It's You [H.S.]

5.3 | You without me

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By the time she'd managed to kick Ben, Mer, Rosie and Adele out after breakfast to jump in the shower, she's running late.

Wincing as she eyes the clock on the dashboard of Harry's Range Rover, she sends a prayer to the birthday gods to cut her some slack with the traffic.

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They obviously weren't listening.

Stuck in traffic, on her way to work, on a Saturday, on her birthday? Meh.

Working on a Saturday, on her birthday, because Reese Witherspoon asked them to showcase the songs they've been rehearsing to Stevie fucking Nicks?

Well, happy birthday to me, she grins. Fairly sick with nerves, but brimming with excitement.

She has her head down, rummaging in her bag as she bustles through the studio door, begging apologies.

Finally digging her phone out - it had been ringing and pinging the whole drive over - she stops scrolling through the reams of notifications when she notices the quiet.

Looking up, she bursts out laughing. The assembled producers, techs and her cast mates are all wearing long red Daisy wigs and party hats.

After a flurry of hugs, she quickly finishes scrolling through her notifications. She smiles at a few, but can't help but feel disappointed to have still not heard from Harry. She figures he must be back shooting in the water all day; poor baby.

The irony isn't lost on her that she's in a recording studio whilst he's on a movie set. Talk about a role reversal.

Silencing her phone, she tosses her bag down, dropping on to the squishy sofa between Sam, playing Billy, and Suki, playing Karen.

It's probably no coincidence that she gravitates to the only other two Brits in the room, feeling a little homesick on her birthday.

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Half of the beauty of the book is the evocative clues to let the reader create the band's sound in their own mind.

That they now have the opportunity to define and create that sound is hugely exciting; but with the music so integral to the story, the film and its appeal, it also feels like a huge responsibility.

Reese had assembled a strong cast - some established, some more up-and-coming. All talented actors, for sure, but equally proficient singers, musicians and, most importantly, music lovers.

The seven of them have spent much of their last six weeks of rehearsals indulging in sharing vintage references and samples. Harry's eclectic collection had been a veritable treasure trove for Eloise.

They're all very much aware that the integrity of the music is Stevie's top priority, so are apprehensive to share what they have so far with her today.

Trying to capture that sun-drenched vibe of the seventies Californian scene, they're working hard to keep the sound fresh and a little rough around the edges.

For Eloise, half the challenge is in letting loose enough. But it's a weighty enough task as it is.

Her first leading role. A character wildly different from herself, with an accent nothing like her own. Finding an iconic rock singing voice, then varying it to reflect the different influences of drink and drugs. Layer on to that supporting her breath, controlling her technique, harmonising with the band, performing and acting whilst singing. Worriedly, she's starting to realise that this time rehearsing in the studio is actually the easy bit.