Page 66 of The Actor: Harrison
“Thank you. You’re really kind,” I blurt out, not sure how to answer his compliment.
We enter his office after walking down a hallway with concrete walls and old black-and-white photos of Los Angeles. It’s a modern house, but it has a warm feeling. The office is no different from the rest of this place. The black walls are brightened by splashes of color from a lot of art.
Harrison and I sit down on the couch where two studio microphones wait for us, while Mark sits on an armchair in front of us. He already has a microphone attached to his electric blue polo. He grabs an iPad from the wooden coffee table and sets his green eyes on us.
“Shall we start?”
“Sure!” Harrison says while I nod. I’m not sure how my voice will come out.
He points a remote control toward a camera on a tripod and the things comes to life as my stomach clenches in a tight grip.
Mark starts introducing us but I’m so nervous I only hear half of it. I smile and I’m sure I look like I’m having a stroke. My face is so tight I can’t even blink. I’ll go blind, my eyes will dry out by the end of this interview, I’m sure of it.
“So, talk to us about this movie.” He smiles at me and I’m paralyzed.
I turn slightly toward Harrison and he is expectantly waiting for me to answer, at least until he realizes I can’t even open my mouth. His eyes widen slightly, then he clears his throat and launches into an explanation about this wonderful movie we’re making, his words, not mine. Apparently, I become mute as soon as I have a camera in front of me.
I’m so embarrassed I can feel my cheeks burn.Get a grip, Sienna!I try to convince myself that I can do this but only when Harrison’s hand slips on the couch cushion and grabs mine do I truly relax enough to say something.
My voice comes out a bit insecure in the beginning, but as I explain what my vision is for this movie, the tension slips away enough to let me talk freely and, a half hour later, I can even joke. It’s strange how physical contact with Harrison can calm my nerves so much that I can face one of my biggest insecurities without too much trouble.
“But let’s talk about the less fun part of making a movie. Money. You struggled a bit to find funding for this movie, right?” Mark frowns like this is almost a tragedy.
I let Harrison handle the answer. He’s better equipped to do that. His poker face is perfect to get you to open your wallet.
He nods and puts on his serious face. “Making an indie movie is never easy. You don’t have a lot of people willing to take a risk with a production that could lead to nothing. But we have a really great script, a fantastic director.” He smiles slightly at me before giving his attention to Mark. “We know it will do great and we found someone who gave us what we needed to start. Still, we’re actively looking for other investors. We’re talking about a movie that has Oscar buzz surrounding it. If you know what I mean.”
Mark is completely enraptured by his explanation, and his eyes widen like saucers at the Oscar mention. He’s almost dreamy as he scrolls his iPad for the next question.
“Well, you believe so much in this movie that you personally financed it, is that right?” he asks Harrison.
I feel his hand tense under mine on the couch. What is he talking about?
Harrison rubs a hand on his jaw like he always does when he’s nervous. He looks completely at ease on this couch, but I know him well enough to recognize when he’s on pin and needles.
“Well, I found a company that could invest in it, yes.” He sounds like he wants to dismiss this argument fast.
“Yes, but you’re one of the shareholders, so basically you put your own money in it,” Mark says and my blood runs cold.
I look at Harrison and the guilt painted all over his face is answer enough for me.
“Yeah, sort of.” He tries to dismiss it, but I can’t dismiss it. Not a chance in the world I can forget about this detail.
I move my hand from Harrison’s grip, and put it on my lap, trying not to fidget too much. I don’t miss him flinching when I rip my hand out of his tight grip.
The rest of the interview is a blur. It goes on for another twenty minutes but I don’t remember one single thing about what we talked about. Only one thing goes on repeat on my mind: he betrayed me. He did the only thing I asked him not to do. He paid his way into this movie and he forced me to work with him.
And I thought I was the asshole for how I treated him. How stupid am I to fall for a man like this twice in my life? Am I so dumb that I don’t recognize people who try to scam me?
“Sienna, wait, please!” Harrison calls when I’m already out of the gates of Mark’s house.
“Why? Do you want to feed me some other lie?” I grit through my teeth.
He flinches and I feel the pain deepening in my heart. He doesn’t even try to deny my accusation.
“Can we talk about it?” he pleads.
“There is nothing to say,” I spit.
