[General point of view]
In front of Owen stood Gaten Matarazzo, about to audition for the role of Nick in his upcoming short film: One-Minute Time Machine.
He looked a little nervous, though less tense than when Owen first heard him at the doorbell.
That was probably thanks to Matt, with his warm, hyperactive, contagious energy.
The curious thing was that Owen knew Gaten, though in a way that neither Matt, not even Gaten himself, could ever imagine.
Because in his previous life, Owen had seen him act.
In his previous life, back in 2016, Owen had watched one of Netflix's best original series: Stranger Things.
Gaten had played Dustin, one of the main kids. He was only twelve at the time, yet he stole scenes with his charisma, his comic timing, and that rare blend of sweetness and energy.
The series had been a massive hit. A phenomenon.
It broke viewership records, dominated social media, spawned endless merchandise, revived '80s nostalgia, and catapulted its young cast into worldwide stardom.
Alongside Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp, Gaten became a star overnight.
But that was in his previous world. In this reality, Stranger Things didn't exist.
Owen had watched all three seasons of it. The fourth was scheduled for May and July 2022, but he'd died in February, before he ever got to see it.
When he arrived in this new world, almost identical to his original one, he quickly discovered something that by now felt almost natural: everything he had known in his past life simply… didn't exist here.
And Stranger Things was one of those missing pieces.
So when Owen reviewed the casting submissions that had come in through Backstage and saw the name Gaten Matarazzo, he wasn't all that surprised.
It had happened before, actors who had been icons in his world were nobodies here. Some hadn't even entered the industry.
The vacuum left by missing works had been filled by new productions, some odd, some genuinely good. A few shows existed here that never had in his world, while others remained, the ones Owen had either never started or never finished watching.
He hadn't done deep research on the Stranger Things cast in this reality, but he knew at least two or three of them had achieved some degree of comparable success.
Millie Bobby Brown, for instance, was still a rising figure. Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink too, both landing notable roles in film and television, though nothing close to what Stranger Things had done for them.
Gaten, however, hadn't been so lucky. His résumé here was limited, small guest roles in shows like The Blacklist during his childhood, minor appearances with no continuity.
He'd worked more in theater than film, especially in musicals, but never landed a breakout part.
When Owen watched his reel, he recognized him immediately.
Gaten still had that flawless comic timing, that balance between vulnerability and confidence.
And if there was ever a character that fit him perfectly, it was the protagonist of Owen's new short film.
Owen remembered him as one of the funniest and most endearing characters in Stranger Things. And that same energy was exactly what the short needed.
So he accepted his application without hesitation.
Now he had him right in front of him.
Not as a star, not as someone with thousands of followers or big-name agents, in fact, he didn't even have an agent, since he'd come alone.
But as a genuinely talented actor who simply hadn't gotten his shot yet.
Owen wondered if he himself, with this new life and his privileged memory, could be the one to give him that chance.
As for the Stranger Things phenomenon, of course Owen would love to bring it into this world someday.
However, if he wanted full creative control and the majority of the profits, he'd have to finance it himself, and that meant he needed a lot of money.
He remembered reading that the first season of Stranger Things had cost around six million dollars per episode. With eight episodes in total, that was forty-eight million dollars.
And that was back in 2016, six years had passed since, and inflation would have made that budget even higher.
Owen needed to make a fortune before he could even think about producing that series.
"Well then, shall we start? Did you have time to learn the script?" Owen asked.
The casting call had gone up on Backstage Friday morning. Owen and Matt had selected five actors for in-person auditions the next day, Saturday, and had sent them the script that same afternoon.
That gave them only a few hours on Saturday, all of Sunday, and maybe part of Monday morning to prepare.
Not much time at all.
If any of them had other commitments or work over the weekend, memorizing it completely would've been difficult.
In fact, several of the actors who had already auditioned earlier were still reading from the page. They did well, yes, but not with the precision Owen was hoping for.
Gaten, however, didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, I memorized it completely," he said confidently. "We can start wherever you'd like."
Matt smiled, clearly pleased by his confidence. He loved seeing an actor prepared and ready to go.
"Perfect. Let's start from page three," he said, flipping through his copy. "Owen's going to read Regina's lines. You can use your script for now to get into rhythm, as a warm-up. Then we'll do a take without the paper, fully on camera."
"That sounds great," Gaten replied, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.
Even though he trusted his memory, having a first read-through to get into character without pressure was helpful. But, of course, he couldn't let it become a flat reading, there still had to be truth in the performance, even with the script in hand.
"All right, ready?" Matt asked, rubbing his hands together.
Owen and Gaten, both with their scripts open, nodded.
"Action!"
