More Among Us

Today's AMONG US segment is memorable to me because it was the first time on the set that all the actors talked about their motivations to me. Jon McBride (Wayne) told me he thought that the trio was a family, and that Billy and Jennifer were the parents, and he was the kid trying to stop the fighting. I told him I thought it was more of a love triangle. But I stopped that line of thought when Bob Dennis (Billy) got this queasy look on his face.

DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CABIN -- NIGHT
A bright moon shines over the cabin.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CABIN (KITCHEN) -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill, swinging a bottle of wine, observes Jennifer working over a boiling pot of pasta.
BILLY
Spaghetti for the fourth straight night. Great.
Jennifer drops the ladle.
BILLY (CONT'D)
Could you at least throw some beef in there?
JENNIFER
Wayne and I are vegans.
BILLY
Vegans. I'm about to go out and kill a possum and drop that mother in there.
JENNIFER
What is this shit anyway? Because I'm the woman I have to cook?
Wayne pokes his head in.
WAYNE
I'll do it, Jennifer.
BILLY
What's up, Wayne, now that you're a cryptozoologist you can't eat meat? I mean, it isn't like it's a real degree, is it? You can get it from the back of Rolling Stone or something, right?
WAYNE
(stiffly)
I have degrees in Biology, Zoology, and Astronomy.
JENNIFER
Get off his ass, Billy! You've had too much too drink. Besides, where did you go to school?
BILLY
The school of hard knocks.
JENNIFER
You need a hard knock, you mean.
WAYNE
It's no problem, Billy's an artist and things get tense on the set. Isn't that right, Ray?
JENNIFER
This isn't a set, it's fucking life! It's not a set!
Billy gets a little deflated.
BILLY
Well, it would be better if it was.
Billy heads outside.
CUT TO:
INT. CABIN (BILLY AND WAYNE'S ROOM) -- NIGHT
Billy is in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed, packing up.
BILLY
Well, Jennifer is leaving tomorrow, and Wayne says he's been asked to be a guest host on some cable show, so...I guess we're wrapping it up here.
(beat)
You know, I've been there before. Locations fall through, props fall through, FX fall through. Lead actors get busted or go into rehab. Somebody snorts the budget of the movie in one night. Every single project has its challenges.
He methodically works on his bags.
BILLY (CONT'D)
But, you know, there's always the next project.
(beat)
I'd like to say I'll never do another adult feature. But you never know. I'll go back to L.A., I'll see what's there.
(beat)
You know what, screw it, I'll go to New York again. People are making artistic statements out there. People care about things.
(beat)
I want to care about things.
Suddenly, a low, eerie HOWLING is heard.
Billy drops a tennis shoe. His face registers a strange mix of emotions, including elation and fear.
BILLY (CONT'D)
What the fuck was that?

Give me a yell at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.