Unscripted

After finishing with the wedding, Marta and Pelayo got home truly exhausted after such a night.  It was 6am and the sun was about to rise…

‘I’m gonna take a shower… Are you.. are you coming?’ Asked Pelayo while grabbing Marta’s waist with both hands.

She smiled and caressed his face.

‘Honey.. I’m too exhausted and you are, too. Let’s leave the wedding night for after we get some sleep, what do you say?’

‘Sure, babe. Whatever you need.’ He gave her a peck on the lips and went to the bathroom, while Marta sighed and let her body hit the couch. She let her head fall back, closing her eyes and slowly breathing. After a while she suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed her laptop from the table in the front, she opened it and started to type: F i n a V a l e r o

She saw that Fina had already played in a couple of short films and series.. She found an interview she gave recently and clicked on it. She found out about Fina’s hobbies such as tennis, reading and rock climbing.. and her beauty was just something else, so genuine, so pure. Ah, women are so beautiful, thought Marta as if she was discovering them now for the first time.

In the video, Fina had her hair up in a ponytail and when she moved her head to look towards her left side, Marta saw the tattoo again for a second.. She bit her lip and immediately closed the laptop, putting it aside.

‘Unscripted…’ Whispered Marta… She was amazed and curious about how Fina managed to realize Marta was looking at her tattoo in the bathroom that night. She shook her head, smiled and decided to go to her bedroom and get some rest. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

*One year later*

‘I cannot believe you didn’t find an actress already.. What is wrong with you? Did we hire you for nothing? Don’t worry, I will do it myself.’ Marta was massaging her temples trying to calm down.

‘Maria, schedule some auditions.. maximum 10 women in their 30s.. brunettes and tall but not too much.. and we’ll see what we choose. But we need to do it ASAP!!’ Continued Marta.

Maria immediately did as asked and in a couple of hours she had a list of 10 women scheduled for auditions split for the next two days. The first day passed and Marta together with the team watched the 5 auditions and they were not very content with the performances… they needed something unique… a spark.

The last 5 auditions were scheduled for tomorrow and Marta was starting to get more and more annoyed that no actress was what she imagined for the character. She was anxious for the last 5, hoping they will find the one. As she arrived home, she grabbed the phone and saw that she had 4 missed calls from Pelayo, but decided to ignore them as she really was not in the mood to talk. She put the phone down but after two seconds she picked it up again, calling her husband as she was feeling guilty for ignoring him.

‘Marta! What happened? Are you okay? I thought something happened to you.’ Said Pelayo with a raised tone.

‘Hey.. first of all, calm down. I am fine. You know I don’t keep my phone around when I am at the studio and even more when I have auditions to attend. I just got home.’

‘Thank God.. I am sorry but I was worried. Marta, I am scared of losing you. You’re all I have… you’re my best friend.’

‘Yes, I know. You won’t lose me. I promise. Tell me about your day.’ Continued Marta, trying to avoid an uncomfortable conversation.

‘Well, I had two meetings in two different restaurants, damn New York is really amazing and in a week I should be back, I think. But nothing is certain.. you know businessmen..’ They both laughed.

‘Yeah, of course I know how businessmen are, I married one, remember?’

‘You did.. and I married an artist. Great combo, right?’ Pelayo said knowing Marta loved to be called an artist.. and she was in fact, an amazing artist.

They kept talking for 30 minutes more and then hung up, leaving Marta thinking… Do I miss him? Would it be okay if I said no?

She went to bed at 2am as her anxiety for her new movie hit… she really wanted to make this film, knowing it will be a success.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sunrise was about to unfold, but Marta woke up before, made some coffee, put it in a thermos and left to work, knowing she has a lot to prepare for the day ahead. She was wearing a pair of loose blue jeans, a striped black and white shirt (with one side tucked in the front) and a pair of sneakers. Her sunglasses on top of her head, hair loose, making her style look even more interesting.  

As she arrived at the studio, she went to find Maria directly.

‘Good morning, ma’am.’

‘Morning… cause it will be good if we find us a great actress. So, prepare the room, the scripts and I’ll see you in an hour.’ Said Marta on a demanding but confident tone and left towards her office.

