Acting up

Chapter 4

The wait seemed like forever and it very nearly was but eventually I heard my name being called.

" Ms Alia Jones? "

I rose to my feet surprised to find one of the two old men who auditioned me approaching from the doorway. His pace was slow and his movements unhurried unconciously building up my own impatience with every shuffling step he took along the way.

I waved me back down onto my seat.

"I don't think we have been properly introduced,  I am Stanley Seymour.  You might have heard of me around the circuit as a fairly sought after casting agent," he said beaming a wide smile filled with false teeth.  I could only barely hold back on my own gaping look. I have heard of the Stanley Seymour.  Anyone who has ever been casted in a film has heard of him.

But I think I could be forgiven for not recognising him earlier.  I really had thought he was long gone. As in dead and burried six feet under.

But nope here he was stooped and at me side looking as sprightly as any eighty year old could.

"I am sure you realised that was some nasty piece of dialog. It was why we couldn't secure a decent actress to mouth them. But you not only could say it without flinching but you added a certain something.  A credence to it that led the scene to be not only believeable but emotionally strung," he said what must be a complement but leadened with a strong undercoat of insult.

"I didn't know Jeff could actually do it. I seriously thought he had been bluffing but here you are," continued Stanley shaking his head in apparent disbelief.

" I am sure you have gathered from this film its no usual type of movie.  Its actually a unique combination of two random books rewritten and merged into one plot for the screen. As strange as that may sound but that's the way the game is played these days. There are just too many films out there and the more out there the plot is the more chances it has of actually succeeding and capturing the viewer's attentions," said Stanley looking at me accusingly as if I personally had some thing to do with the how the world was changing in its perception of cinema.

Shaking his head, Stanley rose to his feet as abruptly as he could be reasonably expected to move. Then he turned to face me dismissively," You have the role. Turn up here tomorrow only stop by the offices instead.  All the paperwork will be ready for you. Its a big role you may want to bring your lawyer with you to peruse the contract.  I want it signed first thing tomorrow morning. There has been delays enough as is. I am surely not getting any younger. "

So saying Stanley Seymour shuffled off quietly away. I sat there stunned for a long moment wondering if I had imagined the whole encounter  but then I rose to my feet. I had to go get myself a lawyer and the stop by a church.

To pray that Stanley Seymour lived and was well and truely incharge of all his faculties at least until after my contract was well and truely signed.