Genevieve "Phoenix" Benali is a 22 year old film student at UCLA. When she gets the opportunity to join the crew of Infinity War, she catches the attention of one of the biggest stars on the planet.
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Michael to Phoenix.
The voice crackled through the earpiece attached to Phoenix's walkie-talkie, signaling that someone needed her.
"Go for Phoenix," she replied, pressing the button on her earpiece cord.
"Need more beef jerky in Chris' trailer before lunch."
She didn't even need to ask which Chris. It was ALWAYS Hemsworth. She had spent more time buying beef jerky for him than she cared to admit but she didn't mind. She had come up with a system, stocking up on beef jerky every Monday morning and making sure she had at least 2 bags in her backpack before the day started.
"On it," Phoenix said into the microphone, already bending down to unzip her mini black backpack. The bag's standout feature was a bold 3D printout of Darth Vader's iconic mask which always sparked conversation. She pulled out a fresh pack of beef jerky and placed it on the clipboard next to her Star Wars bag.
As Phoenix walked toward the trailers, she ran into a few cast members, offering hal-smiles to each without breaking her stride. She had rarely spoken to them, instead aiming to stay out of their way completely. However, Chris Hemsworth and Elizabeth Olsen quickly became the exception. Due to Chris' unusual obsession with beef jerky, they spoke more frequently. His humor coupled with a genuine kind spirit made him a favorite. Not just for Phoenix, for all the cast.
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@darthphoenix: Me any time someone sees my vegetarian ass carrying a bag of beef jerky 11:06am • 3/7/17 • Twitter for iPhone 41 Retweets 153 Likes
"Beef jerky delivery." Phoenix called, knocking on Chris's trailer door. He answered almost immediately, a huge smile on his lips.
"Thank you, Phoenix!" he said, taking the bag of jerky.
"Of course, Hemmy! Anything else you need?"
"Yeah. I need to know how your project is going." He spoke, referring to the final film project Phoenix had to complete to graduate.
One of the things she admired the most about Chris Hemsworth was the fact that he seemed to genuinely care about her and her well-being. He always took the time to chat with her about school, her short films, and her goals. His support and interest made her feel valued and appreciated in an industry that did not appreciate female filmmakers.
"Ehh... it's going." Phoenix shrugged. "I've got the whole script written and my crew is shaping up well... but I'm having a hard time casting for the lead. I mean, I've had some fantastic actresses come out but they just don't fit my vision."
"Oh yeah, that can be quite difficult." Hemsworth nodded, effortlessly pulling open his pack of jerky. "Honestly Phoenix, casting is almost always a gamble. You're not always gonna find the person you've been imagining in your head because they might not exist. Is your gut telling you to take a risk and wait or settle for now and hope for the best?"
"My gut is telling me I have no idea," she admitted with a laugh. "Thanks for the advice though, Hemmy. I really appreciate it."
"You should talk to Robert about this," he said between bites.
"Robert Downey Jr.?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how intimidating that man is to regular people?"
Hemsworth laughed. "He's not intimidating! You just think he is because you've never had a conversation with him. He'd genuinely be happy to help."
"If you say so," she said, unconvincingly as her phone vibrated in her hand.
Anthony Russo Shooting scenes with the GOTG in 10. Come join us.
"Duty calls," she said, raising her phone in the air. "Bye Hemmy."
"Bye Phoenix! Thanks for the jerky," he called after her.
"Robert Downey Jr., huh?" she muttered to herself as she made her way back to set. "As if I'm bothering the biggest star on the planet about a casting issue..."
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Phoenix spent the majority of her walk scrolling through Twitter absentmindedly, Hemsworth's words playing on repeat in her mind. She knew she couldn't keep pushing back the filming schedule for her film and needed to make a casting decision. Chris had told her to trust her gut but the problem was she had no idea what her gut was telling her.
"There she is!" Anthony Russo greeted as she arrived on set. "Some of the cast is hanging out tonight. Why don't you tag along?"
"The cast are hanging out. I'm CREW," Phoenix reminded. "I think I'll just head to my room, probably do some writing."
Anthony frowned. "You've gotta find that balance between work and play, Phoenix. Today has been a long day and you did some amazing work! Take a break!"
"A BREAK?"
"Yes, a break," he said, smiling. "Networking is a huge part of this experience. Please don't waste it."
"I hear you but these are million-dollar actors and actresses," she replied. "I don't want to annoy them by pitching while they're trying to kick back after a long day."
"Who said anything about pitching?" he asked. "You don't just automatically start with pitching. You get to know them. Talk about school, your favorite films, anything really... Once they know you're serious, every single one of them will be ecstatic to share their resources with you. They're just regular people, Phoenix."
"Regular people worth millions," she muttered. "I'm worth 10 cents and an expired krabby patty."
Anthony ignored her joke. "It's gonna be a long 4 months if you isolate yourself from the people you actually need to be speaking to. You know what? Tom is about your age. I know you two would hit it off."
She nodded in response. He had a point.
"Look, if you keep up this work ethic and make an effort to make more connections with the cast, Joe and I would love to bring you on for the next Avengers shoot in August. Not just as a PA either; in a more hands-on role," he said. "And who knows? If you impress the right people, maybe Jon Watts will consider you for the next Spider-Man movie after that. Play your role and you will have a shitload of jobs lined up."
"You are heaven-sent, Anthony," Phoenix grinned. "We STAN a king."
"We STAN a person who hangs out with the cast."
"Not quite the right context but we'll work on it." She laughed.
