, but today being the first day, we’ve had a few things that we needed to take care of. If promptness will be a problem moving forward, I can send a car for you though…”
“It won’t happen again,” Keith interjected.
We both turned our eyes to him, and a moment later, Simon continued as if Keith wasn’t even there.
“I told the my assistant to fill your trailer with everything that you needed. She should have that taken care of by the time you get there, and if she doesn’t, please let me know and I will handle it promptly. I trust that you have your lines memorized for the day?”
“Yes. I’ve been rehearsing them all weekend to make sure everything was crisp and tight.”
“Very well,” Simon said, waving over a producer. “I won’t hold you up. Go ahead and introduce yourself to the rest of the cast if you haven’t already. They should be gathered near the craft services table just down this pathway here.” He pointed to the side. The long corridor looked like a tunnel with lights on top of the ceiling, lining the middle like a pathway.
“Ok, Simon. Thank you,” I said quickly, trying to sound as amiable and helpful as possible.
Simon walked off without another word, leaving Keith and me alone.
Keith shook his head. “Well… at least he wasn’t a total jerk. He seemed to be a little more professional than I expected. I’ve heard stories about him treating the male actors like crap and favoring the cute female actors. Just… try and stay on his good side, okay?”
I watched Simon walk away and noticed that he stopped to talk to a group of women at the end of the hall. His demeanor was much friendlier; maybe Keith was right. After he disappeared around the corner, Keith and I went down the corridor to meet the other actors and actresses. As soon as we got to the end of it, I spotted Mona. She looked exactly the same as she did in her movies.
There was a small crowd of people around her as she entertained them. Some looked mesmerized by her while others stood by, fighting for her attention.
“There she is, the queen bee,” Keith said as we both peered at her from a distance. “Like I said, Hudson, keep your cool at all times. Ok?”
I glared at him for a few seconds and after that, I left him alone and darted straight for Mona. I wasn’t going to allow her to intimidate me. I earned my role and there was absolutely no way I was going to act like I didn’t deserve to be there too.
“Mona?” I said with a smile as I parted the small crowd and extended my hand towards her.
She peered at it like it was infectious and let it hang in the air while her top lip curled up.
“And you are?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“I am Hudson Andrews. I’ll be co-starring with you in this film.”
Her eyes perused my body as she looked at me as if I was lower than her. I pulled my hand down once I realized that she wasn’t going to shake it. “So, I haven’t seen you in any movies before. Do you have any filmography to speak of?”
“Um. I’ve done a few things. Well, mostly commercials, but there were a couple short films that I starred in. I was…”
“I’m sorry, did you say commercials? You’ve done commercials?”
“Yes...”
She looked at me like I was a cockroach. A literal cockroach that she couldn’t wait to crush under thousand-dollar shoes. She shook her head and exhaled, then put her hand on top of her forehead while she shoved a drink into the chest of one of the men who stood beside her.
“Dear Lord, they’ve given me a damned commercial actor? My goodness. Alex!” she shouted, looking at the man she shoved the coffee at.
He wiped his shirt as he responded, “Yes, Mona?”
“Why did you not tell me that my co-star was nothing more than a commercial actor?”
“Mona, I told you his name a few weeks ago. I mentioned that…”
“You mentioned? You did no such thing because I would’ve remembered at that moment to tell you that he needs to be forewarned that I will NOT be embarrassed by a co-star who has no idea what he is doing.” She faced me. “Anders?”
“Hudson.”
“It doesn’t matter. You better be on your A-game, do you understand? And the first time I get any hint that you can’t hold your own, I will call for your replacement. You are on thin ice, do you understand?”
I wanted to tell her exactly what I thought of her and was on the verge of doing so, but Keith put his hand on my shoulder and spoke up.
“He understands, Mona. He completely understands, and trust me, he is exceptional. After this project, you will become a believer.”
Her top lip curled like a dog about to strike. “And you are?”
“Keith. I am his manager.”
She rolled her eyes, then walked away, mumbling something incoherent. Alex quickly followed behind her as Keith spoke up again. “You see, what did I tell you? Absolute bitch, but you have to work her so that you don’t piss her off. Show up and kill the scenes every single time.” I glared at her as she walked away from us like we were plotting to attack her.
I looked at him silently for a few seconds before I left his side and headed for my trailer. I wasn’t going to let Mona ruin my first day.
As soon as I opened the door, my mouth dropped open. It looked like a miniature apartment and it was just for me. My name was on the front door. A small couch was against the wall and a proper bed was on the other side with a 30-inch television right in front of it.
A wet bar was near the back of the trailer, and when Keith walked in, he was clearly happy with what he saw.
“Geez, welcome to the big leagues,” he said as he wandered around. “This is much different from the piece of shit trailers that you had to share with other people during those shorts you shot.”
“Yeah. This is a major step up.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
The door slowly swung open and I couldn’t believe who I saw walking into my trailer. Chloe’s beautiful face lit up the room as she stepped inside, carrying a few items in her hand. Her eyes went wide. “Hudson? What are you doing here?”
“I am… this is my movie. This is the movie I’m starring in.”
Holy shit, is this really happening?