Ch 32: Scarlett Johansson - Part II

23rd March, 2008

{1st Person POV}

11:27 A.M

That was the time written, or accurately, shown on my wristwatch.

Yes, I owned a wristwatch. I had one because they look really awesome, and in turn made me look awesome too.

Let's be real, though who doesn't like wristwatches? They're cool as fuck. I'm sure most people want to buy and wear one. It's just that the best ones are really expensive, and rightly so.

But I didn't have to worry about paltry things such as the prices of wristwatches, because I now have MONEY!

Hooray! 

Life is truly great when you have money, and the people who spew bullshit like "money doesn't buy you happiness" should live without money for a week and then tell us what their judgement is. Because if money doesn't buy happiness, then what does? Empty promises? Dreams?

Well, whatever. I didn't really want to strain my head by thinking about serious matters like that. Instead, I'd like to think about serious matters that relate to MY situation, in other words, stuff about 'The Prestige'.

11:30 A.M

That was the time for Scarlett Johansson and for me to discuss more about her role as Olivia.

Of course, I couldn't just give her a contract and say "Welcome to the team!" Or some other dumb shit like that.

That wouldn't sit well with the producers, at all. And neither would it sit well with me.

I had to actually make sure if she was a capable actor or not, and if she had any chemistry with Michael, and for that, I needed to see if she was interested in playing the role of Olivia in the first place, because if she wasn't, then I'd only be wasting my time.

And if she was interested but not talented, then I'd have only been chasing a mouse for nothing. 

The reason I even accepted to have this "discussion" was to make Johansson interested in playing in the film. Grudging her acting capabilities would have to be later, but not too late. 

I'd prefer it if I could hold like an audition of sorts next week. 

"Haa… this is too bothersome…" I muttered and swung my head backwards, now staring at the ceiling of my office (?).

*knock knock*

Two knocks came from the door, which I took as the single of Scarlett's arrival. 

"Come in!" I said while hastily getting back into the proper sitting position, and adoring what I like to call the 'business face'. 

I'm sure it's pretty self-explanatory.

-

{3rd Person POV}

Scarlett Johansson knocked two times on the door of Oliver's room, before a loud "come in!" Came from the inside.

She opened the door and walked inside the room.

Oliver's room had grey coloured walls, whose beauty was highlighted by the sunlight bouncing off the walls. The sunlight came from the few windows present inside the room, which made the fairly plain and boring room seem a bit more lively.

The desk in the middle of the room had a white coloured office desk, complementing the dark colour scheme of the rest of the room. The desk had a few papers on it, but it was mostly clean and tidy.

And in the centre of it all was a young man in his early 20s, with jet black hair, white as vanilla ice cream skin, and amber coloured eyes, something which captivated Scarlett quite a lot. 

'They look so beautiful.' She thought, mesmerised by Oliver's eyes. She felt as if she could stare at them for hours and not get bored.

When Scarlett entered the room, Oliver stood up from his chair and went to greet her.

"Ah, welcome! I've been waiting for you." He said with a sincere smile on his face. Oliver brought out his right hand for a handshake, a gesture which Scarlett gladly returned. 

"Scarlett Johansson." She introduced herself. "I presume you're Oliver Knight?" 

"Indeed I am." He affirmed. "Well, before we talk, let's get seated, shall we?" He said with a faint but sly smile.

Oliver took out a chair for Scarlett and motioned for her to sit. "Ladies first." He said.

Scarlett went along with his play and comfortably sat on the chair, with Oliver getting back to his seat quickly.

"So," Oliver began as he placed both of his hands under his as a support, mirroring the shape of a stack of cards placed in an 'A' formation. "Let's begin, shall we?" He said with a devilish smile.

To Scarlett, Oliver seemed like a very 'interesting individual, to put it lightly.

"First, you begin. What do you want to know about the role?" He asked Scarlett.

Scarlett, who hadn't expected him to start with her, was a bit taken aback.

"Oh, um, I think it would be nice to start with the name of the character." 

Oliver closed his eyes, and nodded in an elegant manner. "I'll oblige to your request." He said.

'Why is he talking like that?' Scarlett thought.

Unbeknownst to her, Oliver was trying to get into the role of Angier, who himself was acting like a commoner to not damage his family's name.

'This is fun. Really, really fun.' Oliver thought while grinning like a madman on the inside, while he had a very calm expression on the outside.

"So, the character's name is Olivia Wenscombe, the assistant of the two protagonists in the film." He explained.

At the words 'two protagonists', Scarlett showed a bit of confusion on her face. 

"Two protagonists?" She asked.

"Yep. Two protagonists, just as you heard. Alfred Borden, and Robert Angier, who are both stage magicians." 

"Stage magicians? Didn't you say this film was a Victorian drama?" 

Oliver's smile turned into a full blown grin, as he was now about to do what many people hated about stories: Exposition.

"The film is indeed a Victorian drama, a drama about the aforementioned magicians, but a drama nonetheless. You see, Borden and Angier are, as I said before, two stage magicians, and the film is about their rivalry. But at the start of the film, that is not the case. Instead, the two are friends who work together at the same place." Oliver paused for a second, as he looked at Scarlett straight in the eye.

"Do you want me to continue?" He asked.

Scarlett, who found the premise interesting, quickly nodded her head.

