Unknown Bigscreen Movie Legend

LUKE HANSON

It was a bit chilly for a June morning, where the hell had the summer
gone? I leant against the brick wall and looked up between the
buildings towards the cloudy grey sky. My legs were aching as I had
been standing in that exact spot since about half five this morning and
it was now eight. I turned my head left and looked at the queue snaking
its way down the pavement and around the corner. So many people, so
many people better looking and better qualified than me to be an extra
in a new BBC adaptation of Treasure Island. What the hell was I doing?
I would never make it as an actor. I reached down to the ground and
picked up my bottle of Lucozade. I unscrewed the cap and drank back the
liquid, looking back up into the sky as I encouraged the last of the
orange liquid into my dry throat. When I finished, I noticed the queue
was moving. Shit. The queue was moving.

I did English at university but somehow got a job with a large computer
company called Global Computing Solutions. Apparently that year, they
were trying to take on fewer geeks and more people who could actually
talk to customers without sniffing and complaining about that their
allergies had meant they couldn't watch Star Trek Voyager last night. A
good idea in practise, but they failed to realise that people who
weren't IT boffins probably weren't very into IT and there had better
be some creative stimulation to keep them interested, unfortunately the
world of computing does not really supply creative stimulation by the
bucket load. It took me a year to get bored. It took me another year to
get out.

I am not sure when I decided that I wanted to be an actor, maybe it had
been all my life. I always loved films and, though I poked fun at the
Star Trek loving geeks of IT, I guess you could say I was a bit of film
saddo. But I do remember the day when I thought that I might make a
good actor though, the day when the idea popped into my head. It was at
my quarterly review with my manager.
"So how do you think it has gone this quarter, Luke?" he asked happily,
looking at my file. It was a good file. I was an adequate employee with
lots of happy customers and lots of good reports.
"I think it has gone very well. Everyone seems to be pleased with me."
I felt a strange inane smile break over my face, it mirrored the one he
had. Nobody in that room really cared. Not him, not me.
"Anything you think you can work on over the next few months?" he
scribbled something on his notepad to give an impression of actually
being interested.
"I think I could work on my technical skills a little more and perhaps
seek out some more roles of responsibility, but overall I am pleased
with my development." I heard the words tumble out of my mouth but they
weren't me. I was acting. I was acting the role of contented, happy
employee who was pleased with his job, glad to be getting another
payrise, who wanted to carry on up the ladder of Global Computing
Solutions. I was overjoyed to be alive and be working in that office.
Overjoyed. It was a role. A role I had been playing for 2 years, my
salary was my acting fee, my share scheme was my cut of the movie
merchandising and my annual bonus was my Oscar, my final crowning glory
of a role well-played. I walked out that office, knowing that I wanted
to be an actor and knowing that I could do it. I stood outside his
office, getting out of character, went back in and quit. He couldn't
believe it, it had come so out of the blue, there were no signs. It was
the best acting review I had ever heard.

I followed the snake around the corner, the queue was moving shockingly
quickly. I would have to make an instant impression or they wouldn't
even notice me. I had memorised part of the script where Black Beard
lamented his loss of the treasure, my flatmate Gordy had been impressed
when I did it for him last night.

I say flatmate, but he is more like my landlord. I had a bit of money
saved up when I quit GSC, but not much. I certainly couldn't afford my
flat in Wimbledon anymore. I got out there as soon as I could, then I
sold my car, my suits, my stereo, my computer, my cufflinks, my
everything. I had a total of ?6,750 to my name. I went to university
with Gordy in Edinburgh, he had done accounting and was doing very well
for himself in the City and has just bought himself a 2-bedroom house
in Ealing. I had gone back to live with mum and dad in Brighton when he
invited me up for the evening to have a look.
"It's very nice, mate." I looked around his place, it needed a lot of
work.
"It needs a lot of work." He followed my gaze up to a patch of wall
where the floral wallpaper was beginning to peel back. Gordy was still
in his suit from work but his tie was undone and he was holding a can
of beer that I had given him as he opened the door for me. I hadn't
seen him since I quit work. We had spoke on the phone but I hadn't got
the money to come up and see him till I sold some stuff. I followed him
into the lounge. There was an old sofa and boxes everywhere.
"That was here when I moved in." He sat down and I sat down next to
him, "Shit I really need to get some stuff in here."
"Yeah, but it's a cracking place, mate. Once you get it sorted out, it
will be great." I opened my can of beer and put the rest of them in
their yellow carrier bag onto the floor.
"Hope so." He turned to face me, "Anyway, how about you? What are you
going to do now?" I looked at him. I hadn't told anyone about wanting
to be an actor. I guess I was worried that people would laugh or think
I was stupid.
"I want to be an actor."
"You what?" he laughed and looked at me like I was stupid.
"I want to be an actor. In films." I paused, "I know it is what I want
to do, and if I don't at least try then I will always regret it." He
looked at me in amazement and then burst out laughing again.
"But you have never done any acting."
"I've been acting all my life, doing stuff I don't want to do, but with
a smile. People never knew, they never knew that I wasn't happy. I was
always happy old Luke, never a worry or a care. Nobody knew, I was
acting too well." He sipped at his beer as he looked at me sceptically,
"I know that sounds a bit melodramatic, but I just want to give it a
try. If I fuck up then at least I have got two years IT experience
behind me, I can always go back."
"Well, I have to say, sounds crazy to me but best of luck to you,
mate." He knocked his can against mine, "How does one become an
actor?"
"I have been reading up about it. You can get all these magazines that
have details of auditions and stuff, and I might take some classes as
well. And then I think it is just a case of flogging your guts out and
getting a bit of luck."
"Nice and tangible then." He grinned.
"I could also try and do some theatre, something like that." I looked
out his window, "Shit, mate. Your garden is a mess as well."
"The whole place is a mess. I just haven't had the time yet to do
anything about it." He stood up and walked over to the window, I stood
next to him.
"I just had an idea." I turned to face him.
"Oh yes, what would that be?" he grinned, I knew he had already thought
of it.
"Let me stay here and I'll start doing the place up for you, get the
garden sorted, paint things, all that crap that you don't get time to
do. Your own personal decorator."
"Mate, no offence but I remember when you decided to paint your bedroom
at uni, it was a fucking disaster." He smiled.
"It will be different now. You just tell me what you want done and I'll
do it." I paused, "Go on, mate. I could really do with being up in
London. It would make my life so much easier."
"Okay. You can have the spare room, if you do my decorating and
gardening." He paused, "AND ironing and sometimes cooking. Also, if I
am entertaining a young lady you have to make yourself scarce."
"Ironing?" He shrugged his shoulders at me, "Okay, okay. Cheers, mate.
You won't regret it."
"I am sure I won't. Now, why don't we get drunk to celebrate?"

