WHO: Lyam Connolly & Sol Bell WHAT: Unofficial meeting WHEN: Morning, Monday, November 4. WHERE: A coffee shop, Wizzywood RATING: Low.
After being essentially outed by the gossip column, and having his own coming out post, the show of support from his producer was a big relief. However… Lyam was still a bit nervous as he headed into the city to meet up with Sol for coffee. It wasn’t official like in the other man’s office or anything, but still Lyam knew he was possibly on the edge of his career going somewhere… different.
He arrived before Sol did, and he was able to get himself a table that was discreet enough so not everyone who recognized him would see him and crowd his table. Not that Lyam didn’t like his fans but… well he didn’t know how many of his fans would act around him right now.
Lyam already had himself a cup of Irish breakfast since he wasn’t really much of a coffee drinker.
It was early, but Sol was already tired. He'd spent many late nights in the office over the past few weeks; with three shows to oversee now, he and Jess were delegating more work than ever before, but still the list of things to do seemed endless, and on top of that, the bad luck that was plaguing the productions hadn't let up.
He took his black coffee (the second one of the day already, much to his healer's displeasure) and headed over to join Lyam at his well-hidden table. "Lyam, hi," he greeted his star player with his hand stretched out for a shake. "Thanks for coming out early this morning. How are you doing?"
“Hi Sol, take a seat.” Lyam reached to take a hold of Sol’s hand and return his handshake. “It’s not a problem. I know we needed to discuss this sooner rather than later,” he said about the early hour. He would have been up worrying about this meeting if Sol had set it for later…
“Oh I’m just grand… all things considered,” he said and smiled a bit weakly and tried not to sound sarcastic.
Sol settled into his seat, folding his hands around his coffee cup. "That doesn't sound all that grand," he answered frankly. "Is there anything or anyone in particular that's bothering you? Anyone on set, the press or fan reactions? I'm sure your agent is on the job, but if you need us to get involved, the studio has a very efficient public relations office. I can put you in contact with them if you want."
“No, no it’s nothing like that. At least, not yet. Everyone has been very supportive,” Lyam assured Sol. He hoped that it didn’t change any time soon. “It’s more of a behind the scenes thing,” he said and he knew he needed to be careful where he was going with this. “First of all, I’m not in a relationship with Deonte Freeman.” That was another reason why he confirmed being out because people would believe him about that other piece of gossip. “However, I am in a relationship, but my partner is as of now unwilling to come out. I’m hoping that he will come around, but I’m not so sure. I also don’t want to force him or out him myself.”
"Mm-hm," Sol agreed, showing no surprise whatsoever. "Deonte told me you two weren't involved, which is good. Romance on set can be messy. It can affect careers, and I know neither of you want that." He sipped gingerly at his hot coffee. "But on the other hand, it's hard to avoid in this business. If your partner is involved with Enchanter or with the Merlinverse in general, we'd like to know. It would help us be prepared for the publicity. But, of course, we respect your privacy if you'd rather not say."
Lyam nodded, not expecting De to be ahead of the game there, but he did appreciate it. And well, it was a good thing Lyam was a good actor because he didn’t show any reaction on his fact to Sol’s comment about on set relationships being messy. He was worried about his relationship getting messy now…
“If it was just my decision, I would be prepared to discuss the details to get ready for publicity. But it’s not my decision alone, so for now it has to wait,” Lyam explained and while he didn’t deny that his partner was in the Merlinverse, he didn’t confirm it either. “Really, I just wanted you to know that I’m not… going to galavanting around.”
Sol chuckled at that idea, shaking his head. "No, I didn't think you would. That's all right. Even lead actors are entitled to their privacy, and we can cross the publicity bridge when we come to it. For now, we want you to know that we've got your back. We appreciate everything you've done building the Merlinverse into what it's become, and we want to do whatever it takes to keep you with us."
He lifted his coffee cup, eyeing Lyam over the rim. "You know, we've tried to make the Merlinverse as inclusive and representative a production as we can. We've had a few gay and lesbian couples featured in problem-of-the-week episodes on Enchanter and Trial, and we're going to have our first major gay romance coming up on Camelot. With you coming out, the inevitable question is going to be whether Merlin himself will ever have a romantic relationship with a man. I'd like to know what you think about that idea."
