Her stiletto heels click-clacked on the street as she stomped her way Barney's. She picked up her pace to avoid the paparazzi. All Helena wanted to do was indulge in some retail therapy, but the days of shopping without a camera crew following her were gone.
After years of the stereotypical aspiring actress lifestyle, waitressing and student plays included, Helena finally landed that career-making role. At the time, it was just a small indie film by a fledging director, but it started a bidding war at Sundance and at the end, the film's distribution rights were sold for the highest amount ever at the festival. Overnight, Helena was the new it girl, but she hated that term. Any bimbo could be the new it girl, Helena wanted to be the next Meryl, the next Kate, the next Angelina. Using her newfound status, Helena got herself a small role in the next Woody Allen movie. It wasn't much, but damnit, it was Woody Allen!
It was a classic Woody role: young ingénue inspires a failing screenwriter and hijinks ensue. It helped that this was one of Woody's best scripts in years. Now, on the cusp of award season, Helena was generating buzz with both of her breakout roles. Of course, with buzz, comes the attention. Gone were the days of running out to grab a coffee or spending an insane amount of money on shoes in peace. Picking up her pace, Helena dashed through the front door of Barney's.
Taking a moment to gather herself, Helena casually walked over to the shoe department. Today, she was on a mission to find some new audition shoes. Tomorrow she would be meeting with Seth MacFarlane. She wasn't too familiar with his work, but she knew he had a couple successful cartoons and "Ted" was a huge summer hit at the box office. As she grazed her hand across the newest Jimmy Choos, she questioned if the audition was really worth going to. She wasn't a fan of Mr. MacFarlane's brand of comedy, which tended to be raunchy and ribald.
The role, however, was for the female lead in his next movie. The script seemed solid; it was the story of man who moves back in with his parents after losing his job on Wall Street. He meets some hometown girl, gets in touch with his inner child, crazy guy stuff happens, blah, blah, blah. The script was one of the funniest Helena had read in years, but comedy was scary for a dramatic actress. Was it the right move, right now? What if the script really wasn't that funny? What if the role really turns into one of those stereotypical, derogatory female characters? Selecting a pair of peeptoe Louboutin pumps and handing them to the salesgirl, Helena pushed those thoughts aside. Today was a day for retail therapy, followed by drinks with Jill, her long time friend and confidante. Helena knew she could nail the audition, but was that actually a good thing?