AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I still want to hear your answer,” I said to Eli.
He put down his slice and washed down his bite with a swig of soda.
I was starting to think this should be one hell of a story.
“You know the guy in the action movies?They killed my dog and stole my car? And then he burns down an entire underground crime ring?
An actor I’d crushed on longer than those movies had been around. “I’m at least a little familiar with his work.”
“I auditioned to be Chas in Constantine.”
“I love that movie.” Wait. I was trying to picture Eli in the role. How long ago was that? Ten years? Fifteen? On second thought, I’d rather not imagine him that young when I would’ve been twice his age. “You weren’t old enough to drive a cab back then.” Damn me and my mathy brain.
“No. In fact, they told me—he told me—that was why I didn’t get the part. They went with an older character.”
Hetold Eli… “Is that normal? For the star to call you with notes?”
“Also no. Okay, here’s the setup. I was all of almost fifteen, and comics were my life, especially the dark ones.” A frown whispered across his face, becoming an almost smile before it vanished. “Austin and I would hide the graphic novel collections in different places around the set. If you pay close enough attention to some of the episodes ofDonovan, you can see the different covers tucked away. Editing tried to take out every instance, but I know where I hid the books, so I know where to look for them on the screen.”
That was adorable. It also meant, “You still watch the show sometimes?”
“Sometimes. There are a couple of episodes that remind me…” He sighed. “Anyway, Austin and I would read between takes, and Hellblazer was like nothing else. Magic guy who fights demons—both real and his own personal darkness. It wasn’tgood always triumphsorthere’s a distinct line between light and dark. It was complex and real and to young me, it was brilliant.
“I devoured those stories. I’d make Austin read them out loud, and told him it was because he was a slower reader than me. It wasn’t. It was completely because he was so good at slipping into each role. He was a one-man acting troupe.” Eli was definitely smiling, falling into the memory.
I was captivated by both the tale and his reactions. He looked so sweet talking about Joystick that way. When the animosity faded, it was clear Eli still adored him. How was someone supposed to compete with that kind of decades of longing?
Not that I had to.
Eli gave a brief shake of his head. “When I found out I’d gotten the audition, I was sure they’d made a mistake. They must want Austin instead, and I was assured that no, they wanted the smart sassy one who gets left behind a little too much, but in the end helps save the day.”
“Not the greatest way to describe someone.”
Sadness tinged Eli’s smile. “I knew who I was and who I was playing, and I knew those were the parts waiting for me. Back then…” He puffed out his cheeks and they deflated with his sigh. “As long as I got to do it with Austin by my side, I was okay with it. I didn’t want to be the star, but to play across fromhim”—the way Eli said it, it sounded like he was actually talking about a god, rather than a time-traveling airhead turned world-class assassin.
“It didn’t matter that he was almost thirty years older than me, he was so sexy in person,” Eli said. “So nice. I’m still surprised I made it through my lines, and when I was done I walked out of that building on a cloud of air and fantasy. I was going to get that part. He’d take me under his wing and be my mentor. He’d have to be okay with Austin too, because I was going to love both of them… But I wouldn’t put him in an awkward situation. I’d wait until I was an adult to tell Mr. Constantine that I loved him.”
I was wrapped up in the story. In the highs and lows of a simple audition, through young Eli’s eyes. Though, obviously he hadn’t gotten the part.
“A few days later, he called me himself. Said I shouldn’t expect personal feedback going forward because most casting calls didn’t care about who they spit through the grinder. But he said he wished he’d had at least a little input when he was my age, so he wanted to offer it. He told me I was great, and I should be proud of my audition. That the only reason they didn’t pick me was because they needed someone just a little older.”
“That was really sweet of him.” I was almost smitten with the story.
Eli finished off his slice. “Like I said—great guy. I’ve only talked to him once since then. He called me after…” The lines in Eli’s forehead cut deep with the frown. “After I was forced offDonovan. I couldn’t get an audition anywhere, and I was so frustrated. I didn’t realize at the time that I’d basically been blackballed, and he told me. Said he’d overheard a director friend and remembered my name. He offered me an apology and said he wished he could help. I didn’t blame him for not being able to. I thanked him. I hung up. I cried for a week at the realization of how deep Austin’s betrayal ran, and decided to quit acting.”
My heart ached for Eli. What was I supposed to say to something like that?I’m sorryhardly seemed adequate. I settled for squeezing his hand.
He squeezed back and gave me a weak smile. “A few years after that, I got a call from someone who worked with him—Constantine, not Austin. The guy had heard I was writing. Something I’d mentioned in passing, eons ago, during my Chas audition. They brought me in to be part of a team patching up a screenplay that a director hated, and that was how I got into what I do now. So yeah, if I ever meet him again, I’ll go gaga over him.”
Wow. That was one hell of a ride. “I get why. And I’m so sorry you went through all of that.”
“It’s okay. For a long time I thought it wasn’t—you probably couldn’t tell, but I held onto that animosity for a long time.” Eli winked at me. “I convinced myself I was over it, and it’s been jarring realizing that I wasn’t, and that all this time, my blame was misplaced.”
“Joystick has a way of shifting people’s perspectives.” At least, he had mine. Was it okay for me to say that now?
Eli’s smile was coming back, so probably. “He’s always been like that.” He gave another one of those head shakes that looked like he was trying to clear out his thoughts. “But so do you.”
What? How did I become a part of this? “I’ve actually made a career out of convincing others that old people can be fun too.” I didn’t mean for the self-effacing to slip out, but it forced its way past my lips. I was closer to Constantine’s age than Eli’s, and couldn’t help thinking about what I’d been doing when he wasn’t even old enough to drive. I should stop myself now, but more words wanted to be heard. “That’s not true. I wasn’t fun at all before—”
