Chapter 3
The next two weeks were a blur. Eren was in and out of line readings, costume fittings, and signing paperwork. There was no time wasted in terms of getting him ready for the role and starting production as soon as possible. He spent almost all of his time either at acting classes, rehearsing his lines, or at the gym preparing himself. Today was the final test–he would meet Armin Arlert and if he got his approval, he would be greenlit to continue officially.
Isayama poured resources into Eren because he saw his potential; he wanted to make sure Armin saw him as close to ready as possible. He had no doubts that Armin would love Eren but he also couldn’t take any risks. The boy was inexperienced and the goal was to push out as many flaws as possible.
“Are you ready?” Mikasa asked, walking side by side with Eren through the busy streets of New York.
“As ready as I’ll ever be… You know, it’s not every day I get to meet my idol. I mean, how does one write such an iconic manga so young?” Eren tried to contain himself, but his excitement was practically shooting out of every crevice in his body.
Mikasa stifled a giggle; the boyish charm in Eren was one of the things that first pulled her in. Getting to know him over the past few weeks only intrigued her more. She saw just how hard-working he was; if he messed up a line or struggled with a physical scene, he would spend extra hours and forgo sleep just to get it right. It was a long time since she met someone with so much fight and ambition in them.
“He’s really nice, honestly kind of a dork—in a good way of course!” she quickly added, making sure to not accidentally insult her colleague.
He turned to her, eyes buzzing with enthusiasm and impatience. “I’m sure, but I mean… he has to like me. Do you think he will?” He began walking fast, not wanting to waste any time before meeting Armin.
Mikasa had to hasten her steps to catch up with him. She noticed that whenever he felt any strong emotion: anger, happiness, disappointment, his body would become lively. Eren would begin fidgeting, using his hands, speeding up whatever he was doing; it was as if energy flowed through his veins and he had no way to control it.
“Of course he will, what’s not to like…” she started. Mikasa looked down at her feet, suddenly becoming shy at such a comment. “I’ve seen how hard you worked and it’s gonna pay off. Just… don’t freeze up, ok? It’s gonna be great if you believe in yourself. I do.” Finally, she turned her head and met his eyes.
They both stopped in front of the studio, staring into each other’s eyes. Mikasa’s sudden confession of her faith in Eren sparked something in him. Whilst he had already felt prepared for the meeting, this was the cherry on top. Her comment acted like the glue, sealing together everything he knew he could do but that, for some reason, became reality when she said it.
“You’re right… and I learned from the best,” he gave her one last grin before opening the door and walking in.
Mikasa lingered for just a second, watching Eren as he entered the building. An indescribable feeling past through her, something she never experienced before. For some reason, she needed him to get this role just as much as he did.
“You coming?” Eren asked, turning back and holding the door open for her.
“Yes, yes…” she snapped out of her thoughts and followed him inside.
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Immediately, Eren and Mikasa were sent over to change into their costumes and get their hair and makeup done. The plan was to have Eren act out a few scenes alongside the already-cast co-stars. In doing so, Armin would have the final say in whether he felt Eren fit the project or not.
A while later, Eren was finally ready. He was dressed in a black full-body suit, giving him the appearance of a shadow that could hide in any corner. This was contrasted with his metal plates, equipped with spikes on his shoulder and elbow pads, his chest piece a blinding sight. Resting at Eren’s hip was a sword, sharper than a tungsten needle. Its dazzling surface wasn’t just impressive; it blinded the opposition and distorted their vision. It gave Eren’s look a new feel, completely different from his actual personality. In this get-up, he looked intimidating, broadening, and courageous. If Armin wasn’t going to believe in him before, he certainly would now.
For the next few minutes, Eren talked with the crew and fellow actors. He met a girl named Sasha Braus, who played Mikasa’s best friend and trusted confidant. She was a bubbly and kind girl if you ignored how she got when hungry. Beside her, he chatted with Bertolt Hoover, a young man who was the director's assistant. While he was talented given his age, he felt he needed one more project under a valued mentor before he took off and began his own project. They chatted about their interests, both regarding the script and things in their outside lives.
Finally, Mikasa strode out. Everyone had been ready aside from her; given her important role, her costume and makeup took a little longer than normal to get ready. She plays the role of a princess who gets ousted from her kingdom, transforming into a fearsome warrior under dire circumstances. Her costume now was tight black pants covered in armored plating, similar to Eren's. Besides that, she donned a black armored top, a magenta cape flowing behind her. The cape held her house's signal as her character’s fight was to bring back power in their name. Her character had on sleek black gloves, holding two knives which acted as her character’s chosen weapon. They were for close combat and lethal in the right hands, supporting her lean and swift frame. Finally, her short hair was set into a small, messy ponytail, giving the impression that it was done very quickly and without much care.
