"I'll wrap my hands around your neck, so tight with love, love." -30STM
"I have Daphne Brando here to see you, Mr. Ayer," the young woman sitting in front of a door called into the room. She received an affirmative response and waved Daphne into the room.
Daphne took a deep breath and walked past her into the room. She saw several people sitting around a table littered with piles of paper. She recognized David, but had a harder time putting faces to names with the others seated next to him. He stood when she entered the room.
"Daphne, glad you could make it," David said, giving her a cursory kiss on the cheek. "I was wondering, could you just wait there for a minute?" She glanced around and stood there awkwardly. It was starting to feel more and more like an audition. "Send him in, please?" David called through the door, walking back to sit at the table as another person came into the room.
Daphne bit her lip upon seeing who it was. Jared walked through the door, long hair flowing behind him. He slid off his sunglasses and put them on the collar of his thermal shirt, giving David a nod before facing her.
"Daphne, I just want to try something with you two," David said, motioning with his pencil. "I just want to see you two face each other. I want you to get as close as you physically can, without actually touching."
Daphne sighed and bit her tongue, fighting the urge to walk out. She knew exactly what he was doing. And she hadn't agreed to audition for the role. Yet here she was. She took a deep breath and faced Jared, trying to keep her composure. He gave her an apprehensive gaze, glancing at David who gave him a nod to continue. They started out at arm's length distance from each other, waiting, watching to see who would move first. It was a very interesting game of Chicken. Daphne looked at him, keeping his gaze carefully. He took a step forward after a few seconds, seeing that she wasn't going to initiate anything.
"Okay, now make eye contact and hold it until I tell you to stop," David's voice drifted across the room.
Daphne let out a quiet sigh as their eyes met. Jared was close enough that she could have reached out for his hand if she had wanted to. Instead, she simply fixed him with her signature dark gaze and waited. He took another giant step closer, leaving only inches between their faces. She stared into his blue eyes, trying to keep a straight face about it all. She had literally been duped into an audition she hadn't even accepted by a director very few people were really taking seriously yet. It was quite humorous to her and she couldn't believe that it had happened. A small smile spread across her face.
Jared squinted his eyes slightly at her smile and bit his lip. They were literally millimeters from each other's faces, close enough to kiss and electricity had filled the room. Daphne couldn't hear David or the others talking, all she was focusing on was Jared and his eyes that seemed to draw her in and shut her out all at the same time. Just then, David walked over to Jared and whispered something in his ear. Jared didn't move, but he certainly heard him speak. David walked away, whispering with the others who were sitting at the table watching. Then slowly, torturously, Jared brought his hand up to Daphne's neck, wrapping his fingers around it and settling his palm against it softly. This forced her to slowly lift her head up to face him even more. He applied very light pressure, but she did not break eye contact with him. He pulled her closer to his face, nearly touching his lips to hers.
There was a mixture of sexual tension, fear, and an odd type of trust between the two of them that David had never seen before. "Okay, Jared. Let her go," he said softly, as if he was afraid to break the scene in front of him up.
Jared slowly released Daphne's neck, letting his fingers trail softly down her chest and between her breasts for added affect. She blinked multiple times, trying process everything that had just happened. Even as David started speaking, Daphne had a hard time fully paying attention because of the whirlwind her mind was in.
"He'll make an excellent Joker," Daphne heard someone say softly.
She blinked again. "Wait, you want HIM to be the Joker?" she asked in disbelief. She glanced at Jared. Sure he had talent-anyone could see that. But she was not interested in a copycat of Heath's. "I'm sorry-no offence, Jared- but I don't think anyone could ever match what you need for this film." David nodded in silence. "And quite frankly, David, I have told you multiple times I do not want to be a part of this film and you just can't seem to get that. I don't want to do it."
With that, she walked out, leaving everyone in a stunned silence. David turned to Jared and spoke. "I thought this would work. I thought if we got you two in the same room and she got a hint of what you wanted to do, that she'd be on board. But I guess not." He sank back in his chair in defeat, rubbing his temples and shaking his head.
"Let me talk to her," Jared said simply. "I think I can get her."
David looked up in surprise. "Jared, you two don't even know each other. What makes you think she'd listen to you?"
He shrugged in response. "Well she's certainly done listening to you." He walked toward the door. "Besides, if I tell her what I want to do and what I think would work, she may just listen to me. You never know."
David shrugged. "You're free to give it a try, but I'm the fourth director that has basically begged her to do this film. Every time she gives the same answer. This time I thought she liked this version of the script better, but still. She's not interested."
"Just let me try it and see if I can get her to change her mind," he insisted.
David nodded. "Thanks for coming in all the same. I know you're busy."
Jared nodded and gave everyone a smile before leaving the room. He rushed down the stairs to the garage, hoping to catch Daphne before she left. However, he was unsuccessful. So he settled for going to her house and trying to talk with her there. The gates were locked-as usual in most Hollywood houses-so he had to call her and hope she'd pick up his call. He was in luck.
