After a brief stay in Los Angeles to gather our stuff, we flew back to London. London was crowded, loud, cold, and wet. Yet, it was home. As much as the sunny days of LA enticed me, nothing could beat the cloudy skies of London in my 10-year-old self's opinion. In the long run, I knew that staying in London after Harry Potter was impractical, yet I intended to enjoy this time as much as I could.
Most Hollywood filmmakers stayed in or around Los Angeles, making it difficult for London-based actors to attend auditions and shoots. It was possible to work from New York because of Broadway and the many TV and film studios there, but unless you wanted to strictly work in British films and TV, relocating was inevitable.
Some actors tried to live far away from LA or other metro cities like London to escape the paparazzi, but it made their lives difficult due to the constant travel for everything—auditions, shooting, promotions, and talk shows.
And I really hate flights.
"Troy, what do you plan to do for the next few months?" Mum's voice broke my reverie.
"Huh?" I responded intelligently, looking around at our London home's interiors, confused.
When did we get here?
She sighed at my lost look. "I mean, you have convinced your dad and me to let you use a private tutor and the accelerated study program. But what about in the meantime? You don't have school, you don't have a job at the moment, what do you wish to do with your time? I know for a fact that you'll get very lonely without people your own age around or a full-time job. Even your music lessons are private now."
"I…" I hesitated.
Until now, I'd been very busy. It was either school, my acting job, or one of my lessons—music or martial arts. And recently, ballet…
Wait a minute, I could try that out. Unlike music, I didn't have to do it in solitude. And it's a fun activity when I'm not being forced into it. Thinking of the logistics for a quick moment, it didn't take long to make up my mind.
"I want to enroll in two classes: one for martial arts and one for professional ballet," I answered her with a grin. "There, I can work with children my age and not be so isolated. I can do classes that take up to five sessions a week."
By the time I finished, my words were already oozing excitement over the prospect of doing something practical. More than restarting Muay Thai and Krav Maga, it was the ballet that intrigued me. After my performances in the two films and my singing lessons, I learned one thing about myself: I love physical activities over studying. One thing was very clear to me—I would never do a desk job in my life.
"That's… a surprisingly good decision," Mum accepted grudgingly. "Honestly, I was hoping you'd go to school for at least a year, until Harry Potter, that is. I know, I know, you're bored, classes are too easy and all that. But I agree that joining a dance class along with martial arts may actually be good for you, given your inclinations towards performing arts."
I beamed at her. "Thanks, Mum!"
"Don't thank me just yet! I have to first find good enough teachers for you. Someone who'd be good at what they do and, at the same time, discreet when it comes to media and paparazzi. Of course, an NDA would have to be signed, among other reassurances…"
I tuned her out at this point. She has been very protective ever since I won the Golden Globe. She's not wrong, as we've had to dodge paparazzi many times since then.
Luckily, London is a safe place. Mostly.
Harry Potter auditions for the roles of Hermione, Ron, and all other major and minor characters will begin in a few days. I'll also have to go and read a few lines to finalize the role. Just a few last-minute formalities. However, Dad promised me that no one would know about me signing the contract until after the other cast members had been finalized.
Already, the media were in a frenzy because the audition called for all the other roles but not the titular role of Harry. Warner Bros and Chris Columbus fanned the rumors further by keeping mum about Harry's casting. Chris' appointment as director was common knowledge at this point, as was Dad's being the producer and the screenwriter.
I am astounded that no one has put two and two together by now.
There was another reason for Warner delaying my signing the contract: the release of The Sixth Sense in August 1999. The studio's first preference for Harry was a tie between yours truly and another actor by the name of Liam Aiken.
Liam worked with Chris in the movie Stepmom, which had just been released a few months ago in December 1998. Liam's performance was praised immensely, and Warner strongly believed that Liam could carry a hefty role like Harry on his shoulders.
The only hurdle in his casting was Rowling's insistence on the cast being British. Although he was born in Ireland, he relocated to the US before his first birthday, thus making his citizenship a little questionable as he was raised in the US.
I had the advantage of being raised in the UK, barring the last two years in the US.
To prepare for doing a British role again, I began speaking in my original London accent as soon as the shooting for The Sixth Sense wrapped up. After all, I didn't want anyone to insinuate that I'm no longer British.
"Troy! Are you even listening to me?" Mum's voice brought me out of my thoughts. Again.
"Now I am," I said and gave her my full attention.