I could see the door now, it was looming over me. I had been living
with Gordy for a month now and this was my first "proper" audition. I
had been doing an acting course at the local college and it had helped
my understanding about how to find work, if not much else. So I found
this audition and went along. I had also had a bit of a makeover. I
invested in a new haircut and had searched the second hand shops of
London for some "new" clothes. I looked pretty cool, I thought. I was
thinking on the way here about which famous person I looked like, it is
pretty hard. At first I thought I was a bit like cross between Indiana
Jones and Ewan Macgregor, but I cannot even picture what that creature
might look like, then I thought actually I am more like a young Clint
Eastwood, like in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but that could just be
wishful thinking. I am a touch over six foot and have brown hair and
blue grey eyes, my skin is quite pale and I have straight hair. I am
sort of good looking, I guess, in a rough way. I am not sure I have got
the looks of a George Clooney or Mel Gibson or Leonardo De Caprio but I
reckon I might get up to Jude Law or Mr Macgregor, without the Indiana
Jones hybrid look, with the right lighting. Who knows?
"Name?" the woman by the door had a clipboard and she didn't bother
looking up from it.
"Luke Hanson." She scribbled it down and I walked into the building. I
think it is an old theatre or something but it was certainly dark
inside, I bumped into the back of the guy in front.
"Sorry." I whispered for some reason. He didn't turn around. The queue
was shuffling down some stairs, I stood on tiptoes and peered over his
shoulder and could see some light up ahead and some voices.
"NEXT. Keep coming." I heard the voice shout and saw some lad walk onto
the stage, almost a millisecond later I heard the same voice, "NEXT."
The stream of lads walking on was constant and the voice sound bored. I
felt my heart thumping inside me. The smell of the theatre filled my
lungs and made me feel a little nauseous. I was moving towards the
stage without having to use my legs, I was being propelled by something
unseen and powerful. Then the queue stopped. I was fourth from going on
when we all halted and bumped into each other. A lad was standing on
the stage, he had blond hair in a ponytail and was squinting out into
the auditorium. He looked as surprised as we did when the voice had
shouted, "STOP".
"Turn around." The voice shouted and he turned slowly around on the
spot, looking at us as he faced us with a quizzical look and an almost
grin about how ridiculous it all was.
"Okay. What's your name?"
"Graham Bell." He shouted clearly and in perfect upper class
english.
"Ok, Graham, if you would like to see Fran as you walk off the stage,
she will tell you where to wait." The voice paused, "NEXT." Graham
wandered off the stage and the next lad went on, then the next, then
the next, then me. I walked out and felt the instant brightness of the
lights, I turned to face the "audience" and then got myself into a
pirate stance and shouted.
"Ah -hhaaarrrgggggh." I held a make-believe sword out in front of me.
The shuffling and background noise of the theatre halted instantly. I
felt every eye on me.
"What on earth are you doing?" the voice said after awhile.
"Well, this is Treasure Island, so I am guessing that extras that you
are after are pirates, they really isn't anyone else in it." I stood up
and looked out at the invisible voice.
"What's your name?"
"Luke Hanson." I replied quickly.
"Well, Luke. That was a very good pirate." The sarcasm in the voice
annoyed me but I bit my lip, "Have a word with Fran as you leave the
stage, she will tell you where to wait."
"Okay, thank you very much." I almost jogged off the stage and spotted
a girl with a clipboard, I guess would be Fran.
"Hello, are you Fran?" I asked. She was about 19 and pretty.
"I am. And what's your name?" she looked at me and smiled.
"Luke Hanson." She wrote my name down pointed to a door.
"If you wait in there, and we will come and get you in awhile." She
walked away from me and I went through the door. A wave of heat rushed
over me along with the smell of men crammed into a small room. There
were about fifty young blokes stuffed into the tiny room, there was no
where to sit and barely room to stand. I spotted Graham and headed his
way.
"Bit cosy?" I spoke to him and we were crushed into a corner.
"Certainly is." He paused, "I am Graham Bell."
"Yeah, I saw you on the stage. You looked about as bemused as I did
when I was on. I am Luke. Luke Hanson." We tried to shake hands but the
restriction of space didn't allow it.
"Is this your first audition?" He asked.
"Yes, how about you?"
"Yes, pretty nerve wracking stuff though." He put his hand up to his
mouth and nibbled on a fingernail, he suddenly was aware of it and
stopped, "Sorry. Nervous habit."
"So does this mean we have made it in or not?" I looked around at the
others, we were all similar size, similar age and similar appearance.
It was quite odd.
"God knows." Graham grinned, "Good to have got this far though, they
were rejecting loads of people."
"I know, pretty tough. You just have to walk on and walk off. I guess
that is the nature of it all though." I hadn't really been expecting it
to be like this, I had wanted to deliver my rehearsed piece. I had
wasted all that time memorising it. Suddenly the door opened and we all
toppled out, landing almost directly at the feet of young Fran, who was
holding the door open for us.
"Everyone on stage, please."

We stood there in an orderly line, the voice boomed out at us
again.
"Well done everyone. You have done very well. There is one final test,
we need to hear your roar, your bellow, your blood curdling scream. Now
one by one, stand forward and let me have it." The voice paused,
"Imagine you are about to plunge a large cutlass into the body of large
lardass." A few people chuckled but most stood nervously twiddling at
hair, ears or fingers.
"Off you go then."

