Ring Ring

  “Hello?” Mum answered the phone in our living room, “Yes, this is his mother, Kathy.”

  She paused for a moment before a blinding smile lit up her face. “Oh, that’s wonderful news. Of course, we e down to discuss terms. Tomorrow? Yes, that’s doable.”

  As soon as she put down the phone, she gave me the beaming smile she usually did. “You got the part!”

  Although it was the third movie I’d be doing and the seovie involving an audition, I still felt eted at the news.

  “YES!” I celebrated excitedly, jumping around. I rushed to Mum and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for letting me do this, Mum!”

  “Anything for you, love.” She returned my embrace with equal fervor.

  After separating, she said, “Let’s discuss some terms before we present them to the producers tomorrow.”

  I nodded and sat down on the couch happily.

  “First of all, they’ll tinue your dance lessons for your role, so we won’t o iate for that,” she stated the obvious.

  “Yes. And the best part is that it’s with Peter, so that’d be great,” I gushed excitedly.

  “Yes,” Mum nodded. “ are your musid martial arts lessons. As [Dancer] is a small-budget film, we ake too many demands of the produ. I’ll ask them if they aodate it, but no guarantees.”

  That was uandable. I could alractice musiy own for two months if it came to that.

  “They are obligated by w to provide you with a personal tutor, so that won’t be a problem. Now, the important part of iations is your pay.”

  “What about it?” I asked curiously. “I got 250k for [The Sixth Sense]; I ’t believe I get any more than that before it releases.”

  Mum shook her head. “No, that was before you got the Golden Globe. Given what they know about you starring in [Harry Potter], you easily get half a million at the very least from any other average to high-budget film.”

  “What about this one?” I asked the obvious question.

  “I don’t think they’d pay you anything more than 100k,” Mum said frankly. “This makes our position a little stronger as ut forth a dition for future dividends.”

  “Dividends? Don’t only the top stars get dividends?” At least that’s what I believed wholeheartedly.

  Mum shook her head. “Not really, no. See, most small-budget indie films fail at the box office; many don’t eve distributors. So produ panies limit their budget by paying actors lesser saries to maximize profit. Usually, most renowned actors won’t work in small-budget films in this case, so producers attach a profit-sharing iive to lure big stars to small-budget films.”

  “But I’m not a big star! her am I old enough to demand profit shari,” I argued.

  “Why are you so hell bent on redug your own pay?” Mum asked incredulously.

  “I don’t want to lower my sary! It’s just that… I feel like even 100k is enough for a two-month job. I doly oo much money. And we have [Harry Potter] to earn money from, after all.” I gave my excuses.

  In hindsight, yes, it was me being an immature ass who didn’t know his own self-worth.

  “Don’t worry too much about money, love. But keep in mind that it’s not just a two-month job. You have to do interviews, film promotions, and attend film festivals. And, of course, you have to face fans and people wherever you go for years to e who may remember you for this small indie role that you once did. Is that fair for a two-month job? And remember, the mohat you don’t take goes to big corporate giants who already have too much money.”

  “When you put it like that…” I trailed off and sighed. “Fine, you do the iating. Get as much money as you from them. Or rather, don’t.”

  I paused for a moment or two ahrough some calcutions in my mind. [Billy Elliot] earned more than 100 million worldwide in my past life. Assuming things go in a simir dire this time as well, I safely say that even if I get 1% of the gross revenue, I’d still get more mohan the 500k that I’d normally get.

  “Don’t ask fross sary at all,” I decred. “Ask for a share in the gross theatrical revenue. Even if you could get me 2%, that would be enough.”

  Mum was looking at me, shell-shocked. “2%? Really? What if the film never gets released? Or doesn’t break even?”

  “2%, subjeinimum of 100k?” I answered after thinking for a bit. “That would be my expectation. You obviously go higher if you .”

  “I like the way you’re thinking now,” Mum agreed with my idea. “I will ask for a share in home video if the film is not widely released iers.”

  “Nice,” I smiled at her determination. “You go do that. I have a phone call to make to share the good news.”

  “Oh? May I ask who?”

  “Toni,” I smiled. Toni Collette was the sole reason I was involved in ballet, so I felt I owed it to her to tell her the good news first.

