Chapter Thirty-Three #2
I choose to ignore that, the need to defend Oliver too strong to resist. “He’s a remarkable musician.
Always has been, but he’s even better now.
There were times where I felt, like, overwhelmed by the work, but he pulled me out of it.
He’s super generous, too. I mean, he moved both of us almost four hundred miles at the drop of a hat. That’s something, right?”
Rebecca’s eyes narrow. When I finish my little speech, she says nothing, the jazz music from the bar filling the space between us. Eventually she leans forward, her eyes little more than slits, and asks, “What exactly happened up north?”
I blink, surprised. I open my mouth to stammer out a response, but she cuts me off by saying, “Actually, don’t answer that. Not until post-prod is over.”
“Rebecca, I—”
“Can I give you some advice?” The urgency in her voice sends a surge of fear through me. “Woman to woman?”
I nod.
“Tonight, when you talk to everyone at dinner, do not give them any reason to think that there’s any kind of funny business going on.
And I mean anything—like arguments, romantic shit, whatever.
Everyone in this industry is dispensable because there are a million people vying for the same gig.
” She pauses for a second, then adds, “Okay, in our case, maybe there’s hundreds of thousands of people gunning for our jobs, but the sentiment is the same: Until you’re so established that you’re turning down work, you can’t afford a misstep. ”
At my horrified expression, Rebecca softens her tone and places a hand on my shoulder.
“The same thing goes for me, babe. You know how hard it is to make it in this industry. I had my dad’s help, but even then, I have to be extra careful about how I present myself.
Part of it is that our niche is such a boys’ club, but it’s also a Hollywood-movie thing in general.
Every connection you make is transactional.
The second these people think you’re going to cost them something, you’re out—unless you have the safety of a super famous parent or something. ”
I know this is true, but it’s somehow harder to hear it coming from Rebecca, the same girl whose hair I held back while she puked up jungle juice in her apartment bathroom.
We’re no longer stressed-out college students who have each other’s backs; we’re now stressed-out working professionals, still trying to keep an eye out for each other.
“You’re right, I know,” I reply after a hard swallow. “No funny business tonight. I promise.”
She smiles. “It’ll be fine. Just be your usual charming self, and I’m sure you’ll walk out of there with a few coveted email addresses.”
“I sure fucking hope so,” I mutter.
“Shall we?” she asks as she glances at the time on her phone.
As we wait for the bartender to run our cards, I force myself to take deep breaths.
Chris hates drama, Rebecca warned me months ago.
Even though Oliver and I have personal things to figure out, we’ve made it this far without any kind of major problem.
What’s one more night in the grand scheme of it all?
The bartender sets our credit card slips in front of us. After I scribble a tip, I turn to Rebecca and say, “Hey, before the night gets away from us, I just wanted to say thank you. It’s not lost on me that I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”
“First of all, it’s your talent that got you this far, not me,” she replies as she slips off her stool and shrugs on her coat. “Secondly, you know I love to help a sister out in this business, but I can’t take full credit for that, either.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was Oliver who suggested I reach out to you. I mean, once he said your name, I knew you’d be great at it so I texted you right away, but technically, it was his idea,” she says. “Did he not tell you that?”
My breath whooshes out of me. I’m so stunned that I momentarily freeze while putting on my jacket.
“No, he… he never mentioned that,” I reply quietly as I struggle to find my zipper.
“Huh.” Rebecca cocks her head to the side and shrugs. “I was a little surprised when he suggested you since, well—the whole college thing, but it all worked out, right?”
“Right.” I force a placid smile on my face. “It all worked out.”
Rebecca leads the way out of the bar and into the cold, wintry night. When her back is to me, I pull my phone out of my purse and hammer out a text to Oliver at lightning speed.
Celia
you put me up for the lineage job? why didn’t you tell me that?
The restaurant is only a five-minute walk away, so I have no choice but to forget about this until later. After all, the work comes first.
DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE:
See the First Teaser Trailer for Chris Ross’s New TV Show Lineage
BY LISA MORRISON, TV EDITOR
NOVEMBER 5th
DEADLINE has the exclusive first look at Chris Ross’s new TV show Lineage. Check out the first official teaser trailer HERE!
Best known for his hefty drama films, which have garnered him multiple awards, Ross brings his directorial and producing talents to the small screen for the first time ever in partnership with Limelight and A24.
The prestige drama about a wealthy New York media family stars Golden Globe winner Luke Tudor and three-time Emmy nominee Erica Stewart.
Details about the show have remained under lock and key throughout production, leaving both industry professionals and fans speculating on what we can expect from Ross’s first foray into television.
Speaking exclusively to DEADLINE, Limelight President & CEO Greg Baros said, “Lineage is the kind of show that every service would kill to have on their roster. It’s storytelling at its highest form. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Chris Ross and team to the Limelight family.”
Lineage is slated to stream exclusively on Limelight April 2nd.