Oliver clapped his hands together, and said, "As I said, Borden and Angier were friends at the start. But you see, it wasn't just these two who worked at the place, because Angier's wife, Julia, also worked there. And while performing a magic trick which required Julia to be submerged in a glass tank while she was tied with the ropes went wrong, it resulted in Julia's death. Now, I'm sure you might be thinking that it's a dumb trick to perform in the first place, but the thing is, the three of them had already done it before. So, why did Julia only die now?." 

Oliver leaned on the chair, sitting comfortably. 

"Because Julia and Borden wanted to tie the double knot rather than the single one they had used before. They thought it was too easy, and wanted to do a harder trick. Oh, how well that paid off. But anyway, Angier blames Borden for the death of his wife, and asks him which knot did he tie at Julia's funeral. Rather than telling him the truth, Borden says "I don't know" and walks away." 

Oliver then leans onto the table with a devilish smile, asks, "Intriguing, isn't it?" 

"Yeah…" Scarlett mutters in response.

"Want to hear the rest of the story?" 

"Yes." She nodded.

And like that, Oliver explained the plot of 'The Prestige', but only until the part Olivia is in. Because the finale and the big twist comes after that, after all, and he didn't want to spoil the plot for her,

After the end of Oliver's explanation, Scarlett had been left speechless.

The plot, the characters and the dialogue of 'The Prestige'... was amazing to her. And while she may have not watched that many so called 'best films of all time', but even she could tell apart a great film from just a good one.

Seeing her speechless face, Oliver showed yet another devilish smile.

"So, What do you think? Is it good? Of course, I didn't tell you the whole story because the finale is too good to be spoiled like this in a meeting."

Oliver looked at Scarlett expectantly.

"I… thought it was amazing. One of the best I've ever seen or heard."

"So, what's your verdict? Will you play the role of Olivia?"

"..."

Scarlett had a thoughtful expression on her face, and soon, she opened her eyes which now looked firm and confident.

"Yes. I agree to play the role of Olivia. " She said.

Oliver was now grinning from ear to ear.

"So, what are we gonna do now? Sign a contract or something?"

"I'm extremely pleased that you liked my creation and have agreed to play the role of Olivia, but alas, I can't just sign a contract right here because I'm not sure about your acting abilities." Oliver explained in an exaggerated manner.

'Ah, right. I AM a no-name after all.' Scarlett thought.

"Then what are you going to do?" 

"I'm going to hold a private audition." Oliver confidently said.

'Private audition? So you're THAT kind of person?' 

"I didn't think you'd be that kind of person, Mr. Knight." Scarlett said, while looking disgusted.

Oliver, who had said the words 'private audition' on purpose just for funzies, only had a smile on his face.

"What's this? What did you interpret my pure words as?" Oliver, faking a shocked look, leaned back. "Oh my, were you expecting 'that' to happen? Such impure thoughts don't suit you." He teased.

Scarlett, realising that she had been made fun of, got flustered. "Y-you! You tricked me!"

"Tricked? No, no, I did no such things. It is you who assumed the meaning of my words in that way."

Scarlett, who felt like she was about die from Oliver's tricks, took several deep breaths. After a while, she stopped and looked at him with a serious face.

"Can we move on from your jokes?"

Oliver had a dejected look after hearing her words, but immediately went back to his cheerful act. "Oh, well. Anyways, as I said, a private audition, which I'll hold on 28th of March. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

"I guess that's that then." Oliver got up from his chair, but not before taking out a paper from the drawer and placing it in front of Scarlett.

"What is this?" Scarlett asked.

"A NDA." He replied. "Can't let you leave just like that after telling you 70% of the plot, can I?"

"Haa, I should've expected this." 

Oliver handed Scarlett a pen, which she used to sign the NDA. Of course, she read the paper before, because if she didn't, she'd be a moron.

Scarlett gave the NDA back to Oliver, who kept it in his hands.

"Guess I'll be taking my leave, then." 

"Go ahead." 

Scarlett stood up from her chair and walked to door. She opened the door and was about to walk out before remembering something.

She turned around and asked Oliver. "Hey, Mr. Knight, why'd you ask me for this role?"

At Scarlett's question, Oliver's face stiffened.

He had no answer, and for a good reason.

How the hell would Scarlett believe Oliver if he said that he's from an alternate world where she's a huge celebrity and played Olivia in this film? He'd sound like a lunatic.

"That… I'll tell you later."

"Fine by me." With that, Scarlett left Oliver's room, leaving him standing alone, now thinking about his secret.

He hadn't given that much thought to his transmigration, but now that Scarlett had asked him why he chose her, he remembered Keanu asking the same question. 

At that time, he didn't care, and he didn't care even now to a certain degree. 

Why he was here was a question for another time, a time that Oliver may not even get. And he was okay with that. 

Oliver inhaled deepy, and looked at the ground. "I can't tell about this to anyone. I'll be seen as a retard who drank too much." Oliver exhaled and looked forward, at the door.

"I'll take this secret to my grave." He muttered.

~~~

A/N: I really can't say this enough, but man am I satisfied with this two-parter!

And yes, I know the pacing is more slower and there's more detail and stuff, but that's because I thought there wouldn't be enough stuff to write about.

Lo and behold, 2.2k words (this A/N included)

Of course, 500 of that is probably due to the more slower pacing, but tell me, do you want me to write more like this?

And yes, I know that not many of you would like how Oliver behaves this chapter, but I like it as it gives him a personality and he doesn't remain as a cardboard cutout for self inserts.

Anyways, see you later this week!!