Fame (13 page)

But when she left that world, she told herself it was behind her. God had taken her out, and God would have to get her back into it if she was ever to act in another film. And now that’s exactly what had happened. God had opened a door, and she was willing to walk tentatively through it.

Even if she felt like she was pretending with every step. The driver led Katy to an office, where she met Mitch Henry.

“Did you look up the film on the Internet?” Mitch sat on the corner of his desk and studied her. “I figured you would.”

“No, sir.” Katy had meant to. But the only Internet access she had was at the Flanigan house, and things still felt strange between Jenny and Bailey and her.

Instead, she’d spent all her time picking out the right clothes and talking to Rhonda on the phone about how this audition could’ve possibly come up. She shifted in her seat. “I only know what you told me.”

“Well..” He crossed his arms and leveled his gaze at Katy. He reached into his desk and handed her a few script pages stapled together. “You’ll be reading from this. I’ll give you a few minutes to get familiar with the scene, but then you’ll be meeting

me and the male lead in the room down the hall.”

“The male lead?” Katy had no idea who it was.

“Yes.” Mr. Henry paused. “Dayne Matthews. He was cast 100

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months ago. He’ll be in the room, but only behind a desk. To day’s read is all about you, darling.” He hesitated again, studying her. “Any questions?”

“No, sir.” Katy had a hundred, but her mind was swirling too fast to verbalize any of them.

“Okay, then, I’ll be down the hall with Dayne. We’ll look for you in a few minutes.” Mitch Henry left the room and closed the door behind him.

Katy realized she was trembling, and she exhaled. Dayne Matthews? He was the lead? Mr. Henry probably expected her to be excited—starstruck even. But all she could think about was that strange night a year ago when CKT was putting on its final performance of Charlie Brown.

Toward the end of that show, a man in his midthirties had en tered the theater by himself and taken a seat in the back row. Katy had been busy watching the play, then organizing the strike party right afterwards. But she definitely saw the guy.

And after the show, Rhonda ran up, breathless with excite ment. “Dayne Matthews was here, Katy! Can you believe it? Right here in our own little theater?”

Katy had doubted it at first, because it didn’t make sense. What business would Dayne Matthews have at a Christian Kids Theater performance? In Bloomington of all places?

But the more people she talked to that night, the more she be came convinced.

Dayne had indeed stopped in to watch part of the show. But his appearance had never been explained, and he left before anyone could talk to him. That night before the strike party began, Katy prayed for Dayne. She prayed that if he had come for a reason, that God would bring him back one day.

Now, with Dayne and Mitch Henry down the hallway waiting for her, she had to believe there was a connection somehow. Had Dayne remembered her and called her in for the audition? The idea was outrageous. He saw her for only a few minutes, onstage

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talking to the parents. Why would that have given him any idea that she could act?

gaty shook from the questions assaulting her. How was she supposed to read for a part opposite Dayne Matthews without understanding why she was here in the first place? Her mind spun in multiple directions, the script in her hands so unsteady she couldn’t read it.

Already five minutes had raced past, and Katy could think of just one thing to do. She closed her eyes, breathed out, and lifted her face. God, fill me with Your Spirit, Your strength, Your power. I don’t need all the answers; I only need You.

My peace I give you, daughter I will never leave you nor forsake you.

The pressing thought came from the center of her soul and spread warmth and peace all the way to her fingertips. The words were from Scripture, words she’d memorized as a little girl, back when she was too terrified to stand in front of her middle-school class and give an oral report.

And now here they were again, ready to speak calm into her being the moment she asked. Katy took a slow breath. Why hadn’t she asked for help sooner? She opened her eyes and looked at the script. Her hands were steady now, and she set about reading the part.

The scene involved the lead female character explaining to her father why she was leaving home and moving to New York City. Other than a few words, it was a two-minute monologue, the character’s mixture of defending herself and her decision and being caught up in the awe and excitement of life outside . her small town. No wonder it was the part selected for the cold - read. It allowed a range of emotions that would give any casting director all the information he needed.

