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8:30 AM
As with all press junkets one has to be amendable to speaking with multiple press members without drinking copious amounts of alcohol. This being said the director, Yakov Feltsman, was in serious need of several strong bottles of the strongest vodka the establishment owned. His new movie was to be out in the next couple of weeks and though usually this makes him elated it has been a very bizarre several months. He shouldn't be surprised as his two main actors -Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki- have had a severe impact on his original script.
He had worked on numerous projects before with Victor and though he had an aptitude to be a ridiculous sort of man, he was still a professional. The projects got done on time. There had been a scarce need to retake scene after scene. Production was smooth and while there were hiccups in the script there was nothing completely major. Victor was not the only one he should be blaming in all fairness.
The reputation of Yuuri Katsuki had been abundant in glowing reviews. Previous directors he had spoken with praising Katsuki to be shy but with a resolve for professionalism in every detail in his acting. Yakov knew he had a hit the second that Victor and Katsuki had their first scene together. It had been like watching a magic show and being a part of it at the same time.
He had, of course, ordered them to get to know one another so as to accommodate the vision he had had for the two actors. The movie was supposed to be about the evolution of soulmates in a utopian society where one is born already engaged with their perfect genetic match. A gritty and earthy look to what should have been pristine society. Only those two fools managed to fuck up every single scene.
The romantic tragedy became a romantic comedy in his opinion.
In hindsight it had been his fault for believing that that much chemistry would not come back to bite him in the ass. In his life he has admitted to a lot of mistakes. Errors in which looking back on it are laughable. Him ordering these two to "get to know one another" was one of said laughable errors. They would have done so without much ordering. They hadn't needed even a slight nudge. They attached themselves to each other like damn magnets. It took three weeks for them to become practically glued together.
Yakov snorted into his coffee.
He was currently sitting in front of the camera waiting for the interviews to commence. The wall behind him had the poster of the two lovers looking deeply into each other's eyes. Another thing they didn't need nudging on. Yakov had lost count how many times either of the idiots had walked into something because they were staring at one another. Victor walked right into the camera-man twice (Otabek had been given a much-needed raise after the second time since he fell and almost broke his skull but only suffered a minor concussion) when he wasn't supposed to be on set, while Katsuki had been doing one of the "ocean" scenes. He had never had to kick Victor off set before and he had done it twice within the span of two weeks when they were filming that particular scene.
A young lady with a clip board, presumably the coordinator he can't keep anything straight anymore, walked up to him, "Good morning Mr. Feltsman, we are almost ready with the first set of interviews. Is there anything I can get you?"
"Let's just get this started."
The sooner he was done with these press reviews the better.
9:00 AM
"Hello, Los Angeles! We are here today with director extraordinaire, Yakov Feltsman, discussing his new movie, The Opposites. A critically claimed movie already making rumors for several prestigious awards in the industry. The New York Times calling it the "best mix of romance and drama since the Notebook and Titanic." Mr. Feltsman, thank you for joining us today, please what was the inspiration for the wonderfully detailed monologs from both Victor Nikiforv and Yuuri Katsuki have throughout the movie?"
What Yakov wanted to say was: They did this on their own because neither of them have, a sensible, professional, bone in their body to follow the bloody script.
What Yakov actually said: "They are both wonderful improv actors. Often, they would lead one another back and forth on set. The chemistry between the two is explosive to the point I had no fear of losing film. They were both extremely professional."
In actuality, Yakov has about hundreds of hours' worth of wasted film and less hair than when he started filming. Victor would get an idea in his head and Katsuki would follow along without prompt. One particular scene they were supposed to be sitting down across from each other in an empty café discussing the possibility of their future together. The camera was supposed to follow them as they spoke intense written lines from two of the best writers in Hollywood, Yuri Plisetsky and Mila Babicheva. Yakov had imagined dramatic lighting and carefully worded analogies between two characters that had were on the brink of finding something worth denouncing all they knew.
Instead, Victor could not contain himself for very long sitting down and jumped on top of the table proclaiming his love for Katsuki at the top of his lungs. The lines were embellished and fluffed beyond the point of recognition from the original script.
Katsuki, not to be outdone, grabbed Victor swung him around, also disemboweling the lines from the script to proclaim his love for Victor. And to think other directors called him shy.
Mila had not minded half as much since the overall storyline was there. Yuri, or Yurio, as they had all taken to re-naming was not so pleased and said so. Quite loudly and repeatedly over the course of the months filming had taken place.
