Post by Sahara on Jul 1, 2019 11:19:43 GMT -5
Three separate grayscale prints adorned the far wall of a minimalistic style apartment, strategically spaced just inches apart. Collectively, they formed the picture of a platinum blonde poking her tongue into a fang, a slight smile arching the corner of a sultry mouth. In contrast, the blood trickling from her lips gave the portrait it’s only splash of color.
Originally, these prints that now clung to the wall were produced to advertise the now canceled Netflix series, “Darkness and Light”, which gave a more adult themed/sexy/gratifying spin on the already overdone supernatural genre. Lauren had landed herself a small role on the show after retiring from the ring in 2018, portraying the vampire Serena Black, and proved to garner a bit of a cult fanbase that seemed to follow her from the ring to the screen … or as she put it, “Mostly marks from my past…but I love ‘em anyway.” In either regard, the following caused her standing to improve in the eyes of show executives and her role was expanded. While the show didn’t last more than two seasons, it gave her a few minutes of semi-fame and landed her in the SAG.
And she was just the type that’d hang portraits of herself...
A scene from the movie Jerry McGuire chimed, causing her phone to rattle and buzz across the surface of a glass coffee table as it screamed, “Show me the money!”. The blonde rolled her eyes as she glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time to see who was calling. Bradley ‘Brad’ Bernstein, her agent and hater of all things wrestling related in her life. He’d been ringing her incessantly since the news obviously spread, and it was all over a conversation she wanted so desperately to avoid. Finally, she relented, knowing he wouldn’t stop calling until she answered. Flicking open her Airpod case, she stuffed them in her ears and answered the damned call.
“Lauren speaking, how may I help you?!”
She knew exactly who it was and why he was calling, but it didn’t prevent her overly jovial tone from annoying him even further. “You know god damn well who this is.” The voice on the other end was obviously disheveled and angry, “Lauren?! What is it I’m hearing about you signing up for … uh, what in the hell is Action Wrestling?”
“It’s a uh, wrestling organiz--”
“Don’t do that. I know goddamn well what it is, it’s in the damn name. The question is why?!”
“Well, you asked.”
“Don’t be a smartass. Look, I know you love this wrestling entertainment stuff, but I got you two auditions lined up, so don’t fuck this up with your wrestling bullshit. We gotta strike now while you still got that Netflix glow on ya. Sometimes I think you took one too many chairs to the head.”
Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, “A few things, Bradley.” The annoyance in her voice was clear via the emphasis she put on his name. “First, it’s not entertainment. Stop calling it that. I’m not gonna ask again. Second, it’s not bullshit. Wrestling was my entire fucking life up until I landed that show. And last but not least, it’s NOT entertainment.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. You know what I meant. Anyway, the folks from the CW were a little apprehensive because you’re considered too adult themed for the kinds of shows they normally produce, but they gave in when they saw your demo reel and want to meet you in person.”
“Can’t we put a pin in that for a bit, I gotta--”
“No. No we can’t put a pin in this. These people don’t put pins in things, Lauren, at least, not for a C-list celeb that used to be a professional wrestler. Show up to the fucking auditions, my secretary is going to send you over everything you need. They’re looking for someone right around your age, that’s still got the looks but can play a mother figure...”
Taking a deep breath, she sighed rather loudly, “Great. Look, Brad … you once asked me where my heart was when I signed on with Netflix. Wrestling. That’s where it is. That’s where it’s always been. Tryin’ to explain this to someone outside the business is like tryin’ to explain quantum physics to well, me. There are some of us meant for that world, and some of us who’ll always be outsiders. Lemme’ just ... dip my toes into this place to see what I got left, and what they have to offer, and I’ll still hit up all of these auditions and keep everything rollin’, ‘kay?!”
He let out a long drawn out breath, “Okay. Just … don’t show up to these auditions bruised up like a two-dollar whore because this place wants to put you through the ringer for not belonging to their little world anymore. You know these people better than most, Lauren. They’re gonna look at you as a sellout, and they’re gonna try to take cheapshots to get even with you. And for christ sake, do NOT sign anything with these people until I see what it is you’re signing.”
“Deal.”
“Alrighty, kiddo, I’d say break a leg, but you actually might. So just … be careful.”
She smiled, “You know me…”
Hanging up the phone, her cheeks puffed out as she let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes made way to a manilla envelope emblazoned with the Action Wrestling logo that was laying on the coffee table. She flexed both of her hands, repeatedly balling them into fists. It was a bit of a nervous habit she’d picked up over the years and it became something of a habitual ritual prior to any wrestling match she was in … which invariably bled over into her acting career and life in general.
Action Wrestling.
It was all in the name...
It had been almost two years since stepping into a ring, be it for the real thing or even just to practice. She could barely remember what the canvas felt like beneath her feet, let alone that jarring feeling you got from hitting the ropes at a thousand miles an hour. It’s a feeling the fans never quite understood, but it was meant to be that way. She didn’t have to step through those ropes to feel the rust. She felt it in her bones. That’s why she was flexing her fists at the moment.
She could feel it again.
It was a feeling you never shake.
Nervous energy.
A nervous energy that only a wrestling crowd could produce.
A nervous energy that only a wrestler could feel.
