Fable Weaver

DOS Ch-37

The next day on set, I was met with a very apologetic Jamie.

“Troy, I’m very sorry for my behavior yesterday. I hope you can forgive me,” Jamie pleaded, bending slightly at the front with his hands joined in a universal begging motion.

“Okay,” I answered simply.

Jamie looked up in surprise. “Okay?”

I shrugged. “What else do you want me to do? Humiliate you? That’s what kids do. One piece of advice from me, though: if you want to survive in the industr...

DOS Ch-36

“For the first scene,” Stephen Daldry began his explanation, “we’ll start with your dance sequence on the street, which you’ll take to the roof. As you dance, Jamie Bell will watch you from there,” he pointed to a spot where Bell was standing, “and Jamie Draven will watch you from there,” Draven, who played Billy’s brother, waved from the window to which I reciprocated. “Peter says you know the whole thing very well by now.”

“Oh yes, Mr. Darling and I have practi...

Poll-3 Love Interest

I am tired of seeing different requests for Troy's girlfriend(s) when he's not even a teenager yet. So here's the only place to start and end all those discussions. Any other suggestions in comments or reviews (except this post) will be ignored.

PS: The old poll about movie choice is still active, so go check it out as well if not voted yet.

DOS Ch-35

After a whole month of relentless dance rehearsals and dialect lessons, it was finally time for the table read.

As soon as I sat down, I saw that most of the people had already arrived. I immediately recognized Stephen Daldry from my audition, and of course, Peter Darling, my dance teacher. Then there were Greg and Jon, the producers I met while signing the contract. Jon was an okay guy, but Greg seemed a bit stiff when we last met.

Among the cast members present, I instantly rec...

DOS Ch-34

Ring Ring

“Hello?” Mum answered the phone in our living room, “Yes, this is his mother, Kathy.”

She paused for a moment before a blinding smile lit up her face. “Oh, that’s wonderful news. Of course, we can come down to discuss terms. Tomorrow? Yes, that’s doable.”

As soon as she put down the phone, she gave me the beaming smile she usually did. “You got the part!”

Although it was the third movie I’d be doing and the ...

DOS Ch-33

“Aunt Tiffany!” “Midget!” We hugged like long-lost lovers.

It might seem a little out of character for me, but I cherished the idea of having a relative like an aunt or a cousin because I didn’t have any biological relatives beyond my mother. Tiffany was very cool with everything, at least the two times we met. I had only met her boyfriend, Beaumont, once, and that too was a brief encounter that didn’t go beyond exchanging pleasantries.

“Are you trying to steal my wo...

DOS Ch-32

“Troy,” Peter, my dance instructor, called out to me when the class was over, “Is by any chance any of your parents here to pick you up?”

That question sent a shiver down my spine. After all his full name is Peter Darling. Who in their right mind would continue using such a horrendous family name?

“Yes, usually my Mum comes.” I answered with uncertainty, “She must be waiting outside. Is there a problem?”

While I didn’t show anything on my face, I was ready ...

Post Harry Potter Franchises (if any)

I know it is still very early, and Troy hasn't even started Harry Potter yet, but I have to plan the future as well. So I wanted to propose some of the future franchises that Troy can be a part of as the lead actor. This is purely for my curiosity, and it doesn't mean that the winner will be selected. For Troy to be involved, I will have to tweak the plot of some of these films to suit his age (like Avatar and GOTG), so don't worry about that. You can vote for multiple movies at once.

...

DOS Ch-31

February turned to March, and my days followed a steady, fulfilling routine. My weekdays were meticulously structured: three to four hours of intensive study sessions, one to one-and-a-half hours of immersive music lessons, and an hour and a half each dedicated to vigorous dance and martial arts training. Weekends were my sanctuary, offering a respite from the demanding schedule. I often sought solace in the nearby park, where the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves provided a serene bac...

DOS Ch-30

After a brief stay in Los Angeles to gather our stuff, we flew back to London. London was crowded, loud, cold, and wet. Yet, it was home. As much as the sunny days of LA enticed me, nothing could beat the cloudy skies of London in my 10-year-old self’s opinion. In the long run, I knew that staying in London after Harry Potter was impractical, yet I intended to enjoy this time as much as I could.

