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 21

I had not had a chance to talk with Hector after seeing the movie, so at brunch I made him sit beside me at the round table.  I put my hand on his forearm, leaned into him, and kissed his cheek.  He grinned with a tinge of embarrassment as I whispered, “Your performance in Mariel is spectacular, dear boy!”

He chuckled.  “You know I’m older than you, right?” 

“Maybe,” I said, “but you’re still going to be my dear boy.”

He looked at me deeply.  “I think I can live with that.”

“You have no choice.”

“I guess you’re right.  I signed a contract after all.”

“Don’t forget that!”

“Yes, sir!”

I laughed and squeezed his arm.  “Seriously,” I said, well, seriously.  “Your performance is outstanding, award-worthy even.”

Hector became very serious, too.  “You really think so?”

I nodded.  “Absolutely.  You handled all the physical demands perfectly, showed sophisticated emotions, and did all that while looking like sex-on-a-stick in your ripped clothes.”

“Sky!” he chided.  “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Hey, dude.  You’d better get used to people complimenting your work and your looks because you’re about to hit the big time.”

“I’ll try to adjust.”

“The attention you’ll get after millions have seen this movie will simply blow you away.  And, once Living Large comes out, holy shit, you’ll be the hottest thing in Hollywood.”

“Oh, stop.”

“No, man, I’m dead serious.  Your life is going to change, big time.”

“I’ll be okay if you and Brant stay beside me,” Hector smiled.

Beside him?  I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what he meant.  “We’ll always be there for you.”

Over crêpes, eggs Benedict, omelets, and waffles, we decided a couple of hours at the beach was in order on our last afternoon in Miami.  Roberto and Clarissa couldn’t join us because of some family drama with her parents, so Hector, Juanita, Brant and I changed out of day clothes into our swimming togs and wandered down to the beach.  We put out towels and dropped our cover-ups and shoes on them.  When I looked at Hector, he caught my eye and said, “Damn, Sky, you look really hot today.”  Could he be flirting with me?

“Thank you, dude!  You look spectacular yourself.”

“Yes, Hector, you do,” Brant agreed.

I noticed that all of us were in tip-top moods that afternoon.  It may have been a combination of mood enhancers such as the gorgeous afternoon, the freedom to play instead of working all the time, the residual effects of the great evening we had last night, and the euphoria that Mariel to Miami is really a great film.  I’m not quite sure about Brant and Hector, but I know one thing that pumped me up that afternoon was the knowledge that we would begin filming Living Large in a couple of weeks and that, as a result, Brant and I would be getting to know the beautiful Hector even more intimately than we did at this point.

There was a substantial amount of flirting going on between Hector and us, even when Juanita could hear it.  She didn’t seem fazed by the innuendos and blatant comments at all.  In fact, she teased us individually and as a group a couple of times.  I had no choice but to assume she was cool about everything.

Naturally, seeing Hector so unclothed and having such a good time was a sensual experience for me.  I’m several inches taller than him, but he probably outweighs me by 50 pounds of very solid muscle perfectly distributed on his athletic frame.  Just looking at him that way was giving me a very firm chubby!

We played in the surf for almost 2 hours before returning to our rooms to nap and then clean up and dress for dinner. 

After a lovely dinner (sea bass on a bed of quinoa with a medley of fresh sautéed vegetables on the side for me), Brant and I said good-night as our friends headed to the lounge for some dancing.  We took a short moonlight stroll on the beach before returning to our room where we whispered loving thoughts in each other’s ear and dined on each other’s delicate pink rosebuds before inaugurating a leisurely plowing of our butts followed by a screaming, messy, jizz-fest as we released all our pent-up sexual energy from the past few days.

After a rinse in the shower, we cuddled up to talk until we fell asleep.  We talked of many things: the good prospects for Mariel to Miami, Brant’s performance in the film, Hector’s performance, and how much fun we had had hanging out with him and Juanita, but especially Hector, the past few days.

