then introducing the result
You like cream, then you'll be happy.The Trip · 2011 — Chapter 13 of 20 · 4'10" · B2
Steve Takes His Agent's Call, Explained: Cut to the chase
A fitting chat slides from a red outdoor jacket and Heathcliff into an American agent's call about a co-lead. On top it is flirting and career news. Underneath a missed part is laughed down to nothing: "I'm not at a level that any human could notice." The offer that follows is waved off just as lightly.
What happens
Someone at the table goes over a photo shoot with Yolanda, an outdoor outfit, and whether Heathcliff is still playable. An American agent calls with a co-lead in a series called Pathological, seven years if it is picked up. After the call, pork belly is blamed for a sudden tender mood, and someone asks if their chin looks fine.
Listen for
Cut to the chasewill do that to youa household namenot at a level that any human could notice
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
Cut to the chase
get to the point without preamble
经纪人打电话给罗布，寒暄没几句就催他别再客套，直接说这次要谈的正事。
Let us cut to the chase: how much will it cost?
Also in this scene
- will do that to you
used to explain that something naturally causes that effect
- a household name
someone known in every home
- not at a level that any human could notice
so slight that no ordinary person would notice
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 100 lines
Little oven. "Four" is French for "oven."Yolanda, did... have we met before?It was five years ago.It was a photo shoot for Time Out.Listen, I think I'm gonna have a line.- Do you mind if I do? - Oh, no.I mean, this is kind of, sort of, you know, outdoorsy.Bit of the Shackleton...It's a bit too bright.elision
It's a bit too bright.The red's just for safety reasons, really.casual confirmation question with the auxiliary dropped
Okay. You sure you don't want one?Reminds me of the kind of place where, like, Wuthering Heights...liaison
Reminds me of the kind of place where, like, Wuthering Heights...- No, that's not far from here. - Oh, really?There is something very attractive about him.Think I'm a little old to play him, but I'd like to.I'm a tiny bit hurt that he didn't want me to, but I'm only saying that because it's you.It's frigging cold.wish with a past form
I wish I was. I know the weather is.get to the point without preamble
Cut to the chase. Cut to the chase.weak form
Cut to the chase. Cut to the chase.present tense in a future condition
If it goes, it's seven years.someone known in every home
If it goes, you're a household name.a little amorous.used to explain that something naturally causes that effect
- Pork will do that to you. - Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.It's... they've offered me a lead in a drama.Steve Takes His Agent's Call, explained
What's really going on
The clothes talk is already a performance. Red is called "a bit too bright," then kept "just for safety reasons," as if the jacket were only practical. Heathcliff is the same kind of fishing. "So do you think I could play Heathcliff?" waits for "Definitely," and gets it at once. The missed picture is the sore spot. "I'm a tiny bit hurt that he didn't want me to, but I'm only saying that because it's you" admits the slight and makes it private. "Only dogs could detect my hurt" ends the topic before anyone can be kind. The agent call runs the trick backward. "Cut to the chase" kills the weather talk, a co-lead lands, and "If it goes, you're a household name" hangs the prize in the air. Afterward there is no victory speech, only "Yeah, kind of," a chin check, and pork belly blamed for feeling "a little amorous."
Theme
AmbitionA co-lead and the phrase "a household name" land in the middle of a costume chat, seven years if the show goes.
Dark humorA casting snub is scaled down until only a dog could smell it, and pork belly takes the blame for a flirtatious mood.
What you'll learn
- Cut to the chase to skip weather talk
- Household name as fame in living rooms
- A line here is not a script line
Listen for
- a bit too bright — elision
- Reminds me of — liaison
- Cut to the chase — weak form
I'm not at a level that any human could notice.The disappointment is being scored as too small for any person to pick up, so a casting snub turns into a measurement joke.
Only dogs could detect my hurt.The hurt stays, but only a dog's nose could catch it, which lets the confession end as a laugh instead of a request for comfort.
- Pork will do that to you. - Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.A flirty feeling is pinned on the pork belly, and the reply agrees the food can do that, so nobody has to claim the mood.
If it goes, you're a household name.If the series is actually made, the actor leaves the margins and becomes someone ordinary homes already know.
I'm a tiny bit hurt that he didn't want me to, but I'm only saying that because it's you.Not being wanted for the picture stings, but the sting is labeled tiny and reserved for this one listener.
Questions about this scene
Does anyone say he could play Heathcliff?
Yes. Talk of the Yorkshire Moors and "a place called Howarth" leads into "So do you think I could play Heathcliff?" The reply is "Definitely." Heathcliff is then called "Kind of cruel" and "compelling," and someone adds "Think I'm a little old to play him, but I'd like to." The next line is "Are you sad not to be in the picture?" so "Definitely" only answers whether he could play the part.
What does the agent offer on the phone?
A co-lead in a drama called Pathological, playing a pathologist. The caller says a pickup means seven years and "If it goes, you're a household name." Back at the table it is retold as "they've offered me a lead in a drama," and the reaction stays at "kind of" good.
Why blame the pork belly?
Right after the career call, someone says the pork belly left them "a little amorous." "Pork will do that to you" agrees the food caused it. The flirt is handled like the casting slight: owned for a second, then handed to something silly.
What does the conversation say happened with Yolanda?
The question "Yolanda, did... have we met before?" gets a yes. It was five years ago, a photo shoot for Time Out, and they did something afterwards. The asker insists "No, I do remember," and the talk moves on to clothes.
The Trip · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14don't come running to meShushed on the B Roads
Chapter 1have someone down asSteve and Rob Set Off
Chapter 2part of its charmSteve and Rob Share a Room
Chapter 3take a long, hard look in the mirrorThe Michael Caine Impression Duel
Chapter 4in a troughSteve Calls From the Trough
Chapter 5put someone on the back footCalls on the Road to Cartmel
Chapter 6the king of understatementBond Impressions Over Dinner
Chapter 7living the dreamTelling Steve He's Living the Dream
Chapter 8method in my madnessSteve and Rob at Greta Hall
Chapter 9contend withSteve and Rob Rank Their Careers
Chapter 10not unlikeTurned Away at Dove Cottage
Chapter 11at first lightSteve and Rob's Costume Drama
Chapter 12not a lot of people knowThe Michael Caine Impressions
Watching · Chapter 13Cut to the chaseSteve Takes His Agent's Call
Chapter 14don't come running to meShushed on the B Roads
Chapter 15a wee bitA Phone Call by the Lake
Chapter 16an albatross around my neckCoogan and Brydon Compare Careers
Chapter 17as empty experiences goDad Phones Joe About Drinking
Chapter 18stick the knife inMock Eulogy at the Grave
Chapter 19if push came to shoveHiring Divers for the Gesture
Chapter 20as broad as it's longSteve Leaves His ParentsChapter 13 of 20 · about 37 min to go