Chapter 2
It was a chilly afternoon, the branches swaying in the wind, nude without their leaves. Eren was bundled in layers, accompanied by a pair of gloves and a red scarf. His wired headphones–he was appalled by the idea of wireless ones–were blasting “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. Something about the song always managed to get him pumped up and that’s exactly what he needed now.
The casting director's office was twenty blocks away from where Eren lived. While the subway would have been faster, he felt that a walk would do him more good. In his head, he practiced interview-style questions and quizzed himself about the manga. He had a few days to prepare for this moment but that still didn’t stop the queasiness that began to form.
He stopped outside of the casting director’s building and checked his phone for the time. It was exactly 6:50; he figured being on the earlier side would leave a good impression. The building was located in Tribeca, situated between a coffee shop on one side and a tattoo parlor on the other–classic New York. It was a brownstone building with a silver and red sign that said “AOT Casting”, a rather stunning piece of architecture beside the surrounding shops.
Eren took a deep breath before opening the door, revealing a pristine white office. The room’s walls were dark oak while the decorations were primarily silver and red. On both ends of the room, there were couches, chairs, and a coffee table stacked with magazines. He could see that there were multiple people seemingly waiting in the chairs, either scrolling on their phones or anxiously fidgeting with anything they could find. At the center of the room stood a silver desk with a middle-aged lady sitting behind it.
“Hello sir, how can I assist you?” She asked warmly, peeking her head up from her computer and giving Eren a smile.
“Hi, I’m here to see Isayama. We have a meeting scheduled at seven today,” Eren replied, trying to keep his cool. The stakes of his situation had begun to hit him and his prior bliss was fading into unease.
“Let me see…” She said, then looked over at her computer for a few seconds. “Eren?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Great!” She met his gaze and added, “Isayama will see you shortly, he’s just finishing up with someone else. We will call you when you’re ready but for now, feel free to take a seat anywhere that’s available.” She gestured towards the sitting area and resumed whatever she was doing previously on her computer.
Eren sat next to a guy who was reading a magazine, a disinterested expression plastered on his face. He had light-ash brown hair and a slight goatee that had just begun to grow. Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his entire demeanor expelled that his nonchalance was not just an act.
“Hey man, are you also waiting for a role?” Eren asked. His anxiety was going to spill out of him if he didn’t distract himself with something.
“Yeah, I’m trying to get Titan in The Sword of Legend,” the guy replied coolly.
“Really? Me too. May the best man win,” Eren said, not quite sure how to respond. He wanted to wish the man good luck but to still show he was a serious contender.
“You shouldn’t waste your time, I’m bound to get it,” the guy gave Eren a look up and down and returned to his magazine.
Asshole. He sort of resembles a horse anyway, Eren thought to himself.
“Eren Yeager?” A male voice suddenly called. Eren turned and saw Isayama standing beside a hallway, beaming down at him.
He quickly jumped up from his chair, straightening his outfit. It was of utmost importance to make a good first impression and wrinkled clothing was not part of that plan. He had worn his best dress shirt and jeans, ready to impress as opposed to his more usually casual outfits. After he reached Isayama, he stuck out his hand to shake.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Eren said, giving a firm handshake when Isayama clasped his hand.
“Any friend of Mikasa’s is a friend of mine. Follow me,” Isayama said, leading Eren into an office. The office was not what Eren was expecting; there were sketches everywhere of a manga Eren had never seen before. The walls were filled as if the man put up every drawing he made right after he did so. The desk had pencils on it but was rather tidy compared to everything else, having papers relating to casting and the agency.
“Ignore the clutter, I write manga in my free time. Armin Arlert actually helps me out sometimes, brainstorming and whatnot. It’s a passion of mine, when I’m not doing this,” Isayama gestured down at the papers below, showing information about casting and The Sword of Legend.
It took Eren a second to snap back into reality. The man before him was so cool; he wrote manga and was able to play an important role in the most popular series of all time. All he wanted to do at that moment was take the pages off the wall and begin to read. If Armin Arlert was helping, it had to be incredible…
Focus Eren, he told himself. The task at hand was far too important to get sidetracked, no matter how intriguing the matter was.
