May 12, 1999
Work begets work.
So the saying goes. It can be through networking -- you make a connection with someone on a job and they remember you for the next project they're on. It can be through marketing -- you use the occasion to promote your career and it leads to more work. It can be psychological -- you feel more confident when you're working and you carry that with you into your auditions. It can be many things, some tangible, some intangible, some drawing on the interpersonal relations between one human being and another, some a complex web of connections that can't be summarized in a single concise expression or sentence. In this case, my dressing room for Oh Grow Up was on the same floor of the same building as the casting offices of Scream 3. When I passed Lisa Beach in the hall, we chatted for a bit and then she studied me for a quiet moment, and finally said, "Wade."
Two weeks later and I am standing in the same hallway trying to memorize/learn/study the lines for today's audition. It's unclear why, but there is tight security on the Scream 3 material. No scripts were given out and no sides are available before the audition. So I arrive early to prepare as best I can.
The scene is not too hard to put together, and luckily I don't have
to die in it (ala the Rumpelstiltskin
audition). Plus, they're running a little behind, giving me an extra
few minutes of prep time. Lisa is very nice and the scene goes fine.
As I am leaving, she thanks me for coming and extends her hand. I
give her a friendly smile and a warm handshake. She's not satisfied
with that. "If you want to get out of here alive, you'll give me
back those sides." Sheesh. That may be scarier than any line in
the movie.