BETWEEN TAKES

I - DAY ONE

DISCLAIMER

The characters in this story are inspired by real people, real actors, but in no way reflect their true personalities or real lives. However, I tried to stay faithful to events which occured in Tom Felton's life through the media and his social media.

Parts of this story contain extracts with mature content.

As I am French, writing in English, please feel free to send me a message or comment in case you see anything that bothers you in expressions or grammatical parts. 

 ***

MEETING ROOM  -  VANCOUVER FILM STUDIOS, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2016.

With each shoot, with each new knot in my stomach at the thought of having to blend in with a new team, I had this strange feeling that I was shrinking in the middle of the crowd... this time, it was me, the new kid on the block. I'd been too used to being part of a more or less lengthy project from the start, having been cast, screen-tested or not. I arrived here as part of a well-established team that had been working for a good three years. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long for the other actors and actresses, as well as some of the crew, to meet me. Apart from being the new kid around here, I wasn't lacking in experience, having started out young, very young, and these guys knew me as a particular character who had built my reputation, which I think contributed to the ease with which most of them approached me and chatted with me. 

The tables, which were arranged side by side, seated about twenty people. I went round them to find my name on the white labels placed opposite each other: Tom Felton. In between shaking hands with several members of the directing and production team, who seemed delighted to see me join this large family, I saw Grant, our leading man, the show's star, all smiles, who spotted me, rushed over to me and greeted me with a hug, as if we were old friends. Grant, I was told, carried the show on his shoulders with simplicity and unfailing good humour... Behind him came the rest of my fellow actors, Carlos, Candice, Danielle, Jesse, Tom - yes, another one, and not the least - and, finally, Keiynan, each with a cup in their hand and a smile on their face.

A traditional round of introductions followed, and I was greeted with a round of applause from the team and whistles from Greg, the show's creator who, I was also told, was a big fan of my alter-ego, Draco Malfoy, and the franchise I'd been a part of for the most exciting ten years of my life: Harry Potter. 

As I skirted the table to grab a drink, browsing the various options between sodas, water, coffee and wine, I felt one of my hands tremble and closed my eyes for a few seconds to concentrate on the side where the soft drinks were. I grabbed my wrist to calm myself and quickly poured myself a large cup of coffee. I needed to get myself under control, I couldn't afford to fall off that wagon again. Once I had calmed down, I took a deep breath and turned round to the read-through table. That is when I saw Grant join me and pat me on the back:

'Ready for a new adventure?' he said cheerfully.

'Yeah! glad to be here!' I replied, raising my glass, a deceptively joyful smile on my face.

'You'll see, the team's great, and everyone was really looking forward to meeting you!'

'Oh, really?'

'You're our celebrity of the season, Tom! Of course everyone wanted to meet you!'

'Nice... no pressure, then?' I grinned, half-smiling.