Desperation Breeds Talent
"What do you mean it's a "comedy" film now?!" The tension bled thickly into his voice, a spark of panic lining every word.
"It's not that bad!" His agent argued worriedly, attempting to reassure his client as best he could. "Look, the planning stage went through a little bit of reworking, and it looks like the film is going to be more comedy heavy than we planned, that's all! No big deal, relax."
"Relax?" A breathy laugh exited his mouth as he sat at his dining table, fingers steeped into his hairline and his elbows grinding into the wood of the table. "I have been preparing myself for an action flick here, I've been working out in preparation for exactly that, been practicing my line delivery with the expectation of being a serious and down on his luck superhero. Wonder Man barely veers into comedy beyond the odd one-liner if that, so tell me just how I'm supposed to deal with a change this big, huh?" While the question was clearly rhetoric, Hayden hoped for an actual solution. His forays into comedy were… sparse, and average at best. He wasn't bad, per say, but his experience in drama and action had typecasted the actor into a type of role that he had grown largely familiar with over the years. Now potentially his biggest role was going to be one he had hardly any experience with? It was stressful to say the least.
"Look, Hayden, I need you to breathe. This isn't the end of the world," the actor clenched his fists, before letting out a long sigh, attempting to relieve some of his tension. "You can practice, okay? There's other less comedy heavy roles too, we could have you try for Erik, the brother? Still a bigger role."
Something pinged in Hayden's chest, even as he admitted the sensibility to the statement, the actor had been reading the comics for a good few months now, committing the character to heart and suffering through his wife's good natured jabs that he was adding comics to his substantial geekiness after Star Wars. Hayden had learned that, well…
"I wanted the role," he eventually said into the phone, leaning back in a sort of depressed fugue. "I want to play Wonder Man."
Silence over the phone, his agent obviously considering how to respond before he groaned. "No promises Hayden, there's more competition for it than we expected, people who are more familiar with a comedic tone too, no offense."
Hayden nodded, frustration slowly ebbing away. "Right, then that just means I'll need to talk to some people who can get me ready for it."
"Ugh, Hayden, what exactly are you talking ab-"
"I'll call you back," the actor stated, ideas already expanding as he hung up, flitting through his phone to reach his contacts. Two in particular stuck out, old colleagues and both with a wider repertoire of filming experience than he had. Most notably… both had some experience in comedy.
Linking the two into a group chat, he sent out a message.
'Samuel, Ewan. Remember that role I told you two about, the one I've been talking about? … I could use some help.'
A/N
Short Omake though it may be, I wanted to write this and it's pretty difficult to manage from my phone. Hope it's an enjoyable read.
