How to not be a Movie Star

"I have to at least try! They're gonna butcher my whole M.O.!" Marinette exclaimed, slouched in her chair.

Tikki, Marinette's kwami, was standing on top of Marinette's computer screen with arms crossed.

"I haven't been in a movie before, but I'm pretty sure it's super time consuming," Tikki argued, "But you said you wanted to focus on designing during your summer break, plus, you won't have any time to be the real Ladybug! Do you even know how to act?"

Marinette sighed and looked at the ad on the computer again. It was an ad looking for actors and actresses to act in the upcoming superhero movie about Cat Noir and Ladybug. It was strange, because movies don't usually look for actors this way, but it caught Marinette's eye anyway.

"Technically, I won't be acting. I'm the real Ladybug, right? So all I have to do is be my normal self when I'm fighting crime. The only thing different it that I'm not actually fighting for real," Marinette looked up at her kwami, "It'll be fun! My designs aren't going anywhere anyways. They can wait."

Tikki sighed again, defeated, "Alright, I don't know why I was against this anyways."

Marinette smiled to herself, "Yay! I know I might not even get the part, but it's worth a sho-," She froze, looking at the computer screen with the ad still displayed, "Oh god! The auditions are today! Right now! We have to go!" Marinette got up and ran to get her bag and started to go downstairs.

"Where even are the auditions?" Tikki asked.

Marinette was already halfway down the stairs when she turned around and quickly went over to the computer, "It's at the park? That's weird. They must be really desperate for actors. Let's go!"

When Marinette finally got to the park, she knew the chances of her even getting to audition were slim. It was so unorganized that she didn't even know where to go and who to talk to. There were people crowded everywhere, and it didn't help that it was very hot outside. Marinette could already start to feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Alright everyone!" She heard someone say over what sounded like a megaphone, "I need all the actresses auditioning for Ladybug to go to the south end of the park," The man was interrupted by wannabe actresses screaming and pushing each other to get to their designated auditioning spot and hopefully get a reasonable spot on line. The man waited until people calmed down to speak again, "And the actors auditioning for Cat Noir, please go to the north end of the park." The wannabe actors had the same reaction as the actresses as they pushed and shoved to get on line.

Marinette was able to get a decent spot on line, but knew she'd be there for a while. She looked towards the front of the line and was able to see her classmate, Chloe was the first person to go up. 'I wouldn't have expected anyone else to be up there,' thought Marinette. She took out her phone and was able to keep herself entertained for a few hours until she got to the front of the line.

"Next!" Screeched a grumpy looking young man sitting at a table with his Macbook Pro in front of him. Marinette stood in front of him for a few quiet seconds until he spoke again, "Well? There's a script on that chair next to you. Pick a few lines from it, I don't care which ones," he said, not looking up from his laptop.

Marinette took a few seconds to compose herself, picked up the script and looked at it. 'Okay then, Mr. Grumpy,' she thought, 'It's just like what I always do, except I don't need to come up with my own lines this time,' she reassured herself.

It took a few words into the script for her to get in the groove, but when she did, she thought she saw Mr. Grumpy look up from his computer for a second.

"Alright, that's all!" Mr. Grumpy interrupted after a few paragraphs, "Write your name and email on that paper over there. You'll get an email within 24 hours letting you know if you got on the callback list."

Marinette quickly walked over to Mr. Grumpy's table and wrote down her name and email. She looked at him and tried to offer a smile, but he didn't look up from his Macbook.

"Thank yo-"

"Next!"

"Ugh! We should have gone together!" Marinette said to her best friend Alya, who was on FaceTime.

"I know! I was so bored waiting on line!" Alya replied, "Do you think you'll get a part?"

"Fat chance, but it was worth a shot. I didn't even know auditions were today and that was my first time acting ever! I think that guy, Mr. Grumpy I call him, could tell."

"I'm sure you did your best. I'm just hoping for a part as an extra if I'm lucky."

"Wouldn't that be cool if we were on together? Oh! Guess who I saw at the very front of the line? I'll give you a hint, her name rhymes with Smloe,"

"Ugh, I wouldn't have expected anyone else to be able to be first in line,"

"I know, right? She was probably the one to put Mr. Grumpy in his grumpy mood," Joked Marinette.

Alya laughed along and they talked via FaceTime to each other for a few more hours until they got tired and decided to end the call and go to bed.

Marinette wished her kwami a goodnight and went to bed wondering if she was actually going to get a part in the movie that was about her alter ego.

Before anyone says it would never happen, the first time I have ever acted was during an audition when I was in high school and I got the part. I know it's clearly not the same as auditioning for a real movie, but hey, it's possible.

Thanks