Disclaimer: This story is purely for fun. I do not own the characters nor any referenced script/scene from CW's Beauty and the Beast. I do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for fun only.
Story Background: Ryan and Isabelle are actually the names of the main characters in a new cable syndicated TV show. Vincent Keller and Catherine Chandler are the actual actors chosen for this new show, a re-imagined version of Beauty and the Beast. This story follows those actors off-screen.
WARNING: Contains adult content. This is rated M for adult audiences only, and may contain vulgar language and sexual content.
CHAPTER ONE
"Vincent, it's Candace. I need you to give me a call right quick as soon as you get this message. It's urgent. Thanks."
Okay, that sounds promising, Vincent Keller thought as he saved the voicemail from his agent, Candace Brentwood. She was never one to mince words. He knew he should call her right back but he had to speak with Alex first. Alex Salter, his on-and-off girlfriend for the past several years, was really upset and said she needed to speak with him. Childhood friends, they started dating on and off ever since graduating from high school together twelve long years ago. She was really his only experience with a long term relationship. During the couple of times they did break up, he had gone on a few dates and had a few flings but nothing ever materialized. Somehow, he would always end up back with Alex. She was always checking in on him, even when they weren't together, being friendly and always ready and willing to take him back. He really loved her and had strong feelings for her but for the past couple of years, things seemed different. He knew she wanted to settle down and start a family but he wasn't ready for that right now and although they had a long history together, the thought of marriage with her had never crossed his mind. Things were just different for him and even though he was comfortable in a relationship with her, he felt something was missing. Sure the sex was great, and they had a great friendship together, but still, there was something missing. And as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, most likely for her sake, his feelings for her had changed. When they first started dating, they were both so young and inexperienced. He was mesmerized by her, his first love. She was also a 'creative' and dabbled in acting, so they melded well together, constantly bouncing ideas off one another. But her main job was as an assistant to a very well-known playwright/director in New Zealand. Alex's boss was so taken by Vincent's acting skills that he offered Vincent the lead in a play he wrote. By that time, Vincent was already an accomplished TV actor well-known in his native New Zealand, as well as in Australia. The play had done so well that they even went to the States and did a few shows in Hollywood, as well as the UK, and Australia. It was extremely well received by critics and Vincent was praised for his performance and creative acting abilities on stage. He recently just finished shooting a mini-series and was already looking forward to his next acting job.
Vincent sat up on the edge of his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He picked up his phone and dialed Alex's number.
"Hello? Vincent?" she answered.
"Hey there," he responded, "What's going on? Everything alright?"
"Vincent, we need to talk," she paused, "Can we meet later?"
"Yeah, sure," he agreed. "I have to meet up with my agent first so as soon as I'm out of there, I'll head over. Yeah?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll be waiting."
"Alright, see ya then."
"Okay, see ya then."
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Vincent called his agent's office. Her assistant answered the phone.
"Good morning, thank you for calling Candace Brentwood and Associates Management Firm, how may I help you?"
"Good morning, Sheila. This is Vincent Keller. I'm returning Candace's call."
"Ah yes, Vincent! She told me to put you right through, please hold a moment."
"Will do, thanks."
After a few seconds, the hold music stopped and Candace got on the line.
"Vince! How are ya?" she continued, not waiting for a response, "Listen, I've got an audition lined up for you and you'll need to leave for it ASAP."
"What's it for?"
"I'll give you the details when you get to my office. But you need to pack an overnight bag and don't forget your passport. And hurry up, your plane leaves in three hours. I sent a car to pick you up, the driver should be arriving any minute now."
"How'd you know I'd still be home?"
"Vincent, it's 8 o'clock in the morning. I know you have nothing else to do. Hurry up and get here." Before he could say anything else, she hung up.
Grabbing his duffel bag and passport, he decided to wait for the driver outside of his beachfront flat. Shit, I need to call Alex. He dialed her phone number.
