"Sunset Road" - A New AU RPS Story
This is a multi-chapter story (not sure how many chapters yet) with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as actors on a nighttime soap opera called "Sunset Road." Both are in their early 20's in this story. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter One
Heath looked out the window of the taxicab, watching the city go by, his heart thumping with excitement and more than a little nervousness. Today was his first day on the set, and he couldn’t be late. He checked his watch for the hundredth time; he had a little less than an hour to get to the studio.
Just five days ago, he’d been one of hundreds of guys auditioning for a new role on the hottest nighttime soap opera on TV, “Sunset Road.” His agent had really pushed him at it, saying the role of new-kid-in-town Ennis del Mar was made for Heath. Apparently, the producers of the show thought so, too. Now, he was on his way to his first rehearsal.
Twenty minutes later, the cab stopped in front of a huge building marked WBBM-TV. Heath paid the driver and got out. For a moment, he simply stood and stared. Then, he ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, before throwing open the glass door and stepping inside.
A massive reception desk sat a few feet away, and Heath walked up to it with a smile, telling the young woman who was sitting there, “I’m Heath Ledger. I’m supposed to start on ‘Sunset Road’ today.”
“Go to the fifteenth floor,” she said, pointing to a bank of elevators to her left. “Make a right when you get off. You’ll see a sign.”
“Thanks,” Heath said, and headed for the elevators. He got on one with a crowd of other people, all in business attire. He felt horribly underdressed in his jeans, sneakers, and long-sleeved striped shirt. At the fifteenth floor, he got off the elevator and made a right. Sure enough, a large sign was posted near a double set of doors: SUNSET ROAD. Drawing a deep breath, Heath went inside.
The place was a hubbub of activity. People walked back and forth across the spacious floor, calling to each other things like, “Put that light over here,” and, “Make a note of that in the script.” A middle-aged woman came up to Heath and said, “Ennis!”
“Heath, actually,” he replied.
“Not once you walk through those doors,” she told him. “Once you’re in here, you’re Ennis.”
“All right. I’ll remember that.”
“I’m Annie, the script supervisor. You’ll want to go into that room over there”--she nodded--”That’s where the cast gets together to read the script.”
“Okay, thanks much.”
“You’re welcome. Have fun!”
After Heath had won the role of Ennis, he had watched several episodes of “Sunset Road” to get himself familiar with the characters and the storylines. The action on the show seemed to center primarily on wealthy nineteen-year-old Jack Twist, and his equally-affluent friends. Heath had found himself drawn to Jack, who was played by an actor named Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, as he walked into the script-reading room, his gaze immediately fell on the dark-haired, blue-eyed man.
Wow, thought Heath, he’s even better looking in person than he is on TV.
At that moment, Jake looked up and smiled at him. “You must be Heath,” he said, walking over and extending a hand. “I’m Jake. Welcome.”
They shook hands; Heath tried to ignore the fluttering that was suddenly happening in his chest. Jake then took him around the room and introduced him to the other members of the cast. “You’re going to be spending most of your time with me, Anne, Linda, and Michelle,” Jake said, indicating the three young women sitting on one side of the room’s large table. “Anne plays my girlfriend, Lureen; Linda plays Cassie; and Michelle plays Alma.” Lowering his voice, he told Heath, “She’ll probably end up being your girlfriend.”
“What?” Heath asked.
“I mean, your character’s girlfriend,” Jake said, laughing. “Here, sit next to me. We’ll be starting soon.”
The reading began a few minutes later. Heath had only one scene in the episode, and it was with Jake. The scene took place at the college in the show’s fictional town of Lakeview, New York.
Heath’s character began as a man of few words--
“Hi! You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“My name’s Jack. Jack Twist.”
“Ennis.”
“Your folks just stop at Ennis?”
“Del Mar.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Ennis del Mar. What’s your next class?”
“Biology.”
