Breakdown 2-8-24
AP- Dominic Teller issues statement regarding Hollywood Update article allegations, sent out by his agent Lisa Kagan:
“This article and accusation is nothing but an attempt to bring down my name just as this new project is gaining steam. Anyone who has to ask if any of it is based in reality, clearly doesn't really know me, and therefore the question doesn't deserve the dignity of being answered. Let's focus on the upcoming release of Agent: SEAL. Thank you.”
Neither Teller nor his wife Bree Lancaster could be reached for comment.
The statement Dom wrote for Lisa to release about the ugly article was originally much angrier in tone. But, as promised, Lisa edited the phrasing to make it more PR friendly. It reads fine, although I couldn't help but notice that there's no flat-out denial in the statement. I suppose that would be giving an answer he doesn't think he needs to give, but to me? It reads suspicious. I'm guessing some of the public will pick up on that, too.
I didn't see the statement until after I got home from Josh's. I was later than usual, as we'd lost track of time, and Heath was already three-quarters asleep. I didn't even bother changing his clothes, I just laid him in bed and let him sleep. I had a story in mind to tell Dom if he asked why I was late – that I got caught up talking to Amy about the news when I picked up Heath. But I didn't need to explain, as he wasn't home yet when I got in. He's been working long hours, twelve to fourteen hour days because the studio wants the rest of the episodes done by a certain date, which I think is the end of February.
In the meantime, I am becoming more and more comfortable with essentially living two lives. Covering myself. Telling little lies. It should scare me how easily I've gotten used to it, but it doesn't. It's just something I have to do, to have what I want. I know it's not sustainable, and eventually I'll have to make a hard choice. But I can't make myself do that now. Not yet. There are too many unknowns on the other side of that leap and I'm afraid of what I may find there.
The media hasn't let up one millimeter about the Hollywood Update article, not that I expected they would. They've decided that the woman Dom is allegedly sleeping with is Amanda Verot, his co-star. It's one hundred percent conjecture, because the article's source hasn't given any further information, and nothing has been said about the possible existence of any pictures. I haven't heard anything else from Lisa about it yet, so I'm starting to think that part at least is bullshit. I did finally got requests for comment, and I refused them all. I wouldn't let myself be quoted in print saying something that might turn out to be false – like that I didn't believe that woman and that Dom and I are fine.
We are not fine.
We haven't been fine since the day the article came out. Neither one of us has said anything about it, but there seems to be an agreement that neither one of us is really interested in bedroom activities other than sleep. In fact, he hasn't tried to so much as touch me since that day. Maybe he thinks I wouldn't be willing because the article put stupidity in my head. Or if there's any truth to it, maybe it's a guilty conscious. Either way, I am not asking, because honestly? I'm not sure I could go through with it, after the night at Josh's a little over a week ago where words were said that we can't take back. I have my own guilty conscious to deal with. But, it's not just the article throwing things off. I blame many things. My involvement with Josh. Dom's work and the character he's playing. But even further back than that, to the strike. When he was out of town so much, during the whole strike, attending protests at the studio's insistence. I once said that the strike was ruining my life, but it's not just that. It's the entire business.
{{ Friday, January 19
New Orleans, LA
Starlight Studios }}
Yet, tonight that business – the entertainment business – is first and foremost in my life. Agent: SEAL is hosting a screening of the first two episodes of the show tonight at the studio, and there is no possible way I can get out of attending. I've read some of the scripts. I saw some of the first episode being filmed. I've even seen a few short clips. And I already know I'm going to hate it. Dom's character is an asshole and I have no desire to see him that way. But I have to be the supportive wife. I have to attend, play nice with the TV people, and be seen watching the screening. I hope they serve wine.
Dom and I arrive at the studio, and as we walk through the door, I see a familiar face, that I haven't seen in a few years. The blonde woman smiles when she sees me.
“Bree! It's so good to see you!”
“Hi Robin! I had no idea you were here!” We hug briefly. Robin Hall is a stunt woman who Dom worked with a few years ago on a movie. He and I weren't together yet, and he and she had something of a casual thing going on. She even stayed overnight a few times at my old house on Carondolet Street, when Dom stayed in my guest room.
“You didn't? Dom didn't tell you? He's why I'm here.”
I turn to Dom, and he gives me a sheepish smile. “That's not entirely true.”
“Yes it is! Don't let him downplay it.”
“Downplay what?”
Dom looks at Robin for a moment before back at me. “Remember when I told you I ran into her on one of the picket lines in LA?”
“No?” I scrunch my face up, trying to remember.
“Are you sure? I'm almost positive I told you.”
I shrug. “If you did, I don't remember.”
“Pretty sure I did.” Dom shrugs. “Anyway, once the strike was over, Robin found herself without a job, as the project she'd been on had been canceled. Meanwhile over here, a handful of our crew weren't able to come back to the show, due to having picked up other gigs during the strike. So, Amanda was without a double. I mentioned to Chris that I knew someone... and here we are. ”
“You got her the job?”