“No need to apologize, it’s actually dope that you have the time and creativity for a manga series,” Eren replied, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
“It keeps me sane. Anyway, let us get back to why you’re here. I know Mikasa said you looked like you fit the role and I must agree that physically, you are perfect. However, of course, we must test out your skills to perform as well,” Isayama said, leaning back in his chair and clasping his fingers together. His stare bore into Eren as though he was trying to prod his soul and find out his deepest secrets.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. But, uh, what exactly should I do? I know you said not to bother bringing anything…” Eren trailed off, hoping the man across from him would continue the conversation. His leg was bouncing and he kept intertwining his fingers, not being able to sit still
“Yes, no need to worry. Just one second,” he started, then began to open the drawer in his desk. After searching around for a few seconds, he pulled out a few sheets of paper. On it was a snippet from The Sword of Legend script. “Just read this over, take a few minutes, and act it out. I understand this is your first time so I’m not expecting you to be the next Christian Bale immediately. I have an eye for talent and if I see this going somewhere, I’ll spot it,” he stated, handing the paper over to Eren. Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll give you some privacy while I sort out a few things. I’ll be back in around twenty,” and with that, he strolled out of the room and closed the door behind him.
The paper felt crisp in Eren’s hands, smelling both earthy and dry. He ran his fingers over the words, soaking in the reality of the situation. He was here, he was so close. This was the make or break for him; he could change his life in the next hour. As he read the script, he realized it was an excerpt from one of his favorite scenes in the manga. In it, Titan–the lead role Eren is vying for–just found out he got betrayed by his closest friend. It is a scene of heartbreak, confusion, and a swirl of confusing emotions for a first-time actor to emit. However, Eren had read this scene more times than he cared to count. He knew exactly what Titan was feeling, knew the words like the back of his hand.
Eren didn’t even notice the minutes pass by. He immediately began practicing his lines, trying to portray the emotions he had grown to know so well. It only took him two minutes to learn the lines and notice the few tweaks the script had from the manga. Digging into the deepest parts of his soul, Eren began to think of anything sad or any betrayal he had ever felt so he could truly encompass the bulk of what Titan was feeling.
Around twenty minutes later, Eren slumped his shoulders. It wasn’t because he decided to give up–-quite the contrary. He felt a sense of peace drift over him; he knew what he had to do and for once in his life, he felt ready.
Isayama came into the room shortly after, closing the door and settling back into his seat. “How this goes is essentially, I’ll be reading any lines besides Titan. You can begin when you’re ready.”
For the next few minutes, Eren and Isayama rehearsed the scene. To Eren’s surprise and delight, he didn’t stumble over the words once. He was able to elicit every emotion he searched for and there was a raw desperation in his voice, one which matched the character perfectly.
Afterward, Isayama took a second and simply beamed at Eren. Eren began to feel slightly uncomfortable for he wasn’t sure if that was a sign of approval or if the man was about to laugh at him. Although he thought he did rather well, what exactly did he know about acting?
Clasping his hands together, Isayama let out a long breath and began to say, “Honestly? That was ten times better than I was expecting. For a first-time attempt, the potential seems almost limitless. You managed to capture what we are looking for from Titan, the raw passion and ferocity. Now, obviously, you would need to meet with an acting coach to fix any imperfections…” the man trailed off, beginning to stare up at the ceiling as if he were lost in thought.
Eren wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to say anything. After waiting a few seconds, he figured he couldn’t let the silence grow anymore or it might suffocate him. “Sir, are you saying I got that role?” he asked, trying to keep the growing excitement out of his voice just in case it was bad news.
Isayama snapped his attention back to Eren. “Sorry, sorry, I got ahead of myself. There is one final step before I can officially congratulate you to the team. Just a moment, please.” Isayama picked up the phone in his room and dialed a number, turning his chair to watch the view from the window.
The man used no name when addressing the other person on the line so Eren had no clue what was in store for him. He was, however, pleasantly surprised when Mikasa walked in a few minutes later.