"I said, I got a few numbers of ballet instructors from the phone directory." She waved a thick directory in my face. "I'll contact everyone nearby, get their credentials, and get you a tutor soon."
"And the martial arts?" I asked.
"Your dad will take you there one of these days when he's free."
"Thanks, Mum, you're the best!" I tackled her in a hug.
I couldn't help but think that I'm very lucky to have such good parents in this life, even if a little late.
(Break)
"One, two, three, four and hold! Hold it! Hold it! And down…"
I immediately went down on my heels after standing on my toes for at least half a minute. Around me, other kids my age were also taking breaths of relief.
"Now that the warm-up is over, next is the pique into a pirouette. Hold the pique until I say so and then a pirouette. And I want perfection!" our instructor barked harshly.
Without holding onto the support, I did a pique, raising my hands in the air in a perfect arch and bending my right leg at the knee, placing my right foot on my left knee before going up on the toes of my left leg. This was the relatively easy part.
Next, I started slowly spinning on my toes. After each turn, I would go down back on my left heel for a moment before going back up to take another turn. I kept making turn after turn to see how many I could do.
While practicing with Toni, I could do up to five before my feet would start killing me. Here, I had already surpassed seven, but I kept going. After the eighth turn, I couldn't continue anymore, so I took a break and went down.
Only then did I notice the awestruck and jealous looks from the kids around me and the impressed look on our instructor Peter's face.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Tell me honestly, do you know any other common ballet moves?" Peter asked.
I shook my head. "I started only a few months ago, and my last teacher… told me to master this move first before doing anything else."
Peter audibly hummed. "Okay. Everyone else, keep doing the pirouette. Armitage, come with me."
He led me to a little corner and gave me a long, searching look.
"You said you acted in an American film, right?" He broke the silence after a few minutes.
"Yes, The Sixth Sense. It will come out this summer," I answered honestly. Peter had signed the NDA, so it didn't matter what I told him.
"Hmm. With an American accent?" he inquired.
While the line of questioning was a little weird, I answered nonetheless, "Yes. I took dialect classes for a few weeks and I was all set. May I ask why you're asking?" I used my American accent the entire time.
"Nothing, just curious," he waved off my question nonchalantly. I shrugged it off as a quirk of the man.
"Anyway, onto your lesson. Do as I do." Peter instructed while going up on his toes and taking an elegant leap across the floor.
I copied him.
For the next five minutes, he went through many different poses and ballet moves that I tried to emulate as much as I could with my brief training. He never once corrected me or guided me verbally or otherwise. And he never strictly stuck to ballet. If my guess was correct, he mixed in Waltz and Tap within his steps.
It didn't take me long to realize what he was aiming for. He was showing me how far I was from being a proficient dancer. Maybe a power move to curb any ego on my side? Possible.
"I can see your strong points and weak points very clearly," he critiqued after we stopped.
I was huffing after the set but he was pristine as ever.
"The good news is that the most crucial part you've got down pat—that's the pointe technique, or going up on your toes. The bad news is that part is mostly for girls. I think your previous instructor might not have known how boys are taught." He finished with an amused smile.
That would be the most likely case with Toni.
"Don't get me wrong, it is a great practice move to improve your balance, irrespective of gender, but while performing, that move is mostly for the female dancers," Peter explained.
I nodded in understanding. "So what should I do?"
"Girls usually spin on their heels while boys focus more on jumping and turning in the air because of their higher muscle mass. And because your goal is not to become an exclusive ballet dancer, I suggest you mix in a little Tap in between. We'll do this today."
Saying that, he made an elegant jump in the air, kicking his feet together and then landing on one foot before going back to rest. Then he finally made a tap with both his feet, slowly showing me the movement so that I could copy him.
"Start practicing this until you perfect it. This second part is the initial step of tap dancing called Ball Heel." He ordered before going back to his other students.
So much for being around people my age and making some friends. It would be a wonder if I made any when I'm being singled out on the first day itself. Sometimes I think of lowering my performance just to blend in with everyone else.
But then I remember the P.E. class in my last school and how much below average I was, and all those thoughts go down the toilet.
I am good at performing arts, and not because of some miraculous hack knowledge. So why would I lower myself to satisfy the egos of some lowly plebs? Why would I hinder my own growth in the one field where I don't feel like I've cheated someone else?
With that renewed resolve, I went back to my practice as instructed by Peter.
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