Someone I Used to Know - By Blakney Francis Page 0,93
he cautioned with a smirk. He liked that he’d shocked me.
“I haven’t been tempted by one yet, sir,” I replied honestly.
His grin only grew. The Cheshire Cat could have been modeled after his face. Hell, he was probably old enough for it.
“I’m about to try and change that, Mr. Davies.”
“Please call me Declan, sir.”
“Alright, Declan, I’m going to lay it out for you. About a year ago I came into some knowledge that one studio was trying to remake a particular picture, and ever since then I’ve done everything short of burn the place down trying to stop it from happening. You don’t mess with perfection, son…The audience though, they keep buying tickets, and as long as these remakes are making money, the studios are going to continue making them.”
I was lost. I understood what he was saying, but I was perplexed as to the context. Why was he telling me? Why then? Why me? It wasn’t like I didn’t know remakes were a hot ticket.
“Don’t hurt yourself there, son. You’re pretty enough to get away with not thinking at all, but it’s nice to see that there’s a brain in there…I was hoping that was the case.”
“I’m assuming you’re not asking me to help you keep this movie from getting made. You’re one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Compared to you, I’m a minnow in this industry.”
“No, Declan, I’m afraid that this movie is getting made. I can’t fight it anymore, but I’m not just going to let any old Captain Ahab chase after this Moby Dick. If we’re going to do this, then I’ll be the one captaining this ship. I don’t trust anybody else not to ruin it.”
“You don’t literally mean the film Moby Dick, right?”
He laughed full and loud, and it bounced unashamedly beyond our private area and through the whole restaurant.
“No, son. We’ll be staying dry for this excursion, although the South is humid as hell.” His brown eyes penetrated mine, forcing me to understand the seriousness of what he was about to tell me. “We’re doing Gone with the Wind.”
My eyes bulged. “You want to remake Gone with the Wind?”
“Did I not just get done telling you that I didn’t? I don’t want to…I have to.” His plate sat empty in front of him, while I’d still only ingested the single roll that I’d accidentally swallowed whole. Thankfully, the conversation was insane enough that forgetting to eat was perfectly acceptable.
“Okay, you have to make Gone with the Wind. What does that have to do with me?”
“I think you might have to be my Rhett Butler.” His stare was calculating, measuring the angles of my face in a clinical way.
“I...I can’t be Rhett Butler! I’m –.”
“Scrawny, I know,” he cut me off, his face scrunched with displeasure at my lack of physical attributes.
“I was going to say Australian, and about a decade too young,” I corrected him, a little offended. I wasn’t that lacking, well over six feet and decently built.
“Irrelevant details.” He brushed his hand through the air like he was shooing away flies. He was undaunted by my very legitimate concerns. “For most of the production we’ll be in Australia. We need the weather. I know that’s home for you, and you know that this is the role of a lifetime.”
I nodded. No denying that. “I need to think about it.”
“I guess I can give you that,” he agreed, though he didn’t seem very happy about it. “I wouldn’t think too long though. Once word gets out about this, I’m going to have every actor under the age of eighty trying to woo me.”
“Can I ask you a question?” The meal was wrapping up, and I was sure I had whiplash. I needed to gather my thoughts.
“No, you’ve had your fill,” he said, a small smile still playing on his lips. “I do have a question for you though.”
“Okay,” I dragged out the word slowly, feeling uneasy.
“What’s she like? The real Adley Adair?”
My jaw dropped. Joseph seemed so above the frivolity of us mere mortals. He was like Zeus, lounging about Mt. Olympus, watching us all make fools of ourselves. Just hearing Adley’s name come out of his mouth was surreal.
“Don’t look so surprised, son. I might be old, but I’m still literate. I’m just as intrigued by the real Adley Adair as the rest of them.”
I doubted that. No one was as intrigued by her like I was.
“…She’s…unintentionally likeable.” I smiled as I stole Fran’s phrase. “And she’s just so