Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

Matt Stone looked irritably at Tobias O'Brien. It was bad enough that their flight from LA to London had been unexpectedly delayed by three hours. Now, they had been waiting for nearly half an hour and still hadn't gotten a meeting with Troy Armitage.

"Well?" he asked. "When can we see that boy?"

Tobias raised an eyebrow. "You mean the same boy who made your life so difficult with one video that Comedy Central had to release an apology and promise never to air that middle segment of the episode again? The same boy who made you take a 12-hour flight to come apologize to him in person?"

"We had to come to London for another project," Trey Parker defended himself. "We're not here for the apology."

"Of course, you 'had to,'" Tobias snarked. "Just like you just 'had to' make a joke about a minor."

"We didn't—" Matt began heatedly, before stopping himself. It wasn't worth arguing with some lowly assistant who was probably part of that same condom army that had terrorized them with calls and messages.

"When can we meet him?" Trey asked when Matt didn't continue.

Tobias gave the duo a highly judgmental look before shaking his head. "You can't. At least not right now. He's shooting a very important scene today and doesn't want to be disturbed. You can wait until it's over, which will take a few hours, or you can meet later this evening at his home."

Tobias hesitated before adding, "I'd suggest you not do the latter. His mother isn't a big fan of yours at the moment, and she can be a little… temperamental."

Matt and Trey exchanged a look before Matt said, "Fine. We'll wait for him to finish filming."

Tobias nodded before tilting his head toward the door leading to the shooting area. "Go ahead, then. Just be quiet and don't disturb anyone."

Matt rolled his eyes at the condescending tone of Troy's assistant but did as told.

Tobias showed Matt and Trey to a viewing corner of sorts, where a few more crew members were watching the ongoing shoot of [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix].

"Have you seen the first four movies?" Trey whispered so only Matt could hear him.

"No, have you?"

"Of course, I have," Trey said indignantly. "Remember that one time I suggested making an episode about Harry Potter? Do you think I'd do it without watching them?"

Matt nodded slowly, remembering that moment. Before he could say anything else, everyone around them went quiet. The reason became apparent a few moments later when the shooting began.

"Action!" Rian Johnson, the director of the current Harry Potter movie, announced, keeping a measured gaze on the scene unfolding in front of everyone.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, Harry?" As the villain, Ralph Fiennes said in a silkily soft voice from out of the frame. "You have to mean it. She killed him. She deserves it."

Then he stepped into the frame and circled Troy, but the boy kept his gaze fixed on Helena Bonham Carter before him as if he couldn't see the big baddy.

"You know the spell, Harry," Ralph Fiennes hissed. "It's just two words. The same ones your parents heard during their last breath."

Troy turned around in an unbridled rage and pointed his wand at Fiennes, only for the older man to wave a hand dismissively, sending the wand clattering to the floor.

"Is that all you've got?" he grinned. "Dumbledore would be disappointed in you." He moved around lazily, looking at Troy with pity. "I can see in your pathetic mind that you've already smashed my prophecy. Such a shame. I guess you have no use left to me alive." He pointed his wand at Harry and immediately shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Troy didn't react much, but he didn't have to, because a green-clad man walked between Troy and Fiennes. Not even an inch of his skin or hair was visible. Most likely, some CGI would be added to the scene to change the green man into something else.

"They'll add a statue to it," some nearby crew member noted idly. "Just as in the book."

Troy and Fiennes turned in unison toward a man who had been absent from the scene until now. Michael Gambon may have been an old man, but he had a commanding screen presence. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen; all that was left was determination.

"It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom," Gambon said in a grave voice. "The Aurors are on their way."

"By which time, I shall be gone, and you shall be dead," Fiennes announced before jerking his wand around.

