Hollywood Royalty

After her short trip to Pennsylvania she found that she didn’t have any time to stop by her apartment before the meet up with her costar so she just had her Uber driver drop her off in front the restaurant. Grace wasn’t very concerned with changing, it wasn’t as if it was a date anyways. She didn’t even know the man, it was simply two people meeting up to discuss work. Grace was wearing her navy blue sundress, patterned with little anchors amidst the bodice, that fit her snugly around the chest but flowed freely from the waist down. It was a halter top dress that tied itself around her back that exposed a bit of skin but was very modest amongst her cleavage. She paired the pretty dress with a pair of matching wedges. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a subtle French braid off to the side and she wore a pair of designer sunglasses that shielded her from sunshine as well as any sort of recognition. Grace thought she looked presentable for a first meeting so she didn’t worry at all.

“We’re here, Miss Gallagher.” Her uber driver told her. He was a young guy that was probably around twenty two or twenty three. The guy was incredibly kind and discreet about her compared to other uber drivers. Grace smiled in thanks before paying the man and taking leave. A rush of nerves overcame her as she stood in front of the restaurant. She was always a bit shy when it came to meeting people especially since the whole ordeal in London. Grace decided to shake off any uncomfortable feelings and headed inside. The restaurant didn’t seem too over the top like what she was used to but it didn’t seem low cost either. It had a rather warm and friendly atmosphere so Grace was looking forward to trying it out. She was new to New York and didn’t know of many places to eat. The hostess stood behind the counter, looking very professional. Grace offered her a kind smile as she approached the counter.

“Hello, I’m supposed to meet a friend here.” The hostess smiled at her but Grace was sure it was forced as she must force many smiles a day.

“Yes, and do you know who the reservation might be under?”

“Um… Mr. Pascal. We were supposed to have dinner at 8:30.” The hostess gave her a knowing look. The slightly older woman fully expected that the blonde, standing in front of her, to be yet another Game of Thrones fan who had followed the actor to the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, miss, but unless you’re Grace Gallagher then I’m afraid I can’t allow you to go back there.” Grace stared at her before remembering she still had her sunglasses on. The young actress laughed with good humor before taking off her sunglasses and tucking them away in her designer purse. The hostess’s eyes widened in shock.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Gallagher, I didn’t recognize you.” Grace just smiled.

“That’s completely fine. With those sunglasses anyone could escape recognition. It’s very sunny outside and my eyes are rather sensitive to the sun. I blame it on London’s gloominess.” The hostess smiled in return.

“I’ll take you to Mr. Pascal. He only arrived about ten minutes before you did.” Grace nodded appreciatively as the hostess led her out to the dining area. It was large restaurant with high ceilings but none of the chandeliers that the places Tom used to take her to had. She loved the subtlety of it all. Grace spotted him towards the back of the restaurant but he was hard to miss with his handsome looks. She suddenly felt a bit shy as they approached the table, his face lit up with a smile and he stood up from his seat to greet her. The hostess smiled at the both of them. Seeing the older actor up close was much more nerve wracking than she could’ve possibly have imagined. His dark eyes looked upon her with an unreadable expression, his dark locks looked more contained than from his time on Narcos. His olive skin tone was much darker in comparison to her own pale complexion and Grace felt as if she had reverted back to a bashful school girl who had a crush on her teacher.

Pedro had been exceedingly anxious to meet the young English actress that he had heard so much about. It was a success when he learned that he had nailed his audition for the part of Prince Rainier but even more so when he learned that he would be working with a cast of incredible actors and actresses which included Grace Gallagher. She was an exceptionally famous actress that had gained attention from her part in the Harry Potter franchise. It wasn’t just her acting skills that were famous but her looks as well. The blonde actress famously shared identical looks with her late grandmother who was also a famous actress.

He was a bit frightened over the scandal and divorce that broke out a few months ago because Pedro thought it meant that Grace Gallagher would drop out of the project. It would’ve been a shame if she dropped out because there wasn’t anyone better to play Grace Kelly in a film. When he expressed his concerns to the director, Baz Luhrmann, he simply told him that Grace had spoken of no desires to leave the project. When he contacted Grace Gallagher’s agent, he hadn’t expected to schedule a meet up so soon. He was glad that she had agreed to meet with him in the end since he desired to discuss her grandfather with her. Pedro only knew what he had read up on the late prince and since Prince Rainer’s granddaughter was his costar, he just had to take advantage of the opportunity. Heaven knows that he didn’t have as easy of a time when working on 'Narcos'.