“That’s this way. Come on, I’ll show you. So, where are you from, Ennis?”
“Wyoming.”
--But the producers had promised that he’d become more talkative as time went on. In the meantime, Heath’s focused his acting mostly through his posture and facial expressions.
“You’re doing really well today,” Jake told him, when everyone broke for lunch.
“Thanks,” Heath said. “It’s not like I have a lot of lines.”
“That’ll change. I hear they’ve got big plans for Ennis.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. Rumor has it that he’s going to stir up trouble in good ol’ Lakeview.”
“What, they’re gonna make me a villain?”
Jake shrugged. “Who knows? Besides, playing a villain is fun. Or, so I’ve heard.”
“I can’t wait to see what they do with Ennis,” Michelle said.
“You’re just hoping he gets to be Alma’s boyfriend,” teased Anne. Everyone laughed, except for Heath. He could feel himself starting to blush and cursed inwardly.
“Oh, look, we’re embarrassing him,” Jake said. He elbowed Heath in the ribs.
Heath gave a small smile. He could smell Jake’s aftershave, and it was leading his thoughts in a very wicked, and dangerous, direction.
At the commissary, the four of them got their lunches and sat down at a table to eat. “Where’s Linda?” Anne asked.
“I think she stayed behind to talk to somebody about some of her lines,” Michelle replied.
Heath toyed with his ham salad sandwich, surreptitiously watching Jake eat his salad. He even eats sexy, Heath thought.
“So, Heath,” Anne said, pulling him out of his reverie, “what do you think of all this so far?”
“Seems pretty cool,” he replied. “Everybody’s real nice.”
“We’re like a big family,” Michelle said. “Everybody is friends with each other off set. It’s the best experience I’ve ever had professionally.”
Heath nodded. For a second, his and Michelle’s gazes held, then he looked away, clearing his throat and picking up his sandwich. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jake and Anne exchange a look. Oh, no, he thought. Not gonna happen.
After lunch, it was back to the reading room. This time, along with the reading of the script, certain changes were made to the dialogue and directions. Then, it was time for the real rehearsal to begin. The group walked onto the set proper and began blocking the scenes. Heath spent most of the time watching everyone else transform into their characters and hoped that he could do as well as they did.
Finally, it was time for his first scene. He walked onto the college campus set, stood where he was told, and waited for Jake to show up. At that moment, his posture and face changed and he became Ennis del Mar from Wyoming.
Rehearsal went smoothly. Afterward, Jake showed Heath where the dressing rooms were. “You’re going to be sharing with me,” he said, opening one of the doors. “It’s not very big, but I think we’ll manage.”
Heath walked inside and took a look around. The place wasn’t all that big, but it was neat and clean. Two vanity tables stood side by side, one covered with personal effects and the other empty. Heath went over to the empty one and said, “I guess this one’s mine, huh?”
“You got it,” Jake said.
Heath noticed some pictures on Jake’s table and went over to check them out. One photo showed a smiling brunette woman, who looked to be around Jake’s age. His girlfriend, Heath thought. Of course he has a girlfriend.
“That’s my sister,” Jake said.
“Oh,” said Heath, hoping the relief he felt didn’t show on his face. “She’s pretty.”
“She’s single, too.”
Heath just smiled.
“So,” Jake said, “you’re from Australia, right?”
“Born and raised,” Heath replied.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Australia. Do they play our show over there? I mean, will your family be able to watch you?”
“I don’t think they show it over there,” Heath said. “I can always send them the DVD’s.”
“I’m sure they’ll be proud of you. ‘Sunset Road’ is like the number-one nighttime soap.”
“Stop it; you’re gonna make me nervous,” Heath said, smiling a little.
“Don’t be nervous,” Jake said, smiling back. “Don’t thin about the millions of people who’ll be watching you every week.”
Heath put his head in his hands. “Shit.” Jake laughed; Heath watched him and felt the fluttering in his chest again. Stop it, he told himself. It’s not good to have a crush on your co-star. Especially your male, presumably-straight co-star.
