Behind The Limelight 01: Comebacks And Compromises

Over Two Years Later

Ashton took a deep breath in before diving into the water. He counted the seconds in his head, his eyes closed shut as he tried to clear his mind, focusing on nothing but the numbers. Once he couldn’t hold his breath anymore, he rose above the water, gasping for oxygen.

Ashton swam to the edge of his pool, where his staff had already placed a few towels. He propped himself up with his elbows, lifting his upper body so that he could get out and sit. His legs were still dangling in the water as he picked up a towel to start drying his hair.

He didn’t bother to glance back when he heard footsteps, after all his house was always full of people. The person behind him cleared their throat, making Ashton sigh as he realized who it was.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your interview?” Malcolm, Ashton’s agent, asked.

“It’s on the radio,” Ashton said. “Who the fuck even listens to the radio anymore?”

“Many people.”

“Couldn’t you have at least gotten me like, I don’t know, a podcast or something? Something people actually give a shit about?” Ashton questioned, and he didn’t need to look back to guess the frustrated expression that Malcolm was surely wearing.

“Well, I do have something that might cheer you up,” Malcolm stated, though he looked worried, not excited.

“What?”

“You got the role,” Malcolm answered.

“I’m afraid you’ll need to be a bit more specific here, Mal,” Ashton replied, his tone irritated.

“The role, Ash. The Erick Tate role.”

Ashton’s eyes widened as he finally turned around, staring at Malcolm in shock. Erick Tate was one of the biggest directors in the world, a huge name that Ashton had been dying to work with ever since he acted in his first commercial at the age of seven.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Ashton asked, still in disbelief.

Malcolm nodded, still looking a bit uneasy but it went unnoticed by the young actor. Ashton stood up, taking a few long strides towards his agent before engulfing him in a tight hug. The middle-aged man cringed slightly, his five thousand dollar suit was now damp, but he patted Ashton’s back nonetheless.

Ashton pulled back, a wide grin on his face as he stared at Malcolm. Ashton’s smile slowly started fading when he noticed that Malcolm didn’t look nearly as excited as him. A lead role in an Erick Tate film was massive for both their careers, Malcolm should be crying tears of joy right now. Instead, he looked as if he was about to head to a funeral.

“What’s wrong?” Ashton asked. “Don’t tell me there’s a catch.”

“I suppose you can call it that,” Malcolm muttered.

“Tell me.” Ashton urged, growing more and more worried with each passing second. He could not let this role get away, no matter what the catch was, he would just have to deal with it.

“The, uh, the other lead role will be played by Ryker.”

Ashton blinked. His expression was blank as his hand fell from Malcolm’s shoulder to his side. He stared at his agent, not knowing how to respond to the news. Out of everything— this was definitely not something that he was expecting. Not at all.

“I thought…didn’t he leave to go meditate in Asia or something?” Ashton asked.

He had assumed that Ryker had left his acting career behind him for good, and so had everyone else. The industry and his fans included. The man had gone radio silent on social media too, and nobody had heard from him in a long while.

“He did but he’s here now. And he’s making his comeback with this film,” Malcolm answered.

“Well, it’s either him or me,” Ashton stated. “I’m not doing the movie if he’s in it too.”

“Ashton.” Malcolm sighed tiredly as he looked at his client, someone he’s known since the actor was still in diapers. “I’m going to sound rude here but you need this reality check. If you ask Erick to choose then he’s not going to choose you.”

“How can—”

“Ryker is a great actor, and the fact that he’s doing a film two years after everyone thought he had retired is going to be huge,” Malcolm continued, “and everyone around the globe knows about your rivalry with Ryker. Seeing that you’ll both be in the same movie in opposing roles is going to be fantastic publicity.”

“So, you’re saying that I only got this role because Ryker and I hate each other’s guts?” Ashton scoffed, trying not to look offended but definitely failing.

“I know you’re not happy to hear this but after your last couple of movies… this might have very well been the deciding factor in hiring you,” Malcolm justified.

Ashton gulped.

