The extramile in Hollywood Pt. 01

Cameras were flashing everywhere, and it was hard to see where I was walking. I grabbed my date by her hand as we walked on the red carpet towards the entrance of the Academy Awards. There was a huge line of celebrities that went as far as the eye could see. People were chanting and screaming for their favorites. When I walked past the crowd, everyone was screaming my name. ''James! James!'' They cheered as they were trying to get my attention. All the photographers were taking pictures of my beautiful date, the most attractive girl in the world. We entered the building and I put my arm around her shoulder to guide her through the crowd, and towards the main hall. I could see it all while I was looking for auditions online. But I was so far away from this fantasy, I've only had a couple of roles in some small commercials.

Last year, I took a big leap and moved from the UK all the way to Hollywood. My parents saved a lot of money for me, so I could pursue my dream of becoming an actor, and they enrolled me into a prestige acting school in Los Angeles. My time her has been great, but I still hadn't landed a role that could launch me to stardom. I was living in the dorms near the school, and I had to say it was not bad to live there. It was more of an apartment than a dorm, with my own bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. No wonder my parents had to save so much money for me. And for that I will be forever grateful. When I feature in a box office hit, I will make sure that I give them back what they deserve. Moving from Brighton to the States was a big step for me. Especially when you're eighteen. I am a bit of an introvert, but I did succeed in making some friends here, some real good friends. I got lucky as my neighbor was a guy named Simon who was from Scotland. It was a bit difficult to understand him sometimes but we hit it off immediately and we became best friends. He was a very outgoing guy, and he had a new date almost every other week. He was quite the opposite of me but I think that made our friendship even more special.

Although my parents send me money every month, and yes, I know I'm a bit spoiled, I still had to work a job to survive in this place. Because believe me Los Angeles is fucking expensive. There was a coffee shop at the campus I was living, so I had a part-time job there for half a year now. The owner gave me a little discount for my coffee, and that was quite nice as I drank coffee almost every morning. But I didn't like the work at all, all the costumers constantly yelling at me for no reason. And the boss was a total bitch, she was a 40-year-old woman named Stacy and I couldn't stand her. If the costumers weren't complaining to me, she was giving me an earful for the smallest mistake. She was constantly finding excuses to yell at me. The only thing that kept me working there was Lucy. She was blonde with the most amazing brown eyes I had ever seen. And she had an insane body. Like a typical cheerleader's body, you'd see in American movies.

She went to the same school as me and lived in the same corridor. She was a year my senior, so we didn't go to the same classes, but I still saw her a lot in the coffee shop. I don't know how but in the first weeks of me working her she was super nice. I felt really comfortable around her and we became friends. Furthermore, I didn't have the balls to ask her out or even flirt with her and a couple of months later she started to date a guy named Brad. I didn't like him at first mostly out of jealousy but after getting to know him he was actually pretty nice and we became friends too. I mean to be really honest; Lucy was way out of my league. I was a shy skinny guy with and really average looking. I have dark hair and a pale skin, and I am 6 feet tall and I didn't have great muscles. Brad on the other hand was six four and was a guy you didn't want to fight. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked like a model. So, my luck with girls was zero to non, I actually never been with a girl. The furthers I've gone was making out with a girl I met at the intro party at the campus, but she quit after a week so I never seen her again.

''James! James!'' I heard with a knock on the door.

''Come in!'' I said as Lucy entered my room.

''Omg James did you see it?'' She asked me.

''Uhm no, why?'' I answered confused.

''Are you fucking kidding me? She told me as she holds her phone to my face.

''Hugo Armand is making a new movie and he is planning to shoot it in Hollywood!'' She explained, and I froze.

Hugo Armand was a famous but controversial French movie director. Armand was known for his boundary breaking movies in the early 00's that received criticism for their explicit content. He wasn't shy to break taboos and his movies were known for having very explicit content. But in among movie lovers he was a legend. He made his name in Europe where he won numerous prices at the Cannes Film Festival, but he moved over to the States where his wife is from and been living here since. He wasn't that popular here but he still had a dedicated fan base. I wasn't his biggest fan but I really liked his movies and the way he shot them. He was now over sixty and he didn't produce a movie for over ten years.

