WHAT UP PEEPS??
I've not submitted anything in a while...my dad passed away in late January and it bought on depression AND writer's block like you won't believe. My apologies.
`Reel vs Real' is about two straight actors on a fictional TV soap opera. Neither have had ANY gay experiences in the past...however the writers of said soapie...wants their characters to enter in a gay relationship. Enter the hysteria hahaha!
I hope I do you guys justice! Feel free to email me...I wanna know if you guys liked or hated it. liciousryan@gmail.com
Peace and love, Ryan
P.S...please be safe from this horrible virus xx
REEL vs REAL CHAPTER ONE
"You have seen them on TV. Now they are here in the flesh! Give a warm welcome to...the actors of Tri Star!"
The crowd jumped in jubilation as cast of thirteen actors of the popular South African soap opera entered the arena and slowly made their way into the stage where they could be clearly seen by the screaming public.
Ever since the soap started two years ago, it had gained some what of a cult following by the public, especially the younger audience. Simply for the pure fact that Tri Star did what majority of the South African soaps didn't have the sheer guts to do...tackle real life issues without worrying what the sheer backlash would be.
Nothing against the other SA soaps but for years, it was like their writers were scared to write anything other than the status quo. If they did a storyline about drugs or AIDS or even transgender issues, the viewers were usually up in arms on social media...because how DARE a soap tackle reality, and allow their characters to NOT to be happy as roses ever damn episode? And I'm really not escalating here. If you lived here, you would know lol.
Anyhow, when Tri Star popped on to the SA television screens, it was an instant hit. They actually went to the trouble to cast people who could...well...act. As well as their current and well thought out storylines, it was the direction and the dialogue that won viewers over. It didn't hurt that majority of the cast looked like they just stepped out of a Cosmopolitan magazine, either.
Getting back to the Meet and Greet of the cast, the lines were getting longer and longer as fans, especially the younger crowd, was desperate to see their on-screen heroes. Slowly but surely selfies and autographs were taken and given respectively until fans got to the end of the line, because sat right at the exit of the stage...the sheer reason why so many people had turned up...to see the one actor that especially, the teenage girls were swooning over.
Mike Charmers. Heartthrob. Attractive. A killer smile. The friendliest guy you could possibly meet in the acting business these days.
One of the rare chances where a hot piece of ass KNEW of his immense fame and it did not change him one little bit. Make no mistake, he was no saint, but as far as a good guy went, this bloke came pretty damn close.
Mike posed for selfies and signed photos and in some cases, arms!...with a smile. This was his life's passion. TV, radio, theatre, literally anything to do with the arts. He was lucky enough to portray the so called BAD BOY of the show.
Oh yeah..."Kyle Stander" was the complete opposite of Mike Charmers. Kyle literally fucked every female character that moved and breathed on the show, he was a right proper villain, had no conscious, caused a fair few deaths and was a master manipulator... and usually actors who portray villains get the most hate and trolls online and on social media (just ask Camila Banus lol) but Mike made sure that his true public persona was well known and people knew all the good deeds he did outside Tri Star. Charity work and all that. The man truly had a good heart.
His smoldering good looks did nothing to help people fancy the crap out of him either loool.
Mike's real life girlfriend Larissa was waiting for him when the Meet and Greet finally finished...making quite sure she got her own five minutes of fame with the media.
Oh boy, she knew exactly how lucky she was to be with Daytime's hottie and she would do literally anything to keep it that way. A true gold digger in every sense of the word, but of course she never...ever...would show THAT side of her to Mike.
She knew exactly what was at stake. Thanks to Mike the public knew who she was as the couple featured heavily on the cover of magazines. If Mike ever wanted to get rid of her, well lets just say she would NOT make it easy for him.
For Mike personally, he felt like he was blessed with an awesome life and an even more awesome career and complete with a stunningly beautiful girlfriend ...he had no idea... that just the next day, his life, as he knew it, would forever change. And not necessarily for the better. At least...not yet.
It was Monday. The twenty-ninth of June. Precisely the half way point of the working year for businesses and with a soap opera it was no different. That time of the year where new storylines was planned and discussed with the actors as well as contracts being renewed...or cancelled.
Every actor will tell you that it didn't matter how well you THINK you're doing in a job, if a producer wanted you out, he would simply not renew your contract and you would be unemployed. Simple as. That was the sad, stark reality of every working actor out there.
Nervous as he was, Mike was relieved when Ron Dice, Head writer and Executive Producer of Tri Star told him his job was safe at least for another year. He knew his character Kyle Stander, being the popular bad ass he was, would probably be kept on the show, but it was still great to hear.
Then suddenly Ron got serious and placed both his hands in a combined fist onto the table.
