Role of a Lifetime II
By:
Kenneth Kirk
(© 2023 by the author)
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's
consent. Comments are appreciated at...
kkirk@tickiestories.us
Chapter 18
Joan Hawkins, my erstwhile agent, called me a few days later to enquire if I might be interested in auditioning for a role on the hit TV series 9-1-1.
“A fire-fighter?”
“No. He’s an intern in the ER who gets sweet on a female EMT.”
“Let me get this straight. It’s a straight romantic role?”
She laughed. “Yes! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“I’m rather surprised at that.”
“Hollywood seems to be waking up to the fact that actors can play straight or gay regardless of their own orientations. If you’re interested, it would be a good opportunity to broaden your fanbase.”
“I’m definitely interested.”
“They plan an arc of about 4 episodes and will film all the scenes during a two-week period, preferably in April.”
“I think my spot on Beauty Pageant will be done by the end of March and Living Large isn’t supposed to shoot until May, so it would fit perfectly, right?”
“Yes, sir. Could you audition next week?”
“If you can get me the information and scene by tomorrow.”
“I have it already. I’ll email it now.”
“Spectacular!”
Five minutes later, I was perusing the synopsis of the character and his arc. They’d sent an interesting scene in which the doctor is working to keep a gunshot victim from bleeding out while noticing the fetching EMT and beginning to flirt with her. It looks rather complicated as far as the schtick of doctoring and the shouts to nurses using big medical terms while grinning up at the EMT and getting her to notice him as a hot guy. It looked like big fun.
Brant took a week off to fly to Portland for a visit with his parents and to celebrate his father Ricardo’s 60th birthday. I missed him a lot, but we managed to talk each night before bed, even managing a couple of phone sex events that helped us both make it through the week.
While he was away, I concentrated on preparing for my audition for 9-1-1 as well as doing some wardrobe fittings for my upcoming role in Beauty Pageant. I streamed some episodes of 9-1-1 in order to get some context for the part. I especially focused on the character of Stacy, played by actress Britannia Flood, one of the many beautiful actresses of some type of darker heritage. I wasn’t sure if she was part African-American or Latina or maybe Middle Eastern. At any rate, I thought with my Scandinavian paleness we’d probably make a cute couple. But I also found myself unconsciously focusing on the character Eddie Diaz played by gorgeous actor Ryan Guzman. Holy fuck, what a stud-muffin! I couldn’t help but hope I would at least meet Ryan, whether I had a scene with him or not.
The casting director for 9-1-1 set up a call on Microsoft Teams for Thursday afternoon. Her assistant and a producer were also on the call. We talked about my various performances including Lunar Base 1, Grey’s Anatomy, Laying Low, and Stronger Than Ever, which seemed to be their favorite. They commented a lot on my emotional range and then brought up my romantic side shown on Laying Low. Uh-oh, I thought, here comes the orientation issue. But no one brought it up.
“We sort of see this role as being a little less romantic than Laying Low, a little less emotional than Stronger Than Ever, and a little kinder and more approachable than Lunar Base 1,” Krista Faulkner, the casting director said.
“That gives me a lot of information and guidance on the role, Krista,” I said. “Thanks.”
We discussed the time commitment needed for this role, which I felt would fit my schedule. We talked about my work on The Gay King and covered some other questions. They said they’d be in touch in a few days and schedule a personal meeting if they considered me further.
Auditions always make me nervous, but I thought this one went well. Mom told me that evening over dinner that she learned as a young actress to give it your all in an audition and then move on. “Just consider it a little acting experience, an interesting appointment, and then do not think about it again. If you get a callback, great. If not, no big deal.”
“She’s right, Sky,” Dad said.
*********
Brant returned from Portland on Thursday afternoon. Freddy Kimball, his agent, met his flight with a couple of security guys in order to get him safely to the car to get away. When he got home, he laughed about the female flight attendant and her co-worker, a burly dark-haired dude, who fought over who would get to serve him in First Class. Apparently, the lady pulled rank and fawned over him the whole flight. He apparently signed a dozen or more cocktail napkins and was included in several selfies during the trip.