Lucy was a huge fan of his work, so that explained why she was so excited.

''The filming is going to start soon and they are looking for actors. I read that Hugo himself will be personally looking for his future cast in the auditions. OMG! I'm so hyped, the sign-ups will start in half an hour so I have to go back, so I can hopefully get an audition!'' Lucy said while leaving my dorm again.

I have to say Lucy is a great actress, she has a lot of potential and I wouldn't doubt it at all that she would land a role. I was still looking for auditions online but I don't think Armand is something for me. I closed my laptop and started to play some games on my phone.

As it got later in the day, I couldn't help but think about the new Armand movie. Maybe I should look more into it. I opened my laptop again and went to the website that gave out information about the auditions.

I read the movie description and it was going to be a romance movie about a married woman who has some kind of affair with the neighbors' son. In other words, a typical Armand movie. My eyes lit up when I saw that the woman would be played by Armand's wife, the beautiful model and actress Victoria Stonefield Armand. She was the hottest woman in the world, and every sensible hetero man had a crush on her. She started out as a model but got into acting after meeting Armand. She was in her forties but she honestly could have been in her twenties with the insane looks she had. She was brown hair with brown eyes and the most insane body known to man. Hourglass figure, small waist, nice chest and a huge ass.

I think if I ever would get the chance to meet her in real life, I would faint instantly. I still didn't think the movie was something for me, but on the other hand, with that mentality I would never become a famous actor. So, I went through the list of roles and I saw they were still looking for the main actor to play the neighbors' son. I went to the requirements and it stated that they were looking for an actor with earlier experience in movies. So, there it was, that was not going to happen. I scrolled a bit further and stumbled upon a smaller role and decided to read into it. It wasn't anything spectacular but a role is a role, so I just thought you know fuck it and signed myself up.

The following week was like every week prior, I went to school during the day and worked at the coffee shop after. It was Friday and I went to a bar with Simon after work.

''Bro, I'm telling you she was so hot, but I am already like seeing another girl since last week so it's a bit difficult''. Simon explained to me. Like always he had been going home with a new girl. I think he has been dating six different girls since last month. I saw some of them and I would have been lucky to date on of them. Simon was a charmer, he was tall dark hair and blue eyes, and he knew that he was handsome. But like he was still not a douchebag at all, he was actually the nicest guy I knew.

''But any way did you hear anything about that role?'' He asked me.

I honestly almost forgot about that role as I hadn't checked my mail in some days.

''Uhm let me check.'' I said as I grabbed my phone from my pocket.

I opened my mail and saw a message from Armand Studios.

''Hey there. We are excited to receive your audition application, and we would like to inform you that you are invited for an audition. The audition will be on Monday morning at 10 am at the Max Pictures Studio. We will send you the script tonight''

''Ow wow I actually got invited'' I said a bit shocked.

''That's great man!'' Simon said, genuinely happy.

''I think that deserves another pint'' he said as we ordered another round.

Monday came around and I was quite nervous as this was going to be the first time I was going to audition for a movie. As it was an acting school, they were very lenient when it came to auditions so they didn't mind if you missed some classes. I woke up early and practiced the script one more time in the mirror before I went to the studio. It was a small script as it was a very minor role so it was easy for me to remember all the lines. I took my coat and went outside where Brad was waiting with his car. As Lucy had an audition too, Brad offered me a ride with them to the studios.

''Omg I'm so excited'' Lucy said as we arrived to the studio. She had been talking about it the whole car ride, and it was cute to see her being this excited about the addition. I had less excitement, and for me it was mostly nerves.

''Good luck babe!'' Brad said as he kissed his girlfriend.

''And good luck, man! I hope you both land the roles!'' Brad said as he waved us goodbye. We entered the studio and it was massive, there was a woman who was waiting for us.

''Hi guys I'm Elaine, one of the casting agents here. Can I see your ID's please''

''Yeah of course'' I said as I showed her my ID. ''Okay James you can go into that room and Lucy, you can follow me'' she said.

