America 1987

Chapter 1 Catherine Zeta-Jones

1987, London's West End, the Royal Theatre on Trulli Street.

London's West End is the heart of London's entertainment and theater district, and is considered one of the world's two major musical theater centers, alongside New York's Broadway.

The Royal Theatre on Trulli Street is one of the most historically significant, legally recognized, and architecturally top-tier theatres in London's West End.

Classic musicals such as My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon, and 42nd Street often premiere or have long-term residencies here.

One Sunday afternoon, the play "42nd Street" had just finished its run at the theater.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that this classic musical has been performed since its premiere on August 8, 1984.

Even the most classic drama will become tiresome if watched too many times, and will lead to mental and physical exhaustion if performed too many times.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a prime example.

She happened to arrive in London in 1984 and then joined the theater company.

If nothing unexpected happens, she will likely start as a corps de ballet dancer and gradually build up her experience. It will take at least 3 to 5 years before she has a chance to compete for a lead role.

However, she was lucky. In one performance, the actress playing the female lead was unable to perform due to illness, and she got the opportunity to temporarily replace her because she had won the All England Tap Dance Championship when she was 12 years old.

Because of her outstanding performance, the producer decided to officially let her take over as the female lead.

Fate can be so amazing sometimes!

"42nd Street" tells the story of Peggy Sawyer, a girl from a small town in Pennsylvania, who comes to Broadway in New York during the Great Depression and joins a musical chorus as a dancer.

Then, before the premiere, the big star Dorothy Bullock was injured during a rehearsal and urgently needed a replacement.

Peggy stood out from the ensemble dancers, spent 36 hours learning songs and dances, and finally shone brightly in her Broadway debut, becoming an overnight sensation.

Although she didn't become famous overnight like in the play, she has gained a certain degree of recognition in the West End theater circle after more than two years of continuous exposure.

Catherine is currently considering how to transition from musicals to film and television.

Back in her private dressing room, she sat in front of the vanity mirror, removing her makeup while deep in thought.

The UK's public broadcasting system (BBC, ITV) and the West End theatre scene are interconnected.

Many musical theatre actors can gain their first screen exposure through television series and then gradually enter the film industry; moreover, European co-productions often involve cross-border casting, which has specific requirements for actors' English accents and stage presence.

A West End training background can often be an advantage in these situations. She earned her Actors Guild membership at 15, officially joining the British Actors Guild system; perhaps she should proactively submit her application and audition?

"Bang bang bang..."

A knock on the door interrupted Catherine's thoughts.

"The door's unlocked, come on in, Amy."

"Cathy, why are you taking so long to remove your makeup?"

A blonde girl walked in, complaining.

"We agreed to go see the handsome guy together; Top Gun is about to leave theaters."

The girl casually found a seat and sat down. It was clear the two had a good relationship. "I'm also thinking of seeing if Tom Cruise is as handsome as Leah and the others said."

"Sory, I was so engrossed in thinking about something just now. What time is it? Is it too late?"

Catherine quickly finished removing the rest of her makeup and then got up from her seat.

"There's still time, just don't think about anything while you're changing clothes."

Emily looked at Catherine, who was still wearing her sweat-soaked costume, and said helplessly.

"Otherwise, when you go in to change your clothes later, I'll peek through the crack in the door that won't close and keep watching you."

"Hmm? That won't do. My sexual orientation is perfectly normal, and besides..."

Hearing this, Catherine poked her head out and smiled before closing the door, "You're not my type either."

Tom Cruise's breakthrough film, Top Gun, premiered in the UK on October 3, 1986. Normally, a movie should be taken off the screen after one or two months.

However, Top Gun was the highest-grossing film worldwide that year, and it also performed very well in the UK market, so it stayed on the big screen for almost half a year before gradually being taken off the screens.

It's worth mentioning that because the film contained a small amount of profanity and some sex scenes, the British BBFC rated it 15 (restricted), meaning that viewers under the age of 15 were prohibited from watching it, regardless of whether they were accompanied by an adult.

and so……

"Oh damn, Amy, it's all your fault, I almost couldn't get into the movie theater."