For about five to seven minutes, Gaten read through the scene with the script in hand.
Owen delivered Regina's lines in a neutral, almost monotone tone, just enough not to influence the performance. His focus was on listening and observing Gaten, not on acting himself.
Matt, from his seat, followed every word closely.
Both were pleased with what they saw.
Gaten's voice had good rhythm, his expressions were natural, subtle, and even while glancing at the page, he managed to project real intention.
Yes, he was reading, but he wasn't just reading.
"Great," Matt said with a faint smile. "Now let's move on to a take on camera, no script. Scene one, we'll start from the beginning of the film."
Gaten nodded quickly, but deep down, he was looking for a sign, something. A smile, a gesture, any clue.
From Matt, he got plenty: nods of approval, a quiet "yes!", constant head movements. But Gaten also noticed that Matt seemed like that by nature, cheerful and energetic, so it was hard to tell if it was genuine praise or just his default enthusiasm.
Owen, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Calm, professional and, total poker face.
Impossible to read. He was there, focused, but gave nothing away, not a wink, not a raised eyebrow. Nothing.
"Do you want to go over your lines before we start?" Matt offered kindly. "We can give you a couple of minutes if you'd like."
Gaten shook his head. "No, I'm good. I remember them."
"That's the spirit!" Matt said, approvingly energetic.
Owen lifted his gaze from the script, crossed his arms, and said evenly, "We can make it a bit more in-scene."
Both Matt and Gaten turned to him.
"What do you mean?" Matt asked, curious.
"The whole film takes place on a park bench," Owen explained. "The main characters are sitting side by side. Right now we're facing each other, let's move the chairs next to each other. I'll play Regina, reading a book, and Gaten comes in to start his first attempt at flirting."
Matt smiled. "I like that. Gets us more into the atmosphere. Let's do it."
Without another word, they stood up and moved the chairs to the middle of the living room, side by side, with the camera already set and framed perfectly.
Owen sat in the left chair and placed his script on his lap, holding it as if it were an ordinary book. He lowered his head slightly, pretending to read, already slipping into character.
Gaten stood a few steps away, expectant, ready for his cue. He waited for Matt's signal.
"Oh, right, we've got the time machine," Matt said with a grin, making air quotes.
He turned to a shelf against the wall, opened a drawer as if he were in his own house, and pulled out a rectangular black box with large white letters that read:
ONE MINUTE TIME MACHINE
The box had a simple yet striking design, a big red button in the center and small switches on the sides.
Owen had commissioned the prop specifically, spending part of the budget on that single item. It wasn't just set dressing, it was the central piece of the entire story.
"It's all yours," Matt said, handing it to Gaten.
Gaten took the box with both hands, examining it closely. Instinctively, his thumbs rested on either side of the red button. He couldn't help but smile faintly, it was heavier than he expected and didn't feel like a cheap toy.
Matt returned to the camera and adjusted the frame.
"Quiet on set…"
A brief pause.
"And… action."
At the word action, Gaten walked toward the two chairs, arranged like a park bench. The time machine rested in his hands.
"Excuse me… do you mind if I…?" he began, glancing at Owen as if asking permission to sit.
He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he paired the words with a small nod, letting his body language fill in the rest of the intention.
Owen, fully in character, lifted his gaze from his "book" and slightly shrugged.
"It's a free country. And I don't own the campus," he replied in a soft tone, slightly higher than his usual voice, clearly embodying the female character of Regina.
Gaten was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Owen to actually play the girl, let alone so naturally, the tone, the expression, even the posture. It wasn't a forced imitation.
It was real acting.
But he didn't let that surprise show. He simply nodded in thanks and sat carefully beside him, adjusting himself the way his character would.
Owen shifted his gaze toward the object in Gaten's hands.
"What's that?" he asked, a mix of curiosity and caution in his voice.
Gaten looked at the device as if he'd been waiting for that question.
"This? Oh… nothing," he replied with an innocent smile.
"Are you sure it's not a one-minute time machine?" Owen pressed, arching an eyebrow with a touch of irony.
"Huh?" Gaten frowned, pretending to be caught off guard, as though his invention had been discovered unexpectedly.
Owen looked at him with a blend of disbelief and amusement, pointing directly at the box.
"It says it right there. In white letters."
Gaten lowered his eyes, read the words, looked back up at Owen, and sighed theatrically.
"Damn it," he muttered, and pressed the red button.
Silence. End of scene.
The next scene picked up with Nick's second attempt at flirting with Regina.
They worked for about five to seven minutes. Then Matt asked him to repeat a few takes, but with different tones, wanting to see more shades of the character.
For the next five minutes, they redid key fragments of the scene, exploring different emotions: insecurity, excitement, nervousness.