We stood there for an hour as we all stepped forward and yelled out
into the darkness, at the end half of us remained. I looked at Graham
and he grinned as we had both made it. The others were lead out the
door. Suddenly the voice was given a face, and it was in front of me.
The voice was slightly overweight and short.
"Well, boys, you have made it." He grinned, "You should be proud of
yourself." He walked slowly along the line and stopped in front of me,
"Give Fran your address as you leave, and we will be in contact soon."
He clapped his hands, "Go, go. It's over." We all looked at each other
and then headed towards the door. Graham caught up with me outside on
the pavement.
"What do you make of that then?" he asked as we walked towards
Shepherds Bush tube.
"Dunno really. How much do we get paid?" I put my hand in my pocket to
find my tube ticket. The sky had got greyer and it looked like it was
going to rain.
"Not sure. All seems pretty haphazard." He grinned, "I guess we will
found out soon enough though."
"Yeah." I paused, "Are you getting the tube?"
"Bus."
"Well, nice to have met you. I guess I will see you whenever they want
us." I held out my hand and he shook it.
"See you, mate." I waved to him as I went into the tube station. I
would have asked if he fancied a beer but I couldn't really afford it,
and I had a huge pile of ironing to do before Gordy got home.

"Hello, babe." I kissed Sarah on the mouth. She looked unhappy. We had
agreed to meet in a bar in Fulham that evening. Gordy had Lisa round
for dinner so I had to clear out anyway. Sarah and I had been going out
for about 6 months, she was the sister of someone I had worked with at
GCS. She was a stunner. I chatted her up at a Christmas party round
someone's flat and ended up snogging her and getting her number. She
was cool.
"Luke, don't." she pushed me away.
"What is it?" I let go of her hand.
"Let's get a drink and sit down, we need to talk." She walked towards
the bar, she was wearing tight black trousers that came down to just
below her knee and a little white top. She looked great and her dark
hair was damp from the rain outside. I wanted to tell her about my
great day, about the audition, about how things might be starting to
work for me but now she had pulled the confidence out from under me. I
ordered her a white wine and got myself a beer and followed her to the
table she had found in the corner.
"What is it?" I asked again as I put her glass down in front of
her.
"It's us, Luke. Things have changed now." She paused, "We never go out
anymore, we never go anything."
"I'm broke. I have got to save all the money I can." I replied quickly.
I knew she enjoyed going out and socialising, all the best restaurants,
nightclubs and things but I just couldn't afford it anymore.
"I know you have, but I just cannot understand why you packed up your
old job. You were making loads." She leaned forward and looked at me,
she put her hand against my cheek, "Can't you get your old job
back?"
"Don't you understand? I don't want that job, which is why I quit. I
want to be an actor. I was fed up being unhappy." I looked at her. She
had reacted okay when I told her I quit, but I guess it was becoming
harder to understand as I wasn't getting any jobs.
"I know you were unhappy, but things could have got better. Just needed
more patience." She sipped at her drink.
"I gave it two years. It wouldn't have got any better, I was
depressed."
"How happy are you going to be being poor and scrapping together a
living?" she looked at me through her brown eyes.
"You don't think I'll make it, do you?" I suddenly felt a flicker of
anger, it was okay for me to doubt myself but I needed everyone else to
be in me. Hypocrite? Absolutely.
"I didn't say that." She paused and took a large breath, "I am just
saying that it is very hard to make it, very hard. How many people in
the world want to be an actor?" I suddenly thought back to the queue of
blokes going into the audition today, hundreds of blokes just like
me.
"Actually, I got a job today." I let it hang in the air as the surprise
flickered over her face.
"Really? What for?" she replied after a moment.
"A part in a BBC thing, Treasure Island." I sat back and watched
her.
"That's great. A big part?" she seemed completely changed from the sad
girl that she had been earlier.
"Not really sure yet." I couldn't tell her it was just as an extra and
I wasn't really lying, I had no idea what part I would have. Maybe I
could push for getting a line. You never know.
"That is brilliant." She looked at her hands on the table, "I'm sorry,
I am just worried about you."
"I know you are, but don't worry. Believe me, I am happier being an out
of work actor, than I was at GCS. Trust me." I took her hand in mine. I
was pleased she was happier, she had an amazing smile. But her
behaviour had made me think, why was she going out with me? Had she
been building me up for a dumping until I dropped the role on her,
"Were you going to dump me?"
"What?" she spluttered on her drink, "No, I was just voicing some
concerns."
"Good, I really need your support right now. You are right about how
many people want to be an actor, you should have seen the people at
this audition, it was scary. I am going to have some hard times ahead
and I know that maybe we aren't going out as much as you would like,
but hopefully that will change." I wanted her to be happy but I didn't
want her hanging around just on the off-chance I maybe famous one day.
I could do without that.
"I am here for you, you know I am." She paused, "Let's get drunk and go
back home." I grinned at her and leant across the table to kiss her on
the mouth.

