"Well, that was cute, now wasn't it?" Lucy said. "I thought that with this smaller role we'd just cast the one with the most experience, yet here you are, creating a ton of chemistry with an unknown actor. Tell me, does our little Elle have a crush?"
"Lucy, come on, we were just acting," Elle whined, rolling her eyes. And she meant it, but she also wouldn't lie to herself and say that the boy, Xavier, wasn't her favorite out of the four… and the cutest as well.
"Oh yeah? Well then, which one of the four would you choose?" Joe Roth asked with a shit-eating grin. Ever since Elle had been cast, they'd started rehearsals and had all developed a great relationship with one another.
"I guess I'd choose Xavier—but only because we had the best chemistry out of everyone. Brenton would be my second choice, and Timothée my third, since they were also good," the fourteen-year-old replied, blushing.
"Aww, you're adorable, you know that?" Lucy said, smiling fondly at her.
"Can I go now?" Elle asked, a little embarrassed.
"Yes, you can. Your mother must be waiting for you," Joe said, still smiling.
"Alright then, goodbye," she said, leaving the room in a rush.
The three of them laughed and began discussing who they would pick, though it didn't actually take very long to decide. One of them had after all, much better chemistry with Elle then the others.
(Break)
"Xavier, your phone's ringing," I heard my mom say from the living room.
I finished cleaning the toilet and went to the living room, we always took way too much time doing our chores so one day, before we started doing them, my mom always took our phones and other devices away so we could actually do just that, it was a bit annoying at first but very soon I realized I did my chores a lot quicker than before so I stopped complaining, I soon got to the living room she handed me my phone, looking at me with anticipation.
"It's James," she said, excited.
My heart skipped a beat. We'd done the audition just yesterday morning, which could only mean one thing: he was calling with the results. I pressed the green button and answered.
"Hey, James."
"Hey, kid. How's it going?" he replied, his voice giving away a hint of excitement.
"It's going good… so, did you get the results?" I asked impatiently.
"Yes, I did," he said mysteriously, I could pratically see that smug smile he was doing all the way from here.
"Okay, and…?" I pressed, irritation slowly creeping into my voice.
"And? What?" he replied with that mysterious tone again.
"James, I swear to God, just tell me if I got the damn role or not," I said, slowly losing my patience. He could be such a child at times.
"You got it," he laughed.
"What?" I exclaimed.
"You got the role," he repeated.
"Are you pranking me again? Because it's not—" I started, trying not to sound too excited, my brain still processing what he'd just said.
"Xavier, you got the fucking role of Prince Philip," he interrupted.
Fuck yes
"Can you come tomorrow afternoon to the UTA building? I need to brief you on a few things surrounding the production," he continued.
"Of course, we'll be there at one," I replied, barely containing my excitement, which was steadily growing.
"Perfect. See you tomorrow," he said before hanging up.
I turned to my mom.
"Mom, I got it!" I beamed.
"Really?" she asked, smiling broadly as she got up from the couch.
"Yeah. He wants us to meet tomorrow at one to go over some details," I replied.
"That's amazing, baby, we've got to celebrate tonight," she said, pulling me into a hug. "Just wait until we tell your father. He's going to be so happy."
I smiled, I'd finally gotten my first speaking role.
(Break)
We met James at the UTA headquarters, where he promptly took us to a coffee shop nearby.
"Filming will take place at Pinewood Studios in England, near London. You'll be there from July 1st to the 18th," he said, smiling at me before turning to my mom. "Since you're still a minor, you'll need to be accompanied. I can probably get them to cover plane tickets for all four of you if you're up for a vacation. They'll cover a hotel room for the time of filming anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle."
"That sounds like a great idea," I said. After all, who would say no to a free vacation, especially when it'd be my first time out of the country, and to freaking England of all places?
"As for your pay… although you have a speaking role, it's just short of being a big one, and it's your first, so the pay won't be huge, plus you know how cheap Disney can be when it comes to paying newcomers. " He paused letting his words sink in. "Still, I think I can get you around 100,000$ if I fight for it, but I wouldn't push too hard, since they could just pick someone else," he said cautiously.
"Honestly, the most important thing for me is getting the role. If they offer something decent in the beginning, just take it," I said, anxious at the thought of losing the role over money. Truth is, I was still young and my parents were still supporting me and would probably continue to do so for at least three years so to me, building my résumé mattered more right now than a massive paycheck.
James frowned, of course. After all, he took ten percent of whatever I made. "Are you sure? I know you're nervous, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be paid fairly to be honest. What's exactly would be decent enough for you to accept?"
I thought for a moment. SAG-AFTRA's minimum was 65,000$, which I honestly would've been fine with, but I knew he wouldn't be so of course I said a higher number than that...for him of course... not for me.
"Anything above 85,000$ would work for me," I stated.
"Alright. Anything else I should know before I start negotiating?" James asked.
"No, I think we're good," I replied.
"Alright then. Make sure you prepare for your role and have your passports ready. I'll probably get the script within a week and send it over. Don't show it to anyone, and make sure both your parents sign the NDAs," he said, then paused, his expression turning hesitant. "I know this might be a hard ask but I'll say it anyway. Xavier you know your brother better than I do, but if possible, please don't tell him anything about what you're filming. He's also a minor and can't sign an NDA so if anything leaks, it'll reflect badly on you more than anyone else."
I nodded. "Got it. Thank you, James, for everything," I said sincerely.
Soon after, we headed back home to Burbank. We'd lived in a one-story house there for the past four years, ever since moving from Queens, New York. My parents wanted us to grow up in a house instead of a townhome and at that time, my mom's bank had an opening in Burbank and my dad's job was in demand anywhere, so the move wasn't too risky. They also said we'd managed to buy the house cheap because of the financial crisis in 2008 or something. Don't ask me about that—I never really understood it, so I stopped asking.
A few days later, we met with James again. He'd negotiated my salary up to 95,000$ dollars, paid in three installments: at the start of filming, at the end, and right before the film was released. At first they had tried to offer only 65,000$ but he was able to add a thirty grand to that, now that's a great agent for you. He'd also secured plane tickets for all four of us to London until the 28th so my parents booked another hotel for the ten extra days to explore the city together.
Of course, everyone agreed to go immediately, a free vacation was a no brainer for anyone. My dad, who worked independently, made sure not to book anything during those twenty-eight days, my brother was on school vacation, so of course he came too. He was practically just as excited as me, after all, it would be the first time leaving the country for both me and him, we honestly couldn't wait.
June flew by. I spent most of it studying the script and rehearsing until I could recite my lines in my sleep. My parents handled passports, visas, and all the grown-up logistics, while my brother… well, he mostly just kept playing video games he did however start looking up shit like "top ten coolest things to do in London" and "Cool things to do in London" on the family computer, which is something I guess.
Soon enough, we were on our way to the airport, heading toward Pinewood Studios and getting one step closer to my dream.
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Hi! Author Here, would you guys like a new chapter everyday or that I stockpile them and release them once a week? Also if you have any ideas of movies you'd want Xavier to do feel free to say it in the comments.