Chapter 209 New Movie
The director for Andrea’s new movie, Leaving Poland, was a soft-spoken woman named Hailey Brighton. Her demeanor was the complete opposite of Wilma from her last film, and Andrea loved her approach to filming. Rather than taking a lot of time reading through the script early on, she jumped right into filming. There were only four main actors, with a few smaller roles, and some extras, and a lot of the filming would be done on location, rather than on a sound stage.
Staring opposite Andrea was an actor she had never worked with before but had heard great things about. A British actor, Lincoln Whitten was a few years older than her but had mostly acted on the stage before. Andrea was excited to work with him. As she waited for him to arrive on set for their first scene, she tried to keep her enthusiasm dampened, but it was hard because she had the feeling this film would be a landmark for her career.
“All right, here is Lincoln,” Hailey said in her soft voice. “Lincoln, please meet Andrea.”
He was taller in person than he appeared to be on film, and dashingly handsome, not that Andrea was looking for herself, but it was a nice plus to know that women would be interested in coming to her movies to see the male lead. “It’s lovely to meet you,” he said, offering his hand.
“Yes, it’s wonderful to meet you as well,” Andrea said, shaking his hand. “I saw a recording of your performance in Hamlet. It was remarkable.”
“Why, thank you. I have been a fan of yours for years but especially appreciated your performance in Shadows of Silence.”
Andrea smiled at him. “That’s very kind of you.”
“Now that we’re acquainted,” Hailey said with a grin, “let’s go over my vision for this first scene. This is the one where the two of you meet. Let’s discuss where I’d like for each of you to stand, where the cameras will be placed, and the emotions I’d like each of you to evoke as you state your lines. Remember, the true beauty of acting isn’t in the acting itself, but in the reacting.”
Andrea had never heard a director say such a thing, but it really hit home with her. She knew she spent much of the time when she wasn’t speaking thinking about her next line. Perhaps she could invest more of herself in what the other actors in the scene were doing.
They went over the scene a few times, and when Hailey was satisfied that they both understood what to do, she ordered the cameramen into place and then stepped aside. This was a different way of filming than what Andrea was used to, but she loved how immersed she felt in the scene, and it was much easier to connect with Lincoln under these circumstances than it ever was when she was working on a sound stage.
By the end of filming the first day, Andrea knew she had something special. She went back to the apartment she had rented for the duration of filming and hurriedly called Case. She missed him so much; spending all of her time with him over the last few months had spoiled her, but she knew she’d see him soon since she had weekends off.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey, beautiful! How was your day?”
A smile spread across her face. He was always so complimentary. “Great. I think… this movie is going to be something really special,” she said.
“I’m so glad to hear that. Tell me all about it.”
Andrea settled into the sofa, the Manhattan skyline stretching out before her as she gazed out the large window, and she told him every detail of her day while he listened. When she was done, she heard about what had gone on in the garage as they prepared for the race in Darlington that weekend. Even though they were physically apart, they were always together. Andrea felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
Kelsey brought her a drink, and Andrea thanked her, so glad that her friend was doing better and that she had made a full recovery. Rick was there to protect her, and he and Kelsey were even closer now than they had been months ago when Rick had saved them both from Cam.
After Andrea got off the phone with Case, she stared out the window at the lights of New York City. She’d come a long way since she was a lost actress in a foreign airport looking for a way to get home so that she could convince her grandfather to have a life-saving surgery. She wondered where she’d be a year from now, two years, five years. Would she and Case have children soon? Would she keep making movies for the foreseeable future or take a break to raise a family? How long would Case continue to drive?
She wasn’t sure, but no matter what the future had in store, she knew she’d be happy as long as she was with her racecar driver.
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