MARIA KALLIWAY

"Mum. Mum." The front door slammed and Jessica ran into the hallway,
dropping her schoolbag by the shoes in the porch. The schoolbus had
dropped her at the end of the road of new semi-detached houses just
outside Winchester.
"I am up here, Jess." Maria shouted from her study upstairs. She was
working on her script again. It occupied her day, especially since Pete
had died. Two years now. Jess opened the door and ran in.
"Hi mum. How's it going?" she put her hands on her mother's shoulders
and kissed her on the cheek.
"Not bad. Getting there." Maria pressed the save function and turned to
face her 15-year-old daughter. She was so pretty to her, so much of
Pete in her face and actions. It sometimes broke her heart to look at
her and it was silly things really, her expression when concentrating,
her smile, silly things that made her look like husband.
"You'll never guess what, Jake asked me out today. He wants me to go to
the cinema with him on Saturday." Jess grinned.
"What did you say?" Maria stood up and followed Jess out the door and
down the stairs.
"I said I would think about it. I told him I would tell him tomorrow.
Played it cool." Jess laughed as she jogged down the stairs.
"I hope the poor lad knows what he is letting himself in for." Maria
flicked at Jess with her foot as they went down the stairs.
"Mum!" Jess jumped the last few steps and went into the kitchen, "What
are we having for tea?"
"Dunno, what you making?" Maria laughed at their daily ritual of blame
about their lack of dinner. Pete had been an executive with Lloyds Bank
when he died. He was making good money and had a large life insurance
policy, they had bought the house about six months ago after moving
away from London. Jess had settled into her new school quickly, she
always made friend's wherever she went. She was so charming and
beautiful. They had always got on well, but now they were so close.
Jess was Maria's everything. Jess and the script.
"Not takeaway again, surely." Jess started opening cupboards without
really looking inside them, "What about this pasta?" She held out some
fresh pasta from the fridge, Maria took it out her hands.
"That will do, I can make a sauce to go with it." Maria put the pack
down on the worktop surface and pulled out a saucepan from the cupboard
by the oven. Jess sat down at the pine table and watched her
mother.
"How much to do on the script?" she asked casually. Her mother had been
working on it almost constantly for almost a year. It seemed to give
her something to focus upon. Jess had read bits of it, but not much.
She didn't know the whole story.
"Oh, I don't know. I am not sure I will ever finish it." Maria began
cutting up tomatoes.
"What are you going to do with it?" Jess idly played with the place mat
in front of her.
"Nothing, I expect. It is just for me." Maria searched the cutlery
drawer for the garlic crusher, she spotted it on the draining
board.
"Seems a waste to not send it to a film company or something. After all
the time you have put into it." Jess watched Maria crush the garlic
swiftly, "Not too much garlic, I have to speak to Jake first thing
tomorrow."
"Okay, okay." Maria ignored the film question and carried on preparing
the sauce. Jess decided to drop it. For now.

GRAHAM BELL

"Graham? Is that you?" Harry shouted from his studio as Graham opened
the door and went in.
"Yes." He answered.
"Come here, come and have a look at this." Harry summoned Graham into
the room, he surveyed the mess of paint and paper and then spotted
Harry in amongst the chaos. He was breathing heavily and was naked to
his waist and covered in paint. He pointed at a large canvas covered in
colour. It was brilliant. A superb, emotional painting that made
Graham's mouth drop open.
"It's fantastic. You did this today?" Graham replied and looked at his
partner.
"It is rather good, isn't it?" Harry leaped over a chair and put his
arm around Graham and kissed him on the cheek. Graham couldn't turn
away from the painting. It had captivated him. Sometimes Harry's talent
surprised him, he knew that he was one of Britain's top selling artists
but when you live with him, you end up becoming used to his vision, to
his style. You take him for granted.
"It's amazing. I can't stop looking at it." Graham felt Harry's hand on
his face and felt his head being turned away from the painting towards
Harry.
"Thank you, your reaction is everything to me." Harry kissed him softly
on the mouth. Harry was ten years older than Graham, just over thirty
according to him. They had been together for 2 years, they met after
Harry had lectured Graham's art class at university. Moving in together
had been the natural step for them, one that Graham didn't take lightly
but didn't have to think about taking.
"Oh, oh. How did the audition go?" Harry clapped his hands together and
fixed his gaze on Graham.
"Yeah, really well. I got through, so they are going to give me a call
about when they need me. It's just has an extra." Graham grinned.
"It's a start though, that's what's important." Harry smiled, "We
should celebrate your audition and my painting." Harry jogged towards
the kitchen and came back with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
The cork popped off and flew past Graham's ear, Harry giggled loudly as
he poured champagne all over the floor and managed to get a bit in the
glasses, he passed one to Graham.
"I think there are great things ahead for you, I know it." He toasted
Graham and they clinked glasses. Graham blushed but grinned at his
boyfriend.