:: She ran over the words three more times. They would expect 7!! her to use the script on a cold read, but after looking at it even that much, she had most of it memorized. She stood, smoothed 102

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the wrinkles in her pants, clutched the script, and headed toward the room where the two men were waiting.

With every breath she reminded herself of the calming words from her heavenly Father: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

That was a good thing. Because without God’s help she wouldn’t get through the first line. She’d be passed out cold the floor from the sheer fright of it all.

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WHEN KATY REACHED the door at the end of the hall, she thought about turning around and pretending the whole invitation to audition never happened. Instead she took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in.” It was Mitch Henry’s voice.

Katy stood a little straighter. Confident. Be confident. I have nothing to lose.., they asked me to come. She opened the door, walked in, and gave a polite smile first to Mr. Henry, then to Dayne Matthews. “Hi. I’m Katy Hart.”

“Hello, Katy. Did you get enough time with the script?” “Yes, sir.” Katy tried to concentrate all her attention completely on the casting director, but all she could see was Dayne Matthews. What was that look on his face, the depth in his eyes? And what was Mitch Henry trying to tell her? Something about the script.

Focus, Katy. Come on. She cleared her throat and held the stapled papers out in front of her. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Katy …” Mitch Henry chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “You flew all this way, so maybe you could sit down.” He 104

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motioned to an empty chair across the table from where he and Dayne were sitting. “We’d like to get to know you a little.”

“Sure.” This wasn’t part of the bargain. Katy inhaled and willed the peace from a few minutes earlier to fill her once again. She took the chair. “Sorry.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I figured you were in a hurry.”

Dayne leaned forward, resting his forearms on the conference table. “Thanks for coming, Katy. We don’t do this all the time, calling in someone like yourself for an audition.” He hesitated, but his eyes never left hers. Again he seemed to see right through her, as if he’d known her all her life. “Do you have any questions?”

She hadn’t planned to ask any, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Yes.”

She looked from Dayne to Mr. Henry and back again. “Why me? I mean, how’d I get here?”

Mr. Henry nodded at Dayne. “You wanna handle this one?”

“Sure.” Dayne smiled, warm and unassuming as he shifted his weight to one arm of his chair. “Actually, it was my doing.”

Katy felt her heartbeat quicken. Dayne Matthews had remembered her from a single visit to the Bloomington Community Theater? Still, she didn’t feel it was the right time to mention his visit. “How… how did you find me?”

“I saw your pilot.” His smile shifted to his eyes. “It was very good, Katy. I liked what I saw.”

“Thank you.” He’d seen her pilot? Her throat felt dry and thick. This wasn’t a chance invitation; Dayne had actually seen her work and liked what he saw. Did that mean he wasn’t going to mention stopping into the theater? She waited for him to continue.

Dayne exhaled hard, stood, and took a few steps away before turning and looking at her again. His expression was more serious this time. “See, Katy, the part calls for a small-town girl anxious to make it in the big city. You already know that, right?”

“Right.” It was easy to forget he was Hollywood’s playboy, the 105

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leding man wanted for every major motion picture. In that moment he seemed like someone she might’ve met in a coffee shop in Bloomington. “I understand the part.”

“Well, the thing is, the part calls for someone innocent. Someone whose innocence shines from her eyes.” He took a step closer and leaned on the table.

“I’ve had six A-list actresses through this office in the past week, and I can’t find innocent.” Dayne looked at Mr. Henry. “Sad, isn’t it, Mitch?”

The look on Mr. Henry’s face was more like frustration, but he nodded. “Very sad.”

“So… I watched your pilot, and I have a hunch about you, Katy Hart.” His grin lit up his face. He sat back down at the table. For a moment he let his eyes search hers. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” She folded her hands on her lap. Her heart wasn’t racing as badly now, but the stakes seemed higher thanbefore.

Six A-list actresses? She was definitely out of her league. “Why’d you stop acting after the pilot?”

“Well . .” She trailed off, buying time. He knew far more about her than she’d expected him to. That knowledge sent her heart speeding along once again. Dayne Matthews doing homework on her? It was more than she could comprehend in so short a time. She found her voice and smiled. “I guess it was personal reasons.

