‘Okay, I’ve got two,’ I say and she rolls her eyes.
‘I asked for your favourite, not a top-ten list.’
‘It’stwo, not ten,’ I counter.
‘Proceed.’
‘Okay. So, for complexity of character development, I’d have to go with Linklater.’
‘Ohgod, yes.Boyhood? That’s a frigging masterpiece – imagine committing to a twelve-year shoot.’
I break into an involuntary grin.
‘Itreallyshould have won the Oscar that year,’ I say.
‘Hmm, not sure about that…Birdmanwas a worthy winner in my book.’
Her eyes hold mine across the table for a long moment before she inhales sharply and looks away.
‘So, who’s the other director?’ she asks, drawing circles on the tablecloth with her forefinger.
‘Greta Gerwig.’
Delaney looks up sharply. ‘She’s mine.’
‘You’re just saying that.’
‘Nuh-uh.Lady Birdis in my top ten movies of all time.’
There’s an edge in her gaze, as if she’s challenging me to dispute that.
‘I thought we weren’t doing top tens,’ I say instead.
‘Well, wecouldif we wanted?—’
She cuts herself off. We’ve veered into banter territory, which is dangerously close to flirtation.
She rapidly shakes her head. ‘So, who’s your biggest influence from the stunt world?’
‘Zoë Bell,’ I reply, letting the abrupt change of subject go through to the keeper.
‘Oh my god,absolutely. Zoë Bell is agoddess–sucha pro.’
‘A goddess who swears more than anyone I’ve ever met,’ I quip, smiling to myself.
‘Wait, you’ve worked with Zoë Bell?’ Delaney’s mouth falls open, a picture of wonder.
I nod, then load up my next bite. ‘She gave me my first job outside of the UK – onFull Tilt. She taught me everything I know about stunt driving.’
I take a bite of fish while Delaney,resemblinga fish, gawps at me from across the table, clearly dumbstruck. She shakes her head, then goes back to her food.
‘You must have worked with some famous actors?’ I ask. ‘Roberts, Clooney, Streep…?’
‘Not really – I’m only a junior producer,’ she replies, as if that explains it – it doesn’t.
‘How do you mean?’
‘I work on the films that the studio commits to but no one really wants to make.’