Ryan woke up in his twin-size bed and reached for his phone to check his flight. For the past week, he had spent time with his mom by going shopping at the Woodbury Commons Outlets for new shoes, watching her favorite movie, Grease (3 times), and eating at the best-recognized restaurant in town, run by a lovely Italian couple who made heavenly risotto. He missed these small moments of laughing and chatting with her.
During this week, he also got a call from Mark that Rian Johnson, director of Looper, would almost certainly give the role of Joe to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But J.C.—an old USC college friend—told Rian to give the young actor a shot. Ryan thanked J.C., and the director told him that any movie he made in the future, he would immediately cast him.
It was an incredible compliment, but Ryan tried not to think about it too much. He still had another audition to do and another director to impress.
Ryan packed up his bag and hugged his mom.
"Call me when you land."
"I will."
"You always say that."
"I'll actually do it this time."
She gave him one last hug before he left.
Ryan went straight to the audition room from LAX, mentally preparing for the role.
Ryan opened the door handle to see a familiar sight: a white, crummy room that smelled of coffee. But what surprised him was the fact that Rian was there with a camera operator and a reader.
Damn, J.C must have put a great word for me.
He shook everyone's hand and exchanged small talk with Rian and the reader.
"So you know the basics about Young Joe. He is confronted by his older self, who wants to kill the Rainmaker. Young Joe slowly changes by meeting Sid (young Rainmaker), who sacrifices himself to save the child from witnessing his mother's death," Rian blurted out.
"Yeah. Sounds relatable."
"Ha. Well, it's a hard role. You need to copy Bruce Willis's mannerisms and have a lot of emotional range that J.C. said you had."
Rian examined the actor, who wore blue jeans with a plain white shirt, a Daniel Wellington Classic watch resting neatly on his wrist. His curly blonde hair blocked his forehead, giving him an almost disheveled look if not for the confident posture that he held with ease.
Rian nodded slightly, impressed by the actor's presence before he even spoke.
"Alright, you have the scene with you. Go ahead."
Ryan took a breath.
He had watched Bruce Willis interviews before coming here. The slight smirk, the way he sometimes tightened his jaw, and the quiet confidence that made him look like he didn't have to prove anything to anyone.
Ryan didn't want to do an impression.
He wanted to find the younger version of that man.
"How's your French going?" Old Joe said, played by the reader.
"Are you gonna tell me to learn Mandarin?" Young Joe said with discomfort.
"Alright, listen. I know this is a hard situation for you, but we both know how this is going to go down. I can't let you leave this diner alive. This is my life now. I earned it. You had yours already, so why don't you do what old men do and die. Get the fuck out my way," Ryan said in a whispered tone.
What would l say if l met older me right now. l would hate him a bit for going the easy way out. Find me a life that doesn't have struggles, I'm not special.
Rian was surprised at the performance. It was so angry. It felt like he wanted to punch the older him right now.
But Ryan never raised his voice.
That was what caught Rian's attention. The anger stayed beneath the surface, like Young Joe was trying to convince himself that he was in control. Ryan's fingers tightened against the edge of the chair, but his voice stayed low.
"Why don't you just take your little gun out between your legs and just do it," Old Joe said.
There was silence for three seconds, but Ryan's acting was all in his demeanor. Eyes turned down, slightly intimidated by his older self, and his posture showed respect toward his experienced self.
Well I can't blame older me too much. He kept on chasing our dream, I can't help but respect him.
Ryan slowly looked back at the reader.
For a second, the anger disappeared.
Rian noticed it immediately.
There was almost admiration there before Ryan forced it away and returned to Young Joe's defensive posture.
Rian called out, "Well, that's enough. Good performance."
"Okay. Thank you for the opportunity."
Ryan got up and shook the director's sweaty hand with grace and poise.
"Good meeting you," Rian said.
"You too."
The door clicked softly like a button being pressed on an old remote.
In his three-story house in Beverly Hills, Rian was drinking bourbon and contemplating who to give the role to. He was going to give it to Joseph Gordon-Levitt due to their past working relationship, and he was a fine actor. The two actors had totally different appearances. Ryan was mesmerizing, while Joseph had the look of the boy next door.
Furthermore, the way they approached the role was different; Joseph was polished, calculated, almost surgical in how he approached roles. Ryan, on the other hand, had a rawness like a man who had been in the gutter and now wanted to live his own life.
Rian swirled the bourbon in his glass. Outside the window, the city's lights flickered like nervous thoughts.
He remembered how Ryan delivered that line in the audition:
"I earned it. You had yours already, so why don't you do what old men do and die."
It wasn't just read. It was lived. The hatred. The fear. The weird brotherly tension between old and young. It wasn't textbook acting. It was personal.
Rian reached for his phone, thumb hovering over J.C.'s contact. Maybe he was being reckless. Maybe casting someone with no name would make the big studio heads nervous. Joe had a name. Ryan had… what, an indie film that hadn't been released?
There was also Bruce Willis.
The audience had to believe that this 21-year-old actor would eventually become Bruce. It was a strange challenge even with Joseph. With Ryan, the physical difference would be even greater.
But then he thought about the look Ryan gave after the diner scene. That moment of conflicted awe: the stillness in his eyes as if he saw himself aged thirty years and didn't know whether to fight him or ask for advice.
Rian stood, pacing the room.
Could audiences believe in a time-travel story where two drastically different men played the same person? Was the emotional continuity strong enough? Would makeup and mannerisms be enough to carry the illusion?
Or maybe the illusion was part of the movie. Maybe the difference between young and old wasn't something to fix but to embrace. Ryan carried the charm that would hold the movie together, but Bruce Willis would show the despair and guilt that came with old age.
Rian poured another glass and sighed.
He glanced at the corkboard near his desk, filled with scribbled notes, sticky tabs, and stills from reference films. A single photo caught his eye: Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys, eyes wide, manic, terrified of time itself.
Then he looked at the tape from earlier that day, which was paused on Ryan standing in profile, waiting for his cue, that Daniel Wellington watch catching a stripe of light on his wrist.
That's what he needed. The stillness. That's the kind of actor Joe needed to be.
Rian picked up the phone.
He didn't call J.C. He didn't call Joseph. He called Ryan.
It rang twice.
"Hello?" Ryan's voice was groggy. The exhaustion from the flight had just caught up to him.
"You busy?" Rian said.
"Uh… no?"
"I'll make this quick. The role is yours—if you want it."
There was silence. Not because Ryan didn't hear him. He was sitting in his dusty L.A. apartment, already thinking to himself that he didn't get the role.
He looked around the room.
His suitcase wasn't even fully unpacked. Clothes were still hanging over the side, and his boarding pass sat on the table beside an empty water bottle.
For a moment, Ryan wondered if he was dreaming.
Only weeks ago, he had been begging for a small supporting role. Now somebody was offering him the lead in a $30 million movie opposite Bruce Willis.
"…I want it," Ryan finally said, his voice small, like he didn't trust the news.
Rian smiled. "Then we've got work to do."
"Thank you. Seriously."
"Thank J.C. by not making me look stupid."
Ryan laughed, still half in shock. "I'll try."
Rian hung up, finished his bourbon, and looked out the window again.
Ryan remained on the edge of his bed with the phone still pressed against his ear.
He finally lowered it.
Then he smiled.
Not a huge celebration. No screaming or jumping around the apartment. He just sat there and let the reality slowly reach him.
Joe.
He was playing Joe.
Somewhere out there, a struggling actor who had just played his heart out was about to have a lead role in a movie that had a $30 million budget.
And Rian Johnson, for the first time in a week, felt certain.