The flight back to California was very pleasant as the whole plane-load of Hollywooders was unusually relaxed and happy.  We all agreed Alberto, the actors, and the crew had done a marvelous job capturing the realities of the Mariel Boatlift of 1980 and the impact it had on the lives of those who participated in it.  The mood was like a transcontinental party. 

********* 

A few days later, the cast of Living Large had its first meeting.  On Tuesday, a nurse visited all of us at home to give us COVID tests and our vaccination shot if we had not had one yet.  Most had not as, at that point, the CDC had only authorized them generally for elderly folks and those with underlying health conditions.  Like other studios in Hollywood, Periphery had acquired doses to be given to people called in for filming, so Brant and I received our shots along with the nasal probes used for testing.  Everyone in cast and crew tested negative except one assistant director, who was then isolated for 2 weeks.

On Friday morning, we all reported to studio headquarters in Hollywood.  We’d just arrived when I chanced to run into a rather nervous Jeff Lindsay in the men’s room, looking pumped up and beautiful.

“Damn, Jeff!” I exclaimed.  “You look fantastic!”

“Thanks, Sky,” he smiled.  “I’m a little nervous being here.”

“Don’t be.  You’re very talented and you’ll do quite well in this flick.  I see you’ve added some muscle since your audition.”

He grinned and flexed his bicep.  “I’ve been working out a lot in preparation for this roll.  You know, with you and Brant and the other hot guys, I’ve got to look my best or no one will notice me.”

“That’s a sweet thing to say.”

“Sort of accurate, too, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so.  There are 7 of us, I think, who will be somewhat on display.  And you’ll definitely get your share of attention.  Trust me on that!”

We finished our business, donned our face masks again, and walked down the hall to the meeting room, where we gathered around a bunch of folding tables set in a large rectangle.  We were assigned seats that seemed to be in “COVID-bubble” order with 6 feet between chairs, except for the 3 for Mom, Brant, and me and a couple of other groups of 2 or 3 representing directors, casting folks, etc.  We were under strict orders to stay masked while we were on the premises.  I couldn’t help but wonder when will this end?

Present at this meeting were the following staff members: Executive Producer E. J. Kuppermann, Producer Sandra McKinsey, Director David Dawson, Assistant to the Dirirector Tammy Emerson, Assistant Director Phillip Kensington, Casting Director Anita Jordy, her assistant Mark Powell, screenwriter Harold Gillespie, and Script Supervisor Gloria Alvarez.  The principal cast had been set and consisted of:

·                    Brant Kimber, playing Marty Owen, 28, Architect

·                    Sky Ford, playing Aaron Anderson, 23, Marty’s husband, senior at UCLA in Drama

·                    Hector Uvalde, playing Ricky Moreno, 30, Architect, just moved from Miami

·                    Rachel Hughes, playing Chrystal Kelly, 40-plus, fashion designer and sexpot Miami client of Ricky’s following him to new firm

·                    Reynaldo Nuñez, playing Diego Chavez, 23, Architect Intern from UCLA

·                    Jeff Lancaster, playing Will Thompson, 21, Aaron’s friend from UCLA, also Drama major

·                    Randy Jefferson, playing David Yerkins, 19, Aaron’s friend, Will’s boyfriend, Music Major

·                    Ricardo Ortiz (AKA Diablo Hernando, gay porn star), playing Angel de Madrid, 35, Chrystal’s boytoy, swimsuit model and waiter

·                    Cristina Cortez, playing Lolly San Tomás, 25, Chrystal’s horny assistant

The expanded cast and extra director reflected the greatly increased budget relative to Laying Low.  We were glad to see the guys we had auditioned and felt the cast was certainly going to appeal to audiences of gay or bi men and adventurous straight or bi women.    

Once we were seated, David welcomed everyone and spoke a few words about how excited he is to begin filming this follow-up movie to the well-received and financially successful Laying Low.  Everyone was introduced along with his or her role in the production of the film. 

