The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

43

THERE WERE MANY OFFERS FROM well known producers, they all came in either calls or in person. I expected All Eyes On Us to get my name around the place again, but I did not expect it to completely blow my name up to all the producers and directors around the U.S.

I was still mad at the credits rolling in All Eyes On Us, how my name was still only Maeve Lively. It made me seem like I was trying to hide one part of me, trying to throw a part of me away. I haven't checked what they were saying about me back in China, and Cameron hasn't been back there for a while either. But I wasn't embarrassed about my heritage, and I wanted to make sure people knew that.

Right after All Eyes On Us hit the theaters, Klarise had to go on a tour in New Hampshire. I was hesitant on letting her go, you know when someone has once left you, there is a scar and it stays forever. I was afraid she'd leave and never come back. But while she had to leave, it was also a great time for me to deal with some other things.

I had always been curious about my specific ethnicity, I knew my father was some foreigner, but I wanted to know what else was in my blood. But that was it, I didn't care for the father I never knew. I know some people would care a lot, but if he didn't even know my existence; I don't want to bother either.

I did a test, and then sent the test I did to a company. A few days later, the results came back and Mason was behind my shoulder as I opened the envelope.

It wasn't that specific of a test, but what I did learn from it was this: I was 27% Eastern European, 13% Italian, 8% French, 48% East Asian, and 4% West Asian. I looked back over my shoulder, and Mason was smiling tiredly.

"Do you want to look for him?"

I glanced back at the paper in my hand. "No."

He inhales deeply and I can smell his cologne. "It wouldn't be easy, but I think it would be possible." Slowly, his fingers slipping off of my shoulder, he walked away. I watched his back as he did so, and it suddenly struck me that maybe he wanted to look for his parents. After all, he was an orphan, and it never occurred much to me that he would want to know them since they gave him up. I guess not everyone was like me.

I didn't wonder about my father, but what I did wonder about was my mother. Not as often as you might think, but I did. Wanting to be on screen had always been partly because of her, I wanted to show her that being onscreen was better than marrying a rich man. That being onscreen was better than the life she gave me, and it would be something she will forever regret that she judged it and said I'd be nothing. Still, I could sometimes hear her voice when I failed, and maybe that was also what kept me from messing up. Because I couldn't stand to hear her voice, when I did, it made me think about just how pitying my life actually was. No matter how glamorous things were becoming around me, when her voice came it did not matter. I was even so scared sometimes she'd come one day, toward me, and I'd be that small little girl again, and she'd drag me away back to the village, marry me off. For all I knew, I didn't want to marry anyone. No, I did want to marry someone, but not someone my mother was going to force me upon.

After doing that test, I became more aware how much it did matter that my full name wasn't there. People would think I am trying to hide the fact I'm also Chinese, but I wasn't. And I had enough of Hollywood trying to tell me what to do, I wanted to do me and I was going to do that.

So when one of the producers, Mr. Gallapher, a pretty young guy around my age at the time, came to me with an okay project, which I read the script of, I had a good sense of an idea it'll make me out of something. And when he said; "Anything you want, name a price, anything, and it'll be a deal."

"What about the audition?"

"You're Maeve Lively, the one night famous star! Why would I need an audition for you when I can get you to star in my movie already?"

Many producers and directors who came to me said something like that, but in their eyes I saw it as a flattery, they weren't real about it when they said I can ask for anything in return to star in their movie. Just something to make me sign the contracts, and if I wanted anything, I wanted my full name on the credits when the film rolled, and when that happens, I'm going to change my online search to both my Chinese name and English full name. No one was going to take away my identity other than I.

"Then I want my full name on there, Maeve Sun Lively. If you can do that, well, I might as well sign the contract."

It took him a moment, as he considered over on the phone call, but unlike most producers and directors in Hollywood, Juno Gallapher was a considerable man. He was still a starter then, had one film produced but didn't sell tickets, and he knew if I could star in his film, people would come and watch it. Not only because they wanted to get to know more of the suddenly famous actress, but also because people wanted the fresh things. And I was what you'd say the fresh thing at the time. Have you heard his name around the area? You should have, but it seems very unlikely. He is too underrated for his benefit, but let me tell you this: Juno Gallapher will not only become one of the best producers/directors in the area—even when most people took his credit or he let them—but he was also going to help in on Sun Lively. Which we'll get there soon.

"Alright then, deal?"

I smiled, "Deal."

A few days later, I had a contract signed and my full name was going to be there.

So that was what I did, while the few months Klarise went on tours and concerts, I shot my next film, while it didn't get me nominated or anything, it made my name heard. And I wasn't just the suddenly emerged star, I was Maeve Sun Lively, "America and China's First Daughter." And I wasn't going to disappear after being suddenly known like what had once happened back in China. I was here to stay famous, here to let people hear my name wherever they go. I was permanent.