Page 27 of Merciless Prince
Tansy was one of the comedic actors on SNS. She’d been on the show for about five years now.
“Well, she’s about to have a baby,” Kelsey said. “Via a surrogate, I mean. It’s due anytime between today and seven days from now.”
My forehead creased with confusion. “Um… okay.”
“Tansy wants to be there for the birth, so the writers have left her out of most of the sketches for this week and next week. But she was written into one sketch that the writers came up withbefore they were told to leave her out. The producers don’t want to scrap that sketch from tomorrow night’s show because it probably won’t be relevant a few weeks from now. So Tansy said she’ll do it as long as she’s available. But if the surrogate ends up going into labor tomorrow, she’ll have to leave the set to attend the birth before the show airs. As the show is taped and broadcasted live, that’s obviously going to be an issue.”
My brows puckered as the story sank in. “Don’t they have standby actors for this exact reason?”
“Yes, but Tansy’s usual standby is sick at the moment. And the backup for the standby isn’t available for some reason.”
“So they want me?” I asked, nervously scratching at my cheek. I’d never heard of a show as big as SNS hiring an unknown actor for anything, even a minor backup role.
“Yes. They want you to fill in for Tansy on that sketch if she happens to get called away,” Kelsey said. “Honestly, it probably won’t even happen, because it might be another week before the surrogate goes into labor, but they still need a backup just in case. And if youdoend up doing it, it could be huge for you. It’s just five lines, but still, four million viewers will see you.”
“But whyme?” I asked. “They could get literally anyone.”
“Someone in the casting department remembered that funny toothpaste ad you did a few months ago, and they thought of using you as the backup because you look similar to Tansy. The others on the team looked up your reel, and they all think you’re great.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I said, mind whirling. “I mean… this is amazing. It’s just such a shock.”
“Itisamazing, yes. There’s a bit of a problem, though.”
“What is it?”
“Well, the show is tomorrow night, and the rehearsal is in the afternoon, right at the same time as your Summer Bay audition.”
My heart sank. “Oh, shit,” I muttered. “Kelsey, I hate to sound ungrateful, but I really can’t miss that audition. It could be really big for me if I get it. Even bigger than SNS.”
“I know, I know,” she said hurriedly. “That’s exactly what I told Pam. But she said it’s okay if you miss the rehearsal. It’s only five lines that you need to say, so as long as you memorize the script and all the stage directions, it’ll be fine.”
I hesitated. Kelsey was trying to downplay it for my sake, but I knew how important rehearsals were before a show. Especially a live TV show that four million people were going to see.
It wasn’t just a practice run to ensure that everyone knew their lines and cues—it also helped to build the comfort and chemistry between the actors. It helped with confidence, too. If I completed a successful rehearsal, I knew I’d be fully mentally prepared to jump into the scene later. But if there wasn’t a rehearsal, that confidence wouldn’t exist. I’d have no idea what the other actors were like to work with, no clue about any subtle nuances of the scene that didn’t shine through in the script, and no idea if I was delivering the lines properly.
“I don’t know,” I said reluctantly. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to get an actress who’s available for the whole thing, including the rehearsal? Also, why wouldn’t they get an actress with comedy experience? Or at least someone who people have actually heard of?”
“Believe me, I had the exact same questions—no offense—but they really want you for some reason,” Kelsey replied. “I guess your reel impressed them.”
I pressed a palm to my forehead and closed my eyes. This SNS thing could be a huge opportunity… but the Summer Bay audition could be huge as well.
I had no idea which one to choose.
I knew there was a high chance I wouldn’t score the Summer Bay part because so many other actresses were going for it, but there was also a high chance that I wouldn’t end up performing on SNS, because it was only going to happen if Tansy Savage’s surrogate went into labor at a certain time. So if I missed the Summer Bay audition to attend the SNS rehearsal, it might be for nothing.
“You can do both. Trust me,” Kelsey said, as if she were listening in on my thoughts. “Go to the Summer Bay audition in the afternoon and then do the SNS thing right after that. Like I said before, it doesn’t matter if you miss the rehearsal. All you have to do is memorize a few lines and some stage directions. Even if you flub a line, it won’t really matter. A lot of the show is improv, so the other actors are used to it. They’ll be able to save you. Also, they have assistants with cue cards right in front of the stage, so even if you totally forget everything, you’ll still be fine.”
I gnawed at the inside of my cheek. “You really think it’ll be okay?”
“Yes! I can’t believe you’re even worrying about it. Most young actors wouldkillfor a spot on SNS, even if it’s just a few lines,” she replied. She cleared her throat and continued in a gentler tone. “You need to learn to take more risks, Shay. This could be great for your future.”
She was right. I was being too careful. If I didn’t stop it, I’d end up squandering this opportunity.
I took a deep breath and let it out. “All right. I’ll do it.”
“Great! They’ll be so pleased! I’ll get them to send the script over to you now.”
Once the call was over, I lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling with a bemused grin. I must’ve brushed up against some sort of good luck charm tonight. Just a couple of hours ago, I’d managed to have amazing sex for the first time in my life, which let me know that my body wasn’t numb or broken after all, and now, totally unprecedented career opportunities were practically flinging themselves at me.
