- 4.
“I guess after all these years with no work, Ms. Ray’s been busy finding a sugar daddy.” Right before filming, Chloe was still trying to get under my skin. “Are you sure you can handle this, grandma?”
I ignored her. It wasn’t worth wasting my breath. Plus, the director had just announced
that, in an attempt to compete with a rival
show, they were going live. No editing. Chloe
could embarrace herself all cha wanted but I
<
could embarrass herself all she wanted, but I
wasn’t going to ruin my comeback.
For twenty years, I’d been Ethan’s mom. Now,
for whatever reason, I had a chance to be
Vivian Ray again.
Chloe, seeing that I wasn’t rising to the bait,
turned her attention to manipulating the show’s
format. Even though we were live, she was still
badgering Charles to rig the script selection.
With two men and one woman in our group,
there were only two choices: “Curse of the
Golden Flower,” a melodramatic story of
forbidden love and family betrayal; or
“Aftershock,” a powerful tale of a mother and
daughter’s strained relationship after a
devastating earthquake.
Chloe glanced at the character descriptions and
immediately chose “Aftershock.” The reason? In
“Curse of the Golden Flower,” the male lead,
the Crown Prince, has an affair with his
stepmother, the female lead. In “Aftershock,”
the male and female leads are mother and son.
“Given Ms. Ray’s age, playing Ethan’s mother should come naturally.”
As if I didn’t live that role every day. How
unoriginal. Chloe was delighted with her petty
scheme.
I was happy to oblige. I started studying the
script. Then, right before we went on, Chloe
changed her mind. The female lead wasn’t
going to be the mother, but the older sister.
That wouldn’t do. I pulled the screenwriter aside
and had him rewrite the script on the spot. The
insignificant wife character became the female
lead, while the returning sister was reduced to a
supporting role. Chloe also dismissed the
actress hired to play the wife and pointed at the
AD, the one she’d yelled at earlier, to take her
place. It would make her look even better by
comparison.
く
“I… I can’t. This role is too difficult.” The AD,
whose name was Jody, was hesitant.
I asked Charles for Jody’s resume and learned
she had formal training. The acting world was
tough, and she’d taken a behind–the–scenes
job to make ends meet. I figured if she had
proper training, she couldn’t be worse than
Chloe. During rehearsals, I kept encouraging
her, “Focus on the character’s inner turmoil.
You can do this.”
Despite the changes, the core conflict of the
script remained the same: a mother’s guilt over
abandoning her daughter and the daughter’s
yearning for love and validation. The male lead
was just a plot device to add some complexity.
Thanks to the “Ethan effect” and my coaching,
Jody sailed through rehearsals. “Ms. Ray, you’re
amazing! It’s an honor to act alongside you.”
She was genuinely grateful, then her tone.
<
8:08
((
854
shifted, her voice laced with venom. “That
Chloe, she’s insufferable! She acts like she’s
royalty just because she’s some rich guy’s
illegitimate daughter!” Jody seethed. “I used to
be a huge fan of Ethan’s. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here putting up with her!” “It’s
unbelievable that my idol is now kissing up to
her! He even bought shares in Stellar for her!
And they’re getting married!” “Love really does
make you stupid. He’ll regret this.”
Jody’s words were a bombshell. I was too
stunned to respond. Before I could ask any
questions, we were called to the stage. I pushed
down my confusion and focused on getting into
character.
Chloe had repeatedly used excuses like
headaches and nausea to keep Ethan by her
side, preventing us from interacting. We hadn’t
even had a proper rehearsal. All I had were a
few texts from him: “Mom, it’s not what you
think.” “Mom, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
<
“Mom, please forgive me.” … I hadn’t replied.
After about ten minutes, he’d sent one more
message: “You’ve sacrificed so much for me all these years. You’re an amazing actress, Mom. I wish you the best tonight.”
Was he trying to soften me up, worried I’d embarrass Chloe on stage? Or was there something else going on?
I decided to focus on my performance. It had been too long since I’d felt the heat of the
spotlight. As the lights hit me, I transformed. I
was Vivian Ray again. Emotion welled up, and tears streamed down my face. I channeled my frustration with Ethan into my character, a
mother wracked with guilt over abandoning her
child.
The judges and the audience were moved to
tears. Jody, under my guidance, exceeded
expectations, outshining the professional
actors. As for Ethan, well, he might be a terrible
<
expectations, outshining the professional
actors. As for Ethan, well, he might be a terrible
son, but he had inherited some of my acting
talent. He understood that the focus wasn’t on
him, and he created some subtle but effective
moments to showcase his character’s inner
struggle. He made the most of his limited.
screen time.
Chloe, however, was a mess. She added lines,
went off on tangents, alternating between self-
pity and melodrama. The live comments section
was brutal. “Came for the drama, left with a
stomachache.” “The veteran actress is killing it.
Guess that triggered the newbie.” “She seems…
unstable.” “What’s wrong with her?”
The judges‘ critique was even more
entertaining. The notoriously sharp–tongued
Leo Hughes stood up, took off his hat, and
bowed deeply to me. He gushed about my
return to acting, calling it a gift to the audience
and the industry. “Even though you debuted
<
after me, you’re my senior when it comes to
acting.”
I could only bow repeatedly in acknowledgment. Anything I said would have sounded insincere. The audience erupted in applause, the
comments section filled with “Queen Vivian!” Chloe, however, was fuming. She grabbed the microphone and, with a sarcastic laugh, addressed Leo. “Ms. Ray did well, but it’s a bit unusual to see you so… enthusiastic. Yes, we’re less experienced, but at least we follow the rules. Ms. Ray changed a lot of the lines and basically hijacked the scene. That’s not exactly something to be proud of.”