Hearing the part about Sol still wanting to keep him was the biggest relief and Lyam did show that relief. The beginning of that assurance about them appreciating all he did… it could have gone in an entirely different conversation. “I’m thankful for the opportunity. I’ve been given a lot of creative room for the character, and I do want to keep going as long as you’ll have me.” He was lucky that the Merlinverse did well… need Merlin.
This was not the direction he’d expected the conversation to go to but he did appreciate offering his opinion about it. “Well, we had played with Merlin’s romantic lines with only women before. I don’t want to say Merlin is attracted to men because I am but…” Lyam started and thought about it. “While Merlin is out his time, I’ve never thought of him being confined by past morality. He’s… timeless and ageless, so that way he’s not bound by social morals. Every time he’s been attracted to someone it’s been because of their intelligence and he found them challenging. So, if that character was a man, it wouldn’t stop him feeling a certain way.”
"I see," Sol answered, nodding thoughtfully. He sipped at his coffee, quiet for a moment while he considered that answer from all angles. "I think you're absolutely right about his attractions, and I'd be interested in exploring that kind of romance. We're walking a bit of a fine line with Merlin like we are with no other character, you know -- as a historical figure, as a character of legend, as the only character in our 'verse whose primary identity is the ancient one rather than the modern-day one. If our Merlin is bisexual, or open to the possibility, are we saying that the Merlin was bisexual? He's such a revered figure, I can see that infuriating a certain segment of the population. On the other hand, we're already taking quite a lot of artistic license with the guy, and it opens up the possibility of some really interesting stories and conversations..." He was thinking out loud, talking through his train of thought like he would have with Jess. It was a long-ingrained habit. He shook his head and folded his hands together in front of him. "Anyway, I'm glad to know you're open to the notion and we're on the same page. We'll discuss it further and let you know. We won't spring anything on you."
Lyam listened and nodded, understanding the point Sol was making. At this point Lyam wasn’t even sure if the point was being made to him or the producer was just thinking out loud. “People were already mad when you made Merlin Irish, as far as that’s concerned. And we’ve already been pushing that limit with Merlin wearing skinny jeans and guyliner,” Lyam chuckled as he sipped his tea. He knew that making Merlin bisexual was a different thing. “And well, we’re not really doing historical. We’re putting Merlin in our time. But as always, I’m happy to discuss anything you and Jess are thinking.”
"All right," Sol agreed. "We'll keep you posted." He swirled the remnants of his coffee in his cup, watching Lyam. "Do you have anything else you want to talk to us about regarding your recent news? Concerns, questions, requests?"
“At the moment, no there aren’t any concerns, and I have no question,” Lyam assured Sol. The reassurance that the producer wasn’t going to sack him, or try to repress this was more than enough. Lyam still felt guilty for holding back the truth about his relationship with Bran, but he needed his boyfriend to be on board with him for that. “Thank you again Sol. If I do think of anything I have questions about, I will let you know.”
Sol smiled back at him. It was easy enough to do; he liked Lyam professionally, as the face of the Merlinverse who had given so much to their shows, and personally, as a guy who didn't deserve the intense scrutiny he was almost certainly going to receive over everything he did or didn't say or do now. He reached out to pat his shoulder encouragingly. "Good. You do that." He sat back again, lifting his cup to finish his coffee. "Thanks again for meeting me this morning. We wanted to make sure you know we have your back with this. That goes for me and Jess both. We'll go to bat for you if we have to, but hopefully everything continues to go smoothly and it won't even be an issue."
“Believe me, showing up to this meeting knowing that I wasn’t in trouble made coming that much easier,” Lyam laughed and assured Sol that there was no problem in the morning meeting. He was happy with where his career was now, but he also wanted his career to continue doing well as he progressed with what he wanted in life too. “Say thanks to Jess to me too. I don’t want to be an issue and I hope it all goes well. And I hope… well that I can give you some more good news if my partner is willing to come out.”