After mulling over the revised script for two straight days, I finally accepted that it was inevitable for me to take on mature roles with scenes that may be questionable at best, and entirely unnecessary at worst. It was bound to happen, given both the era I was working in and the kinds of films I was drawn to. I never had much interest in movies aimed at younger audiences anyway. Aside from a few major blockbusters, there were only a handful of exceptions, and even those were rare.
With that reluctant acceptance in mind, I left my temporary home for what was meant to be the second film of my career. The shoot was taking place in New Jersey, only a two-hour drive from my apartment in New York, yet still too far for a daily commute. Early call times and long, exhausting nights made that completely impractical, especially since most of the film was set at night.
The moment I stepped out of my car near the address I'd been given, Sean greeted me with a wide grin and an energetic hug. "Noah! You're here. And right on time, too."
I gave him an unimpressed look as soon as he let go. "When the hell were you planning to tell me that you completely overhauled the script and turned the film into an erotic horror?"
I might have accepted to do the movie in my head, but that didn't mean I wouldn't give him hell for it.
Sean chuckled nervously. "Come on now, you're exaggerating. It's still a horror-thriller."
"With more sex scenes than anything I've ever seen on film," I shot back.
He stepped closer and placed both hands on my shoulders, his tone shifting to one of forced sincerity. "I'll be honest with you, Noah. We need those scenes to sell the movie. I know it looks bad on the surface, but this is how things are now. Every other filmmaker is doing it. In fact, if a film is R-rated, distributors won't even approve it unless it has a sex scene. Even the audience expects that today."
"But Halloween was successful, and it didn't have one as graphic as what you have written here," I pointed out.
Sean smiled knowingly. "I'll tell you a little inside secret. The studio actually forced the makers of Halloween to add a very graphic scene, but the director pushed back. He insisted on test screenings for both versions, with and without it, and he won. People liked his version better."
"Okay, I can understand adding one, but so many? Instead of reducing them like Halloween, so they could be removed later, you decided to lean into it and add even more," I said flatly. "To make matters worse, you made them an integral part of the story."
He didn't argue, probably because he knew I was right.
"Tell me honestly," he said after a while. "You've read both versions of the script. If you take yourself out of the equation, which one would you rather see in theaters?"
That question caught me off guard. I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective, but now that I did, I knew the answer, and I didn't like it. Sean and Victor had turned my character, Jack, into something new for the genre: the prime suspect in all the murders, at least in the eyes of the audience. It was a clever ploy. Audacious even. And it would probably set a precedent for years to come if this gamble paid off.
Until he was killed right before the end, everyone would think that Jack was the killer. The pattern was simple: first, Jack killed one of the camp counselors, then slept with his girl, and then killed her too. Rinse and repeat. A clear-cut modus operandi. So when Jack died near the climax, it would completely throw the audience off. Their guess had been wrong all along, and the real killer had been hiding in plain sight. Such a major twist had been missing from the original version of the script.
Except for the very end, where Jason appears. But that wasn't good anyway, so it didn't count.
For that reason alone, this new version was far superior. I hated to admit it, but Sean was right; the changes made to the script improved it significantly. The only thing that bothered me was how explicit some of my scenes were. If the movie were being made in the twenty-first century, those sex scenes wouldn't be nearly as graphic. That I know for sure.
Sean grinned the moment he noticed my silence. "I can see that you've realized it too. I know this isn't what you expected when you signed up for the film, but as an actor, your work comes before trivial things like script changes. It shouldn't matter what the script demands. If it suits your character, you do it. Anything that happens between 'action' and 'cut' should be done without hesitation. That's how you grow as an actor."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a trade secret. "I'll tell you something else about Hollywood casting directors. Doing a risqué scene early in your career can open a lot of doors. They watch everything that gets wide distribution, and if you show them you're a strong actor who isn't afraid to bare it all for the camera, they'll remember you. That's how you get considered for more mature, meaningful roles."
I wanted to believe him, but a nagging suspicion lingered in the back of my mind.
"If you're worried about being typecast, that mostly happens to women," he added further. "If you're talented, you'll get better roles. So forget everything else right now and focus on your acting. If your performance isn't strong, you won't move up, no matter how famous you get."