"Mike, listen carefully. We came up with an idea. Now, we know how the public might react to this. But we are confidant that we can do this in a dignified way that will not only make Kyle look super bad, but that people will praise YOU for accurate, stunning acting. You're in a position now where you can do no wrong in viewers eyes. The girls love you. The guys wanna be you. If we are gonna do...this storyline, this is the right time."
"I'm up for anything. This is why I became an actor. If I can't take on a challenge, I really don't deserve to be here, right?" Mike said with a cheeky smile. This was exactly what he wanted. A juicy storyline he could really sink his teeth into. By the sounds of it, so far, it was quite a thing.
"Okay. Bring him in, Rosa!"
Mike frowned and turned around in his seat at the same time. Rosa, the casting director, entered and gave Mike a warm smile.
"You said you were up for a challenge. Here it is. Come in, Nico."
Mike gently tapped his fingers onto the arm of the chair rhythmically as a young guy entered the office after Rosa. He nervously looked around the room before his eyes fell on Mike. Typical young new actor...sees a well known and famous specie of his own and immediately he turns to mush. Being the nice guy he was, Mike politely stood up.
"Mike, this is Nico. Nico, Mike."
Ron's introduction moved Mike forward and he offered his hand to the newbie, which was in turn enthusiastically wrapped in his own in a firm and respectful handshake.
"Sit down, sit down. Okay, here's the deal...and what might potentially scare you off."
Mike took back his seat and looked curiously over towards Nico. Even the new guy didn't look as if he knew what was going on. Obviously there was a new character created that was gonna have scenes with "Kyle". I mean, why else would Nico be here?
But why was Ron so...so hesitant?
"Ron, we've known each other for two years now. Spit it out. What kinda storyline did you guys come up with?"
Ron looked at Mike and suddenly his eyes flickered towards Nico.
"Excellent job, Rosa. I can see why you went with Nico. The camera will love them together."
"Thought so too," Rosa replied with a sneaky smile.
"See Mike, at the moment we have Kyle desperately searching for his birth mother. Like you know, Kyle is desperate to find her because she was this rich, wealthy British woman who dumped him at the orphanage. Only he finds out she in fact died and left all the money to her second son, his half brother. That's where Nico comes in."
"Oh, I see...so Nico is playing my half brother? Nice one!" Mike said and gave Nico a friendly smile, which was excitedly returned.
"Not quite."
Frowns splattered across the confused faces of a certain two actors.
"Kyle quickly discovers that Nico's character, Oliver, is not his half brother, but really an imposter. He finds out Oliver killed Kyle's biological mother and he sets out for revenge. So not only does he want the money that truly belongs to him, he also wants to humiliate Oliver. In true Kyle Stander fashion...in the worst way possible."
"That sounds ace..."
First words Nico had spoken since he entered the office. Mike choked back a laugh. He had to admit it was a great story to portray. For once, the devious Kyle doing something bad for the right reasons. Go figure!
"I'm glad you say so, Nico. Because the character of Oliver...is gay."
A silence filled the office. Both Ron and Rosa knew this was something both actors would struggle with. Any actor/actress would, if they weren't homosexual themselves.
It was Mike who spoke first.
"Sorry Ron, I don't understand...so...so Oliver is gay? How does that help my character?"
Ron took a deep breath.
"I told you before this was gonna be a first on the soap. Kyle will seek revenge...by faking a relationship with Oliver. Eventually the plot will lead to the two men getting married...and of course after that happens, on the wedding day, Kyle will shock Oliver with who he truly is. We reckon...no, we KNOW, this will have viewers on the edge of their seats for weeks watching this play out. Kyle being with another man sexually, out of revenge. It's a brilliant concept, if I had to say so myself!"
Mike wasn't homophobic. Not at all. He didn't understand quite what made two guys and two girls wanna be together romantically as well as sexually, but he sure as fuck supported it. It wasn't about that.
The South African public wasn't exactly...lets say, tolerant when it came to gay couples on national TV. Yeah, SA was one of the more gay accepting countries in the world and same sex marriages was legal...didn't do much to change the majority perceptions tho.
And most importantly of all...Larissa. How the heck was SHE gonna accept him having to kiss another man? Its acting. She would get that. But it was still gonna be...lips touching. They had to make it look convincing. Its that, what made Tri Star stand out from other SA soaps so much.
From a viewer's point of view, this was exactly the type of thing the character of Kyle Stander WOULD do. Ron got that right.
Why did make him feel so uneasy...?
"Nico, you probably have more questions than Mike has right now. We purposely didn't tell actors who came to audition for the part of Oliver that the character was gonna be gay. In fact until we shoot this, no one will know. It MUST be a shock to the viewers and to the cast. No spoilers allowed."