“Hello Isayama,” she waved at the man in the chair, her grin growing. Then, she turned her attention towards Eren and her cheeks began to redden. “Hello Eren, I’m glad you took my offer seriously. I was afraid I might’ve scared you off.” She let out a nervous chuckle and sat in the seat next to Eren.
“You could never scare me away,” Eren started, then realized that his words would come off rather strange. “I just mean that the offer was incredible and I had to give it a shot.” He looked away, afraid she would sense his heart rate increasing and the fluttering in his stomach. Why in the world did this girl have such an effect on him?
“Welcome, welcome. I wanted to have an informal session between you two, a sort of chemistry read. I must admit that Eren seems to have been the right choice so far. However, I’d like you both to rehearse your lines for another scene, one between both of your characters.” Eren turned his head quickly to stare at Isayama; he wasn’t sure which scene he was meant to act out so he hadn’t prepared. Isayama seemed to notice Eren’s reaction and waved his hand as if to say “don’t worry.”
“I told you this would be informal so no preparation was necessary. I’m not looking for you to get your lines right. This is more to gauge the connection between you both, if you can elicit the reactions viewers need. Please,” he began, handing them both new papers with a script of a scene between their two characters. “Just take a second to skim the lines and you may begin.”
For the next few minutes, Eren and Mikasa read their lines to each other. While the line reading itself wasn’t perfect, primarily from Eren’s side, they worked like a well-oiled machine. Isayama couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In just those few minutes, his heart felt a pull that he felt many major shows lacked in terms of their romance. How could it be possible that two random people could make him feel their connection, just by a few words?
Eren and Mikasa finished and gave each other a little smile. They both knew they did well. Even if Eren didn’t know much about acting, he had a feeling that here, he did something right.
When he turned to look at Isayama, he noticed a twinkle in the man’s eye.
“That was… excellent. Listen Eren, I’m going to meet with the rest of the team and get things in motion. There will be a few meetings ahead of you and lots of paperwork, but I don’t think you have to worry. Acting is a skill you can improve but it’s rare for one to have such an innate ability. I saw it in Mikasa and frankly, I see it in you.”
“I… thank you, sir. It means a lot.” Eren was dumbfounded. Even though he felt he had done a good job, receiving such praise for something he had never done before felt incredible and unreal. He wanted this so badly and the fact that he might actually get it invoked emotions in him that he had never felt before.
“I told you,” Mikasa said, almost whispering. She wasn’t making eye contact with Eren; rather, she was looking out the window. There was a faint grin creeping up on your face and her eyes seemed to soften as she stared out.
“We will be in touch. It was great to see you again Mikasa, and I’m glad to have met with you Eren.” Isayama’s voice was filled with such tenderness as he gave them both a handshake and wished them farewell.
Right before leaving the room, Eren spared one final look back at Isayama and the man winked at him. It was a silent show of approval and respect.
Once Eren and Mikasa left the office and the door closed behind them, they were left standing in the hall.
There was an awkward silence between them, neither knowing what to say to break the silence. Finally, Mikasa spoke.
“I’m impressed, truly. Isayama doesn’t say something he doesn’t mean.” She turned to look at him, the smile from earlier only growing bigger.
“You don’t understand how thankful I am for this. How can I repay you?” He asked. While he truly was grateful and wanted to return the favor, he was also secretly trying to find any excuse to see her again besides during his potential new job.
She bit her lip and seemed lost in thought for a second. “How about… you buy me a coffee? From the place we met. We can go over more lines to help you prepare for your following scenes.” She seemed nervous but there was slight eagerness in her voice, like she couldn’t wait for him to answer.
“That sounds perfect. I’m sure Kaleb wouldn’t mind another regular,” he responded, returning the same smile. They exchanged numbers and bid farewell, both leaving happier than when they came in.
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It was a few hours later, nearing the end of the day. Eren had debriefed with his parents (who were both beyond excited) and was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling and blasting Arctic Monkeys. He needed this moment to think and really soak everything in. His life was about to take a turn for the better, opening up a whole new world he didn’t even know was an option. And for once in his life, he wasn’t jumping off the deep end alone; somehow he knew that Mikasa would be holding his hand through every step.