That part was hard to argue with. It was true for any profession. If you wanted to climb higher or land better projects, you had to become so good that people wanted you purely because of your reputation. I wasn't there yet. My acting was still rough around the edges, but that was something I intended to fix. A few more sessions with Michelle or some other teacher would definitely help.
"Good," Sean said, clapping his hands together. "Now that we've got that out of our systems, let me show you where you'll be staying while you're here in New Jersey."
He motioned for me to follow, and I did. As we walked, a large wooden sign came into view: Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, New Jersey. The place had a rustic charm, with tall trees arching over the gravel path and the faint sound of crickets reverberating around the warm summer evening. A lake was visible nearby, its surface looked as appealing to me as any natural body of water. After spending so long away from the ocean since The Blue Lagoon, I couldn't help but feel the urge to dive in and just float for a while, even if it was just a lake.
"How did you end up choosing this location?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.
"It used to be an actual summer camp," Sean said as we continued along the trail. "They hosted kids here every year, at least until last summer. Some of the cabins and docks are in serious need of repair, so the owners decided to shut it down this year to renovate. When I heard about it, I reached out. They agreed to let us shoot here since it would cover part of their renovation costs."
"Quite lucky for you," I remarked as we finally reached the house Sean had been leading me toward.
"Indeed it is," he said with a satisfied nod as we stopped in front of a wooden cabin, which seemed to be in good condition. "I've decided that the six main characters should all stay here together, in the same room, on bunk beds, just like real teenagers at camp. It'll help everyone bond off-set and strengthen the on-screen chemistry. You, in particular, have an important role even when the cameras aren't rolling. I want you to get close to all three of the girls."
I frowned, trying to process that. "In what order are we shooting the film?"
"We'll mostly go in sequence, from the first scene to the last with the sole exception of your sex scenes," he explained. "Those will be shot back-to-back to get them over with quickly. Tomorrow we'll start with the opening scene of the present. The past scenes would be shot at the end."
I nodded slowly. That gave me a good idea of when my own scenes would begin.
"Alright then," I said, adjusting the strap of my bag. "You can go. I'll introduce myself to the rest of the cast."
Sean didn't argue. "Fair enough. I'll see you later at dinner."
Once he left, I stood for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I forced a calm, easy smile and reached for the doorknob. None of the other actors was to blame for the script changes, so there was no reason to take out my remaining frustration on them.
"And I'm telling you, you're completely off in your assumption," a voice inside argued. "Stanislavski's method requires the actor to think about the character's motivations, his past, his intentions. Even if the script doesn't say it outright, you have to fill in those blanks. He—"
The speaker stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw me standing in the doorway. One glance told me exactly who he was: Kevin Bacon.
It was almost surreal. He would later go on to star in Footloose, Apollo 13, Mystic River, and Crazy, Stupid, Love; films that would cement his name in Hollywood. And if my memory served me right, he had actually been in the original version of this film too. The funny thing was, he'd played the role I was playing now. He must have impressed Sean to still be cast in a different role.
I pushed the thought aside and stepped forward, hand extended. "Hey, guys! I'm Noah Hunter. I'm playing Jack."
Kevin's grin widened as he shook my hand. "Kevin Bacon. I'm playing Bill. And if you make any pig jokes, we're not gonna get along."
I snorted, catching the self-deprecating humor immediately. It was an easy way to break the ice, and I liked him already.
I turned to the other boy in the room. He had an easy smile and warm, friendly eyes. "I'm Harry Crosby," he said. "I'll be playing Ned."
"Oh, so you're the one they kill off first," I teased. "What did you do to make Sean so mad?"
He laughed before shrugging. "That's the life of an actor, I guess. Kevin and I were deep in this stimulating conversation about just that before you came. I opined that despite the fact that our roles are modest, we can still deliver the perfect versions of our performances by using the Stanislavsky method, but he and I seem to have differing outlooks on the matter and about what it entails. Care to weigh in?"
Kevin and I exchanged a glance before both bursting into laughter.
"What?" Harry asked, looking genuinely confused.
