Bab 113: Ch-106
All their hopes came crashing down. While Lea could go a few days later since the audition for her role was scheduled for the following week, Jonathan needed to get to Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
Then something amazing happened. Lea's father offered to drive the two teens over to Pittsburgh—a six-hour-long car ride. Just when things were looking up, they faced one obstacle after another on the way, the biggest one being their car overheating. Luckily, there was a car repair shop nearby when it happened, but it wasted a lot of their time.
During this time, Jonathan almost lost his chance to audition for the film.
She felt bad for him. She wasn't as invested in the film because she was focused on her education, but Jonathan, who had finished school last year, had pinned all his hopes on this opportunity. It sounded foolish, but he was an idealist, not a realist. So while she had prepared for the role of Mary Elizabeth, she wasn't as ready as she could have been.
"It's not in my hands," the casting director said apologetically. "The director and producer make the final casting decision, and they've already left. I'm so sorry."
Lea was this close to bringing her claws out and starting a screaming match with the woman. But she didn't have to.
"Wait," a calm male voice called out. "I'm still here and would love to audition… Jonathan and Lea, right? Although the Mary Elizabeth auditions aren't for another week, I can make an exception."
Lea could only gape at the boy standing in front of her, but she quickly regained her composure. She'd met a lot of celebrities in her short Broadway career and knew how much they hated fangirling behavior.
Jonathan, on the other hand, was none too subtle about his admiration for Troy Armitage.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm standing in front of you!"
Lea resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Jonathan was breaking one of the biggest unwritten rules of auditioning—don't freak out if you're auditioning in front of a big actor or director. Thankfully, Troy just chuckled and took out his phone, dialing someone.
"Stephen, come back. We have a last-minute audition to take care of. No, I'm serious," he said before disconnecting the call and turning to the two actors. "The director will be here shortly. Why don't you introduce yourself in the meantime, Jonathan?"
It may have been phrased as a polite question, but everyone knew that making a wrong first impression with Troy could end your career before it even began. Opportunities like this didn't come around every day for actors like them.
Lea stepped back and let Jonathan take center stage.
"Hi, my name is Jonathan Groff, I'm 19, and I'm originally from Lancaster, currently living in New York," he had barely finished speaking when the back door of the room opened, and in walked a man who could only be the director.
Jonathan took a deep breath before restarting his introduction for the director's sake.
"That's good," the director said when the introduction was done. "Why don't you start with the scene you've prepared? Remember, your character Patrick needs to be fearless, full of life, and vitality."
Jonathan nodded and slipped into character.
(Break)
Stephen Chbosky was tired. They had been working relentlessly on the film for a long time, and finally, when it was time to start casting, Troy would pull things like this. Why couldn't he just let the matter go? No, he had to call him back to audition a newbie with zero film experience. Sure, he had done theater, but it wasn't Broadway or even off-Broadway, so it didn't count. If they had to hire a newbie, then what was wrong with that Colton guy? Shaking off those thoughts, Stephen focused on the kid in front of him. He could see that Jonathan was nervous about the audition, so he kept a smile on his face to ease him a little.
And then Jonathan started the scene. It felt as if a switch had been flicked, and immediately Jonathan went from a nervous boy giving his first audition to a flamboyant, confident gay teen. The more he performed, the more Stephen could see Patrick in Jonathan. It was like he was made for this role. Holy shit!
"Troy!" Stephen called out urgently. "Help him do the football game scene. We'll check your chemistry as well that way."
Shrugging, Troy got up from his seat and walked over to Jonathan. It looked a bit weird because Troy was taller than Jonathan, but not by much.
"Hey, nothing," Stephen called out, giving Jonathan his cue to begin.
"Suck it, virginity pledges," Jonathan said flippantly, the correct amount of bite laced in his words. "Suck. It."
Troy turned to Jonathan and said in a soft, hesitant voice, "Hey, Patrick."
"Hey!" Jonathan grinned. "You're in my shop class, right? How's your clock coming?"
