Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

I didn’t know what I expected when Mum handed me over her laptop, but when I started going through the summaries of the scripts that I had been offered, I realized one important thing about my career till now–I was beyond lucky.

It was only luck that I was adopted by a Hollywood writer/director. Similarly, it was just my luck that my father had a friend who was producing [The Sixth Sense], or that I would end up taking dance lessons from the choreographer assigned for [Billy Elliot]. I wouldn’t put [Harry Potter] in the same category because I actively pursued that role, but other than that, my entire career has been a happenstance.

The reason I’m saying this is because choosing a script out of hundreds that are in front of me was a nightmare. You would think that it would be easy for me to use my déjà vu powers to get to know about the script. The only problem was that I didn’t get any flashes about any of the scripts at all. I was blank and in the dark about all the scripts I was reading. I wasn’t absolutely sure what it meant, but I guessed that either these scripts were never made into a film in the original timeline, or if they were made, I never saw them. Given how most of the scripts in Hollywood are left unproduced, and how much I detested watching kid films, both of those assumptions made sense.

As much as my parents wanted me to focus on [Harry Potter] and [Billy Elliot] for now, I knew that I needed to do other good films in between those roles to show my versatility. Not just to show the audience my acting range as I grow up, but also the filmmakers. I know I won’t have to work a single day in my life after [Harry Potter] if I so desired, but I want to. I want to become the biggest of superstars this world has ever seen, thus I needed to diversify my movie portfolio. If I focus on doing good indie movies at the moment, I can easily shift to big blockbusters later on. The only little problem here was the script selection.

I rubbed my forehead in frustration when I couldn’t decide what to do. So I did the sensible thing and asked my mother for her opinion. (I would have preferred talking to Dad, but he didn’t even know that I was considering other scripts.)

“It is difficult to select a script based on a summary,” Mum agreed with my dilemma. “If you want, I can read them for you, since you’re so busy with theater work. Just tell me which ones you like more than most, and based on that, I’ll read the detailed scripts and tell you which ones are worth considering, and which ones aren’t. To begin with, give me a list of ten scripts that you like.”

“Okay,” I nodded immediately. “But I have a few requirements for the roles. First of all, it shouldn’t be a franchise film. I already have [Harry Potter] at the moment, so no more film series until after we are done with it.”

“Reasonable,” Mum inclined her head in acceptance. “What else?”

“The film should have scope for me to act in it. I don’t want a 2D character without good motivations or emotions driving his behavior. It’s fine if it is a supporting role, but the character should be so good that when the movie ends, people should think only about my character, nothing else.”

Mum gave me a scrutinizing look before asking, “You just want another Oscar-bait role, don’t you?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I already have an Oscar. I don’t care if I get another one. I just don’t want [Harry Potter] to define me for the rest of my life. Just imagine I’m as old as you one day and people are still asking me for stories about [Harry Potter].”

Mum nodded slowly, “Makes sense. Anything else?”

I racked my brain for anything but came up blank, so I shook my head. “No, that’s all. Just have to keep the conditions of [Harry Potter] in mind that the role can’t be negative or overly mature.”

Mum went silent for a few moments as she observed me. “So you really want to do another movie after all?” she asked.

“Not right now,” I countered. “I’ll wait at least until after [Prisoner of Azkaban] if that is even happening.”

“Of course, it’s happening,” Mum reassured me. “Don’t worry about that. While I don’t like this decision of yours, I won’t stop you.”

I was surprised by her candor, so I asked, “What changed?”

“I have been thinking,” she said, “and I realized that since you have passed high school, you should be eligible to do things that other such kids do, like going to a university, or starting a business, or getting a job. But since your job is acting, it would be hypocritical of me to stop you from following that.”

“Thanks, Mum,” I smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep in mind that I won’t take up a role that would disrupt our family life entirely.”

“Good,” she smiled at me before a look of realization came to her face. “Oh, I almost forgot. You should start reading books by obscure authors where the protagonist is your age. Most of the films today are adapted from books, like [Harry Potter], and we all read the big hit books, but small authors are sometimes ignored by the masses which leaves a lot of untold stories in the movies. Maybe one day you will find one such book that you absolutely love, and then you can make a film that you’re passionate about. Believe me, when I say this, such films are the best ones.”