Anita made a short speech to cast members thanking us for signing on to this production.  She explained our rights and how paychecks would be handled.  Mark passed around a few forms we needed to complete and submit in order for our pay and withholdings to be properly processed.  Anita gave us her card should we have any questions and then departed with Mark.

Tammy explained the tentative shooting schedule and distributed a written copy, encouraging us to let her know tomorrow if we had any personal conflicts with the schedule.  She announced that rehearsals would begin on Monday and passed out a rehearsal schedule that covered a 2-week period.  Filming was scheduled to begin on Monday of the third week.

Gloria gave out 3-ring binders embossed with our names on the front.  These contained the latest version of the script.  Gloria noted that new versions will be issued weekly on Fridays so we can be prepared for any changes when we report to set the following week.  For clarity, all our lines were highlighted in yellow on our personal copies.  Gloria then departed the room.

When all these administrative details had been handled, David spoke again.  “A significant number of the scenes will be filmed in this building with the fourth floor standing in as the architect’s office and some other scenes being filmed on the sound stage in the basement.  When filming here, you will have a dressing room in the basement and you will have carte blanche in the employee dining room on the first floor.   Meals will be provided through catering whenever we’re shooting on location.  All filming is expected to be done here in LA.  Does anyone have any questions?”

No one spoke up with questions except Rachel, who asked, “What about wardrobe and make-up?”

David smiled.  “Thank you for asking, Miss Hughes.  Tammy, will you answer?”

Tammy nodded.  “Wardrobe and make-up are also located in the basement, adjacent to the dressing rooms.  We have 6 dressing rooms there.  The principals, Mr. Kimber, Mr. Ford, Mr. Uvalde, and Miss Hughes will have private dressing rooms for the duration of filming.  The other 2 dressing rooms will be assigned on the basis of filming requirements and will sometimes need to be shared.  Please do not visit your personal hair-stylist until after filming is completed.  We will provide your hair needs here, as well as nails for the ladies.  Each actor will receive individual appointments for wardrobe consultations and fittings.  We may ask you to provide some of your own clothing, so a home visit may be scheduled as well.  Any clothing selected for use in the film will be brought to our wardrobe master, who will be sure the clothing is in good repair and properly cleaned and waiting for your scene.  Anyone have a question?”

No one did.

“Thank you, Tammy,” Rachel said graciously.

“Yes, thanks, Tammy,” David said.  “By the way, if anyone ever has a question about anything or needs to connect with me for any reason, your first step would be to contact Tammy.  She can answer most questions and she keeps my calendar so, if we need to talk or meet, she can set it up.  Okay?”

Everyone nodded.

“Alright,” David said with a small sigh.  “I think you all know this, but I want to explicitly state it before we go on.  This story is intended to appeal foremost to the gay male population and additionally to younger ‘gender fluid’ or adventurous people, to allies of gay people, and to people who enjoy romantic stories.  At its core, the story Harold has scripted for us is an unusual romance.  Since it’s about three sexy men falling in love, it’s quite cutting-edge and is historical in that it’s the first major-studio production about a gay throuple.”

Many of us chuckled at this.

“Just like its predecessor, Laying Low, this movie is very sexual.  Our stars will be performing several very intimate scenes on closed sets.  In addition to these scenes, you have all been chosen for your roles with looks and sex appeal in mind.  You will be dressed with tight or revealing clothing when possible and there is nudity written in for all the men in the cast.  Ladies, this is one movie where you get to keep your clothes on.”

“Thank God!” Rachel muttered.

Everyone laughed or snickered.

“Our negotiations and your contracts contain nudity clauses, which I believe you all expressed comfort with.  If you do have any second thoughts, please discuss them with Tammy after the meeting so we can clarify expectations.  It is possible we may need to re-cast your role if you cannot perform as expected.”

No one responded.

“Let’s head down to the dining room for some lunch and then we’ll have a read-through this afternoon,” David instructed.

“Please remember your masks and social distancing!” Tammy said as we all rose from our chairs.

To be continued...

Posted: 06/23/2023