Were All Just Wage Earners
Avery Hayes knew the entertainment industry was full of unwritten rules, but nothing was more solid than a black-and-white contract.
If it was spelled out in print, even an A-list, award-winning actor had to play by the book.
Nepo babies with their own funding who tried to upstage costars with flashier makeup or steal scenes would find themselves paying a hefty penalty for breach of contract.
The law, Avery thought, was the only real way to protect yourself.
"Hey, don't be mad," Owen Bowen said, his voice a low, calming rumble. Seeing his manager, Maya Laurent, fuming, he just smiled. "With a face like that, he couldn't outshine me even if I went completely bare-faced."
"Owen, you're just too nice," Maya grumbled, her eyes flicking over to where Leo Foster was getting his makeup touched up. She gave a sharp, definitive nod. "Seriously. You could go on camera with no makeup at all and still look better than him."
Avery had to agree. One hundred percent.
Leo Foster's face was decent, maybe, but he was a long way from handsome. Owen Bowen, on the other hand, was on another level. He was tall and well-built with a clean-cut vibe that made him naturally stand out in any room.
Of course, the industry was crawling with gorgeous people. The guys were all tall and striking, the women stunning and captivating. Even the nobodies acting in these low-budget web series were way better looking than your average person.
"Look, I'm just here to do a job," Owen said with a lazy shrug. "They can tone down my makeup, they can cut my scenes, I don't care. I get paid either way, just like the contract says."
Maya blinked, then let out a small laugh. She sat back down on her stool and nudged another one toward Avery. "Owen's right. Why get so worked up? It's not our problem. As long as the check clears, we're good."
Listening to them, Avery couldn't help but feel a little amused. She was starting to like this film crew. Everyone was just here to work. Clock in, act, clock out, go home. Why get sucked into drama over a small-time project?
"Damn it! I'm shooting a web series that won't even make it onto a major streaming service, we're just hoping for viral views, and this kid wants to act like a star on my set? I'm not putting up with this crap."
Just as Avery was appreciating their just-here-for-the-paycheck attitude, the director, a man named Duke, stormed over, his face dark as he muttered curses under his breath.
"Easy there, Duke," Owen said, his way of looking at things always a little off-center. He handed a bottle of water to the fuming director. "Think about it this way: what if the show goes viral because everyone is hate-watching this guy? Wouldn't that bring in investors for your next project?"
Duke just stared at him, stunned. After a second, he snatched the water. "I have artistic integrity, damn it!" As a director, even of a web series, he wanted to make something people actually liked.
"Integrity and bad makeup aren't mutually exclusive," Avery chimed in quietly. "He's in front of your camera. You decide how he looks in the final cut."
Avery didn't really get how this industry worked, but she knew one thing for sure: the director's camera was king. Wasn't Leo's whole point in demanding a makeup change just to look good? But whether he actually looked good on screen was ultimately up to Duke.
"Good point." A cold smirk spread across Duke's face. He glanced over at Leo, then picked up his walkie-talkie. "Alright, next scene! Actors to your places!"
Then he turned to Avery. "Dr. Hayes, your scenes are this afternoon. Since this is your first time, don't be nervous. Just hang back and watch for a bit to get the feel of it."
"Okay." Avery nodded, moved her little stool to a corner, and started watching the filming process intently.
As she watched, she wasn't really focused on Maya and Owen's acting.
Instead, she was analyzing camera angles and where the actors were positioned.
How could someone who'd never acted a day in her life possibly pick it all up just by watching?
She knew she couldn't compete with them on pure talent.
So, instead of trying to copy what they were doing, she focused on the technical stuff so she wouldn't mess up the basics when it was her turn.
Figuring out camera positions and blocking was something she could learn and apply just by thinking it through.
The morning flew by. During their quick lunch, Avery also got the scoop on Leo Foster.
Like her, he was a total newbie. But while she'd been scouted by Dexter Reed in a ramen shop, Leo had gotten the part through connections, apparently, he was the son of one of Dexter's buddies.
He was only doing this series for fun, to test the waters and see if he could make a name for himself in a project funded by the powerful Stellar Media Group.
If people liked him, he planned to put together his own team to fund and direct his own stuff later.
But he didn't seem to get his place in the pecking order. He was supposed to be here learning the ropes, getting ready to be a producer or something down the line. Instead, he showed up acting like a big shot, demanding a private trailer and trying to get Owen's makeup toned down.
With a brain like that, he wanted to get into investing? He was going to lose his dad's shirt, and then some.
There was no real lunch break on set; they went right back to work after eating. Around three in the afternoon, it was finally Avery's turn.
The scene was simple: the female lead injures her leg again, and Avery's character, the second female lead, rushes to the mansion with a medical kit to treat her. Her character needed to show a mix of anxiety and professional control.
Avery could pull off that emotion. In her real life as a doctor, she'd dealt with situations like this all the time.
The moment she stepped in front of the camera, her natural doctor's presence was undeniable.
Before they started, Duke had his assistant walk Avery through the scene and her marks. But since it was her first time, he figured it would take at least two or three takes before she could even hit them correctly.
He couldn't have been more wrong. The second she stepped into the shot, she found her light perfectly. Her entire vibe was spot-on, and even her tiniest expressions were incredibly precise.
On camera, Avery leaned down, her fingers gently pressing about two inches above Maya's knee. Her technique was so professional it looked less like she was acting and more like she was performing a real diagnosis.
After finishing her examination, her brow furrowed slightly. "You've re-injured the fibula in your left leg, and there's fluid in the joint. This fall shifted the previous fixation. It needs to be reset and reinforced. Otherwise, you might..."
Her voice was cool and clear, with an air of professional authority. She delivered the lines methodically, putting a slight emphasis on the medical terms, with just a hint of a tremor at the end, a controlled performance that perfectly captured a doctor's calm precision in an emergency.
Hearing Avery's lines, the director's assistant frowned a little. "That delivery is incredible, more professional than a lot of seasoned actors. But wait, did she change the lines?"
"She did, but the length is the same. And honestly, it has way more impact than what was written," Duke said, nodding, deeply impressed.
A real professional really did make all the difference.
The original script didn't say anything about a fibula or joint effusion; with that small change, she added a whole new layer of realism to the scene.
The assistant stared at the monitor, his eyes full of admiration. "She's amazing on camera. I was so worried she wouldn't even be able to find her mark."
Remembering the contract signing from the night before, Duke watched Avery's performance and it all clicked into place. "Someone who studied medicine for eight years and still had time to devour law books is going to kill it in whatever field she chooses."
A grad student acting in a little web series? It was like bringing a cannon to a knife fight. She was completely out of their league.
He wondered if she was really just here as a favor, like Dexter had said, or if she was actually thinking about a career in showbiz. If she planned on sticking around, he thought, he definitely needed to get her contact info.