A change of direction, that sort of thing.”

Dayne considered that for a moment, then gave a thoughtful nod. “I can accept that.” He leaned back and stroked his chin. “Tell us a little about yourself.”

“Me?” Katy should’ve been ready. The question wasn’t difficult, but Dayne’s eyes were mesmerizing, rendering her unable to think or speak. Finally she looked at Mr. Henry. “I direct a children’s theater group in Bloomington, Indiana. It’s—”

her

eyes shifted toward Dayne—”very fulfilling.”

“Are you single, Katy?”

“Yes, I am.” She felt her cheeks grow hot under his gaze.

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Across from her she noticed Mr. Henry give Dayne a curious look as if to say, What sort of question was that?

Dayne’s laugh was quick and lighthearted, and he pointed to a folder in front of him on the table. “My research wasn’t clear about whether you were married.

Sometimes that makes a dif ference when it comes to considering a lead role. The filming for Dream On will take at least six weeks, Katy.” He gave Mr. Henry a look clearly intended to set him at ease. “That’s why I asked.”

Katy smiled. It still didn’t make sense that she was sitting here having a conversation with Dayne Matthews and about to audi tion for a part opposite him in a film. The whole thing was crazy. Better to get the audition over and return to her hotel. She could read the rest of the Tom Sawyer script and get her focus back where it belonged. She gripped the chair seat with both hands, ready to stand up. “Was there anything else?”

“No.” Mr. Henry sat up a little, positioned a notepad in front of him, and called out for a man named Robert.

In a matter of seconds a middle-aged man with a goatee ap peared at the door.

“Ready?”

“Yes. She’ll read through it twice.” Mr. Henry gestured toward a video camera set up near the back of the room. “If you’ll tape both reads, please.”

Robert gave a thumbs-up. “Sure thing.” He walked to the back of the room and set himself behind the camera. “Give me a count.”

Mitch looked at Katy and pointed to the front of the room. “Why don’t you stand up there and give us your best read, Katy. Don’t worry if you need the words.

That’s fine.” He paused. “We’re looking for emotion and—as Dayne said—an innocence that shines through on camera.” He jotted something down on the paper.

‘I’ll give a 3-2-1 lead-in, and then I’ll point to you. That’ll be your cue to start, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” She’d done this before. The pattern of cold-read 107

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aditions hadn’t changed much in the years since she’d left the business. “I’m ready.”

Dayne studied her in a way that was unnerving. “Relax, Katy. You’ll be great.

“Okay.” But it was God’s words from earlier that morning, not Dayne’s—that breathed peace into her as she steadied herself and became the character, as she did the thing she asked of her student actors every time they prepared for a play.

Mr. Henry said, “Katy Hart, cold read, June 21, three.., two … one. Roll it.”

He pointed at Katy.

In a rush of emotions, Katy was no longer standing in an air-conditioned room at DreamFilms Studio in front of a casting director and the famous Dayne Matthews. She was Tory Temblin, small-town girl standing before her father, bags packed, trying to convince him that what she was about to do was the right thing, the only thing.

“But, Daddy, I have thought about it. I’ve thought about it and prayed and planned for it since I was a little girl.” Passion rang from her voice as she found the imaginary place in front of her, the place where she could actually see a man in overalls and short hair begging her to put her things away and stay. Stay forever in the small town where she’d been raised.

She swept her hand out in front of her. “This… this farm and this small town are enough for you and Mama, but for me…” Her mood changed, and suddenly she could see the skyline of New York City. “For me I come to life when I think about Manhattan. I can feel the beat of that place from here, Daddy, and it’s an amazing feeling.” She turned partway around and then back again. “I want to be surrounded by millions of people-all of them chasing a dream.”

Her voice was breathy, beyond excited. “I want to fall asleep to the sound of traffic and wake up in an apartment thirty floors off the ground.” She paused and gave her invisible father a smile to melt his heart. “Please, Daddy. Don’t stand in my way. Hug