“No, I got her a phone call. Her work got her the job.”
Robin laughs. “Semantics. Point is, I started here after the holidays.”
“I meant to tell you she was working with me, we've just both been so busy, it never came up.” Dom shrugs again, a little sheepish.
“That's great, though! It's always nice to work with someone you already know you can work well with.”
“It really is. And this project is so much fun. Everyone is so easy to work with.”
Behind Robin, I see Amanda walking by. She looks towards us, and stops, making a point to catch my eye. I nod, and tap Dom on the arm to get his attention.
“Excuse me, I'll be right back.”
“Yeah, sure. Where-” Then he sees Amanda waiting for me. “Oh. Okay.”
“Great to see you Robin, we'll have to catch up more later.”
“Of course.”
I give her a smile as I walk off. Amanda gestures for me to follow her, and she leads me to a spot near a table against the wall. The table has wine. Thank gods.
“You knew where to lead me.” I grin as I pick one up.
“I thought maybe you could use it. I know I can.” She grabs one too. “I was hoping we could talk for a minute. I'm sure you know why.”
“I do.” I sip the red. Its dry and good. “I have time.”
She smiles awkwardly. “Good. Thank you. I wanted to contact you, call or something, but I didn't want to add to the stress. As ridiculous as it's been for me, I know it's a thousand times worse for you.”
“I don't know. Being accused of being the mistress has to be harder on the reputation than the one being cheated on, right?”
“I... I'm sorry, I can't tell if you're serious or joking. Do you really think-”
“I'm joking. Relax. I'm sorry.” I sigh. “This whole thing has turned me into a cynic. Well, more of one.”
Amanda smiles, relieved. “Oh. Okay. Anyway... what I wanted to say to you is that they're wrong. Maybe you never believed a word from the start, but I felt I had to tell you face to face that I have nothing to do with any of this.”
“I appreciate that. Amanda. I really do.”
“I have no idea where these so-called reporters could have gotten the idea.”
“Maybe they read the script and think life imitated art. That happens a lot in this business from what I can tell.” I've seen enough to know that Dom's character and hers hook up fairly early on.
“Maybe. It would be the only thing that makes any grain of sense. I mean, I' not very well known yet but anyone who does know me, knows I would never. I'm married, I-”
I grab her fidgety hand gently. “Stop. You don't have to defend yourself. I believe you.” I don't know if I actually do. But letting her think I do is easier. She smiles again, and finally sips her own wine.
“Thank you.”
“Can I ask you something, though?” This may be a bad idea, but I have to see what she says.
“Of course.”
“You wouldn't have any idea if any of the rest of it is true? With a different woman?”
Amanda takes a step back, and goes wide-eyed. “Oh, Bree.... I wouldn't have any idea.”
“Just that you've seen. Like anything suspicious, or...?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I haven't seen anything.”
“Thank you.” I'm not sure how to interpret her response. I'll have to think on it. I finish my wine and set the empty down at the end of the table, near other empties. “I'm glad you stopped me to talk.”
“Of course.” She smiles again, and looks around a little nervously. “Oh, it looks like they may be starting soon. We should...”
“Yeah. We should.”
Amanda walks off, not looking back to see if I'm following. I grab another wine glass and down it before walking towards the crowd.
The screening was for the first two episodes. They're about forty minutes each, the same run time as on TV, except there's no commercials on streaming, so it's not a full hour. I sat next to Dom through them both, and I don't know how I managed to keep my seat. My assumption was right.
I hate it.
Connor Cross, Dom's character, is so far removed from any other character I've seen him play, and even further removed from his real personality. The person I watched on the screen was so... different, and crude, and violent... that it was unnerving. I did my best to pretend that I enjoyed it. I am the supportive wife, after all. I'm pretty sure that everyone there bought my act. Except for Dom. He kept giving me strange looks, and the drive home was unusually quiet. We spoke, but not like we would have if everything was fine. Jaina had stayed with Heath, and when we got in, she had him already in bed. We thanked her and she left.
I am about to go upstairs when Dom stops me.
“Bree, wait.” I have one foot on the bottom step as I turn and look. “Come in here and talk to me.” He gestures to the den. I say nothing, just turn away from the stairs and go into the room.
“What are we talking about?”
“Tonight. The show. I can tell you didn't like it.”
“No, I didn't.” I cross my arms. “I'm sorry, but your character is a terrible person and I hate seeing you that way, real or not.”
“Okay. I understand that, he is a massive asshole at the beginning. Thank you for at least pretending for the group.”
“Of course. I will always support you in public. You've worked hard on it, I know you're happy with it, and I'm proud of you that the show is getting good attention.” Other than the article, but that doesn't need to be said. Something else does, though. I made a decision on the drive home I know Dom won't like. “But... please don't ask me to watch any more of it. I need to keep you and Connor separated in my head.”
Dom sighs, running his hand over his face. “Not this again.”
“You know I have trouble with that. If you want me to not project him onto you, this is the only way I can do that.”