Troy looked around hesitantly, fully in character. "My dad's building it for me."
"Mine looks like a boat," Jonathan said amusedly before tilting his head. "Do you wanna sit over here, or are you waiting for your friends?"
"Oh, no, no, I'll sit," Troy said eagerly, though his expression was suppressed a lot from his usual super-confident demeanor.
"Thanks for not calling me 'nothing,' by the way. It's an endless nightmare. And these assholes actually think they're being original." All the while, Jonathan stared ahead, as if watching the game.
"So, you like football?"
"Love it! Love football!" Jonathan said without needing to think.
"And scene," Stephen stopped them. "Let's do the next one where Patrick toasts to Charlie for being a wallflower."
Both actors nodded before starting the scene.
"Hey! Everyone!" Jonathan called out loudly, gaining the room's attention, before lowering his voice. "Everyone, raise your glasses to Charlie." He raised an imaginary glass high.
Troy looked around a little uncomfortably before asking, "What did I do?"
"You didn't do anything," Jonathan said comfortingly, with a small smile on his lips. "We just wanna toast to a new friend. You see things, you understand, you're a wallflower."
Troy didn't say anything but looked distinctly uncomfortable with the attention on him.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Jonathan asked.
"I didn't think anyone noticed me," Troy said softly, with enough emotion to pierce Stephen's heart.
Jonathan's eyes watered at hearing that, but he didn't let the emotion take over. He tilted his head back and said, with a smile, "We didn't think there was anyone cool left to meet. So come on, everyone, to Charlie." Jonathan raised his glass high again.
Stephen knew at that moment that he had found his Patrick. This kid, Jonathan Groff, was perfect for the role. He had effortlessly taken a rather sad situation—a lonely kid saying he felt invisible—and made it wholesome and inclusive for the kid. Troy was excellent in his portrayal as well, but then again, he was already a seasoned actor.
"Perfect!" Stephen stood up and started clapping. "That was so good! Troy, if you agree, I'd like to finalize Jonathan for this role, right now."
Jonathan gasped in surprise and turned to Troy, who looked at him appraisingly for a few moments as if judging him harshly. Then he grinned brightly, "Fuck yeah, let's do it. As soon as you walked in, I had a feeling you'd be great for this role. And you proved me right. Welcome aboard."
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening!" Jonathan exclaimed excitedly before running to her friend and hugging her tightly. "Can you believe it, Lea?"
Lea smiled and congratulated her friend. Only then did it click for Stephen—he had seen this girl in a headshot earlier today.
"Wait," he interrupted their celebrations, "you're auditioning for us next week, right?"
"Yeah," she agreed. "For Mary Elizabeth. Troy said that…" She hesitated before finishing her sentence.
Troy took over. "We should audition her today as well. I have a feeling we can save a lot of time and resources if we audition her now." He turned to Lea. "Do you know your lines?"
"Not completely," she confessed. "I didn't know I was auditioning today."
"It's fine," Troy reassured her. "You can read from the script. As long as you understand the character, we'll be good."
That's one thing Stephen admired about Troy—he was quick to make decisions. Where even some experienced producers would deliberate for hours, Troy just went with his gut feeling. His drive and passion for the project were amazing to witness in person.
"Alright," Stephen agreed. If spending an extra half-hour here saved him a full day next week, it was well worth it.
(Break)
Everything was going so well for me right now. The sales of Crocs had skyrocketed after my endorsement, and the post-production of my first film, [Brick], was progressing nicely—its first cut would be ready within a month. The pre-production for the second film was rock solid, and we had finalized the entire cast.
Besides Jonathan Groff and me, Emily Stone and Lea Michele had also been cast. Just like Jonathan, Lea stole the show. I didn't have to convince Chbosky of her casting at all.
To save some more casting time, I reached out to a few old friends and co-stars to check their availability. I wanted Toni Collette to play Charlie's mother, reuniting us after [The Sixth Sense], but she was busy with another project. So I called Frances O'Connor and Sam Robards, who had played my parents in [A.I. Artificial Intelligence]. They were free and agreed to join the film. We also brought on Mila Kunis to play my sister, Candace, and Michael B. Jordan for the role of Brad.
