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She threw her arms around him, which caused him to collapse on to the bed. They lay there hugging each other in a messy jumble of laughter and tears.

Dan kissed her with the lazy passion of a drunk. ‘I love you, Shauna Jackson.’

‘And I love you, Dan Jackson.’

At this, Dan promptly fell asleep with a huge grin on his face.

They married a few months later on the island of Mustique, with only a handful of guests. Dan’s mother came, along with his brother and his wife. Roxy was Shauna’s maid-of-honour and she was accompanied by her current beau, Jacob, a pizza-delivery man from Brooklyn, where she was now living. ‘He brought pepperoni pizza and never left!’ Shauna had also invited her new friend, Mel Rosaria, a make-up artist she had formed a bond with on set and who she now requested whenever she signed on to a movie – as Dan had instructed her to do. ‘Make sure you have good people around you, people that you trust.’

Her parents had declined to make the long journey, but her father had given Shauna her grandmother’s wedding ring to wear. Even her mother had shed a tear as she told them her news on a visit home.

Shauna had worn a dress made by Roxy: sleeveless, strapless and figure-hugging, it was a world away from the eighties trend for shoulder pads and princess puffs. They had written their own vows and Shauna had cried when Dan made his vow that, every moment of every day, he would carry her in his heart. She in turn vowed to be forever by his side, no matter what life would throw at them. She tossed the bouquet, which was shunned by Roxy and caught instead by Mel. Then they adjourned to Basil’s Bar where everyone danced under the stars to the sound of a calypso band.

When they said goodnight to their guests, Shauna reserved an extra-long embrace for Roxy.

‘You look so beautiful and happy,’ Roxy said, looking stunning herself in a floor-length black sequined number which was the perfect negative image of Shauna’s dress.

‘That’s because I am – are you?’

‘Yes, Jacob gives me everything I need right now – he’s a great lay and doesn’t pretend he loves me.’

‘We’ve come so far, hard to believe that just a few years ago …’

‘Hush! Today is not the day for those sorts of memories.’

‘You’re right, but I’ll never forget, not even today.’

‘I know, but you’re happy now and that’s what matters.’ She mimed raising a glass to toast the bride: ‘Here’s to the start of a new chapter. Here’s to the rest of our lives.’

Chapter 16

Shauna had taken her first steps on the path to stardom before she married Dan, but once his ring was on her finger, doors seemed to magically open for her. She hated to think that it was because of Dan, and he took pains to reassure her that it wasn’t, but she was determined to make it on her own merits.

She chose only projects that would enhance her reputation and where she could learn from people she admired. She shied away from blockbusters, though the offers poured in, and the agent Dan had recommended, Isaac Orvitz, supported her in her choices. Isaac was old school; expensive but fiercely protective of his clients, he drove a hard bargain and treated Shauna like his daughter.

He was the one who told her about Only the Brave, a film that was in the early stages of development. The leading role had already been given to Jessica Lange, but there was an interesting supporting role as the wife of a paraplegic Vietnam veteran who faces a long road to recovery on his return home.

‘She’s not a likeable character,’ Isaac explained. ‘Turns out, she can’t cope with what’s happened to him and she winds up dumping the guy – but you can give her a heart.’

After reading the script, Dan was of the same opinion as Isaac. He urged her to go for it.

The director was an auteur with a clear idea about who he wanted for the role – and it wasn’t Shauna. He wanted Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Shauna knew she would have to do something extraordinary to get him to take a risk on her. Thanks to her old boss, Terry Sullivan, pulling some strings – thanks to Mel for transforming her appearance so that she was unrecognizable as Shauna Jackson – she passed herself off as a new waitress in the director’s favourite bar, serving drinks incognito for few nights to get to know him. She invented a sob story that her violent ex-husband was out of jail and threatening to kill her and she needed a thousand dollars to skip town. He was so convinced by Shauna’s performance that he gave her the money in cash and offered to drive her to safety himself.

Shauna returned the money via a courier, along with signed picture of herself accompanied by a note that read, ‘Do you think I can do it now?’

The part was hers. And when word of the subterfuge spread, it cemented her reputation as an actress who was prepared to take risks for her craft.

It was a gruelling shoot, months of doing scenes repeatedly, tempers boiling over in the process. She rediscovered emotions she hadn’t felt in a long time and when she finally walked out on her on-screen husband while he screamed at her not to abandon him, it nearly tore her in two. The director had to give her a day off set to recover.

When they finally wrapped filming, Shauna felt drained but at the same time exhilarated. She tapped into her emotions and brought that character to life in a way she wouldn’t have believed herself capable of – and she had never felt more alive.

The following year, the film received nominations in virtually every major category in both the Golden Globes and the Oscars. It was Shauna and Dan’s first year of attending awards-season events together, and Dan encouraged her to revel in it.

‘This is what Tinseltown is all about, baby,’ he told her out of the corner of his mouth in a fake American accent as they stood on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Shauna, having kept her promise, was wearing a gown made by Roxy. It was ice blue, fitted her like a dream, understated enough not to overshadow the other actresses who’d been nominated in her category, with a subtle nod to Grace Kelly in the elegant styling. Shauna kept having to pinch herself that she had been nominated. The film had garnered worldwide acclaim and her turn as the brittle, resentful but damaged wife had fully pushed her into the spotlight.

The evening passed in a blur of flashing bulbs and sound-bite interviews, and then suddenly the names of the nominees were being read out by Shirley MacLaine. Shauna, certain that she wouldn’t win, concentrated on keeping a smile on her face so the camera wouldn’t catch her looking disappointed. Even so, she couldn’t keep a pang of longing from flaring up inside her when she heard her name among the nominees, wanting the coveted award so much, yet not daring to hope.

Shirley MacLaine slowly opened the envelope and time seemed to stand still for a second until she squealed and said, ‘The best supporting actress goes to another redhead: Shauna Jackson!’