Behind The Spotlight Chapter 114
Axel's talent was adapting to his role and making sure he blended naturally with whatever character he was supposed to portray, no matter how absurd or strange that character might be. The role he was striving to get cast in was a tall cracker guy. Yes, the guy was tall but also a cocaine addict whose whole existence in the script was meant to be both ridiculous and comedic. Frightening Movie was a parody of countless horror movies, from slashers to ghost stories, and was obviously a comedy film.
The role was called Tall Cracker Guy... Don't expect anything deep.
In the scene where Axel was performing, the killer phone called the Tall Cracker Guy and tried to scare him, but Tall Cracker Guy thought it was his drug dealer instead, setting up the comedic misunderstanding the director wanted the audience to laugh at.
So when the killer said, "I'm going to kill you," Tall Cracker Guy was supposed to reply, "Are you my dealer? Man, we already talked about this a week ago, I'm not going to try weed. So don't push that lame ass grass at me! Don't threaten me!"
This was the exact line in the script, carefully written for comedic timing.
That was the line Axel was supposed to deliver. However, he improvised and did something different, taking the risk of injecting his own interpretation.
Based on how he understood the role, Tall Cracker Guy was probably under the influence while watching television, reacting to the world around him with exaggerated silliness. So when he answered the call, he was supposed to act like a crackhead whose mind wasn't entirely grounded in reality.
The best decision Axel could think of was to answer the call with an excited wazzup, believing the caller was his drug dealer. This small twist, in his mind, would immediately add a fresh comedic layer to the role.
So he answered with "Wazzup!" while shaking his head, sticking out his tongue, and crossing his eyes, exaggerating his movements as if mocking the stereotype. That was how he adapted to the role.
He performed the scene, and the audience burst out laughing so loudly that it filled the entire room. Even Wyatt laughed out loud while Henry choked on his own saliva from the sudden burst of comedy he wasn't prepared for.
Their reactions didn't affect Axel's performance. He kept going with the same confidence, showing he wasn't thrown off by the crowd.
"What?" Even the person reading the killer's lines couldn't respond correctly because Axel's improv had thrown off the expected flow of the dialogue.
"Ayo, what's happening bro? Got any coke? Although I have to remind you, I don't like the weak grass shit that you offered me last time." Axel altered the lines slightly to match his rhythm. He twirled the cable of the phone while vibing with an imaginary song in his head, looking fully lost in his high.
"What? No, no, I'm not your drug dealer. I'm a killer!"
"Then stop calling me, you dumb motherfucker. You're killing my vibe!"
"Listen to me! I'm inside your house. Hehe, I'm gonna kill you!"
Axel, playing Tall Cracker Guy, suddenly pulled out a machine gun and sprayed bullets all over the house until the killer, wearing a ghost mask, dropped dead in a way that looked like something straight out of a cartoon. Not even done, Tall Cracker Guy shoved a grenade into the killer's mouth and blew him up, overkill serving as the punchline of the entire act.
Boom!
With that, his performance ended, leaving the room in stunned silence as everyone tried to process the absurdity. Axel looked around and saw the production crew staring at him with surprise and disbelief at what they had just witnessed.
There was silence until Henry nudged Wyatt, snapping the director out of his daze.
"Axel, what you did earlier in the performance was obviously improvised. Tell me, why did you make that funny face?" Wyatt questioned curiously while scribbling in his script.
"Because I believe that's what Tall Cracker Guy would do. He does unexpected things because he's always high."
"I see..." Wyatt glanced at his script and nodded faintly before writing something down.
As for Henry, he didn't have any questions. He just sighed and massaged his forehead, not sure if he should laugh or cry.
Axel didn't know whether he had passed the audition or not. He simply left the room without a clear answer.
When he stepped outside, he saw Collin grinning at him as if he had already seen the future.
"Why are you grinning?" Axel asked, confused by Collin's reaction.
"Because you passed." Collin laughed.
"Huh?" Axel was even more confused.
"I heard people laughing inside, which means you passed. In a comedy film, an actor who can make people laugh immediately passes."
"Collin, that's just being arrogant and optimistic."
The other actors waiting for their turn nodded as they listened to the conversation. They knew laughter didn't always equal success in auditions. A laugh didn't necessarily mean they had landed the role.
"Anyway, don't leave right away. I'll settle the contract today." Collin and Axel walked quickly down the hallway.
"Collin, I don't understand. Why are you so confident that I'll pass?"
"You've improved as an actor and you made the production team laugh. That's enough justification to cast you, and in comedy, that reaction is priceless."
"Just like that? What about my issues then?"
"I already talked to Henry and Wyatt. They promised they'd let go of those issues as long as you impressed them, and you clearly just did."
"..."
Axel didn't know what to say. So he got a role simply by making the production team laugh? Just like that? It sounded too simple and too good to be true.
Actually, Collin didn't explain everything. He couldn't tell Axel that the words above his head were glowing brightly like a halo only he could see. His talent might be colored yellow, but it was shining like a light bulb radiating energy. Collin could clearly see that Axel's talent was improving, fast and obvious.
As they talked, the words above Axel's head slowly vanished as his talent faded after being used.
...
...
...
"Axel Gunner pass."
Wyatt declared firmly and without hesitation. The people in the room agreed, except for two who exchanged doubtful glances.
Henry, the producer, and Andy, the representative of Uni-versus Pictures, were against casting Axel Gunner.
The two kept silent as Wyatt continued explaining Axel's performance and why it stood out among the others. The director seized this moment to convince everyone to cast Axel. He was genuinely happy that Axel had proven himself instead of relying on connections, which made his case stronger. This time, Wyatt was proud to cast him because Axel excelled in his performance and exceeded expectations.
"We worked with Axel two years ago, and everyone can see that he's improved. His progress is so great that it would be a waste not to cast him. Besides, out of all the actors who auditioned for the role of Tall Cracker Guy, Axel delivered the best performance," Wyatt said with conviction.
He wanted to give Axel a chance to prove himself. It would be a shame for an actor showing such obvious talent to be forgotten by Hollywood simply because of past mistakes.
"But we can't just forget the fact that he broke his contract for his last movie. How can we be sure he won't do it again with us?" Andy from Uni-versus Pictures voiced his concern in a stern tone.
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