Chapter Text
“Well, Mary, this is your big debut, right? So why do you think you got this role?”
The video was playing quietly, the phone screen illuminated her frown in the dark.
Not exactly a debut. But maybe her previous romcom roles didn't count as big enough.
“I was lucky,” the girl shrugged her shoulders slightly, clearly out of place
She was visibly nervous, but not in the cute, awkward way that some fans adore. Instead, the girl was staring daggers as if she were being interrogated rather than interviewed.
Yeah, it was no good. What a shallow thing to say.
The same thought had probably occurred to her in the past.
“And because I'm in good shape. The director insisted that we do most of our stunts. And there was a lot of running, jumping, kicking, well, you know,” the girl in the video quickly added. “I hope I don't spoil too much.”
Still she looked like a complete amateur. Was it one of the first interviews?
Mary genuinely hoped that the next ones were better.
“Oh, don't worry, we've seen the trailer at this point,” the interviewer gave her a knowing look.
Well, technically there wasn't a trailer yet, but they weren't planning on releasing a cast interview right away anyway.
Now when it was finally out, Mary couldn't help but watch it warily, trying to remember what she had said back then. Her perception had changed so much in the last few months that the young actress in the video felt like a complete stranger.
“Speaking of luck,” the interviewer continued smoothly. “I bet so many people would love to be in your shoes! To work with Tony Redgrave himself! We all remember how he started as a child-actor with his twin brother, and it only took him 10 years to become a world-famous superstar! The fastest path to glory, don't you think?”
“Yeah-”
Mary rolled her eyes, noticing a trace of panic on her own face. Over the months, she had gotten used to people wanting to talk about Tony more than anything else. Even in her personal interviews.
“Well, please, spill the tea, how is our heartthrob on set?”
The question caught her off guard.
No wonder, they hadn't even started working together at this point due to Tony's busy schedule. She had just finished filming Lady's misadventures in the Rabbit’s trap, while their shared scenes were planned for the following week. But that's not what fans wanted to hear.
What did she say?
After her first interviews Mary was like in daze, so she couldn't really remember. It couldn't be that bad, right? She probably kept her cool and gave a professional..
“He's amazing!” for the first time during the interview the girl smiled genuinely. “Tony is extremely talented and it was an honor to watch him work up close.”
A loud groan echoed in the dark room.
She said it. No way, you sweet summer child!
Just when she suppressed the urge to strangle the naive Mary from the past, her phone screen lit up again.
A new message. From a number she wished she could block.
If you want to watch me even more closely, just give me a sign, girl ;)
Cursing under her breath, Mary tossed the phone away, burying her face in the pillow.
“Narcissistic jerk!” she mumbled. “Why does he even watch this?”
She would never have checked her own interviews if she hadn't had to work on her image. Without doubt, she still lacked in this department. But Tony? There was no need, unless he was feeding his ego.
Never meet your heroes.
A bitter truth she had recently learned.
After surviving the fall, her phone continued chirping carelessly:
“Ah, how sweet! I bet you look amazing together! Can't wait to see your chemistry on screen!”