Chapter 151: The Calls

[Chapter 151: The Calls]

"Hello, this is Guess Pictures. Congratulations, Mr. Phoenix, you've made it through the audition for Final Destination."

"Yay!!"

Without waiting for the person on the other end to finish, Joaquin Phoenix jumped up from the sofa in excitement, pumping his fist into the air.

"Joaquin, what's going on?"

Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Casey Affleck, and Ben Affleck looked at him in surprise.

"Ha! I got the part!"

Joaquin chuckled a few times, picked up the phone again, and said, "Sorry, ma'am, I got a bit carried away. Please go on."

"Alright, Mr. Phoenix. Congratulations on landing the lead role of 'Tod' in Final Destination. If you're okay with playing this character, please come to the Guess Pictures office within three days to discuss. If we don't hear from you in that time, we'll assume you're forfeiting the role."

"Got it, I'll come by tomorrow to sign."

Joaquin replied happily.

The other guys grew tense upon hearing that it was Guess Pictures calling about the audition. This call signified that the main roles for Final Destination were being assigned. From here on, if you received a call, it meant you had been successful; if not, you had failed. No one wanted to be on the losing side.

"I heard they generally called in order. First the lead, then the supporting characters. Since Joaquin received the call, could that mean we're out of luck?" Casey Affleck questioned.

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Edward Norton frowned in response.

Joaquin glanced at the three of them and continued, "Ma'am, can you tell me if Edward Norton, Matt Damon, or Ben Affleck is on that list? If so, would you mind giving me their status? They're right here with me."

The three men looked at him nervously.

"Joaquin, don't forget about me!" Casey Affleck jumped in, pointing at himself excitedly.

Joaquin thanked her, hung up, and said to the group, "The staff said they couldn't disclose any details. If you guys passed the audition, they'll reach out to you soon."

...

Beep! Beep!

Just as he finished speaking, Edward Norton's pager went off.

"Quick, check if that's the call from Guess Pictures!"

"It's a Los Angeles number, but I'm not sure."

"Go ahead and call back to find out."

Joaquin handed the phone to Edward.

Edward Norton dialed the number back. Once connected, he nodded along to the conversation, his smile growing wider.

"It definitely must be Guess Pictures!"

Casey leaned over Edward's shoulder.

"Thanks for calling. I'll be in to sign the contract with Guess Pictures right away."

Edward hung up the phone.

"What role did you get?"

"Is it the lead?" the others asked, curious.

"Nope, I got the supporting character, Carter."

Edward laughed.

"That's still good! Carter is the second lead," Matt commented.

"I figured you would get the lead role. If not you, then who would it be?" Joaquin inquired.

"Maybe Matt or Ben. The talent at the audition was pretty impressive," Edward replied.

"Well, Ben and I aren't cut out for the lead. The role is for a high school student," Matt remarked.

...

Ding! Ding!

Matt's cell phone rang. After the blockbuster success of The Blair Witch Project, he and Ben earned an extra $50,000. With what they made from the movie, it totaled over $60,000. Both of them had just bought the latest Motorola phone with their bonus.

On the line, Guess Pictures' staff informed him he had secured a minor role as Tod's brother, with a few lines of dialogue.

They asked if he was interested in the part.

Without hesitation, Matt agreed. Although the role wasn't extensive, it was a chance to be in Link's new film - it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Matt, what role did you get?"

"Your brother."

"Ha! We do kind of look alike. You playing my brother fits better than River does." Joaquin grinned, leaning against Matt.

Both had sandy blonde hair, freckled faces, and weren't overly handsome, so there was a resemblance.

Matt chuckled and looked at Ben, who had fallen silent. "Patience, your call will come."

Ben shrugged. "It's fine if it doesn't. I don't mind."

"The lead role is still undetermined. Maybe it'll be you."

"Doesn't matter. I just want to act; if it doesn't work out, it's no big deal. I've had plenty of offers."

Ben leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs nonchalantly, a grin on his face that showed he wasn't worried in the least.

"Yeah, Ben's got the look. He's got a good reputation now. He could walk into any audition, and they'd probably take him," Joaquin nodded.

...

Ding! Ding!

Ben's phone rang suddenly.

At the sound, Ben jumped, instinctively reaching for his phone. But seeing his friends surrounding him, he slowed down instead.

"Ben, that's you! Pick it up!" they urged.

"Take it easy, there's no rush."

Ben stretched his legs, casually answered the call, listened for a moment, then his expression fell, and he handed the phone to Casey Affleck.

"Yours!"

"Mine? Did I get the part too?" Casey exclaimed, eagerly taking the call as the staff at Guess Pictures informed him he'd secured a role as a classmate. If he was interested, he needed to come in to sign the contract within three days.

"Yes! I'm in, I'll be there tomorrow!"

After the call, Casey couldn't contain his excitement and burst into laughter.

As a complete newcomer, he had gone to Guess Pictures for the audition purely on a whim, not expecting to receive a call from them at all. This was amazing.

Yet after laughing for a moment, Casey noticed the atmosphere around him had turned quiet. He turned and saw his brother Ben looking grim, dark clouds hovering over his face.

"Ben, don't sweat it. My audition went well too, yours is probably just a bit delayed," Casey tried to reassure.

"Shut it. Who told you I'm worried? I couldn't care less. I just went to audition for Final Destination for fun. I'm already a star now; I don't need roles like that," Ben said darkly.

The others sensed his anger and decided to keep quiet, not wanting to provoke him further.

Over ten minutes passed with no more calls coming into the booth. Ben's mood darkened, and the atmosphere grew tense and a little awkward.

Joaquin exchanged glances with Edward, finding an excuse to leave early.

Casey, unable to handle his brother's dark mood, hurried after Joaquin, suggesting they head to the bar next door to celebrate.

*****

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