When Eren caught sight of her, he felt his breath hitch. The way she embodied a warrior so well; if he didn’t know she was an actress, he would truly believe she escaped straight from the manga. While her character was supposed to look rugged and tired, Eren’s vision looked right past it. All he could focus on was how her bang stopped right above her eyelashes, how her cheeks reddened with all the attention on her, how her eyes–those gray, beautiful eyes–softened as she began to smile.
His trance was broken when he heard the director tell everyone to get into position, explaining which scenes they were doing.
“Get into position, everyone. Arlert is going to be here any second and it’s best we begin as soon as possible,” Denis Villeneuve said, settling in his chair and getting his equipment ready. While Villeneuve disliked the use of green screens, he settled for them today as this was not technically a real day of filming. He would make sure that moving forward, the use of green screens was only if absolutely necessary.
While the actors and crew got into formation, Armin Arlert entered onto the set. He was dressed in jeans and a green striped shirt, casual and quite geeky. Sitting on his nose were his black glasses, slipping slightly. He decided to avoid contacts today; they fogged up at times and he wanted to make sure there were no distractions. Casting the lead role would be one of the most important decisions of his life, determining if the movies were a flop or a success. He had gotten lucky with Mikasa, picking her after seeing her role in a movie last year. However, casting the role of Titan was a different story. No big-name actors seemed to fit and it was tedious to search through unknown ones; for Armin, it was worth the wait.
Armin cleared his throat and spoke, a little louder to make sure he got everyone's attention. “Hello! I’m Armin Arlert, the guy who wrote the manga for this show. I’ve met with most of you but for any new faces, please feel free to ask me any questions after we wrap up today. I’m mainly here to observe and see the potential castings, seeing what fits.” Even though his manga’s success blew up overnight and therefore led him to multiple events where he had to speak publicly, he was still not one hundred percent comfortable addressing such a big crowd.
After his speech and Villeneuve making a few more comments, he told them to give him one more moment before they began. He wanted to have a word with Eren and get a feel of his personality. He also wanted to ease his nerves; the pressure he must be feeling now was not unlike what Armin faced while writing and completing his manga.
“Hey Mr. Arlert,” Eren said, extending his hand so that Armin could shake it. He wasn’t sure what to call the boy man in front of him. Armin felt too informal as a first-time greeting but Mr. for someone his own age felt slightly awkward. In either case, Eren felt it better to be safe than sorry.
“No need for that, just call me Armin,” Armin said, letting out a chuckle. “So you must be Eren Yeager. I must say, your fellow crew members have been singing quite the praise for you. I’m excited to see your work.”
Well great. Eren’s anxiety, which had started to boil, suddenly threatened to overflow and spill out of him. He knew Armin would be here, of course. However, hearing him say that the crew was hyping him up gave Armin expectations, ones that Eren wasn’t sure he could meet.
After a brief exchange, Armin went to sit next to Villeneueve to get a good view of the set.
“Relax, it’s gonna be great. We’ve practiced together and you were amazing.” Mikasa quietly snuck up behind Eren and whispered over his shoulder. She was so close he could feel her hot breath on his ear.
This role wouldn’t just open up the acting world for him. It would open up a chance with Mikasa, a world where she noticed and talked to guys like him. He would not mess this up.
Over the next three hours, Eren and his co-stars practiced and redid various scenes. He could truly say he gave it his all, pouring his heart into it. When a scene had to be redone, it was usually because someone else messed up or Eren did such a good job that Armin wanted to see it again, make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
Eren had never felt so in his element before. He’d tried art, tried to get into finance, any trade that could lead him to a career. But this? It was like he was born to do this, a natural instinct within him to embody a character and bring it to life. While he needed practice, that much was sure, he was unusually talented. A note that Armin made when observing him.
When Armin felt satisfied with what he had seen, he let everyone know that today was a job well done and they could go home. He was, however, not done with Eren and Mikasa yet. Physically? It was like Eren came right from Armin’s mind, a copy of his own imagination of Titan. Eren still needed to bulk up a bit in the next month to truly fill Titan’s strength; however, that could be worked on. Mentally? Armin felt he was so close but there was one last test he needed.
He had done this with Mikasa as well and she pleasantly surprised him. The two leads had the most important roles; without them selling the movies, nobody would come in for a sequel. He had to make sure Eren understood the character, beyond reading lines off of a script. Mikasa had grasped her role so well, understanding the fundamentals of what drove her character and why she made the choices she did. Before he committed himself fully to Eren, Armin had to make sure he could do the same.
Before everyone went to remove the pieces on set and change into their original clothes, he asked Eren and Mikasa to stay back after they changed. His plan was to get food and go to Central Park, finding a place to sit that would be slightly farther from the crowd. It was getting later in the evening and colder, meaning people were flocking to their fireplaces and hot chocolate over the windy outdoors.
