Staged (2020) s01e03 Episode Script

- I think I'm losing my authority.
- MICHAEL: You have authority?
I thought I did, but the kids are
starting to answer me back.
Oh, it's a slippery slope.
- Days away from mutiny.
- You wouldn't stand a chance.
There are a lot more of
them than there are of you.
Yeah.
- How many have you got now?
- Ah, can't quite remember.
There's a couple I feel like
I haven't seen for weeks.
Did your parents punish you
for swearing?
- Only if they caught me.
- What would've happened?
- Depended on the severity.
- Like if it was at the low end.
My mother made me drink soapy water.
I don't think my kids would go for it.
It's not supposed to be voluntary.
- Are you sure that's not you on that mug?
- No!
- It looks like you.
- No.
- What happened?
- One of them swore at me.
- What did he say?
- She.
- What did she say?
- You know
- How old is she?
- Four.
- Does she know what that means.
- No, I don't think so.
- She just picked it up somewhere.
- From where?
Our eldest would be prime suspect.
When I was a kid, my dad, if we lied,
would make us stand in the corner
for half an hour.
- Did it stop you lying?
- For half an hour, yeah.
What happened with your neighbour?
- She brought the bottles back.
- Did she?
- Yeah.
- What did you do?
I denied it.
I told her she must be mistaken.
I said, "I'm happy to put them
outside my house for now
"but I will not cover for you again."
You lied. I think you should stand
in the corner for half an hour.
All right.
David knows some of this.
Erm, before we cast you, Michael,
we were talking to somebody else,
he's kind of a big deal and has always
wanted to do a play in London.
I was running quite high
after Killer Joe.
In fact it was my
idea to take it to David.
And they got it to me.
Yeah, we got it to David
and David said
- I said yes, yes.
- So we were all ready to announce,
then this actor got offered a film
so he had to drop out of the project.
We couldn't postpone, so we had to
We chose to find somebody else,
and David suggested you.
Of course I did.
And that film that he went
to do has been cancelled
because of all of this,
and he has been phoning me a lot
because he'd like to be involved again.
Well, thank you for suggesting me,
David.
Well, not just a suggestion,
it was a strong recommendation.
I was unaware that you'd been
submitting me for roles
- over the years.
- Advocating.
Did you get a nice bit
of commission on that?
I just really wanted to do it with you.
Yeah, he did, really.
I was really thrilled when you said yes.
Yeah, we both were, ecstatic.
- I don't like you, Simon.
- No.
I find you weaselly.
I understand.
Who is it?
- I'd rather not say.
- Does he know about me?
No, not yet.
And how exactly have you
told this someone else no?
I haven't.
The reason being?
- He scares me.
- He scares you?
I mean, he is quite an
intimidating personality.
I can be intimidating.
I know, yeah, yeah.
I'm feeling a very strong
urge to be intimidating.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, just resist it, OK?
Please, please.
Listen, I'm going
to suggest I just call him up
and we just have a conversation,
actor to actor,
I just tell him it's done,
he had his chance
but we have Michael now
and we are over the moon.
Don't you feel that we should have
we deserve a director who is
brave enough to have difficult
conversations like that?
Well
HE CLEARS HIS THROA
We are where we are, aren't we? So
These are exceptional times.
I think we have to allow
our individual exceptionalism
to catch up with the moment, yeah?
Do you know how you get
people to trust you, Simon?
- Honesty.
- Yeah, I
PHONE BLEEPS
And if you can't be honest,
just don't get caught, yeah?
Oh, hi, Lucy.
Hi.
- David is going to phone Sam.
- Oh, right.
I'm not doing very good at this.
PHONE RINGS
David.
- I can't see your face.
- Yeah, yeah, that's a choice.
I hate these fucking things.
- What, video calls?
- Yeah.
Everybody was happy with a fucking
phone call before all this shit,
now suddenly they feel this need
to share a fucking close-up with me.
Right.
Erm, can we talk about Six
Characters In Search Of An Author?
You know, I've been trying to get
Simon on the fucking phone for days.
That motherfucker's not picking up.
He's a cock.
Erm, what happened to your movie?
- Unofficially?
- Sure. Unofficially.
The script was a mess.
Then the director starts fucking
the co-star. Her husband finds out.
Husband stomps his ass out.
He's in the hospital.
That bitch goes to rehab
and we lost half our locations.
What about officially?
Officially they are
saying global pandemic.
Sure. Well, silver lining, erm,
by the sound of it. Are you still in LA?
Yeah, for now.
- But I'm bored as shit.
- Right.
I've been trying to get hold of this
goddamn Simon on his fucking phone,
it's like I tell you,
he is not goddamn picking up.