''Good luck James see you after the audition!'' Lucy said as I wished her luck too and walked towards the room.

I entered the waiting room where around 20 other guys were sitting in chairs. I recognized some of them from school but I wasn't in the mood for small talk as I was focused on the audition. I looked around me and some people seemed really nervous with their hands trembling while holding the script while some others were so chill it almost seemed they were falling asleep. I read my lines one more time when,

''Number 7, James'' was announced by the voice system.

''This is it'' I thought as I went to the door.

I entered a small room where a guy and a lady were waiting for me.

''Hi James, I'm Mike and this is Maria, one of the casting agents here'' the guy said.

''Please sit down'' Maria said as she pointed me to a chair.

I did my lines and after about ten minutes I left the room. They didn't say anything they only wrote down some notes before they thanked me for the audition.

I met up with Lucy in the hall as we asked each other how it went.

''I think it went really well, they seemed to like me'' Lucy said.

''I honestly don't know they were only writing so it was hard to tell, but I don't have high expectations'' I said to her.

''Ahw James come on, you are a great actor. I have faith in you!'' She said with a smile.

It was really good to hear that from her and I blushed a bit.

Brad picked us up again and he dropped me of at the dorms as I got ready to go to class again.

A few days past and I was hanging out in my dorm again when Lucy burst into the room.

''Fuck!'' I said as she startled me, ''Don't do that again please, knock the next time''

''I'm sorry but I got news! they send us the results!'' She said excitingly.

''Ow shit, and do you have the role?'' I asked her.

''I don't know I haven't opened it yet'' she replied.

I opened my mail and saw a new message from Armand Studios.

''Hey Timo Armand here, unfortunately I have to inform you that the role you auditioned for is going to someone else. But I have some great news for you, I think you have a lot of talent and you would be perfect for the main role. So, I want to invite you over for a private audition tomorrow and I will send you a scene from the movie you can practice. There will be a taxi waiting on you at your address to bring you here.''

I read the mail three times before I realized it. I couldn't believe it, Hugo Armand wants to personally give me an audition, I was shaking with excitement.

I closed my mail and turned to Lucy.

''You're not going to believe this but Hugo Armand invited me for an audition for the main role'' I said. As I looked at her, I could see tears in her eyes, and not from excitement.

''Ow fuck you didn't get it'' I said

''No'' she said really sad.

I felt quite bad for her as I actually didn't want a big role in the first place and she was the one who is a huge Armand fan.

''I'm sorry'' I said I tried to cheer her up a bit.

''But I'm super happy for you'' she said as she smiled at me with teary eyes.

''You are the one who believes I can do it'' I said.

''Of course, you can'' she said as she hugged me.

''Thank you'' I said as I hugged her back.

''You have to bring me an autograph from Armand, okay?'' She said with a grin.

''Sure thing, I will do it.'' I said back as she was still a bit sad.

I woke up the next day and got ready for the audition again, I still couldn't believe I got invited and that I was going to meet Armand. I took a shower and got dressed and looked outside my window. There was indeed a taxi waiting for me as I left my dorm and walked towards the car.

''James?'' The driver who stood beside the car asked me.

''Yes'' I said as he opened the door for me. It was quite a drive as driving in LA takes ages but it gave me some time to read the scene again. In the scene I meet the neighbors' wife for the first time, it was a short scene so I was able to practice it in a day.

We arrived at one of the biggest houses I've ever been too, it was in the Hills as a big gate opened up for us. As the driver pulled into the driveway, a young man opened the door for us.

''Welcome, my name is John I am the security guard here. Mr. Armand is waiting for you inside'' he said and showed us into the house. He rang the door as a man approached the door.

''Welcome James good to see you in person!'' The man said. That man was Hugo Armand, I recognized him from pictures he was shorter than I expected around five eight and a slightly overweight.

I shook his hand and introduced myself to him. ''It is an honor to be here sir!'' I said as I greeted him.

''Hahaha, thank you and please don't call me sir, come in!'' He said with a friendly tone.

I followed him into his house, it was huge with beautiful views of LA and a lot of expensive looking furniture and art. He took me into a room with a table with chairs where I saw a woman waiting for us.