Matt gave short, precise directions, and Owen stayed in character as Regina, maintaining full focus.
Finally, after nearly twenty minutes in total, Matt turned off the camera and nodded.
"That's it. Excellent work, Gaten. Really."
"Thanks," Gaten said, slightly out of breath and still jittery from the takes, but clearly satisfied with his performance.
"And you," Matt said, looking at Owen, "with that tone and calmness… if we keep this up, I could totally see you playing Regina, for inclusivity, of course. Open mind."
Gaten burst out laughing, "Yeah! He convinced me too!" he joked.
Owen shook his head, amused. "Not gonna happen," he said, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
After that, he stood from the chair and looked at Gaten. "You did really well."
"Thanks. You guys too. I had fun," Gaten replied sincerely as he stood up.
The atmosphere was relaxed. Few auditions managed to create that kind of energy. Even in independent productions, it wasn't common to find a space that radiated camaraderie and mutual respect in every exchange.
Gaten picked up his backpack but paused before slinging it over his shoulder.
"So… around when will you let us know if…?" he asked timidly, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Matt was about to answer, but Owen spoke first with a calm gesture.
"Wait a few minutes. Don't leave just yet."
Gaten looked at him, confused.
"Give us a few minutes alone."
Gaten nodded right away, immediately understanding the subtext. A barely contained smile crept onto his face.
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Uh… I'll go to the kitchen," he said, walking off to give them space.
That was a very good sign for him.
No one ever asked to "talk alone" right after an audition if the result had been indifferent. He knew Owen and Matt were probably deciding whether to close the casting and hire him on the spot, which, honestly, would be amazing.
He stayed in the kitchen, standing there, staring at the neatly aligned spoons on the counter. It was a silly way to keep himself busy and avoid overthinking. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he already had.
About five minutes later, he heard his name.
"Gaten," Owen called.
He turned immediately and walked back, trying to keep his pace steady.
"Yeah?"
"We decided to hire you for the short film," Owen said, direct and to the point.
"Yeah, your performance convinced us. You were the best one we saw today, by far," Matt added with a smile.
Gaten blinked, as if he needed a moment to process it. "Really? Wow… thank you. Thank you!"
"You earned it. Here's the contract," Owen said, handing him the document. "Take your time reading it, I'll walk you through the key points while you do."
Gaten took the contract with both hands and began reading.
"It's a two-day shoot," Owen began. "Wednesday the 17th and Thursday the 18th. Five hours of work each day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a one-hour break, so five net hours."
"Uh-huh," Gaten murmured, reading attentively.
"The pay is $2,500," Owen continued. "It's split into two halves, $1,250 at the end of Wednesday's shoot, and the other $1,250 after the second day."
"Seriously?" Gaten asked, raising his eyebrows. He couldn't help it. "I thought… I don't know, maybe $1,500 at most. This is… amazing!"
The minimum union rate for a short film was barely over $200 per day. Sure, being the lead got you more than that, but with Gaten's résumé, he hadn't expected to get more than a thousand, or maybe $1,500 if the producers were generous.
Even $500 would've been fine. It would help him get by.
Instead, he was being offered far more than he expected. That amount would let him live comfortably for a whole month without stressing about cutting expenses.
Owen smiled faintly, amused by his reaction, and added, "We'll also cover public transport if you use it, and lunch is included."
"Perfect," said Gaten, visibly thrilled, both by the fair treatment and by the chance to work with them.
"Thank you so much for trusting me. And for the generous pay," he repeated.
Matt gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't thank us, you earned it with your audition. And as for the generous pay, thank Owen. He's the one funding this."
Gaten smiled, lowering his gaze slightly, grateful. Owen just shrugged.
"Are you free tomorrow?" Owen asked then. "I'd like you to meet the actress playing Regina. We can set up a video call so you two can get to know each other and rehearse a bit before Wednesday. There won't be much time for rehearsals otherwise, so better now than on the day of the shoot."
"Yeah, of course. I'm free all day. Have you already cast her?" Gaten asked, curious.
Matt nodded with a half-smile. "Yeah. She's Owen's younger sister. Her name's Sarah."
Gaten raised an eyebrow, surprised. "All right then. Just let me know the time, and I'll join."
"Perfect," Owen said. "I'll send you the link first thing tomorrow morning."
Gaten placed the signed contract in his backpack and walked toward the door. "Thanks again. I had a lot of fun today, really."
"So did we," said Matt.
"It was a pleasure," added Owen.
They walked him to the entrance. Matt gave him one last handshake before he stepped out. Gaten smiled broadly, waving casually as he headed down the stairs.
Then Owen and Matt went back inside the apartment.
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