Chapter Text
“I can’t believe I’m gonna miss it.”
Gwen looked at Joe with tenderness. She couldn’t help but feel that towards Joe who, despite being her same age, Gwen felt the need to hug and protect from whatever evil might be in the world. They had met just weeks ago and Gwen loved him as if he were her little brother. “It’s okay, you know. Brianna and Roger will understand.”
“They’ll think I’m an ungrateful son of a bitch!” Joe rolled his eyes. “It’s one of those one-in-a-million opportunities to get to know them better.”
“I have more fittings with costume,” Rami said with a sigh, clearly disappointed he was missing his opportunity of spending a whole weekend at the May-Taylor’s. “You guys have fun.”
“At least you two have real material,” Joe added and Gwen knew he was about to complain for the millionth time he wished John Deacon was as available as the May-Taylors were to talk to him and help him get the character right. “I’m stuck with YouTube videos.”
Ben patted Joe on the back. “C’mon, mate. Your accent is spot on.”
“Whatever. You’re gonna spend a whole weekend with Roger. At his house.”
“It’s just a weekend at his house.”
“Just a weekend at his house?” Joe asked, sarcastically. “I’d be shitting my pants if I were you.”
The rehearsals ended as Gwen had predicted: Joe kept on complaining bit more about the fact they were spending the weekend at the May-Taylor’s while Rami kept complaining about his lip-sync and Ben kept on checking his drums were well tuned.
She loved their rehearsals. It wasn’t not so long ago that she was sceptical about Rami and Joe, two Americans portraying two British men – and rockstars – and there they were, Joe looked as if he had grown up to be a bass player and Rami was definitely Freddie when on stage.
And there was also Ben.
“Gwen?”
“Sorry, yeah –“ Gwen placed Brianna May’s Red Special – the replica of course – into the case and turned to the blonde. “sorry, I was just… you were saying?”
Ben turned and watched both Rami and Joe already at the door, several feet from them. “Um, I was wondering if you’d like a lift tomorrow?”
“Oh.”
“I can drive us there.” Ben smiled. “Well, if you’d like to go with me, that’s it. I figured I could drive us since we don’t live far off each other and –“
“Yes,” Gwen took her bag and finally her jacket. When she stood up, she became too conscious of her height, being a bit taller than Ben, still felt somewhat awkward. “I’d like that very much, yes.”
The offer came unexpectedly.
As well as Brianna and Roger’s invitation.
Everything had been surreal ever since being casted as Brianna May-Taylor in the upcoming biopic. Getting the script, watching tons of videos on Youtube, trying to get Brianna May-Taylor’s facial expressions, mannerism, voice, accent.
She wasn’t portraying characters written by Shakespeare, she was portraying a rock legend, an astrophysicist, the woman who made history in the music world, one of the most interesting and talented women in the whole world.
Gwendolyn Lee was portraying Brianna May-Taylor, Queen’s guitarist.
Meeting Brianna for the first time was something Gwendolyn Lee – better known as Gwen to friends and family – had only experienced in her dreams. She remember vividly that afternoon when her older brother introduced her into a world where Queen existed. Gwen had found fascinating the fact that there was a band who were all boys except for the guitarist. That the guitarist was a woman in an all men’s band and that she toured the world with her kids, the kids she had with the drummer Roger Taylor blew her mind at the time.
She had only dreamt of ever meeting her and there was one afternoon Brianna May-Taylor giving her a replica of her Red Special – built for her – and receiving a lesson by the legend herself.
When the time to meet Roger Taylor finally came, Gwen felt her legs shaking as jelly, and her cheeks turning red the moment the drummer told her she was as beautiful as his Brianna and therefore perfect for the role.
“Has she already told you you’re more beautiful than she ever was?”
Gwen only nodded, still speechless. Everything felt so surreal, there was Roger Taylor taking her hand and telling her she was perfect for the role.
When she nodded, she watched the drummer shake his head. “You’re perfect to play my Bri. That’s why we chose you.”
That’s why we chose you.
Her agent had said the band had their own say the moment casting decisions had to be made. But Gwen had never before been told the very same Roger Taylor and Brianna May-Taylor had decided she was the best fit to play the guitarist.
For some weeks they’ve been rehearsing while going to fittings with costume, as well as hair and make-up. Those long days have given her the chance to meet her fellow actors and they had already bonded through songs, cups of coffee in between rehearsals and some pints afterwards.
Gwen had grown closer to Joe, who she believed was the cutest man she had ever met. He was extremely funny and talkative and sometimes they spent hours and hours exchanging texts and jokes. Rami, compared to Joe, was quieter but no less friendly.
