Second Nature (His Chance 2)

“Okay, then you can keep the Levi’s on. No shirt, though. I suspect there’s a hot bod under all that flannel.”

“No way. I’m not doing a dating app, and I’m fine with being single. I just need to find another client for the next few months until Will needs me again, because I’ll go crazy if I’m totally idle.”

“You’re never idle,” I pointed out. “Just look at all the stuff you brought along for a two-day getaway to Catalina. If you don’t find work right away, how about focusing on your musical career? I think it’s been eight or nine months since the last time you played a gig.”

“That wasn’t a gig, it was an open mic night.”

“Well, whatever. You were still up on a stage performing, which is what you love and how you should be spending your time. You can’t give up on your dream.”

“I won’t. It’s discouraging to know I’ll never achieve the kind of success my brother has, but I’ll keep trying,” he said. Then he added quietly, “That dream is all I have.” His identical twin was selling out stadiums as a country-rock singer, and Phoenix had gotten into his current line of work by spending a few years as his brother’s assistant. I could only imagine what it must feel like to watch someone that close living the dream that had eluded him for years.

“I’m glad you’re not giving up. It breaks my heart when people abandon their dreams.” When I spotted Will and Lorenzo waiting for us in front of a huge, grand hotel, I gestured at them and said, “Just look at Will. He tried to launch his acting career for ten years before finally landing this primo movie role. He’s living proof that we have to keep trying.”

Phoenix muttered, “I’ve been trying to launch my singing career a hell of a lot longer than that,” as he swung the SUV into the circular driveway in front of the hotel and came to a stop.

Will loaded his cat into the backseat, and the two men followed. After we exchanged greetings, I told Will, “I can tell you’re excited to get back to work. You’re practically glowing.”

He’d just had the last few weeks off while the rest of the crew kept working on location in Northern California. Even though he was playing the title character in the movie adaption of the bestseller Alex and After, it was actually a smaller role than that of the four lead actors, since his character died partway through the movie.

“I really am excited to return to the production,” he said, “but I need to calm down and get back in Alex’s mindset. He’s anything but upbeat.”

“Well, at least these flashback scenes in San Francisco are pretty lighthearted,” I said, “although it feels super weird to me. I know all movies are filmed out of order, but I’ve been on this emotional journey with your character, and it was devastating when you filmed his death scene a few weeks ago. Now it’s like, hey look, there he is and he’s happy. Although obviously these scenes take place months before he dies.”

“It did feel odd to film his death scene in the middle of the production,” Will said, as Phoenix merged back onto the busy street and Lorenzo held the cat up so she could look out the window. “But having the last few weeks off was even more disorienting. Somehow, I have to find Alex again before the cameras start rolling. Otherwise, Lang’s going to make us do a million takes until I get back in the groove.” Gage Lang, the director, was notorious for asking his actors to do a huge number of takes even at the best of times, let alone when something felt a bit off.

When we arrived at our location for the day about fifteen minutes later, I muttered, “This is wild.”

The film was set in the mid-1990s, and a residential street in one of San Francisco’s upscale neighborhoods had been turned into a time capsule of that era. Two dozen cars parked along the street were all from about 1992 or older. They’d also turned it into fall with pumpkins and Halloween decorations. I watched as crew members spread dry leaves on the street and sidewalk, then arranged them into natural-looking drifts. I assumed they’d have to deal with those pesky green trees lining the street in post-production, since they weren’t blasting the leaves off of them or spray painting them with fall colors.

Phoenix dropped off Will and Lorenzo near the mobile production office, and then he rolled forward about ten feet before getting stuck behind a catering truck. He asked me, “Do you want to hop out here? I’m not sure where hair and makeup is, but I don’t think I can get much farther down this street.”