It was a sight to behold: the lanterns and candles were lit, citronella was in the air and, as dusk fell, the courtyard was heavy with atmosphere and romance. The waiters stood by waiting for guests and ready to ply them with Prosecco and wine. The chefs were busy in the huge kitchen, applying the finishing touches to the feast. All they needed now were the guests.
The lower members of the crew arrived first, then the producers and finally the stars. Calypso arrived, always punctual, as taught by Leeza. She glowed in the courtyard like a firefly, stunning in a One Vintage gold lamé dress from the 1920s that had been reworked for her. The beaded appliqué around the low neckline shimmered and a tulle detail around the skirt edged up over one side to reveal just the right amount of thigh. Worn with a pair of patent leather Christian Louboutin black slingbacks and her new evening bag from the Perugia flea market, Calypso shone in the dark. Gratefully accepting a glass of champagne from a waiter, she took a sip to relieve her nerves.
The start of any job, big or small, made her nervous. Self-doubt and worry stayed with her till her director made her comfortable. Working with TG, she hoped, would be easy and he would be helpful. Calypso relied heavily on her director for both moral and directorial support. While she was a good actor, with sound comedic timing reminiscent of a young Ginger Rogers, she lacked the self-confidence and maturity to truly explore the options for the character. The last film she had done had really just required her to say her lines, look gorgeous and do her perfect laugh several times – the laugh which made audiences fall in love with her. This shoot was going to be different; she was really going to have to act, particularly in the scenes with Sapphira and Rose. Christ, she thought, I hope I can cut it.
She felt a little sick. Looking around for a familiar face, she spotted Kelly talking to two men, with their backs to Calypso. She walked over towards them, aware all eyes in the room were on her, except for TG in a navy blue velvet jacket and worn jeans laughing with Kelly. He whispered something in Kelly’s ear and she looked over to Calypso and smiled, waving her over.
‘Hi, doll, you look divine. God, what a dress! Calypso, this is my husband Chris, who is also the DOP. And I presume you already know TG,’ she said warmly, motioning towards the man in the blue jacket.
TG turned and looked at Calypso. Jesus fucking Christ, he thought, she is stunning. When she had walked into the audition back in LA he was instantly attracted to her but he had sworn off actresses and especially ones in his own films.
‘Yes, yes, hi again,’ he heard himself saying. He remembered Calypso was gorgeous but had no idea how beautiful she really was till he saw her dressed in gold and so luminous. The light of the candles lit the shadows under her cheekbones and made her hazel eyes almost seem yellow in the light. He felt a chill run down his spine.
Calypso smiled and took a sip from her glass and remained silent. When she was nervous she said too much, and right now, she was really, really nervous. Any minute he’ll find out I’m an imposter, she thought.
‘How’s things, Cal?’ asked Kelly. ‘How’re you settling into bella Italia?’
‘Great. I slept for nearly eighteen hours, I think, then woke up and went to dinner and ate the most amazing pastry and met a boy.’ Calypso stopped, aware she had just run on and then swore in front of her director again, just like in the audition. I must look like a kid to them, she thought as she felt them staring at her.
There was no judgement from her audience though. Chris was thinking: I can’t wait to shoot her. She is gorgeous.
Kelly was thinking several things: She met a boy? Already? Well played, Calypso. And then looking at Calypso’s slender figure, she thought incredulously, she ate carbs!
TG didn’t hear a word Calypso said. He just watched her mouth move and the way the light flickered over her face and shoulders. He felt himself mesmerized and tried to pull himself together.
A boy? he wondered. Man, she was fast. Lucky bastard, he thought. Shit, TG, you just broke up with an actress. You know what they’re like! The last thing you need is a distraction. Get your head in the game, boy, he admonished himself. Smiling thinly at Calypso, he turned his back on her and walked towards the bar.
Calypso felt her cheeks flush with shame. He thinks I’m an idiot, a silly little girl, she thought as she watched him walk away.
The inadequacies she felt always came back, leaving her feeling stupid and uneducated. She watched TG as he chatted to someone by the bar. He was probably one of those uptight intellectual New Yorkers, she thought and immediately decided to hate him. Partly because this was her normal reaction to someone when she felt less than them, but also because it protected her. Leeza had drummed into her: ‘If they don’t like you, then fuck them, you didn’t like them first.’
For all the self-help and self-improvement books she had read over the years, when Calypso felt threatened, everything she thought she had learned went out the window and she returned to being Leeza’s daughter again, defensive when doubted or questioned.
Kelly watched TG’s reaction and Calypso’s response to him carefully. Knowing TG as she did, he was clearly attracted to her. Yet this is what he always did, she thought. He runs away, afraid of his feelings, and the woman always has to chase him. Looking at the young girl in front of her, she reached out and touched her arm, her skin soft beneath her hand. ‘He’s a little wound up, always like this before a shoot. He really is a great guy, you’ll see.’
‘Whatever, it’s cool,’ Calypso said to Kelly but inside she was fuming.
Looking around for any other faces she knew, she saw Rose Nightingale had arrived. She hadn’t seen her come in but couldn’t miss her now. Tall and slender in a peach georgette chiffon, halter-neck Chloé gown, Rose was beautiful. Her shoulders and arms were lily white, and she wore a gold Etruscan cuff on one arm and matching gold hoop earrings, which showed off her long neck.
Her brunette hair was swept up into a ponytail and she had applied her make-up in such a way that it looked as if she had barely any on but her features were perfect. Calypso knew this kind of make-up took over an hour to apply and she was a little star-struck. Rose was an icon and had the power and respect in the industry that Calypso hoped to one day have herself.
Seeing the girl in the gold dress staring at her, Rose made a beeline to her. ‘Hello, I’m Rose,’ she said with a smile. ‘I’m thrilled to be working with you. I saw your film on the plane on the way over. You were great, well done.’
Rose had a way of instantly putting people at ease. After her experience at drama school in London, she worked hard to make women at ease with her. Her warmth and kindness, just when Calypso felt so vulnerable, was exactly what was needed.
‘You’re very funny, it’s so hard to be funny. I can’t ever do it. It’s easy to cry on set, just think of your dog dying or something and then the waterworks start. But to make people laugh, well, that’s hard.’
Rose was so sincere and earnest that Calypso believed her immediately and decided to like her straightaway. Seeing her relax in her presence, Rose touched her arm. ‘Let’s sit together at dinner, shall we? I want to hear all about you.’
Calypso nodded eagerly. Rose’s motherly instinct was exactly what Calypso needed at that moment.
TG walked over and kissed Rose on both cheeks. They had known each other through the industry A-list parties and events and Rose was thrilled to be finally working with him.
‘Well, hello there,’ he said. ‘I see you’ve met Calypso.’
Calypso glared at him. If Rose noticed any tension she didn’t let on, instead she talked about how happy she was to be in Italy and how she hoped her family would come and visit her here.
While she spoke, TG did not look at Calypso once, even though Rose included her in the conversation several times. Calypso was becoming more and more incensed. This guy is an asshole, she thought, wishing she had taken the action film instead.
TG was aware of Calypso next to him though. Her presence was electric and whatever perfume she was wearing was driving him crazy.