Chapter 1: Casting
"Eliza! It is so good to see you, Pete Forrester said as I walked into the theater. He smiled brightly and then walked up and extended his hand. I took it. There were a few other people in the room and they turned to look at me.
"Good to see you Pete," I said cheerfully, and it was. It was good to be back in New York and it was better to be working in theater again. Even if it was a little, off-Broadway production.
"How was your flight?" he asked and I sort of made raspberry sound with my lips.
"I've never been able to sleep in planes and a flight from Tokyo is absolute Hell," I explained and he nodded sympathetically. I'd just finished filming a minor part in a major production that was shot primarily in Tokyo. It hadn't been particularly glamorous, but it would pay the bills while I took some chances with my craft.
"Well we are glad you are here," Pete said and we walked down towards the stage. I recognized a couple of people from small productions I'd done earlier in my career and I waved to them. I'd started in small theaters, scrounging to get parts and supplementing my income with waitressing jobs. And now I was back, trying to recapture some of that old energy.
Seeing all those people reminded me that I was 32 years old it was starting look like I'd never get my acting career where I wanted it to be. That is not to say I hadn't been successful. After all, like I said I'd just had a bit part in a major Hollywood production. More importantly, I'd been cast in several theatrical productions, including two Broadway shows earlier in my career. I'd also been on television several times, most interestingly I was on a courtroom drama that got picked up by CBS for 13 episodes but got cancelled after six. I was a hotshot young attorney, pretty standard stuff. So a couple months in LA, burning through my savings, then back to New York where I felt safe. I also played a witness during one episode and a suspect in another episode of Law and Order back before they cancelled the show, but I think like 90% of actors in New York were on at least one episode of that. So I had some chances, but nothing had ever really panned out long term.
And now I was 32 (have I already said that, God I am already talking like an old actress. No I am 26...just kidding) and I wanted to do something that would make people change the way I thought of me. I felt that I was attractive enough to be a leading lady, or at least a major character actor in the movies. I was 5'3 and 120lbs, I had long straight black hair and blue eyes. My skin was naturally dark and my face has a natural innocence about it. My eyes were big, my nose was small, my lips were thick, and my teeth were white. Not to mention I had large, C-cup breasts, curvy hips, and a perfect ass. I had the right look; I just didn't have the right buzz. I was just another New York actress, maybe with a few more credits than some, a few less than others. When people thought of me they thought "Where have I seen that girl before, she's kind of cute." But no one knew my name.
So I'd been looking for something different, something with an edge, something that would get me some interesting press for once. And just when I'd gotten the part for the movie in Tokyo I'd gotten a call from a friend, Pete, who'd been an actor when I first moved to New York when I was 18. He was now shifting into writing and directing and he told me about a play he'd written that he thought I'd be perfect for in the starring role. He was a no-name as a director and he had a miniscule budget. Now I wasn't a big star or anything, but getting me would prove he was serious. Not just Community Theater or something.
He told me I would play a powerful closeted lesbian woman and the show was about power dynamics, gender, and sex. I read the script and I knew it was just what I'd been looking for. Something different, something somewhat artsy but very sexy, and, most importantly, something purposefully provocative. The play contained two separate simulated lesbian sex scenes. Yes, they were a little bit gratuitous, but they weren't not completely divorced from plot. Plus, like I said, it was provocative. If nothing else, we'd get a little press for being controversial. And trust me, when it comes to being an actor no press is bad press. But I really thought it was a good play beyond that. I think it had a lot to say about cultural repression of natural sexual desires and how sex tinges all human relationships, even if you can't see it clearly. But I think, really, the plot of the play is beside the point for this little story.
I hadn't really processed the fact that I'd be nude on stage, pretending to have sex with another woman. Both of those were firsts for me. But that was what I was trying to do, show that I was ballsy and versatile. Plus, I was a professional and I trusted Pete. He might be trying to be edgy, but I didn't think he was going to be too overtly porny. I'd accepted his offer as soon as I finished reading the script. I was a little disappointed that I would be in Tokyo when the rest of casting was going on, especially for the girl who would play my love interest in the play. Normally, the production wouldn't cast anyone who they couldn't be sure would have chemistry with the star, but Pete said he felt he knew me well enough that he'd get the right person. So I'd gone to Tokyo when the play was just me and Pete and some investors trying to make money, now I was back and we were just about ready to go.
"Well we don't really have much for you to do today, rehearsals aren't going to start until tomorrow," he said, "I just thought you'd like to come in and meet some of the other cast members and the crew."
"Sounds great!" I said bubbling with excitement. I'd never been a particularly important person at work before; it was fun to get led around like a star. He introduced me to members of the crew and cast. Some of them I knew, some of them I did not. They seemed nice enough. There were five cast members, including me. I met them all except for the girl who would be playing my lover. I started to think I wouldn't meet her.
"Ok, well let's meet you girlfriend. Her name is Dana Watling" Pete finally said after we talked to just about everyone else, "She is back in the green room." So we headed back together. We walked back to the theater, Pete showing me the way to the green room. We opened the door and walked in. I looked over at the couch and saw... my kid sister Dana sitting on the couch.
"What?" I asked incredulously. Dana started to shake her head nervously, then Pete was standing in between us and she was smiling serenely at me. My brow was furrowed. I couldn't even begin to understand what was happening. She was supposed to be at college, in Michigan. What was she doing here and why was she going by some made-up name?
"Eliza Kerrigan, this is Dana Watling," he said. The first thought that went through my mind was that Watling was the name of the street where my parents lived. Dana stood up from the couch and walked over to me. She extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you," she said casually. What the Hell was going on? Did she think I didn't recognize her? As she shook, she squeezed my hand tightly and looked into my eye. I think she was trying to tell me something. I was too confused to pick up messages. I had to get to the bottom of this.
"Well Dana, this is strange," I said. I was about to go on, to ask her about Mom and Dad and try to figure out what she was doing. But she quickly cut me off.
"Hey... Pete," she said, ignoring me, "Would you mind if I had a minute or two alone with Eliza, I want to discuss some things about the performance." It was only then that I remembered it was Pete I was dealing with. Was this some sort of joke, did he know this was my sister and was trying to get a rise out of me? For a moment, I was certain that was what was going on and I even smiled, it was kind of a funny joke. I looked over at Pete, and he didn't register a thing.
It was clear he didn't see a family resemblance or think anything was amiss. I guess I shouldn't have expected him to. I mean, Dana took after our mother; I sort of took after our father. She was taller than me, around 5'8 and she was very thin. She had small breasts, fair skin, long legs, and a classic girl-next door face down to the button nose and deep blue eyes. Even her hair was different than mine, very long and blonde. Still, I thought for sure our facial structures and our voices would give something away.