Just looking at that envelope made it all come back. That’s all it took. The potential of what could be all over again.
Speaking to herself, she suddenly smiled, “I’m nervous as hell to do this … but damn this is gonna be fun…”
Originally, these prints that now clung to the wall were produced to advertise the now canceled Netflix series, “Darkness and Light”, which gave a more adult themed/sexy/gratifying spin on the already overdone supernatural genre. Lauren had landed herself a small role on the show after retiring from the ring in 2018, portraying the vampire Serena Black, and proved to garner a bit of a cult fanbase that seemed to follow her from the ring to the screen … or as she put it, “Mostly marks from my past…but I love ‘em anyway.” In either regard, the following caused her standing to improve in the eyes of show executives and her role was expanded. While the show didn’t last more than two seasons, it gave her a few minutes of semi-fame and landed her in the SAG.
And she was just the type that’d hang portraits of herself...
A scene from the movie Jerry McGuire chimed, causing her phone to rattle and buzz across the surface of a glass coffee table as it screamed, “Show me the money!”. The blonde rolled her eyes as she glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time to see who was calling. Bradley ‘Brad’ Bernstein, her agent and hater of all things wrestling related in her life. He’d been ringing her incessantly since the news obviously spread, and it was all over a conversation she wanted so desperately to avoid. Finally, she relented, knowing he wouldn’t stop calling until she answered. Flicking open her Airpod case, she stuffed them in her ears and answered the damned call.
“Lauren speaking, how may I help you?!”
She knew exactly who it was and why he was calling, but it didn’t prevent her overly jovial tone from annoying him even further. “You know god damn well who this is.” The voice on the other end was obviously disheveled and angry, “Lauren?! What is it I’m hearing about you signing up for … uh, what in the hell is Action Wrestling?”
“It’s a uh, wrestling organiz--”
“Don’t do that. I know goddamn well what it is, it’s in the damn name. The question is why?!”
“Well, you asked.”
“Don’t be a smartass. Look, I know you love this wrestling entertainment stuff, but I got you two auditions lined up, so don’t fuck this up with your wrestling bullshit. We gotta strike now while you still got that Netflix glow on ya. Sometimes I think you took one too many chairs to the head.”
Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, “A few things, Bradley.” The annoyance in her voice was clear via the emphasis she put on his name. “First, it’s not entertainment. Stop calling it that. I’m not gonna ask again. Second, it’s not bullshit. Wrestling was my entire fucking life up until I landed that show. And last but not least, it’s NOT entertainment.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. You know what I meant. Anyway, the folks from the CW were a little apprehensive because you’re considered too adult themed for the kinds of shows they normally produce, but they gave in when they saw your demo reel and want to meet you in person.”
“Can’t we put a pin in that for a bit, I gotta--”
“No. No we can’t put a pin in this. These people don’t put pins in things, Lauren, at least, not for a C-list celeb that used to be a professional wrestler. Show up to the fucking auditions, my secretary is going to send you over everything you need. They’re looking for someone right around your age, that’s still got the looks but can play a mother figure...”
Taking a deep breath, she sighed rather loudly, “Great. Look, Brad … you once asked me where my heart was when I signed on with Netflix. Wrestling. That’s where it is. That’s where it’s always been. Tryin’ to explain this to someone outside the business is like tryin’ to explain quantum physics to well, me. There are some of us meant for that world, and some of us who’ll always be outsiders. Lemme’ just ... dip my toes into this place to see what I got left, and what they have to offer, and I’ll still hit up all of these auditions and keep everything rollin’, ‘kay?!”
He let out a long drawn out breath, “Okay. Just … don’t show up to these auditions bruised up like a two-dollar whore because this place wants to put you through the ringer for not belonging to their little world anymore. You know these people better than most, Lauren. They’re gonna look at you as a sellout, and they’re gonna try to take cheapshots to get even with you. And for christ sake, do NOT sign anything with these people until I see what it is you’re signing.”
“Deal.”
“Alrighty, kiddo, I’d say break a leg, but you actually might. So just … be careful.”
She smiled, “You know me…”
Hanging up the phone, her cheeks puffed out as she let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes made way to a manilla envelope emblazoned with the Action Wrestling logo that was laying on the coffee table. She flexed both of her hands, repeatedly balling them into fists. It was a bit of a nervous habit she’d picked up over the years and it became something of a habitual ritual prior to any wrestling match she was in … which invariably bled over into her acting career and life in general.
Action Wrestling.
It was all in the name...
It had been almost two years since stepping into a ring, be it for the real thing or even just to practice. She could barely remember what the canvas felt like beneath her feet, let alone that jarring feeling you got from hitting the ropes at a thousand miles an hour. It’s a feeling the fans never quite understood, but it was meant to be that way. She didn’t have to step through those ropes to feel the rust. She felt it in her bones. That’s why she was flexing her fists at the moment.
She could feel it again.
It was a feeling you never shake.
Nervous energy.
A nervous energy that only a wrestling crowd could produce.
A nervous energy that only a wrestler could feel.
Just looking at that envelope made it all come back. That’s all it took. The potential of what could be all over again.
Speaking to herself, she suddenly smiled, “I’m nervous as hell to do this … but damn this is gonna be fun…”