Chapter Thirteen
Chapter
Thirteen
I manage to survive what will forever be known as The
Worst Easter Ever.
But I don’t tell Christian how I feel.
Why?
Because he’s so darn happy.
So, I push my feelings down and chalk it up as a lesson
learned. I now know I need to set more realistic expectations for plans during
the season.
It also helps when my agent calls the next day to tell me
about a fabulous opportunity.
“Ella, how fast can you get back to LA?”
“Um…that depends. Why?”
“Something interesting just came across my desk that I think
you would be perfect for,” she says. “I know you’ve been wanting to do
voice-over work, and this might be your shot.”
She’s right. Most of my work has been on camera, but
voice-over work has been very elusive. I’ve gotten close several times, but
I’ve never booked a job.
“How exciting! What’s the role?”
She doesn’t respond right away. “I don’t have all the
details in front of me at the moment, but I would love to talk to you about it
in person. So, how soon can you be back here?”
“Tracy, come on,” I say with amusement. “You have to know a little
something about the role. I don’t want to waste your time or mine if it’s not
something I want to do.”
Another pause. “Let’s just say this is something you’re
going to want to do, but no one knows about it yet. So, legally, my hands are
tied. I can’t say what it is.” Then she laughs. “That sounded dramatic, right?
Oh, my goodness. What I mean is, the showrunner isn’t giving out many details.
It’s very hush-hush. But that tells me it has the potential to be huge!”
Okay, now I’m getting excited.
“I can be there by the end of the week. I can’t wait to tell
Christian.”
“Oh. Oh, no, Ella. You can’t.”
“I can’t?”
“I mean, you can tell him you’re going to audition for a
voice-over role, but other than that, you can’t talk about this.”
I’m not excited anymore.
“Tracy…”
“You have to trust me on this. Come to LA, and we’ll talk.
I’ve also got a few other auditions lined up, so even if the voice-over thing
doesn’t work out, it won’t be a wasted trip, okay?”
My curiosity is wildly piqued, so I reluctantly agree.
“I’ll see you Friday,” I tell her. As soon as I hang up, I
realize the timing couldn’t be better.
It’s not that I’m happy to leave St. Louis—and
Christian—especially after crying about how much we needed more time together,
but I’m looking forward to having part of my life back.
One that comes with a regular schedule and only one dinner
per day.
“I hate that you’re leaving already,” he says a few days
later as we’re getting ready for bed. He had a game today, so we ate a late
dinner, and now, it’s time to relax with a little TV. “I feel like we haven’t
had much time together.”
You’re not wrong…
Obviously, I don’t say that, but I do think it.
“I know, but my agent got me this audition for some
voice-over work. She’s being super secretive about it, but no matter how much I
ask, she won’t tell me what it’s for.”
“That’s strange, isn’t it? I mean, how can you prepare if
you don’t know what the part is?”
“It’s one of the reasons I’m heading back early. The
audition isn’t until next week. It’s super top secret, and she can only share
the details and the script with me in person.”
He frowns. “I don’t like the sound of this. What if you fly
all the way back there and it’s something weird or crude that you don’t want to
do?”
I laugh softly. “I think we both know I wouldn’t take a role
like that. Not after the way things went down with my last stint.”
He pulls me into his embrace. “It wasn’t all bad.”
Hugging him back, I agree. “It wasn’t. But it definitely
wasn’t what I thought it would be.” When I pull back, I smile. “Now I know the
questions to ask so that it never happens again. Besides, I feel like I’m due
for something good—a good role. And if it’s not the voice-over one, maybe it’ll
be on one of the other auditions.”
“It’s gonna happen, Ella Rose. I
know it. You’re far too talented.”
“Thank you. I need to record you saying that and play it on
repeat before my auditions. You are my ultimate hype friend.”
We crawl into bed and get comfortable. His arm slips around
me, and my head fits against his shoulder like it was always meant to be there.
I love moments like this—the simple ones, where nothing is required of us
beyond being close. His warmth seeps into me, our legs tangled beneath the
covers, familiar and reassuring. I trace idle patterns on his chest, memorizing
the feel of him, the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
I wish these precious moments were all my heart needed. I
wish I didn’t yearn for anything else. At this point in my life, I’m very
happy, but sadly, the truth is that I know I’ll be happier if I can get my
career back on track.
And it really hasn’t gone off the rails, I know that. I know
I’m being hard on myself. But that’s why I need to go and see Tracy and have
the auditions. I know I’ll feel better about myself, and I’ll be able to handle
things better when I feel like things in my universe are a little more under
control.