LUKE

"Okay, if you head over to costume, they will sort you out." The woman
on the studio gate pointed towards a large trailer. I wandered over and
ducked through the door. I hadn't been ready for them to ring so soon,
only three days after the audition.
"Hello. Anyone there?" I said through the door. A large, buxom woman
appeared from between costumes on a rack.
"I am here. Who are you?" she asked happily, she was grinning across
her large face at me.
"I am Luke Hanson, not entirely sure what costume I am after." I
stepped into the trailer, it was a mess of fabrics and sewing machines
and things. She picked up a clipboard from somewhere and ran her finger
down it.
"A ha, there you are. Hanson, Luke. That would be you." The clipboard
disappeared again and she turned to the rail behind her and pulled off
an amazingly colourful pirate outfit.
"Cool." I grinned at her.
"Cool, indeed. Now, get out of those clothes and put this on. It will
probably need taking in a bit." She watched me undress with a grin on
her face, "Been working out, have we?"
"A bit." I blushed slightly as I stood there in my boxer shorts. She
passed me the outfit and I stepped into it, "So is there anyone famous
in this thing?"
"Katie Pembridge and David Reddy are the leads, I think. Very nice
people. Katie is a darling. Very pretty, lovely bones." She grinned as
I stood in front of her in the brightly coloured costume, she got down
on her knees and started pinning and stitching.
"Katie Pembridge? Wasn't she in that Tess of the Durbyvilles thing?" I
asked as she worked.
"That's right. Very pretty girl."
"Yeah, she's fit." I laughed.
"Fit?" she struggled to her feet, "There you go, all done."
"Oh okay, cool." I paused, I had no idea of what to do next, "Do I
leave my clothes here?"
"Not unless you want me to make them into something else." She smiled
but then gave in, "Okay, give them here. I will hide them up the back
so that I never find them. But don't blame me if you come back and they
have been changed into something else."
"Fine, thanks. Do you know where I go now?" I looked out of the back of
the trailer.
"If I was you, I would head up towards the studio, but you are a bit
early so you might want to grab some food from the kitchen trailer." I
stared at her blankly, she walked towards me and grabbed me and took me
outside and pointed, "Up there, you can't miss it. There is a massive
boat." I thanked her and wandered up the tarmac, I turned the corner
and saw the huge open door of the studio, there was a huge galleon just
visible in the darkness inside.
"Fucking hell." I laughed to myself.
"Exactly, young man. Exactly." I recognised the voice. I turned and saw
the small, fat man who had auditioned us.
"Hello." I held out my hand, which he shook.
"Hanson, isn't it? Bit early?" he looked me up and down. He was wearing
a black t-shirt with jeans on and a jacket with Treasure Island
emblazoned on the breast pocket.
"You remembered my name?" I was shocked, all the people he had seen
that day and he remembered my name.
"Don't get excited now, I am casting director. It is my job to remember
names. Though I do remember your pirate impression you gave us. Very
amusing. Brightened my day up no end." He grinned.
"I am glad." I laughed, "What do I have to do today?"
"Wait and wait and wait. And then when you think you can wait no
longer, wait a bit more." He paused, "Is this your first job?"
"Yeah, very exciting."
"Well, welcome to acting, son. It can be a bit dull, sitting around
waiting to do about 10 seconds worth of stuff." He paused, "Good to see
you here early though. I am Yale Brewer, by the way."
"Excellent to meet you properly."
"I have got to get on, but if you want to get a coffee or some
breakfast, there is a canteen just over there." He pointed towards a
little door down the side of the studio, "Nothing is going to happen
here for awhile, you may as well get something to eat. I'll see you
later." He trudged off towards the studio so I turned and headed
towards the canteen. I was starving but I had been too nervous to eat
breakfast earlier on. I had left Sarah sleeping in my bed when I left
at five this morning. I don't know why I went so early, I just couldn't
sleep.
"Can I get some toast and a cup of tea please?" I asked the lady behind
the counter, she dropped a couple of slices into the toaster and poured
my tea. I looked around the canteen, there was one other person sat
there. She was eating a bowl of Alpen and reading a newspaper. She was
in jeans and a t-shirt. I took my toast and tea from the lady and sat
at the table next to her. She looked up at me as I sat down and smiled.
She didn't have any make-up on and her hair was held up with some pins
or something, but she looked amazing.
"Don't spill jam on your costume." She grinned at me. I looked down at
my ludicrously coloured tunic.
"Don't think anyone would notice." I replied and took a sip of my tea,
"Think I got here a bit early."
"I think you did, filming doesn't start for ages." She closed her paper
and leant back in her chair and looked at me, "Still it is nice to have
someone to talk too this early in the morning, normally I have to sit
around on my own."
"Are you an actress?" I asked after a bite of toast. She grinned
slightly.
"Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I am Katie, Katie Pembridge."
She extended her hand, I felt myself blush and wiped the crumbs off my
palm before shaking her hand.
"I'm sorry, I should have recognised you. I was preoccupied with my
toast." I laughed, "Don't I feel stupid."
"It's okay, people do look different in real life. Flattering lighting
and make-up does wonders, you know." She took a sip of her
coffee.
"I'm Luke Hanson. You probably won't recognise me." I smiled, "This is
my first job. Well, I say job, but I am just an extra."
"That's how you get started though, first as an extra, then you get a
line and then your get a bigger part and so on. You have done well if
this is your first part, I was background in Eastenders to begin with."
She picked up her bowl and drink and moved across onto my table. She
sat down opposite me.
"This must be your biggest role so far?" I asked.
"By a long way, I had a little role in Tess but other than that, not
much else. It is so hard, even now as I am getting my name known." She
paused, "Though most of that is through doing photoshoots for FHM and
Loaded, have to get your kit off to get known these days."
"Hmm. I have only just started really, I had a nine to five job and
decided it wasn't for me, so I quit." She looked at me
thoughtfully.
"That was brave, how are you finding it?" she leaned forward and looked
interested.
"Not too bad, one of my mates has put me up in his house for free, all
I have to do is the decorating and stuff. Which is really good of him,
as I really need to be in London." The door to the canteen opened and
David Reddy came in. I recognised him immediately, he was tall, dark
and annoyingly handsome. Katie stood up and kissed him on both
cheeks.
"David, this is Luke Hanson. One of our extras." She smiled at me and
David held out his hand, which I shook. He immediately turned back to
Katie.
"Shall we go through some of our scenes for today? I could really do
with getting some practise in." he put his hands on either side of
Katie. I finished my tea and watched them.
"Okay, I suppose the more practise we do, the better." She turned to
face me and I stood up, "Really excellent to meet you, all the best for
the future. Maybe we can have breakfast again soon?" she kissed me on
both cheeks and followed David out the door, she looked back quickly
just before going out and smiled at me. I grinned stupidly back.

"Luke!" I turned and saw Graham walking towards me with his hand
outstretched, I shook it warmly.
"Hey mate, how are you?" I was leaning on the door of the studio,
looking in and watching the crew move around the galleon getting it
ready. They had been moving lights and things around for the last
couple of hours. It was better to watch them than sit around doing
nothing. Yale had walked past about an hour ago and waved at me. It was
good to see Graham.
"I am very well, how about you? You look knackered." He nudged my arm
and grinned.
"I got here at about six this morning." I grimaced. Graham was wearing
a similar style outfit to me, his long blonde hair had been let loose
from his ponytail and it hung around his shoulders.
"You look the part, at least." He replied.
"Yeah, you too. Nice pirate hair." I laughed as he shook it from side
to side like a shampoo advert, "I was surprised they rang so
soon."
"Me too, I was going to another audition today. Some musical show in
the West End." He peered into the darkness.
"Can you sing then?" I asked as he leaned around me.
"Nah, but I'd give it a go." I laughed loudly and some of the crew
waved us away from the door so we walked over to the group of pirates
that had gathered near the Coke machine outside the canteen.

"QUIET PLEASE.......ACTION." the director yelled through his loudhailer
and suddenly from quiet, all hell broke loose. I ran across the deck
and punched some chap in the face, then grabbed a rope and swung across
the boat to the other side, where I ran down the edge of the vessel
before leaping into a large group of brawling pirates. It was great
fun. It was still great fun even though this was the fifth take and I
was worn out. The lights blazed down upon us and as we all tumbled
around the stage. I had been picked out to do the rope swing across the
deck and the jump into the large group. I think maybe Yale had had a
word with the director as they singled me out.
"AND CUT." The director yelled and we all got to our feet and brushed
ourselves down. The director, Kurt Tann, got out of his chair and
pointed at me, "Excellent, son. Really good. One more should do it."
Graham patted me on the back.