"Vincent? Are you done with your meeting?"
"Not yet, change of plans. Candace is sending me to an audition. I'm not sure where but it requires me bringing my passport."
She was quiet.
"Alex? Are you there?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here. Look, we'll talk when you get back. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure? Is everything okay?" he sensed something in her voice.
"Yeah, no worries, babe. Just call me when you get back. And hey, good luck on your audition."
"Okay, thanks. I'll call you as soon as I get back."
At that moment, his driver pulled up to the curb.
"Okay, here's the deal," Candace began after taking a puff from her vapor cigarette. Vincent knew not to interrupt her. Candace isn't one to beat around the bush, she likes to lay everything out and get straight to the point.
"You're headed to the States, to California. A driver will pick you up at LAX and take you to the Studio in LA where you'll meet with the auditioning panel and casting director. You'll be auditioning for the lead part of Ryan. They're doing a revamp of that old '80s series Beauty and the Beast. Here's the script for your audition. Any questions?"
"Are you serious?! The lead part? In an American show?!"
"Did I stutter? Yes! And be sure to lose the kiwi accent. I know you can, you've always been great doing the American accent. You've actually perfected it. No one would even guess you're from New Zealand. Anyways, if you have any real questions, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thanks Candace, I will." He was flabbergasted.
"Oh, one more thing," she took another puff of her cigarette, "Nail it, Vincent. I know you can, otherwise they wouldn't have asked for you and I wouldn't be sending you halfway around the damn planet. You can do this."
"I appreciate your confidence in me. I'll get it done, no worries."
"Alright kid, go knock 'em off their feet." She gave him a pat on the back and with that, he was out the door and on his way to the airport.
The 18-hour flight gave him plenty of time to look over the audition script and get some rest. As soon as he arrived in LAX, he located the driver waiting for him and headed straight to the CW Studio. It was a little after 10:30am local time (which would be about 6:00am in Oz a day ahead). Once he arrived at the studio, he made a quick stop to the restroom to wash up a bit and change his clothes, then headed towards the designated audition room. He wasn't feeling too nervous but some anxiousness started to creep in when he was ushered into the sound stage. As he stood center stage, he introduced himself, not bothering to hide his accent.
"Good morning, my name is Vincent Keller, and I'm here to audition for the role of Ryan."
There was a collective "Good morning, Vincent" response from the auditioning panel comprised of 4 women and two men.
"So Vincent, we understand you've flown in from New Zealand to do this audition," stated one of the men.
"Yes, I've actually just arrived from the airport."
"Wow, that's quite a flight. We hope that gave you some time to get familiar with the character," one of the ladies said.
"Yes, I definitely had a chance to do that," Vincent replied, nodding.
"We've seen some of your tapes and you've got incredible range as an actor. We hear you've just finished filming a mini-series, is that right?" one of the other ladies asked.
"Thank you. Yes, we wrapped up filming just yesterday, so it's ready for post-production work."
"Ah, that explains your hair style," one of the other men joked. They all laughed, including Vincent.
"Yep, I was playing a drug-dealer thuggish type" Vincent smiled and ran his fingers through the strip of hair that wasn't shaved off his head.
"Well, let's go ahead and see how you'd be as our beast hero," a softer spoken lady said, still smiling.
"Alright."
Vincent acted the part without any hesitation, without stumbling any of the lines, and with a perfect American accent. His naturally raspy voice, low. He knew when to look at the camera, what angles to work and when the casting director requested something of him, he did it without fumbling.
"Wow, Vincent," the soft-spoken lady began, "that was quite a performance."
"Indeed it was," one of the men added, nodding his head.
"We'll let you know within an hour if you got the role," the other man chimed in.
"And on behalf of all of us here, we thank you for flying all the way from New Zealand for auditioning." one of the other women said.
"Thank you," Vincent responded back in his native accent,"Thank you all for your time," he smiled, bowed his head slightly, and left the stage.
