take me back to the start

Chapter 23: Morning Dew

April, 2016. (6 months later).

Finn collapsed onto his bed face down. He had just come back from another failed audition.

For the last 6 months, all he had been doing was failing auditions. They all seemed to blur together, the same shocked casting directors, judgmental producers, and skeptical directors. It was just so annoying because he knew he had the acting ability for most of the projects he had auditioned for, it was just these elitist, indie, fresh out of USC snobs weren't giving him a chance because his resume didn't fit their genre.

Being jobless sucked.

He was still getting offers for silly Rom Coms and the occasional crap musical film though, but he had made a promise to himself, and he intended to keep that promise.

If anything, when Wicked came out (which was scheduled to be a summer blockbuster release), the publicity might hype his street cred for more serious projects, but until then, he was on his own.

He'd also enrolled himself in some AA classes and was 6 months sober and counting. More than anything, seeing all the other wasted lives around him made him realize how toxic and degrading alcohol could really be, and that he didn't want to end up like them. He knew he was lucky that he had decided to exnay that pathway before it got too serious.

He wasn't gonna lie, things were hard, and there were days where he came close to cracking. But then he remembered why he was doing all this, taking the more difficult route to become a better, more self-respecting person.

That reason was Rachel. And he always had that glimmer of hope that one day, when he properly fixed himself, he could fix them too. Because the 'Finn' couldn't be malfunctioning for 'Finn & Rachel' to work. That's what kept him pushing through all the rejection and temptation.

Rolling out of bed, he walked over to his desk to check his email (maybe something, anything had come up).

He got excited when he saw a message from his new manager. Clicking on it eagerly, he read it with a hopeful attitude.

Finn,

I know you're going to stop reading this email right when you see the M word, but please, read the whole thing first. I know that you don't want to be type-casted and that this is a pivotal moment of your career etc. etc., but a fantastic opportunity has just been afforded to you, and I really think you should consider it before ignoring it right off the bat. Baz Luhrmann is currently casting for his reproduction of 'Funny Girl' and he's requested that you audition for the role of Nicky Arnstein. Baz Luhrmann is one of the most eminent film makers of this generation, and one of the few directors who can classily convert musicals to the big screen, he also only releases 1 or 2 films a decade, AND he's extremely artistic and innovative and bizarre and not conventional or cookie cutter whatsoever, which is what you're looking for right? Send me a response ASAP so I can set up an audition if you decide you're interested (which I sincerely recommend you to be).

- Michael

Finn chewed the inside of his cheek as he read the email.

Shit.

Rachel's favorite film director of all time was revamping her favorite movie of all time. And he had a shot at snagging the male lead.

The offer was extremely tempting. First of all, Luhrmann's movies were kind of awesome in a faux drug trip sort of way, and secondly, singing was his passion, and the only reason he'd been refusing musical film offers lately was because he didn't want to be confined to playing the role of the singing high school jock anymore. But this would be nothing like that.