The hour passed and Marta entered the audition room where her teammates were sitting.. the script coordinator, the casting director and an agency representative and Maria, her assistant.

Marta sat down in the middle of them, waiting for the first audition.

The first one was a big no, the second tried her best but no.. and as they were waiting for the third, Marta took a sip of water, her anxiety reaching higher levels.

‘I hope we’ll find one soon cause if not I will lose my mind.’ Marta slightly smiled ironically.

‘Next is Miss.. Serafina Valero, 35.’ Said Maria.

It took a while for Marta to raise her head and look at Maria surprised..

‘Sorry.. did you say Serafina Val-..’ She couldn’t manage to finish the sentence because the door opened and the brunette entered the room and so did her confidence. Marta’s jaw dropped subtly while all the memories from her wedding night came back.. the first meeting, Fina dancing with Esther.. then the bathroom.. and the tattoo. Fina was now wearing a black satin dress, cropped on one leg.. and was wearing a pair of red Louboutin’s, and a red lipstick, making her lips look perfectly fleshy. Her long hair was down, gently resting onto her bare shoulders.

‘Hello. It’s so nice to meet you.’ Fina got closer to the table and shook the hands of every person.. when she arrived to Marta, she got up from the chair, holding out the hand towards Fina, getting a pretty strong grip. Marta looked Fina into her eyes and felt her body get numb for a second. Their hands still touching, while their eyes were fighting for survival.

‘So nice to meet you… ma’am.’ Fina smiled confidently and moved on to the next person.

Marta tried to keep her surprised face hidden, trying to compose herself.

Why am I feeling like this? I guess I was surprised to see a familiar face… I am okay. Let’s focus on the audition, shall we? It’s just another audition, Marta.

Marta was keeping these thoughts on the line, while getting her head back on track.

Fina was invited to sit on the chair in the middle of the room.

Maria spoke as she was handing her the short monologue: ‘Miss Valero.. you already know your character is a very smart and confident woman who knows what she wants and always gets it. Have fun with it.’

‘Sure.. thank you.’

‘You will look right into the camera in front of you.. as if you would be speaking to your partner.’ Said Marta in a very professional voice. ‘Whenever you are ready…’

Fina nodded while looking at Marta smirking.. then gazed down at her partially bare leg, she fixed the dress a little so it would show more skin.. fixed her voice, took a deep breath… and started by facing the camera, her gaze unwavering. Her posture is relaxed, almost too calm, as if she knows she’s got the power. Marta was watching very seriously and focused.

(smirking, her hand lightly brushing the slit of her dress as she takes a slow step forward, dragging the chair with her)

“You think you can control this.”
(She takes another step closer, eyes flickering down to the exposed skin of her leg, then back up to the camera.)

“But you’re already lost.”

(She lifts one leg onto the chair , the satin fabric sliding to reveal more of her skin, just enough to make the tension palpable.)

“I see the way your eyes follow me. You pretend it’s nothing, pretend you’re not captivated.
But I can feel it.” (She pauses, a knowing smile curling on her lips.)

(She steps closer, voice almost a whisper.)
“You’re already mine… you just don’t want to admit it.
But don’t worry... (She leans in, her breath almost too close to the camera.)

“I’ll let you pretend for a little longer.”

With a sudden, almost careless flick of her dress, she turns to walk away, her movements fluid and effortless. She pauses at the door, looking back one last time, her gaze showing that she will always win.

…… a moment of silence was too loud in the room, all of the team members feeling a little too hot. But Marta… oh boy.. Marta found herself grabbing the pen she was holding during the entire audition.. her mouth suddenly got dry and had to take a sip of water.

As Fina walked back to the center of the room, waiting for some feedback.. Marta spoke.

‘Alright… that was one of best performances I have seen these days. You are.. I mean you were so sensual and the tension could be felt from the International Space Station.. I mean…’ Marta started to blur out words, looking at her colleagues.. avoiding Fina’s eyes at all costs.

Fina smiled, acting like a shy girl.

‘Thank you so much. Appreciate it.’

‘Alright, um.. We will let you know this week if you got the job or not. Thank you for.. for your performance.’ Continued Marta trying to hide her war of feelings she felt inside.

