Burton and Taylor Page #2

Keeps it fresh.

What, you've never read it? Ever?

I mean, you didn't think

it might be a good idea

just to take a glance

before we got going?

No, I told you,

I like to keep things fresh.

That's why rehearsals

are called rehearsals.

Don't lecture me on the bloody theater.

Okay. Tell you what.

Let's take lunch now, come back at 2:00,

prompt and start over again.

How does that sound?

- See you later.

- See you later.

I'll see you after lunch,

I'll take some air.

Great. I'll just get my bag.

Gosh.

- See you later.

- See you after lunch.

Richard?

Did he seem okay to you?

- What?

- Milton.

Bailed kind of early.

I think he'll be fine.

- He has an excellent reputation.

- Good, good.

'Cause I trust you so much on this.

I mean, I'd never fall out with you

about the theater.

"The world's greatest stage actor."

At the launch. That was me.

I put that in.

Right.

- Thank you.

- Don't thank me. It's true.

So, I got us a table at Sardi's.

The best table.

And the linguini and clams

are still to die for.

- What? You gotta eat lunch.

- I can't.

I'm meeting Sally,

back at the apartment.

I'm seeing Mike first to sort out

some business, but she's joining us.

Oh!

Oh, I...

Right.

Is she staying around? Sally is?

For all the rehearsals?

Well, what did you and I do

when the other was working?

That was us, Richard.

No, no, it's great, I mean...

No, I just assumed that she'd,

I don't know,

have other stuff to get on with

back in Europe, but...

No, it'll be lovely for you

to have the company.

Yes, it will.

Well, I'd better go.

I'm only just around the corner.

Thank you for the scarf.

Any more news on the Lear deal?

- No. I'll chase it up this afternoon.

- Good, if you could.

"Thou shouldst not have been old

till thou hadst been wise."

Elizabeth. Of course she hasn't read it.

I mean, that's our girl.

That's what she does.

Doesn't mean it isn't irritating.

Well, so what, though?

She just works differently to me,

that's all.

You know, when we did Cleopatra,

I'd come straight from the Old Vic.

I went over to Hollywood

and she walked out onto the sound stage.

She was just tits and make up.

And then we had our first scene together

and she did nothing.

Nothing. No voice,

no movement, no performance.

I thought she'd had

a bloody stroke or something.

And then I saw the rushes

and I was acting Antony.

But she was Cleopatra.

She just sort of bleeds into a role.

Like osmosis.

- Hard to rehearse around.

- Impossible at times.

But God, she's good, Mike.

She's so bloody good.

Anyway, this last scene's

a bit of a worry.

I'm afraid I won't be able

to carry her on.

What?

Cordelia, Lear. "Howl, howl, howl."

How will I do that?

My arms are bloody useless at times.

Then don't take it on!

Three hours on stage every night...

No, no. No, I've made promises.

To myself.

I must do it.

What's the matter, darling?

Are you hungry?

Not a bit.

You're very strange all of a sudden

and rather cruel.

Just because I'm feminine, it doesn't

mean I'm crafty and calculating.

I never said you were

either of those things.

I hate these half... Sorry.

Half-masculine.

Can I take the line again?

Well, sure, go ahead.

I hate these half-masculine women

who go banging about.

I hate anyone who goes banging about.

I should think you needed

a little quiet womanliness after Amanda.

Why do you keep on talking about her?

That's good. That's a great idea, Rich,

holding the lighter away from her.

Works for me!

Right.

Let's go back to Amanda's entrance.

- Oh! That's me.

- Great, Rich.

- Whoa!

- That's great, darling.

- Ooh!

- You okay?

You were wonderful.

- Thank you.

- No, it was... No, it was...

Well, you were just funny.

- You all right, love?

- Course I'm all right.

- You eat enough at lunch?

- Probably not as much as you did.

Chen, can I have my chair?

Okay. From the top.

When everybody's ready.

- Do you want these?

- No, I'm fine. Thanks.

And...

Mandy!

Mandy!

Elizabeth, that's your cue,

from off-stage.

Off-stage? Oh, well, if I'm off-stage,

can't somebody else do it?

No. It has to be your voice

and you are answering him. So...

Oh, okay. Okay, honey. Sorry. Hang on.

- Honey, what page are we on?

- Page five.

Five. Hang on.

Okay. Here we are.

- Mandy!

- What?

Come outside. The view is wonderful.

- I'm still damp from the bath.

- Bath.

Wait a minute.

I shall catch...

What's that?

Pneumonia.

Er, can we just take a break?

What?

Yeah, I need to talk to costume,

because it says here

I'm wearing a negligee.

- And I don't wanna look...

- Can I have a word, love?

What are you doing, Richard?

- You sound really smashed.

- I am not! I'm fine.

What have you taken?

Beyond the Coke. The always-open Coke!

Which, given that you can drink me

under the table, Elizabeth,

I can't imagine is solely responsible

for the way you're behaving.

Some pills.

I have to take certain pills

for my tummy.

You know all the trouble

I had in Puerto Vallarta.

It was after that,

and then some years ago...

Just don't take any more of 'em.

You're making a spectacle of yourself.

Yeah, you might think about...

No, I'm fine.

What a place!

- You know, it's Rock Hudson's.

- Oh!

- He's letting me borrow it.

- It's fabulous.

No, it's an apartment. This is fabulous.

You come to Grandma.

There isn't a single book

in the entire apartment.

Dad, stop it!

A television the size of

the Odeon Leicester Square...

We wanna eat you!

Gee, look at these two,

it's like they've never seen one before.

We've never seen a nice one before.

You two were horrible.

Yeah, well, you'll be pleased to know

that we're going.

- Okay, bye-bye.

- Bye-bye. Bye, darling.

We're gonna see you again

before we lose you to this extravaganza.

Say bye. Bye-bye.

I love you. Don't worry about... Okay?

- Goodbye.

- Oh. I need to put him to bed.

Oh, girls?

- Yeah?

- Hmm?

- You all right for cash?

- Yes, Daddy.

- All right.

- Come on.

What are you doing?

I'm getting a drink. Do you want one?

Could this be one of

your little occasions?

- I came here to work.

- I know.

- But that doesn't mean...

- Elizabeth! This is serious!

We open in 10 days.

You're not remembering the words,

your cues, any of the business.

- We both know why that is. Don't we?

- I'm not doing that anymore.

Not since yesterday morning,

as a matter of fact.

I'm not taking anything...

except the bare bones.

Because they do... They can befuddle me,

Richard, it's true.

They can befuddle me

so, for the sake of the show,

I'm putting my health to one side

and, well, you can expect a different

Elizabeth from hereon in, I promise.

Okay, good.

Well, let's work on some scenes.

It's the third act that needs the work

but let's just start from the top

and mark the action.

You have no idea, have you?

You stand there and you tell me

that I have to pull myself together.

This is difficult, Richard.

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