I know. He said you'd called.
What?!
- You talked to that motherfucker?
- Voicemails is all that
Ah
Look, OK
All right, you know, fuck it.
I say we use the time
to work on the play.
I get that it's strange,
but we'll have something
while everybody else
is running round with
their dicks in their hands, right?
- Right, yeah.
- So what do you think?
What do I think?
- Erm, oh, what do I think?
- Yeah.
I think
I think you're too late,
because I think what happened is,
you left the production
and us in real trouble.
You know, I get why you did that,
I understand completely,
I'd probably have done
the same thing myself,
but we were left to pick up
the pieces, and we did that by
going out and getting someone else.
So I wish you well, but we've moved on.
Look, David
Yep?
Erm You froze, so everything
after "I think" I didn't get.
So could you, like, run through
all that shit again, please?
Erm, right.
I was just saying I think, um
I think
- Erm
- What? You think what?
I think that Jo won't allow it.
What the fuck is his problem?
I don't even know this fucking Joe.
Why would that motherfucker
be mad with me?
Well, because you left
the production, she was
She? It's a she?
- Yeah.
- It's a woman named Jo?
- Yeah.
- Like Joanne, or Josephine?
- Um
- Or is it just fucking plain old Jo?
I have no idea.
You know her, I don't
even know who the fuck she is
- and she's pissed off with me.
- I just know her as Jo.
I'll talk to my assistant
and I'll call her.
Well, I wouldn't, because she
doesn't like you very much now.
She doesn't want you to derail
the show, so she went straight out
and she hired another actor.
- Who?
- Michael Sheen.
Who the fuck is Michael Sheen?
Some Welsh British, erm
You'll know him.
He was in G-Good Omens, we were
Erm
Frost/Nixon?
Passengers? Twilight?
Any of these movies
make any goddamn money?
I
Do you want to do this with him?
Of course I don't, I worked with him
once. I want to do this with you.
I'm not, you know
But here we are, we're stuck.
- And and Jo won't let us change.
- Tell you what.
I'll call Jo.
I wouldn't. She's not easy
to talk to, and you'll
She's angry, I'd let her cool down.
In the fullness of time,
when the dust is settled,
you and me will move on and we'll
do something else, something better.
- Sorry.
- Don't worry.
- Got to keep a bit quiet. Nap time.
- No, I get it. Is she down yet?
No, not Lyra, Michael.
- Michael has a nap time?
- He was a little angry earlier.
Yeah. I heard.
So
He let off some steam in the garden
and he sat down in the sun with
his script. Then he fell asleep.
Yeah, David does that.
Then he just pretends that
he was awake the whole time.
Michael's strangely proud of it.
Claims he can sleep anywhere.
Well, it's nice to have a hobby,
isn't it?
Mm. How are you all doing?
Oh, yeah, fine, fine.
Yeah, there are seven of us so
- How are you?
- We are fine.
I mean, Lyra is pretty
low maintenance so
WAILING AND YAWNING
- So, things could be worse.
- Hm.
So a friend of mine
is pregnant and alone.
Father not around?
- No, couldn't get away from his wife.
- Oh.
She's asked me to be
her birthing partner.
Is that allowed?
I don't know how I feel
about leaving David on his own.
- Yeah, how's he doing?
- Good days and bad days.
I suppose I thought these
rehearsals would help
but it seems like more
of a hindrance so far.
Just talking to Georgia.
- Did you tell her I fell asleep?
- I did.
- Well done, Michael.
- Thank you!
David's actually started writing.
That may give him a bit of a focus,
you know.
- How's your novel?
- Oh, I, erm
I've actually sold it.
- You what?
- What?
Georgia sold her novel.
Ohhhhhh!
- That's fantastic.
- Thanks. Thanks.
It's actually just happened,
David doesn't know yet so
Oh! Mum's the word.
- It's all fine.
- Really?
Yeah, really. It's done, it's fine.
What did you say to him?
I just stood up to him.
I just told him, you know,
that he'd had his shot.
I told him
we've got a superior actor now
and that you weren't
going anywhere, so
- How did he take that?
- I mean,
nobody likes getting bad news, do they?
I wouldn't know.
- Of course not.
- But you stood your ground?
I did, I did.
Chanelled Henry V.
When the blast of war blows in our ears,
we imitate the actions of the tiger.
You said that to him?
- Not out loud, no.
- No, of course not.
- Have you ever played Henry V?
- I have not, no. Have you?
For the RSC.
Of course you did. Yes. No,
I gave the RSC my Richard II.
I saw it.
I don't know that
I would trust Richard II
in a formal negotiation setting, though.