Ben was also amazing. A few years younger than her, Gwen had her own reservations when it came to men who were under 30 – but there was a special chemistry between the two of them that made rehearsals the best part of her day.
She was glad they became friends. She believed she trusted him when she struggled with her guitar lessons. Ben was always there to help her when they rehearsed and Gwen thought that was important since both were playing husband and wife and when it came to portraying the May-Taylors, both knew they had to live up to expectations since they were playing one of the most powerful couples in the music world.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow then.” Ben opened the door of the studio for her.
Gwen smiled. “Thanks, Ben. See you tomorrow.”
…
“Hope you don’t mind,” Ben said as they started listening to Hammer to Fall in his car. “but I really need to get those drums.”
“Not at all.”
“How are those guitar lessons going on?”
“It’s okay, I guess.” Gwen sighed. “I’m never gonna be as good as her, but I plan on making her justice.”
Silence fell upon them. After Hammer to Fall, the playlist continued and they listened to Under Pressure, Killer Queen, and Somebody to Love. Both shared interesting facts they had come across while doing their research. For instance, Ben knew there was some rivalry hidden behind Under Pressure between Freddie and David Bowie. Gwen commented on the fact Somebody to Love was Freddie’s mother’s favourite song.
When 39 started playing, Gwen felt her head spinning for a moment.
“Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Could you pull over?”
“What? You feeling sick?”
Ben immediately turned to her and did as he was asked to. His first fear was that Gwen was going to be sick, but she only exited his car and leaned on the door, her eyes on the road, the cars passing them by.
“Gwen? You okay?”
“I haven’t slept a wink,” Gwen finally admitted, running both hands over her face. “I’m nervous.”
“I’m nervous too,” Ben admitted. “But we’ve met ‘em before, right? They’re nice. Just want to meet us and maybe tell us something important for our parts.”
Gwen nodded. Ben was right. They had been more than nice. Brianna had gifted her a replica of her Red Special and gave her a private lesson. Roger, as much as Gwen knew, had also given Ben a gift, a pair of drumsticks, signed by him, of course.
However, as she studied the script, she found a more and more complex character. Brianna May-Taylor wasn’t only Queen’s guitarist. Brianna was one of the forces behind Queen, behind Freddie. She was a woman who challenged gender expectations during her youth and played in an all-men’s band and made history in Live Aid, the greatest rock concerts that will ever exist.
“I don’t want to fuck this up.”
Ben frowned. “What d’you mean?”
“All this.” Gwen sighed. “What if I disappoint them?”
“You disappoint them?” Ben asked her as he came to lean against his car right next to her. He immediately took his box with cigarettes. “You mind?” When Gwen shook her head, he lit one and took a long drag. “If one of us is gonna fuck this up it’s me – I lied to get the part.”
Gwen looked at him and wished she smoked to ask him one. Maybe people were right and cigarettes really helped with nerves.
“I can’t play the drums.” Ben finally admitted.
Gwen said nothing for a moment. Her mind was on the long afternoons rehearsing, Ben tuning his tombs and complaining when they were not the way they were supposed to be. He could even perform one of Roger’s famous solos and Gwen believed he was a real drummer.
“I learned one song for the audition. Been taking lessons ever since I was given the part.” Then, his eyes were not on Gwen, but on the road. “I don’t even look like Roger. Rami and Joe got the perfect accent. You are Brianna’s clone,” he chuckled, but his eyes looked sad. “Don’t know why I was given the role. You’re all great actors. You’ve done amazing things, Joe and Rami too. I’m just… a bloke with good abs. Guess Roger wanted someone to make him look good.”
“Hey, don’t say that, Ben.”
Ben lit yet another cigarette. “’S the truth. Always got parts only because of my body. My studies or acting skills were always irrelevant to all of them.” Ben sighed, his eyes not on Gwen but on his trainers. “That’s why I lied. I wanted this so hard – for myself. To prove ‘em wrong.”
“Roger and Brianna believe in you, trust me.” Gwen tried to reassure him. She took one of his hands and gave it a light squeeze. It was a reassuring thing, meant to calm Ben. But their hands remained linked for more time that Gwen had meant to. “You’re gonna be an amazing Roger Taylor.”
The blond’s eyes were on their hands. He looked up and winked at the Welsh lady standing next to him. “I won’t fuck it up. Cos you’re gonna be my Brianna May.”
Gwen blushed and she knew she was blushing because she felt her cheeks hot. She watched Ben discarding the last of his cigarette and taking his keys.
“Ready? We’re not that far.”