Sunday, January 7, 2018

Gus's Search

            INT.  STUDIO  CATHY AND LILS  DAY

            Cathy Crew wears a headset and stands next to a video
            camera.  In front of the camera stands Lils.

                                CATHY
                      Do you know why you're here?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      No you don't.  That's a lie.  That's
                      your first lie.  No more lies.  Do you
                      know why you're here?

                                LILS
                      No.

                                CATHY
                      You're here because Gus is not happy.

                                LILS
                      Gus?

                                CATHY
                      Gus.  The director.  He's not happy.
                      They're forcing him to take a movie
                      star.  A movie star that he doesn't
                      want.  He's not happy and he's trying
                      to find a replacement.  He's going to
                      fight.

                                LILS
                      What movie star?

                                CATHY
                      That's none of your business.  Concern
                      yourself with your business.  Do you
                      know what your business is?

                                LILS
                      No.

                                CATHY
                      That's your second lie.  You're an
                      actor.  You are an actor, aren't you?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      What's your name?

                                LILS
                      Lils.

                                CATHY
                      Lils.  Lils is not a name.  It's short
                      for something, like Lilian or Lily or
                      Lilith.  What's your name?

                                LILS
                      It's just Lils, honest.

                                CATHY
                      I don't believe you.

                                LILS
                      It's true.

                                CATHY
                      It doesn't matter that it's true.  You
                      must make me belive its true -- whether
                      it is or isn't is irrelevant.  That's
                      the job of the actor.  Are you off
                      book?

                                LILS
                      Sort of.

                                CATHY
                      You either are or you aren't  Gus
                      doesn't want amateurs. He's not
                      interested in amateurs.  He needs a
                      real pro, someone he can work with,
                      someone he can trust. Are you that
                      person?

                                LILS
                      I hope so.

                                CATHY
                      Are you off book?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      This has to be good.  If you're good, I
                      look good.  If I look good, that means
                      Gus is happy.  You want Gus to be
                      happy?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      Then we have an understanding.  Look
                      into the camera.

                                LILS
                      You want me to play to the camera?

                                CATHY
                      What's your character?

                                LILS
                      My character?

                                CATHY
                      Your character.  Your character.

                                LILS
                      Oh, I'm a reporter.

                                CATHY
                      So you look into the camera.  It's your
                      job.  That's what you do.

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      Look into the camera, and when I say
                      action, you start.  Got that?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      We'll start with a rehearsal.  Action.

                                LILS
                      Should I start now?

                                CATHY
                      You need to listen.  I said when I say
                      action, you start.  I said action.  Now
                      I'll say it again.  Action.

                                LILS
                           (to the camera)
                      My name is Suzanne Maretto.  No.  Wait.
                      I'm sorry.  Suzanne Maretto is my
                      married name.  My own name is...

                                CATHY
                      Cut.  What are you doing?

                                LILS
                      I'm talking to the camera.

                                CATHY
                      That's the problem.  Nobody talks to a
                      camera.  The camera can't hear you.
                      The camera is an inanimate object.

                                LILS
                      You told me to talk to the camera.

                                CATHY
                      No I didn't.  I said look at the
                      camera.  You are talking to your fans,
                      your public, the viewing public.

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      Action.

                                LILS
                      Should I start from the beginning?

                                CATHY
                      Yes.  Yes.  Action.

                                LILS
                      My name is Suzanne Maretto.  No.  Wait.
                      I'm sorry.  Suzanne Maretto is my
                      married name.  My own name is Suzanne
                      Stone.  That's my professional name.
                      It's not like I have negative feelings
                      about the name Maretto.

                                CATHY
                      Cut.  What do you want?

                                LILS
                      What do I want?

                                CATHY
                      Your objective, your intention, your
                      motivation.  Why are you talking to
                      your public?  This is acting 101 stuff.
                      You are an actor?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                CATHY
                      Where did you train?

                                LILS
                      It's on my resume.

                                CATHY
                      I don't read resumes.  Resumes are
                      bullshit.  Resumes are fictional
                      accounts of actors' fantasies.  Where
                      did you train?

                                LILS
                      UCLA.

                                CATHY
                      That's not training.  That's a beauty
                      school.  Is that all you're interested
                      in?  Gus doesn't like beauty queens.
                      They're weak, they're shallow.  Is
                      being beautiful all you're interested
                      in?

                                LILS
                      No.

                                CATHY
                      What do you want?

                                LILS
                      I want my public to like me.

                                CATHY
                      Good.  That's something.  Use it.
                      Action.

                                LILS
                      My name is Suzanne Maretto.  No.  Wait.
                      I'm sorry.  Suzanne Maretto is my
                      married name.  My own name is Suzanne
                      Stone.  That's my professional name.
                      It's not like I have negative feelings
                      about the name Maretto.  Maretto is the
                      name after all of my husband who I
                      loved very, very much, and also, of
                      course, of his parents, Joe and Angela
                      Maretto -- and of his lovely and
                      talented sister, Janice Maretto --  who
                      have been like a second mother and
                      father to me and I regard as I do my
                      own family -- particularly since my
                      recent tragedy, and who just knowing
                      and being related to them have given me
                      what I think is a very precious and
                      valuable insight into the different
                      kinds of ethnic relationships that are
                      part of the very things that I've been
                      trying to explore as a member of the
                      professional media.

            INT.  OFFICE  GUS AND LILS  DAY

            Gus sits at his desk.  Lils sits in a chair opposite Gus.

                                GUS
                      I'm told you have something.

                                LILS
                      What is it that I have?

                                GUS
                      I'm told that you're green, that you
                      don't have much of any technique, that
                      you may not understand the work ethic
                      of an actor.  But that you have
                      something.  Frankly, sitting here,
                      across this table, I don't see it.  I
                      don't see what you have.  Your name is
                      Lils Lockhart?  Sounds phoney.  Doesn't
                      sound like a real name.  What's your
                      real name?

                                LILS
                      It's Lils Lockhart.

                                GUS
                      Don't get an attitude.  Attitude will
                      kill an actor.  Attitude will poison
                      your heart.

                                LILS
                      I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...

                                GUS
                      Don't do a dance with me Lils Lockhart.
                      I don't dance with my actors.  I
                      direct.  I direct.  Do you know what a
                      director is?

                                LILS
                      Yes.

                                GUS

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