Genevieve "Phoenix" Benali is a 22 year old film student at UCLA. When she gets the opportunity to join the crew of Infinity War, she catches the attention of one of the biggest stars on the planet.
"I guess we're back to surprise snacks now." Phoenix mumbled. "Tom, you get my sour patch kids. Chris will get your sour skittles AND our cool ranch Doritos and I will get Chris' surprise snack."
"Nailed it." Tom high-fived Phoenix.
"The talent JUMPED out." She joked which caused Tom to chuckle.
"I'm so honored to be friends with such a talented person. Wow." Tom responded as Phoenix took an Oreo from the bag he was holding. She then broke off a piece of her pop tart and offered it to him. "Do you want some of my Oreos, Chris so you won't be so snack-less? Or some of Phoenix's jerky. She has a ton in her backpack."
"I thought you were a vegetarian?" Chris asked. She didn't even get the time to ask how he knew that before he spoke again. "I overheard Anthony telling the caterer to make sure there were vegetarian options for lunch."
"Oh I definitely am." Phoenix smiled at the thought of Chris listening in on such a useless conversation. "Hemmy is always asking for beef jerky so I keep a little stash."
"He does eat a lot of beef jerky, now that you mention it." Chris agreed before glancing down at Phoenix's UCLA notebook. "UCLA film, right? Tough school to get into for a lot of people."
"If it didn't cost me a kidney and my first born child to get in, I wouldn't have went." She joked.
"How'd you land this gig?"
"Well... I was lucky enough to have a father that knows my favorite directors so I landed this job pretty easily." She answered Chris's question. "It wasn't as satisfying as it could've been but I'm learning a lot so I can't complain."
"Well, I've known Joe and Anthony for a while now. I know how they work. There's absolutely no way they would've brought you on in such a hands on way if they didn't believe in your skills." Chris replied. "While it may have seemed 'easy' in the fact that you didn't have to go through a traditional interview process, all the work you did at UCLA brought you to this point. You're right where you're supposed to be."
"I appreciate that and you have no idea how much I needed to hear it. It means a lot coming from someone I respect so much." Phoenix admitted.
"Oh stop it." He grinned. "All I did in high school was smoke weed with my buddies and fuck off. Gotta respect anyone who goes through the hell that is high school and decides they want to go to school for another FOUR YEARS."
"I guess it's just about finding your passion, yanno?" Phoenix shrugged. "It's tolerable when you realize you're doing what you love. I'm sure if you had to go to college to become an actor, you would've done it without complaints."
"Touché, Phoenix. Touché." Chris replied. "Although I'm not Russo brothers status, I'm here if you need film help or advice; anything really. I've dabbled a little bit in directing."
"I appreciate that." Phoenix smiled. "It'd be nice to get some fresh input. I'm sure Tom, Lizzie, and Hemmy are tired of watching the same clip re-edited every week."
"I'm not! I LOVEEEE that clip." Tom exaggerated. "But while we're on the subject, how's your short film going? Still looking for the lead?"
"Don't remind me." She rolled her eyes. "It's a little stressful. I mean I have a certain vision for how I want everything to play out but it's looking like I'll have to accept the fact that it might not fully be in my hands."
"What do you mean by that?" Chris asked.
"I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Especially when it comes to my films. I need everything to turn out EXACTLY how I planned it in my mind." Phoenix began to explain. "I'm having such a hard time trying to find the perfect person to play the lead. Now it's just gotten to the point where I either wait and hope to find someone which pushes back my filming schedule or just settle with someone I didn't envision to play the part."
"Wait a second, I've read your script. The person you've envisioned in your mind was you." Tom reminded. "Why can't you play your own lead? You told me you might want to get into acting in the future. Why not start now?"
"I don't think so Tom." Phoenix shook her head. "In the future is not now."
"Essentially, it all comes down to this: would you trust someone else to take on this role? From what it sounds like, you haven't found that person because you are looking for another you and nobody can play you better than you." Chris observed. "I directed a film that I was the lead in. Yes, it takes some extra time and work but I truly believe you can do it."
"No. I just don't think it's something I would-"
"I'll buy you the ultimate millennium falcon Lego set if you do it." Tom cut her off. "The one with more than 7,000 pieces."
"It cost like $800..." Phoenix frowned. "No."
Tom reached across the table and placed his hand on Phoenix's. "Don't worry about that. I know you want it and I'll get it for you. Plus, it's a good incentive to get out of your comfort zone."
"I'll go in on that." Chris added. "I've seen some Swarovski crystal covered Stormtrooper helmets being shopped around. I'll get you one of those. You being scared to take on this role is all the more reason you should do it."
Phoenix placed her head in her hands. The last thing she expected was for a person she had grown to trust and adore more than anyone and one of the most famous actors on the planet to coerce into following one of her biggest dreams. Sure, it was her own film that nobody other than some professors and classmates would see but it was still a big step from the girl who spent her entire life behind the camera. She was honored that both Tom and Chris seemed to believe in her so much and that was enough to make her want take on the role she based on herself.
"Fine."
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@darthphoenix: Your girl is selling out but at least I'll have a 7,000 piece Star Wars Lego set to dry my tears 2:06pm • 3/22/17 • Twitter for iPhone 54 Retweets 339 Likes
