fandomhigh | How to Be a Really Famous Actor (And Other Acting Tips), Friday, Period 1

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How to Be a Really Famous Actor (And Other Acting Tips), Friday, Period 1

"Now that we're back in class, it's time to move on to our next session," Lucas said, kicking off the class. "Yeah yeah, no more action stuff, and probably no stuntmen being thrown around for a while, either."

"So now we're focusing on drama. Or, let's be honest, award bait. Because really, that's why people make dramas. There are other minor reasons, I guess. They're not funny or they look funny holding a gun. But if they're like me - and most actors are - they broke into drama for the awards and award shows. Nobody gave me an invite to Sundance until I made Let's Hope There's a Heaven and that baby scored some prizes. And all I did was kiss some chick and die for a couple hours! And that's the reason why LHTH did so well," Lucas said, and yes, he did say 'LHTH.' "It's because I hit the three biggest parts of drama. I cried, I gave a big monologue, and I died. We're going to start with that first one today."

"Crying in movies is shorthand for 'Hey. I can act.' If you can pull off a crying scene, people are going to give you a lot of credit. You don't even have to be great! You can just be pretty good and people will give you extra credit. But if you're terrible at it, everyone's going to laugh at you. And then you'll learn how to cry more realistically."

"Step one is to figure out how to force yourself to cry. Try to think of something sad, like a breakup or a parent dying or, I don't know, someone kicking your puppy. The more personal it is, the more realistic it is. If that doesn't work, try violence. Stub your toe or pinch yourself or have somebody punch you really hard. Or just be like me and be a really good actor."

"Okay, that's enough talking for me. I want everyone to cry today. I don't care how you do it, just cry. And then write up a quick explanation for how you made yourself cry and turn it in."

Because he hadn't done anything evil yet this class period, but demanding potential emotional blackmail made up for that.

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"Oh Kate, c'mon," he said and dropped one of his arms but kept the other one out. "You don't want a hug? If we can't cry, we can practice ways to comfort the other should we ever have an ugly crying fit. It's the compassionate thing to do. And..."

He stepped closer to her, stage whispering, "...if we're sly about it, maybe we can fake a cry."

"You just want to get close to me," Kate decided, but she stayed as she was, now, instead of moving back and away again. "I am onto you, Nathaniel."

"Now why would I want to get closer to you?" Nathan asked, reaching to take one of her hands, at least. He didn't yank her into a hug or anything but he could swing their hands back and forth. "You think you're that special?"

Kate smirked. "Yes." There was no other answer to that, was there? Definitely not one less smug, even if she wasn't entirely serious about it.

She glanced briefly at their hands, and let him keep swinging them. "Of course I am, I'm awesome."

"Are you?" Nathan widened his eyes, feigning shock. "Since when?"

"October first, nineteen ninety three," she replied without missing a beat. "So, a while now."

"I don't believe it," he said, shaking his head. "Where is all this awesome you're purporting to have? Where all the fireworks going off over your head? Where's the red carpet or the gold bricks that you should be shitting?"

"Oh please, all that stuff's for poseurs," Kate scoffed, and yes, that one word totally came with French pronunciation. "My awesome is higher quality than that."

"You did not just speak French," Nathan said, faking like he was gonna vomit. "Oh god, I think I actually might cry. French, Kate? French? No. We don't like the French. No one likes the French!"

Kate stuck her bottom lip out at him. "Pourquoi pas? Moi, j'aime les français."

He'd just been asking for that, really.

Nathan used the grip he had on her hand to tug her closer to him, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, no. I don't answer to the French and I especially don't give them hugs. I think I'll end up smelling like fishy cologne and escargot!"

Well, if he was going to tug her closer, then that just meant he was quite literally getting her to laugh in his face. So there.

"Mais je ne suis pas française," Kate pointed out, trying for an innocent smile up at him, hard as it was when she was snickering. "Je suis americaine. Also, you just said escargot which is French, hah!"

And she was pretty sure it was ditto for cologne.

"Well, that's what it is, right?" Nathan asked, flipping her off from her new close proximity. "Escargot? Or, oh, did you want me to call them snails? Snails and slugs? Really though, I should like escargot since there's a lot of sucking involved and I am damn good at that."

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said, not too sincerely, as she tried to catch his other hand now too, without any real reason. Maybe to prevent him from flipping her off again. "I'm sure it would be amazing to watch you have your way with escargot."

Nathan wiggled his tongue at her but didn't stop her from grabbing his other hand. "I still don't feel any real need to cry either. I've even been thinking about you as a real French woman and it's just not doing it. Maybe I need a hug to get me going?"

"You are obsessed with hugs right now," Kate decided, raising both her brows now. "Why is that?"

Nathan laughed and shrugged a shoulder. "And you're obsessed with the French. Which one of us is obsessed with the better thing, do you think? Hugs make the world go round, Kate. Hugs show affection and appreciation for the other person. The French..."

Nathan paused and tapped his chin. "What good have they done for us? I think hugs are better. Plus, I'm in a good mood and I'm trying to spread that around to all comers. I'm open for business!"

"You're making yourself sound like some kind of a hug hooker," Kate retorted, though she was letting go of his hands, slowly. "And I was so sure you'd be all over that ménage à trois thing. That's totally French."

"Threesome is such a better term for that," he said, nodding. "Such a better term. When you say...whatever the fuck you just said, it sounds like some kinky sexual torture which I could totally see the French being into. When I say threesome?"

He shrugged, looking amused. "It gives off the connotation of a messy, hot, chaotic encounter."

"Mostly messy," Kate said, like she had any real experience in that particular area of things. She let his hands slip from hers, then raised her arms just a bit. "Now what's this I heard about a hug?"

"Well, I just wasn't sure if you wanted one," he said but did step forward to give her a hug. Tall and lanky or not, he was good at hugs and he liked hugs and when getting them from hot girls? Even fucking better.

"But since you do," he added, giving her a little squeeze, "I guess I can help you out there."

"Oh please, I'm just doing this because you wanted one," Kate replied as she was wrapping her own skinny arms around him. "Don't pin this on me."

"You saying you're not getting anything out of this?" Nathan asked, feigning offense. "Why am I even giving you the pleasure, Kate? Why?"

"Because you're supposed to make me cry," Kate replied without missing a beat. "Clearly, engaging me in hugs I don't want is the way to do it."

"Well, I'm not planning on making you cry so I guess I fail the assignment," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "Whatever, I got detention already so failing an assignment just tops off my week o' successes, I think. Maybe I'll just go splash some water on my face and call it crying."

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