“That’s sweet of you to say.”
“Besides, I really can’t imagine you with Zwick. I mean, look at you. Anyone can see you have more class than that bozo ever will.”
“Hmm,” Sonya let out with a cryptic grin. “Since you put it that way. I guess, I could go see him just to thank him for giving me a chance. After all, I came out of nowhere and now I’m the star of his production. Besides, not everything has to be about that casting couch. I have to hope that there’s a grain of humanity left, even out here in Hollywood.”
“How optimistic of you.”
“Talent and integrity will prevail,” Sonya said with a touch of doubt in her own words. “They have to.”
Yolanda turned to the mirror once again, gave her cheeks a final touch of blush and stood. “Integrity. That’s a word you don’t hear too often out here.” Setting her hands on her hips, she gave Sonya a quick up and down glance. “But you seem full of it.”
“I beg your pardon,” Sonya said.
“Integrity. You have class. Even in your everyday clothes, no makeup, hair a mess, whatever...you have that special something not many people have. Almost as if you were born to nobility. I bet you’ve always had it easy because of that.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Oh. Come on. You’re more royal and regal than Connie, who plays the queen. Everyone’s been saying it.”
“Saying what?”
“That you should have the role of the queen.” She shrugged. “Then again, I guess there’s a reason the Songbird needs to be so regal as well.”
“Okay. Enough with all the flattery. You’re going to make me blush.”
“And that’s another thing, exactly.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t blush. You don’t get flushed. You don’t get flustered. It’s almost as if everything just rolls off your back. Have you been to London lately?”
“I beg your pardon. What does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s almost as though you’ve spent a lifetime in the company of royalty. As if Queen Elizabeth herself showed you how to carry yourself, how to walk so gracefully. Tell me, did you grow up in the Forbidden Palace?”
Sonya laughed. “You have a wild imagination, Yolanda. But it’s this simple; my mother taught me to walk with a book on my head. That took care of my posture. Then she was very strict with saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. When I was old enough, I hung out at the local theatre where they were always putting on some royal play or another. I picked up a few things here and there. I guess I was attracted to their ways and emulated all of it.”
“Method acting,” Yolanda said.
Sonya frowned.
“That’s when you totally embody the character. You become one with the role. You believe yourself to be a queen.”
“But I play the Songbird,” Sonya argued.
Yolanda looked curiously at her. “Didn’t you look into the history of the Songbird. Didn’t you read the entire script?”
Sonya shrugged. “No and no. I haven’t had time yet. It mustn’t be very professional of me, but I’ve been concentrating of the songs and not much on character building.”
Yolanda smiled. “The Songbird was once human.”
“Yes. I’m aware of that part.”
“Well, as a human, she was queen.”
“Really. I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. And that’s why the Songbird always appears at the Palace window, singing a melancholy song to the queen and king.”