Eventually they let us go so Graham and I wandered down to the costume
trailer and got our clothes back. We sat on the little wall just
outside and did our shoelaces up.
"That was brilliant." I felt amazing. I looked at Graham and he was
beaming as well.
"It was, wasn't it. I feel sort of high, or something." He looked up
towards the dark sky, "You were great, Luke. Really great."
"So were you." I smiled at him.
"Yeah, but you have got something. The director could tell, you have
got some sort of presence. I don't know what it is." He paused.
"Luke!" I heard Yale's voice and his heavy footsteps approaching, "Kurt
wants to know if you are available tomorrow. For a speaking part." Yale
sounded excited.
"Really? Yeah, for sure." I stood up and shook Yale's hand. I could
feel Graham almost exploding behind me. Yale turned and walked
off.
"See!" he jabbed me in the ribs and laughed.
"Fucking hell!" I grinned, "Can you believe that?"
"I told you, didn't I tell you?" Graham laughed, "Let's go and get a
pint." We walked out the gates and across the road into the pub. I
couldn't believe it. I was just having fun playing pirates and now I
had a speaking part, that must mean more money. It must do. I should
find out about getting an agent, maybe I could have a word with Yale or
Katie.

JESS KALLIWAY

"Well, what do you want to see?" Jake looked at Jess. She was staring
up at the billboard advertising the films that were on.
"I want to see that Nicole Kidman thing." She looked back down at Jake
and smiled. He grinned.
"Okay, that's settled then." Jake walked into the cinema but turned
round when Jess didn't follow him.
"Are you sure that is okay with you?" she looked at him through her
puppy brown eyes. He had fallen for her the moment she was introduced
to the class. She had seemed so sad then, standing in front of them all
but not nervous. Holding her gaze towards the back of the class as the
teacher introduced her. She walked between the desks, past his, and he
had caught the smell of her perfume or deodorant or something and it
had kept with him. When he asked her out, months later, and she said
yes, it was like a dream. He had gone out with most of the girls in his
class, he was cool but with Jess, it was different. He didn't feel cool
anymore, he felt awkward and clumsy.
"That's fine with me." He walked back towards her and took her hand,
she smiled and let him hold her hand as they walked towards the ticket
booth. Jake already had his wallet in his hand.
"Two, please." He leant over the counter and handed the woman a
ten-pound note. Jess held out a fiver for him.
"No, it's okay. I asked you, so I should pay." He pushed her hand
back.
"Take it." She pushed it back towards him. Her mum had given her twenty
pounds to spend this evening, she may as well spend it. Mum had
embarrassed her when Jake had come round to pick her up, making him
look at the baby pictures and things but she didn't mind. Mum was only
being friendly and Jake had been so polite to her as he stood there in
his Ted Baker jeans and Nikes. He looked great.
"You pay next time." Jake took the tickets from the lady.
"Pretty confident there will be a next time then, are you?" Jess teased
him softly, his face looked slightly panicked. She is not sure where
her confidence came from, but she kissed him softly on the mouth. He
grinned and took her hand and they walked up the stairs towards Screen
One.

MARIA KALLIWAY

How she wished Pete had been there. Jess had looked amazing as Jake and
her walked towards the bus stop at the end of the road. He seemed like
a nice young man. Maria remembered back to when Pete had come round her
parents home that first night. She had hid in the lounge as she
listened to her father open the door.
"Hello, is Maria in?" she heard knew the words off by heart. She knew
she would never forget them. Especially now. Now they were written down
forever in her script. Her script. Pete and Maria's script.
"Of course she is in. She is waiting for you. You are late. Of course
she is in." her father loved to torment her boyfriends.
"Ah, there is a reason I am late." There was a pause. Maria had her ear
up against the door, her mother watched her from her chair as she
knitted with a grin across her face, "My bike wouldn't start."
"You've got a motorbike? I am not going to let my daughter out with a
Hell's Angel." Her father replied and she stifled a laugh.
"Errr...no sir, it's a pedal bike." Pete stammered his reply. His
confidence gone. She could imagine his face, his slicked back hair, she
could see him fiddling nervously with his fingers as he had done when
he asked her out.
"Your pedal bike wouldn't start?" her father laughed
sarcastically.
"Errr...right. The chain fell off." Pete answered quickly and Maria
heard her father's familiar belly laugh and she knew it was time to go.
She opened the door and looked at Pete. He was shaking her father's
hand. He had a strange smile of relief across his pale face but her dad
was laughing heartily.
"Have a good night, dear." He kissed his daughter and went into the
lounge. Maria could still hear his laughing.
"I brought you a helmet." Pete reached down and passed Maria a black
helmet, "for the bike. I thought we could go for a ride on the bike."
The bike. Thinking back now, how they had shot down the darkly lit
roads in the countryside, arms out, letting the wind rush around them
as they sped around. They were so reckless, so careless. How they never
killed themselves then, she will never know. The time they had then, on
the bike, so romantic, so amazing. They had been so in love with each
other, they had done everything. It was a beautiful story, till the
end. Till the crash. It didn't add up, Pete at 21 was riding around in
jeans and a leather jacket on a bike with dodgy brakes down tight
countryside lanes, it didn't make sense that he would die wearing full
safety gear thirty years later, doing 40 miles per hour down a wide
dual carriageway. It made no sense to Maria. But at least she would
never forget, not now it was written down.

