The door is standing there silent. But when you get closer, you can hear the sound of romance between two lovers, coming from behind. The female voice sounds like Starlet.
The male voice is becoming louder, and it is now audible. “Bye-bye sweetie,” the male voice says from behind the door.
The door is opened. A man with horny eyes and loose tie comes out. He is wearing expensive clothes, and his jacket is hanging on his left arm.
As he is coming out, he encounters another man who is going into the same room. The second man looks like a construction worker with his clothes still dirty from work. The construction worker is shocked by seeing the man in suit. There is a moment of awkwardness. Finally, the man in suit breaks the silence: “Oh, don’t mind me, sir. Please proceed.”
He holds the door open for the construction worker and shows him inside. He then comes out and fixes his tie as the door gets closed behind him. He leaves while whistling happily.
The man in suit, still whistling, is going down the stairs. He sees Starlet coming up. Amused by her beauty, his whistle gets mixed up. He cannot take his eyes off Starlet, and gradually slows down until a full stop in the middle of the stairs. Starlet doesn’t pay attention and passes by him. He is still following her with his eyes, mostly focusing on her bottom.
“Miss,” the man in suit calls Starlet, “Excuse me, Miss.” Starlet turns back and looks down at him. “Do you work here?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Splendid! Let me introduce myself. I am Leslie Dickson. You might have heard my name if you are into movies. I have the pleasure to be the casting director for the latest picture of Mr. Scorsese, and I think you would be perfect for a particular role that I am casting for. How would you like to star in a Scorsese movie, Miss?”
“Martin Scorsese?!”
“The one and the only.”
“That’s a miracle!” she exclaims. “Does DiCaprio play there too?”
“No, I am afraid Mr. DiCaprio is not collaborating in this particular picture. But I assure you the picture is packed with the hottest stars in Hollywood. This would be, I have to say, a tremendous career opportunity for a lady at your status.”
“Miracle, my ass. Is this the newest scam in the city?” Lady asks suspiciously. She has just arrived, standing down the stairs.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Dickson says to Lady. “And who would you be?”
“I am the one whose permission you need before approaching any girl in this house.”
“Oh, pardon my ignorance. You must be Lady. My compliments on your selection here. My name is Leslie Dickson, and here is my business card. Perhaps you would be more comfortable to talk about the terms of the contract over a drink, or coffee? In your office, perhaps? If that is not too much trouble.”
Lady, reading the card, takes a softer attitude. Starlet reads her face. She jumps up in the air, and screams: “I am gonna be a movie star!”
Plumber brings the tray of wine glasses before Dickson.
Dickson goes to take one. “Oh, right on time, my man. Much obliged,” he looks up as he says that playfully with a smile. He finds Plumber looking at him very seriously. Plumber’s eyes are full of suspicion. Dickson is surprised by the hostility he is receiving from the servant. He tries to ignore it.
“Thank you, sir,” he says with a more serious tone, as he turns his look away.
“The $20,000,” Lady asks, “is for one night only?”
“Between 10 and 20 thousand, ma’am,” Dickson says while swallowing the sip of wine he has just taken. “And yes. Most likely the scene will be shot in one night, but we might need to call back for a second or third take. You know the legendary directors like Mr. Scorsese are very particular about details and would re-shoot each scene over and over until it comes out just perfect. And it is not just the one-time payment. This is a whole opportunity for an actress to be seen in a prestigious picture. This could potentially lead to a prosperous career in Hollywood; movies, TV shows, red carpet, you name it. It is a dream come true, actually, for many actresses.”
“And how come Hollywood comes all the way down here to offer our Starlet this dreamy opportunity?” Lady asks with a suspicious tone. “Did you run out of actresses who have lined up at your doorstep, doing literally anything for a chance, just one chance, no matter how remote it is?”
“No, ma’am. As you correctly pointed out, there is no lack of talented actresses at Hollywood, and they would do anything, as you put it, for an opportunity to be cast in a Scorsese picture. The peculiar nature of this particular picture, however, requires the actress to be open and comfortable with certain situations, a quality that not everybody in this city possesses. How should one put it? Mr. Scorsese insists the scenes be as honest and truthful as possible, which in this particular scene means that he would not be content with just a simulation of sex. The actress, therefore, should be comfortable to perform the sex scene as one would do in real life.”
“Simulation?!” Starlet asks Dickson.
“Means that you gotta fuck for real,” Lady responds. Starlet takes a step back.
Dickson notices the doubt in Starlet’s face and tries to defuse the tension. “Jody Foster, who is now one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, actually started by playing a teenage prostitute in an earlier Scorsese picture.”
“Taxi Driver is the title,” Lady jumps in, “and I don’t remember any fucking in the movie.”
“Well,” Dickson responds with a chuckle, “times surely have changed, and the art has evolved with it.” He takes another sip from the glass.
“Don’t porn stars usually play such parts,” Tatiana interjects.
“That’s correct, Miss. The porn industry has been quite generous in providing us with their workforce. And we have indeed interviewed many such candidates. The challenge, however, for this particular role is that the character is an innocent, 16-year-old teenager, and the innocence, which is the key to the character, is missing from the look of the people who have pursued a career of performing sex in public.” Dickson turns his face back to Lady. “Starlet not being a pro, yet, is actually a key competitive advantage for her.”
“I am gonna have sex with Leonardo DiCaprio?” Starlet asks.
“No, Miss,” Dickson says with a chuckle. “As I said, Mr. DiCaprio is not in this picture, but your co-star—”
“— So, you want someone who has never fucked,” Plumber interjects, “to get fucked in public for the first time, in your movie.”
Dickson uses this as an opportunity to get friendlier with Plumber. “Exactly! Actually, I would not use those words, but my man here got the gist of it.” He offers a big, open-mouth smile, but Plumber is still staring at him seriously. The only difference is that the look of suspicion is replaced with a look of hatred.
“$20,000 you said?” Lady asks. She looks like she is doing math in her head.
“Yes, ma’am, between 10 and 20 thousand dollars, minus taxes of course. Hah.”
Dickson is in the corridor in front of the office. Plumber is also leaving the office, closing the door behind him.
“Oh, I won’t trouble you, sir,” Dickson says to Plumber, “I believe I know the way out.”
“Tell me one thing, asshole,” Plumber gives it to him straight. “Would Scorsese cast his own daughter to get fucked in his picture, for the sake of art?”
Dickson drops his act and stares right into Plumber’s eyes very seriously. He takes a few seconds to fasten buttons on his jacket. He then gets closer to Plumber, to the point that his face is uncomfortably near Plumber’s.
“No, sir. Miss Scorsese is an upstanding, high-class member of our society. The role is more appropriate for people of your type, sir.”
“And what type of people are we?”
“You know, the fucked-up type.” Dickson waits a few seconds for Plumber to take it in. He takes a step back. “She is going to become a fucked-up girl in a fucked-up world anyway, so let the fucking start by art, sir.”
Dickson starts whistling ‘I am a big big girl’ song in Plumber’s face. He then breaks the eye-contact with a devilish smile and leaves Plumber as he’s whistling.
Plumber is frozen. A sense of deep sadness is gradually surfacing on his face and gets mixed with the anger.