Post by Sam Kidsgrove on Jan 7, 2022 18:21:54 GMT -5
“They want me to do what in a where?” Asks Kidsgrove, who’s somewhat perplexed at the exact words that are coming out of Zooey’s mouth. Zooey is unphased because she realises this isn’t exactly the sort of thing Kidsgrove would hear out of the blue, but here we are.
“The Screen Actor’s Guild want you to attend a Sam Kidsgrove museum at Grauman's”
“They realise I’m still active, right? I’m not retired and I’m not dead. Yet. Am I dead?”
“No? I mean we’re practically married, but that’s not the same thing right?”
Kidsgrove raises an eyebrow as Zooey has a twinkle in her eye. Still, he’s perplexed. Why the hell would Grauman’s want him to attend a Sam Kidsgrove museum?
“If it helps.” Zooey muses. “It’s a temporary exhibit, they just want to showcase your life and, well, as we’re at home this week thanks to the show they want you there.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Erm, no, not really. I kinda said yes we’re going anyway.”
“I don’t have a clean sui….”
“Dry cleaned the blue one.”
“We’ve got a match on…”
“In Sacremento, we can drive there.”
“There’s a medi…”
“Nope, they’ll be there anyway.”
Every time Kidsgrove tries to come up with an excuse she has an answer. He sighs, resigned to his fate.
“You thought of everything didn’t you?”
“Yeah pretty much. So get your handsome face in that suit, driver is gonna be here in 20 minutes!”
“Wait, what?”
20 minutes later, the driver pulls up with a stretch, obviously sent by Grauman’s. Kidsgrove is flustered but he’s ready, a consummate professional at all times. He straightens his tie and checks his hair again in the mirror before taking a look at Zooey who’s dressed like a million dollars in a stunning yellow dress. She smiles as she catches him staring at her.
“Yeah, wow, I really hope you’re not gonna be lecherous all night! At least not in public. Are we ready? This night is for you after all.”
Kidsgrove puts his arm out for Zooey to link it.
“Let’s go sweetness” he says as she takes his arm and they head toward the limo. As soon as they get inside, Zooey snuggles up to Kidsgrove and the driver silently closes the door.
“OK, so what’s really going on?” Kidsgrove asks Zooey, who feigns offence.
“Well there is a museum, it is dedicated to you. I am not telling you anything else!”
“Fine, I won’t tell you who we are facing on Monday either.” Kidsgrove winks.
“Please, I knew before you did. You’re in a tournament of despair for the US title. First round you got Gerard Angelo.”
Kidsgrove snorts derisively.
“The Living legend himself. Give me a break.” Kidsgrove says with some disdain.
“He creeps me out.” Zooey adds. “I was talking to Chloe the other day.”
“How is she?”
“She’s fine, she just went through some storyboarding with me on Die Hard 2. I gotta tell ya, Chloe Zhao works hard.”
“Damn right she does! She’s a force of nature.”
“Right! But yeah she was storyboarding with me and she casually mentioned she had to veto a casting choice, apparently the guy was too handsy and an absolute nightmare to work with.. Sure he would have been great on screen she said, the right amount of physicality and the right look for the part. But his reputation meant she couldn’t justify him being on set.”
“Let me guess, Angelo?”
“Bingo. I mean we got Dwayne instead, but yeah Angelo would have been the antagonist if the casting agent got her way.”
“Jeez, he’s that bad even Chloe won’t work with him?”
“Yup.”
“That’s the problem with guys like him. They think they’re kings of the world immediately, they forget they are basically interns until they prove themselves. Sure he’s an intern that can walk the red carpet, hang out with Leo and Chris - by the way, remind me to give them guys a call tomorrow, we gotta set up our poker night - and get paid a lot in exposure and money. But he’s an intern nonetheless.
I mean how long has he been acting? Couple years? Had a few movies as comic relief or hired muscle and he thinks he’s a leading man all of a sudden? Man, that's not how it works, especially if you’re coming from the Wrestling industry. Only Dwayne can go straight in and be a leading man.
Everyone else? You start from the bottom and put the hard work in. Hell, I’ve been a leading man in this town for decades and it took me 15 years as an adult to break through after childhood success. If I did wrestling first? Man, that's another 5 years on top of that. The fact he got some of these parts at this stage is impressive enough on it’s own. Normally, people with his skill and range are limited to speaking parts as extras, off camera preferably. The fact he’s got the parts he has now is a miracle.
But you know, he let it go to his head, which in this industry and in wrestling is never a good thing to do. Why? Because one day you’re gonna get a bigger, badder, more prestigious name take what’s yours. Whether it’s a part in Die Hard 2 or your spot in the semi final of the U.S. title tournament. It’s always best to stay humble, stay grounded and be hungry because the minute you think you’re better than everyone else you’re gonna get a reckoning. When that happens then you’re gonna have a bad time, I’ve been there, hell I made a career out of it back in the day.”