- I don't know, he's impassioned.
- That's true.
- He's eloquent.
- Undeniably.
Very snappy dresser.
So history would have us believe,
but not perhaps the right
temperamental fit for
the artistic battlefield.
Perhaps not, no.
What I'm saying is, I think
you channelled the right
Shakespearean monarch.
Well, thank you very much. Yes.
I really should let
Simon know, shouldn't I?
He'll be delighted.
Have you got a window this
afternoon for some rehearsals?
- I'm afraid not, no, I've errands.
- Groceries?
- Library.
- Really? Picking up or dropping off?
Dropping off, erm, for my neighbour.
- I thought that was all dealt with.
- I thought so too.
You denied it, you lied
to a poor little old lady.
There there is nothing poor
or little about
- I'm beginning to doubt she's even old.
- Ohhh. She rumbled you.
She has a CCTV camera on her garage.
She was kind enough to e-mail me
a short little video clip.
What, of you with armfuls of bottles,
shoving them in her bin?
So now I do her chores.
You're being blackmailed
by a wee little old lady.
Blackmail is a very strong word.
Listen, it'll be lovely for everyone
to see you out and about.
Lovely for the community.
Local celebrity, Michael Sheen,
visits the library.
Yeah, not returning books like
Passion On The Plantation.
The Smell Of The Poacher.
Ivory On Ebony.
There's a sort of theme, isn't there?
Michael, do you know how
to get people to trust you?
Oh, piss off.
- You said not to speak to Jo.
- Yeah.
Well, I spoke to Jo.
Why did you do that?
- Because you told me she was furious.
- She was.
- Well, she seemed fine.
- She's quick to forgive.
- Did you lie to me?
- No.
Do you want to do
this play with Michael?
No.
So tell me again.
I want to do it with you,
that was the plan,
that was always the plan,
I'm excited about the plan.
Michael's fine. I mean, he's
He's We get on fine.
- He's all right but he's not you.
- How so?
He's overbearing, he drinks too much.
He thinks that Henry V
is better than Richard II.
I've worked with him once,
I'd do anything not to do it again,
but we're in it now,
it's too late, you know.
I know you're upset. Spare a thought
for me, I'm stuck with him.
But if the situation was different?
Yeah. Well, obviously, seriously,
of course I would want to do this
with you, in a heartbeat.
Hello, David.
- All right, Michael?
- Yeah.
- Back from the library?
- I am, yeah.
All the books safe?
No major issues.
I just wanted to give Michael
a call, you know, clear the air.
Yeah, that was good of you.
Yeah, we had lots to talk about.
GROWLING
LINE CUTS OU
- Has he gone?
- Yeah, that motherfucker is ghost.
Probably tucked his tail
between his legs,
and ran on his spineless spindly ass
down the street like a wounded dog.
Yeah, well, give him a second.
PHONE VIBRATES
Is that him?
It is, yeah.
Ohhh.
Been nice to meet you. Big fan.
Ah, thank you.
Yeah. Strange circumstances,
I can't believe our paths
have never crossed before.
Yeah, erm, we have actually
done a movie together.
Really? What was
You were, like, a young actor
and you were, like, doing
background, or something?
I had a bag over my head for some
Well, for most of it.
A bag over your head?
You were torturing
me all the way through.
Oh, get the fuck out of here,
that was you?!
- Yeah.
- You were in that film?
- Yeah.
- Come on, man.
That was a great fucking movie.
You were awesome in it.
Hey, remember the night that
Obama won his first presidency?
- Yeah.
- We were torturing the fuck out of you.
- Right?
- Yeah I mean
That was
PHONE VIBRATES
- You need to get that?
- Yeah. Erm
David
- Listen, I know that that was cowardly.
- And you were caught.
- And, yeah, I was caught.
- Lying.
Well, it's the day for it, isn't it?
So where do we go from here, then?
Obviously, I want to do this play
with you, but Sam has an ego
like a fucking tour bus.
I had to manage that.
And I managed it badly
and I got caught, OK.
But I want to do this with you, you
have passion, you have integrity.
Sam has a mansion in the Hollywood
Hills and fucking zero imagination.
I would do anything
not to do it with him.
David?
I should've seen that coming,
shouldn't I?
Yes, motherfucker, you should have.
What the fuck's wrong with you?
Sorry.
You know how you
get people to trust you?
Is it honesty?
Grow a brain and a pair of balls.
Fuck you, David.
Goodbye.
Oh, nice talking to you, Michael.
PHONE BUZZES
That's half an hour.
Shall I do it again?
The credits will be Michael Sheen
and that fucking liar David Tennant.
Yeah, seems fair.