Michael actually called me himself.
(Flashback)
"Hi, Michael!" I greeted him enthusiastically. "How are you doing, my man?"
"Could be better, but I'm hanging in there," he quipped, before turning serious. "Troy, I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"Anything, man," I offered freely.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I want a job. A film job, if possible."
I was puzzled for a moment before asking, "Aren't you under that binding contract for the soap opera?"
"I am," he agreed. "But I can take a few weeks off every few months, like I did for [Brick]. I want to do more films, not be stuck doing this soap opera for the rest of my life. I called Rian for advice and he told me that you're producing another film, so I wanted to see if there was a role for me."
"I get you, man," I nodded in understanding, though he couldn't see me. "Alright, let me talk to the director and see if we can find a role that suits you, and one we can wrap up in a few weeks."
"Thanks, man!"
(Flashback End)
After that call, I spoke with Chbosky, and we decided to make Brad Hayes an African American character, hiring Michael B. Jordan for [The Perks of Being a Wallflower]. I admired Michael's initiative in asking for the role. I had been so lucky to find success so quickly, and if I could share that luck with others, I would gladly do it.
It felt like nothing could go wrong. Everything was perfect.
At least until I got the call.
(Break)
Emily was more than a little excited to start working on her second film. Her role in [Brick] had been small, with barely ten minutes of screen time, but it had taught her a lot about acting for the screen. Rian and Troy's praise had filled her with confidence, and she was ready to take on her next role in [The Perks of Being a Wallflower].
"You got everything you need, Emily?" her mother asked with concern. "You'll be alone, far from home, hon."
"That's why I got emancipated, Mom," Emily reminded her. "It'll be legal now for me to stay away."
"Yeah, yeah," her mother replied grumpily. "I didn't like it, but I promised to support your dream. Are you sure you have everything?"
"Yes, Mom," Emily smiled at her mother's caring nature.
"Okay," her mom nodded. "Let's drop you off at the airport then."
As her mom pulled the car out of the driveway, their next-door neighbor, Alice, called out, "Hey! Emily! Where you off to now? Shooting your next imaginary film?"
Emily wanted to march right over and knock Alice's smug expression off her face, but she held herself back. Anger wouldn't help her. Fucking Alice. One day, Emily would show her long-term bully that she was a real actress—not a fake one.
She sat down on the passenger side of the car, and they began their drive to the airport. Alice's taunt kept playing in her head. It hit a nerve. Some of her classmates thought she was lying about her role in [Brick] with Troy. Since it was a small indie film, there hadn't been much coverage, and people doubted her story.
The thought lingered as they drove, so her mother took her hand in hers at the next traffic light. "What's the matter, hon? You don't look happy. Are you sure you want to do this film?"
"It's not that, Mom," Emily shook her head. "It's just... nothing. It's not important. Light's green, by the way, you can go," she successfully changed the subject.
Her mom looked up at the traffic light, saw it was indeed green, and hit the gas.
Then everything went to hell.
Emily watched the scene unfold in slow motion. A Toyota SUV was barreling towards them, ignoring the traffic lights. It slammed into the passenger side of her mother's Honda Civic at full speed.
Before Emily could even scream, the impact sent their car spinning. The airbags of the car were fully inflated within moments. But still, a sharp, unbearable pain shot through both her legs. She glanced at her mother, who seemed mostly okay.
"Emily!" Her mother cried out in worry before undoing both of their seatbelts. "Are you okay, honey?" Desperation filled her voice.
Emily could not say the words because of the pain. Hesitantly, she pushed the airbag away when it had deflated somewhat and looked down to see that the car was bent inwards unnaturally and was crushing both her legs. Tears flooded Emily's eyes—not just from the pain, but from the crushing realization: with a broken leg, she wouldn't be able to star in [The Perks of Being a Wallflower].
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