STORY STARTER
The lead actor and actress for a show do not get along. Their newest production has led to them being cast as love interests.
Continue the story of how this pair manages acting together.
The Script
This was the one! This was John’s big break! After 11 years of taking any part no matter how small. Being an actor sucked when first starting out. 11 years! Finally here it was. Celebration tonight!
“Wonder who my leading lady will be?” John thought to himself.
Immediately his head popped up with his next thought. This was a very important question. There was only one person he absolutely did not want to work with.
Anaya Greene.
Seven years ago John had a bit part along with Anaya Greene. From the get-go they did not get along. There was no, nada, zip, chemistry with the two of them. She constantly corrected him and “coached” him, like she was some kind of Oscar winner. Totally into herself and not afraid to let everyone know it. John found it completely impossible to work with Anaya and ended up walking off the set. Because of that he was black-listed for a year.
“No way can that happen.” John unconvincingly thought to himself.
John made it to the set the next morning earlier than requested, wanting to make a good impression. He was ready for this. He was going to kill it!
His personal assistant showed him to the makeup trailer. Humming a tune just under his breath he stepped up into the trailer and froze. His heart sank. Disappointment caught in his throat sending out an unintentional guttural growling sound.
Sitting in the makeup chair next to his was Anaya Greene.
Fun setup. Could be the beginning of a back-and-forth struggle for one-upping each other as they compete for the director’s approval (and their own career advancement) at the risk of being discovered jeopardizing the project. Or it could be the sort of anti-meet-cute that works really well in a antagonist-turned-love interest romantic comedy.
Technical notes: Lots of telling, not much showing. Maybe try starting from the end. John walks into the makeup trailer on the first day of his ‘big break’ and his excitement turns to dread when who should turn her chair around but Anaya Greene. Now the reader is hooked! Who is she? Why does John hate her? Should I also hate her, or is John wrong? The next step could be a flashback to what drove them to hate each other. Again, though, showing the events play out is better than telling. Start with something akin to “It was seven years ago…” to set the scene, but then tell it narratively.
Consider changing “There was no, nada, zip, chemistry…” to “There was no chemistry between them—none, nada, zip.” Makes it easier to read.
Ooh… what if Anaya HAS won an Oscar now? She didn’t have one then, but she does now, adding salt to John’s wounded pride. (What if he had listened to her? Did she deserve it, or can he make himself feel better by assuming it was Hollywood Politics?)
Lastly, I’d use John’s PA as a character. Maybe the PA is new (since John hasn’t been able to afford one until recently, after getting his big break), which makes John’s need to relay to the PA details about his time with Anaya in a way that feels organic and not blatantly expositional.
Good start with this. I’d love to see where it can go!
I would love to know what happened next.
