Mr. Hollywood

by Tracy Tegan

  Jennifer wasn’t up for me to talk to her and if I called my sister I would have to spend forever on the phone with her explaining how I met Grayson in the first place. I sighed. I guess I would just have to suck it up and go on my date without the benefit of their advice or further research.

  When I got to the part of the campus where they were filming, I walked up to the roped off area and was met by a very eager man with a clipboard and headset.

  “Hi, I’m Alison Crawford. Grayson Chase is expecting me.”

  He eyed me suspiciously and then looked at some names on his list. He acted surprised to actually find my name there.

  “Oh yes, Miss Crawford. Mr. Chase asked that you be immediately escorted to his trailer. He said not to worry about stopping by catering, he has it all taken care of.”

  I nodded as if I understood.

  “Please follow me.”

  And so I did. The young man escorted me to Grayson’s trailer and waited for me to get inside before shutting the door behind me. When I got there, I was alone. Grayson apparently was still on set. I wasn’t sure what I should do with myself while I waited. I didn’t want to be nosey and go through his stuff, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but look around.

  On the outside, it looked like a big RV. On the inside it was a three room luxury home. In the back there was a full sized bedroom and bathroom and then there was the main room with a big screen TV, fluffy couches, and a beautiful granite kitchen table.

  I only took a peek into the bedroom and bathroom. I was too afraid that Grayson would come back and find me in there. Until finally I decided to just sit at the table and look through a magazine that I found nearby. Turns out it had an interview featuring Grayson.

  “You’ve travelled all over the world. What is your favorite city?” The interviewer asked.

  “I’ve been to some amazing places but there is nowhere like home. In my case that’s a small town just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma called Fair Oaks. It’s so small, it’s not even on a lot of maps. My family still lives there and there is nothing I love more than going home and spending time with them when I get some time off. Which unfortunately isn’t as much as I would like.”

  “What’s the best way to spend a day off?”

  “A day off?” Grayson teased. “I don’t get many of those. Between filming, working out and promotional tours there is always something to do.”

  “You’re obviously in great shape. What’s your workout schedule like? Do you do it every day?”

  “I try and work out five to six days a week but it’s not always easy to get a workout in when you are on set. Sometimes you have to compromise and just go with the flow. But on days when I don’t get a good workout in, I just don’t feel like myself.”

  “I went to the screener last night for Life Extension,” the interviewer said. “I loved it. It really made me laugh and it made me think. I didn’t expect that.”

  “I think the purpose of a great movie is to crack open a person’s mind. Sure it’s also supposed to entertain them and help them escape from reality for a while, but a really good movie also makes them think, really think. At least those are the kind of movies I like to make.”

  “You and Sara Douglas had great chemistry in the movie. Anything there?”

  “Sara is a great girl. I met her on the set of a movie I did when I was probably about fourteen or fifteen. We’ve been good friends ever since. But no, there isn’t anything more than that between us.”

  “Is there anyone special in your life then? You thinking of getting married and settling down anytime soon?”

  “I think over the years my views on love and marriage have changed. As I get older I have begun to see how serious marriage really is. When you’re younger you just take it for granted. I think that’s in part why the divorce rates are so high. Now, I think you should wait. You should get to know the person. Everybody has their own careers and ambitions in life and they aren’t always compatible but until you really spend a lot of time with the person, you just don’t see that at first. That’s something that only time can tell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t date. Just the opposite. Get out there and date but just don’t rush into something serious. If it’s meant to be, another few months won’t change that. Take your time, lots of time, and get to know the person you are with. That’s the only way to really know if you two could make a go of it, long term.”

  The interview went on but Grayson showed up so I couldn’t finish it. What I was able to read though, I must admit, I was impressed.

  “Hey. Sorry I’m late. Took longer than I thought. We had some issues with the lighting.”

  “No problem. I was just flipping through this magazine while I waited.”

  Someone tapped on his door and he turned to let them in. It was the catering department. They set out a huge spread.

  “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

  “No, I haven’t. I was sleeping when you called.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I guess, yeah, I am.”

  I grabbed a plate and started filling it up. There were all sorts of fruits, bacon, little sausages, scrambled eggs, pancakes and waffles. I didn’t want to seem like a total pig, but everything looked so delicious.

  “Want some coffee?” Grayson asked.

  I scrunched my nose and shook my head no. “To be honest I’m not a big fan of coffee. I’ll take a glass of orange juice though.”

  The lady from catering filled a glass put it in front of me, then made her way out of the trailer, shutting the door behind her without saying so much as a word to either of us. It was kind of awkward.

  “You didn’t have to do all of this Grayson. I thought we would just share a drink.”

  “I know, but I was hungry and thought you might be too.” He gave me his trademark smile and my heart melted just a bit. “So tell me about this roommate of yours, the one who brought you to my set the other day.”

