The distinct pulsation of helicopter blades overhead punctuate the sounds of the sirens from the police vehicles as they fly in every direction. Screeching brakes layer the soundtrack as stunt drivers in police uniforms whip the squad cars in a semi circle in front of white vans marked as media. A large, yellow and black semi-truck sits on the side, ready to pull onto the empty freeway at the right point. The near solid white of the polluted Los Angeles sky surrounds the bus as it slowly gains speed. The cast is back in the popemobile, with Jan at the front behind a camera. Four more police vehicles follow closely behind the bus in a diamond formation.
They are to the point in the story where Jack will drop the walls of his uniform a bit as he grows more familiar with Annie.
A megaphone manipulates Jan's voice until it sounds almost robotic. "Action!"
*"Ma'am you did very well."
Keanu grabs the steering wheel as Sandra peels her college jacket off of her shoulders.
"Annie."
"What?"
"It's my name, Annie."
"Annie?"
"As opposed to ma'am?"
Keanu laughs as she delivers this line, remembering their first meeting when she auditioned. He could tell she was perfect for the role, even then. The cute brunette with a wicked sense of humor was a mystery to him that day. As he continues to peel away her layers, he wonders how much is still left unknown.
"Okay," Keanu replies in character.
Sandra is at ease, now, shoulders relaxed and lines pouring off her tongue effortlessly. The interactions between Sandra and Keanu match her mood.
"So, um, what is this guy's deal?"
Keanu regurgitates his lines: "Awhile back he held some people for ransom. It went sour and now he's a little pissed at me."
"Well what does that have to do with us?"
"Nothing, it's a game. If he gets the money he wins. If the bus blows up he wins."
"What if you win?"
"Then tomorrow we'll play another one."
"But I'm not available to drive tomorrow."
Keanu looks at her quizzically, watching her improvisation unfold.
"Busy," she quips with a smile.
"Uh oh." Dennis looks at Jeff. They are crowded around a screen in the pop-up video village, watching the scene unfold. Sandra is whip-smart and naturally funny. You can see the warmth in Keanu's eyes. For the ones who've been around the block, like Dennis, it's clear that he is intrigued.
"You just now catching on?" Jeff smirks at Dennis.
"He could do worse," Dennis shrugs before moving toward the set of his character's house.
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Back on the bus, the cell phone rings...
Keanu answers, *"Yeah."
"I think we have trust, but it looks on TV like you're trying to get those passengers off the bus," Dennis delivers his lines expertly.
"Look you gotta let me have one...as an act of faith. We have an injured man here, the driver's been shot."
Dennis' laugh needs no notes. "Jack, now tell me that you haven't been shooting the passengers. I thought it was customary for a police officer to, you know, shoot the bad guys."
The character of Sam is evacuated off of the bus and onto the flat bed of the semi-truck. Melissa kicks into overdrive with her character's anxiety.
"I have to, Annie."
"No, Helen! Helen, no!!"
"CUT! Break for lunch everyone and we'll come back after the pyro scenes are complete."
Everyone on board erupts into applause with a few tears, as this is Melissa's final day of shooting. The bus slowly comes to a full stop so the cast can disembark. Keanu is the first off, turning around to see Sandra standing at the top. He reaches his hand up to take hers and help her down. Behind her, Stephens stops on the middle step, watching him fuss over Sandra. Batting his eyelashes, he extends his hand out toward Keanu as though he is waiting to be assisted down the steps, as well. Keanu reaches up, grips his wrist and gives a quick tug, propelling Stephens forward in one fell swoop. The two men slap each other on the back, laughing heartily. Stephens launches into a story while Keanu turns around, looking for Sandra. Stephens is still talking but his voice fades out as Keanu realizes Sandra is already halfway to the warehouse for her turn to be interviewed. He turns back towards Stephen and wills himself to re-enter the meaningless chatter.
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Still dressed in her wardrobe for Annie, Sandra takes a seat in a director-style chair to be interviewed.
She's asked about the director. **"Jan's been a DP for so many years, I mean, he's done so many projects so obviously he's been around some of the greatest directors and that's the best...I think that's the best lesson, you know, you can get. I don't think you can get better training."
"Tell me what it's like being on board the bus when it crashes?"
Sandra explains that the reactions are very real, and how terrifying it can be. "Slamming on the imaginary brake and you have no control, and I'm such a control freak."
"This film is getting a reputation for having so many of its cast members closely involved in the stunts. How many stunts have you done and were you excited to do them?"
"I figure my being nervous doesn't help everyone else, so I try to stay away. I don't do anything that exciting except for maybe sliding on the board. I stay at craft services. That's where I'm at, when the stunts are going on, you see me stuffing my face. The biggest risk I take is with the calories and fat."
"Tell me about your chemistry with Keanu. What's it like falling in love with one of the hottest stars today?"
"Keanu is, is..." Sandra's eyes break away from the camera as she searches for the right words, feeling almost a chemical burn inside her lower stomach. Sandra is known for being able to turn any rhetorical question into an essay, so this hesitancy causes the journalist to lean in, thinking he has a hook. He probes her further, trying to illicit more of an emotional response.
"Are you able to keep your personal feelings separate from Annie's? That has to be challenging, how do you do it? America wants to know."
Sandra pauses for a moment before taking a page out of Keanu's playbook and completely ignoring what she knows this journalist is trying to get her to discuss.