  (Break)

  Stephen Daldry was sitting beside one of the producers of the movie [Billy Elliot], Jon Finn, when another man barged into the room.

  “Is it true? You finalized Billy without firming with me?” His voice was as calm as usual, but there was a hint of detectable rese in it.

  “Now, Greg, let me assure you, we’re just iating the traothing is set in stone.” Jon raised his hands, trying to pacify his co-producer, Greg Brenman.

  “Oh yes? Then when were you going to tell me? After signing the traaybe after the movie has been released?” Greg asked.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Stephen Daldry grouched, “cut the sarcasm. You were in Switzernd vacationing with your new girlfriend, not our fault. I didn’t even know you were returning today.”

  Greg rolled his eyes but sat down on the empty couch seat beside Stephen. “Fine, just tell me about the kid.”

  “Troy Armitage, he’s 10. Born and raised in London mostly except for the st two years when he moved to LA for his father’s work. He has dowo films, the first one [Sex Education]. Rave reviews, he won a Golden Globe this January, and a favorite to win an Emmy this fall.” Stephen summarized.

  Greg only raised an impressed eyebrow and motioephen to tinue.

  “The sed film is in post-produ and will be released by Disney in the first week of August. A mid-budget film with more than 40 million, starring Bruce Willis. Troy sing very well, and py the piano, which as you’d recall is required for the movie. And the best part, he is the best actor of the lot I auditioned.” Stephen’s lips curled up in a genuine smile. “From what I’ve seen, he has more talent than most kids when it es to ag.”

  Greg shook his head. “While that’s all well and good, what about his dang? And his at? Didn’t you want to only get an actor from northern Engnd?”

  “He do ats passably,” Stephen shrugged. “A few weeks of at csses will do it. Nothing too extreme. As far as his dang goes, holy, he is almost as good as the other kid that you reended. Jamie? I mean, Troy only started dang two months ago, but he is a natural. Peter has reassured me that he get the kid ready in two months. He has already been teag the kid for a month.”

  “Ah, of course. It’s Darling.” Greg grinned, “Did he tell you that while sug your cock?”

  “No. He didn’t,” Stephen answered calmly. “I am with Ian, remember?”

  “Oh e on, mate. It isn’t like you're exclusive. I know Ian wouldn’t mind you getting your willy wet with Peter. We hetero people have so maraints.” Greg jabbed him pyfully.

  “As much as I’d like to know more about Stephen’s sex life,” Jon cut in, “We are getting off-topic. Seriously Greg, grow up.”

  Greg just rolled his eyes at his maturity.

  “Now,” Jon tinued expining, “While we know that Troy is a parable dao Jamie, but he is a much better actor, py the piano, and has already worked on film sets, so he knows his way around. But that’s not his most promising sell. It’s his adoptive father.”

  “And who might that be?” Greg asked curiously.

  “Steve Kloves. Or better known as the person who bought the rights to Harry Potter.” Jon expined, “Amusingly, they began auditions for all the roles except the lead role of Harry.”

  “How has the media not deduced this?” Greg rubbed his head at the information.

  “Probably Warner Bros either suppressed the news or no one wao publish without firmation from a source. Steve is, after all, Ameri, and it has been annouhat the whole cast would be British/Irish.” Stephen answered.

  “So what am I missing? The kid would be Harry Potter and all that jazz, but what’s that gotta do with our film?” Greg asked.

  Jon rolled his eyes in exasperation, “Holy, man! Marketing! Warner would most likely annouhe result in a few months. As soon as his name came out, the media would try to learhing about him. All his roles, his personal life, everything. Free publicity for a 5 million movie.”

  “Okay,” Greg agreed slowly, “I agree to that. Fine, where are the iations with his tract?”

  “That was quick,” Stephen ented offhandedly but was ignored by both the producers.

  “His mother, who is ag as his agent, asked for a price of 500,000 along with a 10% Gross share if the global receipts exceed 10 million.” Jon replied, “She is sharp, and knows that we know about Harry Potter, so she increased the price.”

  “But dividends?” Greg asked incredulously, “For a 10-year-old?”

  “They know their value. So they i a bit.” Jon waved it off dismissively, “Here is our teroffer, 100,000 with a 2% of Gross share if the proceeds exceed 25 million. What do you say?”

  Greg thought for a bit then nodded slowly, “That is doable. But I don’t think they’d agree to that. What’s our final offer?”

