Chapter 72 - A Star Among The Stars

"… Yes, yes, it's all right now. I'm sorry you were worried about me. I should have called you ... Thank you, it's very nice ..."

The doorbell drowned out any further words.

"Will you open?" Dominik asked silently.

Andrzej sighed and stood up. He didn't mind being a doorman. He was angry because it seemed that Śliwiński did not tell him everything. If Martha called him to ask how he was feeling, it means that it was really bad at the party. Shit, Dominik, why do you hide such things? You know I'm here for you.

A young man was standing in front of the gate with a bag over his shoulder. He looked completely like nobody in particular. Andrzej did not recognize his face.

"Yes? He asked over the intercom. He was convinced that it was a student looking for a lodge and he had mixed up the addresses."

„Maciej Werner to Mr. Śliwiński. We have an appointment."

"Oh yes, please come in."

Andrzej opened the door and went to meet him. Werner? So young? He looked younger than him and had already directed a movie? How is this possible?

"Good morning. I'm Andrzej Nowicki. Dominik is on the phone. It should be finished in a moment."

They went inside. The actor did not speak loudly, yet they managed to hear him say:

"… make it up to you. Is there any special place you would like to go?"

Perfect, Andrzej thought triumphantly. Marta couldn't have called at a better time. Even if the fact that they live in two seems suspicious to someone, Śliwiński very clearly arranges a date with a woman. Dominik gestured for him and Maciej Werner to wait until he finished the conversation and that it would not be long.

In fact, Dominik smiled into the phone and finished:

"Great, we'll work out the details. See you soon!"

He hung up the phone and looked at them both with a charming smile.

"Thank you for coming," he offered Werner his hand.

The director was as slim as Dominik, but he was barely lower than Andrzej. He looked even younger up close. He seemed no less passionate than the actor, who at that moment perfectly acted at ease and confident.

"No, no, Mr. Śliwiński, I'm grateful that you read my script. I didn't even dare to dream that you would invite me to a meeting."

The director gave the impression that he was speaking completely seriously. No wonder, if he was so young and had only one production to his credit, the participation of someone as famous and loved by viewers as Dominik would definitely help him achieve commercial success.

But since the actor himself wanted to star in this movie and needed to act somewhere as well, that wasn't a problem.

"The script made me laugh, and that doesn't happen often" Śliwiński politely informed.

"Really?" Werner's eyes flashed with enthusiasm. "I was afraid that maybe it wasn't your type of humor ..."

"Generally it isn't," Dominik invited him to sit down. "This story is different. Don't you think it's too bold for the Polish reality?"

"That's why I need you, Mt. Śliwiński. Besides… How did you like the character of my hero?"

"He's very interesting," the actor replied. Andrzej, who was already getting ready to leave, smiled to himself. Dominik did not show that he was really delighted with his hero and almost fell in love with him.

"I'm glad," Werner breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know if I can confess, but I made the hero with you in mind."

"O really?"

Andrzej was also interested in it, so he stopped with his hand on the door handle of Dominik's office and listened.

"You are an extremely talented actor, but some people only see you through the prism of your appearance, let's face it, you are one of the most beautiful men in history. Many people only see beauty. That's why my character is chimeric and neurotic, moving from subtlety to extreme emotional states. Only a really good actor, as I say, truly brilliant, will be up to the challenge. Do you agree with me, Mr. Nowicki?"

Andrzej looked at Werner, who was looking at him with a pleasant smile.

"Um? Yes," he admitted.

"And you support Mr. Śliwiński in this role?"

The question sounded like a request for support and the photographer felt a little awkward.

"I haven't read the script," he admitted. "I don't know much about the character either, but Dominik can handle anyone, I know for sure."

"So you don't know that the character we're talking about is a hired killer?"

Nowicki did not know. Now he tried to imagine a dark comedy with Śliwiński as a neurotic, chimeric contract killer. It could be… interesting.

"It makes no difference," he said as he thought. "For a good actor, there are no unplayable roles. Psychopath or saint, comedy or drama, Dominik has not failed in any production and will certainly not disappoint.

The director smiled radiantly.

"I knew it!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You are already imagining what Mr. Śliwiński will look like in this role, right? All viewers will think alike. The very idea of ​​casting someone so likeable in the presumably unpleasant role will provoke a large-scale discussion. Before the premiere, critics will argue with each other whether it was a good choice, and when they see the finished work, they will have no choice but to appreciate this brilliant creation."

"Hey, are you not pushing yourself too hard? You don't think that with one actor you will create a whole film and you will base success solely on him? There is such a thing as cinematography, music and… directing."

Werner didn't look offended.

"Grain to grain, Mr. Nowicki. You may not know me, but if I have a goal for myself, I won't rest before I reach it. And my goal is to make a movie that will go down in history. Patrycja Maj, Grzegorz Fieldorf and Artur Rubenstein have already confirmed their willingness to participate in the production."

Andrzej was familiar with these names. Patrycja Maj has partnered with Dominik in his latest film, which for almost three months has been in the first place of the most-watched cinema. Until recently, she was an icon of beauty for Nowicki, but now she was an icon, but a female beauty. Grzegorz Fieldorf received three prestigious international awards for his cinematography and Artur Rubenstein was considered a genius among composers. His music for the last Hollywood production sold better than the film itself.

"Impressive, really," he admitted.

"But they're all just background. I need you, Mr. Śliwiński, because the main character must be the center of this film, and I care a lot about you participating in my project."

The words sounded incredibly convincing. Andrzej saw how they found their way into Dominik's mind. Although he did not show it openly, Śliwiński was glad that someone was trying to get him to participate in the movie. He was afraid that he would not be able to do it without Marczak, and here, despite everything, the opportunity appeared by itself. Not only was it not just a niche movie, it was a production honored with world-famous names and he, Dominik Śliwiński, was to be a pearl among them, the icing on the cake.

"Then let's talk about the details," he suggested.

It's okay, thought Andrzej. It is very good.

"Gentlemen, forgive me," he murmured. "I'll take care of my work."

They no longer needed him, and as he quickly noticed, they no longer paid attention to him. For a moment he thought he should be offended by it. It was enough, however, that he looked at Dominik to make it pass. The actor was already in a completely different world, looking not at his guest, but at the vision of the film they had just started to create. He was busy, engaged and, above all, happy.

Andrzej smiled and closed the door behind him.

Now these two will be able to handle it for sure.

He sat down at the desk and turned on his laptop. Since his visit to the zoo, he hasn't had many opportunities to view the photos he took of Dominik. In fact, he had not even looked for such opportunities. The time at the actor's home, spent talking, watching movies, thinking how to help him get out of depression, talking, cooking, preparing for the party, talking, and recently also having sex, passed extremely quickly. Andrzej did not even have a chance to conduct a normal photo session. The photographs he had taken in the meantime were recorded rather on an ongoing basis, he had not yet cataloged them and had not even looked at them thoroughly.

While preparing the album, Andrzej will tell the story of Dominik. Not all, from the moment the actor started to stand on his own feet to his great success. It is true that Nowicki was still worried about him, but he believed that eventually the actor would stop being afraid and get the real happiness he deserved. Śliwiński's efforts could not go unanswered. Dominik was getting stronger and stronger and Andrzej just knew that he would soon be standing on his own.