"It's hard to explain. I mean I could sit here and say he's a really nice guy," She still is unable to lift her eyes from the floor. You know how that looks, Sandy, look up. Look up! "But, the thing that I'm sure," she forces her eyes up, "most people don't know about Keanu is that..." Her eyes evade the lens again as a rapid flash of scenes flow through her head: His deep brown eyes, his strong chest, his large hands, the intoxication she feels with that soap and leather scent. "He's...I-I've really developed a, an incredible amount of respect for Keanu because he's so...honest. And he's, like, there's no...BS about Keanu. He doesn't..." What? He doesn't what? She wiggles her head back and forth, searching for her way back. "He doesn't say or do anything to make anybody else happy, he does what he feels is right and he says what he feels and, he's, he works so incredibly hard." Her eyes light up from within as she continues.
"I mean it's rare that you get a fellow actor who says, you know, is there anything else that I can change for you? Would you like me to do something? What is it that's not working for you? Can I change something?" She pauses again, her cheeks rising. "Cuz you know, that's incredibly rare and there's just, there's no BS about him, there's nothing fake. And you, you feel, when I first started being around him I felt incredibly jaded and like all the bad thoughts I was thinking, I felt like a horrible human being because he's pretty, pretty equal with everybody. I mean he doesn't seem to think any bad thoughts so I felt pretty rotten for like the first couple weeks and you just get to hang out with him and just, there's an ease, there's an incredible ease that's, that's attached to Keanu. And I-I don't know where it comes from. I don't know if it's peace of mind or what it is, but it's, it's so comforting just to be around for long periods of time." She looks off to the corner, above the journalist's head, before returning. "And I, I didn't expect that from him at all, you know? He's Keanu, you know? He has every reason to be stuck up and have a big head but he's not that way at all, he's very, he's a really, really nice person, a really wonderful person. And I just, I'm, it's really nice to be around that for a change. So it's really a joy."
The journalist presses for more. "How is it kissing him? Do you get to rehearse that?"
Sandra's pulse quickens and nausea fills her. They haven't rehearsed that yet, but it is coming soon and she tries not to dwell on it. "Enough about Keanu, what about me?" Her tone elevates, taking on a childlike pitch. Her shoulders raise defensively but she's disguised behind giggles and a large smile, aiming for a subject change.
Not quite ready to give up, the journalist changes his direction slightly. "Will you two reunite for a sequel?"
Sandra regains control of the interaction, her confidence spiking. "I think it should be called 'Annie Get Your Gun, and then Help Keanu,' so I've got my gun." She holds a dart gun up directly towards the camera and pulls the trigger, releasing the orange rubber ammunition. It hits a bullseye directly in the center of the camera. She grips her sides in hysterics, at complete ease again in her class clown role. The journalist sees he's been defeated and signals the cameraman to turn the camera off, ending the interview.
"Thank you for your time, Sandra." He shakes her hand graciously and begins to pack up, not noticing her foot bouncing up and down on the footrest like a drop of water on a hot skillet. Her fingers on each hand grip her thighs just above the knee, leaving a white indentation for a few seconds when she finally lets go.
She stands up and turns away from the camera, filling her lungs and blowing with her lower lip extended, sharp burst of air dislodging her bangs from her forehead. Lowering her hands, she slaps her thighs, noticing a stickiness under her arms brought forth from nerves. Without saying goodbye, she power walks back in the direction of her trailer, eyes trained on the ground as she goes. She has less than an hour to eat some lunch and try to prepare for the rest of the day's scenes.
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She replays the interview over and over in her head as she enters her trailer, wishing she hadn't rambled so much about Keanu, hoping she was able to disguise her nerves. Rummaging through her backpack, she grabs her Lady Speedstick and reapplies the white, powder-scented deodorant. She stands in front of the mirror, finger-combing her hair when she notices the white stain on the arm hole of her tank top. "Shit." She starts pacing back and forth, panicked at her lack of time. Great, I have wardrobe and I have to eat. How am I going to do this?
Overwhelmed, she plops herself down on her couch. She thinks of all the times she found Keanu on his loveseat, by himself. What the hell? Why not? She pulls her feet up and sits criss-crossed, closing her eyes and breathing in. She fights the urge to make funny chanting noises and slowly breathes out.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale again.
"Well, huh," she mutters to herself, surprised at the effect. Opening her eyes, she looks at the Cracker Jack ring on her finger, spinning it in a circle and smiling before gathering her things and racing off to change her tank top.
She opens the door to the costume trailer to see Melissa, returning her costume to Jessie. She turns to Sandra, tears in her eyes, and the two embrace. After promising to keep in touch and talking about the upcoming Halloween cast party, Melissa grabs Sandra by the shoulders and gives her a soft shake for attention. "What are you waiting for, Sandy?" She asks her.
"Huh?"
Melissa twists her head and gives her the side-eye. "Keanu."
Sandra laughs, "What about him?"
Melissa releases Sandra's arms. "Honey, I've got a few years on you. Listen to me. You know there aren't many like him, right? Don't let him get away."
Before Sandra can argue, Melissa pulls her in again for another hug and then turns on her heels to avoid crying again. "I'll call ya later!" She tosses over her shoulder before exiting the trailer door, leaving Sandra to drown in her warning.
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*Quoted, paraphrased, and inspired by the movie. Inferences and behind the scenes are fiction.
**Actual interview quotes from Sandra, journalist questions are fiction.