"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"Can I just come in?" Jared asked, looking around. "People are starting to stare and if they find out who I am, it'll be all over the papers tomorrow."
He heard her sigh and the gates opened shortly afterward. He pulled into the driveway and parked, heading up to the front door. It swung open before he had a chance to knock.
"Did David send you to do his bidding?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Uh-no, actually. This is all me," he replied, stepping inside the house.
He followed her through the complicated floor, down a short set of stairs, and into the kitchen. It was obvious the house had been designed by one of those crazy architects that loved angles and strange layouts because there were quite a few twists and turns and levels in the house.
"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told David five times already: I'm not interested," she said, walking to the refrigerator and pulling a pitcher of water from it.
"Will you just hear me out and listen to what I want to do with the character?" Jared asked, standing in front of the kitchen island.
She stopped pouring water, set the pitcher down, and turned to face him. "Two minutes."
He took a deep breath before starting. "He's motivated by several different things: he's selfish and dehumanizes people, but he's also got this whole other level that hasn't been explored yet. Especially with this story line. He has a family and he just doesn't know how to be in one. So he destroys it on purpose."
She blinked, folding her arms across her chest.
He continued. "I also see this version as sexier but also slightly more effeminate one. He's smart and manipulative. He manipulates Ophelia into thinking she has made these choices when in reality he has made them for her. I really want to delve into his psyche a bit and explore what his relationship with her is and what he is using her for-because he only uses people, right?"
She didn't give him a response.
"But he's also got such a convoluted back story that I really want to bring that into things and see how those past experiences have created the beautiful disaster he's become. Plus it's so incredible that the entire thing is in his head at the end, that Ophelia doesn't actually exist and it's just this whole elaborate ruse his brain cooks up to protect him from his past," he added.
She nodded but didn't respond. Her face broke into a smile and she started to laugh. He gave her a confused look. "You realize how incredibly pretentious you sound right now?"
He blinked and nodded, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Yeah, maybe a little." He walked around the island to be closer to her. "But the point is there's so much I want to do with this character that I really think would be so interesting to play out. And it's obvious you and I have a chemistry between us that the Joker and Ophelia need."
She sighed. "You know the movie is only like two hours long, right?"
He smiled and nodded. "That's why I need a great co-star so it can be conveyed more effectively and efficiently." She handed him a glass of water and their fingers brushed as he took it from her. "There's no doubt that you've certainly got the ability to do that."
"Now you're just being an open flirt," she said with a smile.
"Is it working?" he asked with a chuckle. She gave him a good stare and he laughed harder. "But seriously, can I ask why you are so adamant about not being in this film?"
She sighed and leaned against the island in silence. "It's complicated," she said after a few minutes.
"Is it really just about Heath?" he asked softly.
"Sort of," she said gently. "It's more that I don't think I could handle it if I had to work with someone else in the same role. Everyone will expect you to be a certain way. They'll expect you to have elements of his performance in yours because it was so incredible."
"And you don't want that," Jared said in understanding.
She shook her head. "No. I don't. I don't want to work with a copy-cat of him. I don't want to work with someone who's trying too hard to be him."
They stood in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you, to lose someone you were close with."
Daphne didn't respond. It wasn't just that they were close. It was that they had this connection between them that had existed for several years prior to them actually working together. Some people speculated that Heath and Michelle had ended their relationship because of Daphne. It was never confirmed by either party, but people still suspected it on account of the amount of time they spent together. Not to mention rumor had it that Heath was the reason Daphne got cast in 'Dark Knight'. Many people doubted her ability to portray Ophelia and there was a lot of suspense regarding how she'd do. Of course when the film opened, much of the attention was on Heath's performance, but a good number of people were pleasantly surprised that she had done so well.
"You were in love with him, weren't you?" he asked gently.
She scoffed. "I was twenty years old. I didn't really know what love was. He was a divorcee with a kid," her gaze nearly leveled him. "No. I didn't love him. Not romantically at least. We just had this uncanny ability to understand exactly what the other was saying or thinking. We worked really well together. He was a good friend."
Jared nodded. "I get it. You can't see anyone else in that role besides him. But just let me explain everything I want to do. Let me show you the sketches and everything I want to do with it. Then you can decide."
She looked at him in apprehension, and then shook her head. "Fine. I guess. What else do I have to lose?"
His smiling face looked like a child in a candy store and leaned back against the island. "You're serious?" he asked.
"I know who you are, Jared. I've heard about you and your methods. I know you do loads of research and character work before you decide on a role," she said, walking toward him. "I also know you work really hard to make sure your roles are true and you are just an all-around good person."
He gave her a surprised look. "Stalking me?"
She laughed. "Not really. More just that I have people who checked into you."
He smiled and nodded. "Still kind of stalking, though."
She rolled her eyes. "I can still say no, too," she reminded him with a smile.