He kisses the top of my head, and I hum softly.
This is good.
Things are going to turn around for me, and then I can be a
better wife and a happier woman.
I’m claiming it.
I just hope this voice-over thing isn’t something strange.
I get back to LA, and Tracy tells me that the
audition is for a new Galactic Wars animated TV show.
Um…WHAT?
Galactic Wars is one of the biggest movie
franchises in history, but I thought they had wrapped up the whole saga. Six
movies, that was it. Now, they are making an animated show? This is going to be
huge! I want this so badly, but everything is so top secret, and none of the
lines even make sense. It’s all very generic, and there is only a brief
description of the character. It’s really hard to prepare.
After sitting in a lobby, waiting to audition with all the
top voice-over actresses in LA, it’s finally my turn. I get settled in the
studio and say my first line, “You don't have to carry a sword to be powerful.
Some leaders’ strength is inspiring greatness in others.”
“Okay, that’s good, Ella. But we need more of an accent. Can
you try something different?”
“What kind of accent?”
“We’d like an Icelandic accent,” the casting director says.
So, I try to say the line with an Icelandic accent, and I
know immediately that he doesn’t like it. The audition is taking place in a
studio. I’m in a small recording booth with padded walls for sound, a
microphone, and a large panel of glass. On the other side of that window are
ten people, all gathered in the studio just watching and listening to me.
Intimidating much? Yes, very! After I say my line, I see a collective frown.
“We’re going to give you some new lines. Can you try it
again?”
“Of course,” Internally, I’m panicking because I have no
idea what an Icelandic accent even sounds like, and I’m just guessing. I don’t
even have time to practice the new lines. I have to read them cold, in an
Icelandic accent, for a group of strangers I really want to impress. This
audition is not going well, and I can feel myself spiraling. I try my
best.
“Welcome to the Galactic Wars.”
I see all their heads drop and shake again. I don’t think I
have ever bombed an audition so badly.
“Try it one more time. This time with more of an Icelandic
accent,” says the casting director.
I don’t even know what accent comes out of my mouth, but it
definitely isn’t Icelandic. It seems to be a mix of Russian and Irish. Now, I’m
completely sweating, my heart is pounding, and I’m beyond frustrated because I
can feel this opportunity being ripped away. And I want it so badly! I
don’t know what comes over me, but all of a sudden, I raise my hand on the
other side of the glass in the recording studio, and the words fly out of my
mouth. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you want. However, I do know that
I really want this role, and if you give me the chance, I promise I won’t let
you down.”
“Oh, my gosh…that’s it,” the casting director says. “What
you just said? That tone? That’s the voice.”
I hold my breath, waiting to see if everyone agrees.
I don’t want to point out that I started with my own voice,
and they kept directing me away from it.
“You had a little more of a snippy tone, and it works,” says
the casting director. “It’s perfect. Can you read the rest of the scene?”
So, I do, and while I don’t fully understand the world this
character is set in, I do my best to focus on my voice and not on anything
else. By the time I’m done, I’m left facing ten sets of eyes, all of which are
staring at me in awe.
I nailed it.
I know I nailed it.
I only need them to tell me I nailed it.
They all exchange looks before the casting director speaks.
“Ella, that was perfect. It’s exactly what we were hoping for. You truly
embodied the character. Of course, we do have a few more actors to meet with.
Thank you so much for your time. We’ll be in touch.”
I tell everyone thanks before leaving, and I have to admit,
I am wildly curious about who this character is and which part of the franchise
they’ll be added to.
I leave feeling confident, but it’s not like I know the part
is mine. Now, I wait and hope and pray that I get a callback.
I call Tracy as soon as I get in the car.
“But they loved you, right? They sounded positive?” she asks
after I tell her how it went.
“They seemed interested, but they have more actors to
audition, so…”
“Typical, but I wish these casting people would just go with
their gut for once. From everything you just described, you tried multiple
accents until you found the one they liked. Why wait? Why go through the
process of other interviews when they found the voice?”
I love how outraged she is on my behalf.
“Okay, now that that’s done, are you ready for more
auditions? I have a few single-episode roles, four commercials, another
ensemble sketch comedy…”
The groan is out before I can stop it.
“Ella, don’t let what went down on Workin’
for Laughs make you jaded. Besides, they got canceled. So, if you ask me,
they got what they deserved for being so closed-minded.”