The moment she walked in the dining area of the restaurant, Pedro knew it was Grace Gallagher from first glance. She presented herself in that old Hollywood style but maybe that was because her grandmother was Hollywood royalty. She wore a beautiful sundress that had a vintage design, the color complimenting her cerulean blue eyes. It was odd seeing her in person because he could definitely see the resemblance between her and Grace Kelly. They both had the same golden, blonde hair although Grace looked different with it braided off to the side. He even noticed that the English actress had some of the same facial features as the late princess. The same cute, upturned pixie nose along with the same heart shaped face with high cheek bones. Her skin was a pale creamy color that may have been from growing up in the gloominess of London. She was slender in figure and only a couple of inches shorter than him even with her heels on. Pedro could definitely see what others meant by Grace Gallagher, it was eerie looking at her because it was almost like Grace Kelly staring back at you. There were differences between their style and make up. Grace Kelly was old Hollywood but Grace Gallagher was new Hollywood. She truly looked the part of Grace Kelly even when filming wasn’t due to start for a week.

“Your waiter should be with you shortly.” The hostess told the two of them kindly before taking off before Grace had the chance to thank her.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in the flesh, I’m Pedro.” Pedro introduced himself, his voice deep and husky. Grace blushed, suddenly shy by his presence. He held out his hand for her to shake and Grace gently shook it, noticing how small her hand felt in his.

“Grace… And I’ve heard so much about you.” Pedro smirked at the small blonde.

“Not all bad I hope.” Grace laughed but shook her head.

“Of course not.” Pedro couldn’t help but look over her in appreciation. Not only was she just as beautiful in person but she already seemed like a friendly and soft spoken young woman. Her English accent only making her more attractive to his ears as well as his eyes.

“Please have a seat.” Pedro said as he pulled out her chair for her. It made Grace pause for a moment in sadness since it was a gesture Tom used to do all the time for her when they first dated… But like all things, it faded with time.

“Thank you.” Grace told him and he took the seat across from her. “I apologize if I kept you waiting too long. I came straight here from Pennsylvania.” Pedro gave her a surprised look before smiling.

“I wasn’t waiting very long but I hope that you didn’t come rushing back just for me.” He said teasingly, his tone coming off a little seductive but Grace chose to ignore it. She blushed and laughed.

“No, I’m afraid not. I only traveled there for the day to take care of some real estate business but everything’s finished now.” Pedro nodded.

“Well, that’s good.” Grace was thankful that he didn’t pry. “I have to admit I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time. I really loved 'Lovers in Revolt' and of course 'The Descendants' and 'Ruby Sparks'.” Grace blushed deeply and Pedro noticed that she seemed to be more shy than he would’ve expected.

“Thank you, It’s not often people are a fan of those films rather than the Harry Potter films.” Pedro nodded, laughing. Grace noticed how he got these wrinkles near his eyes whenever he smiled or laughed. It looked very endearing to her.

“I know what you mean… I get that all the time with 'Game of Thrones'.”

“I actually meant to tell you that I’ve become a huge fan of Narcos. I streamed it in last week and binge-watched the entire season in one day. It’s very addicting.” Grace told him honestly and Pedro felt humbled by her praise. He hadn’t expected her to be a fan of 'Narcos' but he was completely curious by her interest in it.

“What did you think of it?” Grace eyes lit up in excitement.

“I absolutely loved it of course. It almost reminded me of the first season of 'True Detective'… I mean the investigation part of the show but also a little of the odd dynamic between your character and Murphy but much less troubled. I also loved how it showed the portion from the investigation perspective of the series but also the portion about Pablo Escobar and his point of view.” She blushed after realized she had been rambling on. “Sorry, I suppose I get rather passionate about the shows I watch.”

“No, don’t stop… Keep praising my work.” He said, an amused look on his face. “So do you still think Pablo Escobar is the villain in the show?” Grace bit her lip nervously.

“The show makes the lines sort of blurry but I know Escobar is evil but Pena and Murphy aren’t exactly saints. I love that they’re flawed and not the Captain America type.” Pedro gave her a curious glance.

“Captain America type?”

“You know… The good Samaritan type who follows every single rule and command. I like that they aren’t perfect because who likes a boring hero anyways?” Pedro laughed at her explanation but understood what she meant.

“I’m sure you understand the anti-hero stance more than anyone. I've heard rumors that you're all but set to play Catwoman in the next Batman movie.” Grace gave him an amused look.

“Well, I don't know where you heard that but I can assure you it's only a rumor. I'll be much too busy with this film to even consider committing to another film at the moment. Although I could be persuaded if the Catwoman costume was as cool as the Michelle Pfeiffer one.” Pedro laughed, his brown eyes lighting up with humor.

