“When do you want me to do the readings?”
“Today if you have the time. We set it up assuming you would.”
Sharon cleared her throat. I turned to her and told her that let’s see how the readings turn out before we talk about any business. You could tell she would rather start in right away but I figured it would be best to find out if I could do it, before making demands.
We went back to a small studio set up for auditions. I found this to be a little bit funny, this was the first time in my career I had to audition for a part.
I was given several stapled sheets. They were pretty worn so you could tell they were standard audition fare. I read it through several times and figured out where the pauses in delivery were to make it funny.
It did help that these were marked, pause in delivery. I then read them out loud several times to try out the timing. It was amazing how much difference there was if you missed it by half a second.
There was also the tone of voice used. Dropping or raising your voice wrong and it would throw it off. Then there was the speed of delivery, plus how loud you did it. This was a lot more complicated than I thought. Fortunately, this test just depended on a slight delay in the line.
I waved to the guys in the sound booth that I was ready. My agents and the studio executives were watching through another window.
When the green light went on I read my lines, at the pause point I did it. I then ran through it another three times. I think I hit the pause correctly both in time and length each run-through.
I was then given another audition set of lines. In this one, I had to bring an element of surprise, as in, “You what?”
Now timing and voice control came into play. Also how I appeared to the camera. I not only had to sound surprised, but I also had to appear surprised.
I was drawing a blank on how to do that when I remembered what Mary had done to me. All I had to do was give the same reaction as when she told me she was expecting a finders fee when she found my car keys which I had left on the kitchen counter at Jackson House.
The memory brought a smile to my face as I read through the lines. The lines were simple so I memorized them and then did the shot.
I had to repeat it three times.
After that, we took a lunch break while the film was developed. After lunch, we went into a small theater and watched my audition. I thought it went well but then I did have a bias. My people said good words, but the ones that counted were from the Pinewood people.
Chapter 28
It didn’t take long to get the studio's reaction.
“Rick, I think we have a winner, the camera likes you, considering it was your first run-through of that material you did an amazing job. The fact that you did the second shot without having paper in hands is a real plus. You will be easy to work with.”
I thanked him and then said, “Ed, it is your turn. Don’t give the farm away but I would like to do this. The important thing here is any shooting schedule allows for my classes.”
“Do you have any financial goals in mind?”
“Nope, don’t care, just want the fun of making a movie.”
I think Don Butler had such a coughing fit I thought he was going to choke on his cigarette.
When he finished he was speaking so fast he was almost stuttering.
“You don’t care about money? Who are you?”
“An extremely rich young man who can afford to do what he wants in life, that doesn’t mean you can insult my intelligence but money isn’t number one.”
At that, I left the room to allow Ed with Sharon's oversight to work his magic. I was given a tour of the studio while they discussed what I may do for them and how I would be paid. I bet Ed was frustrated right now as I had pretty much tied his hands.
I was impressed with the studio, it was not as big as Warner Brothers but it had everything you would expect in a studio. I spent time in the stunt yard.
They had a nice archery range so I asked if I could shoot some. They set me up and while I was rusty it was not as bad as I thought. I collected an audience before I finished. They all seemed to know of me.
A runner hunted me and my guide down before I could start to answer some of the questions that were being thrown out.
When I got back to the conference room it was to smiles all around. Maybe my name with Ed wasn’t going to be Mudd.
What they had decided was that I was to be paid straight scale and a signing bonus based on my role in any film I appeared in. Any scenes would be scheduled around my schooling.
A surprise was the new image they wanted to craft. In any movie, I was to be well dressed, well-spoken, and well off. I wasn’t to be a clown though funny events could happen.
Depending on the role I might get the girl or be the one that was wrong for her. Even if I wasn’t the right one I was always to be a gentleman. Sort of a young Cary Grant I guess.
This was much better than I thought I would get. I dreaded the thought of doing slapstick like Jerry Lewis, he was the master at it, but