Mile watched as Nico sat forward and bite his bottom lip. He looked as uncomfortable as he felt right now. He took a deep breath...
"This is my time acting job I booked. Ron, there is no way I'm giving it up. If I have to kiss another dude, then I'll do it. It's just lips. Tri Star is huge. I can't lose this gig. I'm in."
Three sets of eyebrows were raised at Nico's mini speech. Mike felt a little respect creeping in for the newbie. Two years ago, he was where Nico is right now. First acting gig, the desperation for work and to pay the bills. He, Nico, was chosen above many others to play this part. He can understand not wanting to let it go...but kissing another man...? Really? Man...
"Mike, you know and I know it's a great plot. I don't wanna force you into doing something you're not comfortable with."
Mike nodded. He looked over to Nico, who also was seemingly locked in a internal battle with his sexuality at the moment.
For God's sake. It's reel. Not real.
"I'll do it."
Nico's head turned towards Mike so fast, he was lucky he didn't get whiplash.
A huge smile rested on Ron's face and he winked at Rosa.
"This will have Tri Star trending every week night. I just KNOW it! Mike, I think the public will have even more respect and admiration for you after this shows on TV. And of course there will be certain idiots who would boycott the show and want it cancelled. Tough. Let's meet tomorrow morning bright and early, to start with read-throughs of potential scripts. Right... See ya!"
Just like Nico, Mike was in his own little world as they left the office.
Mike was straight. As was Nico. Neither man had ever...ever...kissed another male in their lives. Never wanted to. Never wondered or thought about it or even wanted to do it just to experience what it would be like. No homo...there was just no point? Both fancied women!
Just like Mike, Nico had a girlfriend, whom he adored with all this heart. Even more, they were high school sweethearts, so he had never even as much as looked at another alternative.
It might not seem hard for non actors...but those in the business knew that playing a gay character was gonna take a monumentous effort. Both internally and in portrayal.
"Hey...uhm...Mike?"
Mike was snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to face Nico. The newbie seemed some where between upset and excitement.
"I take it you're not happy about this as well?" the newbie said with a slight sad smile on his face.
"Well...look, it's a job. Its called acting. Its reel, not real, I guess. Hey man, I'm sorry if I seemed...well...a little off in there. It was just..."
"...such a shock to having to kiss another guy when coming to work? Don't worry dude, same here," Nico laughed.
A silence filled the empty office space.
"Well, I guess I'll see you...tomorrow then?" Nico squeaked. This was Mike Charmers after all. Yeah. He was supposed to kiss this legend soon. The first man he ever...
"What? Oh yeah, man. Hey, it's really nice to meet you. And welcome! I'm being such an idiot. Come on, its only make believe! We didn't spend four years in Drama school to having this ruin it!" Mike said, back to his normal, friendly self.
"Deal. See ya tomorrow!" Nico smiled back at him before walking off in to the corridor.
"Now comes the hard part," Mike whispered to himself as he dialled Larissa's number.
Nah...better tell her in person.
"YOU HAVE TO DO...WHAT?"
"Baby, please calm down..."
"Oh hell no! Mike, I can handle you kissing girls on the show because they know what will happen to them if they DARE try and steal you from me! How the fuck do I scare off another GUY?"
"You know it is called ACTING? I don't WANT to kiss another man, I HAVE to! IT'S. NOT. REAL."
"What's gonna be real is you putting your fucking lips on another man and then coming home and kissing me! You're gonna go to Ron and tell him you refuse to do this!"
"I already said I was in..."
"Then all your agent! Get out of it! I don't care! People are gonna ask things, Mike...they're gonna think...how can Larissa allow this? You KNOW how the public is! They will be crucifying you!"
"Do I tell you what to do at your job?"
"That's not the point..."
"Larissa, I have lines to learn. I have a early morning shoot on location. I literally don't have the energy to fight. Maybe you should sleep at your apartment tonight."
Larissa's face suddenly drew the colour of sick inside a tumble dryer.
"Fine. Go ahead. Go and kiss that faggot! Your career is finished from tomorrow!" she shouted, grabbed her handbag and stormed out, nearly slamming the door off its hinges in the process.
Mike sighed.
In all her anger, Larissa had a point.
His career was on the line. He wasn't an unknown actor who could do a gay film without ructions. The thought of kissing Nico...not just a peck on the cheek...an actual kiss...well...
It didn't seem weird or even disgusting to be quite honest. Nico was a person. He was a person. Two people kissing.
Fuck.
THANKS FOR READING!!
Hope you like the concept I chose for the story. Two straight men, both actors, having to go gay on a TV soap.
Not to mention all the revelations they could experience once the kissing and caresses start!
Wanna read more? Have a chat with me ;)
liciousryan@gmail.com