Randolph Begs Stokes to Get Him His Slot Back

Written by Adam Resnick for the dark comedy-drama film Death to Smoochy, this intense two-minute contemporary duologue captures a desperate meeting between two former business associates. Set on a deserted dock in the dead of night, Randolph, a disgraced former children's television host who has suffered a catastrophic fall from grace, confronts his associate Stokes to demand his old timeslot back. As Stokes coldly explains that Randolph has become an untouchable pariah who has been permanently replaced, the conversation deteriorates from bitter resentment into raw, unvarnished panic.

Randolph is an erratic, volatile anti-hero caught in a terrifying downward spiral. Having once tasted immense fame and privilege, he swings violently between arrogant nostalgia, furious entitlement, and abject terror as homelessness and mounting debts close in on him. Stokes serves as his emotional foil, presenting a cool, pragmatic facade. Completely unsentimental about their shared history, Stokes remains detached and businesslike, prioritizing professional survival and self-preservation over loyalty to a ruined colleague.

This scene delivers an extraordinary vehicle for actors wanting to showcase rapid status shifts, emotional range, and dark comedic undertones within a compressed timeframe. For the actor playing Randolph, the text offers an intense exploration of desperation and fury, requiring exceptional vocal control and physical commitment to make the breakdown feel grounded rather than theatrical. For Stokes, the material tests stillness, active listening, and the ability to command a room using cold authority rather than raised volume.

The piece is best suited for character actors in the 35 to 45 age range seeking compelling material for self-tapes, agent showcases, or general classroom practice. It highlights casting types that lean toward intense, volatile personalities, anti-heroes, or calculating professionals operating in morally ambiguous worlds. Because the conflict hinges on status, power, and betrayal rather than specific physical traits, either role can easily be played by performers of any gender.

Actors portraying Randolph should ensure that his grandiose bravado is continually undercut by genuine, life-threatening fear. Rather than playing generic anger, locate the precise moments where his self-importance cracks and gives way to frantic pleading. The performer playing Stokes should resist the urge to match Randolph's high-decibel energy; instead, maintain an icy, unshakeable composure that forces Randolph to work even harder to provoke an emotional reaction.