Vincent's plane touched down at almost 3:00am in Auckland Airport. His cell phone rang right when he walked off the plane. It was his agent.
"Hey Candace, I just arrived. I guess they didn't like me. I never heard back from them before my flight left LA."
"Vincent, listen. You need to get back on the plane."
"What?!" he stopped in his tracks, "I just got here!"
"They got in touch with me while you were already en route back home. They want you back in L.A. to do a chemistry read with the lead actress. I've already booked your flight, it leaves at 6am so grab some breakfast and coffee. I'll text you the info. Go pick up your ticket and head to the gate now so you can get through security. " She sounded impatient.
"Are you serious?" he was smiling.
"Yeah kid! You must have made quite an impression. Look, you'll be arriving in LA at about 8am and your chemistry read is at 10:00am so I'll have a driver pick you up and take you straight to the studio, then you can head back home. Sound good?"
"Yes ma'am. Sounds great. Good thing I brought more than one change of clothes." Thank goodness.
"Good, I'll email you the info and script."
Seconds later, he received her text with his flight info and an email with the other details. Looking at her text again, he headed towards the ticket desk to pick up his ticket and boarding pass. He couldn't help but smile. This had to be a good sign. Though he wasn't quite sure what a 'chemistry read' was, if all goes well with it, he'll be landing his first lead role on a major television network in the US. This will put him on the international map as an actor and he was getting really excited.
"Catherine, we need you to come in to do a chemistry read," her agent, Tanya, informed her.
"Sure, what time do you need me?" Catherine had several chemistry reads with several potential leading actors over the past several days. They were all really good actors but none of them were able to grab the casting panel, writers, director and producers as a whole.
"Well, we've got one guy today at 2 o'clock this afternoon," Tanya paused a moment, "... and a guy flying in from New Zealand. He'll have his read with you tomorrow morning at 10. Then ofcourse, several more reads with locals later this week."
"Whoa, wait - there's a guy actually coming all the way from New Zealand for a chemistry read?!" she was pretty shocked since all the guys she's had reads with were mostly local Americans, and just a couple of them from Canada. But flying in from half way around the world? Wow.
"Yeah, apparently they were really impressed with his audition yesterday."
"Wait, he was in LA yesterday and he's flying back again? That's crazy!" Catherine still couldn't believe it. He must have arrived in New Zealand just to have to hop back on a plane to go back to the States again.
"Yeah, you've definitely got to let me know how that one goes. I wish I could be there!"
"Well, I'll be looking forward to meeting him - all of them. Hopefully one of these guys will make everyone happy." Catherine was getting anxious to start filming but she also wanted the perfect leading man for the role.
"I agree with you, Cat. If not, hopefully they'll find the right guy sooner than later."
"Thank you for coming. We'll contact you within the next couple of days and let you know," the casting director, Robert, told the Canadian actor after he finished his chemistry read with Catherine. Catherine smiled and shook the actor's hand. After he left the room, she turned to the panel.
"Well, what did you guys think?"
"I wasn't feeling it," director Richard Basile responded without any hesitation, "I mean, don't get me wrong, he was great with his lines and emotion, but I just wasn't feeling anything."
"Yeah, I'd have to agree," producer and writer Cari said adding, "I just felt he wasn't really connecting with his character."
"Or Catherine's character, for that matter," producer and writer Madelyn chimed in.
"Catherine, you did great. I could feel your emotion and even though he spoke his lines with feeling, I wasn't getting a connection between the two of you. Did you feel anything? Do you think there's potential there?" asked one of the casting panelists.
Catherine thought about it and responded, "I felt he was trying to connect with the way he was speaking his lines but the connection just wasn't landing with me. I don't know, I'm sorry. I just felt it was a little forced." They all nodded in agreement.
"Well then, we'll see how the next fella does tomorrow, thanks for coming in, Catherine," Robert smiled.
"No problem at all. Thank you, all of you. I'll see you tomorrow then."