I nodded dutifully. I read a lot of books. Any good actor worth their salt does that to improve their script analysis and seek out good projects for their future. The problem was that I usually read books from the top bestsellers. Most of them aren’t centered around people my age, because I like reading about complex adult emotions, not about some kid’s problems. But I will have to if I want to understand.

“Another thing,” Mum interrupted my musings. “If you try that, search for roles that are at least 2-3 years older than you are, because it will take time for the script to be adapted from a book. Then there will be pre-production and we don’t know if you’ll be shooting [Harry Potter] during that. It would be a hassle to change the script later on.”

That made a lot of sense. Physically, we change a lot from age 12 (my current age) to age 18. Even a single year of age difference can make the actor too old or too young to accurately portray the protagonist.

Let’s just hope I find a good book to adapt.

(Break)

Months passed by, and things fell into something of a routine. My body got used to performing such a hectic show daily. The best part was that my hard work paid off and [Billy Elliot] was a resounding success among the people. Every day, someone famous would come over to watch me perform, and it was all the more exciting to meet them. To name a few, David and Victoria Beckham, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Paul McCartney, Michael Caine, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, Sting, Kate Moss, and Mick Jagger met me in my green room after the show. Not to mention, many of my co-stars from my other movies.

I had to take a week off in November to promote [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets], but I had this genius idea to club the publicity tour of [Harry Potter] and [Billy Elliot: The Musical]. Warner Bros didn’t have a problem with that because the two were not the same medium. Moreover, it is seen that clubbing the publicity of two products has a multiplication factor. Fans of the movies will see the musical and vice versa.

That’s why here I was on the newly launched show [Friday Night with Jonathan Ross].

“Our next guest tonight needs no introduction. He is Harry Potter, he is Billy Elliot, and he’s the kid who sees dead people. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for the one and only, Troy Armitage!” Jonathan Ross declared, prompting the audience to erupt into cheers and applause.

Amidst the sea of flashing lights and cheering fans, I emerged from backstage, wearing a light blue denim jacket over a white t-shirt, paired with a pair of chinos. A wide grin was etched on my face. To think that a couple of years ago I would have been mortally afraid to do such a show, but after doing theater, this is a kid’s play.

Jonathan Ross hugged me for good measure before showing me the seat. I settled into the guest chair beside Ross, who beamed at me.

“Troy, it is so good to have you here tonight,” he said, his voice brimming with genuine enthusiasm.

“Thank you for having me,” I said what every guest says or more like what our PR team coaches us to say. Ever since that PR nightmare a few months ago, they had stepped up in their preparedness a lot and had coached me for the entire interview, including setting up all the questions.

“Congratulations on the incredible success of [Billy Elliot], both the movie and the musical. You've taken West End by storm!” Jonathan gushed. “I have seen the show twice. And both times when I went home, I wanted to start taking ballet lessons.”

The audience erupted into laughter at Jonathan’s joke.

I played along, “So what’s stopping you? There’s no age or gender to learn something new.”

“Well said,” Jonathan nodded sagely before asking his real questions. “So, how has life been, mate? I heard you have developed quite a fan base since your debut a couple of years ago. Can you walk down the street like normal people?”

“Not really,” I confessed. “But I knew what I signed up for when I became an actor. My parents have helped me a lot in navigating fame.”

“Any crazy fan interaction?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah,” I shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s mostly people calling me ‘Billy’ or ‘Harry’ when they see me. But for some reason, they do it when I’m not looking at them, and when I turn in their direction, they would turn around as well, leaving me kind of confused, ‘Are they talking to me?’”

Jonathan and the crowd laughed politely at my story.

“Honestly, I love it,” I continued when Jonathan’s laughter had subsided somewhat. “Some people who actually meet me just want a high five, or a hug, or even a photograph. We as actors make our movies and shows for people. If this is their way of recognizing me, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Jonathan Ross seemed surprised by my answer. He paused for a moment before changing the topic.

“We also have [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets] releasing this week. Here’s an exclusive preview of the movie.”