12:30 PM
"The popcorn is ready. The pillows are fluffed. It's time to join Ken and Bob at the Movies! We are here with the rumored to be the next big hit on the big screen. Rumor nominations of a bunch of different awards including Golden Globes and Academy Awards. The big man himself: Yakov Feltsman!"
The interveners chattered on about how much the two actors, Katsuki and Victor, can be found practically wrapped around one another all over California both while in production and now that the movie has come to a conclusion.
"They have been seen everywhere together. At cafes, dinners, the beach, holding hands and kissing! Where they like this on set?"
Yakov had to physically bite his tongue.
"From the moment the two had their first scene. They have been inseparable. I asked them to be. They were supposed to be playing two soulmates who finally found each other against all odds in a society where things like that were severely punished."
They were not supposed to be inseparable. Yakov only wanted to catch new/familiar love for his movie.
What Yakov got was gum in the shape of two people.
And while he has hundreds of hours' worth of sabotage from his two main characters in dialog. When reviewed about 50% of that footage is the two-swapping saliva. They got caught on almost every surface of the studio, against walls, tables, on top of props, and not so discreetly hidden behind props. Almost every single person involved in production had at least one picture of the two in some sort of compromising position. The make-up artists had to be on set at all times instead of just sporadically because the two kept smudging their make-up. At one point there was a hashtag, formed by his producer Phitchit Chulanont, #oppositescaught, with pictures from everyone who caught the two making out. Everyone else started posting their own pictures of the couple as well.
It trended on twitter for weeks from what he was told.
5:45 PM
"Good morning Sarasota! We are here with the wonderful Mr. Feltman director of the nominated movie for the 11 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globe Awards, 2 Critics Choice Movie Awards, and 5 People's Choice Awards. This movie is supposed to blow the Titanic out of the water! Thank you for being with us today."
Yakov at this point is ready to rip the remainder of his hair out of his skull. The damn reporters keep gushing about the film and Yakov is slowly going insane. He's getting too old for this.
"What would you say is the defining moment from these two throughout the film?" The reporter, so innocent and sweet, was asking all the questions Yakov did not want to answer.
"My personal favorite is the one where the two get violently separated by the authorities when they get caught. It showcases the two as fantastic actors. On set you could feel the tension, anger and resentment as they get pulled away," Yakov answered gruffly.
In reality that scene was their last scene together for the film. Of course, the two treated it as if they would never be able to see each other again. The only good thing that came out of that drama fest in Yakovs opinion was that it is actually the only thing that followed the script. Although they had to pay out a heavy sum since both Victor and Yuuri punched and kicked the actors that were playing the guards so hard three ended up with broken bones. The tears had been real as well as the curse words which were not originally in the script. Yurio had not minded those changes at all.
"Last question Mr. Feltsman," the reporter laughed.
Yakov grunted.
"Will there be a squeal for 'The Opposites' in the near future?"
Yakov flinched, "It really is a stand-alone film."
8:30 PM
The last reporter of the day had come and gone. Yakov felt completely drained. He had no more energy for questions that made him want to strangle his two stars. The movie which was supposed to be his crowning achievement as a director and is being talked about as if it is going to take all these prestigious awards when it was really just two fools in love. While the movie is not bad it's not good either. He did the best he could with the film he gathered at the end of the 8 months of production.
Ah, oh well, so long as the studio breaks even it shouldn't really matter all that much. In a couple of years no one will remember this movie. Hopefully.
He had moved from the press room to the bar as soon as possible. While to many it was too early to be drinking he was Russian and for him it was too late not to be drinking.
By now the press was watching the movie and wondering where the rumors came from about this grand marvelous movie that they were supposed to be watching. Probably wondering if they can cut and edit some of those interviews.
Yakov ordered a drink.
"Yakov! We've been looking everywhere for you!"
Yakov slammed his drink back and ordered another from the bartender.
Victor and Yuuri were both impeccably dressed, as they should be for the night, holding hands as always. Both with great big smiles on their faces. Although Yuuri's hair was slightly mused in the back while Victors was too short to notice if any mischief had gone on. Yakov would bet good money that there had been too much mischief for his only need to know brain. Those two shared too much.
Yakov grumbled some more, "How bad is it?"
The pair looked at each other having a tacit conversation before responding to him.
"Mr. Feltsman, everyone is wondering the same thing..." Katsuki softly responded.
Vitor smiled, "What is our next project together!"