Malcolm wasn’t wrong, Ashton’s last two movies were a flop. A 3.5/10 rating and empty cinema halls kind of a flop. Ever since then he hadn’t been getting any new work either, except roles that were equally trashy. Ashton feared his career might be over, that he might only get supporting roles from now on. But if he was a lead in an Erick Tate movie then that could turn his entire life around.

That didn’t change the fact that he’d have to act alongside the man he despised the most, though.

Ryker Cohen and Ashton Archer started their careers together. In fact, they were in the same cereal commercial as kids where they had met for the first time. Ashton had known Ryker for most of his life, and hated him for a good part of it too.

This wasn’t the first time a director or producer had tried to get them to act together. All of them wanted to capitalize on their very public rivalry, but neither of them ever agreed to sign any such movie. Always maintaining at least some form of civility in public.

Until two and a half years ago at that dreadful award show…just thinking about that night made Ashton gulp.

“Does Ryker know?” Ashton asked.

“Yes.” Malcolm nodded. “He’s okay with it. He has already signed.”

“Seriously?” Ashton rose a questioning brow, making Malcolm shrug.

“Seems like whatever meditation he spent two years doing worked.”

“I— I need some time to think this through,” the young actor said.

Malcolm pressed his lips in a thin line, he knew no amount of convincing would ever change Ashton’s mind. He was a stubborn man, he got that from his mother who was once Malcolm’s client as well. Malcolm nodded begrudgingly, before turning around and leaving the indoor pool area.

Ashton watched as the man left before diving into the water once again. He swam from one end to the other, then again, and then again. Finally, when his skin was way past the state of pruney, he got out of the pool.

People worked with people they hate all the time, don’t they? No matter how much Ashton tried to think with a clear mind, his hatred for Ryker kept clouding his judgment. But at the end of the day there was only one thing that mattered the most to Ashton, more so than his feelings or his ego— and that was his career.

If acting alongside Ryker was the only thing that could save his dying career, then he had no choice but to suck it up and put on his best show. He was an actor, for fuck’s sake, this was literally in his job description.

After taking a quick shower to wash off the chlorine, Ashton changed into a pair of sweatpants and headed over to his home office. He sat behind the huge desk, picking up the script that he had so eagerly finished reading just a while ago.

It was a love triangle. Two guys who were once friends pining over the same girl. Leading to ninety minutes of jealousy, heartbreak, and epiphanies.

Ashton scoffed at the irony of it all.

He kept the script back on his table, before turning to his desktop. He opened YouTube and quickly typed in the name of the first ever commercial he acted in. He was just a kid but he still remembered how ecstatic he felt on the set. How he loved being in front of the camera. He was made for acting, it was in his blood, and he had never wanted anything more than to continue his family legacy.

But the way that things were going, it seemed like he would be the one that would end up tainting his family name.

Ashton watched with a smile as the commercial started playing. It was actually quite easy to recognize him, even though he was seven. He had the same fluffy hair, a mixed colour of brown and dirty blond strands. His light blue eyes that always stood out, and the deep dimples on both his cheeks when he smiled. He still had that boyish charm, something that made him perfect for rom-coms.

Ryker, however, had changed beyond recognition. It had been two years since Ashton had seen Ryker, but he was no longer the scrawny kid with slightly crooked teeth. He had eventually grown taller than Ashton, who himself stood at a solid 6’1″. His dusky skin contrasted Ashton’s, along with his dark brown eyes.

The roles he did were mainly in action movies, which required a strong built that he had definitely spent hours working at the gym for.

This made Ashton wonder why Ryker agreed to the role in the first place. This was not his forte, it was Ashton’s. It would make more sense for Ryker to make his comeback with a superhero movie or an action thriller. That was more his style. As far as he could recall, Ryker had only ever done a couple of drama and romance movies at the start of his career. That was it.

A lot of questions were brewing in Ashton’s head, but he knew he would have to talk to Ryker in order to get answers. Which, again, was something he didn’t want to do. But he was going to have to, eventually. As the commercial ended, Ashton picked up his phone, opening his messages with Malcolm.

To: Malcolm | From: Ashton

Tell Tate that I’m in.

***