Screenwriter [One-shot]
Title: Screenwriter [One-shot]
Genre: General
Word Count: 1369
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Alfred is an up-and-coming Hollywood director who just wants to cast Arthur, a talented but still relatively unknown actor, in his sci-fi action film. He doesn't know anything about the actor but has a gut feeling that he's the right one.
"Why are you so persistent, Mr. Jones?" Arthur asked, looking down at him from the steps. "I'm sure there are actors more suited for the part."
Alfred found that he couldn't come up with a response. He had heard the name Arthur Kirkland mentioned before in the industry, yes, but he never actually watched the man perform, whether it was on-screen or on stage. He had to admit it wasn't a smart move to reveal that last fact to the actor he claimed to want desperately in his new movie. Alfred knew he had to say something before Arthur decided to pick up his pace again and leave Alfred there at the station.
"Because," Alfred answered, calmly, "-this is the role that you were destined to play."
Arthur chuckled. "Flattering words, but I've heard better."
"I mean it," Alfred promised. "This role was practically written for you." Half a moment later, he realized it was a corny thing for a scriptwriter to say but he truly meant every single world.
Arthur closed his eyes and there was a long pause. Alfred didn't realize that he was even holding his breath until Arthur opened his eyes and stared at him warily. Alfred felt unnerved but held his gaze steadily while gripping onto the metal railing with one hand.
"... If that's the case, Mr. Jones," Arthur said, "-we're going to have sit down and have a chat. I need you to give me every single detail about this space captain of yours."
Alfred opened his mouth but the only word he could manage to say was, "Really?"
"I'm not saying I'm going to do it," Arthur clarified, taking the last few steps up the stairs. Alfred scrambled up after him.
"You're not going to regret it. I swear, you're going to fall in love with him!"
**
After setting down a tin of assorted biscuits on the coffee table, Arthur excused himself for a moment and disappeared into the hallway. Alfred helped himself to a few biscuits and had finished eating by the time Arthur returned with a tray of hot tea in his hands and a copy of the script under his arm.
The first thing that caught Alfred's eyes was the red ink and the sea of annotations scribbled along the margins.
Alfred frowned. "Is that my script?"
With a grim smile, Arthur handed over the script before taking his seat on the sofa.
"I don't get it," Alfred said, squinting his eyes as he began flipping over the pages. "Was there something wrong?"
Arthur weighed his words before he took a deep breath and said, "It's the dialogue."
"The dialogue is perfect."
"There's a grammatical error on nearly every single page."
Alfred shrugged. "That's just the way the characters are. Some of them are aliens. You don't see people walking around speaking perfect English all the time, right?"
Arthur bit his tongue.
"That's okay. I mean, I did write new languages for the alien characters," Alfred said and with a laugh, he turned around and started rooting through his backpack. "I wasn't expecting anybody to be able to imagine what I envisioned from the script alone." Arthur's eyes widened for a moment as he watched stacks of books and notebooks begin to pile up on the table.
"Have you ever considered getting one of those e-readers?" he suggested.
"Hmm?" Alfred briefly glanced up at him before he returned to his sketchbook, searching for the right page. "Yeah, I have one but I find it much easier when I have all my stuff out like this. Oh wait! I got it." He jabbed his finger onto the page and Arthur leaned over in his seat.
"This-," he said, "-is the world that my characters live in."
Arthur's eyes wandered across the watercolor landscape and he began to imagine what life would be like in the heart of that desert. "You're very talented," he remarked with a hint of awe in his voice.
"That's not actually mine," Alfred pointed out, sheepishly. "It's my friend, Kiku's. He's in the charge of the conceptual art." He looked at the sketch thoughtfully before adding, "but yeah, that's the world that I'm envisioning for my film."
"Are you talking about Kiku Honda?"
"Yeah, do you know him?"
"We went to university together." Arthur smiled and returned his sketch book. "He's a nice chap."
Alfred nodded in agreement. "He's amazing. You should take a look at the character designs." He flipped over to the next few pages. "These are the Katatoonians who are from the Galaxy S201 and as you already know, they're divided up into three main clans. And this here is von Pannwitz. The Princess Imelda. The Captain. And these are the Saganites."
Arthur studied the drawing carefully. "Von Pannwitz looks.... like a character that Gilbert would love to play."
"Who's Gilbert?"
"He's an acting veteran in the theatre circle."
"Never heard of him," Alfred told him. "He's probably great and all but I was expecting von Pannwitz to be closer to your age."
Arthur laughed. "Gilbert would have your head if he heard what you were insinuating. He's been acting ever since he could walk."
"Well, tell him to come over and read for the part." Alfred said, digging through the tin for another chocolate biscuit. "I still haven't finished casting yet."
"Mr. Jones," Arthur began as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his mug. "Based on what I've seen so are, the actor you have in mind for The Captain looks nothing like me. He looks like an action hero."