After some brief chatting with the writers and some of the casting panelists, Catherine said her good-byes and headed back to her hotel.
Back in her room, she sipped on the hot tea she bought from the Cafe. Looking through her cell phone pics, she came across pictures of her with her boyfriend, Gabe. They've been together for 7 years but lately, things haven't been going too well. It wasn't the long distance relationship, she can handle that. She just felt something was different between the two of them lately. They didn't laugh as much anymore, they didn't talk as much anymore, it was just different. She still loved him, she knew that much.
After arriving at LAX, Vincent knew he had to call Alex and let her know he had to fly back to the States. He didn't want her to think he was blowing her off. He sent her a quick text.
From VKeller: Hey there. I just arrived back in LA. They asked me to come back to do a chemistry read. Not sure what that entails but wish me luck. I'll call you when I get back home.
A few seconds later, she texted back.
From AlexS: Okay. Good luck on the read. I'm sure they'll pick you. See you when you get back.
A smile crept onto his face. He's never had to do chemistry reads before. Must be a U.S. thing. Ah well, this should be no biggie, he thought to himself. He looked over the script some more. It appeared to have a couple of scenes listed down. From what he read, he liked the take they were going for on this revamped Beauty and the Beast.
"God, I hope I get this role," he said to himself. How great would it be if he landed this lead role on an American television show?!
Fuckin' awesome, he thought. He headed to the washroom to freshen up before meeting the driver.
The casting panel piled into the reading stage room along with Richard Basile (director), Robert (the casting director), three of the producers including writers, Cari and Madelyn, and lead actress, Catherine Chandler.
"Alright, Catherine," Robert began after everyone settled into their seats, "Thank you for coming in this morning."
"Thank you as well," she replied, sitting on one of the stools center stage.
"I know we're here earlier than the actor coming in. Who, by the way, should be here in about fifteen minutes. Hopefully, he'll wow us," one of the producers remarked.
"I hear he's a New Zealander. If he can't hide the accent, he won't make a good Ryan," another panelist chimed in.
"Well, the audition panel gave him the green light for a chemistry read. So we'll see how he does in a few minutes. Do you have any questions for us, Catherine?" Madelyn asked her.
"No, no. None at all. I'm just hoping for his sake it was worth the trip all the way here from New Zealand and back again!" They all laughed nodding their heads in agreement.
The group chatted on about production and locations for a few moments, when suddenly one of the doors swung open, making a loud bang as it hit the wall. Everyone turned to look to see a crew member usher in a tall, well-built, extremely handsome fellow clad in work boots, loose fitting jeans, and a black t-shirt that wasn't too fitted but certainly accentuated his strong arms, broad shoulders and flat stomach. Though his hair was oddly long, almost like an 80's rocker.
"Is this the guy?" one of the panelists whispered to another.
"He's definitely got some swagger - and I mean that in a very good way. But that hair," another chuckled quietly.
Vincent, finally at the panel, smiled and greeted everyone "Good morning" and "How are you" in his native New Zealand accent before proceeding towards the stage. Everyone exchanged friendly greetings to him in return. As Vincent made his way towards the stage, the crew member that ushered him in turned to the panel and whispered.
"The side of his head was shaved for a part he finished filming recently," the crew member continued in a hushed voice, " We thought it might be distracting so we put a wig on him."
"Well, if they can find some chemistry with that awful wig on," Robert looked to the panel, "then we may have a winner, folks."
"He's certainly tall and handsome," one of the panelists noted among themselves as they watched Vincent take to the stage to sit near Catherine.
"They all are," Cari chuckled, "But he definitely has a little something about him. Maybe it's the accent."
"Well it's definitely not the wig," Richard, the director, said. They all chuckled.
"Wig aside, our beast can't have a foreign accent," Madelyn noted.
"He certainly can't," the director added. The panel shared a collective feeling of doubt.