  I smiled. “Her name is Jennifer.”

  “Is she also studying business?”

  “No,” I giggled. “Her degree is in marketing. She wants to be a publicist. She saw some reality show years ago about it and got it in her head that it would be the best job ever.”

  “Public relations can be an interesting career choice but I couldn’t imagine I would want to do it myself. It’s a lot of hard work,” Grayson said.

  “I agree. But she’s very social so I really think public relations would be perfect for her.”

  “And what about you? What are your career plans?”

  “I want to be a writer but my mother insisted I get a real degree as well just in case the whole writing thing doesn’t work out.”

  “Ahhh, hence the double major in business and English.”

  “Exactly,” I said with a grin on my face.

  “So you want to write screenplays?”

  “No. I want to write the great American novel, and by that of course I mean love stories.”

  “Like a rom-com?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” I paused and asked, “Is this your first time in Houston?”

  “We’ve been here for three months shooting so I almost feel like a native Texan now,” Grayson teased.

  “Ha! Until you experience a hot Houston summer, you don’t get to claim that.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it since we finish filming soon and I’ll have to head back to LA.” He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. “But maybe I’ll have a reason to come back this summer.”

  “Perhaps. But don’t you have another movie to shoot?”

  “I thought about taking some time off. When we wrap this film I have to do the press junket for another movie I have coming out, but after that, I’m free. I don’t have any commitments until fall.”

  “And you wrap filming here in a few days you said?”

  “Our last day is Friday,” Grayson confirmed.

  “Will you head back to Los Angeles right
away?”

  “Yeah. I have several meetings lined up that I have to get back for. I’ve been away for a while now.”

  “I bet you miss your bed too. That’s always the worst part of traveling. I love to come home and jump in my own bed.”

  “I’m so used to traveling, I don’t give it much thought,” Grayson admitted. “One bed is the same as any other to me.”

  “How much time do you get to spend at home?”

  “I’ve been pretty busy lately. It seems like I’m always on the set of some movie or another anymore.”

  “That can’t be easy,” I said sympathetically.

  He shrugged. “It’s the life I chose.”

  “How did you get into acting?”

  “I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. My older brother knew from a young age what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a lawyer. I didn’t know what I wanted, just that I didn’t want that. I knew all that schooling wasn’t for me. One day I heard a commercial on the radio about an open casting call for kids and I begged my parents to take me and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “Your brother is a lawyer, seriously?”

  “Yeah. He’s a second year associate at a firm in Tulsa.”

  “Oh my God. My twin sister Andrea is in law school.”

  “You have a twin sister? Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Identical?” Grayson asked.

  “Yep.”

  “So you look exactly alike?”

  “Yes, in every way. People have a hard time telling us apart by our looks alone but personality wise we couldn’t be more different. She’s also very smart. She graduated high school early and is doing really well. She’s in her final year at law school.”

  “Who is older, you are her?”

  “She’s three minutes older than me.”

  Grayson had a huge grin on his face.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “I told you that if you gave us a chance we would have something in common.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Each of us having a lawyer sibling does not a relationship make,” I said in jest.

  He just smirked.

  “What’s the first thing you are going to do when you get back to LA?”

  “Probably sort through my mail. I always have a huge pile of it to catch up on when I get home.”

  “Interesting.”

  “What’s so interesting about me sorting through my mail?”

  I giggled. “Nothing really. It’s just so normal. I can’t imagine a huge movie star like you doing something as everyday as going through your mail.”

  “What did you expect me to say?”

  “I don’t really know. I figured you would have some coming home party with all your famous friends and a bevy of beautiful girls swimming in your pool half naked.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t party that much anymore. When I was younger I was into that scene but lately it just doesn’t do it for me.”

  “You aren’t that old. You can’t be that much older than me.”

  “Depends. How old are you?” Grayson asked me.

  “I’m twenty-two, and you?”

  “Just turned thirty.”

  “Wow. I had no idea you were that old Grayson.”

  “It’s not that old. Geez. Don’t you ever read the internet? My bio is readily available.”

  “I don’t keep up with the whole Hollywood scene. I honestly don’t know much about you, other than what you did early on in your career. I’ve seen all of your Disney movies as a child and of course I was a huge fan of Malibu High.”

  He groaned.

  “But anything after that, I just don’t have a clue,” I said. “It’s nothing personal. I don’t keep up with anyone famous. I don’t have the time. If I’m not working, I’m in class or studying.”

  He looked taken aback by my lack of knowledge of his life.

  “You’d be happy to know that my roommate probably knows your entire life history by heart. She’s really into all those gossip shows like TMZ and Access Hollywood. She watches them faithfully. I’m sure she’s seen every movie you’ve ever been in. She really is a huge fan of yours.”