Alfred gave him a curious look. "This is an action film, you know."
"That's the point. I don't have that brawny physique that you're looking for. Can you imagine me driving a space ship--"
"-- an A64 light freighter."
"-and then, crashing into a space opera house and wielding only one weapon--"
"-- a magnum solar rifle."
"--taking down a bunch of aliens-"
"-- the Saganite army."
"-- and against all odds, manage to escape alive with the captive Princess?" Arthur shook his head before taking a long sip of his tea.
"It's Princess Imelda," Alfred finished before adding, "she's not a damsel-in-distress, remember? She's actually devising a trap so she can get the Lord of the Saganites to spill his diabolical plans."
Arthur stared at the old wine stain on the coffee table. "There are plenty of actors in Hollywood who could play this part," he said. "And that actor is not me."
"No!" Alfred exclaimed, startling Arthur from his stupor. "The Captain is not your typical action hero. Maybe I didn't make it clear in the script and yeah, maybe I exaggerated things a bit when I was describing the character to Kiku but, the Captain is a young man who happens to rise to the occasion and become the hero! He's coarse and rough. He's a bit jaded and doesn't always express himself clearly. But he has a noble spirit and you know that he would do everything it takes to stop the destruction of humanity because--- because he knows that it's worth saving."
Arthur blinked and Alfred quickly looked away, feeling his face turn red.
The young director sighed. "You know, the muscles aren't a big deal. You could always go to the gym and work out for a couple months. We don't start shooting until the end of May. But if you don't want to do the part, I'd understand. It's just that I've been dreaming of this film since I started writing at 14. I know that it's not exactly a sophisticated role but when I first saw you there was just something about that look in your eyes. You have that..."
Alfred trailed off, realizing that things would get too awkward if he started talking about how much emotion Arthur could convey with a single glance. They only met each other 4 hours ago, after all. Alfred gestured with his hands and said the first thing that came to mind. "-that, uh, je ne quois. Or whatever, they say in French."
"Je ne sais quois," Arthur corrected.
Alfred snapped his fingers. "Yeah. That's it!"
Arthur smiled and glanced down at his cup. "You didn't tell me you've been writing this since you were a kid."
"I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm usually talking with executives and this isn't exactly something that comes up in conversation," Alfred said.
Arthur nodded. "I see."
He laid a hand upon the script and was silent. Finally, the actor set down his mug on the tray and straighten his back.
"Shall we go over the lines?"
Alfred's face lit up. "Turn to Act III and let's start from there!"
Genre: General
Word Count: 1369
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Alfred is an up-and-coming Hollywood director who just wants to cast Arthur, a talented but still relatively unknown actor, in his sci-fi action film. He doesn't know anything about the actor but has a gut feeling that he's the right one.
"Why are you so persistent, Mr. Jones?" Arthur asked, looking down at him from the steps. "I'm sure there are actors more suited for the part."
Alfred found that he couldn't come up with a response. He had heard the name Arthur Kirkland mentioned before in the industry, yes, but he never actually watched the man perform, whether it was on-screen or on stage. He had to admit it wasn't a smart move to reveal that last fact to the actor he claimed to want desperately in his new movie. Alfred knew he had to say something before Arthur decided to pick up his pace again and leave Alfred there at the station.
"Because," Alfred answered, calmly, "-this is the role that you were destined to play."
Arthur chuckled. "Flattering words, but I've heard better."
"I mean it," Alfred promised. "This role was practically written for you." Half a moment later, he realized it was a corny thing for a scriptwriter to say but he truly meant every single world.
Arthur closed his eyes and there was a long pause. Alfred didn't realize that he was even holding his breath until Arthur opened his eyes and stared at him warily. Alfred felt unnerved but held his gaze steadily while gripping onto the metal railing with one hand.
"... If that's the case, Mr. Jones," Arthur said, "-we're going to have sit down and have a chat. I need you to give me every single detail about this space captain of yours."
Alfred opened his mouth but the only word he could manage to say was, "Really?"
"I'm not saying I'm going to do it," Arthur clarified, taking the last few steps up the stairs. Alfred scrambled up after him.
"You're not going to regret it. I swear, you're going to fall in love with him!"
**
After setting down a tin of assorted biscuits on the coffee table, Arthur excused himself for a moment and disappeared into the hallway. Alfred helped himself to a few biscuits and had finished eating by the time Arthur returned with a tray of hot tea in his hands and a copy of the script under his arm.
The first thing that caught Alfred's eyes was the red ink and the sea of annotations scribbled along the margins.
Alfred frowned. "Is that my script?"
With a grim smile, Arthur handed over the script before taking his seat on the sofa.
"I don't get it," Alfred said, squinting his eyes as he began flipping over the pages. "Was there something wrong?"
Arthur weighed his words before he took a deep breath and said, "It's the dialogue."
"The dialogue is perfect."
"There's a grammatical error on nearly every single page."
