“Well, I’ve been acting professionally for ten years now. I’ll send you a reel so you can see the range of my work. I’ve done everything from TV commercials to independent short films and, of course, a few mainstream features.”
It sounded so good when I said it like that. Our wines arrived; she clinked mine with hers. I raised my hand to drink, and my dress rode even farther up.
“Excellent, excellent,” she said, before taking a sip. “You are adarling. I can see it.”
“Thank you.”
She put her glass down and scrutinized me intently: my face, my hair, my neck, my cleavage even.
“Mmm,” she said. “Sweetie, would you mind…”
She motioned for me to get up.
I glanced around the bar. Everybody was sitting down, and no one was wearing naked sequins. (You know what I mean.)
But she kept lifting her hand up, encouraging me to do as told. So I did. I wasn’t going to blow this most important shot.
I stood up, trying to keep all the pieces of my dress in place. Michelle brought her glass to her lips and sipped on her wine as she studied me.
“The legs!” she said loudly. “Thoselegs.”
I forced a smile. Casting directors were usually too afraid of a lawsuit to fixate on a specific part of my body. She circled the air with her index finger, an order to spin.
“Here?”
She couldn’t be serious.
Two older men were having drinks at the counter next to us, and they looked at me with rapacious grins.
Michelle’s smile vanished. “Are you shy?”
“No!” I said, too harshly. “Not at all.”
If Liza had set up this meeting, she would have prepped me beforehand about the person I was meeting. I’d have arrived equipped with tips about their personality and their pet peeves. But Liza wasn’t on my side anymore. I had to do this on my own.
So I spun. I smiled. I flicked my hair. I pouted. I placed my hands on my hips and leaned forward. I tried to ignore the people looking at me, the amused glances I caught despite my best efforts, as I took yet another spin. I felt like a show pony, but I had to do what I had to do.
“Weloveit,” Michelle said.
We?
I sat back down, even though she didn’t invite me to.
“I know Émilie told you all about the project so tell me what you think. Not everyone wants to do this.”
I gulped. I should have grilled Émilie before coming here. But I didn’t know the girl, and I’d been so grateful for the opportunity. She’d been a sign that therewasa next great role waiting for me. Maybe theDon’t Be Sad!fiasco didn’t have to be the end of my career.
I drank the rest of my wine while Michelle watched.
“It’s brilliant, obviously,” I said. “I’m thrilled to be meeting you.”
“And moving to Paris for six months works for you? No boyfriend keeping you back home?”
Six months? That was a long filming schedule. Maybe it was one of those limited TV series, something highbrow and expensively produced. That would be thejackpot.
“Of course.”
Michelle frowned. “No boyfriend? Someone like you? Obviously, it could be an issue, but you can tell me.”