Once everyone else had left and Armin finished answering all the questions thrown his way, he grabbed his coat and dressed himself, putting on a beanie and gloves.
Eren and Mikasa came out of their respective rooms soon after, Mikasa wearing white ear muffs and a black trenchcoat while Eren came out in a black puffer.
“So, where did you want to go?” Mikasa asked, breaking the silence. She felt it was less awkward for her to do so as she knew them both better.
“Well, I was thinking of getting something to eat and going to the park. What are you guys in the mood for?” Armin asked as they exited the studio, a gust of wind greeting them. They all took a second to zip their coats all the way, fix their gloves, tighten their scarves.
“Lowkey, a pizza sounds fire,” Eren replied, drool beginning to form at the thought. He was so preoccupied with work earlier that food hadn’t crossed his mind. However, it was now dawning on him that he hadn’t eaten in hours and his stomach rumbled in response.
“Don’t crucify me for this but… I’ve never tried a New York pizza,” she half-whispered, fake shame in her expression.
Eren stopped dead in his tracks. “What? Are you serious? That’s blasphemous!” he proclaimed, baffled by such a thought. Everyone knew that New York had the best pizza and to not ever try? It was denying your tastebuds a necessary indulgence.
“Wait, hear me out! I just didn’t know where to go. I didn’t wanna go somewhere sucky and have the experience ruined.” Mikasaa was quick to defend herself, although she knew it was all jokes.
“We should go to…” Armin started, beginning to think.
“Joe’s Pizza on 51st” Armin and Eren both said at the same time. They both turned to each other in surprise and began to laugh, uncontrollably.
“Well, it’s decided then!” Mikasa said, linking both of them in her arms, elbows criss-crossing together. She wasn’t one for such affections but for some reason, she felt safe between them. It felt like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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The park had a few stragglers here and there but it was not hard for the three of them to find a quiet spot to sit and talk. They decided on Umpire Rock, settling down on the cold, smooth surface. The pizzas in their hand were hot but cooling rapidly against the wind and cold temperatures.
“C’mon, Mikasa, you have to hurry. Eat the pizza while it’s hot or else it’s ruined,” Eren groaned, dramatically handing her a slice.
“Ok, ok,” she replied, taking the slice. It felt hot in her hand and smelled of cheese and wood fire. She unconsciously licked her lips, excited to finally try such a well-known dish. Once she took a bite, her mouth exploded with flavors: fresh tomatoes, cheese of the finest quality, dough cooked just right. It really was worth the hype, a taste she would not soon forget. “Mmmm,” she murmured, lost in the flavors.
Eren elbowed Armin, handing him his own slice. “We made the right choice. Man, that place fire,” he said, taking a bite of his own pizza and closing in eyes in delight.
Armin took the slice and nodded, afterward turning to the side and overlooking the trees. The conversation between Eren and him flowed so naturally, as if they had known each other forever. Armin wasn’t someone who made friends easily, at least not in the past. Truthfully, he was bullied by the kids in his school. They always told him that his manga wouldn’t go anywhere and picked on him for countless other childish things. However, he felt welcomed by Eren and also Mikasa; their kindness and welcoming nature made him feel all fuzzy inside, like he could really be himself.
Over the next couple minutes, they indulged in their pizzas and got to know each other better, talking about silly ideas and their favorite–or least favorite–things. Eren, strangely, loves the subway and hates slow walkers. Mikasa’s favorite color is red and her guilty pleasure is trashy reality TV, when she has the time. Quite the opposite, Armin hates the subway–seriously, no AC in the summer? He also loved tea, much preferring it over coffee as it made him jittery. They continued such conversations until Armin finally changed the subject.
“So you’re probably wondering why I asked you guys here,” he began, Mikasa and Eren focusing on him with earnest expressions. “Mikasa, I’m sure you remember how I “quizzed” you on your role to get a feel of your understanding.” She nodded in response. “Well, I wanted to do the same to Eren and also quiz you guys on the nature of your character's relationships. It’s important for me to have you portray and grasp the characters as well as I do.”
“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t want to do you a disservice. Fire away,” Eren replied, a slight smile creeping onto his face. He was a huge fan of the manga and therefore knew almost everything there was to it, especially about Titan. Honestly, he felt he probably did understand the main character as well as Armin did. This challenge was one he could ace.
The next hour, Armin “quizzed” and spoke to them about their characters, seeing each differing perspective and making mental notes. While Eren tried to play it cool, his inner fanboy escaped every once in a while. To Armin, this was exciting. He wanted a true fan to play Titan and he also felt pride to see someone like Eren, someone who he felt was cool, be such a fan of his work. He would not let Eren know that he thought he was cool, though. It was probably good to not let it get to his head, considering he was probably going to become a big-name actor after this.
Yes, Armin decided, Eren was fit for the role. He understands the character just as I do.