Michael Gambon, in his eccentric wizard robes, and a bald Ralph Fiennes started fighting with all their might, attacking each other with invisible spells. It was strange to see an old man like Gambon move with such agility. Ralph Fiennes was also a sight to behold. Matt had no idea who these two guys were supposed to be since he had neither read the books nor seen the earlier movies, but if he had to guess, this would be similar to the fight between Saruman and Gandalf. And seeing Gambon shielding Troy Armitage from harm behind him, it didn't take a genius to guess who was Gandalf.

Troy (playing the stupid teenager that he was in real life as well) would usually step closer to the fight every few minutes, only for Michael Gambon to send a minor attack his way to keep him out of harm's way.

Despite the multiple takes and camera angles required to shoot such an action-heavy scene, the filming was surprisingly entertaining and not as boring as Matt had expected it to be. While he had been in showbiz for quite a while, he had never seen the shooting of a full-blown action movie with as much CGI as this one was expected to have.

Finally, after more than two hours, the director seemed happy enough with the scene to move on to something less action-oriented.

As soon as the word "Action" was heard, Troy Armitage became the center of attention for everyone. He took a few steps back, as if in shock, before falling to his knees.

"Harry!" Gambon cried out in concern as he stepped closer to the boy.

Troy looked up at the old man with absolute loathing in his eyes. Matt was taken aback by that expression. He had never seen someone as jovial as Troy convey such a vile reaction, even for a fleeting moment.

"You've lost, old man," Troy hissed, his voice eerily reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes. "You may as well kill us both now and save yourself the trouble later."

It didn't take much to realize that Troy's character was being possessed by the bad guy.

Matt turned to his partner with wide eyes and silently pointed toward Troy, not wanting to disrupt the masterclass of acting unfolding before them. Trey, however, wasn't even looking at him. He, along with the rest of the crew, was frozen in stunned silence, mesmerized by Troy's flawless portrayal of another character consumed by hatred. It was the kind of performance seasoned actors took decades to master, yet Troy, a teenager, was delivering it effortlessly.

"Harry," Gambon said softly, his tone filled with care. "You have to fight him. You're stronger than he ever will be."

Troy writhed on the floor as though revolting against the man's words. His expression shifted seamlessly between sadness, pain, determination, and rage. Each moment was a different expression, showing the conflicting natures of the two characters fighting for dominance—an impressive feat that would be nearly impossible for a novice actor.

At that moment, Emma Watson, Jamie Bell, and three other young actors Matt didn't recognize stepped into the frame behind Dumbledore.

Seeing the faces of his friends, Troy let out a guttural shout before declaring, "I feel pity for you, Tom, for you'll never have anyone to go back to if you're ever done with your worthless crusade."

He thrashed one final time, then turned sharply, his body shuddering to indicate the other man had ceased the possession.

Suddenly, Ralph Fiennes appeared standing over Troy, who lay motionless on the floor. "You're a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose everything," he sneered, raising his wand. Before he could utter another spell, a group of people in suits and official-looking attire burst onto the set, halting abruptly as their eyes landed on Fiennes.

"He's back!" one man exclaimed in despair as the camera zoomed in on his face.

"Cut!" Rian Johnson shouted, his voice filled with excitement. Without wasting a moment, he sprinted toward Troy, who had risen to his feet, and enveloped the young actor in a tight hug. "Thank you, Troy. Thank you so much. You just gave me my movie."

The cast and crew erupted into applause, their admiration for Troy evident. Not wanting to be left out, Matt and Trey joined in, clapping for what was undoubtedly one of the most captivating performances Matt had ever witnessed live.

Troy simply bowed his head in acknowledgment, not bothering to say anything, which was understandable, given the intense emotions actors often experience after such a challenging scene.

"We're done for the day, everyone," Rian Johnson announced once the applause had subsided. "Let's wrap up and pick this up tomorrow."

As the crew began packing up their equipment, Matt and Trey made a beeline toward Troy, who was surrounded by a crowd of actors.

"I'm not joking," Ralph Fiennes was saying. "That was one of the finest performances I have ever seen. It's such a shame you won't even get an Oscar nomination for it because of the genre of the movie, let alone a win."