"Who talks like that, dude?" Kevin said between laughs. "You sound like you're answering an exam question. So formal. You are our age, right?"
"Of course I am," Harry replied, suddenly self-conscious. "I just like to focus on my vocabulary."
I grinned. "In your day-to-day vernacular?" I emphasized the last word, copying Harry's style of speaking.
Kevin laughed even harder at that and clapped me on the shoulder. "Man, before you showed up, I thought I was the weird one when Harry started talking like that. But now I know nothing's wrong with me."
"Nothing's wrong with me either," Harry said defensively, then looked away as if trying to explain himself. "It's just that people often consider us actors to be stupid. I want to show everyone that I can be sophisticated and knowledgeable. It helps that if I use complex linguistic expressions in my vernacular…"
Kevin snorted, barely holding back another laugh.
"…Then it might leave a positive impression on college interviewers—"
"Bro," I cut him off. "I'm going to Harvard after the summer. My freshman year. And I didn't have to sound like a thesaurus to get in."
Harry's face lit up. "I'm in college too. LAMDA in London. But I'm keeping my options open in case I decide to go to grad school. Everyone there speaks so properly that I started picking up their speech patterns. You're right, though. It might sound off-putting to normal Americans. I'll try to tone it down a tad."
I glanced at Kevin, and it was clear he was just as baffled by Harry's way of speaking as I was. Still, neither of us said anything more about it. It was better to let it go. Harry's character was the first to die anyway, and it wouldn't help to start things off on the wrong foot. We needed to sell the chemistry between our characters, both on and off camera.
"Where are the girls?" I asked, changing the topic. "Have they arrived yet?"
Kevin leaned forward with a mischievous smirk and nudged me with his elbow. "Of course you'd ask that, you sly dog. You get to hook up with all of them."
"Not for real," I reminded him. "Just in the movie."
He waved a dismissive hand. "Same difference. The audience will think you did it for real. I wanted your role so badly. I even asked Sean to add a sex scene for me too, but he said it wouldn't fit with the story."
I blinked at him, genuinely surprised. "You asked to do a sex scene?"
"Yeah," he said without a hint of embarrassment. "Don't you know? It opens up a lot of opportunities. Casting directors love seeing that you're open to trying new things."
"Does everyone but me know that?" I asked, glancing between Harry and Kevin.
Harry nodded confidently. "Yes. Some actors choose not to do such scenes, but it's usually advisable to get it out of the way early in your career if you want to go far. I, too, wouldn't mind if such a role were offered to me."
I shook my head at that and decided to change the subject. "You were telling me about the girls?"
"They went off to explore the camp or something," Kevin said, flicking invisible lint from his shirt. "We could go look for them if you want. It's getting late anyway, so we might as well head to dinner after."
"Sounds like a plan," I replied. "Let me put my stuff away first."
I crossed the small cabin to the corner where the bunk beds stood. Harry and Kevin had already claimed the same bunk, their duffel bags tossed carelessly at the foot. I took the bed beside theirs. The bottom bunk was covered with someone else's belongings, probably one of the girls', so I left my things neatly beside it, planning to take the top bunk later.
A few minutes later, the three of us stepped outside. We walked with no particular destination in mind, wandering past the lake, where the water shimmered under the fading light, and through the empty activity areas. A few crew members waved at us from a distance, but there was still no sign of the girls.
Kevin pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He offered me one as well. I hesitated for a moment. Before regaining my memories, my swimmer self, with dreams of the Olympics, had sworn never to smoke or drink, not knowing what my body was capable of. But now that I was aware of my demigod physiology, I knew I could heal easily from it if I so much as took a dip in the ocean. So I accepted the cig.
"No, thanks," Harry said quickly, shaking his head. "That's a disgusting habit I want no part of."
Kevin didn't seem offended. He slipped the rest of the pack back into his pocket, and the two of us smoked quietly as we wandered farther from the camp, while Harry became a passive smoker behind us.
________________________________
AN: I'm so sorry for the lack of updates these past few weeks. I had exams, and I was so busy with everything that I didn't have time to post here. Now that I'm free of that, I'll be posting more frequently here.