TBC
Chapter One
Heath looked out the window of the taxicab, watching the city go by, his heart thumping with excitement and more than a little nervousness. Today was his first day on the set, and he couldn’t be late. He checked his watch for the hundredth time; he had a little less than an hour to get to the studio.
Just five days ago, he’d been one of hundreds of guys auditioning for a new role on the hottest nighttime soap opera on TV, “Sunset Road.” His agent had really pushed him at it, saying the role of new-kid-in-town Ennis del Mar was made for Heath. Apparently, the producers of the show thought so, too. Now, he was on his way to his first rehearsal.
Twenty minutes later, the cab stopped in front of a huge building marked WBBM-TV. Heath paid the driver and got out. For a moment, he simply stood and stared. Then, he ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, before throwing open the glass door and stepping inside.
A massive reception desk sat a few feet away, and Heath walked up to it with a smile, telling the young woman who was sitting there, “I’m Heath Ledger. I’m supposed to start on ‘Sunset Road’ today.”
“Go to the fifteenth floor,” she said, pointing to a bank of elevators to her left. “Make a right when you get off. You’ll see a sign.”
“Thanks,” Heath said, and headed for the elevators. He got on one with a crowd of other people, all in business attire. He felt horribly underdressed in his jeans, sneakers, and long-sleeved striped shirt. At the fifteenth floor, he got off the elevator and made a right. Sure enough, a large sign was posted near a double set of doors: SUNSET ROAD. Drawing a deep breath, Heath went inside.
The place was a hubbub of activity. People walked back and forth across the spacious floor, calling to each other things like, “Put that light over here,” and, “Make a note of that in the script.” A middle-aged woman came up to Heath and said, “Ennis!”
“Heath, actually,” he replied.
“Not once you walk through those doors,” she told him. “Once you’re in here, you’re Ennis.”
“All right. I’ll remember that.”
“I’m Annie, the script supervisor. You’ll want to go into that room over there”--she nodded--”That’s where the cast gets together to read the script.”
“Okay, thanks much.”
“You’re welcome. Have fun!”
After Heath had won the role of Ennis, he had watched several episodes of “Sunset Road” to get himself familiar with the characters and the storylines. The action on the show seemed to center primarily on wealthy nineteen-year-old Jack Twist, and his equally-affluent friends. Heath had found himself drawn to Jack, who was played by an actor named Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, as he walked into the script-reading room, his gaze immediately fell on the dark-haired, blue-eyed man.
Wow, thought Heath, he’s even better looking in person than he is on TV.
At that moment, Jake looked up and smiled at him. “You must be Heath,” he said, walking over and extending a hand. “I’m Jake. Welcome.”
They shook hands; Heath tried to ignore the fluttering that was suddenly happening in his chest. Jake then took him around the room and introduced him to the other members of the cast. “You’re going to be spending most of your time with me, Anne, Linda, and Michelle,” Jake said, indicating the three young women sitting on one side of the room’s large table. “Anne plays my girlfriend, Lureen; Linda plays Cassie; and Michelle plays Alma.” Lowering his voice, he told Heath, “She’ll probably end up being your girlfriend.”
“What?” Heath asked.
“I mean, your character’s girlfriend,” Jake said, laughing. “Here, sit next to me. We’ll be starting soon.”
The reading began a few minutes later. Heath had only one scene in the episode, and it was with Jake. The scene took place at the college in the show’s fictional town of Lakeview, New York.
Heath’s character began as a man of few words--
“Hi! You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“My name’s Jack. Jack Twist.”
“Ennis.”
“Your folks just stop at Ennis?”
“Del Mar.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Ennis del Mar. What’s your next class?”
“Biology.”
“That’s this way. Come on, I’ll show you. So, where are you from, Ennis?”
“Wyoming.”