The screen cut to a scene of the movie where Jamie and I were in a Ford Anglia, flying over the Hogwarts Express when I almost fell out of the door. The audience gasped in surprise, but before they could see what happened next, the clip ended.

“Warner Bros are cruel to give us such a short preview because I know for sure that didn’t happen in the book,” Jonathan remarked. “Can you tell us something about that scene? Don’t tell me you actually fell out of a car?”

I chuckled, “No, we shot it on a green screen. For a month, Jamie, who plays Ron, and I were stuck in that car, doing all that stuff you saw in that preview and more. They rigged the car with machines that shook wildly to give the effect as if we were flying.”

Jonathan was staring at my explanation in fascination. “I haven’t worked in front of a green screen, but hearing that explanation of yours, I sure want to.” Sensing a lull in the conversation, he changed topics. “How do you manage school with your acting career?” Jonathan asked.

“I don’t go to school because I’ve already passed my A-levels.”

He grinned, “We have a genius among us. What next? University?”

I shrugged, “Who knows? Maybe I’ll take up some university-level courses in the future, but I’ve put my education on hold for now to focus on my career.”

“Wow, that’s great,” Jonathan said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “When I was 12, I was hopelessly confused and barely passing my classes, and here you are, giving an inferiority complex to kids all around the world.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Jonathan,” I beamed at the host proudly.

Jonathan relaxed in his chair with a playful twinkle in his eye and said, “I heard a little rumor backstage that you've got some pretty impressive dance moves. Care to show us a little something?”

I chuckled. They had already discussed that I would dance a little at the end of the show and was quite prepared to showcase my skills. “Well, Jonathan, I don't want to spoil the surprise for the audience, but let's just say I've been known to bust a move or two.”

Ross grinned, leaning forward eagerly. “I like the sound of that! Now, tell me, what's it like being the biggest star of West End at such a young age? Do you have any diva demands yet? Maybe only green Skittles in your dressing room?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “No! Who has green Skittles? I like periwinkle blue.”

Jonathan laughed uncontrollably, “There’s no such color in Skittles!”

I shrugged before pointing at the camera, “Now there will be. Listen carefully, you Skittles execs.” We both laughed at the joke.

“For sure,” Jonathan said after regaining control of himself. “Many celebrities must have seen your show. Any who came to visit you personally afterward?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” I nodded. “Other than you, Sir Paul McCartney came.”

“Oh my God!” Jonathan exclaimed.

“Exactly,” I nodded. “Then there was David and Victoria Beckham, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench—”

“Woah,” Jonathan jumped in before I could name any more names. “That’s quite a stacked list of names. Hugh Jackman is a very good friend of mine.”

I was a little irritated by the sudden change in conversation but kept an easy-going smile on my face.

“I love him as Wolverine in [X-Men],” I said instead.

“Speaking of Wolverine, I’ve heard that you're a big fan of superheroes. If you could play a superhero when you grow up, who would it be?”

I grinned, my eyes lighting up with excitement. “Oh, that's easy! I've always been fascinated by Spider-Man. It was the first comic book I ever read. So I think it would be pretty cool. If not that, maybe Deadpool.”

Ross chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Alright, last question before we get to your performance. If you could dance with any celebrity, living or dead, who would it be?”

I pondered the question for a moment, but I didn’t have to think hard. “That’s easy. Michael Jackson.”

Ross nodded approvingly. “Great choice! Alright, folks, you heard it here first. Troy Armitage and Michael Jackson, hitting the dance floor together. Now, don't go anywhere, because when we come back, Troy will be giving us a performance that's sure to knock your socks off!"

As soon as the cameras cut to commercials, Jonathan Ross turned to me and smiled, “You did great there. You’re a natural.”

“Thanks, Jonathan,” I smiled politely as the makeup crew rushed to me and started touch-ups. I removed my jacket since it would prevent me from dancing freely.

When the makeup team was done, it was less than thirty seconds before the commercial ended. The show's director came forth and quickly positioned me where I was supposed to dance. I had prepared the same routine that I did during my audition scene in [Billy Elliot]. As much as I wanted to do something new, I didn’t have the time to learn some new choreography, and tonight’s focus was only on my dancing skills, not singing.

“5, 4, 3, 2, Go!”

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