Owen was in his assigned dressing room. It was a small, immaculate space, with warm lighting and a relaxing atmosphere. On the door, a small white sign read:
"Tonight Show – Owen Ashford."
There were only a few minutes left before he went on.
His family, Sophie, Matt, and Larry, had split up a while ago, by now they should be seated among the audience, watching the opening portion of the show: Jimmy's monologue, the opening sketch, and of course the interview with the first guest, Evan Peters.
At that moment, a makeup artist was working on his face. It wasn't feminine makeup, of course, but the basic touch-ups for television: removing shine, evening out the skin tone, softening small imperfections, and correcting minimal lines.
After that, she styled his hair with professional precision. She asked how he preferred to wear it, parted which way, how much volume. With Owen's instructions, the result was ready in fifteen minutes.
The woman took a step back, studied him with an expert eye, and nodded.
"I've worked on many faces in my career," she commented, assessing him like someone studying a painting, "but I have to say, yours is one of the best. Symmetrical, expressive… very televisual."
Owen raised an eyebrow. He noticed there wasn't even a milligram of flirtation in her tone, it was a professional diagnosis, something she'd clearly given many times before.
"Thanks," Owen murmured.
The woman smiled, gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, and added, "You're ready for television. Good luck."
When she left, Owen stood for a moment in front of the mirror. The image staring back at him almost threw him off. She hadn't exaggerated, he looked really good.
It was still strange getting used to that face.
He had lived nearly thirty years with his previous appearance, and now he'd only spent ten months with a completely different one. Looking in the mirror sometimes felt like seeing a stranger.
The genetics he'd inherited from his new parents were excellent: black hair, fair skin, and very light eyes that stood out on camera.
But it wasn't just genetics.
Since arriving in this reality, his habits had been impeccable: gym, good nutrition, hydration, and rest.
As a result, his body had changed, he'd gained several pounds of muscle with very little fat, his height had increased a few centimeters in the final stage of growth, his shoulders were broader, and his arms and forearms had real volume.
He no longer looked like the weak, drug-addicted kid from the beginning.
'Could I be the next Henry Cavill…?' Owen thought, studying his jawline and facial structure.
He paused briefly, then shook his head. "Know your limits, Master Wayne," he muttered, as if saying the line just for himself.
Just then, someone knocked twice on the door.
"Cough… come in," Owen said, clearing his throat and stopping himself from staring at the mirror like an idiot.
A man with a neatly trimmed beard, dressed with sober, professional elegance, entered the dressing room. Owen recognized him immediately, one of the producers Larry had spoken with during the prior coordination.
"All set?" he asked in a cordial, efficient tone.
"Yes." Owen stood up, adjusting the collar of his jacket.
"Before we go, let's quickly go over the questions." The producer lifted a sheet of paper and, in less than five minutes, ran through the agreed-upon topics: Paranormal Activity, the record-breaking ROI, the fact that Owen was actor, producer, screenwriter, and financier, also The Spectacular Now, and of course, working with Jenna Ortega.
It wasn't a rigid script, just a guide so Owen would know what was coming and wouldn't freeze or leave awkward silences in an interview that was already short. They also wanted to avoid questions that might be out of place.
"Good," the man said, nodding once everything was in order. "Follow me."
Owen followed him, closing the dressing room door behind him. During the short walk down the hallway, he couldn't help thinking about Jenna, his co-star, professional to an extreme, demanding, disciplined, and perfectionist. And yet, surprisingly kind when she opened up a little.
In those four weeks of filming together, they had gone from strangers to something close to friends. An initial bond born from the very serious work they both shared. So much so that, at her recommendation, Owen had moved into the Studio City building where she lived.
Now, of course, Jimmy Fallon was going to ask him about her. It was inevitable.
Why?
Because Wednesday had exploded. The series became a global phenomenon in record time.
Premiering on November 23, in just one week it had reached 341.23 million hours watched, according to Netflix's official figures.
A historic record. The best series debut in the platform's entire history. It had even surpassed Shadow Fall – Season 2, which had logged around 338 million hours in its first week.
As of today, Wednesday was the number one series in 83 countries. No one had seen it coming.