LUKE

"I'll give her a call then." I took the card from Katie's hand. Her
pretty hand. She was in full costume and looked amazing. Her dress was
ripped and torn and her hair was ruffled.
"You should, she has really looked after me." I walked next to her
towards the set, "I was glad to hear they gave you a line, or two. One
of Black Beard's baddies, can't be bad."
"I know, pretty unbelievable." I smiled and turned sideways towards
her, "I think Yale may have had a word."
"Maybe, more like it was your performance on the boat yesterday. I saw
the rushes, you were excellent. Swinging around everywhere." She linked
her arm into mine.
"That wasn't work though, that was fun." She was really gorgeous. I
wasn't exactly sure what was going on between us, but there was
definitely something, I was sure of it. But maybe she was just being
friendly.
"Kurt thought you were great. He was telling us about you, later on.
Trying to write in some lines for you. Have you learnt them?" she
cocked her head slightly towards me.
"Yeah, but they aren't hard to learn."
"Say them, let me hear them." She turned to face me.
"Feels stupid, standing here. Outside. With you." I felt a pang of
embarrassment but she put her hand on my arm.
"Go on, don't feel stupid." She paused, "I won't laugh. Remember I will
be in the scene as well."
"Okay, okay." I gathered myself together, "She's lying."
"And?"
"Alright, alright. Hang on." I breathed heavily and then focused on her
blue eyes, "Leave her with me, I'll find out the truth."
"Excellent. I am sure you will do fine." She laughed and kissed me on
the cheek. She kept her mouth near my ear, "So, how would you find out
the truth?"
"Errr...make you walk the plank or something." I grinned and she dug me
in the ribs lightly.
"I've got to go now, but I will see you later." She turned and walked
towards the studio, "Keep practising."

"Leave her with me, I'll get the truth out of her." I advanced towards
Katie but David Reddy put his arm across me to block my way.
"If she is lying, we'll find out soon enough." David looked at her
suspiciously and I grinned at her evilly.
"CUT" Kurt yelled at us through his loud hailer, "That was great. Luke,
I am shivering in my boots. I certainly wouldn't want you on my case.
Let's hear it for Luke everybody. That was his last scene, but hasn't
he done well?" Everybody started clapping. Katie winked at me, which
David noticed and made a face.
"Thanks." I put my hand in the air and took out my fake gold earring. I
climbed down the side of the galleon onto the studio floor. Yale and
Kurt were waiting for me as I hit the ground.
"Thanks again, Luke. The cheque will be in the post for you, first
thing tomorrow." Yale patted me on the shoulder.
"I think you were excellent." Kurt put his arm around me and walked me
towards the open air of outside, "I will keep in touch. I am just sorry
that we couldn't give you a bigger part in this."
"I am just glad for the opportunity, Mr Tann. Really, thank you very
much." I pulled off the bandanna from my head.
"We'll send you an invite to the first screening, we normally show the
crew before we show the press. Probably be a few months, but I won't
forget you." Kurt shook my hand and waved me off before disappearing
back into the studio.

I unlocked the door and went into the house. A strange feeling waved
over me, was I on my way? Had I taken that first few steps or were
people full of empty gestures? I didn't know but I knew that I had
enjoyed myself, I knew that I had made the right decision. I had made
the right decision. I repeated it several times to myself as I folded
out the dustsheets across the floor and kept repeating it as I began
ripping down the wallpaper from the lounge wall.