Zooey smiles as the car slows down, they made it to the theatre.
“Traffic’s kind to us today! Come on!” She requests in pixie like glee. The driver opens the door and they step out to a flurry of photography flashbulbs and a red carpet. Kidsgrove is very confused but puts his charming face on and acts as if he knows what is happening. Zooey sidles up next to him and links his arm, he leans in.
“What’s this about?”
“We’re celebrating you, deal with it.”
“Where does this go?”
“We’ve got a museum. Then, well, you’ll see.”
“You big tease.”
“You know it!”
They make their way into the theatre after a while of stopping for photos, signing some autographs, some waving and hugging. Inside the theatre they are greeted with an exhibit of all things Kidsgrove. From his youth as a wildly successful child actor, to the young adult stage and his taking small parts and finally making it big as an adult. It covers his bad side to with an exhibition about the time where he had his issues, going through when he joined AW and got his life back on track. Kidsgrove spends a lot of time on each one of the displays and, as he moves his way through his life he gets increasingly emotional to the point where he gets to the present day and sees his life now he’s in tears. Zooey comforts him.
“You’ve done so much, and it isn’t over.” She says, gently.
“I was a monster.”
“No, no. You were just young, foolish and had success at such a young age. It’s how it goes sometimes.”
“I was selfish, I was vain, I was conceited. The whole world revolved around me. But I look back at the Kidsgrove I see back there and look at the Kidsgrove I see now and I don’t recognise him any more. But the people I hurt on the way, was it ever worth it?”
“What’s past is past, you look to the future. What you’ve done in your life leads you to now - so the only thing that matters is what you are now and what you want to be then. The past is a learning experience. This museum tells me the man I know, the man I love can do anything - even bounce back from the darkest times and forge a new future, not just for him but for people around him. It shows he has fortitude.
You bounced back, it’s more than a lot of people would do. You should give yourself credit, you could be more like Angelo and just be that guy still.”
“Yeah, he does remind me of how I was. Everything about how he acts and carries himself screams how I was in my darkest times . I would say the difference is age, but he’s been in the wrestling business for as long as I’ve been in acting I guess. We followed a similar career, just in reverse.
This is why he’s doing the same shit I was doing years ago years ago. This is why he’s treading the same path that I laid out for people like him, a dual career. Wrestling and Acting. You’d think this is where we’d coincide, where we’d come together in a happy marriage of shared interests and shared experiences.
You’d be wrong. You see, I love both of my professions. I am dedicated to both crafts. I love acting for what it gave me early in life, I love acting for what it gives me now with you.
I also love wrestling because it helped me become the man I am today. I know what Hollywood is like, I know how egos can be forged, bad behaviour is encouraged, look at Weinstein for fuck sake. I found solace away from that in Action Wrestling. I found myself there. I know that I am a changed man because of the love and intimacy you get from the fans and from people in the locker room who will go and crawl over broken glass to help you in a spot.
But most of all I learned how to be humble. Wrestling teaches you that because one day you’re on top of the world. You’re a champion and the next you’re looking up to the lights for 3 seconds and finding yourself at the back of the queue. It makes you humble, this is what our Gerard needs to remember.
Most of all, he just needs to grow up.
It’s 2022. People in Hollywood are supposed to be role models. People in Hollywood don’t get drunk at 5am and coked up by 7am then start throwing shit through the windows of casting agents who won’t sleep with them. People in Hollywood don’t go out of their way to forge a reputation of being a bad guy, the brat pack shit was done with years ago and we weeded out all the sex pests with #metoo.
But you know, that’s where he is emotionally right now. He’s chaotic, he has a chip on his shoulder, god he calls himself the “living legend” as if anything he’s ever done in his career matters to people in this company or Hollywood. I don’t even call myself that and I’m a multi time, record breaking champion in this company and I’ve made more money at the box office than anyone else alive.
All because I grew the fuck up and acted like a professional. This could be what he could have, but I’ve got the feeling he’s just going to be like 90% of people who have unexpected success, he’s just going to piss it up a wall and never change. You know what though? That’s OK, all we can do is go out there on Monday and make him humble.”
Suddenly a formal looking man appears and nods at Zooey. Excitedly she changes the subject.
“It’s time.” She says, eagerly, pretty much dragging Kidsgrove out of the theatre.
“For what?” He asks, taken aback.
“Let’s just say you won’t need your gloves for this ceremony.” She replies impishly as she walks him over to the Star on the pavement just outside of the theatre. “Just remember to be humble, right?”