After Fina exited the room, Marta drank half of the bottle of water, then getting lost in her thoughts…

The dress and leg split added a layer of visual tension that made Marta feel physically drawn in, but also uncomfortable with the boldness of it… Damn.. that wasn’t in the script but God, it looked so good.. those hips, the leg..

Besides the sudden attraction she felt during the audition, Marta is trying to rationalize the audition, telling herself it was just an act, but deep down, she feels frustrated with how powerless she feels. The way Fina handled the audition… commanding attention without even trying, has made Marta feel weak, something she’s not used to. She is lowkey frustrated with herself for being so emotionally affected by a simple audition, especially since she’s worked hard to keep control over her professional and personal life.

Usually she is used to having the control… but now? Now it felt like she was weak by only hearing and seeing Fina’s performance… her energy was definitely felt deep down. The conflicted mood she was in now is not helping her concentrate for the next auditions but she has to…

‘So what do we think about Miss Valero?’ Asked the script coordinator.

Marta tried not to seem too excited..

‘I.. I think she has so much potential for this role. Let’s see how the next ones perform and we’ll talk at the end.. But I liked her.. The performance I mean.. she was really good.’ Said Marta while wanting to hide into the woods for not being able to form some sentences.

After all the auditions, the entire team went to have lunch in the city and this way they detached a bit from work while also sharing opinions about the auditions.

‘I think the last one was really made for this role.. What was her name? um.. Ah, Clarisa, yes. She was really good.’ Said the casting director.  

The others partially agreed with him but Marta didn’t say a word. She kept listening while feeling a weird sense of rage building up inside her chest. While they all kept talking louder and louder, debating which one was the best, Marta couldn’t take it anymore.

‘STOP! Everyone just stop! Did anyone ask the director what SHE wanted? Or who SHE considers best for a role in the story SHE created?’ Marta asked on a tough tone, while everyone stopped eating, feeling ashamed knowing she was right.

‘Let’s vote... now and explain why that woman is perfect for the role!’ Continued Marta.

They were 5 so two of them chose Clarisa saying she had the best performance, a sweetness in the voice mixed with sensuality.

Marta and the agency representative chose Fina, and the one left to vote was Maria, Marta’s assistant.

‘Maria.. your turn, please.’ Said Marta.

‘But.. but ma’am I am only your assistant. I am not in the position to decide on something so important.’

‘She’s right, Marta. What are you doing?’ Said one of the men.

‘Hey. I wanna know her opinion, too. She’s more neutral to this.’ Said Marta.

‘Ok so… Clarisa had a great performance, she is very beautiful and I think she is a great actress… on the other side, Serafina had some kind of spark.. she was bold.. she didn’t respect the script.. which personally I liked and I think she added a personal touch on the scene making it amazing… and sexy as hell but yeah..’ Maria took a sip from her drink.

Marta proudly smiled.. leaning forward on the table, a rare fire in her voice as she looks at her team…

“Listen, guys… This isn’t about who delivers the most polished lines or who fits the typical ‘leading lady’ image. It's about truth.”

She paused, meeting each of their eyes, daring anyone to challenge her…

She continues, softening her tone but with more conviction…

“Fina owns the role. She doesn’t act it… she becomes it. There’s a depth in her that none of you are seeing. The audience will feel it.. the realness. That’s what this movie is about. Not some manufactured performance. This is about the raw, unscripted emotion… the messiness of it. Fina has that unquestionably.”

Her voice tightens, her tone sharper…

“And if you’re too focused on looking for a perfect actress… someone who fits the mold you think this role should have… then you’re missing my point entirely. We’re not making a movie for critics. We’re making a movie for people who want to see someone real, raw, and flawed. Fina can offer that… and more. If we choose Clarisa, we’ll be playing it safe. If we choose Fina, we’re taking the real risk. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.”

Marta finished her monologue and continued to eat her food, knowing she already won.

‘Also… it’s my movie so… I give the last call.’ Her colleagues rolled their eyes and then all burst into laugh.

Marta was so proud that she won the debate but mostly because she found an actress for her movie… The question is… will she regret this decision?