As she stood up my legs started to shake, holy fucking shit, it was Victoria. Her beauty was something else, she was tall with a big booty that was displayed by her white dress. She had long brown hair with a perfect face and the most stunning brown eyes. She was taller than her husband and almost as tall as me. As she walked towards me, I couldn't believe my eyes, she was even more beautiful in real life. Like every other man I've fantasied about her quite often and now she stood here in front of me.

''So, you must me James, nice to meet you I'm Victoria'' she said as she shook my hand.

I was so nervous as I looked at her. ''I'm Jamie'' I said as I realized my voice was shaking.

Armand laughed, ''I thought your name was James?''.

''I'm sorry mister Armand, but yes, it is'' I said as my voice was trembling.

''You can call me Hugo and don't worry hahaha, I know my wife has this effect on people'' he said with a wink as I turned red.

''Come sit down'' Victoria said to me as she walked back to the couch. I sat down between her and her husband and he began.

''So, James you know the story about this movie, right?'' he asked me.

''Yes, I do'' I said nervously.

''Okay well the main part of the movie is about a married woman; she is played by my beautiful wife. And for your role you will be her love interest.'' He explained.

''So, if you act like this around her all the time it will be difficult'' he said with a serious tone.

''I'm sorry I just never met a big celebrity like this in my life'' I said as I cooled down a bit.

''I know I was kidding'' he said laughing again.

''Okay so you want to practice the role with my wife?'' He asked

''Yes sir!'' I said.

''Great and for the last time don't call me sir'' he said with a grin.

Victoria stood up again and I couldn't help but stare at her insane body, her dress really didn't leave anything to the imagination. But it didn't have any cleavage unfortunately.

I did the scene with Victoria; it was nothing special but it went surprisingly well. I was shocked that my nerves didn't take over.

Hugo smiled at me, ''I think we found the perfect person'' he said as my heart started beating faster.

Holy shit did I just land the main role?

''What do you think honey?'' He asked his wife.

''I think he'd be perfect'' she said as she smiled at him.

''James you can sit down again'' Hugo said to me.

''So don't take this personally and it isn't an insult but for this role I was looking for like a boy next door, not a muscular guy or something he had to give a timid vibe. Most of the guys that auditioned didn't fit that criteria but you are perfect!'' He said.

I didn't care that he kind of insulted me, I just landed a huge role.

''James are you familiar with my work?'' He asked me.

''Yes, I've seen a lot of your movies'' I responded.

''Okay than you know that I want to be as authentic as possible right?'' He said.

''Yes'' I answered.

''Okay how much experience do you have with woman?'' He asked.

I was surprised by this question, why did he want to know that.

''Uhm, like almost non'' I said honestly.

Hugo smiled again, ''Perfect''.

I didn't understand what he meant by that.

''So, like I said authenticity is key, and the boy in the movie is also unexperienced so that's why I asked it.''

''Well, there will be some erotic scenes in the movie, are you okay with that?''

I looked over at Victoria, and couldn't believe it.

''I think so'' I said as I turned red again.

''It's okay James don't be shy'' she said as her Husband laughed.

''Great, so what do you think, do you want the role?'' He asked me.

My head was still spinning from what just happened and I thought about it.

''Yes!'' I said with excitement.

''Great, so it is settled, we'll are starting shooting next week, I will make some contracts ready can you come by my office on Friday?'' He asked.

''Yes!'' I said.

''Great! I will send you the script so you can read it and if you need any help don't hesitate to ask.'' He said.

I stood up and shook their hands again to thank them both. The guard escorted me outside where the taxi was waiting again. I waved goodbye to Hugo and Victoria as the taxi drove me back to my dorm.

What did just happen? I asked myself on the way back. I just landed a huge role and I couldn't wait to act with Victoria.

------------------------

''Damn bro, I can't believe you got to meet Victoria focking Armand! Is she as hot as in the pictures?'' Simon said when I told him everything that happend.

''Yes, she is even hotter'' I said with a big grin.

''Bro, you're going to be in a fucking movie with her'' he said,