Not even Jenna herself. In a conversation Owen had had with her days earlier, she admitted with complete honesty that she had never imagined the Addams Family spin-off could outperform the giants of the catalog.
Wednesday dominated global trends on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It was a worldwide trending topic for hours every single day. TikTok's algorithm, and those of other social networks, relentlessly pushed clips of Jenna nonstop.
The press, Variety, Rolling Stone, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter, among others, published dozens of articles in just a few days.
And there was one scene that had become the most famous of all: the dance from episode four.
Because of all this, Jenna's popularity skyrocketed. She gained more than 5.5 million followers on Instagram in seven days. She went from 7 million to 13.2 million, a level of growth that would normally take years.
In a matter of days, she had become an international pop icon.
And it wasn't just her. Other members of the cast also ended up on everyone's radar. Especially Emma Myers, who played Enid, Wednesday Addams' best friend: cheerful, colorful, and very talkative. After Wednesday, her character was the most popular thanks to the chemistry the two actresses shared.
It made perfect sense that The Tonight Show would want to ask Owen about her. They had just finished filming a movie together for an entire month. Public curiosity was at its peak.
For A24, it was a stroke of luck no one could have planned. Free publicity before the real marketing even began.
The last time Owen spoke with Cristian, he couldn't believe the coincidence. Elijah, who was usually calm and pragmatic, was also excited about the media wave that could benefit the film.
It was almost certain that many people would go see this new version of The Spectacular Now just because of Jenna.
And Owen, as the male lead, would be the love interest of the actress who was currently dominating global pop culture. Not bad at all.
Yes, he would probably be eclipsed. Sutter was supposed to be the protagonist, but with Wednesday in full explosion, public attention would inevitably fall on Jenna.
Owen didn't mind at all. In fact, it suited him perfectly. He would get more exposure thanks to her.
The film was set to be released in theaters in March, according to what they had discussed with A24.
'How much could it make?' Owen wondered, a little curious.
The original had earned only $6.8 million on a $2.5 million budget.
But this version had a $3 million budget and a much more popular cast than Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley were back in 2013, when they were still rising young talent.
Jenna was far more famous than they had been, and it didn't look like that fame was going to fade anytime soon.
Wednesday was turning her into one of the most influential young actresses of the moment, on the level of Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and others of similar stature.
And Owen, while not at that level yet, couldn't be underestimated either. Almost 2 million followers on Instagram in just a few months. The same on YouTube, nearly 2 million subscribers with fewer than ten videos uploaded.
It was a particular kind of fame, perhaps less mainstream, but very real. Owen already believed that because of all this, this version of The Spectacular Now would gross far more than the original, maybe $20 million? Or more?
As for Wednesday, it would probably end up top three or top two among Netflix's most successful series this year. A year that was undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the best in the streaming platform's history. They had released three series that ended up ranking in the top three for most hours watched of all time.
Owen snapped back to reality as he found himself just about to step onto the stage, where he would be interviewed in front of a live audience. This wasn't live television, the show would air later that night.
It was a little after five in the afternoon. In other words, it was being recorded in the afternoon and would be broadcast later that same day.
Owen stopped at the side entrance to the stage. The producer beside him raised a hand, signaling for him to wait.
"In a few seconds, Jimmy will introduce you. That will be your moment."
Owen nodded with a calm expression. The producer gave him a strange look that Owen didn't notice.
While he waited there, Owen saw Evan Peters exiting through another side entrance after finishing his interview. He was wearing an immaculate white shirt, a burgundy tie, and a dark blue blazer, more formal than Owen, who had chosen not to wear a tie.
Evan felt someone's gaze and turned. Their eyes met. Owen, not quite sure what to do, inclined his head in a small greeting.
Evan returned the gesture with a polite, almost warm smile. A simple greeting, and then he went on his way.
'Seems like a nice guy,' Owen thought.
He had been prepared to be ignored by an Emmy-winning actor, but his first impression was the complete opposite. He turned his attention back to the stage, focusing.
And then he heard Jimmy Fallon's voice:
"Our next guest is the writer, actor, and creator of the horror phenomenon with the biggest ROI in history… please give a big round of applause to Owen Ashford!"
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