Alfred shrugged. "That's just the way the characters are. Some of them are aliens. You don't see people walking around speaking perfect English all the time, right?"
Arthur bit his tongue.
"That's okay. I mean, I did write new languages for the alien characters," Alfred said and with a laugh, he turned around and started rooting through his backpack. "I wasn't expecting anybody to be able to imagine what I envisioned from the script alone." Arthur's eyes widened for a moment as he watched stacks of books and notebooks begin to pile up on the table.
"Have you ever considered getting one of those e-readers?" he suggested.
"Hmm?" Alfred briefly glanced up at him before he returned to his sketchbook, searching for the right page. "Yeah, I have one but I find it much easier when I have all my stuff out like this. Oh wait! I got it." He jabbed his finger onto the page and Arthur leaned over in his seat.
"This-," he said, "-is the world that my characters live in."
Arthur's eyes wandered across the watercolor landscape and he began to imagine what life would be like in the heart of that desert. "You're very talented," he remarked with a hint of awe in his voice.
"That's not actually mine," Alfred pointed out, sheepishly. "It's my friend, Kiku's. He's in the charge of the conceptual art." He looked at the sketch thoughtfully before adding, "but yeah, that's the world that I'm envisioning for my film."
"Are you talking about Kiku Honda?"
"Yeah, do you know him?"
"We went to university together." Arthur smiled and returned his sketch book. "He's a nice chap."
Alfred nodded in agreement. "He's amazing. You should take a look at the character designs." He flipped over to the next few pages. "These are the Katatoonians who are from the Galaxy S201 and as you already know, they're divided up into three main clans. And this here is von Pannwitz. The Princess Imelda. The Captain. And these are the Saganites."
Arthur studied the drawing carefully. "Von Pannwitz looks.... like a character that Gilbert would love to play."
"Who's Gilbert?"
"He's an acting veteran in the theatre circle."
"Never heard of him," Alfred told him. "He's probably great and all but I was expecting von Pannwitz to be closer to your age."
Arthur laughed. "Gilbert would have your head if he heard what you were insinuating. He's been acting ever since he could walk."
"Well, tell him to come over and read for the part." Alfred said, digging through the tin for another chocolate biscuit. "I still haven't finished casting yet."
"Mr. Jones," Arthur began as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his mug. "Based on what I've seen so are, the actor you have in mind for The Captain looks nothing like me. He looks like an action hero."
Alfred gave him a curious look. "This is an action film, you know."
"That's the point. I don't have that brawny physique that you're looking for. Can you imagine me driving a space ship--"
"-- an A64 light freighter."
"-and then, crashing into a space opera house and wielding only one weapon--"
"-- a magnum solar rifle."
"--taking down a bunch of aliens-"
"-- the Saganite army."
"-- and against all odds, manage to escape alive with the captive Princess?" Arthur shook his head before taking a long sip of his tea.
"It's Princess Imelda," Alfred finished before adding, "she's not a damsel-in-distress, remember? She's actually devising a trap so she can get the Lord of the Saganites to spill his diabolical plans."
Arthur stared at the old wine stain on the coffee table. "There are plenty of actors in Hollywood who could play this part," he said. "And that actor is not me."
"No!" Alfred exclaimed, startling Arthur from his stupor. "The Captain is not your typical action hero. Maybe I didn't make it clear in the script and yeah, maybe I exaggerated things a bit when I was describing the character to Kiku but, the Captain is a young man who happens to rise to the occasion and become the hero! He's coarse and rough. He's a bit jaded and doesn't always express himself clearly. But he has a noble spirit and you know that he would do everything it takes to stop the destruction of humanity because--- because he knows that it's worth saving."
Arthur blinked and Alfred quickly looked away, feeling his face turn red.
The young director sighed. "You know, the muscles aren't a big deal. You could always go to the gym and work out for a couple months. We don't start shooting until the end of May. But if you don't want to do the part, I'd understand. It's just that I've been dreaming of this film since I started writing at 14. I know that it's not exactly a sophisticated role but when I first saw you there was just something about that look in your eyes. You have that..."
Alfred trailed off, realizing that things would get too awkward if he started talking about how much emotion Arthur could convey with a single glance. They only met each other 4 hours ago, after all. Alfred gestured with his hands and said the first thing that came to mind. "-that, uh, je ne quois. Or whatever, they say in French."
"Je ne sais quois," Arthur corrected.
Alfred snapped his fingers. "Yeah. That's it!"
Arthur smiled and glanced down at his cup. "You didn't tell me you've been writing this since you were a kid."
"I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm usually talking with executives and this isn't exactly something that comes up in conversation," Alfred said.
Arthur nodded. "I see."
He laid a hand upon the script and was silent. Finally, the actor set down his mug on the tray and straighten his back.
"Shall we go over the lines?"
Alfred's face lit up. "Turn to Act III and let's start from there!"