Page 3 of Acting For Daddy
“Sheila, stop!”
“What? Everyone says you look like a young Marilyn Monroe before she dyed her hair blonde, and I can’t say they are wrong. The red hair and freckles do throw people off a bit, but you could be her twin, I swear it!”
I hold back a sigh at her words. I’ve heard this before. Being told I look like one of the prettiest stars in Hollywood used to make me smile when I was younger and full of hopes and dreams, but something changed when I moved to Los Angeles.
Truth be told, I have loved the actress ever since I was young. I loved watching her films and in Marilyn Monroe, I saw an older version of myself. A little girl from Texas and… I wanted to be an actress. My parents – who wanted me to go to catering school and work in their restaurant – chucked my dream of moving to Hollywood as that of an immature brain. I wanted to prove them wrong by moving to LA and making it as a big-time actress.
Well, that hasn’t worked well for me.
I have been in Los Angeles for ten months. I have been to countless auditions, and sent my tapes to every job posting I could find, and… nothing. I am nowhere close to achieving the dream that I had when I left Texas.
Being constantly reminded that I resemble my idol doesn’t bring me the same thrill it used to. I may carry a few of her features but so do a hundred other girls in this city. All of whom are competing for the same roles I am.
No, I am nowhere near my dream. All the acting I get to do is when I pretend that working as a cocktail waitress doesn’t chip at my soul bit by bit every day. I question how long I will survive here before calling it quits and moving back to Texas.
No, I can’t think like that. Not yet, at least.
“Let me just focus on this drink,” I tell Sheila, turning back to preparing the whiskey sour but that is the moment my phone begins to buzz in the small pouch attached to my apron. I consider ignoring it, knowing all too well that I am not supposed to have my phone on my person during my shift, but I keep it off the chance that my agent reaches out.
“Aren’t you going to take it?” Sheila nods at the buzzing sound. I nod at the spot where our manager is standing busy flirting with another waitress, and she simply shrugs off my worry. “Take it, I’ll cover you.”
“Are you sure–”
“Go, Mina!”
“Okay,” I whisper, ducking behind the counter and into a crouch. I dig my phone out of my apron to take the call, my heart racing when I notice my agent’s name flashing on the screen. I bring the phone to my ear before covering the speaker with my palm, keeping my voice low so I don’t attract attention to my hiding spot. “Hello?”
“Mina!” My agent’s voice breaks through the speaker, and she sounds chirpier than I’ve ever heard her which sends my heart blooming with hope. “I have great news.”
“You do? Is it… please tell me it’s an acting gig!”
Christ, I’m scared to be hopeful. It’s been four months since Belinda became my agent and I haven’t landed a single role. Not even as an extra in a short film. A part of me was terrified the agency would drop me but I guess that is not happening today.
Please let this be good news.
“I got you an acting gig!” Belinda exclaims I slap my mouth to hold back a shriek. “Before you get all excited, it’s not for a movie role but it’s a music video for a famous artist. This guy is the front man of a popular rock band, you might’ve heard of them. Anyway, he’s been looking for an actress to feature in his music video, so I sent your audition tape and–”
“I got it?”
“You got it!” Belinda shrieks, sounding as excited as I feel. “They chose you. I know this is not the movie role you’ve been wanting but it’s a start. This music video will give you popularity like nothing you’ve ever dreamt of before.”
My heart is racing as she speaks. She’s right about this not being the movie break I have been hoping for, but it’s a break nonetheless.
“W-what do I need to do?” I whisper, a little too eager and afraid to miss this opportunity. I know someone who was late for a shoot once and they fired her on the spot. I can’t afford to lose this.
“They want to meet you this afternoon at two and discuss the way forward. For starters, I suppose they’ll make you sign an NDA. This guy is huge in the music industry, so they’ll probably want to protect him. He has requested to interview you himself, so you’ll get to talk to him but from what I’ve gathered, you are who they want in their video.”
“Oh my God!” I cry out, perhaps a little loudly, before slapping my hand on my mouth. My manager would kill me if he caught me taking a phone call during my shift. Speaking of which… “Wait, did you say this afternoon?” My shift doesn’t end until six. My manager would never let me leave early.
“Yes. I will text you the address and you need to be there by two. You can do that, right?”
I don’t miss the warning in her tone. She’s been working just as hard to get me an acting gig and missing out on this opportunity will not only be a disservice to myself but disrespectful to her. No, I cannot miss out on this for any reason.
“I’ll be there,” I respond, and she hums before hanging up.
I slowly tuck my phone back into my pouch before straightening up and sliding back to my spot, my eyes widening in shock when I find Sheila has already prepared all the cocktails on the list. Unlike me, she actually enjoys her work and sometimes watching her prepare the drinks is art itself.
“So, I’m guessing you are finally going to be on the big screen huh?” she grins at me, and I laugh, unable to contains my excitement.