After watching the movie, back at her rented room near the Royal Theatre on Truro Street, Catherine struggled for a while to find the right key and open the door because it was so dark. She complained as she went inside.

"Sorry, Cathy, it was my fault this time. I shouldn't have rushed you so much."

Emily grabbed Catherine's arm and shook it ingratiatingly.

"It's a good thing you got your driver's license, otherwise that old-fashioned guy definitely wouldn't have let you in."

It turned out that after Catherine changed her clothes in the dressing room, Emily pushed her to leave as soon as she came out, causing her to leave her ID card, which could prove her age, in the dressing room.

Luckily, she got her driver's license last year when she just turned 17, and she usually keeps it in the car without taking it out, otherwise...

"That gatekeeper is so inflexible. I've already told him you were born on September 25, 1969, and you're well over 15 years old, but he just won't believe me and insists we produce proof..."

From the moment she sat down on the sofa, Emily kept grumbling about the doorman at the movie theater entrance who was responsible for checking the age of the audience, as if she were talking about a despicable person who was trying to ruin their precious friendship.

"Bang."

The water glass made a dull thud as it was placed on the table. Catherine found a stool, sat down, and picked up the latest issue of the "Stage" newspaper to browse.

"You should drink some water. You were talking about Tom Cruise in the car, and now you're talking about the movie theater doorman. You haven't stopped talking since the movie ended."

"Oh right, why didn't you react at all after watching the movie? TC is so handsome, and his smile is so warm..."

After taking a sip of water to moisten her throat, Emily held the water glass in both hands and started chattering away with a lovesick expression.

"Huh, why is this newspaper saying it's a U.S. Navy recruitment video?"

"The plot is indeed a bit too simple," Catherine glanced at Emily from behind the newspaper and saw that she had also picked up a newspaper on the table to read, but it was The Times, which has a special film review section.

"Furthermore, the female lead, Charlie, is too functional; her character is too one-dimensional and serves entirely to facilitate the Lone Ranger's romantic storyline..."

When the topic turned to movies, Catherine suddenly became very expressive. She hadn't mentioned it on the way there because she had just gotten her driver's license and wasn't yet a skilled driver, so she didn't want to be distracted by talking to Emily.

"But when we left the movie theater, I heard quite a few men talking about her, and... that poster of her back-to-back with TC was really nice too."

"It won't happen after the movie leaves theaters," Catherine said, fiddling with a strand of her hair. "The lifespan of this kind of 'pretty face' leading lady is very short. If Kelly McGillis can't quickly transform herself while she's still popular, she'll fade into obscurity as she gets older."

"Um?"

Catherine's words prompted Emily to think. She ran into the room without even putting on her shoes, and then slowly unrolled the poster that had been rolled up into a tube as she came out.

"Kelly McGillis...she's already 29, isn't she?"

"This is already very young. Most actors only become famous once in their entire lives. I would be very satisfied if I could become this famous when I was 29."

Catherine also came over. The poster showed the actors' personal information: Tom Cruise was born in 62 and was 24 years old when the movie was released last year; Kelly McGillis was born in 57 and was 29 years old when the movie was released.

"Dingding————"

A mechanical brass bell, typical of traditional rotary dial phones, interrupted their discussion.

"Feed?"

Catherine picked up the microphone.

"It's me, Anne, it's Cathy."

"Going to the US for an audition? Or a movie audition?"

"Okay, I understand. I'll be there on time."

Emily watched as Cathy's expression shifted from indifference to disbelief and then to elation.

Most importantly, after hanging up the phone, she actually opened the door and ran out.

"Hey, Cathy! Where are you going?"

"Get the email."

Catherine pulled a mail package wrapped in a brown paper envelope from under the doormat outside the door.

"Annie asked me to go to Los Angeles at the beginning of next month for a movie audition."

After closing the door, Catherine took a letter opener from the coffee table drawer in the living room and slowly cut along the edge of the seal.

"A movie? What movie?"

"The title seems to be something like 'Ghost Love Story,' and here's part of the script that Annie mailed over."