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Free Fallin' フリー・フォーリンジプロジェクト
Hollywood. Vine Street. Sunset Boulevard. And Everything In Between.
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フリー・フォーリンへの呼び出し
Furī Fōrin e no Yobidashi
(The Call to Free Fallin')
I got a page from my agent, and the second I saw the number, I knew I had to pull over. This was before cell phones, so I found the nearest payphone, dug through my purse for quarters, and fed them into the slot.
My agent answered and said:
"You have an audition for an MTV music video.
Directed by Julien Temple.
For Tom Petty."
My heart exploded.
I knew exactly who Julien Temple was — he was my favorite director because of Earth Girls Are Easy with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. The moment my agent said his name, I felt the electricity go through my body. I couldn't believe I had a callback for him.
Then my agent said the magic words:
“Dress 50s.”
I didn’t even say goodbye. I hung up the phone, ran back to my car, and — in true Cristal fashion — jumped straight into my convertible without opening the door. I was too excited for that. Who has time for doors when Julien Temple is waiting?
I tore down the road straight to Contempo Casuals, one of my all-time favorite stores in the mall. They don’t have Contempo anymore — which is tragic — because back then it was the place to be for cute, affordable outfits.
I knew exactly what I needed: a whole 50s look, head to toe.
I remember picking everything out in a rush — the hat, the shorts, the top, the gloves, the jewelry — and it was all only about $40. And honestly? Back then, $40 felt like a lot of money… but for Julien Temple?
Worth every penny.
I walked out of Contempo Casuals feeling like a character straight out of a 1950s postcard… and ready for whatever Hollywood had waiting for me.
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キャスティングの知らせ
Kyasutingu no Shirase
(The Call Back After the Callback)
After leaving Julien Temple’s office, I was floating. I didn’t walk out — I glided out, still hearing his voice in my head, still feeling that electric moment when a director sees you.
I was halfway home, driving along Mulholland, when suddenly my pager went off. I looked down at the number and my heart dropped into my stomach.
My agent.
Oh. My. God. Did he book me already?
My sister lived right off Mulholland in Sherman Oaks, so I pulled over without even thinking. I ran up to her house, banged on the door like a maniac.
“Hey, can I use your phone to call my agent?”
She handed me the phone immediately.
I dialed with shaking hands.
“Cristal,” my agent said, “you didn’t get the lead… but they want you to play the lead’s best friend. Do you want it?”
I froze dramatically — because that’s who I am — and I said:
“I don’t know… hold on… let me think about it.”
Meanwhile I was jumping up and down, silently screaming, trying not to explode.
My sister ran back into the room, completely confused. “What is happening?!”
I finally let it out:
“I just booked TOM PETTY FREE FALLIN’, baby!”
We screamed. We danced. We hugged.
It was a full 80s movie moment — big hair, big emotions, big dreams coming true in real time.
And just like that, I was officially part of one of the most iconic music videos ever made.
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ラ・シエネガの坂とオーディション
Ra Shienega no Saka to Ōdishon
(The Hill on La Cienega and the Audition)
If you’ve ever driven in Los Angeles, you know there are hills… and then there’s La Cienega turning left onto Sunset — the hill that separates real actresses from the ones who just pretend.
I used to drive my little convertible Alfa Romeo, stick shift, cute as ever, top down, hair perfect, heading to auditions like a young Hollywood starlet. But every time I hit that hill, my stomach would drop.
That hill is straight up, almost vertical. And with a stick shift, it’s a full-body workout just to survive it.
I’d pull up to the red light, balancing my life between:
• Emergency brake
• Clutch
• Foot brake
• Gas pedal
• And pure prayer
If you messed up even an inch? You’d roll straight backward into the Mercedes behind you — and you know in LA they would definitely sue you.
So I’d sit there, on one of the steepest hills in the city, trying to keep it together with one foot on the brake, one foot on the gas, one hand on the clutch, and one hand on the emergency brake — basically performing a full Cirque du Soleil routine just to stay still.
Then the light would turn green.
And that moment… that second… you have to release the emergency brake, let go of the clutch, hit the gas, pray to God, and whisper:
“Hmm… please don’t roll back…”
And somehow — miraculously — I’d shoot forward like a little Italian rocket, hair flying, heart pounding, Angel, my Pomeranian, looking at me like:
“Mom, are we gonna die today?”
But that was driving to auditions in LA. That was the hustle. That was the adrenaline.
And that hill? That hill taught me confidence more than any acting class ever did.
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Copyright © Cristal Vancarson 2026
I Escaped Hollywood, Barely.
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Free Fallin' フリー・フォーリンジプロジェクト
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