Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 122: First Time on the Red Carpet

"Renly, are you listening?" Renly, bathed in the bright orange sunlight outside the window, seemed a bit absent-minded. Andy had to momentarily pause his own words and asked aloud.

Renly lowered his eyelids, lightly smiled, and tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yes, I'm listening. You said, don't set too high expectations for tonight, relax and enjoy the party, right?" Renly turned to glance at Andy, casting a questioning look.

Andy nodded, affirming, "What are you looking at? So lost in thought?"

"The sunlight. The sunset in Los Angeles has a special orange color, very different from New York." Renly's gaze once again drifted towards the window. The afternoon sun lazily burned on the horizon, painting the sky with a bright and warm orange hue, while at this moment, the night had already enveloped New York, and one could imagine the navy Renly night slowly descending.

The three-hour time difference gave these two cities on the east and west coasts entirely different appearances, which was also the reason why each nationwide live awards ceremony had a particularly peculiar timing.

Typically, on the east coast, the red carpet would start around eight o'clock in the evening, or even earlier. By the time the four-hour awards ceremony ended, it would be well past midnight, a significant reason why the Oscars were often criticized for being too lengthy; whereas on the west coast, around five o'clock in the afternoon, the awards ceremony would begin. After the event, all the stars' nights were just beginning—celebratory banquets and parties would unfold under the cover of night.

Tonight, the 62nd Emmy Awards opened at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Renly and Andy had arrived in the City of Angels two days ago, specifically to attend Renly's first awards ceremony as an actor.

"Don't you think it's amazing? When New York is having dinner, the awards ceremony is starting here in Los Angeles." Renly's smile lightly outlined his lips. "I'm starting to worry. What if halfway through the ceremony, I get hungry? What then?" As conventionally expected, the awards ceremony usually ended around nine o'clock—Los Angeles time, when dinner for most people had already concluded.

Andy couldn't help but chuckle. Sometimes Renly seemed mature and seasoned, and at other times, he appeared like a newcomer, brimming with curiosity and vitality. Just when Andy thought he knew Renly better, there would always be new surprises.

"After entering the venue, you'll see a buffet table backstage. Though it may only have some desserts, bread, salads, and the like, if you feel unwell, you can choose some snacks to fill your stomach." Andy explained kindly, "The best choice is to pick a piece of dark chocolate before entering. It's a convenient energy booster without being too messy."

"Ah, I see." Renly gently lifted his chin in understanding. "I thought everyone would just rely on whiskey or brandy to stave off hunger." That's how aristocratic banquets were.

Andy thought it was a joke and laughed lightly. Watching the sunlight gently cascade onto Renly's shoulders, his features blurred in the halo of light, Andy could only vaguely make out the contours of his jaw and shoulders, the fitted shirt and tasteful suit carving out a sense of elegance, reminiscent of their visit to Melvin Bradess last week.

Compared to Melvin, who fled upstairs to hide, Renly maintained gentlemanly manners until the last moment. The irony in this contrast was once again sharply felt—though Melvin couldn't see it anymore, the golden-haired girl bidding them farewell bore an unmistakable embarrassment and panic on her face. Andy could easily envision Melvin's ashamed expression, which was truly amusing.

That day, instead of searching for another stylist, they returned to Fifth Avenue and purchased a suit at Burberry's flagship store, with Renly making the selection himself.

"Do you know much about suits?" Andy asked curiously.

Renly smiled and replied, "Just the basics." It was true. Tailored suits were made by professional tailors, and he was merely responsible for wearing them, far from being knowledgeable or professional.

Andy found it quite intriguing. Usually, Renly's attire was mostly casual, even street-style at times. But after changing into a suit, Renly's entire demeanor and demeanor changed, as if this was the true Renly, everything coming together naturally.

It was evident that there was much more to Renly waiting to be discovered. Perhaps tonight would be a good platform—a rookie's first appearance at such a grand awards ceremony, basking under the spotlight, becoming the focus of the media for the first time. This time was vastly different from the premiere of "The Pacific." Andy couldn't help but feel anticipation rising.

Several blocks away, the Staples Center could be seen. Andy knew they were nearing the Nokia Theatre. "No need to be too nervous," he instructed, "It's only the first half of the red carpet now. There won't be many big names, and tonight, the lineup for TV series is quite extensive. The focus won't linger on one person for too long, so just try to relax as much as possible."

Due to the vast number of television industry personnel attending, the Emmy Awards had the most attendees among the four major awards ceremonies. That was why they chose the Nokia Theatre to host the event—it could accommodate 6,500 people, twice the seating capacity of the Kodak Theatre.

Coupled with the enormous number of TV series supporting actors, there were many named actors and even more unnamed ones. Therefore, the entire red carpet would be very busy.

"Is there a particular time to arrive on the red carpet?" Renly asked curiously. Last time at the premiere of "The Pacific," he didn't have a manager, so he just attended at a random time. But now it seemed like there was more to it than that—was their appearance time selected today as well?

Andy chuckled as if amused by the question. "Of course, there's a protocol. Typically, the big names will attend towards the middle to later part of the second half because that's when the audience viewership peaks, and they won't end up on the tail end of the coverage. Also, with so many big names, no one wants to clash or overshadow others, so managers communicate with each other, and the organizers try to spread out the appearance times as much as possible."

Renly pondered for a moment and proposed a guess, "So, would someone deliberately schedule their appearance at the same time just to counter each other?"

Andy smiled but didn't confirm or deny. Instead, he pointed ahead. "We're here."

Turning his head, Renly could see a building decorated with glass walls. It didn't seem particularly striking in style, continuing the Nordic clean and simple lines. The azure "Nokia" sign above emphasized the building's style origin.

At this moment, the theater's entrance was brightly lit, with the pale yellow lights complementing the orange sunset, making the world excessively bright. The teeming crowd was shrouded in shadows, extending endlessly, indistinguishable in quantity. Even saying there were thousands of people wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The square in front of the gate was already packed, and the surging crowd spilled onto the road. The main street was blocked, and the bustling crowd continued to cheer, shout, and scream towards the direction of the illuminated lights. Under the burning sunset, the tumultuous wave surged and billowed, as if igniting flames that spread across the sky, and the grand heatwave hit, awakening the heat of midsummer, making even the air boil.

The roaring pierced through the car window, heavy on the eardrums, and the blood began to accelerate, each heartbeat powerful. The adrenaline surged, making the throat feel dry.

Renly had to adjust his breathing; this time was evidently different. If the premiere of "The Pacific" was more about bewilderment and confusion, with a curious and exploratory Alice in Wonderland-like curiosity, then this time, he could truly feel the heat and excitement of the limelight. The sense of tension uncontrollably emerged, and his blood seemed to have turned into gasoline, just needing a spark to ignite.

It wasn't until now that the reality hit Renly's chest hard: this was the Emmy Awards, and he was about to attend as a nominee. The idea was suddenly magnified countless times. From Fisher Morgan informing him of this news until now, the elusive sense of reality had finally fiercely struck.

Tonight, he would be competing with Al Pacino, Jeff Bridges, Ian McKellen, and others.

This was truly a surprise, wasn't it?

A smile spread across the corners of Renly's mouth. He straightened his back, ready to step into the blazing spotlight.

"Renly, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Rose Byrne. She's also one of my actors and will attend the awards ceremony tonight." Andy made a final instruction loudly in Renly's ear, then patted Renly's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. "Buddy, go conquer Hollywood!"

A smile bloomed on Renly's lips, without any hesitation. He pushed open the car door and stepped out.