“No, I just meant that you play such interesting characters. I admit that I’m not too familiar with Harry Potter since it was a little after my time but I have seen the films and Luna steals the show in almost every movie. The same goes for a lot of the other characters you've played in films.” Grace smiled in thanks, grateful for his praise.

“Luna has been the only role in my career that I’ve ever felt an overwhelming pressure portraying. If I didn’t portray them right then there would be a lot of people disappointed in me. There still is quite a few people disappointed in my performance in those films but you can’t make everyone happy. It’s probably because of those two characters that I’m so nervous about this film.” Pedro furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“You’re nervous about playing your grandmother?” Grace nodded nervously.

“She was just such an icon and I never knew her since she died before I was born. I only know what people have told me about her. When Baz first came to me about the movie I talked about her a lot with my family. I only knew about her from the stories my mother and grandfather told her when I was a young girl as well as anything I read about her. I could tell you a lot about my grandfather as I’m sure you’re eager to hear. My grandfather and I were exceptionally close, I spent every summer over there from the time I was born.” Pedro considered what she told him about her nervousness over the part. It made sense since she was playing a woman, while yes she was related to, and who she looked like but Grace didn’t know much about Grace Kelly personally.

“I’m sure you’ll be incredible.”

“Well, Baz found some people that knew my grandmother as a young actress in New York and I talked with them so that helped a lot. I’m much more confident about it now than I was before but I just don’t want to let my family down. They were rather disappointed with Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of her and I want to make them proud.” Pedro nodded. It didn’t hit him until now but he realized that he was talking to royalty. Not just Hollywood royalty but real royalty… He wondered if Grace was technically a princess. Her mother was Princess Audrey but did that make her a princess as well? He knew people in entertainment referred to her as ‘Princess Grace’ but none of the movie credits have ever referred to her as a princess.

“I’m sure you’ll make them more than proud.” He told her and she smiled with thanks. Before Grace could reply, their waiter came by awaiting their order. Grace had honestly forgotten to even look at her menu so she let Pedro order for her since this place seemed to be familiar to him. It wasn’t long before the food along with wine was brought out for them, Pedro and Grace killing the time in between with conversation about her recent move to New York. He promised to show her around after they were done filming the movie since they were about to leave for LA anyways.

“So what do you want to know about my grandfather?” The question caught the older actor off guard. He had meant to slowly bring the topic into their conversation but he hadn’t thought the shy, soft spoken actress could be so blunt. It was a delightful surprise.

“Well, I don’t want to seem intrusive.” Grace only smiled at his softly, warmed by his concern.

“I have a lot of fond memories of my grandfather, talking about him isn’t hard for me. He’s much happier where he’s at now.” Pedro thoughtfully took in what she said about her grandfather before posing the first question.

“Well… I guess the most obvious question is what he was like.” Grace nodded.

“Of course. My grandfather was a very serious man, he was all business with little tolerance for silliness. People didn’t take him as seriously because he married an American actress and he hated that. He married my grandmother because he loved her as well as the fact that she was an intelligent and kind person. He would’ve never married my grandmother if she was just simply another pretty face. He didn’t care about those things.” Pedro nodded as he took in what the young actress was telling him.

“I know, from what I read, that he didn’t like the fact that she was actress.” Grace nodded but frowned somewhat.

“That’s a bit more of a grey area. My grandfather thought the whole scheme of Hollywood was a silly idea. He thought there were more important things in the world than films and celebrities… And he was right in some ways. However, I don’t think he believed in these notions as strongly as he wanted everyone to believe. He was very serious but I think he was also a little insecure and jealous. I believe the reason he refused to let my grandmother go back to Hollywood was because he was scared she wouldn’t come back.”

“He thought that once she had another taste of filming movies that her life in Monaco wouldn’t be as appealing?” Grace thought about that statement briefly.

“Yes and no. My grandmother always missed acting and she had such a short career that I think she always felt a bit incomplete… but my grandfather was also afraid that she would meet a handsome costar and leave him. My grandmother was famous for her relationships with handsome male leads.”

“Did that strain things between them?” Grace shrugged.

“Truthfully, yes. I think a small part of her may have resented him just a little for not letting her go back and instead keeping her there in Monaco to be a dutiful wife. There were rumors that he wasn’t faithful to her but those were lies. I know for a fact that he never had any affair, he loved her a lot. In fact, he always expressed regret for not letting her go back to Hollywood. He used to tell me while he was extremely possessive, he was also afraid of what others thought of him. It’s no secret that the people of Monaco weren’t pleased with the idea of their princess returning to Hollywood. My grandfather told me that he only wished he could back and make her more happy.” Pedro nodded. It surprised him the amount of information Grace was giving to him, information that he hadn’t heard about despite his research for the part.

