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"Are you a big movie star?"
He shrugged. "You said you watch movies and TV. If I was famous, you'd probably recognize me."
"It doesn't mean anything that I don't. We don't have streaming. We only get a few channels. I've seen a lot of movies, but not necessarily new ones. Why, are you a big movie star?" I almost added that he looked like one, but I got nervous at the last second and changed my mind. "You…" I trailed off.
"I what?"
"Nothing. I was just waiting for you to tell me about your movies."
"This is the third one I've been in," Owen said. "The first was a movie about my friend's life. It was my breakout role—a true story—an indie film that wound up getting a couple of Oscars. Then I got a job working with Clint Eastwood, and now this one. I'm excited about it. I'm actually not supposed to talk about it quite yet. They're keeping details hush-hush because of security out here. But I will say that I'm working with Keanu Reeves, which is a huge deal for me."
"You're working with Keanu Reeves? Even I know who that is. Is he out here with you guys?"
"He will be next week. I definitely shouldn't be telling you this, though."
"I'm not going to say anything," I said easily. I stared at Owen who took a bite of food. He was near the end of his burrito.
"How do you handle it? How do you handle the pressures of everything you do? I've never imagined meeting an actor, I know it's gotta be an intense lifestyle."
He shrugged. "Everything has come day by day, so it never felt out of my control. That's not to say I never get out of my comfort zone. I spend a lot of time there, actually."
Chapter 4
"Were movies out of your comfort zone after you grew up doing plays? Is it different?"
Owen smiled at me as he thought about the question. He was still eating, and I just chose not to look at him because of how perfect and wonderful he was.
"Yes, it's so different. And it was uncomfortable. I had to make mistakes. But you get through it. My first movie was with friends, so that made it easier. I'm still new compared to a lot of these people, though."
"What's your process?"
"I'm not even sure if I could consider what I do a process. I would say the most important process in my life is knowing which things to remember and which things to forget. I've got a lot to remember. I've got to remember lines, and I've got to remember how my character would act in certain situations. But I have to forget things constantly, too."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I have to make myself forget failures. I have to make myself forget when people offend me. I kind of have to make myself forget how scared I am all the time. I am constantly getting myself into big, impossible situations where I'm out in front of people, performing, with all eyes on me. I'll catch myself in a moment, I'll be feeling overwhelmed. I'll be out there witheveryone looking at me, expecting something of me, and then I'll think of rain and just go for it."
"Rain?"
"Yes. You know how when you're stuck in the rain, and you're all fidgety at first but then you relax and give in? I'll imagine that I'm stuck outside in a storm without an umbrella. In that situation, you can do one of two things. You can wish you were dry and stress out the whole time about getting wet, or you can embrace it and just relax and let the water fall on you. I feel like half of success is putting myself out there and just embracing the chaos that ensues once I'm in the midst of learning and performing."
"That's a neat thought," I said. "I've never been wet in the rain like you're saying, but I can imagine how it would feel."
"You've never been caught in the rain and gotten soaked?"
"No. I do go outside quite a bit, but my mom is really protective, and she always knows if there's going to be a storm or anything. I've accidentally gotten a few drops of rain on me, but I've never just gotten soaked."
"Hm, I guess what I was saying doesn't work as an analogy, then."
"No, I get it, I think. I've seen some movies where characters end up in the rain and don't care. Do you remember that scene in The Notebook?"
He stared at me as he finished his last bite of food. "No, but I think you should strand yourself in the rain on purpose sometime."
"I might," I said, smiling at the thought.
"That burrito was really so good," he said.
"I'm glad you liked it." I gestured his way. "You need to talk since I still have food to finish."
