Model to Holywood

"Luca, where are we going?"

Tony asked as they got into the car.

"See that little church up ahead? That's where the *Honey* film crew is working. I'm one of the actors. Today's the wrap-up, and I'm heading over to check it out," Luca said, pointing to a building not far away.

"Alright."

As the car hit the road, Tony squirmed in his seat, pulled down the mirror, and started touching up his makeup.

Luca shook his head. "Tony, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure, Luca, go ahead," Tony replied while applying makeup.

"Do you use?"

This guy is so skinny, with such pale skin, he looks like a drug addict.

"I used to do powder, but I quit. I swear," Tony said, raising his hands. "I'm this skinny because I'm a vegetarian, you know. I need to keep my figure."

Vegetarian?

Luca raised an eyebrow. That one needed verification.

"What's your relationship status?"

"I have a girlfriend who loves me very much."

Tony leaned against the car window, smiling slightly. "We've been together for seven years. We were supposed to get married this year, but I lost my job, so we had to postpone. That's why this job is really important to me, Luca. Trust me, I'll be a great assistant."

Luca hesitated before asking, "Can I know the gender of your girlfriend?"

Tony shot him a strange look. "A girlfriend's a girl, obviously! What, you think I'm gay or something?"

"Haha, no, no!" Luca shook his head. He asked a few more questions and got a clearer picture of Tony's life—Italian-American, lives in Newark, his girlfriend works as a caregiver at a hospital, and they share a small apartment in Brooklyn with two cars.

"Thanks for answering, Tony. Now that you're my assistant, we need to set some ground rules. First, you can't do anything illegal—no drugs, no selling, no stealing."

"No problem. You can check my record. Apart from a stint in juvie, I've got no other crimes."

Luca nodded slightly. All the details were in his file, including criminal history, health insurance, health status, and taxes. Faking it would be hard.

"Second, about my private life…"

"I know this one!" Tony smiled lightly. "Don't ask, don't tell, don't interfere. In our makeup line of work, we deal with a lot of personal stuff, and knowing how to keep secrets is the first rule."

Luca nodded. "Third, you have to follow professional standards. Ed will talk to you about that when he gets back."

"OK. Any other questions?"

"Not for now."

"But I do."

Tony smiled and raised three fingers. "I've got three requests. Can I make them?"

Luca was caught off guard for a moment, then smiled. "Go ahead."

"First, no overtime. You can't assign me work outside of regular hours—except for drinks or fun, of course."

"Fine."

"Second, don't stare at my butt, and don't touch me. Otherwise, I'll report you for harassment."

Tony said this with absolute seriousness.

Luca's mouth twitched. "Have I been staring at your butt? I've got a girlfriend, Lima, you know that. I'm straight."

"Who knows? Some guys get girlfriends just to cover up. Okay, okay, I'm kidding. For the third request, I like to wear bright clothes and dress up pretty every day, and you can't tell me what to wear."

Luca glanced at him, confused. "Why do you like wearing such feminine clothes, wearing eyeshadow and lipstick, when you've said you're not gay?"

"Why do you like wearing athletic gear?" Tony shot back.

"It's comfortable."

"My answer's the same. It's comfortable. Don't ask why. You could just as easily ask girls why they wear high heels or get their ears pierced. It's a psychological thing."

"Alright, I get it."

After a bit more chatting, they arrived at the set, where the crew was filming the last scene for the day.

In the final scene, the protagonist, Honey, is performing at a small church hall to raise money to buy a dance studio. Her performance is a huge success, gaining attention from a famous Black singer. Then, the movie ends.

They said you wouldn't make it so far, 

And ever since they said it, it's been hard, 

But never mind the nights you…

Explosive music filled the small church hall.

On stage, Jessica Alba, wearing a black crop top, twisted her slender waist to the beat, performing a high-difficulty street dance.

Around her were Black dancers, both men and women, along with several child actors.

A crowd gathered below the stage, including actors playing Honey's parents, the male lead Mekhi Phifer, parents of the child actors, and many local Black community members.

Among the crowd, director Bille Woodruff watched the monitor, surrounded by familiar faces: his assistant Blake, Black screenwriter Alonzo, producer Platt, the assistant director, and the on-site choreographer.

The scene was bustling with three or four hundred people.

Suddenly, Jessica leaped into the air, pulling off a difficult street dance move. Instantly, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, shouting loudly.

The camera crew captured close-ups of various reactions—some crying, some laughing, some clapping passionately.

"CUT!"

Twenty minutes later, Bille shouted into the megaphone, standing up.

The room fell silent as all the actors and crew looked toward him, eyes wide open, as if waiting for something, holding their breath.

Bille's face flushed, his chin trembling slightly. He took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "I declare that *Honey* has officially wrapped!"

"Yeah!"

Everyone erupted in cheers, louder than before.

Pop, pop, pop! Someone set off party poppers, and others popped champagne bottles. The crowd of 300+ people cheered so loudly, they nearly blew the roof off.

"Congrats, Director Bille! This is going to be a great movie!"

"Thank you! Thanks for all your support!"

"Congrats, Jessica! *Honey* is going to be a hit!"

"Thank you!"

The crowd congratulated each other, hugging in excitement. Some even wiped away tears, including none other than Director Bille.

"Blake, where's Luca? That guy's never on time!" Bille grumbled, wiping his eyes.

"Hey, Bille, since when did I become the guy who's never on time?" Luca pushed through the crowd and stepped inside.