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Chapter 1 – Jamarion

After being accepted for the role and reciting a few lines of the script, I became curious about all the other details. I couldn’t wait to see what the screenwriter had in store for me and the rest of our cast!

As soon as we met, the screenwriter shook my hand and asked me to take a seat. I felt nervous about talking to him, but he started the conversation by saying I looked perfect for the main character’s role, and this helped break the ice.

“Eryll, right?” I begin.

“Yes,” the screenwriter replies, adjusting his glasses, and starts narrating the drama’s plot to me: “He’s a college student who goes on a lone hike through a jinxed forest.”

“Why does he go there?”

“He’s looking for an ancient musical instrument that’s been lost by his great-grandfather, one that has a hidden map leading to the treasure. However, bad weather forces him to stop at an old mansion where he meets Rosario, an affluent lord who has lived like a hermit since the death of his beloved, Lucrezia.”

“Mhm…” I nod.

“At full moon, Eryll touches Lucrezia’s favorite music box, and as a result, he gets possessed by her heartbroken ghost. This makes him fall in love with Rosario...”

“Oh, so that’s how their romance starts,” I comment, crossing my arms. “Very romantic.”

The screenwriter’s face lights up immediately upon hearing those words, almost like he’s an amateur writer trying to get noticed, but he’s far from being one; he has written several successful scripts already, all of which were made into blockbuster movies and lucrative tv series.

“Thank you very much,” he expresses his gratitude for the compliment and continues: “Rosario falls in love with Eryll, too… But he doesn’t want to cheat on Lucrezia, to whom he swore eternal love when both of them were still alive.”

“That’s a strong internal conflict for his character, but what about Eryll?” I ask, trying to understand my role better.

“Eryll? Oh, he has to go back home and look for the ancient treasure belonging to his family, the treasure that’s buried somewhere in South Italy...”

“Does he manage to do it?”

“Not in the first two seasons. I outlined the plot in such a way that everything stops him,” the screenwriter grins awkwardly.

“Everything?” I echo.

“Yeah. For example, Rosario’s family comes over, and among them, there are both characters that will bring the two of them together. Overall, the whole story has three seasons,” he discloses. “But we don’t know yet whether we will be making them all. It

depends on the revenue...”

“Of course,” I say. “That’s understandable.”

“I think you will be an amazing Eryll,” the screenwriter tells me eventually, smiling. “You look exactly the way I had imagined him.”

“Oh, really?” I feel flattered.

“Yes, really… I swear, I’m not trying to bribe you into anything!” He reassures me, and we laugh.

Later, he asks whether I had similar roles earlier…

“Yeah, I did. So, this one here shouldn’t be too challenging.”

“Perfect! Do your best, then.”

We start gathering our things.

“How long is season one?” I inquire as I walk outside. “I mean… I heard from the director’s assistant that the number of episodes keeps changing all the time?”’

“Yes. Initially, we opted for eighteen episodes, thirty minutes each, but then we concluded that they were too short. So now, it’s twelve episodes, forty-five minutes each,” he shares, opening his black umbrella as it’s starting to drizzle. “The first one will be airing in three months…”

“I can’t wait to get started,” I tell him excitedly.

It’s not a lie: I am very eager to get started. It’s my biggest role so far, and I am about to work with a cast that is much more professional than the one from my previous movie.

“I’m looking forward to it, too,” the screenwriter shares, waving for a taxi to stop. “I’ve spent so much time perfecting the dialogues; I’m sure it will be a hit!”

*

Later that day, I meet my co-actor, the one who is supposed to play Rosario: Emmanuel. He is taller than I thought he would be, a handsome man with a chiseled jawline and a perfect smile. His light brown hair is already styled for the role: casually combed back, which makes it look windswept.

He's quite a good-looking man, I notice. His fair skin creates a nice contrast with the dark green plaid shirt and black jeans that he’s wearing. His fans will surely swoon when they watch this drama…

After we're properly introduced to each other by the screenwriter, we move on to the waiting area. Emmanuel sits next to me on the sofa at an appropriate distance, but his closeness still makes me feel intimidated. No wonder he’s much more experienced than I am…

I can almost feel the electricity in the air as we sit close. To distract myself, I take the script book and try to focus on my lines.

So does he, but from time to time, we still keep glancing at each other. I suppose it’s mutual curiosity… We’re the main leads of this drama, after all! It’s normal we are preoccupied with each other, isn’t it?

Shortly afterward, the director’s assistant shows up and takes us to the studio’s third floor. After being ushered into the room and greeting everyone, we are given some general instructions and asked to read lines together for the first time.