The room quieted down, and it seemed everyone wanted to observe Vincent's first interaction with Catherine, vice versa. The mics were already set up on stage so that the panel would be able to hear them. Vincent confidently stepped up onto the stage, then slowly made his way towards Catherine. He took in a deep breath as he got closer and looked upon her for the first time, one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on.
Great, Vincent remembered the wig on his head, This is not gonna go well. She is not gonna have any chemistry with me, whatsoever. I look ridiculous.
He recognized her, Catherine Chandler, who had starred as one of the leads from the long running show "Westville". As he approached even closer, he was taken in by her warm welcoming smile, and her dazzling green eyes. Jeezus, she's gorgeous.
Catherine watched as Vincent made his way towards her. Tall, broad-shouldered with an athletic build, and really, really good looking despite the interesting hairdo.
"Hi, I'm Catherine," she smiled as she greeted him, her hand held out.
"Hi Catherine. I'm Vincent," he smiled and gently shook her hand. "I just got off a plane. I'm from New Zealand. I hope you like me."
Shit. Did I just say that? Damn jet lag! Vincent shook his head, slightly embarrassed.
"Hi Vincent," she giggled. He's sweet! "Did you have a nice flight?"
"I did, thank you," he smiled back, taking his seat next to her.
"New Zealand, huh?" Catherine asked, still in awe he came back all this way for a chemistry read.
"Yep, I'm a kiwi," he proudly responded with a broad grin. Catherine couldn't help but smile back.
Wow, he is EXTREMELY good-looking and really quite charming... and that accent of his along with his voice... sexy.
"I've always wanted to visit there. I hear it's beautiful." She looked up at him, her eyes locked onto his gaze. His warm brown eyes were full of expression. She felt drawn to him but couldn't explain it. She unconsciously bit her bottom lip.
"Yeah..." he smiled, eyeing her full bottom lip which she now bit. He unconsciously bit his own. His eyes locked back onto hers. She had the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen, and there was something about her that pulled him in. He felt mesmerized by her... her eyes, her smile, her face...
"... very beautiful," he slowly nodded. They sat there holding each other's gaze.
Was he talking about me or New Zealand? Catherine blushed and returned the smile.
The entire panel audience seemed to raise their eyebrows and immediately shot each other approving glances.
"Wow," Robert whispered among the panel, covering his own mic, "I'd say that's one helluva damn good start." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright then," Richard began, "Let's see how well they play together." Raising his voice so the actors could now hear him, Richard grabbed the panel mic. The sound of his mic caught the attention of Catherine and Vincent, so they turned to look towards the panel.
"Okay, you two. Let's start with script 1. Quiet on the set everyone," Richard nodded to Catherine and Vincent, then said, "Ready when you are."
The lights in the room dimmed, leaving only the stage and actors lit up.
Catherine and Vincent faced each other and nodded. They began.
They easily fell into character and played their parts beautifully, without fail, misstep or stumbling of any lines. Unlike the other actors who came to read with Catherine before Vincent, Catherine found playing Isabelle completely natural opposite Vincent's adaptation of Ryan. At one point during the scene they were acting out, Isabelle (Catherine) had to place her hand to Ryan's (Vincent) face. When she did that, there was a strange connection felt between the two actors, almost magnetic. Then the scene ended.
Wanting to keep the momentum going, the director Richard spoke quietly into the mic, "Good. Now do Scene 2. Austin stand-in, please take your place. Everyone quiet on set. Actors, ready when you are."
The Austin stand-in takes a seat, he and 'Ryan' pretend to be play chess.
Austin: (moves his chess piece) "Right there. What are you gonna do?"
Ryan: (moves a chess piece) "Check." (Austin hangs his head down in defeat)
(Ryan senses Isabelle, and looks toward the door.)
(Isabelle walks in.)
Isabelle: "Hi." (she walks closer)
(Austin quickly gets up surprised and takes a step back, completely baffled)
Ryan: "Hi." (he smiles at Isabelle, his eyes seem to light up)
Austin: "Hi?"( Austin is completely shocked and looks at Ryan, then at Isabelle)"Hi? Did I miss something, or..."
