better with his clothes on, if possible: frayed white knee-length denim shorts and a faded blue Penguin shirt. Even his bare feet are beautiful. Most men’s feet are not their best feature, but Luther’s are lovely.I’m suddenly abashed again when I compare his lean, bronzed limbs to my pallid body. Why didn’t I get a pedicure, like Ruth suggested? I discreetly put the T-shirt back on, pulling it down over my thighs.
‘So what brings you up here?’ he asks. ‘Were you maxed out on movie talk?’
‘Not at all.’ I don’t want to sound rude. ‘I’m just enjoying the view.’
‘It’s so peaceful after Rome. It was a toughshoot.’ He closes his eyes briefly. ‘I mean it’s a fun romantic comedy, but you’re doing it in the shadow of a huge classic. And there were some restrictions on the locations, so we had to shoot at odd hours – it was pretty exhausting.’
‘Oh, gosh, of course. Did you – think it went well?’ I feel uncertain asking him about his craft.
‘I hope so. She’s a tough director, though. Sometimes, in thebigger scenes, we’d have to do thirty takes one after the other, without being told why, and then sometimes when it was just me and Natasha, she’d only let us have one.’
I nod, thinking I’ll have to get a handle on all this acting talk if I’m to bond with him.
‘And it’s been kind of non-stop – a couple of other people from the cast were here last weekend, and with Annabel still here, it’s almostlike I’m still on set.’
‘Oh! So there was a group of you?’ I’m pleased to know that Annabel didn’t get a special invitation.
‘Yeah, Annabel’s stayed on. She’s a good kid. I like British girls.’ He glances at me, half smiling. Wow. Is he flirting with me? I must just be imagining it.
‘Anyway, we had fun. There were some dance scenes; that was interesting to do. It’s a while since I did any ofthose.’
‘Of course! I know! I loved you in Fever ,’ I say sincerely. ‘I am such a big fan of dance movies, and I think it’s one of the best. You were amazing in it.’
He looks very pleased.
‘Yeah?’ he says. ‘Thanks.’
‘There are such great social undercurrents in it. Like, when all the couples are lining up after the formal dance, and the principal won’t shake your hand . . . that was so moving,and such a terrible indictment of society in those days.’ I shake my head, realising, as I do, that the champagne is going to my head.
‘It’s interesting you should say that. You know, something a lot like that happened to me in high school,’ he says.
‘Really?’ I’m enthralled. This is more like it: personal reminiscences! I sit up, and tuck my legs under me, tugging the hem of the suit down asI do.
‘Yeah. I had this real ass of a principal . . . I was going to be in the school play, which was Our Town , and the week before I got busted with a buddy who had some weed on him. We weren’t even on school property – we were just outside in his car. But anyway, we got caught – I didn’t have anything on me but they claimed he was selling it to me.There was a huge row and the principal – MrSpelling, can you believe that was his name – wanted me suspended and out of the play.’
‘What happened?’
‘The drama teacher said it was impossible because there wasn’t an understudy, so he let me be in the play. But, if you’ll believe this, he wouldn’t let me take the curtain call.’
‘No!’
‘Sure thing. The rest of the cast came out and took their bow and everything, but I had to stay backstagein the naughty corner.’ He swigs some champagne. ‘I didn’t give a damn but my mom and grandma were in the audience, and I felt bad for them. People were talking about me and what happened, this nosy neighbour lady gave them a hard time . . . it was such bullshit.’
‘So what were you doing while they were taking their bows?’
He grins. ‘I was backstage getting high!’
I can’t help laughing at this;the
‘So what brings you up here?’ he asks. ‘Were you maxed out on movie talk?’
‘Not at all.’ I don’t want to sound rude. ‘I’m just enjoying the view.’
‘It’s so peaceful after Rome. It was a toughshoot.’ He closes his eyes briefly. ‘I mean it’s a fun romantic comedy, but you’re doing it in the shadow of a huge classic. And there were some restrictions on the locations, so we had to shoot at odd hours – it was pretty exhausting.’
‘Oh, gosh, of course. Did you – think it went well?’ I feel uncertain asking him about his craft.
‘I hope so. She’s a tough director, though. Sometimes, in thebigger scenes, we’d have to do thirty takes one after the other, without being told why, and then sometimes when it was just me and Natasha, she’d only let us have one.’
I nod, thinking I’ll have to get a handle on all this acting talk if I’m to bond with him.
‘And it’s been kind of non-stop – a couple of other people from the cast were here last weekend, and with Annabel still here, it’s almostlike I’m still on set.’
‘Oh! So there was a group of you?’ I’m pleased to know that Annabel didn’t get a special invitation.
‘Yeah, Annabel’s stayed on. She’s a good kid. I like British girls.’ He glances at me, half smiling. Wow. Is he flirting with me? I must just be imagining it.
‘Anyway, we had fun. There were some dance scenes; that was interesting to do. It’s a while since I did any ofthose.’
‘Of course! I know! I loved you in Fever ,’ I say sincerely. ‘I am such a big fan of dance movies, and I think it’s one of the best. You were amazing in it.’
He looks very pleased.
‘Yeah?’ he says. ‘Thanks.’
‘There are such great social undercurrents in it. Like, when all the couples are lining up after the formal dance, and the principal won’t shake your hand . . . that was so moving,and such a terrible indictment of society in those days.’ I shake my head, realising, as I do, that the champagne is going to my head.
‘It’s interesting you should say that. You know, something a lot like that happened to me in high school,’ he says.
‘Really?’ I’m enthralled. This is more like it: personal reminiscences! I sit up, and tuck my legs under me, tugging the hem of the suit down asI do.
‘Yeah. I had this real ass of a principal . . . I was going to be in the school play, which was Our Town , and the week before I got busted with a buddy who had some weed on him. We weren’t even on school property – we were just outside in his car. But anyway, we got caught – I didn’t have anything on me but they claimed he was selling it to me.There was a huge row and the principal – MrSpelling, can you believe that was his name – wanted me suspended and out of the play.’
‘What happened?’
‘The drama teacher said it was impossible because there wasn’t an understudy, so he let me be in the play. But, if you’ll believe this, he wouldn’t let me take the curtain call.’
‘No!’
‘Sure thing. The rest of the cast came out and took their bow and everything, but I had to stay backstagein the naughty corner.’ He swigs some champagne. ‘I didn’t give a damn but my mom and grandma were in the audience, and I felt bad for them. People were talking about me and what happened, this nosy neighbour lady gave them a hard time . . . it was such bullshit.’
‘So what were you doing while they were taking their bows?’
He grins. ‘I was backstage getting high!’
I can’t help laughing at this;the
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