It was dark outside by the time I had got all the horrible flowery
paper down. I bundled it into my arms and carried it outside. I managed
to kick the top off the dustbin and began stuffing it down. I didn't
notice the taxi pull up. I was thumping the paper down when I heard
her.
"Luke?" I jumped when I heard her voice.
"Hello. What are you doing here?" I looked at Katie as she stood in the
half-light under the street lamp.
"I thought you might let me buy you dinner?" She asked, "But if you are
busy."
"Oh no. I have finished now." I rammed the lid of the bin down hard and
she laughed, "Just paying my rent."
"I see." She paused, "Are you going to invite me in?"
"Yes, sorry. It is a bit of a mess." She walked past me and into the
house, she turned left into the front room. It was a mess. I shut the
front door and followed her in. I was stood in a white t-shirt with
bits of wallpaper all over me.
"You must be worn out. Actor in the morning, decorator in the
afternoon." She looked around at me.
"Man of many talents, me." I walked towards the kitchen, "Would you
like a drink? I've got a bottle of wine." I paused, "Well, Gordy has
got a bottle of wine that I can steal, if you like."
"Don't put the blame on me. Anything is fine." She came into the
kitchen and I could feel her standing behind me, watching me pull the
cork out of the bottle. I turned to face her.
"Why are you here?" I watched her face screw up slightly.
"I don't really know. I just think there maybe something here, between
us. I don't know, I am hoping to find out." She took the glass of wine
I held out for her, "What do you think?"
"I don't know, maybe." I smiled and we went back into the lounge, where
I uncovered the sofa and we sat down. She was so beautiful but I had no
idea why she was there with me. None. And what about Sarah? Did I feel
bad about her?
"What are you thinking?" she asked after an awkward pause.
"I am thinking about Sarah. She is my girlfriend." I couldn't look at
her because I knew I would want to kiss her and I knew if I did that,
then everything changed.
"Oh, I didn't know." She sipped at her drink, "but then, I never
asked."
"Things haven't been great between us, recently. I think she thinks
that I am a bit of a waster. For giving up my proper job." I brought
myself round to look at her. She had her elbow on the back of the sofa
and was kind of curled up towards me. She looked at me curiously,
"Anyway, I thought you were seeing some American actor or
something."
"No, that's just what the papers said." She spoke very softly and
quietly, "Look, I am not trying to pressure you into anything. I just
thought I would come round and we could talk."
"And we're talking, aren't we?"
"Yes. I know but," she breathed in, "I just felt something when we met,
something that I don't know how to explain. I wasn't expecting it, but
now I can feel it. Here, inside me." She rested her hand on her
stomach. I couldn't help but gulp, loudly. She grinned, "And I have
come here to find out what it is."
"Probably indigestion or something, I tend to have that effect on
people." I laughed and looked in her eyes. She reached out her hand and
rested it on my cheek, then moved towards me and kissed me on the
mouth. I could taste the red wine on her lips. I closed my eyes as we
sunk into each other. It seemed to last for ages and I never wanted it
to end. She pulled away eventually and tilted her head to one side
slightly, watching me open my eyes.
"I don't think it's indigestion, do you?" she put her glass down on the
floor and took my from my hand and did the same. Then she leaned
towards me and we kissed again, I felt her warmth envelop me and it
made my head feel foggy. I tried to keep my eyes open, to watch her, to
see how she looked but I couldn't. They shut and wouldn't open. I could
feel her hand in my hair and as she moved nearer me I realised that our
breathing had slowed and was in time with each other. The keys in the
door made us both jump and pull away from each other. I heard Gordy
drop his suitcase in the hall and the door to the lounge opened. We sat
staring forward like two guilty teenagers. Gordy looked at us
suspiciously but then he noticed the lounge.
"Hey, you got rid of the granny paper!" He pointed happily at the bare
walls, "Finally earning your keep, mate. Hello, I'm Gordy." Katie
laughed and stood up to shake his hand. I grinned as well and felt the
breath come back into my lungs. Had I been holding my breath?
"Katie. Nice to meet you." She was standing in front of me and both her
and Gordy were looking at me expectedly.
"Katie and I are working together on the Treasure Island thing." It was
all I could say, and it sounded stupid.
"Oh right. Cool." Gordy noticed the bottle of wine on the table, "Is
that mine? The one I was saving for extra special, special
occasions?"
"Errr...yes. Sorry. I'll buy you another one. Should get paid soon." I
stood up next to them both.
"Don't worry about it, mate." He slapped me on the shoulder, "I'm going
to get changed. You kids behave now." He turned and walked out the
lounge. Katie and I were left standing in front of each other. She
smiled at me.
"I had better go now." She put her hand on my stomach softly, "You need
to have a think, I guess."
"I guess." I followed her out of the lounge. I already knew what I had
to do. I had never felt like that before. I didn't want her to leave,
"I don't want you to leave." She turned to face me.
"I know. I don't want to go either but you need to sort things out with
your girlfriend."
"I will." I looked at her. She was beautiful and I could feel that I
was holding my breath again. She ripped a piece of paper off the pad by
the telephone in the hall and wrote down a number. She left it on the
table.
"I don't suppose I will see you on set again, now that you are all
done." She opened the front door slightly. I wanted to shut it, to keep
her there with me but I knew she had to go.
"No, I suppose not. But I'll call you. I'll call you when I'm sorted."
I paused, wary of being presumptuous, "If you want me to."
"Of course I want you too." She stood half out the door, half in and
reached for me. She kissed me softly but quickly on the lips. I wanted
it to last longer, I wanted to dive into the kiss again, to feel her
close to me, "I am glad that you felt it as well." And then the door
was shut and she was gone. I stood looking at it for a moment and then
became aware that Gordy was standing on the stairs behind me.
"Well, well, well. What have you been up to?" he patted me on the
shoulder.
"Nothing. Yet. Shit, I think I am in love." I followed him into the
kitchen.
"You really think it will work out with you and a famous
actress."
"You recognised her?" I asked him as I sat down at the dining
table.
"Well, I thought I did but I had to go and check FHM to make sure. She
is fit, mate." He grinned.
"Do you think it could work out?" I watched him potter around the
kitchen.
"Dunno, maybe. What about Sarah?" He opened the cupboard by the back
door, "And more importantly, when are you going to iron my fucking
shirts?"

MARIA KALLIWAY

She looked at the screen. Could she bring herself to do it? Maria's
finger hovered over the D button. She read it outloud before pressing
it.
"The End." She felt sad but relieved. She had got it all down on paper,
on screen. Her script was finished. It was her and Pete's life
together, the days of biking around England, of the sixties and then in
America. When they had decided to see the world and had careered off
across the United States, not knowing where they were going to end up.
And it was finished. She let the tear trickle down her cheek, it
reached her chin and then dripped onto her lap. This was her goodbye to
Pete. A two year goodbye. She looked up at the window by her desk, it
was dark outside already. Her eyes flicked to the clock on her PC
screen, it was half past ten so she craned for the sound of the door
and heard Jess turning her key in the lock. She heard Jess shut the
door quietly and listened to her tiptoe through to the kitchen and the
tap running then the quiet pad of her feet on the stairs. Maria knew
that Jess would see the light and come in to say good night.
"How come you are still up?" Jess asked as she creaked open the door.
Jake had taken her out to dinner and they had had a great time. Jake
was infatuated with her and she liked him a lot. It had been going
well.
"I have finished my script." Maria swivelled round in her chair to face
her daughter.
"Really? That's great." Jess threw her arms around her mother and
hugged her. Maria held her close before letting her go.
"It is about me and your father. I want you to be the first to read
it." Maria held Jess' hand.
"It's about Dad." Jess looked towards the screen.
"It's about before you were born, about what we did." Maria grinned and
brushed some hair out of Jess' face.
"I would love to read it, mum." Jess looked at her mother and smiled,
"Shall I start now? I want to, I'm not tired."
"No, start tomorrow." Maria pressed save, and turned off the machine
and stood up. They walked out the study together, "How was your
date?"
"It was cool. He is a nice guy." Jess paused, "He wants me to meet the
family though. On Saturday."
"Woah." Maria laughed, "He'll be down on one knee before you know
it."
"Mum! They are just having a family party or something and he wants me
to go with him, I said I would. It's up in London." Jess smiled.
"That sounds lovely, dear." Maria kissed Jess on the cheek and opened
the door to her bedroom, "I'll see you in morning then."
"Yeah, night mum. I am glad you finished your story." Jess flicked the
light on in her bedroom.
"Thanks, love." Maria went into her room. She had her goodbye and she
meant it. It was time to move on and look towards the future, a future
for her and Jess. Whatever that might be.

HARRY, GRAHAM, JAKE AND JESS

"Come in, come in." Harry swung open the door the flat and beckoned
Jake and Jess in. They had gone up to London with Jake's parents to see
some of the sights. Jake had surprised Jess with a trip on the
Millennium Wheel. It had been a great morning.
"Hello Uncle Harry." Harry hugged Jake and smiled at Jess.