(Ryan gets up immediately) Ryan: "Austin, do you mind?"
(Austin looks at Isabelle, still shocked. With hands raised, he walks out to leave them alone.)
(Ryan and Isabelle walk towards each other. Ryan looks her over, amazed at how even more beautiful she looks.)
Ryan: "Wow" (his brows raised, shakes his head in awe) "You look ..."
Isabelle: (slightly embarrassed, explains) "I have an engagement party."
Ryan: (slight smile) "Right."
Isabelle: "Look, I know you're gonna try to kick me out. I get it. I-I get what it's like to hide out and push people away 'cause you don't feel deserving."
(Ryan looks down.)
Isabelle: "Do you know why I keep asking about my mom?" (Ryan looks back up to her) "Because I'm the reason that she's dead. If I hadn't left the stupid vanity mirror open... But, Ryan, I just found six cases of you trying to save victims around the city. You're not a monster. I would know" (she smiles at him) "There are a lot of guys out there that are, but... You saved my life. Twice."
(Isabelle moves closer to him, then takes a step back and looks down, about to leave.)
Ryan: "Isabelle, wait. You're not the reason your mom's dead. They were tracking her. I'm not sure why, but it wasn't your fault."
(Isabelle takes in a breath. She moves closer. They look into each other's eyes. )
[End of scene]
It was quiet in the room as Catherine and Vincent's eyes were still locked onto each other. Catherine could feel her heart beating a little faster. Vincent's smoldering gaze captured her, she couldn't explain it. Something about him, drew her to him, and this wasn't about acting.
Vincent was absolutely mesmerized by Catherine. He's seen his fair share of beautiful women in Australia and New Zealand, models, actresses, singers, dancers, and at awards shows he's attended. But Catherine was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid his eyes upon. He was instantly drawn and attracted to her the moment he met her.
During the read, there was absolutely no mistaking the natural chemistry that was very apparent between Catherine and Vincent. It was intense. The way they looked at each other, with restrained want, the panel could feel it and it left them wanting to see more of these two actors together. Richard turned the mic off so that the panel could whisper among themselves about the performance they just witnessed.
"That was really impressive, even with that ridiculous wig he has on," Cari commented, in slight awe.
"His American accent is fantastic, and the raspy-ness of his voice - it's absolutely perfect."
"I don't know about the rest of you, but that guy," declared Richard nodding towards Vincent, "he's the perfect actor to play the beast we're looking for. He's the perfect partner for Catherine."
After a few more minutes of discussion between the director, writers, producers and the rest of the panel, Richard picked up the mic. It made a loud feedback noise, causing Catherine and Vincent to break their gaze with each other and look towards the panel. The room lights came on.
"Really impressive read," Richard announced. "Catherine, thank you so much for coming in. And Vincent, thank you so much for making the trip back to the States to be here today." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Vincent, we've got some things to discuss. We'll be in touch with you to let you know if you've got the role," Madelyn advised.
Vincent stood up, slipping the wig from his head and placing it on the stool. He ran his fingers through his hair, the unshaved top portion of his head.
That's sexy, Catherine thought, biting her bottom lip.
"Thank you for the opportunity," Vincent responded in his natural accent and nodded to the panel with a slight bow, then turned to Catherine, his hand held out.
"Catherine, it was a great pleasure meeting you."
"Thank you, Vincent. It was a pleasure meeting - and reading with you as well." She gently placed her hand in his.
"I have to go. I hope to see you again."
"I hope so, too. Have a safe flight back," Catherine smiled.
"I will," Vincent smiled back, "thank you."
With her hand still in his, they looked into each other's eyes once more. He gently squeezed her hand and bowed slightly before letting go, then turned and left the room.
Wow. Catherine took in a deep breath. He's really good.