I welcomed him with a pitcher of daiquiris and we sat on the patio overlooking the swimming pool while he unwound and we compared notes. We held hands and talked about our upcoming trip to Maui which was only 6 days away. In the meantime, he had an appearance on Good Morning, LA! and an interview with Entertainment Weekly before we would leave. Shortly after we come back from Maui, he would be flying to New York to appear on Jimmy Kimmel, Live! which was finally live again.
“Life gets pretty busy when you have a new movie out,” he complained mildly.
“It’s what we’ve signed up for.”
He grinned. “Yes. All that adoration is exhausting.”
I chuckled. “Don’t knock it. It cements you on the A-List. I think when RFK hits the airwaves, it might be even more intense. Talk about an incredible role!”
He nodded. “I hear Chris Evans is very mad because he didn’t get it.”
“He’s got his own great career going. He can miss this one.”
“Agreed. I’m just glad Damon and Affleck are too old.”
“Yes. It’s good they didn’t greenlight this 15 years ago.”
Brant squeezed my hand. “How about some afternoon delight?” He grinned at me wickedly.
“I thought you’d never ask!”
We took our final daiquiris up to the master bathroom, where he filled the garden tub with hot water and bubble bath. I lit a couple of candles and plugged my I-Pod into the speakers. Soon the whole suite was filled with Luka Sulic on cello and Evgeny Genchev on piano playing some of the most romantic music imaginable.
We spent a long time cuddled in the tub, getting a lot of skin time and relaxing into each other. He nibbled my ear occasionally and I fondled his penis and gently pinched his nipples. Finally, we got out of the tub to quickly rinse the suds from our bodies. Over the next half hour or so, we swapped blow jobs until each of us had reached Nirvana. In the afterglow, I felt a flood of peace and quiet happiness as I realized how connected, how united, I felt with this amazing man. Thank You, God, I prayed silently.
*********
After 2 weeks, the box office for My Days in Kabul was quite impressive and a lot of free publicity had been received from the rave reviews critics across the country were giving the movie. I saw a couple of Proud Boy types interviewed in Grand Rapids who raved about the movie. The star’s open homosexuality didn’t come up and didn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm for the movie. One even called the characters “true patriots.”
Just before our vacation, we got the outstanding news that Brant’s amazing performance in The Seminary Scandals had landed him the best nomination of them all – an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor! This gave us a wonderful reason to get out of the limelight for a week to try to maintain our sanity during this exciting awards season.
Before we left for Hawaii, we had a very busy week. Brant’s segment on Good Morning, LA! went very well just a few days after the Oscar nomination. His interview with Entertainment Weekly went well, too, boosted by the nomination as well. It was posted on YouTube as well as being distributed through their online emails to subscribers. A couple of weeks later, it was featured in one of their final print issues of the publication.
I got a callback for 9-1-1 and managed to set the audition up for the day
before we were to leave. Everyone was very nice to me and they seemed impressed
by my reading of the scene in the ER where Stacy and Dr. Van Jouse meet cute.
They also seemed to appreciate our discussion about the role and my background.
Brodie’s tailor came by one day to take measurements of us so he could begin making our tuxes for the SAG Awards, which was due to happen less than a week after our return from Hawaii. This would be my first custom-made tuxedo.
Two days before we departed, a bubbly young reporter named Breck Harrelson came to the house one afternoon with a cameraman, a sound tech, a lighting technician, and a makeup girl in tow. They set up in our formal living room with Brant and me on the sofa, our backyard in view out a series of floor-to-ceiling windows behind us. This was our first joint interview with anyone other than Juanita. The interview was focused on us as award show nominees, but covered a range of topics such as our respective latest projects as well as Laying Low. The conversation from Breck was of a wink-wink, nod-nod type but we just chuckled and went on. When the segment aired on Entertainment Tonight a week later while we were in Maui, it was a very positive 25-minutes with us.