Troy shrugged. "I don't worry too much about Oscars."

Michael Gambon chuckled, patting the young man on the back. "That's because you already have one. When you're as old as I am—or even Ralph here—that's all you'll think about."

Troy nodded, not bothering with false modesty. He started to reply but noticed Matt and Trey standing nearby. Excusing himself from the older actors, he walked over to the duo, a grin spreading across his face.

"Hey, you guys! Why didn't you come to meet me earlier? Tobias said something about you wanting to watch the shoot? That doesn't make much sense."

Matt closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to compose himself. That assistant is dead.

"I'll kill your assistant the next time I see him," Trey said, voicing Matt's inner thoughts. "But never mind that—I have to say, you were incredible today. That was the best live performance I've seen in a long time."

"Thank you," Troy replied sincerely, his expression turning mischievous. "Are you sure you're not just saying that because you're afraid I'll kick your ass with my judo skills?"

Trey and Matt burst out laughing before Matt added, "No, Trey's right. Honestly, I used to think you were an overhyped kid, but today, I see why every director bends over backward to work with you."

"You hadn't seen any of my films until now?" Troy asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"I've only seen [The Sixth Sense]," Matt admitted. "In fact, we were there in the auditorium when you won the Oscar for it."

Troy's eyes widened comically as he pieced it together. "I remember you! You were the guys who wore dresses to the Oscars."

"Guilty," Matt said, raising his palms in mock surrender. "In our defense, it sounded like a good idea at the time."

Troy chuckled but quickly became more serious. "So, why are you guys really here? I know you wouldn't be here to apologize. That's not your style."

"You're correct," Matt said, his tone shifting. "We're here to tell you that what you did wasn't cool at all. It's one thing to poke fun at someone—it's another to publicly share their phone number."

Troy nodded once. "I understand. If someone leaked my phone number, I'd be pissed too. But just so we're clear, if you pull a stunt like that again, I'll make sure to leak your new numbers as well."

Matt opened his mouth, ready to snap back, but Trey interjected, "Why? I thought you were a reasonable person. Can't you take a joke?"

"It's not about a joke," Troy said, his tone serious. "I wouldn't have cared if you'd done something like your bit on Russell Crowe, painting me as angry or unreasonable. But you crossed a line with that middle segment. It was wrong on so many levels."

"We understand that," Matt began, only to be cut off.

"No, you don't," Troy said firmly, shaking his head. "I was at home, in my bathtub, alone. That woman held me at gunpoint and demanded sex. She almost killed my dog. I barely survived with my life and my dignity intact. She's in prison now for the next thirty years, but people who don't know the full story, people who've only seen your show will think it was all my fault.

"Tell me, Matt, Trey, was it my fault that a grown woman attacked me? Would you have made the same episode if I were a girl and the attacker was a man? I doubt it. Because like most people in Hollywood, you have double standards."

Trey hesitated before asking, "Then why didn't you sue us? That's the legal way to handle things. What you did was immature and childish."

Troy's eyes narrowed. "I didn't sue you for the same reason you didn't ask my permission before making that episode," he shot back. "And because suing you would've taken months, maybe years. Meanwhile, the damage to my reputation would've been done."

Matt glanced at Trey, who remained silent. Troy's points landed with undeniable weight.

"I know I'm right," Troy continued, his voice steady with conviction. "I could've won in court. My lawyers were confident about it. But even if there was a one-percent chance you came out on top, it would've set a bad precedent. I needed a solution that was quick, effective, and impossible to ignore. I wanted the world to know that if you fuck with me, I'll fuck you right back so hard you won't be able to walk straight for days. Maybe it was childish and immature, but guess what? I am a child technically, unlike someone else."

After giving the two highly judgmental looks, Troy turned on his heel and started walking away. Then he paused, his back still to them, and added, "I love most of your work and I wouldn't be opposed to working with you in future. But I won't just stop at releasing your numbers if you try to pull shit like that again. Consider yourselves warned."

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