INT. JAMES' APARTMENT - EVENING
James and Noah enter. James grabs water and Noah sits on James' bed.
JAMES - Want something to drink?
NOAH - No thanks.
Noah crosses his legs and studies James.
NOAH (CONT'D) - This was fun, our little ride.
JAMES - It was amazing! Thank you so much. Being out here's a literal dream.
NOAH - Well wake up., Cause this is your reality now.
Noah pats on the bed and gestures for James to join him.
NOAH (CONT'D) - Come.
James sits next to him.
NOAH (CONT'D) - If I can give you one piece of advice, the biggest key to LA is to always have an open mind.
JAMES - Yeah, I know. It's not like home.
NOAH - No. No, it's not.
Noah begins to massage James' shoulders. James was not expecting this but tries to keep a straight face.
NOAH (CONT'D) - The more easy going you are, the more opportunities you get.
Noah slowly lowers his hands to James' lower back, when... RING. James jumps up from his bed and checks his phone.
JAMES (re: his phone) - My mom.
NOAH - I'll get out of your hair.
He rises and heads out. Right before he leaves...
NOAH (CONT'D) - Just make sure you're ready for our big dinner date tonight.
James smiles in appreciation. He waits for Noah to shut the door and then he answers.
JAMES - Hey!
EDITH (V.O) - Oh my God, sweetie! How are you?
James lays on his bed. He's joyful to hear from Edith.
JAMES - Great! Everything's going good so far.
EDITH (V.O) - My baby! I'm so proud of you. How's acting coming along? Are you a big-time Hollywood star yet?
JAMES - Not yet. But Noah said he has a lot of auditions lined up for me -- so we'll see.
EDITH (V.O) - You're gonna do great. How could someone not want you?
JAMES - Well, there's so many actors out here. So much competition.
EDITH (V.O) - But there's only one you!
JAMES - True.
James forces a pity laugh. Part of him misses Edith's optimism, but another part of him knows this isn't true.
EDITH (V.O) - You know... I miss you every day.
JAMES - Yeah, me too.
SILENCE. James struggles to make conversation.
JAMES (CONT'D) - So... How's everything else?
EDITH (V.O) - Good! Perry and I started planning our wedding.
JAMES - Wow. Sounds fun.
EDITH (joking) - Yeah. You'll have to get nice and famous quick, so you can throw us a big wedding.
JAMES - Yup -- well... We'll see.
More silence. James cheks the time on his phone.
JAMES - But hey, I have this dinner later. I should probably start getting ready.
EDITH (V.O) - No, I understand! Enjoy.
JAMES - Will do. Love you.
EDITH (V.O) - Love you! Bye.
(and)
Also --
But James already hung up. He looks to his phone guilty.
LATER
James lies in bed -- shirtless, but otherwise dressed for the night. He scrolls through his phone.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK... James answers the door to find Noah.
JAMES - Hey!
(checking the time)
I'm not running late, am I?
NOAH - No! You're fine.
JAMES - Didn't want to be late for the Chateau.
NOAH - Of course not.
Noah makes himself comfortable on James' bed.
NOAH (CONT'D) - Speaking of... There's a slight change of plans.
James is all ears, nearly worried.
JAMES - Yeah?? Like that?
NOAH - Corey Hobbs -- you know, the producer I told you about. The one who's worked with an awarded actor. He asked us to come over for a little dinner par-tay.
JAMES - Okay, yeah. That's cool.
Noah sense James' slight disappointment.
NOAH - Trust me. Chateau isn't going anywhere. Opportunities like this, you don't pass us.
James shakes off any apprehension and realizes Noah's right.
JAMES - No, of course not.
NOAH - Now, how about you finish getting dressed and I'll call us a ride.
He pulls out his phone. James glances to see if Noah's going to give him privacy... He does not -- Noah stays on the bed.
YOU ARE READING
LA Monster (Screenplay)
Ficção GeralAfter visiting Los Angeles for just four days, I knew I had seen enough to write -- what I believe -- is an eerily accurate depiction of what this place means to a lot of people. LA Monster is a screenplay about an aspiring actor that moves to Los...