--But the producers had promised that he’d become more talkative as time went on. In the meantime, Heath’s focused his acting mostly through his posture and facial expressions.
“You’re doing really well today,” Jake told him, when everyone broke for lunch.
“Thanks,” Heath said. “It’s not like I have a lot of lines.”
“That’ll change. I hear they’ve got big plans for Ennis.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. Rumor has it that he’s going to stir up trouble in good ol’ Lakeview.”
“What, they’re gonna make me a villain?”
Jake shrugged. “Who knows? Besides, playing a villain is fun. Or, so I’ve heard.”
“I can’t wait to see what they do with Ennis,” Michelle said.
“You’re just hoping he gets to be Alma’s boyfriend,” teased Anne. Everyone laughed, except for Heath. He could feel himself starting to blush and cursed inwardly.
“Oh, look, we’re embarrassing him,” Jake said. He elbowed Heath in the ribs.
Heath gave a small smile. He could smell Jake’s aftershave, and it was leading his thoughts in a very wicked, and dangerous, direction.
At the commissary, the four of them got their lunches and sat down at a table to eat. “Where’s Linda?” Anne asked.
“I think she stayed behind to talk to somebody about some of her lines,” Michelle replied.
Heath toyed with his ham salad sandwich, surreptitiously watching Jake eat his salad. He even eats sexy, Heath thought.
“So, Heath,” Anne said, pulling him out of his reverie, “what do you think of all this so far?”
“Seems pretty cool,” he replied. “Everybody’s real nice.”
“We’re like a big family,” Michelle said. “Everybody is friends with each other off set. It’s the best experience I’ve ever had professionally.”
Heath nodded. For a second, his and Michelle’s gazes held, then he looked away, clearing his throat and picking up his sandwich. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jake and Anne exchange a look. Oh, no, he thought. Not gonna happen.
After lunch, it was back to the reading room. This time, along with the reading of the script, certain changes were made to the dialogue and directions. Then, it was time for the real rehearsal to begin. The group walked onto the set proper and began blocking the scenes. Heath spent most of the time watching everyone else transform into their characters and hoped that he could do as well as they did.
Finally, it was time for his first scene. He walked onto the college campus set, stood where he was told, and waited for Jake to show up. At that moment, his posture and face changed and he became Ennis del Mar from Wyoming.
Rehearsal went smoothly. Afterward, Jake showed Heath where the dressing rooms were. “You’re going to be sharing with me,” he said, opening one of the doors. “It’s not very big, but I think we’ll manage.”
Heath walked inside and took a look around. The place wasn’t all that big, but it was neat and clean. Two vanity tables stood side by side, one covered with personal effects and the other empty. Heath went over to the empty one and said, “I guess this one’s mine, huh?”
“You got it,” Jake said.
Heath noticed some pictures on Jake’s table and went over to check them out. One photo showed a smiling brunette woman, who looked to be around Jake’s age. His girlfriend, Heath thought. Of course he has a girlfriend.
“That’s my sister,” Jake said.
“Oh,” said Heath, hoping the relief he felt didn’t show on his face. “She’s pretty.”
“She’s single, too.”
Heath just smiled.
“So,” Jake said, “you’re from Australia, right?”
“Born and raised,” Heath replied.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Australia. Do they play our show over there? I mean, will your family be able to watch you?”
“I don’t think they show it over there,” Heath said. “I can always send them the DVD’s.”
“I’m sure they’ll be proud of you. ‘Sunset Road’ is like the number-one nighttime soap.”
“Stop it; you’re gonna make me nervous,” Heath said, smiling a little.
“Don’t be nervous,” Jake said, smiling back. “Don’t thin about the millions of people who’ll be watching you every week.”
Heath put his head in his hands. “Shit.” Jake laughed; Heath watched him and felt the fluttering in his chest again. Stop it, he told himself. It’s not good to have a crush on your co-star. Especially your male, presumably-straight co-star.
TBC