Page 36 of Take It Till You Make It
I bark out a laugh. “Quiet? That’s what you think you are?”
Sally shifts in her chair and mumbles, “Oh no.”
“Yes, I’m quiet.” Crispin has abandoned his nachos to sit straight, with curled fists resting on the table. “I specifically choose not to engage because of the artifice of the industry.”
I think back to how dismissive he was the day I was lost in wardrobe, of his constant smirks. “Maybe that’s what you’re going for, Crispin, but that isn’t what I saw. You’ve looked down on me as either being not important or downright lesser. Heck, you callously reminded me that my dad died.”
He flinches. Then, maybe he’s thinking back to our earlier exchanges too, because his gaze wanders and his brow furrows. “That isn’t how I wanted to come across. I apologize.”
His sincerity catches me off guard, and I stammer a little before nodding. “Thanks.”
Clearly, Sally is eager to change the subject because she does exactly that. “So, Ari, tell me more about this interview. Will you send me questions first, so I can be prepared?”
“Oh, um, no. Spontaneous answers will be way better. But I’m not going to be asking anything deep. It won’t be…who was that reporter who used to get people to cry?” I look from Sally to Crispin who both have blank looks on their faces. “Oh! Barbara Walters. It won’t be anything like that.” They exchange a look. Clearly, neither knows who I’m talking about. “Anyway, it’s super light-hearted. A good way for me to introduce you as my big sister.”
“Oh, okay. That seems fun.”
“Wait, is this for your podcast?” Crispin asks.
I nod. “They’ve given me permission to do behind-the-scenes stuff.”
“Will you interview me?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure my audience will really get excited about seeing you. I mean, they like to be lighthearted and laugh.”
He arches a brow. Somehow, the snooty expression looks even more out of place with his preppy character look. “That’s true. I am better than all of them after all.”
I can’t stop the grin that splits my face. I love to see him poking fun at himself. “Yes. The BellyLaughs community is beneath you.”
The three of us chuckle, but I’m already starting to form a fun idea for an interview with Crispin in my mind. A swirl ignites inside me. Returning to my podcast might be exactly what I need.
Chapter Fifteen
Over the next week,I spend my extra time writing scripts, jotting down interview questions, and filming spots for my new BellyLaughs podcast. I start posting quick little teaser videos. The first one is a thirty-second video of Remi’s makeup brushes sitting on the tray she lays them out on. I add the text, “Prepare…” over the film and let that one sit for a couple of days. There are plenty of comments. Most of them are just a question mark, but some people ask things like, “Ari, is that you?” or “Is Ari finally coming back?”
Then I add a second video of the Keds I often wear for my character, propped up next to a megaphone that I borrowed from one of the millions of assistants. Over this short video, I add the text, “…to be…”
The comments flood in on the second post. Some fans post a series of excited emojis or the waving hand. There are still loads of question marks, even multiples in the same comment. But I see the occasional, “I can’t wait!” or “We’ve missed you, Ari.”
The third and final teaser video I post is a close-up of one of the big cameras on set with the text reading, “…entertained!”
This video gets the most response. It’s absolutely explosive. There are thousands of comments within hours. “OMG, is this your movie?” “I heard Ari was going to be in a movie. I didn’t believe it.” “Is this a movie camera? What’s going on?”
Then there are the responses to comments. “She’s not in a movie, dorks. She’s just making new podcasts.” “There’s no way Ari will do this without her dad. She’ll probably just repost old videos.”
There hasn’t been a ton of coverage about me being in a movie, so I tip my hat to the few fans who have seen any of the miniscule amount of news. In the meantime, I’ve recorded interviews with Sally, Terrell, and Grumpy Troll Lady – a.k.a. Grimilda, who is actually quite a character when she relaxes. I’ve been recording takes of my new life for the intro video I plan to release next week. I’ve asked Glory to record a few specific spaces and places back home to give my fans a little comparison of what I came from and what I’m up against now. I plan to release a new video twice a week. Every Tuesday and Friday, which have notoriously been my best viewership days.
It's so great to have this additional project. Even though working on a movie is hard work, the podcast is all mine, and that kind of hard work feels extra special. I know Dad would love that I’m doing this.
I pause, waiting for the grief to slice through me at the thought of Dad, but only a dull ache hits. And along with it is a little bit of happiness over the memory of the time we spent together making the videos. It has been so long since a memory of Dad has prompted anything other than pain that I sit with my eyes closed, soaking it up.
I’m slumped in the camp chair outside my dressing room, laptop balanced on my knees, editing Grimilda’s interview when a shadow falls over me. My gaze is reluctant to leave my computer screen because I want to get this cut exactly right to add to the levity of the answer Grimilda just gave to my ridiculous question. I freeze the video and peel my attention from my computer.
“Oh!” I say, surprised to find Crispin standing over me, a quizzical expression on his face. I cock my head because he’s not in character. “Don’t you work today?”
“I just finished up. I was hoping you had the afternoon off too?”
It’s clearly a question, so I shake my head. “My call is after lunch. Why? What’s up?”