Shooting for my episode on Beauty Pageant was scheduled to begin on March 2, a day after the Globes would be awarded. Since Rachel Hughes was also a nominee, the potential for a big celebration on set that day was pretty good. She and I both downplayed our possibilities but she did recommend that I aways prepare an acceptance speech just in case because “you should never ever count yourself out.”
Finally, we took our Hawaiian Air flight to Kahului (Maui) to begin our romantic getaway vacation. Freddy Kimball and five hired security agents escorted us through LAX and waited with us in the terminal until we boarded our flight. Even with the security and our big hats and sunglasses, we were recognized almost instantly as we entered the airport. From that point on, hundreds of girls and dozens of gay guys mysteriously appeared from everywhere to follow us wherever we went. Screams of “Bransky!” even drowned out the irritating LAX PA system numerous times. It was sheer pandemonium.
We were met in Kahului by two large Hawaiian men from Aloha Securities, who shepherded us through a more relaxed atmosphere than LAX had been as we gathered our luggage and loaded into their van for the hour-long drive to our secluded beachfront villa on the west end of the island not far from Lahaina.
The villa was not huge, but it was spectacular and, best of all,
it came with a cook (Nonna), a golf cart for rides to town (Lizzie), and a
houseboy/chauffer/security guard (Rolf). Rolf had a surfer-boy, laid-back
attitude and seemed completely unmoved by our all-male family. I was
immediately attracted to him and was pleased to learn later that my husband
experienced those feelings, too.
This establishment catered to Hollywood elite such as the Afflecks, Pitts, Cloonies, and Harris-Burtkas. We were indeed in good company. I laughed when we climbed into bed that night when Brant said, “I wonder which side of the bed was Neil’s and which was David’s.”
“We’ll have to ask them next time we see them!” I giggled.
In spite of the presence of the golf cart, we only left the property a couple of times, opting instead to enjoy the solitude and safety of our own private beach where our every need was met instantly by either Nonna or Rolf. Each evening before we would turn in, Rolf would join us on the veranda for a nightcap, then wander down to his waterfront beach shack. I caught him surfing a couple of times when I was up at sunrise. He said the waves aren’t great there, but he still loves the water. He took all his meals in the kitchen with Nonna and was always around should we need anything.
There was a small gym with a Nautilus and some free weights in a hidden section of the back porch. We enjoyed working out with the Pacific Ocean in view.
Both of us were on the phone quite a lot as we talked with our agents, parents, and various studio people in consultation about our upcoming projects. Joan called me halfway through our week to let me know the network was offering me the spot on 9-1-1 at a salary of $75,000.
“Sign me up, Joan!” I laughed. “I’ve never played a straight romantic lead before so this ought to be fun.”
That night, Rolf grilled steaks for us and we dined on the patio overlooking the Pacific. The dinner was great, the sunset was awesome, my husband was loving, and I couldn’t help but think life was really good!
The week went quickly and soon the two security guys arrived to pack us into the van for the trip back to Kahului and our flight home. If we had gotten a lot of notice on our flight to Hawaii, the Oscar nomination had quadrupled the interest in Bransky sightings and we were mobbed even in Kahului. At LAX, eight airport security guards escorted us from our flight to baggage claim and then to a waiting limo the studio had ordered for us.
On the ride home, Freddy Kimball, Brant’s agent, laid down the law to us.
“For the next few months, you are not to go anywhere, and I mean anywhere, in public without security escorts. Preferably, you will only go to appointments for interviews or tapings or to do your work. It’s just too dangerous to mix with the public while you are both up for several awards. I’m proud of the work you’re both doing, but it comes with some severe limitations. Capishe?”
We agreed and were dropped off at our home, where one of the security agents stayed out front. We would have an armed guard around the clock for a couple of months or so.
Wow!
To be continued...
Posted: 06/02/2023