Sweet | h.s.

thirty two

Harry

"Okay, deep breaths; you've got this." Jeff tells me over the phone and I straighten my collar. "You ready?" 

"Yeah," I nod. "Jesus, why am I nervous?" I chuckle slightly, trying to ease the anxious feeling creeping in, but it doesn't do much. 

"You'll be fine." Jeff responds, and sigh, fixing my posture.  "Just remember to slow down." He reminds me and I nod once more before he says good bye and hangs up the phone. 

I wait for the clock to strike exactly 5:00 PM before clicking on the call link. The page loads slowly, and I feel my nerves rising in the time it takes for the call to connect. It takes a few more seconds, and then I see myself and another person on the screen. I smile, trying to look friendly and presentable.

"Hi Harry." The lady smiles back. She's a middle aged woman, brown hair, kind eyes. Immediately, her appearance eases my nerves. 

"Hello," I respond.

"My name is Gina, I'm the main casting director for this movie. I'll be running through this with you today, it's a pleasure to meet you!" 

"Pleasure to meet you too." She takes a moment to shuffle through some papers and jot some notes down, and this also makes my heart begin to race slightly. 

Calm down, you're fine. You've done this before.

"Alright, so today, you're trying for the role for Jack Chambers. As you know, this role was previously filled but a few complications made him unavailable." She tells me, and of course, I already know. 

The headlines were going crazy that day; that Shia LaBeouf was now unable to play this character due to conflict with the rest of the crew and main director Olivia Wilde. So, when Jeff called about a potential acting gig for a new thriller being filmed, I was definitely already aware that I would be the replacement. If I got the role, that is.

"So, this is being recorded and will be referred back to if needed. Can you go ahead and introduce yourself first?" Gina asks, interrupting my thoughts, and I nod, slightly embarrassed I haven't already done so.

"My name is Harry Styles, I'm 28 years old, and I'm trying for the role of Jack Chambers. I've been in the music industry for about 12 years now, and I've always had an interest in acting as well. I have had a bit of experience being in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Marvel's Eternals, but want to expand my array of genres." 

"Thanks." She smiles, the crinkles by her eyes prominent. "Okay, so. You'd be working with a cast that's already set in stone. This is an initial reading, and if you advance, you'll have a chemistry test with Florence Pugh, as well as a meeting with the director Olivia Wilde." She explains.

"Great." I comment. 

"The time commitment for this role is extensive. It's a main actor role, so you'd be dedicating whole days and late nights. Is this something you can do?" She asks, and I nod, although I'm not even sure what my schedule was looking like that far out. "Awesome. Thanks. Let's get started on the actual reading then. I'll be reading the part of Alice."

I take a deep breath, and wait for her to begin reading her lines. 

• • •

"It went really well, actually." I tell Jeff while slipping on my suit jacket. "I feel confident." 

"Good, mate. Keep up that mentality. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything." He says. 

"Alright, thanks. Hey, Bev's calling me. Talk to you later." I say, and he says goodbye before I answer Beverly's call.