  “And what about you?” Grayson asked. “Are you a fan?”

  “I will most definitely watch the movie that Jennifer and I were extras in. Does that count?”

  He put his hand to his heart. “You are killing me here,” he said playfully.

  After we finished eating I thanked him for the lovely breakfast and then started to get up to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to get back home. I have to be at work today at two.”

  “Where do you work at?”

  “I work at the book store just off campus, Cover to Cover.”

  Grayson smiled.

  “I know its cliché, the wannabe author working at a bookstore, but I had to have some job while I was in school and at the time they were the only place hiring that didn’t involve food.”

  “Do you like to read?” I asked Grayson.

  “I enjoy a good crime thriller every now and then, especially in between long takes.”

  “I guess you have a lot of scripts you have to read as well. Do you pick out the movies you want to work on, on your own, or do you have people for that?”

  “My agent reads most of the scripts and if they are decent enough he’ll send them my way. I’ll read about three or four a month and then pick one or two a year that I’ll actually work on.”

  “How long does it take to film a movie?” I asked. I don’t even know why I asked such a lame question. I guess I was just trying to make small talk and it was the first question that came to mind.

  “Varies really, depending on what kind of movie it is. This movie took about three months. Others take six or seven weeks and then others a lot longer. Hell, I’ve even worked on a movie for six months before.”

  “Why do some movies take so long to film?”

  “Action movies take the longest. Sometimes it takes days to set up a single sequence. And some movies have several different locations and that can suck up a lot of time as well.”

  “Which kind of movies do you prefer to make action, drama or comedy?”

  “I’m really not a big comedic actor.”

  “Are you kidding Grayson? You were great in Frostbite. I loved that movie. I swear I watched it like a zillion times when I was a kid.”

  He choked back a laugh. “I was also sixteen. I try to avoid making movies like that anymore.”

  “Okay Mr. Serious, what kind of movies do you like to make then?”

  “I have a rule when it comes to my movies. I make one for them, and then one for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The studios like to cast me in big budget action movies. Those summer blockbusters make all the money. But for every one of those I do, I like to do a more serious movie, one that has meaning and real character development.”

  “And the movie you are making right now, what kind of movie is that?”

  “Same as it Never Was is a studio movie. They’ll probably release it next summer.”

  “Over a year from now, really?”

  “Bigger budget movies take longer in post-production. They have all the special effects to work out.”

  “That’s crazy. I had no idea it wouldn’t be out for that long.”

  “The movie I’m in that is coming out in a few weeks, I filmed over two years ago. I barely remember it.”

  “What do you do when you go on interviews and people ask you questions about it?”

  “My handlers prepare me before all the interviews. They give me the list of questions up front and then suggest some things I should say if I don’t have a satisfactory answer myself. They have certain marketing key phrases they want to make sure I work in.”

  “It’s all so fascinating. It’s like you live in this whole other world.”

  He shrugged. “I really do. But that’
s not always a good thing.”

  “What do you mean Grayson?”

  “I’m enjoying just being here with you. Having breakfast and this normal conversation. It’s not something I get to do very often, but something I hope we can most definitely do again in the near future.”

  I found myself blushing. He really could be a charmer when he wanted to be.

  “I enjoyed it too, but I do have to get back home and get ready for work. I still have some errands to run and some laundry to do as well,” I said.

  “Can I see you again?”

  “I don’t know Grayson. You can call me later tonight if you want. I get off at eight.”

  Chapter Three

  By the time I got home from my date with Grayson, Jennifer was awake and chomping at the bit to know where I had been all morning.

  I thought about not telling her because I knew she would overreact, but I really needed someone to talk to about it so I gave in and explained about my early morning phone call from Grayson, meeting him on the set, eating breakfast and our talk.

  Much to my surprise she didn’t freak out as I told her everything. She remained calm and let me get it all out.

  “It sounds like you two really hit it off,” Jennifer said with true delight. “So what’s the problem?”

  “That is the problem.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean Alison. I really don’t. When is having a great date with a sexy guy a bad thing? My last three dates were nightmares. One of them actually asked me if I spit or swallow on the first date. When some guy says that to you, then you get to complain about your date.”

  “I told you this before Jennifer -- He lives in Los Angeles and I live in Texas. Everyone knows that long distance relationships never work out, so why put myself through all that stress when I know how it’s going to end?”

  “Because sometimes Alison, it’s about the journey not the final destination. So it doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean you won’t get something out of the experience.”

  “Wow, Jennifer. I’m impressed. That’s really insightful.”

  “Hey, I’m capable of being serious every once in a while.”

  I had to choke back a laugh. I’ve known Jennifer for four years now, since our freshman year, and this might very well be the first time she had ever been so profound.