  “Either 300,000 with no bonus or 150,000 with a 5% share if the gross exceeds 20 million.” Jon replied, “And you know that in films like this, it is difficult to break eve alo four times the budget. I’ll say we choose option 2. Even if we get more than 20 million, he’d get us more publicity than the 1 million we’d be giving him.”

  “Okay,” Greg agreed, “You iate then. It’s your forte after all.”

  (Break)

  It took a whole week of iations before I finally signed a tract with BBC Films and W Title Films to appear as Billy Elliot in the film named ‘Dancer’.

  My final terms for the film were me getting paid 5% of Gross Iional theatrical revenue, subjeinimum of ￡75,000 (~120,000) if the box office exceeds 20 million. This means I get only ￡75k until the gross revenue exceeds 20 million.

  There was another dition that my mother protested against, but I acquiesced to it. I would get the share of the box offily if either I get cast as the lead in [Harry Potter] or another of my movies in which I have at least 30% stime exceeds 300 million at the global box office before the wide theatrical release of ‘Dancer’.

  I know from my future knowledge that [The Sixth Sense] alone is enough to fulfill that criteria, so I got Mum to sign that agreement after some cajoling. Even if [The Sixth Sense] underperformed, like I had told Mum earlier, I’d be happy with my 120k. I don’t hat much money, and after a certain point, money is just a number.

  Other than mohe tract also covered details of my extra lessons.

  As we’d be shooting in June and July, I didn’t o study because of the summer vacation. They’d have preferred to dey the shooting by a few weeks but couldn’t because I had to go back to the States for the promotion of [The Sixth Sense] during the st week of July.

  To pensate for this, my music lessons had been shifted to weekends only because weekends were free from ag for me as per gover regutions. Because it was a really small-budget movie, my music lessons were paid for by my parents. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get martial lessons because we were shooting in a small town, and there were no self-defense hting-type gyms there. But I had accepted it at this point that I wouldn’t get all the amehat I wanted while shooting a film, so I will do what I did during [The Sixth Sense]: practiy own.

  As soon as the tract was signed, I had to begin my private dance lessons with Peter, no longer being shared by a bunch of other kids. Not like I enjoyed iing with most of them. I think they felt that I was getting special treatment from Peter because there was some palpable reseowards me from some of them.

  Mum won’t uand the types of things I tolerate because of her and her worries that I’m being ‘anti-social’.

  “Alright,” Peter began, gaining my undivided attention, “we have four major dance sequences in the movie. The practice sessions that are all over the movie would be quite easy for you, that I guarantee. Of the major ohe first is when Billy practices with his teacher in private. The sed is when he is frustrated by his brother and teacher shouting at each other. Third, when he dances for his father and the st is the audition for the Royal Ballet School.”

  Yeah, those were most of the ses that involved heavy dang.

  “The first one, I ot chraph now as we he female actor as well. The sed one is the most difficult and will be the lo dance sequence of the movie. The other two are retively easier. We’ll begin with your audition for the Royal Ballet School as your first performahen we’ll move onto se-3, dang in front of your father, and finally se-2, angry dance.” He expined.

  “Will the shots be done iake or will there be cuts?” I asked the most important question. The more dang that is iake, the more difficult it bees while shooting but at the same time brings forth a more authentic viewing experience. More cuts will make shooting the ses easier for both the actor and the crew, but it dimihe authenticity of the performance.

  “That depends totally on you, Troy.” Peter answered, “The more diligently you practiow, the more ces to make it in one shot. I will try to give you the training for a one-shot sequence as much as I , but the final cut is in the hands of the director and the editor.”

  Well, there goes my pn to take it lightly. As per Stephen, because Billy is a novice dancer, even if I don't dance perfectly, it would be okay.

  That statement of his gave me simir vibes to what M. Night Shyaman told me while shooting that song in [The Sixth Sense]. At that time, I had decided to give as perfect a rendition as I could. I gave maakes of the same song again and again, only for us to finalize the first take. But Shyaman liked my performanuch, that he never even asked to shoot a lip-synced version as was the inal pn.

  Here also, I won’t give out a mediocre performance. I’ll do my best and maybe, just maybe, the director will agree to keep them in one shot like Night did.

  _____________________________

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