“I imagine he was an amazing father?” Grace nodded happily.

“Yes, although he was busy a lot, he was a very devoted father. He adored all of his children equally and did his best to be there. My grandfather was stern and straight laced but he only did it for their benefit. My aunt Stephanie was very rebellious when she was younger so my grandfather was very torn about what to do. He disproved of nearly everything she did, him seeing it for her benefit but Stephanie didn’t see it that way. I think she drove him absolutely mad with all her antics. My grandparents probably became closer than ever just in the attempt to control my aunt in those last years. It doesn’t hurt to say that he was very family oriented.”

“Any habits he had that I should be aware of?” Pedro inquired curiously.

“There is one… He was a very heavy smoker. My family would tell me he would sometimes smoke sixty cigarettes a day.”

“Wow… That’s extensive.” Grace laughed.

“You’re not kidding. I think that’s about all I can think of at the moment that you don’t typically read in any biography about him. If you have any other questions you can ask me but if you want to do more research I’m sure you can read some of his journals they have at the palace in Monaco… When we arrive there to start filming of course.” Pedro looked at her in surprise.

“Is that allowed?” Grace nodded.

“I’ll have to let my uncle know but I don’t see any reason as to why not. I mean it’s not like he has any terrible secrets written in them. I would know… I just think they might provide you with more of an exact idea of him.” Pedro found that he liked having this conversation with Grace. He hadn’t expected her to act as professional and he wouldn’t have held that against her. The young actress had just gone through a horrendous ordeal and it didn’t help that it was always in the media. It was just that Pedro hadn’t expected to enjoy spending time with someone who was much younger than himself. According to google, Grace was at least fifteen years younger than himself. It gave him some hesitance over whether or not to flirt with her but Grace hadn’t seemed disgusted by the notion.

“Thank you for that.”

“It isn’t a problem.” She replied politely. Pedro admired how her vibrant blue eyes reflected in the candle light. He decided to change the subject before he got too caught up in the beautiful actress who was a little too young for him anyways.

“So are you looking forward to LA?” Pedro asked and Grace shook her head. “What? You don’t like LA?”

“It’s not that… It’s just that it’s a little too hot for my taste. Even the weather here in New York is a little too warm for my liking.” Pedro smiled.

“This is nothing compared to Chile. I bet the gloom and rain of England is much more your preference.”

“Well… Yes. What I wouldn’t give for a little rain right now.” Pedro was finding himself more and more curious about Grace Gallagher. She was quite the mysterious figure to him.

“Do you have somewhere to stay in LA? I would completely envy you if you did… It looks like I’ll be living out of a hotel room for a few weeks.” Grace smiled but shook her head.

“I do have a house in Beverly Hills but I think I’m going to be selling it soon so I’ll probably just stay in a hotel too.” It was obvious that Grace didn’t want to speak anymore of the subject of her house in Beverly Hills so he didn’t pry into her business. He, instead, asked her about their costars.

“Have you met any of the other cast members?” Grace regarded his question thoughtfully before nodding.

“I’ve worked with George on The Descendants but I can’t say that I’ve ever met Lily. I’ve actually met Robert a good number of times although I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. I also met Anthony Hopkins at a couple of premieres over the past few years.” Grace told him, not wanting to mention that the only reason she knew Robert and Anthony was because of her ex-husband. Talking about divorce didn’t seem like a good way to go.

“What are they like?” Pedro inquired curiously.

“Well, Robert is very eccentric and has an odd sense of humor. Don’t take anything he does to heart. He loves messing with new friends. Anthony, on the other hand, is very kind and welcoming. I don’t know Anthony quite as much as I know Robert and George so there isn’t really much else I can tell you about him. George is like Robert in a few ways, he also has an odd sense of humor. The only difference is that George is a big prankster on movie sets so beware.” Pedro nodded.

“Well, it sounds like I might get along well with them. I was afraid one of them might secretly be a huge diva.”

“Well, Robert is quite the diva but I’m sure we’ll be able to manage him.” They both laughed together, imagining a dramatic and diva version of Robert Downey Jr. After they finished dinner, which Pedro kindly paid much to Grace’s discomfort, he demanded to take her to a local bar so they could get wasted. Grace was a bit hesitant seeing as how she didn’t know Pedro that well and she didn’t drink often. When the young actress did drink, it was only in her own apartment with a couple glasses of wine. She was never one for excessive drinking or partying, always being the goody two shoes she was. Reluctantly, Grace agreed to accompany him to the bar he spoke of. He offered her his arm as they exited the restaurant and started to head over to the bar, Grace reluctantly linked her arm through his. It didn’t mean anything… He was just being kind.