“Tell me this, how exactly is that going to work if you're asked about me and the show in some interview and you haven't seen any of it to talk about?”
“Easy. I will say that everyone should see it for themselves and I wouldn't dare spoil anything for them.” I thought of that in the car, too.
“Okay... that's actually a good answer, I can't argue with that. But Bree... I just really wish you'd see it through. The whole season is about how Connor goes from that angry asshole you saw tonight into learning how to channel that anger for good. He's a different guy by the finale.”
“That sounds like a great story. I just can't watch it. I do not want to see you like what I saw tonight, ever again.”
Dom shakes his head, crossing his arms, matching me. “I can't believe after all this time you're still unable to see the difference between me and a fictional character. We've been through this, Bree!”
“I know you are not the character. But in the moment, watching it, it makes me uncomfortable It always has, you know that.”
“Yeah, I know. I just thought, or hoped, that perhaps you'd gotten past that by now.”
“I've tried!” I realize my voice went up, and I lower it to not wake Heath. “I have gotten better, the intimate scenes don't bother me anymore. Just the violent ones. I don't like seeing you like that, how hard is that to understand? I mean, look at last week with the plate.”
“Are you really bringing that up right now?”
“I'm just saying, that looked a lot more like your character than you. Maybe you were stuck.”
Dom scoffs. “I cannot believe you just went there. You know damn fucking well why I was angry that morning, and it has nothing to do with being stuck in character!”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Of course I'm sure! It's ridiculous to even suggest!”
I have enough of this. I sigh, hard. “Okay. If you say so. But the point remains that I am not going to watch any more of the show. It makes me uncomfortable. Again, if you don't want me to project the character onto you, then you should accept that.”
Dom stares at me a few seconds. He's given up. “Fine.” He rubs his face with a sigh again. “This is always going to be a problem for us, isn't it?”
“Probably. It always has been. I don't want it to be, but I can't help it. I've tried.”
Stepping closer to me, he looks down at me, dejected. “I know. That's what makes it so sad.”
Walking past me, Dom grabs his jacket from the coat rack. “Where are you going at this time?” It's after ten.
“For a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Yes, a walk. Around the neighborhood. I'd like to clear my head, is that alright with you?”
I step back, holding my crossed arms in tighter. “Of course.”
Dom slides his jacket on and leaves, not saying anything else.
I slowly sit on the couch, and pull a throw blanket over myself. It feels like something just changed between us that has nothing to do with whether or not the affair story is true. That doesn't matter if we can't come to terms on this. I just can't see him in ways that upset me, knowing its a character makes no difference. I pull my phone from my pocket and stare at the screen. This isn't the first time Dom and I have had this argument. It's manifested in a few different ways over the years, and every other time it's come up I had a friend to talk to. Sienna, or Jordan, or even Amy. I could have texted Liz too I suppose, but none of them are my first thought. I scroll down to Josh's name... and hesitate. It's probably not fair, to vent to him about Dom. But there really isn't anyone else I want to talk to. Shaking my head at myself, I send the text.
ON CAMERA
I have to admit... I expected something else.
My first match as your new Adrenaline Champion, I expected maybe a defense. An eliminator, perhaps, even though it seems like Simon Lyman has tried to call next.
But no, I'm not having any of those matches. I'm facing none other than... Religious Wright.
Anyone else might immediately treat this like a joke, or a waste of time. And a few years ago, I would have, too. No maybe about it. But this is now, and I don't think any time spent in the ring is a waste. Every minute of every match is an opportunity to improve. Wrestling is just like any other sport, in that it's fluid. We don't train for years, work our asses off to become a champion... to just stop there. No, we have to constantly keep moving. Keep training. Keep our skills sharp and our strength up.
It's clear that Wright sees this as an opportunity to make some fanciful statements about Selena Frost, maybe trying to get under my skin because it's well known in SCW that she and I have never seen eye to eye. But Selena Frost isn't my current concern, and I don't care what Wright thinks of her. He can worship her if he wants to, it makes no difference to me.
My concern is carrying the Adrenaline Championship with honor and pride. How do I do that, if I'm not defending it this week? Easy. I get in the ring, and I stand face to face with Wright just as I stand face to face with any opponent. Prepared to give everything I have, to prove myself once again as a champion. The title isn't on the line, but every time I step into the ring, my reputation is on the line. My momentum, my skills. Am I a woman of my word? Can I back up my claim of being one of the best in this business? Do I speak the truth?
Religious Wright will find out first hand the answer to those questions at Breakdown, and so will everyone watching. I hope two people in particular are paying attention. Autumn Valentine and Simon Lyman. Autumn already knows what she's getting into making a challenge to me. Simon... it's been years since I've stepped into the ring with him as an opponent, and I think maybe he's unsure exactly what he's getting himself into by jumping in here.
But, I will not get ahead of myself. Religious Wright is my challenge this week and my focus. I don't think he knows exactly what he's getting into, either. But, I'm not going to try to get him to understand with words. I'll just do as I've already said, and let my actions in the ring do the talking for me.