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"But the stress of having to carry a movie might be too much for him to handle. A starring role like Laramie would put pressure on someone who's completely healthy, let alone--" Kate took a deep breath. It was important to keep breathing. Without air, she would just keel over. "Victor, I know you see only the possibility of greatness. You see Jericho's talent. He shines, I'm not arguing about that. It's all over that audition tape. But I'm not convinced that he's going to be able to carry this movie--both physically and mentally. I don't want to gamble all the millions of dollars I've busted my ass finding for this project. I'm not willing to bet all that on someone like Jericho. I can't take that risk--and I can guarantee that the other financial backers won't want to take that risk, either. There's got to be someone else who can play this part."

Victor stood up. "Katie. I hear everything you're saying. And I know what I should do is agree with you and find someone else." He shook his head. "But I can't do it. I can't make this movie knowing that I could have had my number one, absolute, perfect cast. I can't do it knowing that I've got to settle across the board. Because if I don't get Jericho, I don't have Susie. And without the two of them, I won't have Jamaal."

"Victor--"

He held up his hand. "I love you, you know that, and this is the best script I've seen in about ten years, but I will walk away from both you and this script if you don't let me cast Jericho. I'm sorry, babe, but it's ultimatum time. I want Jericho. Susie and Jamaal want Jericho. If you want me to stay connected, it's up to you to figure out a way to make the backers want Jericho,too."