Me
I’m sure my co-star wishes I actually would.
James
Ah, going that well?
Me
The feeling’s mutual.
Jill
The rest of our stunt rehearsals went off without a hitch. Despite completely flunking the initial trust fall exercise, Clover is proving to be more than competent with her stunt work. Annoyingly competent. So competent that I find myself compelled to watch how her muscles flex and howshe gracefully moves. Perhaps she’s proven that she has what it takes in that area, but the rest remains to be seen.
Today is our first day of filming, and I’m hoping that the spark we had during our chemistry read is still there and that when the cameras roll, they’ll catch the magic.
“Roman, they’re ready for you on set now,” Gus, my PA, says. The hair and makeup team put their finishing touches on my look for the day, and I stand to look myself over in the mirror. It’s not every day that you get to see yourself as a superhero, but when you’re an actor, it’s a possibility.
The black material of my character’s suit stretches across my muscles like a second skin. Breathable and light, it will allow for the various movements our stunts involve. Plus, it shows off all the work I’ve been putting in over the past few months in the gym, and I’m excited about that.
Today’s scene isn’t a stunt, but it requires us to be in what production has coined our “super-suits” regardless. It’ll be my first time seeing Clover in costume, and while she’s annoying, she’s nice to look at. But I won’t be admitting that to anyone, barely even to myself.
Making sure to thank the hair and makeup team, I follow Gus over to Warehouse B, ready to step into the world ofDarkness Rising.
The studio lot is buzzing today. People rush by and there’s a palpable energy to the place. The first day of filming is always a great indicator of how the rest of the production will go, and everyone is always optimistic, but there’s an edge of anxiety to it.
Stepping into the warehouse, it takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the change in lighting. As soon as I see her though, my breath catches. If I thought Clover Daly looked good in her workout gear, she’s absolutely devastating in her spandex superhero outfit. Suddenly I’m lamenting the factthat I’m in spandex and going to be in such close proximity with her. Hopefully, this isn’t going to be a problem.
Clover turns toward me when she hears other people greeting me. I hear them too, but I can’t pull my eyes away from her. The material of her costume is black like mine, but there are iridescent lines throughout that mimic the contours of her body. I don’t know how the fuck the costuming department did it, but it’s taken on an almost magical quality with the way the lines almost shimmer. And don’t even get me started on how closely the costume is hugging all her curves. Her shapely legs look strong and defined, and pert ass looks like it was made for me to run my hands over. Her waist is accentuated by the design, and her cleavage is being pushed up in a way that would tempt even the most devout of men.
Kill me now. If I get a fucking boner in a spandex superhero suit during my first day on set, then lightning better strike me dead.
What’s worse is not only is her body unreal, but she is fucking stunning today. Her coppery hair hangs in loose waves around her shoulders, and the makeup team did something that highlights how bright her emerald eyes shine.
“You good there, wonder boy?” she asks when she steps in front of me.
“Just admiring the work of the costume department,” I admit honestly. I keep a playful tone in my voice. She rolls her eyes, but I note the pinkening of her cheeks before she turns away from me. I open my mouth to say something else, but Arnold enters the room. Everyone looks toward him, and an excited hush falls through the room.
“Alright folks, circle up!” he calls. The cast and crew form a large circle in the space and the energy is electric. “As you all know, today’s our first day of shooting. We’ve got incredible people on this project in every corner of the production, and I want to start off by saying I’m so excited to see where thisfilm goes, and I’m already so proud of the work everyone has put in to get us this far. Let’s have a safe and productive shoot, and let’s roll onDarkness Rising!” Everyone cheers and whoops in response before breaking away and heading to their respective workstations.
The mic technicians come forward and weave the microphones into the outfits of the actors. It’s a standard part of the job, but nothing about what I’m feeling is standard when I see one of the male technicians reaching into the fabric of Clover’s suit. The logical part of me knows he’s doing his job, and can see that Clover is unbothered. The caveman part of me wants to shout and bang my chest. I shake my head and adjust my mic as my technician steps away. Clearly, this fake relationship shit is starting to go to my head.
Clover and I move to take the place of our stand-ins, while the lighting team makes some final adjustments. The way the light plays off the iridescence of her suit is mesmerizing, and I have to make a mental note to avoid my gaze lingering on her body.
As I stand about a foot away from her, I’m able to take in details that I couldn’t from a distance. The shimmer of her makeup, the details of her hair, and yet, she looks tired. I’m curious, but I also have some self-preservation skills and know that telling a woman she looks tired would get me a one-way ticket to “fuck off”-land, so I keep my mouth shut.
“You ready?”
“Born ready.” There’s no hesitation in her voice, and she’s all grit and determination today.
“Show me what you’ve got, Daly.”
“Alright, everyone quiet on set, please,” Arnold calls out. “Three… two… one… Action!”
Clover says the scene’s starting line, and then we volley back and forth. It comes as naturally as breathing, doing this scene with her. Completely embodying her character, shemoves through the scene with an authenticity and depth that I hadn’t expected from her. I know it’ll read well on camera, and that only pushes me to do a better job with my performance. I want to match her, give her more to play off so we can continue to create in this scene together.
It looks like Clover Daly may actually bring something to this role after all.