Most Hollywood filmmakers stayed in or around Los Angeles, making it difficult for London-...

DOS Ch-29

After that day, the shooting progressed relatively smoothly. There were days when we could get as much as 10 scenes in a day and there were days when even one scene was difficult to wrap up.

But the overall shooting experience was very good. I learned a lot from the director, the camera/sound crew, and my co-actors. One of the most difficult things as an actor is to make sure to know where to look or stand for that matter. Or as they call it, 'to hit the mark'.

This may seem trivi...

DOS Ch-28

We didn’t win the award for the best TV movie/ Miniseries. [From the Earth to the Moon], a miniseries produced by Tom Hanks won that one. My parents didn’t mind it much (or at least that’s what they portrayed in front of me.)

Then it was time for the event for which we had initially come here. The after party. Most of the studios hold their own parties and they are open for most celebrities, especially the winners. Seeing my age, my parents had told me with certainty that we would...

DOS Ch-27

“Take a deep breath, calm yourself, and step out with a smile,” Dad suggested as our car was standing right before the red carpet. I followed his advice and took a few deep breaths to calm down my thumping heart somewhat (it didn’t work) and stepped out of the car to innumerable flashes surrounding me.

I was gobsmacked for a moment but my father's advice quickly came to mind and I was quick to fix a smile permanently for the duration of the red carpet at the very least. Soon I was...

DOS Ch-26

A few days later on the set, before we began shooting, I had to get some photos with Toni and an extra who was playing my father and it didn’t take longer than an hour. Today was the first day of shooting for Toni. Different backgrounds were set for us to take different photographs with us laughing and smiling like a normal family.

“I am sorry.” I apologized to Toni when we were done with the photos, “About what I said about your dance. It wasn’t bad.”

I was avoiding T...

DOS Ch-25

“It’s okay, Cole. My name is Dr. Malcolm Crowe.” Malcolm interrupted my muttering of a Latin phrase while I remained crouched on a church bench, playing with toy soldiers. I gave him a sidelong glance but remained quiet.

“I was supposed to meet today. Sorry, I missed our appointment.” With that Malcolm slowly sat in the seat in front of me. I kept playing with the soldiers, fully in character, and placed a few on the edge of the bench.

“Your eye frames.” Malcolm poin...

DOS Ch-24

AN: I strongly recommend you to watch [The Sixth Sense] before continuing the chapter. SPOILER ALERT.

__________________________

Christmas and New Year passed by quickly, along with my tenth birthday. I got some pretty good video games including Pokemon, Fallout 2, and Super Mario 64 with my own Nintendo 64. I knew of these games when I heard their names, especially Pokemon with their massive franchise beginning from the games and moving into anime. But for some reason, I have no ...

Poll-1

Would you prefer Troy to do love scenes when he comes of age? (I'm asking right now because based on the response I receive I will adjust the story.)

DOS Ch-23

Finally, it was December 16.

The day of the table read for [The Sixth Sense]. Luckily for us, it was here in LA and not in Philly or it would be very uncomfortable for us to move to Philly for a couple of days, only to come back for holidays, and then go back for shooting again.

“Ready, champ?” Steve asked from the driver’s seat where he had just parked the car in the Disney parking lot.

“Yeah,” I answered in my now almost real American accent, “Just a little ner...

DOS Ch-22

Standing at the entrance of the fighting gym, I felt like a tiny ant next to the heavy steel doors. The sounds of fists striking pads and rhythmic shouts of fighters seeped through the walls, making me a little nervous. The receptionist had made it very clear that parents were not allowed inside the gym proper because many parents get a little squeamish seeing their kids fight or hit or something similar, so here I was all alone. It was a little daunting task when I have had Steve and Kathy�...

Troy Armitage

Here are a few AI-generated images of Troy that I wanted to share with you all.

DOS Ch-21

Steve drove over to the school with Kathy as fast as he could as soon as he received the call from Troy’s school.