As soon as we voice the text, I realize that the script is really, really well written. Reading, we walk around the room with our script books, trying to get into the characters, and I can swear that this show is going to be great… There’s something in words chosen by the screenwriter that evokes feelings in me right away. And as Emmanuel and I read a casual dialogue together, I can’t help but find it sexy. It’s sexy how Eryll and Rosario talk to each other; I can feel their chemistry strongly, and I’m pretty sure that this has nothing to do with the initial layer of awkward tension between Emmanuel and me…

At one point, he follows the stage directions and reaches out to take my hand. The touch of it feels cold and takes me by surprise, but it’s also pleasant; his skin feels so smooth... I let him guide me forward, and when we finish reading, the director smiles at us, clearly pleased with how it turned out. “You’re exceptionally good, guys. Some more practicing, and we’ll create a masterpiece!”

This is exactly what I needed to hear to get even more hyped up about this job. My career is finally getting a proper start!

*

Despite feeling jubilant, I go to sleep quite early, as the next day, I have to get up at 4 am. Yes – this early. I need to be on the movie set before 5 am to get ready for my role.

As I step into the dressing room, I am convinced that there will be nobody, but lots of actors are already there, hastily putting on their elaborate, embroidered costumes. I am curious if we are in the same cast, but I guess that the answer is no…

Then, looking behind someone’s pearly coiffure, I catch a sudden glimpse of Emmanuel.

“Hey!” I approach him right away. “Yesterday was great! I’m so excited to work with you.”

“And vice versa,” he replies, smiling; and for a very brief moment, I get lost in his greenish-blue eyes... This sparks up the tension from the day before, and suddenly, I’m at a loss of words. “I’ve read the whole script yesterday. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “I can’t wait to dig into it, too.”

We change into our characters’ clothes then. As we do, I can’t help but check him out. This makes my face flush, but fortunately, he doesn’t notice.

“I need to get going now,” he says instead, putting his backpack into the locker. “See you on set.”

“See you there!” I reply.

Five minutes later, I’m in my outfit already. It feels perfect… Now, it’s time to get my hair and make-up done. It takes a lot of time and feels boring, too; my tiredness returns, but I don’t let myself doze off on the chair. I have been waiting for a chance like this one for so many years!

After around an hour, the director’s assistant comes into the room, saying that the scriptwriter wants to see me for a second before filming starts. I go over to his office, and he grins at my sight. I realize then I must look like Eryll even more right now, and we joke about that. He then tells me that he wants to change a couple of inner monologue lines in the first scene.

“No problem,” I respond lightheartedly, and we enter the room where we’re going to practice. Once there, I feel really stressed… There are really lots of people rushing around and shouting at each other to be heard over the noise. The director is yelling something at the cameraman and the lighting guy… He looks upset.

After letting him know I am in place, I quietly wait for my first rehearsal (which will be filmed so that others can give me feedback). I am anxious but also pumped up; I feel so excited to be the lead actor in this tv series!

*

That day turned out to be very long, one of my longest ones on set ever. Even though we just began, I already needed to do a lot of things; for example, I had to be in multiple scenes (which required changing my clothes and getting my make-up readjusted multiple times). I was also requested to pose for photos with some cast members. I returned home after 8 pm, exhausted, but exhilarated. Especially because the director told me that he was very happy with my initial performance and wanted me to keep acting the way I was. I felt relieved because I was secretly worried they would replace me with someone else if the first day didn’t go well enough.

Chapter 2 – Emmanuel

Since I needed to return to my previous movie studio to re-record some extras there, I didn’t show up at the set that day anymore, which made me glad, as the first day on set is typically chaotic and unnecessarily long!

After arriving the next day, I quickly catch up with my new co-actor, Jamarion. At this point, I don’t know yet whether I like him or not; I suppose I know him too little to form an opinion. He’s a great fit for Eryll’s role, though; a lean, handsome man with tanned skin, short black hair, and chocolate-colored eyes. He has a small scar on the right side of his face that looks quite old. It gives him a tough look…

Up to this moment, I’ve seen him wearing a tight-fitting shirt and jeans, showing off his muscles; but today, he’s definitely dressed more like a college student. The scriptwriter must be in seventh heaven, seeing him in his character’s clothes… He just won’t stop complimenting everyone in the cast.

Today, we are meant to read the second part of the lines. Thank God, I browsed them the day before yesterday, as yesterday, I didn’t have time to look into them at all!

When you’re an actor, free evenings are really scarce. There’s always somewhere you need to be, and there’s always something that you should be doing as well.

Once I’m in the character’s outfit and my make-up’s perfect, Jamarion and I can get into our roles without further delay.

As soon as we begin, I already know I’m going to have a blast, playing the contemptuous and reclusive Italian lord who first migrated to America and then became a forest recluse. I feel like his dialogue parts let me express a side of myself that I typically keep hidden…