“Troy!” Kathy rushed over to her son and hugged him for dear life, only for him to groan in pain. She reluctantly separated from her son, only to see that Troy was holding his ribs painfully. His right eye was swollen shut, and despite his attempt to smile at her, He looked to be in a lot of pain. His right cheek was also slowly turning a darker shade.

“Who did...

DOS Ch-20

“Do you agree to these conditions as laid out by this contract and the remuneration of $250,000?” A judge asked me with an almost incredulous expression on his face.

Asshole. He didn’t have to state my compensation for the Sixth Sense out loud. He was probably jealous that I, a 9-year-old, was earning from this movie more than what he probably earned for an entire year.

Steve and Kathy took quite some time negotiating my remuneration with the producers. At first, they were o...

DOS Ch-19

Mum was driving me to the school when we saw that a few men were lurking around the front gate. That’s odd.

Just then I caught sight of something black in one of the man’s hands and I could hazard a very good guess who they were.

“Mum, reporters are here. Oh yes, I almost forgot. Drive around, the principal gave me permission to use the back entrance.” I ducked my head to avoid getting caught by the sight of any of the reporters.

“I know about that. I didn’t thin...

DOS Ch-18

Barry took another copy of the page, “I’ll read it with you.”

“Yes, Cole?” He asked me, indicating that he had begun the audition.

“They used to hang people here.” I kept my voice low as if a little hesitant to answer the question.

“That’s not correct. Where’d you hear that?”

"They'd pull the people in crying and kissing their families bye... People watching would spit at them." I answered in a somber tone.

"Cole, this was a legal courthouse...

DOS Ch-17

It was in the evening that I got some very good news. News, that immediately made me forget about the troubles of the school day, be it my best friend, my classmates, or the media problem. All paled in comparison to what Steve told me.

“Is it true? You aren’t joking, right?” I asked again excitedly.

Steve chuckled at my enthusiasm, “You remember my friend Barry Mendel? We met at Sundance in January?”

I nodded enthusiastically, “Yes. He was the one who is around y...

DOS Ch-16

I woke up Monday morning with a huge yawn and stretched my body lazily getting out all the kinks.

That weekend was a crazy one. After spending Saturday at Universal Studios with Evan's family, my parents came home on Sunday and decided to have a dinner outing. They invited the Spaders as well, as a thank you for taking care of me during the weekend. Together we went out to this amazing Indian restaurant. The music and the ambiance were great and they played a very upbeat tune in Hindi a...

DOS Ch-15

Paul Tanner was an average guy or at least he liked to think so. He could’ve been great had his theater career bloomed. Unfortunately, his vocal cords gave out on him at the wrong time. Now he can’t sing for any prolonged period or it would irritate his throat, resulting in serious coughs.

But Paul had come to terms with his career a long time ago. Ten years to be precise. It was in 1988 that he had to leave it behind to complete his degrees in music and education. Thankfully, his p...

DOS Ch-14

Saturday morning, 14th of November 1998, I was anxiously waiting for the newspaper to come out as it would be the day that the first reviews of [Sex-ed] would come out.

I was still staying with the Spaders’ because Steve and Kathy were off to New York for interviews and promotion. From there they would go to Chicago and then back home. It would be two hectic days for them as they had to finish the publicity by Sunday morning.

“Stop pacing, Troy,” Melinda called out to me and...

DOS Ch-13

“Maintain your note for ten seconds, then give a pause for five then continue with next. Start with C, then C-sharp, D, D-sharp, and so on till you reach F-sharp.” Mr. Tanner instructed.

I cleared my throat for good measure and began my practice.

Practicing vocals with a coach was so much different from working alone. My previous coach didn’t have much experience with singing herself. She covered the basics of notes and voice pitch well enough but after that, even I with my ...

DOS Ch-12

“You want to buy shares of Yahoo?” Steve asked in confirmation.

I nodded, “Yes, it is an emerging stock in the current market and is soon expected to enter the Fortune 500 companies. It provides excellent solutions to people searching for things on the Internet. Last year, they introduced their free email service to everyone with internet access with near-instant messaging. So I feel that their future prospects are good as young people want to work more with computers and the inte...